Celebratin
g 30
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Chicago 19-20 SEASON
VOLUME 30 | ISSUE #3
Steve Marcus VICE PRESIDENT Matt Thiele DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Greg Widener ART DIRECTOR Sarah Sallmann GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Nicolette Bealhen | Sydney Kornowski VENUE RELATIONS // MILWAUKEE & MADISON Ryan Albrechtson VENUE RELATIONS // CHICAGO Alicia Senior-Saywell EDITORS/WRITERS Ryan Albrechtson | Amanda Finn CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jonathan Abarbanel COMPANY COMPTROLLER Karin Marcus ACCOUNTING MANAGER Lisa Cunningham PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR Kyle Jewell ADVERTISING SALES // CHICAGO Will M. McAuliffe | Dave DeGraff ADVERTISING SALES // MADISON James Boylan | Courtney Neckar ADVERTISING SALES // MILWAUKEE Jacqueline Jaske | Barbara Kluth | Daryl Skardzinski SALES SUPPORT Natasha Goeller PRESIDENT + PUBLISHER
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FOOTNOTES By Jonathan Abarbanel
New Windy City Hall of Famers Each autumn, members of the American Theatre Critics Association elect eight individuals to the Theater Hall of Fame. Those elected are inducted in a swank ceremony at Broadway’s Gershwin Theatre, where members’ names are inscribed on the lobby walls. The Class of 2019, inducted last November, has two newbies with special Chicago connections: Andre De Shields and Michael Feingold. Andre De Shields, who won a Tony Award in June for his featured role in the musical Hadestown, was born and raised in Baltimore but launched his professional career in 1969 in the Chicago company of Hair. Soon after he joined the original Organic Theater Company (an early Off-Loop force) playing The Raven in Poe and the cosmic arch-villain, Xander the Inextinguishable, in the three-part sci-fi trilogy, Warp! This is the show that brought him to New York in 1973 and led to a continuing string of Broadway credits, among them the title role inThe Wiz (1975), Ain’t Misbehavin’, Play On! (1997, his first Tony Award nomination) and The Full Monty (2000, second Tony nomination). De Shields also has written several works, occasionally directed and choreographed (he’s an amazing self-taught dancer) and also established a reputation as a theater educator and activist. He still has close friends in Chicago and has returned here to perform at Victory Gardens Theater and the Goodman. Michael Feingold was raised in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood, moving with his family to Highland Park during his high school years (where he and I became lifelong friends). After attending Columbia and Yale universities, Feingold launched an extraordinary career as a dramaturge, critic, translator and occasional playwright or lyricist. His translations of The Threepenny Opera and Happy End, both by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, were produced on Broadway (and throughout the English-speaking world). But Feingold is best known as Chief Theater Critic for The Village Voice newspaper for 40 years and as Chairperson for the annual Obie Awards for several decades. Back in Chicago (where he still has family) his work has been seen at the Goodman Theatre and Lyric Opera, among other venues. Many other Theater Hall of Famers have Chicago connections, among them playwrights Lorraine Hansberry (A Raisin in the Sun) and David Mamet, director Robert Falls (Goodman Theatre Artistic Director for over 30 years), choreographer Bob Fosse (born and raised here) and producer Florenz Ziegfeld of Follies fame (local boy whose father founded Chicago Musical College, the precursor to Roosevelt University).
Michael Feingold Photo by Genevieve Rafter Keddy
Andre de Shields Photo by Lia Chang
Throw this Dog a Bone!
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FOOTNOTES
The 32 year-old Strawdog Theatre Company has been thrown out of the house again. In 2016 the award-winning Off-Loop troupe lost its Lakeview home of 25 years when the building was sold and razed for gentrification. Strawdog found comfortable digs at 1802 West Berenice (just off Ravenswood), which had been home previously to Signal Ensemble Theatre and Breadline Theatre going back to 2003. Now its déjà vu as the Berenice building (on a spacious lot with parking) has been sold for re-development. Strawdog must vacate by March 31. The company has decided not to find a third proprietary space to operate, but to seek a suitable rental theater instead; somewhere Strawdog can produce for at least three years without necessarily being the sole tenant, and without management responsibilities. Strawdog’s upcoming production of Thirst (Jan. 9-Feb. 15) will be staged at 1802 W. Berenice, but the season’s final show, Welcome to Keene, New Hampshire (April 16May 30) will be presented at the Filament Theatre, 4041 N. Milwaukee Ave.
City Increases Arts Funding Our September-October Footnotes reported that Chicago’s CityArts (sic) cultural grants for 2019 were more generous than usual, totaling $1.3 million vs. the usual $1 million, a small farewell gift from exiting mayor Rahm Emmanuel. The grants are administered by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), which last year provided $1.7 million (CityArts plus several other programs) in direct support to artists and cultural organizations. Now new mayor Lori E. Lightfoot has upped the ante again, adding $1 million to Chicago’s 2020 cultural grants for individual artists, organizations and arts corridors throughout Chicago, especially in communities of need. Cultural grants will total $2.7 this year, with at least $500,000 restricted for projects on the South and West sides, and in wards that have traditionally been least served by cultural programs. Funding increases include (1) $300,000 more for the Neighborhood Access Program offering grants to increase arts-related diversity, access and inclusion in under-resourced neighborhoods; (2) $110,000 more for grants distributed through the Individual Artists Program: (3) $140,000 in increased general operating support for arts and cultural organizations, distributed through the CityArts Program; (4) $350,000 for additional sector-building project grants in alignment with DCASE themes (2019 was Chicago Theatre Year, 2020 is Chicago Music Year), also distributed through CityArts; and (5) $100,000 more for DCASE’s ArtsSpace (sic) public programming grants. FYI, no one gets rich from the City’s cultural investment: grants to individual artists are $500$5,000, while those to other large programs and non-profit organizations are $5,000-$50,000.
A Big Heap from Little Grains Just as we were going to press, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation— which makes a point of supporting non-profit theaters with budgets less than $1 million (mostly much less)—announced findings from a survey of 41 of its grant recipients, all Off-Loop companies in neighborhoods from Chatham to Edgewater to Evanston . . . perhaps the theater where you are reading this is among them. Many of the participating troupes perform in true storefront theaters with 50 or fewer seats, and often perform only four shows a week. The survey found the 41 troupes produced 170 shows (nearly 70 of them world premieres) last season (2018-2019) which played to 267,400 patrons. One-fourth of the troupes charged $25 or less for a full-price adult ticket and one out of seven offered free or pay-what-you-can tickets. Despite the limited budgets and capacity, 56% of the theatres have dedicated educational programs or initiatives in their communities, with more than12,800 students served annually, and all 41 companies are dedicated to addressing issues of accessibility, diversity and inclusion. Jonathan Abarbanel reviews theater for the Windy City Times and is one of “The Dueling Critics,” along with Kerry Reid, heard every Sunday morning on “The Arts Section” on WDCB public radio 90.9FM. He’s a past Chairperson of the American Theatre Critics Association.
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Heroes Hit the Stage with Valiant Theatre By Amanda Finn If Nich Radcliffe were a superhero he would be Batman, because he is just a man.
pieces will run in repertoire in two sections. The Andrew of Capernaum, O’Connor and Richards shows together and the Murray, Moore and Lozano pieces together.
That’s the perfect simile for a man starting a theater company hyper focused on heroes, changemakers and valiant figures. Like Batman, who takes things into his own hands, Radcliffe wants the theater to make the world better. His company is his Batcave, his artists his Justice League and the craft is his Batmobile.
In the age of multi-million dollar superhero films and biopics, what use are hero stories to the general public? Do we still need heroes?
When asked what inspired Valiant Theatre, Radcliffe said, “Real people. Real stories. Valiant had always been the name - it comes from an old one act play from the 1920’s. [The 1921 Holworthy Hall and Robert Middlemass] But if you look up the word Valiant, the definition is ‘marked by courage, valor, and determination.’ So that was it - Tell the stories of the valiant to inspire others to live life more valiantly.” When Radcliffe was fifteen he was first introduced to theater and dreamt up the initial branchild of Valiant. It didn’t take him long to witness the power of the theater and the folks who create it. Collectively a group of artists, including the folks behind the scenes like playwrights, directors and designers tell stories that change people. They can “pluck a string” in someone’s heart that will stay with them long after the show is over. That “resonance” can, in turn, encourage action which inspires change. In highlighting valiant acts, Radcliffe hopes that audience members can embrace their own valiance. Launching in 2020, the mission of Valiant is to empower audiences with true stories embodying courage, valor and determination. Valiant’s first production is their New Works Festival running January 29 - February 15 at Otherworld Theatre, 3914 N. Clark. The original six works will focus on Andrew of Capernaum, Mary Tyler Moore, Pauli Murray, Renée Richards, Rudy Lozano and Sandra Day O’Connor. The
“Has there been a time in history we didn’t?” Radcliffe retorts. “I don’t mean to be flip, but the birth of our art form [theater] is based on the idea of heroes. We gathered around fires and told stories about our triumphs - we made ourselves the heroes of our own stories. Then the playwrights came and they wrote the tragic heroes [and] the evolution continued. I think now we’re back to a place in time that we need to make ourselves the heroes of our own stories again. But we need to be reminded how to do that - that’s where the stories of those who have already done it, come into play. That’s where Valiant’s mission finds its space.” So, in a city with over 250 theaters, what makes Valiant stand out? The young company is already seeing early successes and friends of his have asked about his “secret.” There is no secret, it all comes down to being dedicated to the mission. Radcliffe says Valiant is wholly driven by their mission and, although he is the artistic director, he will not constantly be directing productions. The company wants the artists telling the stories to be as varied as the stories being told. “This mission is inherently diverse, which means our story tellers - directors, actors, playwrights, designers, dramaturgs, stage managers, technicians - must be equally diverse. If they’re not - we’re failing,” he says.
Footlights on Chicago: Just in Time for Chicago Theatre Week By Amanda Finn Every year in February Chicago theater lovers of all ages can celebrate the art they love at a discount. Although there are often discounts available year round, Chicago Theatre Week (CTW) offers its own variety of discount opportunities. From the big equity houses to storefronts, Chicago theaters show up in droves for this event. In 2020 CTW takes place February 13-23 with tickets going on sale on January 14 at 10 a.m. Hosted by the League of Chicago Theatres and Choose Chicago, this 10 day event encompasses much of what the Windy City theater community has to offer. “Each year, Chicago Theatre Week introduces audiences to incredible shows at great prices. It presents an opportunity for every visitor and every resident to experience new work, fresh talent, musicals, improv, and more,” comments Deb Clapp, Executive Director of the League of Chicago Theatres in a statement. “Theatre is something that sets Chicago apart from other cities and Chicago Theatre Week celebrates that distinction and welcomes everyone in.” In 2019, 139 productions participated with over 593 individual performances for CTW.
Every year the ticket initiative grows with over 12,700 CTW tickets sold in 2019. CTW brings new audiences into the city and also allows Chicagoans to experience some companies that they love already or are introduced to because of the value initiative. In fact, 63% of attendees visit the theater of their choice for the first time! To help celebrate the annual event Footlights is launching its Chicago focused social media presence! In the past, Footlights social media accounts have been consolidated between three main cities, Chicago, Milwaukee and Madison. Now, to better serve our audiences, we’re splitting our accounts into Wisconsin and Chicago. This way we can better cover what’s going on in Chicago for the folks who live for the arts in the Windy City. Footlights Chicago will offer what we’ve already been offering on a much more focused basis. Casting announcements, new seasons, Footlights editorial and much more will be in store! We’ll see you at the theater!
the center for
CLASSIC
Dear Court Theatre Family, Welcome to Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap! We’re so excited about Sean Graney’s return to Court as he puts his singular stamp on one of England’s most prolific writers. And with an all-star cast of Court favorites and new faces, we’re sure that this Mousetrap will be an exhilarating experience regardless of your familiarity with the piece. The Mousetrap represents one of our first forays into a much-loved theatrical genre: the mystery. Whether you grew up reading classics by Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, or are prone to listening to hours of true crime podcasts like Serial and My Favorite Murder, or enjoy reading mysteries from local favorites like Sara Paretsky or Elizabeth Peters, you’re likely acquainted with the thrill of trying to solve a clever puzzle. So synonymous is Christie’s name with the genre that you’d be hard pressed to find any “best of” list of mystery writers that doesn’t feature her. Of all her plays, The Mousetrap best exemplifies why Christie has become such a pillar of the genre. With its clever deployment of red herrings, twists, and turns, you’re likely to be as immersed in the craft of her storytelling as you are the story itself. Christie simultaneously taps into the fears of the era in a way that gives Mousetrap enduring poignancy at a time when the line between subjectivity and objectivity is becoming increasingly muddled. Graney taps into this paranoia, highlighting the ways people become entrapped not only by social stereotypes and prevailing beliefs, but also by the lies we tell to ourselves, and about ourselves to others. The result of his work on this classic play is a fresh, unique take—one which eschews cliché in favor of the truth at the heart of Christie’s writing. Do you have what it takes to solve the case? Sincerely,
Charles Newell Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director
Angel Ysaguirre Executive Director Court Theatre 1
CHARLES NEWELL Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director
Agatha Christie’s
the
ANGEL YSAGUIRRE Executive Director
Jan 16 - Feb 16, 2020
MOUSETRAP DIRECTED BY
SEAN GRANEY
Scenic Design by Arnel Sancianco U.S.A. Costume Design by Alison Siple Lighting Design by Claire Chrzan Sound Design by Kevin O’Donnell Dialect Design by Eva Breneman Fight Choreography/Intimacy by Jaq Seifert Casting by Becca McCracken C.S.A. Derek Matson, Production Dramaturg Erin Albrecht,* Production Stage Manager Gabriella Welsh,* Stage Manager SETTING: The Great Hall at Monkswell Manor. The Mousetrap is presented with one 15-minute intermission. Be advised: Production contains water-based haze and strobe lighting effects. The Mousetrap is sponsored by
Neil Ross and Lynn Hauser “The Mousetrap” is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC, a Concord Theatricals Company. Designers and Scenic Artists identified by U.S.A. are members of United Scenic Artists, I.A.T.S.E. Local USA829, AFL-CIO,CLC. *Denotes a member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
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CAST David Cerda*.............................................................................Mr. Paravicini Kate Fry*...................................................................................Mollie Ralston Allen Gilmore*............................................................................ Giles Ralston Alex Goodrich*.................................................................... Christopher Wren Erik Hellman*.........................................................Detective Sergeant Trotter Tina Muñoz Pandya................................................................. Miss Casewell Lyonel Reneau*.........................................................................Major Metcalf Carolyn Ann Hoerdemann*............................................................ Mrs. Boyle Understudies: Sheldon Brown (Giles/Paravicini/Metcalf), Arielle Leverett (Miss Casewell), Nathan Eric Slate (Wren/Trotter), Jess Nicole Thigpen (Mollie, Mrs. Boyle) *Denotes a member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
PRODUCTION STAFF
Assistant Director.................................................................................................................... Jaq Seifert Assistant Scenic Designer............................................................................................. Jessie Baldinger Scenic Artists.............................. Scott Gerwitz U.S.A., Julie Ruscitti U.S.A., Christina Rainwater U.S.A. Properties Assistant................................................................................................................. Mele Ortiz Carpenters........................................................................... Tony Cooper, Morgan Lemel, Kelly Lesniak, Alicia Obermeyer, Peter Sheehy, Miles Zable Costume Shop Assistant..................................................................................................Madeline Byrne Stitcher...............................................................................................................................Sierra Hughes Wigs.............................................................................................................................. Christina Carlson Assistant Lighting Designer..........................................................................................Madeline M. Scott Assistant Master Electrician................................................................................................Nils Fritjofson Electricians........................................................................................Bucky Emmerling, Angelina Adams, Megan Turnquist, Arianna Brown, Jonah White, Shawn Cummings, Victoria Fox Sound Assistant.......................................................................................................... Shawn Cummings Floor Manager....................................................................................................................Danny Fender Scenery Intern................................................................................................................Ethan Schondorf Scenic Artists identified by U.S.A. are members of United Scenic Artists, I.A.T.S.E. Local USA829, AFL-CIO,CLC.
Court Theatre performs in the intimate Abelson Auditorium, made possible through a gift from Hope and Lester Abelson. Cover photo of Kate Fry by Joe Mazza. The videotaping or making of electronic or other audio and/or visual recordings of this production or distributing recordings on any medium, including the internet, is strictly prohibited, a violation of the author’s rights and actionable under United States copyright law. For more information, please visit: https://shop.samuelfrench.com/content/files/pdf/ piracy-whitepaper.pdf Court Theatre operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. Productions are made possible, in part, by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Court Theatre is a constituent of Theatre Communications Group, the national organization for the American Theatre, the League of Resident Theatres, the Illinois Humanities Council, and the League of Chicago Theatres.
Court Theatre 3
WHODUNNIT FIRST?
THE ORIGINS OF THE MURDER MYSTERY By Carissa Villagomez
The origin of modern detective fiction is often attributed to Edgar Allan Poe’s story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” written in 1844 and Wilkie Collins’ 1868 novel Moonstone. The texts are also considered to be pinnacle references for all detective fiction that has followed. The tradition of basing mysteries off of real-life situations continued in the United States with Allan Pinkerton’s detective series, which took inspiration from the Pinkerton National Detective Agency. The organization, founded in Chicago, was once the largest private law enforcement entity and influenced countless other literary works, such as those of Arthur Conan Doyle, but is now more infamous for its role in the Homestead Strike of 1892. Pinkerton’s tales of intrigue and crime captured the public’s imagination and contributed to the rise of audience desire for sensationalist mystery fiction. Murder mysteries continue to capture the public’s attention in various forms. In the nineteenth century, the dime novel dominated as an inexpensive and entertaining read. The city of Chicago began appearing with regularity in dime novels in the 1870s, serving as the backdrop for detective stories. In England, penny dreadfuls also featured sensational accounts focusing on the fictitious adventures of detectives and criminals alike. The cheap price of the stories, combined with steadily rising literacy rates and easy purchasing access to the publications, meant that they were Court Theatre 4
the perfect vehicles to popularize the already soaring genres of murder mystery and detective fiction. Although the murder mystery is still a well-explored genre today, it did reach its zenith in the 1920s and 1930s. The Golden Age of the murder mystery genre gave rise to the fame of such authors as Agatha Christie, G.K. Chesterton, and Mary Roberts Rinehart. The “whodunnit” narrative thrived as audiences rushed to consume these scintillating stories, which always kept the identity of the criminal a secret until the end. In Christie’s The Mousetrap, some productions even include a message at the end of the play to request that the audience does not divulge the truth to anyone else who has not read or seen the play in order to further uphold the essence of the whodunnit. Nowadays, from children’s cartoons to theatrical productions, the hallmarks of the whodunnit genre continue to engross audiences. ■ Photo of Lyonel Reneau, Erik Hellman, Kate Fry, Allen Gilmore, Alex Goodrich, and David Cerda by Joe Mazza.
Carissa Villagomez, Court Theatre’s Marketing and Communications Intern, is a first year UChicago student who plans to study English Literature. In 2017, she was published in the student journal Albricias. Court Theatre 5
HOW TO DESIGN
A BETTER MOUSETRAP We spoke with scenic designer Arnel Sanciano and costume designer Alison Siple to learn more about their approach to tackling Agatha Christie’s famous play. Printed in the published version of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap is the schematic of the original ground plan for the still-running West End production. Since its 1952 premiere, that iconic production has only changed sets twice: once in 1965, and again in 1999, although the mantelpiece clock has remained the same in all iterations. A quick Google image search returns hundreds of production photos of the play from around the world. Regardless of whether the production is being put on in a high school auditorium or a professional stage, it’s sometimes hard to tell where one production ends and another begins. “All of these productions stick with the original ground plan because that’s what everyone says works,” comments Arnel Sancianco, the scenic designer. Especially when it comes to repeat audiences, that feeling of sameness can dampen some of the intrigue of Christie’s masterful plot. “When you change that up, suddenly I don’t know where anything is going to happen anymore,” Sancianco said. In coming up with the scenic design for The Mousetrap, Sancianco and director Sean Graney explicitly set out to avoid showing audiences that staid simulacrum. There’s a larger-thanlife feeling to this production’s environment, from the towering shelves and fireplace to the walls which dwarf doorways, transforming them from portcullises to mouseholes. Graney and Sancianco went through twenty-eight different color palettes before landing on the best fit for the play. They’ve also concealed other secrets throughout the design, including elaborate geometric patterns hidden in the wallpaper that give the feeling that Monkswell Manor itself is alive and breathing. Court Theatre 6
Pattern and color were two elements that costume designer Alison Siple aimed to highlight in her design work, too. Siple characterizes most productions of Mousetrap as “brown and tweed,” and deliberately set out to subvert these stereotypes with brightly-patterned clothing. She drew inspiration from the board game Clue and chose to give each character their own pattern or color as a way of further fleshing each role out. “We’re going for mismatched in a way that looks stylish,” Siple explains. “Sean originally talked about wanting it to look like everyone got dressed up but is now deciding that maybe their outfit is a lot.” She adds, “It’s interesting to think about why people wear certain things and how these clothing choices help cover up our lies.” What was the final guiding principle that proved important throughout the process of bringing Mousetrap to Court’s stage? Fun! Speaking about the play at first rehearsal, Graney shared that “anyone who says they don’t enjoy this play is lying.” To that end, all the artistic choices have been made to sweep you up in Christie’s suspenseful mystery, helping you see it for the first time all over again. ■ On the left: Mollie Ralston (Kate Fry) look 1: silhouette/shape of a 1950’s hostess/ housewife, combo of floral (organic) and stripe (geometric) patterns, red as character’s color. On the right: Quarter inch scale scenic model. Graney & Sancianco’s reinvention and re-imagination of Agatha Christie’s classic Monkswell Manor. Court Theatre 7
Henrik Ibsen’s
k a e n S THE LADY FROM THE SEA
Peek
““What perennially strikes me about Ibsen is his raging modernity…Ibsen reminds us that structure is meaning and that there is a moral and aesthetic thrill in the moment of revelation.” —The Guardian
This March, Chaon Cross stars in Court’s staging of The Lady From the Sea, Henrik Ibsen’s mercurial play, which dissects issues of duty, marriage, and agency with raw emotion and disarming resonance. Shana Cooper (Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company) directs, injecting the text with a visceral physicality that thrillingly reflects and refracts Ibsen’s structure and characterization. Working with her frequent collaborator, choreographer Erika Chong Shuch, Cooper aims to make Ibsen’s play as physically and emotionally muscular as it is linguistically. Cooper first worked on a staged reading of The Lady from the Sea at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival ten years ago. She describes Ibsen’s play as haunting her ever since then, and shares that,
My hope is that this play is an invitation to look at our own lives, life choices, and identities and maybe view this idea of cracking open questions about our spirituality or our identity as a real possibility. Performances of The Lady from the Sea begin March 12, 2020. Tickets are available now online at CourtTheatre.org Interested in signing up for The Oedipus Trilogy Book or by calling the Box Office at (773) 753-4472. ■
Group? Learn more at CourtTheatre.org/bookclub
Photo at left: Chaon Cross, who will play Ellida Wangel in Court’s production of The Lady from the Sea (Mazza). Court Theatre 9
A CLOSER LOOK
BEYOND GENDER AND GENRE St. Martin’s Theatre in London’s West End, 2010.
Photo of Kelvin Roston, Jr. by Joe Mazza.
By Derek Matson, Production Dramaturg
Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap is the longest continuously running play in the history of commercial Western theater, having officially opened in London on November 25, 1952, in a production that, after over 28,000 performances, runs to this very day. Christie wrote her first version of the story on a BBC commission for a new radio play to honor the 80th birthday of King George VI’s mother, Queen Mary, in 1947. Titling it Three Blind Mice, she reworked the script into a novella, published in Cosmopolitan in 1948, then wrangled it back into a play, expanding it to its current length. Before it opened, she renamed it The Mousetrap in a winking reference to the play-within-a-play in Hamlet. Box-office records for The Mousetrap have done little to secure Agatha Christie’s critical esteem. Her works, more often than not, have been written off as middlebrow or just for fun. Alison Light calls attention to the unusual intensity of this animus in her landmark book Forever England from 1991: “There is something about Agatha Christie... which seems to mark her out for an especially cold shoulder and the particularly gratuitous insult.” A decade later, Susan Rowland echoes Light’s observation in her book about British women writers of detective fiction, noting that, despite having “enchanted millions of readers,” there has been an “inverse relationship” between the enormous popularity of these women writers and the serious critical attention they’ve been given. Christie’s contributions to the theater are mostly elided in canonical histories and anthologies of the 20th-century British stage or are, at best, addressed with a perfunctory mention of her work. Theater scholarship would seem to either discount her as a populist interloper or apologize for her as not really a playwright. For their part, scholars of detective fiction who actually do take her writing more seriously tend to brush past her plays, waving them off as somewhat unseemly, embodied adaptations of novels that are really best read at home. Even so, Christie’s achievements in the theater are monumental. She wrote more than 20 plays, and she is the only woman to have ever had three plays running simultaneously on London’s West End. The Mousetrap alone has been presented in 50 different countries and in 27 languages. Agatha Christie is, in the summation of theater producer Julius Green, “the most successful female playwright of all time.” Such accomplishments demand “more complex explanations than that people like a good yarn, or a neat puzzle,” to quote Christie scholar Gillian Gill. Denying that true artistry and literary excellence have played a role in Christie’s prodigious success is unteneble. Like all Court Theatre 11
masterly playwrights, Christie was an astute observer of people, and she had an uncanny knack for hearing the specific, idiosyncratic ways that different people talked. She was a sophisticated chronicler of the rapidly changing world around her, and built into her stories are morally nuanced cultural commentaries. The genre that she came to define, the English country house murder, in which staid, upper-middleclass comfort is shattered by violence and mayhem, offered Christie the perfect vehicle for tapping into social anxieties that circulated all around her, about class, desire, gender, nationhood, and justice. Devoted readers like cultural historian Jacques Barzun and poet W. H. Auden have held her stories up as classical parables that speak to deepseated, inarticulable fears and yearnings of her readers and audiences. This ability of popular art to “tap into the collective unconscious,” Gill argues, is what makes stories like Christie’s so compelling to us, and so irresistible. The presumption that Christie’s worlds are straightforward or simplistic is a miscalculation that we perpetrate at the expense of our own enrichment. If Christie’s stories teach us anything at all, it’s not to trust appearances, and we’d do well to apply that same lesson to how we approach her mysteries, which comprise so much more than just cozy puzzles. Diligently and unassumingly, Christie used her art to needle away at tensions and sinister frustrations that underpinned her social fabric, and nowhere perhaps more so than in The Mousetrap.
If Christie’s stories teach us anything at all, it’s not to trust appearances, and we’d do well to apply that same lesson to how we approach her mysteries, which comprise so much more than just cozy puzzles. The kernel for the story is an actual event that Christie lifted from the headlines of 1945. The previous summer, 12-year-old Dennis O’Neill and his brother Terence, were placed in the foster care of Reginald Gough and his wife Esther on their farm in a remote valley of Shropshire. Bank Farm was an expansive property that the O’Neill boys were forced to work. While there, the boys were only ever allotted two to three slices of bread to eat per day, and were whipped for the slightest infractions. Mr. Gough’s abuse of the children ultimately led to Dennis’ death, a case that made front-page news. This tragedy deeply moved Christie, who set to work formulating the story that became The Mousetrap. The play offers a response to that harrowing event by laying bare the inadequacies of important institutions that Britons feared were collapsing around them. Marriage, the family, the judiciary, the police, the educational system—all are interrogated in some way by the people of the play, and the soundness of these systems is found to be deficient. It’s not merely out of comedic snobbishness that we hear Mrs. Boyle say, “This country has gone sadly downhill.” Certainly, many in the play’s opening night audience agreed, and Dennis’ death was seen as evidence that the country was in shambles. At the same time, The Mousetrap implicates all of us in the breakdown of social safeguards and shared compassion that made the death of a child like Dennis possible. As we hear Detective Trotter say, “One might almost believe that you’re all guilty by the looks of you.” Christie designed her play to work on our sense of collective guilt—“We must have done something,” Mollie says—and she preys on our gnawing dread that the supports which failed the vulnerable before may yet fail them again, either because we’ve chosen to run away from our own complicity, or because we’ve turned our backs on it and willed ourselves to move on. In The Mousetrap, the dangers of our negligence are matched only by the dangers of our bias. Christie offers us ample room to indulge myopic assumptions about the people around us, only to pointedly turn those assumptions against us, and show us what heels we are for having made them in the first place. ■ To read an even more in-depth version of this article, visit CourtTheatre.org/blog Court Theatre 13
PROFILES DAVID CERDA (Mr. Paravicini) is the Artistic Director, resident playwright and co-founder of Hell in a Handbag Productions. Favorite roles with Handbag include Dorothy in The Golden Girls: Lost Episodes series, Suzanne Pleshette/Annie (The Birds), and Joan Crawford (Christmas Dearest). Cerda has worked as an actor with A Red Orchid Theatre (Accidentally Like a Martyr), A New Colony (Psychonaut Librarians) and The Facility (The Ruse of Medusa). He received a special Jeff Award in 2017 for his work with Hell in a Handbag, founded in 2002. Thank you, Christopher, Sean and the lovely cast and crew at Court. KATE FRY (Mollie Ralston) is happy to return to Court, where she’s performed many times over the years. Recent credits include The Belle of Amherst and Electra. Other Chicago credits include work with Northlight (Mother of the Maid, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Outside Mullingar), Goodman (The Winter’s Tale, Ah, Wilderness!), Writers, productions with Chicago Shakespeare, Victory Gardens, Marriott, and Apple Tree Theatre. Outside Chicago, she has performed at Lincoln Center, Center Theatre Group in LA, the RSC in Stratford-Upon-Avon (Chicago Shakes’ production of Henry IV), and the McCarter Theatre Center. She is married to actor/teacher Timothy Edward Kane; they have two sons. ALLEN GILMORE (Giles Ralston) is very happy to return to Court Theatre where he has appeared in Scapin, Cyrano, Endgame, Sizwe Banzi is Dead, Jitney, Seven Guitars, The Misanthrope, Man in the Ring, and Radio Golf, among others. He has performed regionally at Yale Rep, Berkeley Rep, Kansas City Rep, Santa Cruz Shakespeare, Intiman Theatre, Seattle Rep, and The Shakespeare Theater among many others. Allen is a 2015 3Arts Prize recipient, a 2015 Lunt-Fontanne Fellow, a proud ensemble member of Congo Square Theatre Co, a US Army Infantry veteran, and the recipient of the 2019 Nicholas Rudall prize for his work in Radio Golf. ALEX GOODRICH (Christopher Wren) is so pleased to be back at Court Theatre. Other shows at Court include Photograph 51, The Comedy of Errors, and One Man, Two Guvnors. Other Chicago credits include shows at Chicago Shakespeare, Writers, Northlight, Marriott Theater, Royal George and Chicago Children’s Theatre. He loves his wife and two kids very much! ERIK HELLMAN (Detective Sergeant Trotter) returns to Court where he was previously seen in Harvey; One Man, Two Guvnors; The Misanthrope; Proof (Jeff Nom.); Comedy of Errors; The Mystery of Irma Vep (Jeff Nom.); and Arcadia among others. Other recent credits include Lindiwe, Familiar, and The Burn at Steppenwolf; Smart People and Marjorie Prime at Writers Theatre; Miss Bennet (Jeff Nom.) and Lost In Yonkers at
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PROFILES
Northlight Theatre; and Luna Gale at the Goodman. Film/TV work includes The Dark Knight, Walden, Boss, Empire, Betrayal, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, The Good Fight and as Johnny Carson on the upcoming FX show Mrs. America. TINA MUÑOZ PANDYA (Miss Casewell) is so excited to be making her Court debut! Chicago credits include Always...Patsy Cline (Firebrand Theatre); X-Marks the Spot (Chicago Children’s Theatre); The Aristophanesathon (The Hypocrites); Pinocchio and The Great and Terrible Wizard of Oz (The House Theatre of Chicago); The Tall Girls (Shattered Globe Theatre); and Octagon (Jackalope Theatre). Touring credits include: The Merry Wives of Windsor and Henry IV, Pt 1 (Montana Shakespeare in the Parks); and HMS Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, and The Mikado (The Hypocrites). She is a proud graduate of the University of Michigan and the School at Steppenwolf, and is represented by Gray Talent Group. LYONEL RENEAU (Major Metcalf) makes his Court Theatre debut! Lyonel is a graduate of School at Steppenwolf. Lyonel’s work spans the National and International Tour versions of Shrek and RENT. Some Credits: Ignition Festival - Reckoning: Furies from a New Queer Nation at Victory Gardens, RENT (Benny), WILD (Vin) Off-Off Broadway, Othello (Othello), Romeo and Juliet (Benvolio), and Matilda (Escapologist; Doctor). TV/Film:
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• Meet directors, actors, playwrights, and professors weeks before the show. • Learn about the history of the plays, the dramaturgical process, the big ideas animating the performances. • Go behind the scenes at exclusive events, including dinners, lectures, & more! By making a leadership gift of $3,000 or more, your Producers Circle membership supports Court on stage, in the classroom, and in the community. For information or to make your Producers Circle gift, visit CourtTheatre.org/support or contact Andrew Berg, Director of Development, at (773) 834-3305 or aberg@uchicago.edu. Court Theatre 16
PROFILES
Court Theatre 17
PROFILES Proven Innocent (FOX) and Empire (FOX). Lyonel is repped by the team at Gray Talent Group. BFA Acting - Oklahoma City University. Love you mom. Follow him at @lyonelreneau. CAROLYN ANN HOERDEMANN (Mrs. Boyle) is making her Court Theatre debut. She was last seen at American Players Theatre in Macbeth, A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur, A Doll’s House, and Twelfth Night. Other credits include Sweat and The Crucible at Asolo Repertory, Goodman Theatre (Camino Real, Measure for Measure, Feathers and Teeth), the Steppenwolf Garage (Venus), Chicago Shakespeare, Door County Shakespeare, Trapdoor Theatre, Silk Road, European Repertory, and Chicago Children’s Theatre. Carolyn has been seen on Chicago Fire (NBC) and Empire (FOX) and the short films Alien Brides and Home, which she co-wrote. She is represented by Paonessa Talent. SHELDON BROWN (Understudy) is a 2014 graduate of Acting at Emerson College in Boston. His previous Court Theatre credits are Oedipus Rex and Man in the Ring. Other credits include This Bitter Earth, Time Is On Our Side at About Face Theatre, The Shipment at Red Tape Theatre, 1980, or Why I Voted for John Anderson at Jackalope Theatre, A Wonder In My Soul at Victory Gardens, and more. He also has numerous credits in Boston including The Grand Inquisitor, directed by Peter Brook. Sheldon is also co-curator of Front Room Poetry, a monthly open mic series which aims to fill intimate spaces around the city with personal stories and soul bearing.
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PROFILES ARIELLE LEVERETT (Understudy) is thrilled to work with Court for the first time. She has appeared most recently as Montjoy/Michael Williams in Henry V at First Folio. Other Chicago credits include Southern Gothic (Windy City Playhouse), Ragtime (Griffin Theatre), Pericles and Richard III (Muse of Fire), and The Good Fight (Babes with Blades). She has also worked with Kentucky Shakespeare and Milwaukee Rep. Arielle is an ensemble member of Babes with Blades Theatre Company and PlayMakers Laboratory Theatre. Arielle has received an MFA in acting from Western Illinois University and is represented by Big Mouth Talent. NATHAN ERIC SLATE (Understudy) is thrilled to be making his Court Theatre debut. He was previously seen in Linda at Steep Theatre. Mr. Slate has also worked with numerous other Chicago companies such as Rivendell, Jackalope, The Chicago Inclusion Project, Waltzing Mechanics, The Arc Theatre, Red Theater, Victory Gardens, American Blues Theater, First Floor Theater, Piven Theatre Workshop, and many more. He is a proud graduate of the School at Steppenwolf and is represented by Big Mouth Talent. JESS THIGPEN (Understudy) appeared in Twelfth Night (Maria/Feste) at Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Oberon) at Blue Barn Omaha. NYC: No Candy at Signature Theatre Thesis Fest and Roundabout Theatre. Chicago: Educating Rita (Rita) at Citadel Theatre, and Support Group for Men at Goodman Theatre. International: Our Country’s Good (Liz Morden) at Tron Theatre Glasgow, All’s Well That Ends Well (Helena) at Globe Theatre London, and Comedy of Errors at Bard in the Botanics Glasgow. TV: Chicago Fire. Jess is a proud graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She is a part time professor of theatre at Loyola University Chicago and represented by Paonessa Talent Chicago. AGATHA CHRISTIE (Playwright, 1890–1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around her fictional detectives, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. Her plays include And Then There Were None, Murder on the Nile, Appointment with Death, The Hollow, Witness for the Prosecution, Spider’s Web, The Unexpected Guest, and Butter in a Lordly Dish, among others. After a hugely successful career, Ms. Christie died peacefully on 12 January 1976. You can read Agatha Christie’s own account of her life in An Autobiography, which was published in 1977. SEAN GRANEY (Director) is happy to be back at Court for his fifth show. He currently lives in San Diego. He spent two decades in Chicago as Founder/Artistic Director of The Hypocrites where he directed over 100 plays. He’s most known for adapting Gilbert & Sullivan and All Our Tragic, a 12-hour adaptation combining the surviving Greek tragedies into a 12-hour play. He was a Creative Capital recipient, a participant in the TCG Career Development Program, and a Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard. His work has been seen at Berkeley Rep, Oregon Shakespeare, Actors Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare, Goodman, Court, Milwaukee Rep, and Steppenwolf, among others. ARNEL SANCIANCO (Scenic Designer) returns to Court after winning the Jeff award for his design of Photograph 51. He studied Drama with Honors in Design at UC Irvine, and received his MFA in Scenic Design from Northwestern. Credits include The Nerd (Milwaukee Rep); A Doll’s House (Writers); The Color Purple (Drury Lane); Twelfth Night (American Players); Put Your House in Order (La Jolla); Lottery Day (Goodman); Landladies Court Theatre 19
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PROFILES (Northlight); Crumbs from the Table of Joy (Raven); Empower (Lyric Unlimited); Something Clean (Sideshow); The Cake (Rivendell); Master Class (TimeLine); The Belle of Amherst (Court); The Crucible (Steppenwolf); The Wiz (Kokandy); Hangman (Gift); Earthquakes in London (Steep); Peerless (First Floor); How We Got On (Haven); You on the Moors Now (The Hypocrites); and Xanadu (American Theater Co). ALISON SIPLE (Costume Designer) returns to Court Theatre having previously designed The Mystery of Irma Vep. Recent projects include I Wanna Fucking Tear You Apart (Rivendell Theatre), Fantastic Mr. Fox (Emerald City Theatre) and Guards at the Taj (Milwaukee Repertory). Alison was the recipient of a 2011 3Arts grant and is an artistic associate with Lookingglass Theatre Company and Steep Theatre. She is a graduate of Northwestern University. Visit alisonsiple.com. CLAIRE CHRZAN (Lighting Designer) is thrilled to be back at Court Theatre after previously designing Radio Golf and Manual Cinema’s Frankenstein. Other recent credits include: New Stages Festival 2019 (Goodman); The Brothers Size (Steppenwolf Young Adults); Grey House, The Room, The Mutilated, and Evening at the Talk House (A Red Orchid); Yen, Suddenly Last Summer (Raven Theatre); Hamlet (The Gift); Fun Harmless Warmachine (The New Colony); We’re Gonna Die, Fear and Misery in the Third Reich (Haven); Caught (Sideshow); Dada Woof Papa Hot, Bull in a China Shop (About Face); Winning Works (2017-19; Joffrey Ballet’s Joffrey Academy). In her spare time, Claire is a facilitator with ABLE ensemble (Artists Breaking Limits & Expectations). Visit clairechrzandesigns.com. KEVIN O’DONNELL (Sound Designer) is a musician, composer, and sound designer, and has worked at Court Theatre on Harvey, Water by the Spoonful, Angels in America, and Three Tall Women. His work in Chicago has earned him 23 Jeff Nominations and 10 Awards. In Chicago: Steppenwolf, Lookingglass, Northlight, Chicago Shakespeare, and others. Regionally: Seattle Rep, Olney Theatre Center, A.C.T., Kansas City Rep, The Arsht Center, Baltimore Center Stage, First Stage, Le Petite Theatre, Southern Rep, New Orleans Shakespeare Festival, The Signature Theatre, St. Anne’s Warehouse, Cherry Lane, and 59E59. As a musician, he’s recorded and/or performed with Andrew Bird, Nickel Creek, and others. EVA BRENEMAN (Dialect Designer) has worked at Court on The Adventures of Augie March, Photograph 51, The Belle of Amherst, The Hard Problem, One Man, Two Guvnors, The Good Book, M. Butterfly, Skylight, Angels in America, The First Breeze of Summer, Carousel. Recent Chicago credits: Oslo (Timeline); Howards End (Remy Bumppo); Something Rotten (Marriott Lincolnshire); Twilight Bowl (Goodman). Regional: Things I Know to Be True (Milwaukee Rep); five seasons at American Repertory Theater; Love’s Labour’s Lost (Actors Theatre of Louisville); Around the World in 80 Days (Centerstage/ Kansas City Repertory) and The Woman in Black (National Tour). Eva is an associate artist at TimeLine Theatre Company. JAQ SEIFERT (Assistant Director/Fight Choreographer/Intimacy Consultant) is thrilled to be working alongside such an amazing team in their first show as an assistant director. They are primarily an actor and fight choreographer, and have worked most recently at Chicago Shakespeare Theater as the Apothecary/Samson in Romeo and Juliet. Other acting credits include Marriott, First Folio, Oak Park Festival, and Redtwist. Fight choreography credits include Victory Gardens, Paramount, Theater Wit, and Teatro Vista, among others. Intimacy choreography credits include Theo Ubique, Oracle Productions, Victory Gardens, and Teatro Vista. They also run a production company, (sub)version productions, whose hit show The Buttcracker: A Nutcracker Burlesque just closed out their fourth season. Court Theatre 21
PROFILES DEREK MATSON (Production Dramaturg) is delighted to return to Court Theatre after dramaturging last season’s production of Photograph 51. Other favorite Chicago productions include United Flight 232 at The House Theatre and columbinus at American Theater Company. Derek studied acting at the Cours Florent in Paris. His translations of French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, German, and Catalan have been featured at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, and Cornell University, where he earned his M.A. in Performance Studies. Derek’s a former recipient of a Fulbright Assistantship to France and a Rotary Cultural Ambassadorial Scholarship to Russia. ERIN ALBRECHT (Production Stage Manager) Previously at Court: Oedipus Rex, King Hedley II; The Adventures of Augie March; For Colored Girls; Photograph 51; Frankenstein; Radio Golf; The Originalist; All My Sons; The Belle of Amherst; Five Guys Named Moe; Harvey; Blues for an Alabama Sky; Man in the Ring; One Man, Two Guvnors; Long Day’s Journey Into Night; Agamemnon; The Good Book; and Iphigenia in Aulis. Erin has worked Off-Broadway, regionally, and toured throughout Europe. She holds a Bachelor of Music from The Catholic University of America and a MFA in Stage Management from Virginia Tech. She’s an adjunct instructor of Stage Management at The Theatre School at DePaul University. GABRIELLA WELSH (Stage Manager) Previously at Court: King Hedley II, For Colored Girls, Frankenstein, Radio Golf, The Belle of Amherst, Five Guys Named Moe, Blues For An Alabama Sky, Electra and Man in the Ring. Around Chicago, Gabriella has worked for About Face Theatre, American Blues Theater, Chicago Children’s Theatre, Emerald City Theatre, Griffin Theatre, The Hypocrites, The Neo-Futurists, The Ruffians, Pride Films and Plays, SideShow Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, TimeLine Theatre Company, Writers Theatre, and Actors Theatre of Louisville in Kentucky. Gabriella is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association. CHARLES NEWELL (Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director) has been Artistic Director of Court Theatre since 1994, where he has directed over 50 productions. Recent Court highlights include Oedipus Rex, The Adventures of Augie March; All My Sons; The Hard Problem; Man in the Ring; and Satchmo at the Waldorf. Charlie has directed at Goodman, Guthrie Theater, Arena Stage, John Houseman’s The Acting Company, Lyric Opera, Chicago Opera Theatre, Glimmerglass, and Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Awards received include the SDCF Zelda Fichandler Award, the TCG Alan Schneider Award, and the League of Chicago Theatres’ Artistic Achievement Award. Charlie has been nominated for 16 Jeff Awards, winning four times. ANGEL YSAGUIRRE (Executive Director) most recently served as Executive Director of Illinois Humanities. During his tenure there, the organization established a number of new programs demonstrating the contribution that the humanities can make in addressing today’s most pressing challenges. Previously, he was the Director of Global Community Investing at The Boeing Company and a program officer at the McCormick Tribune Foundation. He has served on the boards of the Theatre Communications Group, Donors Forum of Chicago, the Illinois Center for the Book, Horizons Community Services, Blair Thomas and Company, and Next Theatre. Court Theatre 22
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PROFILES
NORA TITONE (Resident Dramaturg) is the author of the 19thcentury theater history My Thoughts Be Bloody: The Bitter Rivalry of Edwin and John Wilkes Booth (Simon & Schuster, 2010). As a dramaturg and historical researcher, Titone has collaborated with a range of artists and scholars including playwright Anna Deavere Smith and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. She also contributed to projects at Arena Stage and DreamWorks Studios. Titone studied history at Harvard University and the University of California, Berkeley, and is represented by ICM Partners. BECCA McCRACKEN (Casting Director) is a Chicago theatre fanatic. Casting credits include American Blues, Asolo Rep, Florida Studio, Infusion, Indiana Festival, Indiana Rep, Lyric Opera, Madison Rep, Milwaukee Rep, New Theatre, Paramount, Provision, Silk Road Rising, Syracuse Stage, Writers, Spamilton, Million Dollar Quartet, Old Jews Telling Jokes, Evil Dead: The Musical, Working, Dee Snyder’s Rock & Roll Christmas, and Mozart the Rock Opera. National Tours: How To Train Your Dragon, Peter Pan, and Sister Act. She is an Artios Award winner for her casting of the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Carousel. Her casting career also spans into television, film, and commercial. ■
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Ma Qiusha, Wonderland: Black Square (detail), 2016.
MATTER
659 WRIGHTWOOD
OF
THE
ALLURE
THE ALLURE OF MATTER Material Art from China Opening February 7, 2020
Co-presented by the Smart Museum of Art and Wrightwood 659
theallureofmatter.org
Save the Date Be Surprised The 2020 Gala Saturday, the 25th of April Theater on the Lake, 6:00PM
Court Theatre 25
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INSTITUTIONAL SPONSORS Court Theatre would like to thank the following institutions for their generous contributions.
Crown Society ($50,000 and above) Illinois Arts Council Agency The Joyce Foundation The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation Polk Bros. Foundation Poetry Foundation Price Charitable Trust Theatre Communications Group The Shubert Foundation University of Chicago Women’s Board
Royal Court ($25,000 – $49,999) Allstate Insurance Company The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation The Julius N. Frankel Foundation The Lloyd A. Fry Foundation The Rhoades Foundation
Benefactors ($10,000 – $24,999) City of Chicago Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Exelon Corporation Grant Thornton LLP Harper Court Arts Council Kirkland & Ellis LLP National Endowment for the Arts Sidley Austin LLP United Airlines University of Chicago Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society
Patrons ($2,500 – $9,999) Hyde Park Bank UChicago Arts University of Chicago Office of Civic Engagement University of Chicago Office of the President University of Chicago Office of the Provost Court Theatre 27
BOARD OF TRUSTEES Timothy Bryant, Chairman Dana Levinson, Vice Chair Linda Patton, Vice Chair Joan Coppleson, Secretary Gustavo E. Bamberger, Treasurer Trustees Mary Anton Diane S. Anderson Joan Beugen Cheryl Cooke Kevann Cooke Keith Crow Sean Durkin Lorna C. Ferguson Barbara E. Franke Virginia Gerst Mary Louise Gorno Kevin J. Hochberg
Thomas Kittle-Kamp Karen J. Lewis Sarah R. Marmor Christopher McGowan Joan E. Neal Neil Ross Lawrence E. Strickling Samuel J. Tinaglia Marilyn Fatt Vitale Margaret Maxwell Zagel
Honorary Trustee Stanley Freehling Ex-Officio David J. Levin Charles Newell Larry Norman Angel Ysaguirre
FACULTY ADVISORY COUNCIL Larry Norman, Chair Shadi Bartsch-Zimmer Robert Bird Jason Bridges James Chandler Michael Dawson David Finkelstein Thomas Gunning Travis A. Jackson Leslie Kay Court Theatre 28
Jonathan Lear David J. Levin Peggy Mason Ellen MacKay Margaret Mitchell John Muse Deborah L. Nelson David Nirenberg Sarah Nooter Martha Nussbaum
Jessica Stockholder Kenneth W. Warren David E. Wellbery Christopher Wild David Wray Judith Zeitlin
INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT Court Theatre would like to thank the following individuals for their generous contributions.
Crown Society ($50,000 and above) Gustavo Bamberger and Martha Van Haistma Lois R. and Maurice J. Beznos Richard and Ann Carr
Directors Circle ($25,000 – $49,999) Shawn M. Donnelley and Christopher M. Kelly Joan and Bob Feitler Kevin Hochberg and James McDaniel Lynn Hauser and Neil Ross
Royal Court ($15,000 – $24,999) Judith Barnard and Michael Fain Dontrey Britt-Hart and Brett J. Hart Tim and Jackie Bryant Keith Crow and Liz Parker Lorna Ferguson and Terry Clark Ms. Janice Halpern
Barbara and Richard Franke Virginia and Gary Gerst David J. and Marilyn Fatt Vitale Michael Charles Litt Charles Newell and Kate Collins Linda and Stephen Patton Betty Lou Smith Fund Lawrence E. Strickling and Sydney L. Hans Fund Thomas L. and Margaret M. Kittle-Kamp Ms. Dana Levinson and Mr. James Noonan Karen and Bob Lewis Mr. Christopher McGowan and Ms. Sandy Wang Peggy Zagel and The Honorable James Zagel
Distinguished Patrons ($10,000 – $14,999) William D. and Diane S. Anderson Joan and Shel Beugen Joyce and Bruce* Chelberg Kevann M. Cooke Joan and Warwick Coppleson Mr. Charles F. Custer Mr. and Mrs. Derek Douglas Sean and Molly Durkin Mary Louise Gorno
Benefactors ($5,000 – $9,999) Anonymous (1) Mary Anton and Paul Barron Dr. and Mrs. Stephen Cruise Sonja and Conrad Fischer Foundation James and Deborah Franczek David Hiller and Darcy Evon Gayle and Ken Jensen Ms. Lisa Lee Clare Lorring
Producers Circle ($3,000 – $4,999) Peter and Lucy Ascoli Mr. Stanley Christianson Prof. and Mrs. Harry Davis Anne and Scott Davis Dr. Willard A. Fry Margaret and Perry Goldberg Nancy Haller Dr. and Mrs. Peter T. Heydemann Mr. and Mrs. William R. Jentes Mr. and Mrs. Gary Kovener Richard McAdams and Anna Marshall
The Irving Harris Foundation Sarah R. Marmor Joan E. Neal and David Weisbach Penny Pritzker and Bryan Trabuert Earl and Brenda Shapiro Foundation Susan H. and Robert E. Shapiro Mark and Rita Tresnowski Paul and Mary Yovovich
Michael Lowenthal and Amy Osler Mr. and Mrs. Steven McCormick Robert Moyer and Anita Nagler Lynne F. and Ralph A. Schatz Joan and Jim Shapiro Ann Starr Ann Strickling Elaine and Richard Tinberg Townsend Family Foundation Ms. Sarah P. Jaicks and Mr. Robert B. McDermott Ms. Sarah Solotaroff Mirkin Mary Keefe and Bob Scales Salvador J. Sedita and Pamela L. Owens Barbara Smith and Timothy Burroughs Lise and Ed Spacapan Kathy and Robert Sullivan Janet Surkin and Robert Stillman Thomas and Barbara Weil Charles and Sallie Wolf *deceased Court Theatre 29
INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT Leaders ($1,000 – $2,999)
Anonymous (4) Prof. and Mrs. Robert Aliber Mary and William Aronin Mr. Ed Bachrach Pamela Baker Ms. Catherine Bannister Barbara Barzansky Mr. Tom Berg Henry and Leigh Bienen Shaun and Andy Block Betty A. and William J. Boyd Catherine Braendel Dr. Richard Clark and Ms. Mary J. Munday Thomas Coleman Ms. Michelle Collins Mr. Robert Curley Barbara Flynn Currie Ms. Vicki Curtis Frederick T. Dearborn Ritu Dhingra Janet and Craig Duchossois Paul Dykstra and Spark Cremin Paula Tomei and David Emmes Mrs. Deborah Epstein Mr. and Mrs. Michael A. Feder Joan and Robert Feitler Mr. and Mrs. Paul Finnegan Dr. Jana L. French David and Celia Gadda Charitable Fund Ms. Linda Landrum and Prof. Robert Gertner Joan M. Giardina
Supporters ($500 – $999) Anonymous Todd Alexander Drs. Andrew and Iris Aronson Ms. Kathleen Behner Prof. and Mrs. Stephen Berry Mr. and Mrs. Adrian Beverly Mrs. Peggy Bevington Mary and Carl Boyer Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Brown Greg Browne Elizabeth Fama and John Cochrane Mr. Robert Delaney Nancie and Bruce Dunn Ms. Edna Epstein Mr. Stephen Fedo Susan Feibus Sylvia Fergus Dr. Marisa Alegre and Dr. Thomas Gajewski Ms. Denise Michelle Gamble Court Theatre 30
Lance and Patti Gimbal Paula Golden Mr. and Mrs. M. Hill Hammock Mr. and Mrs. Robert Helman John and Stacy Hildy Mr. Fred Kniss Larry and Carole Krucoff Mr. Tom Levinson Charlene and Gary MacDougal Mr. Joseph and Mrs. Karen Marino Mr. and Mrs. Walter Massey Ms. Joan Mattson Renee M. Menegaz and Prof. R. D. Bock Mr. William Michel and Mr. Mark Botelho Corinne Morrissey Ms. Cathy Niden Sara Paretsky Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Richards Anne and Barry Sabloff John and Marge Saphir Mr. David Saunders Mr. Joseph Senese Ilene and Michael Shaw Charitable Trust Heidi Thompson Saunders and David Saunders Sam and Suzie Tinaglia Pamela Lavigne and Matthew Tirrell Mr. and Mrs. William R. Tobey, Jr. Bonnie and Fidelis Nwa Umeh Mr. and Mrs. R. Todd Vieregg Jon and Julie Walner Joseph Wolnski and Jane Christino Judith and Malcolm Gaynor Mr. and Mrs. Howard N. Gilbert Melissa Gilliam and William Grobman Prof. Suzanne Gossett Mark and Melanie Greenberg Craig and Debbi Griffith Mr. and Mrs. Bruce N. Halbeck Debra Hammond and Jack Spicer Mark Hansen and Dana Saowalak Mr. and Mrs. Howard Helsinger Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Hirsch Philip Hoffman and Halina Brukner Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Hotchkis Carrie and Gary Huff Dr. Cynthia Jurisson and Dr. Martin Buchheim Ms. Dorthea Juul Jonathan D. Karmel Robert and Beth Karnes Ms. Jean A. Klingenstein
INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT Nancy Kosobud Mr. Peter Lagios Mrs. Dianne Larkin Dr. Ira Lawrence Sandy and David Lentz Ms. Kay Schichtel and Dr. Barry Lesht Jill and John Levi Ms. Nancy Levner The Maxpoffle Foundation Ms. Maryhelen Matijevic Thomas P. McNulty Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Meltzer Margaret Mitchell and Richard Rosengarten Clark and Alyce Morris Lisa Kohn and Harvey Nathan Alan and Kathryn Nesburg Christine and Thomas O’Connor Robert Ollis and Richard Gibbons Nancy and Thomas Patterson Megan Poetzel Richard and Charlene Posner
Dr. and Mrs. James Richardson The Philip and Myn Rootberg Foundation Gillian and Eric Rosenfeld Sharon Salveter and Stephan Meyer Mr. George and Ms. Terry Saunders Richard and Betty Seid Manish Shah and Joanna Grisinger Ms. Irene Sherr and Mr. Leigh Breslau Jeffrey Slovak Mr. William Snyder Ms. Judith E. Stein Geoffrey R. Stone and Jane Dailey Paul R. Tetreault and John Jeter Ms. Edith Turkington Ms. Linda Vincent Mr. Marc Vogel Mr. Howard S. White Roger Wilson Steven Woolf Mr. Angel Ysaguirre and Mr. Bob Webb
Contributors ($250 – $499) Anonymous (2) Mrs. Filomena Albee Ms. Diane Altkorn Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Amoroso Mr. Paul and Mrs. Mary Anderson Ms. Barbara Asner Brett and Carey August Claire E. Pensyl and Ira Bell Kathleen M. Bell Ms. Kathleen Betterman Ms. Katie Blehart David and Linda Blumberg Mrs. Phyllis Booth Mr. and Mrs. Laurence Booth Mr. Aldridge Bousfield Jim and Sandy Boves Patricia and Warren Buckler Mr. Michael Certa and Mrs. Mary Certa Lorie Chaiten and Harold Hirshman Mrs. Judy M. Chernick Stephanie and Michael Chu Juliana Chyu and David Whitney Katherine and John Culbert Ms. Amina Dickerson Ms. Inge Dunne Mrs. Rose B. Dyrud Nancy Felton-Elkins Thea Flaum and Robert Hill Mrs. Adrian Foster Daniel and Roxane Friedman Ryan Garrison Dean and Jane Gladden Mr. and Mrs. Stanford Glass
Dr. and Mrs. Paul Glickman Judge and Mrs. John Grady Ms. Mary Grimm Ms. Marla Gross Mr. Duncan Harris Richard and Marilyn Helmholz Dr. Cynthia T. Henderson and Mr. Prentiss J. Jackson Prof. and Mrs. James Holland Mr. James Holzhauer Prof. Leslie Kay and Maryellen Begley Ms. Maureen Kelly The Kelsey Family Mr. Norman Kohn Mr. and Mrs. William J. Lawlor Mrs. Mary Leep Mr. Michael Lewis Peter Lewy Alex J. Lickerman Andrew and Tracey Lowenthal Mr. Norman Malone Sharon Manuel Peggy Mason and Gisele Perreault William Mason and Diana Davis Tracy McCabe Edward McCartin and Sandy Smith Ms. Marcelle McVay and Mr. Dennis Zacek Ms. Joan Pantsios Peter and Carolyn Pereira Lauren and Blase Nicholas Polite Ms. Jane Grady and Mr. Alan J. Pulaski
Mr. and Mrs. Norman Raidl Elizabeth Raymond Michael Reynolds James and Martha Roseen Mr. Richard Rosengarten Erick Rozier The Saints Ms. Karla Scherer Maryellen and Thomas Scott Ms. Seret Scott Kathryn E. Simmons and Jurgen Daartz Mr. and Mrs. George Simon Therese Smith Barb Smith and Tom Hazinski Beth and Hugo Sonnenschein Dr. and Mrs. Eric Spratford Adam L. Stanley Nikki and Fred Stein Terry and Ruth Stevig Mr. and Mrs. Houston H. Stokes Mr. George P. Surgeon Nancy Tani Claudia and John Teschky Ronald and Linda Thisted Mr. John Tuohy Prof. and Mrs. Peter O. Vandervoort Mr. Thomas and Mrs. Gregoria Vega-Byrnes Mr. and Mrs. Steven S. Viktora Ms. Patricia Watkins Mary Gugenheim and Jon Will Bonnie Wishne and Robert Kass Ms. Susan M. Zellner Court Theatre 31
INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT Associates ($150 – $249)
Anonymous (5) Arrie and Linda O’Conner Ammons Wendy Anker and Ed Reed Mr. and Mrs. Cal Audrain Susan Bowker Ms. Rona Brown Susan Cameron William and Doreen Carey Mary and Bill Carstedt Cynthia Cheski Dr. Adam and Ms. Sarah Cifu Edward and Toba Cohen Ms. Phyllis Cohn Rosemary Crowley Mr. David Curtis Doris Davenport Edie Fessler Duane A. and Jane D. Feuer Dr. Bonnie Fields Paul Fong Will Forrest Lauren and Janet Friesen Ruth Ganchiff and Jim Ballowe Michael Gray Virginia Meeker and Michael Grethen
Mr. Andrew Halbur Joel and Sarah Handelman Roz and Jo Hays Emlee Hilliard-Smith Mr. Donald Honchell Beatriz and George Iorgulescu Annika Jaspers Dr. and Mrs. Abel P. Jeuland Diana and Neil King Mr. Monte Levinson Ms. Joan Lieb Melvin R. Loeb Thomas P. and Betty Nash Luning Mr. and Mrs. Albert Madansky Mr. Alvin Marley David and Arlene Alpert Mehlman Dr. and Mrs. Ernest Mhoon Mr. Stuart Michaels Ms. Regina Modestas Dr. Donald E. Newsom Brooke and Sean Noonan Ms. Marianne O’Shaughnessy Prof. and Mrs. Eugene Parker Mary Pellar Theodore Phillips
Elizabeth M. Postell V. Pristera, Jr. Mr. Jon Ryan Quinn Michael and Virginia Raftery Mr. and Mrs. James M. Ratcliffe Mary Ridley Julie Roin and Saul Levmore David and Stacey Ross Craig Schuttenberg and Colleen O’Leary Philip Zawa and Micki Somerman Mr. and Mrs. John Staudinger Klara Stephens and Josue Guevara Dr. Scott Stern Harvey and Deborah Strauss Mr. Don and Ms. Patricia Swanson Ms. Dorothy Truesdell Kristina Valaitis, In Honor of Angel Ysaguirre Elaine and Patrick Wackerly Nicholas Weingarten and Cynthia Winter Grace Wong and Andrew Warren
Names in bold are members of Court’s Board of Trustees. If you would like to make a correction or remain anonymous, please contact Lauren Sheely, Development Assistant, at (773) 834-3563 or lsheely@uchicago.edu. List reflects gifts received between June 20, 2018 and September 20, 2019.
SPECIAL GIFTS Tribute Gifts
Mary Jo and Doug Basler, In Honor of Dana Levinson Elizabeth Fama and John Cochrane, In Memory of Lydia G. Cochrane Janet and Foster Dale, In Honor of Karen J. Lewis Mrs. Roberta Evans, In Honor of Michael Lowenthal and Amy Osler R. Scott Falk, In Honor of Timothy Bryant Barry Lesht and Kay Schichtel, In Memory of Jack Shannon June Matayoshi and Stephen McClure, In Memory of Robert A. White The Maxpoffle Foundation, In Honor of Karen Lewis Susan Missner, In Honor of Gary Missner Messrs. Robert Ollis and Richard Gibbons, In Honor of Kevin J. Hochberg Elizabeth Raymond and Paul Hybel, In Memory of Herbert Hamilton Amy Rupert and Family, In Memory of Nancy Hile Lott Elsbeth Thilenius, In Memory of Dr. Otto G. Thilenius John and Anne Tuohy, In Honor of Virginia Gerst Kristina Valaitis, In Honor of Angel Ysaguirre Leon and Rian Walker, In Honor of Linda Patton Court Theatre 32
SPECIAL GIFTS Endowment Support and Planned Gifts Court Theatre greatly acknowledges the generous individuals and institutions who have supported Court’s artistic excellence by contributing to the endowment or making a gift through their estate. Anonymous Hope and Lester Abelson Family The Michael and Lillian Braude Theatre Fund Joan S. and Stanley M. Freehling Fund for the Arts The Helen and Jack Halpern Fund The William Randolph Hearst Foundation Betty Hess Kevin J. Hochberg and James R. McDaniel Anne Kutak
Michael Charles Litt Marion Lloyd Court Theatre Fund Michael Lowenthal and Amy Osler Carroll Mason Russell Fund The Rhoades Foundation Ms. Cheryl L. Thaxton David J. and Marilyn Fatt Vitale Mr. Bob White
For more information on how to leave a legacy of support for the arts by making a gift through your estate or contribution to Court Theatre’s endowment, please contact Andrew Berg, Director of Development, at (773) 834-3305 or aberg@uchicago.edu.
Court Theatre Facility Support
In-Kind Contributions Ahimsa Yoga Studio The Amazing Funhouse Maze David Auburn Boka Restaurant Group Buona Terra Tim and Jackie Bryant Chant Chicago Fire Chicago’s First Lady Chicago Public Media—WBEZ Cooper’s Hawk Winery and Restaurants Joan and Warwick Coppleson Court Theatre Court Theatre’s Board of Trustees Dana Hotel and Spa Lydia Diamond Derek Douglas Lorna Ferguson and Terry Clark The Field Museum Jeanne Gang Good Measure Helaine and Peter Heydemann Kevin Hochberg and James McDaniel
Jewell Events Catering Lisa Kaplan The Laboratory Collective Lisa Lee Lula Café Lyric Opera of Chicago Sarah Marmor Joan Neal and David Weisbach Charles Newell and Kate Collins Jake Newell Erika Nolan Ron OJ Parson Steve and Linda Patton Porchlight Music Theatre The Second City Rob and Susan Shapiro Shedd Aquarium Skydeck Chicago Sam and Suzie Tinaglia Top Nosh Hospitality David and Marilyn Vitale Zazu Salon Aldo Zininotto and Osteria Langhe
Matching Gifts Adams Street Partners Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Polk Bros. Foundation The Saints Court Theatre 33
Be in good company!
It’s no mystery so many Montgomery Place residents hold season tickets to Court Theatre. Our community celebrates the arts all year long, with lectures and concerts programmed by residents for residents. And we’re just minutes from Court Theatre and other Chicago cultural treasures.
Schedule a tour to learn more about gracious lakeside living—where all you have to be is you!
Montgomery Place A not-for-profit community for people 62-plus 5550 South Shore Drive Chicago, IL 60637 773-753-4100 MontgomeryPlace.org
Apartments for independent living in the cultural center of East Hyde Park Court Theatre 34
STAFF
Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director Charles Newell Executive Director Angel Ysaguirre
Associate Producer Resident Artist Resident Dramaturg Casting Director Research Fellow
Regina Victor Ron OJ Parson Nora Titone Becca McCracken, C.S.A. Gabrielle Randle
Managing Director General Manager Executive Assistant Business Clerk Community Programs Manager
Heidi Thompson Saunders Zachary Davis Brittney Grant Luisa Acevedo Aaron Mays
Director of Education Education Coordinator Education Associates/Lead Teaching Artists Teaching Artists Scenic Design Teaching Artists
Patrese D. McClain Adia Alli Chanell Bell, Kona Burks, Jennifer Glasse, Michael Aaron Pogue Meagan Dilworth, David Goodloe, LaQuis Harkins, Am’Ber Montgomery, Tristien Winfree Andi Earles, Zoe Rosenfeld, Courtney O’Neill
Director of Production Associate Production Mgr and Company Mgr Technical Director Assistant Technical Director Properties Manager Costume Shop Manager Wardrobe Supervisor Master Electrician Sound and Video Supervisor Director of Development Special Events Manager Institutional Relations Manager Development Assistant Events and Fundraising Intern Corporate and Foundation Relations Intern Director of Marketing Associate Director of Marketing Public Relations Director of Audience Services Box Office and Ticketing Software Manager Assistant Box Office Managers Box Office Assistants House Manager Bartenders Audience Services Intern Marketing and Communications Intern Volunteer Ushers Volunteer Coordinator
Jennifer Gadda Kelcie Beene Luke Lemanski Christopher Walls Lara Musard Erica Friesen Jody Schmidt Emily Brown Josh McCammon Andrew Berg Qiana Moore-Nightengale Rod Gingrich Lauren Sheely Gabi Garcia Dillon Lazar Traci Brant Brent Ervin-Eickhoff Cathy Taylor Public Relations, Inc. Matthew P. Sitz Heather Dumdei Nicole Bond, Jen Luke Claudia Chirio, Bailey Dineen, Desiree Cardero Nick E. Johnson Megan Stoppelman, Jasmin Jimenez Joya Kapoor Carissa Villagomez Courtesy of The Saints Judd Rinsema Court Theatre 35
HOSPITALITY PARTNERS Dining Partners: Court patrons receive 10% off at Chant, Mesler, The Nile, Piccolo Mondo, and Seven Ten, and 12% off at Nella with their ticket stub on the night of the show. One discount per ticket. Not valid with other offers.
chantchicago.com
piccolomondo.us
nellachicago.com uhd
NILd
HYDd PaRk
sophyhotel.com/mesler-kitchen nilerestaurantofhydepark.com
seventenchicago.com
La Petite Folie offers a prix fixe menu for Court patrons.
The Promontory offers a wine pairing with each entree for Court patrons.
lapetitefolie.com
promontorychicago.com Beverage Partners
Hotel Partners
Grab & Go Partner
wines57.com sophyhotel.com
dollopcoffee.com chicagolandrefreshments.com hyatt.com Premier Chocolatier
www.noirdebene.com Court Theatre 36
Premier Caterer
georgejewell.com
Dinner Show
AND A
a r n u t a s t s e r l a c o l h Arts calendar paired wit
Dinner
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Show
BIBLE BINGO & LATE NITE CATECHISM
Ongoing
RUTHERFORD AND SON
Through January 12
Laugh your sins off with these two interactive comedies! Late Nite Catechism is “gloriously funny” and Bible Bingo is “a side-splitter.” Perfect for all ages.
TimeLine Theatre Company
Written in 1912, this family drama about class, gender, and generational warfare was named one of the “100 plays of the century.”
THE STEADFAST TIN SOLDIER Lookingglass Theatre Company
Hans Christian Andersen’s story about a little tin soldier who never gives up comes back to Lookingglass for a winter-time curtain call.
WORKING
Royal George Theatre (312) 988-9000
615 W. Wellington Ave. (773) 281-8463 x6
Through January 26
Lookingglass Theatre (312) 337-0665
Theo Ubique Theatre Company
Through January 26
TURN HERE – SWEET CORN
January 3 – 26
Based on Studs Terkel’s best-selling book of interviews, Working paints a vivid portrait of the men and women that the world so often takes for granted.
Saltbox Theatre Collective
The play focuses on Turn Here Sweet Corn: Organic Farming Works, a memoir based on Atina Diffley’s life running the Gardens of Eagan organic vegetable farm.
33RD YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL Pegasus Theatre
The festival celebrates the 33rd year of inspiring Chicago students to explore their histories, research their communities and mine their personal journeys.
Since 1950 Dine before or after the show See our collection of original theatre posters 3107 N. Broadway Chicago • 773-477-0300
www.bagelrestaurant.com
Howard Street Theatre (773) 347-1109
The Edge Theater Saltboxtheatre.org
January 8 – 25
Courtyard Theatre Pegasustheatrechicago.org
Dinner
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Show
THIRST
Strawdog Theatre Company
Set in a tense segregated society, Thirst is a complex look at family and love in wartime that explores the politics of race and redefines community.
JAKE’S WOMEN Oil Lamp Theater
Jake, a novelist who is more successful with fiction than with life, faces a marital crisis by daydreaming about the women in his life.
THE MOUSETRAP Court Theatre
The Ralstons’ house becomes lethal when four guests are snowed in amidst reports of a woman’s murder.
BROOKLYN BRIDGE
Theatre School at DePaul University
Follow Sasha as she ventures outside the boundaries her immigrant mother has set for her and into the maze of her Brooklyn apartment building.
TOP GIRLS
Remy Bumppo Theatre Company
Whip-smart, funny, and ultimately very moving, Caryl Churchill’s groundbreaker brilliantly debates questions about female empowerment, career, and family.
SHEEPDOG
January 9 – February 15
Strawdog Theatre (773) 644-1380
January 15 – March 1
Oil Lamp Theater (847) 834-0738
January 16 – February 16 Court Theatre (773) 753-4472
January 16 – February 22
Merle Reskin Theater (312) 922-1999
January 16 – February 22 Theater Wit (773) 975-8150
Shattered Globe Theatre
January 16 – February 29
THE CAPITOL STEPS
January 22 – 26
When an officer-involved shooting roils the department where they work, the cracks in Ryan and Amina’s relationship widen into confusion and self-doubt.
North Shore Center for the Performing Arts If news and politics are eating away at you like a pride of lions feasting on a wildebeest on the African savannah, it’s time to just say, “Hakuna Matata!”
HOW A BOY FALLS Northlight Theatre
A newly hired au pair is thrust into the midst of a mystery when the loss of a young boy casts suspicion on her and the boy’s wealthy parents.
Theater Wit (773) 770-0333
North Shore CPA (847) 673-6300
January 23 – March 1
Northlight Theatre (847) 673-6300
Dinner
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Show
BUG
Steppenwolf Theatre
January 23 – March 8
THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE
January 24 – February 8
Steppenwolf Theatre presents Tracy Letts’s mindbending cult classic, Bug.
Overshadowed Theatrical Productions
Based on the first book in C.S. Lewis’ series, The Chronicles of Narnia.
HOW TO DEFEND YOURSELF
(312) 335-1650
Jubilee Bible Church 900 Foster Ave, Medinah (630) 634-2100
Victory Gardens Theater
January 24 – February 23
DUKE ELLINGTON’S SOPHISTICATED LADIES
January 24 – March 6
NEIGHBORHOOD 3: REQUISITION OF DOOM
January 29 – February 9
How to Defend Yourself circles around seven college students who gather for a DIY self-defense workshop after a sorority sister is raped.
Zacek McVay Theatre (773) 871-3000
Ruth Page Center for This celebration of “the most important composer in the the Arts (773) 777-9884 history of jazz” will transport audiences.
Porchlight Music Theatre
Theatre School at DePaul University
When teenagers become addicted to an online horror game, the lines between virtual and reality are blurred.
NEW WORKS FESTIVAL 2020 Valiant Theatre
Six original works based on Andrew of Capernaum, Sandra Day O’Connor, Renée Richards, Rudy Lozano, Mary Tyler Moore, and Pauli Murray.
JEEVES SAVES THE DAY First Folio Theatre
Jeeves and Bertie are back! Once again, Bertie finds himself suffering the slings and arrows of misfortune at the hands of his relatives.
ALABASTER
16th Street Theater
A healing love story by Audrey Cefaly.
Healy Theater (312) 922-1999
January 29 – February 15
Otherworld Theatre Valianttheatre.org
January 29 – March 1
Mayslake Peabody Estate (630) 986-8067
January 30 – March 1
16th Street Theater (708) 795-6704
Dinner
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Show
JULIUS CAESAR
Northwestern University
Shakespeare’s tragedy of a group of people who will go to extremes to remove a leader with devastating consequences.
ROAN @ THE GATES
American Blues Theater
A long-time couple confronts questions about their marriage they never thought to ask as their personal relationship collides with national security.
THE FANTASTICKS Citadel Theatre
Citadel Theatre presents The Fantasticks, the longest running musical in the world!
STICK FLY
January 31 – February 9 Josephine Louis Theater (847) 491-7282
January 31 – February 29 Stage 773 (773) 654-3103
February 5 – March 8 Citadel Theatre (847) 735-8554
Writers Theatre
February 5 – March 15
FUN HOME
February 6 – 16
A relaxing weekend on Martha’s Vineyard escalates when the LeVay brothers bring their new girlfriends home to meet their affluent and imposing parents.
Loyola University
Based on the autobiographical graphic novel by Alison Bechdel, Fun Home is a musical coming-of age story.
MADAMA BUTTERFLY Lyric Opera of Chicago
Puccini’s tragic heroine sacrifices everything for love.
A DOLL’S HOUSE
Nichols Theatre (847) 242-6000
Newhart Family Theater (773) 508-7510
February 6 – March 8
Lyric Opera of Chicago Lyricopera.org
Raven Theatre Company
February 6 – March 22
FREEDOM RIDE
February 8 – 16
Nora, a spirited young housewife, is a radical thinker. But when an old acquaintance reappears, threatening to bring Nora’s secrets to light, everything changes.
Chicago Opera Theater
A gospel-infused world premiere opera about the Riders who banded together to change the course of history.
Raven Theatre East Stage (773) 338-2177
The Studebaker Theater (312) 704-8414
Dinner
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Show
WEST SIDE STORY
Northshore Concert Band
This concert will take you on an introspective journey, featuring music of the theater that explores human nature.
FIESTA CORAL MEXICANA Chicago a cappella
February 9
Pick-Staiger Concert Hall (847) 432-2263
February 9 – 23 Various Locations
Celebrate the colorful and dynamic music of Mexico at (773) 281-7820 this vibrant concert! This dazzling concert will shine a light on a spectacularly varied and brilliant musical world.
THE ROVER
Theatre School at DePaul University
Hellena and Florinda break all the rules as they endeavor to escape the trap of a man’s world in 17th century Naples.
KILL MOVE PARADISE
TimeLine Theatre Company
Inspired by the growing list of slain unarmed black men and women, this powerful reflection illustrates the possibilities of collective transformation.
TITUS ANDRONICUS Haven Theatre
February 12 – 23 Watts Stage (312) 922-1999
February 12 – April 5
615 W. Wellington Ave. (773) 281-8463 x6
February 13 – March 22
When Titus returns home from a 10-year war against the The Den Theatre Goths with their Queen as his prisoner, a bloody cycle of Havenchi.org violence ensues across familial and political lines.
ALMOST HEAVEN
Theatre at the Center
February 13 – March 22
BENGAL TIGER AT THE BAGHDAD ZOO
February 14 – 29
LEGALLY BLONDE
February 14 – March 1
This musical tribute is an intimate celebration of John Denver’s life and career featuring more than 20 of his hit songs. Chicagoland Premiere!
Theatre at the Center (219) 836-3255
Jedlicka PAC The lives of two American Marines and an Iraqi translator Jpactheatre.com are forever changed by an encounter with a quick-witted tiger who haunts the streets of war-torn Baghdad.
Jedlicka Performing Arts Center
Northwestern University
Based on the popular movie, Elle Woods takes on Harvard and aims to impress the love of her life.
Ethel M. Barber Theater (847) 491-7282
Dinner
AND A
Show
MIDDLE PASSAGE Lifeline Theatre
A newly freed Illinois slave stows away aboard The Republic, an outbound rigger, to evade debtors enforcing marriage.
THE QUEEN OF SPADES Lyric Opera of Chicago
Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades, a thrilling tale of deceit, passion, and obsession.
THE LAYOVER The Comrades
Ever wonder who that stranger is sitting next to you? Shellie and Dex dare to answer this question after their flight is delayed on a snowy Thanksgiving night.
THE RIMERS OF ELDRITCH
Skokie Park – Devonshire Playhouse
In the small town of Eldritch, a man has been murdered. Who is he? Who murdered him? And what were the circumstances?
AN ILIAD
Court Theatre
An Iliad, the one-man adaptation of Homer’s Iliad, is a groundbreaking site-specific performance not to be missed.
HER HONOR JANE BYRNE
Lookingglass Theatre Company
February 14 – April 5
Lifelinetheatre.com
February 15 – March 1
Lyric Opera of Chicago Lyricopera.org
February 20 – March 22 (773) 404-7336
February 22 – March 1
Devonshire Cultural Center (847) 674-1500
February 26 – March 22 Court Theatre (773) 753-4472
February 26 – April 12
It’s 1981, the city’s simmering pot of neglected problems Lookingglass Theatre (312) 337-0665 boils over, and Chicago’s first woman mayor is moving into Cabrini-Green. Will it bring the city together?
DAY OF ABSENCE
Congo Square Theatre
February 27 – March 22
THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE
March 13 – 15
Uproarious emergencies occur when a Southern town is faced with the sudden and inexplicable disappearance of all its black and brown citizens.
Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company
The Pirates of Penzance unleashes its rollicking band of inept pirates and bumbling policemen in the bestknown and best-loved of all Gilbert and Sullivan.
Victory Gardens Theater (773) 871-3000
Mandel Hall, University of Chicago (773) 702-ARTS