Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents The Enigmatist, an immersive and captivating experience of illusions, puzzles, and cryptology, written and performed by renowned magician and The New York Times crossword constructor David Kwong. Following sold out runs in New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., The Enigmatist plays May 29–June 30, 2024 in the Carl and Marilynn Thoma Theater Upstairs.

The Los Angeles Times raves that Kwong "creates a magical sense of togetherness" and The Washington Post calls the production "Mesmerizing...Kwong delivers trick after hypnotizing trick." The production features interactive opportunities for audiences to crack codes, including a pre-show Puzzle Garden experience in the Skyline Room. Attendees are encouraged to arrive at the Theater 20–30 minutes early to solve a series of puzzles that, while not mandatory to gain entry to the performance, enhance the overall experience of the show.

With his expertise in enigmas and illusions, David Kwong delights and challenges audiences around the world with his intellectual brand of magic. A veteran "cruciverbalist" (crossword puzzle constructor), Kwong routinely creates puzzles for The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Kwong was the head magic consultant on the 2013 worldwide hit film Now You See Me. Other projects include The Imitation Game, The Bad Guys, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and Apple TV+'s The Afterparty (with his frequent collaborator Dave Shukan). A TED Talk favorite, Kwong regularly speaks to companies, demonstrating the principles of illusion and the science of why your brain is fooled. Kwong's book Spellbound: Seven Principles of Illusion to Captivate Audiences and Unlock the Secrets of Success was published by Harper Business. During the pandemic, Kwong and the Geffen Playhouse teamed up for Inside the Box, a virtual one-man puzzle show that garnered a Critic's Pick from The New York Times. Kwong is a graduate of Harvard University, where he studied the history of magic. His kids book of magic tricks, How to Fool Your Parents, also with HarperCollins, will hit shelves on October 8, 2024.

The creative team includes Production Designer Brett J. Banakis, Lighting and Video Designer Joshua Higgason, and Sound Designer Brendan Aanes. The Enigmatist is produced in association with Andy Jones and Dylan Pager.

More information at chicagoshakes.com/enigmatist or on social media at @chicagoshakes. 

Open-captioning services will be provided on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, at 1:00 & 7:30, where a text display of the words and sounds heard during the performance will be synced live with the action onstage.

The Enigmatist is presented May 29–June 30, 2024, in the Carl and Marilynn Thoma Theater Upstairs. Single tickets starting at $59 are on sale now. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the Box Office at 312.595.5600 or visit www.chicagoshakes.com

ABOUT CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER

A Regional Tony Award recipient, Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) produces a bold and innovative year-round season—plays, musicals, world premieres, family productions, and theatrical presentations from around the globe—alongside education programming for students, teachers, and lifelong learners, and engagement with communities across the city. Located on Chicago's iconic Navy Pier, CST's campus features the Jentes Family Courtyard Theater, The Yard, and the Carl and Marilynn Thoma Theater Upstairs. Onstage, in classrooms and neighborhoods across the city, and in venues around the world, Chicago Shakespeare is a multifaceted cultural center—inviting audiences, artists, and community members to share powerful stories that connect and inspire. www.chicagoshakes.com.

Steep Theatre will be back on stage in 2024 with two new productions that continue the company's tradition of bringing new work to Chicago audiences. In July, Steep will open the Chicago Premiere of Samuel D. Hunter's A Case for the Existence of God at the Edge Off-Broadway Theatre, directed by Steep Ensemble Member Robin Witt. In September, the company will present the World Premiere of Ensemble Member Omer Abbas Salem's Happy Days Are Here (Again) at Steppenwolf Theatre's 1700 Theater, directed by Azar Kazemi.  

"We're excited for the year ahead and to be back with our artists and audiences doing what we do best - creating conversations and community through our work on stage," said Artistic Director Peter Moore. "We're enormously grateful to Steppenwolf and the Edge for offering us homes away from home as we continue the work of building the new Steep Theatre." 

Steep is currently in the process of transforming its new building in Edgewater into a state-of-the-art performance space, artistic home, and cultural center that will serve the company for years to come.

In Samuel D. Hunter's A Case for the Existence of God, two single parents search for understanding and connection as they confront crises of parenting and financial insecurity. The play premiered at New York's Signature Theatre in April 2022 and won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best New Play. Director Robin Witt has been at the helm for some of Steep's most memorable productions over the years, including Harper Regan, Lela & Co, and 2021's critical and commercial hit, Light Falls. This will be Steep's second Hunter production, having produced the Midwest Premiere of Hunter's The Few in 2016.

Steep Ensemble Member Omer Abbas Salem's Happy Days Are Here (Again) was commissioned and workshopped by Steep and will receive its World Premiere production at Steppenwolf's 1700 Theater, bringing one of Chicago's rising playwriting voices to a prominent Chicago institution. Salem is a 3Arts Award winner whose work has been produced by About Face and First Floor Theatres and developed by the Goodman and Steppenwolf Theatres. This large ensemble piece explores how people in power abuse their systems and the resilience that fighting them requires. This production will mark director Azar Kazemi's debut with Steep. Kazemi recently directed Rivendell Theatre's smash-hit, world premiere production of Tuckie White's Motherhouse, which won Jeff Awards for both Best New Work and Best Ensemble.

General ticket sales for A Case for the Existence of God will begin on June 5th, and Happy Days Are Here (Again) general ticket sales will go on sale in August. 

About Steep Theatre
Founded in 2000 by three actors, Steep has grown into a dynamic ensemble of forty-five theatre artists, supported by a dedicated and inspired team of arts administrators and community members.  Described by Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune as "the most fearless theater in town", Steep creates powerful productions of plays by today's most exciting writers and features the work of Chicago's hottest theatre artists in an intimate, accessible space. Steep is known as a home for hard-hitting, finely-tuned ensemble work. With each production, the company has shepherded a growing community of audiences and artists into bold new territories of story and performance. Steep Theatre is committed to creating an inclusive and anti-racist environment for making and watching theatre. To learn more, please visit https://steeptheatre.com/antiracism. 

Steep is in the midst of its Lights Up Edgewater Capital Campaign to support the creation of Steep's new theater and artistic home and to fund robust and equitable compensation for artists and staff. To learn more about this campaign, please visit www.steeptheatre.com/lightsup.

Production Information

The Chicago Premiere of 

A Case for the Existence of God

Written by Samuel D. Hunter

Directed by Robin Witt

July 19 - August 25, 2024

The World Premiere of 

Happy Days Are Here (Again)

Written by Omer Abbas Salem

Directed by Azar Kazemi

September 20 - October 27, 2024

Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre's 2024 season of four productions will open with the original musical 1619: THE JOURNEY OF A PEOPLE by Chicago writer and performer Ted Williams III. The musical commemorates the arrival of the first 20 Africans on the shores of Point Comfort, Virginia on August 20, 1619. In it, three modern characters lead audience members on a journey through multiple performance pieces, leaving viewers both inspired and challenged about the progress of America's African sons and daughters. This production uses various musical forms including hip-hop, jazz, and blues, to commemorate the struggle for survival and equality and to celebrate the stories and journeys of America's African sons and daughters. FJT is partnering with Evanston Public Library and Northwestern University for this production. 1619: THE JOURNEY OF A PEOPLE will play Saturdays and Sundays from June 15-30, 2024, with the press opening on Sunday, June 16 at 3 pm.
 
Performances will be Saturdays at 7:00 pm and Sundays at 3:00 pm, at the Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre in the Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes St., Evanston. Tickets are $30.00 and are on sale now at www.fjtheatre.com. Additionally, 2024 Premium Gold Member Cards, good for all three 2024 summer and fall play productions and A MOODY EXPERIENCE: MUSIC BEYOND THE MARGINS, are now on sale for a very limited time for only $90 - a nearly 30 percent discount off of the regular season ticket prices.
 
LISTING INFORMATION
 
1619: THE JOURNEY OF A PEOPLE
A Musical by Ted Williams III
Directed by Tim Rhoze and Ted Williams III
This is a co-production with Evanston Public Library and Northwestern University
June 15-30, 2024
Saturdays at 7 pm, Sundays at 3 pm
Press opening Sunday, June 16 at 3 pm
Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre in the Noyes Cultural Arts Center
927 Noyes St., Evanston
Tickets $32.00, on sale now at www.fjtheatre.com
Phone 847-866-5914
 
From the beginning of American slavery to Reconstruction, the Great Migration, the Civil Rights Era, and modern movements for justice, 1619 packs generations of history into an amazing musical theater experience that traces the African American journey toward freedom and equality.

In 1940, the 25-year-old Orson Welles, previously known as a stage and radio actor, had achieved widespread fame for his 1938 radio play adaptation of the novel THE WAR OF THE WORLDS. The show was produced without the participation or even the permission of the novel's author H.G. Wells, a slight which much angered the novelist. When Wells and Welles happened to be staying in the same San Antonio hotel while on separate lecture tours in October 1940, Welles had an opportunity to meet with Wells and make peace with him. The world premiere play WELLS AND WELLES by Chicago playwright Amy Crider imagines what might have been said in a private meeting between these two pioneers of literature and the arts. What common values might have been shared between the 75-year-novelist, historian and futurist; and this American "Boy Genius," 50 years his junior? In Crider's play, the two share ideas about the potential of the arts and journalism to change the world, and the power of storytelling. WELLS AND WELLES will be performed by the Lucid Theater Company at City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr, Chicago from July 18 to August 11.

Playing H.G. Wells (right) at 75, more than 40 years after the success of his early popular novels like THE TIME MACHINE and THE INVISIBLE MAN, but still writing and speaking feverishly to warn the world of the catastrophes that could occur, will be Chicago theater veteran Pete Blatchford. Blatchford has appeared on stages in Chicago, New York, Buxton, England and Edinburgh, Scotland. Some of his recent credits are THE FALSE YEARS (Yippie Fest), THE GIFT OF PROPHECY (Rhino Fest), and A RESTORATION COMEDY (On the Spot Theatre Company). The 25-year-old Welles (pictured on left) will be played by Gerrit Wilford, whose recent credits include CAT'S CRADLE, THE MIDDLE PASSAGE (Lifeline Theatre), HAY FEVER (City Lit Theater), and THE SECRET COUNCIL (First Folio Theatre). 

WELLS AND WELLES will be directed by Amber Mandley, who recently earned critical acclaim for her direction of SHAKESEARE'S R & J, which was performed with an all-female cast at PrideArts. The production team will also include Scenic Designer Kevin Rolfs, a Jeff Award winner for Invictus Theatre's WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?; Lighting and Sound Designer Alvaro Ledesma, and Stage Manager Elijah McTiernan.
 
Tickets for WELLS AND WELLES will be $25.00 and are on sale now at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wells-and-welles-tickets-887960091537. Performances will be Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30, and Sundays at 3:00, from July 18 to August 11; at City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Avenue, on the second floor of the historic Edgewater Presbyterian Church.
 
LISTING INFORMATION
 
WELLS AND WELLES
WORLD PREMIERE
Written by Amy Crider
Directed by Amber Mandley.
Starring Pete Blatchford and Gerrit Wilford
Produced by Lucid Theater Company
July 18 – August 11
Preview: July 18
Press Opening Saturday, July 20 at 7:30 pm
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30, and Sunday at 3:00
City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr, Chicago
Second Floor of the Historic Edgewater Presbyterian Church
Tickets: $25, on sale now
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wells-and-welles-tickets-887960091537
Please visit www.lucidtheater.com for more information.
 
It's 1940, exactly two years after Orson Welles' infamous "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast, a show that infuriated author HG Wells. By an amazing coincidence, Orson and HG are at the same hotel in San Antonio, on separate lecture tours. Orson has been busy making Citizen Kane, but he has a problem. On this rainy night, the 25-year-old Orson knocks on the door of the 75-year-old HG with a favor to ask. Based on true events.

BIOS
 
Amy Crider (Playwright). Amy Crider has won awards for both drama and fiction. Her plays have won the Tennessee Williams One Act Play Contest, Word Wave, and the Heartland New Plays Contest. She's been producing shows in Chicago since 2017, garnering warm reviews. Her first novel, DISORDER, won the University of New Orleans Press Lab Prize, and her second novel came out last fall. Recently she re-launched her theater company as Lucid Theater, which can be found at www.lucidtheater.com. Her personal website is www.amycrider.com. She also produces a podcast of audio versions of her work, Continuous Dream, found at www.continuousdream.com
 
Amber Mandley (Director) most recently directed SHAKESPEARE'S R & J for PrideArts. Other directing experiences include Rhinofest, Violet Fest, Clock Productions, school productions for CICS-Bucktown, City Lit Adaptation Festival, Abbie Hoffman Festival, Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival, On the Spot Theatre Company, and Hass Ben Productions.  Amber is the Managing Director for PrideArts. Amber believes in a collaborative process of directing and finding the heart of a piece with the cast.
 
Pete Blatchford ( H.G. Wells) Pete has appeared on stages in Chicago, New York, Buxton, England and Edinburgh, Scotland. Recent credits are: THE FALSE YEARS (Yippie Fest), THE GIFT OF PROPHECY (Rhino Fest), A RESTORATION COMEDY, (On The Spot Theatre Company), METADATA, (Lucid Theater with Davjasfran Entertainment), ELEVATOR MUSIC, MISSING PERSON, AROUND & AROUND WE GO, SONS & LOVERS, CALLED HOME BY THE SEA, THE OPEN WINDOW and ROUNDELAY (On The Spot Theatre Company), LEDA, (Lucid Theater) and LEAN SCENES (Yippie Fest) His play WITCHES SABBATH (2023) was produced by Dreamers YOLO. Other produced plays include PITCH BLACK (2022), Dreamers YOLO, NOT IN OUR BACKYARD (2021) Pride Arts, THIS OLD GUITAR (2021), MISSING PERSON (2020), AROUND AND AROUND WE GO (2020) and THE OPEN WINDOW (2019, On The Spot Theatre Company.) Pete is also the author of the book WICKED, IMMORAL, UTTERLY BAD: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF CHICAGO THEATRE 1837-1974.
 
Gerrit Wilford (Orson Welles) Gerrit Wilford's previous Chicago theatre credits include CAT'S CRADLE, THE MIDDLE PASSAGE (Lifeline Theatre), HAY FEVER (City Lit Theater), and THE SECRET COUNCIL (First Folio Theatre).  Regional credits include: MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (Montana Shakespeare in the Parks), OTHELLO, AS YOU LIKE IT, and INTO THE WOODS (Texas Shakespeare Festival). 
 
ABOUT LUCID THEATER COMPANY
Lucid Theater Company has been producing plays since 2017. Previous productions include LEDA (2017), CHARLIE JOHNSON READS ALL OF PROUST (2019), METADATA (2021), and A LEGACY (Rhinofest, 2023). The company also produces the podcast series of audio plays CONTINUOUS DREAM.
 
Mission:
Lucid Theater produces original plays with a broad range of subjects and styles. We center ideas and emotions to evoke thoughtful reflection, courageous choices, and compassion. Our goal is to fight against numbness and awaken our audiences to the richness and depth of emotional experience. Rather than replicate reality, we seek to reveal subjective experience for its dreamlike sensibility.
 Values:
We honor the artist by paying everyone involved.
We commit to a respectful work environment.
We strive to hire female directors and leadership.
We pledge to listen deeply and question authentically.
We vow to uplift the human spirit.
 

Broadway In Chicago is excited to announce that individual tickets for the world premiere of the first ever touring production of HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD will go on sale Monday, May 13 at 10:00 a.m. CT. Tickets will also be available online at BroadwayInChicago.com starting at 10:00 a.m. CT or stop by the box office at the James M. Nederlander Theatre and be sorted into your Hogwarts house, take a picture with your house banner, play HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD trivia, and more.

Previews begin for the six-time Tony® Award-winning production on September 10 at Broadway In Chicago's James M. Nederlander Theatre. The official opening will be Thursday, September 26. The final performance of the 21-week engagement will be Saturday, February 1, 2025. 

The touring production is based on the acclaimed Broadway production, currently playing at the Lyric Theatre, New York. It picks up right where the last Harry Potter film left off: Nineteen years after Harry, Ron, and Hermione saved the wizarding world, they're back on a most extraordinary new adventure – this time, joined by a brave new generation that has only just arrived at the legendary Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. When Harry Potter's head-strong son Albus befriends the son of his fiercest rival, Draco Malfoy, it sparks an unbelievable new journey for them all—with the power to change the past and future forever.  

HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD, the first Harry Potter story to be presented on stage and the eighth story in the Harry Potter series, has sold over 10 million tickets worldwide since its world premiere in London in July 2016 and holds a record 60 major honors, with nine Laurence Olivier Awards including Best New Play and six Tony Awards including Best Play. The international phenomenon has cast its spell worldwide with productions currently running in London, New York, Hamburg, and Tokyo, and has completed runs in Melbourne, Toronto, and San Francisco. The original two-part production in London's West End recently celebrated its 7th anniversary, while the reimagined Broadway production celebrated its 6th anniversary. 

The most successful non-musical play in Broadway history, HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD has the unique distinction of being named by the Guinness World Records as the highest-grossing non-musical play in Broadway history with over $270 million total sales and over 2.5 million tickets sold.

To stay up to date with the latest information, go to tour.harrypottertheplay.com.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Preview performances are Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with additional Monday performances at 7:30 p.m. on September 16 and 23 and matinee performances at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 21 and Wednesday, September 25.

Opening night is Thursday, September 26 at 6:00 p.m.

Regular performances are Tuesday through Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Matinee performances are at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

 Additional performances are Sunday, November 10 at 7:00 p.m.; Friday, November 29 at 1:00 p.m.; Thursday, December 26 at 1:00 p.m.; Sunday, December 29 at 7:00 p.m.; Thursday, January 2 at 1:00 p.m., and Sunday, January 5 at 7:00 p.m.

On Tuesday, December 24 and Tuesday, December 31, there will be 1:00 p.m. performances instead of a 7:00 p.m. performances.

There will be no performances on Sunday, September 29; Tuesday, November 5; Thursday, November 28; Wednesday, December 25; and Wednesday, January 1.

TICKET INFORMATION

Individual tickets will go on sale to the public on Monday, May 13. When tickets go on sale, ticket prices will range from $49.00 - $193.00 with a select number of premium tickets available. There will be a limited number of lottery seats available for this engagement. Details will be provided closer to the engagement. Patrons can purchase HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD as part of the Broadway In Chicago Season, which is currently on sale through May 26 at BroadwayInChicago.com. Groups of 10 or more can book tickets now by calling (312) 977-1710 or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

ABOUT HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD

Based on an original story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD is a play by Jack Thorne, directed by John Tiffany. 

HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD features movement by Steven Hoggett, set by Christine Jones, costumes by Katrina Lindsay, music & arrangements by Imogen Heap, lighting by Neil Austin, sound by Gareth Fry, illusions & magic by Jamie Harrison, music supervision & arrangements by Martin Lowe. US Casting by Jim Carnahan, CSA. 

HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD is produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, Colin Callender and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions. 

Instagram: @CursedChildUS ● Twitter: @CursedChildTour ● Facebook: @CursedChildUS ● TikTok: @CursedChildOfficial

ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO

Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 24 years has grown to be one of the largest commercial touring homes in the country. A Nederlander Presentation, Broadway In Chicago lights up the Chicago Theater District entertaining up to 1.7 million people annually in five theatres. Broadway In Chicago presents a full range of entertainment, including musicals and plays, on the stages of five of the finest theatres in Chicago's Loop including the Cadillac Palace Theatre, CIBC Theatre, James M. Nederlander Theatre, Auditorium Theatre, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway  Playhouse at Water Tower Place.

@BroadwayInChicago

Facebook  ● Instagram ● TikTok ● #broadwayinchicago

A collaboration of Chicago dance and Germany lighting sculpture live on stage

About the Program:

This program, set within an industrial vibe, features Vicissitudes, choreographed by Ginny Ching-Yin Lo. Vicissitudes premiered in fall 2021, debuting Identity Performing Arts' first live performance in C5. In a novel approach, Vicissitudes was created in silence, with music then composed from the dance piece by Identity's first collaborator Chromabeats. Through the supportive web of human connection. Portrayed through four female dancers, this dance expresses how the web of human connection helps us cope with stress, in joy.  

Lights/9 is a collaboration with Franz Betz, renowned light artist from Hanover, Germany. This improvisational piece integrates nine elements of intertwining movement and light, accented by Chromabeat’s live music. The concept for Lights/9 was inspired by choreographer Ginny Ching-Yin Lo's visit to Zurich, Switzerland. Fascinated by an exhibition of light installation, she did an improv dance right on the spot. As this thought dwelled, she created Lights/9: improvised dance, as an invitation to experience the unknown.

About Identity Performing Arts:

Identity is a not-for-profit organization established in 2016 by founder and artistic director, Ginny Ching-Yin Lo, focusing on teaching dance to the underserved community and creating independent dance projects. Lo has performed in the U.S., China, France and Germany with her original works. In 2020, Identity expanded beyond teaching and transitioned to a full season professional dance troupe. The company's first live concert debuted in fall, 2021. Since then, Identity has performed locally in Chicago and Evanston, and internationally in Hanover, Germany. Identity was one of the featured companies appearing on WGN Morning News TV for See Chicago Dance Month last summer.  Identity is excited to present Enliven & Perpetual in Seattle International Dance Festival this summer along with companies, globally.  All works created for and performed by Identity dancers express the beauty of our individual identities, interconnected in unity. We invite you as our audience to witness this intention with every dance work.

Dates/Times/Location

C5 Studio - 5066 N Kimberly Ave, Chicago, IL 60630

Tickets @$30

Book on Eventbrite:

Friday, May 17 @7.30 PM

https://Lights9Fri.eventbrite.com

Saturday, May 18 @7:30 PM

https://Lights9Sat.eventbrite.com

 For more information, call 312.600.3076 or visit

https://www.identityperformingarts.org/

The Gift Theatre is pleased to announce its 2024-25 season featuring Suzan-Lori Parks' masterpiece Topdog/Underdog directed by Shanésia Davis and the world premiere of Cygnus by Susan Soon He Stanton, directed by Co-Artistic Director Brittany Burch. These mainstage productions will be followed by the annual 10-minute performance festival, TEN. In addition, there will be three In The Works staged readings of plays in development and three live lit performances with GiftLit. All productions will be presented at Filament Theatre (4041 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 6064).

The Gift's 2024-25 Season includes:

TOPDOG/UNDERDOG

by Suzan-Lori Parks

Directed by Shanésia Davis

Featuring Ensemble Members Martel Manning and Gregory Fenner

September 12- October 20, 2024

This darkly comic fable of brotherly love and family identity tells the story of two brothers, Lincoln (Manning) and Booth (Fenner), names given to them as a joke by their father. Haunted by the past and their obsession with the street con game, three-card monte, the brothers come to learn the true nature of their history.

Co-Artistic Director Jennifer Glasse commets, "While envisioning our upcoming season we wanted to choose a blend of stories that would be both personal and challenging to the artists involved. Topdog/Underdog has been a dream project with roles Ensemble Members Martel Manning and Gregory Fenner have wanted to play for years. We are thrilled to reunite them with the vision and direction of the incomparable Shanésia Davis. They are all deeply connected to this story and I am over the moon for Chicago to see their dreams come to fruition."

The world premiere of

Cygnus

by Susan Soon He Stanton

Directed by Co-Artistic Director Brittany Burch

February 6 - March 16, 2025

Cydney believes an angel rescued her from an ineffable trauma, and the truth may prove stranger than she imagines. In this mythic, hilarious, and poetic new play, a burnt feather may illuminate the possibility of a divine intervention.

Co-Artistic Director Brittany Burch states, "Cygnus is a modern-day fairytale that weaves fantasy into a very honest story of trauma and recovery. I immediately resonated with its themes of escapism as a defense mechanism and codependent, mother-daughter relationships but I fell in love with Stanton's use of dark humor, absurdism, and Greek mythology to guide her richly layered characters through their search for meaning in life's adversities."

TEN

A 10-minute performance festival of new work written, directed, and performed by various local artists.

May 8 - 19, 2025

IN THE WORKS

The Fires by Jennifer Rumberger

Monday, June 10, 2024

Jennifer Rumberger (The Locusts) is returning to The Gift for a one-time reading of her latest play, The Fires.

Two men sit outside a 7/11 in downtown Los Angeles, watching a wildfire come closer and closer, the latest in a series of natural catastrophes that have caused massive casualties all over the United States. Other than a traveling newsman bringing stories of the fates of other Americans, they are the last people alive. As the fire gets closer, they are forced to contend with the end of not only their relationship, but their lives as well.

Two additional IN THE WORKS readings are scheduled for October and December, 2024. Titles and additional information are TBA. 

Artist Biographies

Shanésia Davis (Director, Topdog/Underdog) is a veteran Chicagoan who has graced the stages of theaters in Chicago and regionally and is honored to direct at The Gift Theatre. Some of her credits include works at Steppenwolf, Northlight, Porchlight Music Theatre Goodman, Congo Square, Mark Taper Forum, Cleveland Playhouse, CenterStage Baltimore, The Gift Theatre, Kansas City Rep and The Court theatre to name a few. This actress has several Jeff Award nominations included the recent Fences. Ms. Davis is a multi–NAACP Image Award nominee and is a Black Theatre Alliance Award recipient and Excellence in The Arts Award recipient. Film credits include Chicago Stories: Ida B. Wells, The Thing about Harry, Working Man, BLUEPRINT, External Rivals, Consumed, Damaged Goods, Cleveland Abduction, Morning Due, The Weatherman, Uncle Nino, Life Sentence, Chicago Cab among others. Television credits include Emmy nominated LOVECRAFT COUNTRY(HBO), Proven Innocent (FOX), Empire (FOX), Chicago Fire (NBC), CRISIS (ABC), Detroit 187 (ABC), and series regular on Early Edition (CBS). Her directing credits include Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill. Shanésia is Program Director of Acting at Roosevelt University CCPA where she directed a very successful production of Indecent. Other directing includes Spunk, Mother Courage and Her Children. Other university directing includes Our Lady of 121st Street, good night, Desdemona good morning, Juliette as well as several workshops and readings with Congo Square Theatre. She is a published writer of "Nine questions every actor of color should consider when tokenism is not enough," (Routledge, Taylor & Fracis publishing).

Suzan-Lori Parks (Playwright, Topdog/Underdog) is a multi-award-winning American writer/musician and the first African-American woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Topdog/Underdog which recently enjoyed its twentieth anniversary Broadway revival. The production won both the 2023 Tony Award, (Best Revival of a Play) and the Outer Critics Circle Award. Just last year, in 2023, Parks also had three new works which all received world premieres: at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Sally & Tom (Steinberg New Play Award finalist) at Joe's Pub in New York City, Plays for the Plague Year (winner of The Drama Desk Award for Best Music in a Play), and, at the Public Theatre, Parks world-premiered a musical adaptation of the 1972 film The Harder They Come (winner: Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical.)

Brittany Burch (Director, Cygnus) is a co-artistic director and ensemble member with the Gift Theatre where she was last seen in The Locusts. Other credits with the Gift include: The Lonesome West, Northwest Highway, Absolute Hell, Oh The Humanity, Thinner Than Water, Othello, Royal Society of Antarctica, Good For Otto, Unseen, and Pilgrims. Additional Chicago credits include A Red Orchid, Steppenwolf, Wildclaw, Lakeside Shakespeare, The Goodman, and Redtwist. Regionally, Brittany has worked with Artists Repertory Theatre and Profile Theatre in Portland, OR; Perseverance Theatre in Juneau, AK; Chautauqua Theatre Company in NY; and The New Theatre in Kansas City. She has a BA from Willamette University and studied with the British American Drama Academy, Chautauqua Theatre Company, Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre, as well as the School at Steppenwolf.

Susan Soon He Stanton (Playwright, Cygnus) is a playwright, television writer, and screenwriter originally from 'Aiea, Hawai'i, and now living in New York and London. Her plays have been produced internationally and regionally across the United States: WE, THE INVISIBLES (Actors Theatre of Louisville Humana Festival); TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY (Page 73, Yale Repertory Theatre); BOTH YOUR HOUSES (ACT New Strands/ Crowded Fire); TAKARAZUKA!!! (Clubbed Thumb, East West Players, Oregon Shakespeare Festival Workshop); CYGNUS (WP Theater Pipeline, Kilroys List); SOLSTICE PARTY! (Live Source); THE THINGS ARE AGAINST US (Washington Ensemble Theatre); MOANA, JR (book) for Disney Theatrical Group, among others. Her reimagined TURANDOT, music by Puccini and Christopher Tin, will be produced by Washington National Opera in 2024.

Susan worked on all four seasons of HBO's SUCCESSION as a writer/producer, for which she has received Emmy, Writers Guild of America, and Peabody Awards.

Jennifer Rumberger (Playwright, The Fires) is a playwright and essayist. Her notable productions include The Locusts at The Gift Theatre Company and Night in Alachua County with Wildclaw Theater in Chicago and Open Blue Sky at Tisch School of the Arts in New York. She is a two-time selectee and finalist for Seven Devils, a semi-finalist for the Princess Grace Award, a semifinalist for the P73 Fellowship, and a 2022 Tennessee Williams Scholar at the Sewanee Writers Conference. She's published her nonfiction in The Deadlands and performed her essays and poetry live with 2nd Story, You're Being Ridiculous, and Brooklyn Poets. She is an Associate Artist with Second Site in Chicago and has an MFA in dramatic writing from Northwestern University.

Season Subscription Information

To purchase subscriptions, contact the box office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 773-283-7071.

Preview-Only Subscriptions: $90

Perfect for those who want the full Gift experience at the best discount offered. Includes a ticket to Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks and the world premiere of Cygnus by Susan Soon He Stanton, as well as 3 readings from the In the Works program.

GiftFlex Subscriptions: $120

Includes a ticket to any performance of Topdog/Underdog, Cygnus, TEN, and three staged readings from the In The Works program.

About The Gift Theatre

Since 2001 and with over 70 productions, The Gift Theatre has been dedicated to telling great stories onstage with honesty and simplicity. Our unwavering dedication to accessibility and intimacy as a professional equity theatre has garnered national recognition for both our company and ensemble. We strive to push boundaries, broaden perspectives, and ignite a cultural revolution on Chicago's northwest side. www.thegifttheatre.org

About Filament Theatre

Filament Theatre, on Chicago's Northwest Side, has been creating innovative theater for young audiences since 2007. Filament's mission is to create a more equitable society by celebrating and amplifying the perspectives and experiences of young people through the performing arts. www.filamenttheatre.org

Curious Theatre Branch is pleased to announce the 35th annual Rhinoceros Theater Festival, May 25 - June 30 at six venues across Chicago. The month-long festival of shows will kick off with a special Full Moon Vaudeville concert event on Saturday, May 25 at 7 p.m. at Facility Theatre, 1138 N. California Ave., headlined by art/folk/cabaret act The Crooked Mouth and other special guests. Throughout its more than three decades, Rhino Fest has endeavored to welcome as many participants as possible, both as artists and as audience members. To that end, artists pay no fee to apply or to produce their works at Rhino Fest and all tickets are offered at pay-what-you-can pricing, with a $20 suggested price. Tickets and details for all upcoming shows will be available Monday, May 6 at rhinofest.com.

Rhino Fest 2024 is the largest festival in Rhino’s 35 year history, following an expansive and well-attended festival in 2023. Since its inception in 1989 as a single weekend of shows in the Wicker Park neighborhood, this unique and mutable fringe festival has expanded and contracted to fit the time. The Rhino charges on in an expansive mood this year, with more than 50 shows scheduled.

Festival events will take place at six venues this year: Facility Theatre, 1138 N. California Ave. in Humboldt Park, Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave. in River West, Labyrinth Arts Club, 3658 N. Pulaski Ave. in the Irving Park neighborhood; Perceptions Theater, 1825 East 79th St. in the South Shore neighborhood; Experimental Sound Studio, 5925 N. Ravenswood Ave. in the Ravenswood neighborhood and Women and Children First Bookstore 5233 N. Clark St. in the Andersonville neighborhood. 

This year's festival will feature plays, music and performances from more than 50 companies and solo artists, with a focus on new work created in Chicago. Among the highlights are:

Measure of a Man by India Nicole Burton

Saturday, June 9 at 7 p.m., Sunday, June 10 at 3 p.m., 6/12 Wednesday, June 12 at 7 p.m., Saturday, June 15 at 7 p.m., Sunday, June 16 3 p.m.*, Monday, June 17 at 7 p.m., Friday, June 21 at 7 p.m.+, Saturday, June 22 at 7 p.m.+, Monday, June 24 at 7 p.m. and Wednesday, June 26 at 7 p.m.

Perceptions Theater, 1825 East 79th St.

We are in Limbo. This Limbo is the distorted image of the apartment Chairman Fred Hampton was assassinated in. There is yellow tape hanging from the ceiling. A bed laying upside down. How do you take the measure of a man? A new work by the author of Panther Women: An Army for the Liberation.

* Child care available

+ Double program available with BIPOC Play Fest’s matinee performance during the TCG National Conference.

A Layperson's Guide to the Mermaids of Chicago by Rachel Claff

Saturdays, June 8 - 29 at 7 p.m.

Labyrinth Arts Club, 3658 N. Pulaski Ave.

A limno-ichthyological lecture (with visual aids) by expert non-experts on the various mermaids of Chicago, both well-known and obscure. Be forewarned: there is a splash zone. A Layperson's Guide to the Mermaids of Chicago is a new work by Rachel Claff, alumna of Chicago’s Neo Futurists and BoyGirlBoyGirl performance ensembles.

Marie Curie Horror Story  by Holly Holsinger

Saturday, June 29 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, June 30 at 5 p.m.

Facility Theatre, 1138 N. California Ave.

Marie Curie finds herself in an unknown place (the afterlife?), inhabited by a mysterious woman. As she reflects on the triumphs and tragedies of her life, she slowly puzzles through the mystery before her. The play paints a vivid picture of Curie's passion for science, her deep love for her partner and husband, her tenacity in weathering the great storms of her life and her complicated relationship to her “radiant child.” Through memory, music and poetically gruesome exchanges, Curie is forced to confront the mysterious young woman and in doing so comes face to face with the chilling realities of her radioactive discovery. Marie Curie succumbed to radium poisoning in 1934. She was still alive when a group of young women worked as watch dial painters in the United States, using glow-in-the-dark radium paint.

The Impossible Knot by Terri Sofianos Wohlgenant

Friday, June 7 and Saturday, June 8 at 7 p.m.

Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave.

How do we accept incredible loss? What happens when the ties that bind us to the ones we love are suddenly severed? Can we create a knot so strong that even death cannot undo it? Terry Sofianos Wohlgenant’s The Impossible Knot portrays one woman’s struggle to come to terms with the finite nature of existence through story, myth and being tied up in rope. In a series of Vaudeville-inspired solos and skits featuring comedy, Shibari, burlesque and drag, the Three Fates spin, measure and cut strands of human lives, tying their mortal companion into an impossible knot of love, loss and ultimate acceptance.

Grown Man Rapp by Kevin Coval

Fridays, May 31 - June 14 at 9 p.m.

Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave.

A nearly 40-year-old Mike Rapp vowed to leave his fledgling music career behind, but a video resurfaces and a young viral rapper shows up to try to pull Rapp out of retirement, to the dismay of his partner Veronica. A living room play (of sorts) about aging and creativity in a genre (and world) made by young people. 

LegLand; An Absurd "Festival" "Show" by LegLand

Friday, June 21 and Saturday, June 22 at 9 p.m.

Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave. 

In a desert of lost words, abstract creatures come and go as they please after sharing (or selling) something to the audience. With no linear plot, this show allows us to play multiple characters, establish multiple settings, and lampoon whatever we can get our legs on. 

Nothing By Mouth by Charlotte Lastra

Saturdays, June 1, 8 and 22 at 5 p.m. and Sundays, June 16 and 30 at 7 p.m.

Facility Theatre, 1138 N. California Ave. 

When your insides become your outsides, shit gets tough. After an unexpected diagnosis, Charlotte tries to understand what to do with a body she never expected to have. By methods poetic, scientific and illustrative, she takes a journey through the digestive system and into the belly of a whale. A new solo work with low-fi overhead projector animation, written and performed by Charlotte Lastra of the Curious Theatre Branch.

About Rhino Fest

The event that became the Rhinoceros Theater Festival began in 1988 as an offshoot of the Bucktown Arts Fest and in its first year featured just two days of performances, including work by Curious Theatre Branch co-founders Jenny Magnus and Beau O'Reilly. Curious went on to produce the Rhino across many neighborhoods and venues over the years, with events variously taking place in Wicker Park/Bucktown, Rogers Park, Andersonville and Avondale; at spaces including the Lunar Cabaret and Full Moon Café, the Neo-Futurarium, the Society for New Things, The Garage, The Firehouse, Remains Theatre and Prop Thtr. In the mid-2000s, Rhino Fest settled at Prop Thtr in Avondale as its long-term base and Prop and Curious co-produced the festival among a shifting group of curators for many years. Following the closure of Prop's Elston Ave. space in 2020 and a year off during the height of the pandemic, Rhino Fest now returns to its expanded form, producing shows by more than 50 artists at multiple venues.

Full cast and crew have been announced for BrightSide Theatre's upcoming production of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, the rock opera that has been wowing audiences for 50 years. BrightSide Artistic Director Jeffrey Cass will lead a of 21 actors in the ever-popular retelling of the last days of Christ by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Music Direction will be by Phil Videckis, and choreography by Jake Ganzer. JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, since its release as a concept album in 1970, has enjoyed success as a stage musical (revived several times on Broadway and in London's West End, as well as touring around the world for many years), a feature film and a live television broadcast. The BrightSide production will play from June 7 – 23, at Meiley-Swallow Hall, North Central College, 31 S. Ellsworth, Naperville. 
 
The cast directed by Jeffrey Cass will be led by Edward MacLennan of Bolingbrook as Jesus of Nazareth, Michael Davis Arnold of Chicago as Judas Iscariot, Meghan Kessel of Chicago as Mary Magdalene, Jon Cunningham of Schaumburg as Pontius Pilate, and Caleb Hand of Oak Forest as King Herod/Apostle/Roman Solider/First Priest. Playing key supporting roles are Stan Austin of Winfield as Caiaphas, Emma Widlowski of Park Ridge as Annas/Apostle, Tommy O'Brien of Chicago as Simon Zealotes, and Thomas Ferro of Mundelein as Peter.

The cast also includes Kassidy Alderman of Newark as Tormentor, Russell Badalamenti of Hoffman Estates as Pilate US/Roman Soldier/Apostle/3rd Priest, Julia Hope Budd of Chicago as Tormentor, Zach Gibson of Warrenville as Apostle, Amber Golich of Chicago as Tormentor, Erica Harrington of Westchester as Mary US,/Apostle, Erol Ibrahimovic of Chicago as Soldier/Apostle, Athena Kopulos of Chicago as Apostle, Mary Grace Martens of Chicago as Apostle, Thomas McMahon of Bradley as Apostle/Roman Soldier/Man by the Fire, Mary Schwark of Bradley as Apostle, and Shaina Summerville of Rolling Meadows as Maid by Fire/Apostle.

The production team for JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR also includes Jeff Award nominee Kurt Ottinger (Lighting Design), Cheryl Newman (Costume Design), Tim Elliott (Sound Mixer), Jeff Sand (Technical Director), De Haddad (Stage Manager/Assistant Director), JJ O'Connell (Assistant Stage Manager), and Trent Bronson (Production Assistant). Scenic concept is by Jeffrey Cass.

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR will be performed at Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall, North Central College, 31 S. Ellsworth, Naperville. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm. Tickets are $37.00 for adults and $32.00 for students and seniors. Tickets are on sale now at www.BrightSidetheatre.com or by phone at 630-447-TIXS (8497).  

LISTING INFORMATION

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
Book and Lyrics by Tim Rice, Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Directed by Jeffrey Cass
Music Direction by Phil Videckis
Choreography by Jake Ganzer
June 7 - 23, 2024
Performances Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 2 pm
Press Opening Friday, June 7 at 8 pm
Tickets $32 - $37, available at www.BrightSideTheatre.com or at 630-447-TIXS (8497) 
Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall, North Central College, 31 S. Ellsworth, Naperville 60540
 
Since its Broadway debut, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's spectacular musical phenomenon JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR has thrilled millions of theatregoers worldwide, mesmerizing them with its passion, captivating them with its story and entrancing them with its anthemic title song. Borrowing from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR is set against the backdrop of an extraordinary series of events during the final weeks in the life of Jesus Christ as seen through the eyes of Judas. Reflecting the rock roots that defined a generation, the legendary sung through score includes "I Don't Know How to Love Him," "Gethsemane," and "Superstar."
 
BIOS
 
Jeffrey Cass (Artistic Director/Director) a Joseph Jefferson Award Nominee has successfully directed over 30 Productions for BrightSide Theatre, most recently A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC and GYPSY. He also played "Edna" in BST's production of HAIRSPRAY. He holds a B.F.A. in Musical Theater Performance from Roosevelt University. He previously served as the Producing Director for Circle Theatre where he directed 8 Productions including THE WHO'S TOMMY (six Joseph Jefferson Nominations including Best Musical and Best Director).
 
Andrew Lloyd Webber (Composer) has composed the scores of some of the world's most famous musicals. From JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT (1968) to BAD CINDERELLA (2021), his work has been consistently seen on world stages. Before the Covid pandemic hit, Lloyd Webber had shows continually running in the West End for 48 years and on Broadway for 41, with SCHOOL OF ROCK being the first British musical to have its world premiere on Broadway. When SUNSET BOULEVARD joined SCHOOL OF ROCK, CATS and PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, he equaled Rodgers and Hammerstein's record of four shows running simultaneously on Broadway.
 
He is one of the select group of artists with EGOT status, having received an Emmy, four Grammys (including Best Contemporary Classical Composition for REQUIEM), an Oscar and eight Tony Awards (including the 2018 Special Tony for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre). He has also won seven Oliviers and a Golden Globe – and his honors include a Classic Brit award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, the Praemium Imperiale, the Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre, a BASCA Fellowship, and the Kennedy Center Honor.
 
Tim Rice (Book and Lyrics) has worked in music, theatre, and films since 1965 when he met Andrew Lloyd Webber, a fellow struggling songwriter. Rather than pursue Tim's ambitions to write rock or pop songs they turned their attention to Andrew's obsession – musical theatre. Their first collaboration was based on the life of Dr. Thomas Barnardo, the Victorian philanthropist, THE LIKES OF US. Their next three works together were much more successful – JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR and EVITA.
 
Tim has since worked with other distinguished popular composers such as Elton John (THE LION KING, AIDA), Alan Menken (ALADDIN, KING DAVID, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST), Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson (CHESS), and Stuart Brayson (FROM HERE TO ETERNITY). He has also written with Freddie Mercury, Burt Bacharach and Rick Wakeman, among others.

 
ABOUT BRIGHTSIDE THEATRE
 
BrightSide Theatre (Jeffrey Cass, Artistic Director and Julie Ann Kornak, Executive Director) is committed to Enlighten, Educate, and Entertain through comedies and inspirational stories from across the globe.  A unique blend of award-winners, premieres, modern works and timeless classics meant to reflect upon and inform our community inhabit BrightSide's stage.  For more information on BrightSide Theatre, please visit www.BrightSidetheatre.com.