Wednesday, January 31, 2018

GIVEAWAY: WIN 4 Tickets (up to $136 value) to SHORT SHAKESPEARE! A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM at The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare


Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar 
OPENING:

SHORT SHAKESPEARE! A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
Abridgment brings Shakespeare’s enchanted comedy 
to students and families in The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare, beginning February 3rd

Running Time: 75-minutes * Family Friendly




ENTER HERE  for your chance to WIN 
4 tickets (up to $136 value) for your choice of 11am or 2pm on Saturday, February 10, 2018 ONLY. 
SHORT SHAKESPEARE! A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM 
Enter through midnight Monday, February 5th. Winner will be e-mailed and announced on our site and ChiIL Mama's social media networks.


Here at ChiIL Mama and ChiIL Live Shows we've been fervent fans of Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) for so many decades we've seen them perform A Midsummer Night’s Dream in it's entirety and as a Short Shakespeare 75-minute abridgment, several times over the years. Each production is fresh and new, and this 2018 version is extra exciting, because it's the first Shakespeare play to be performed in their new space, The Yard! Never fear, despite it's name, The Yard is indoors, heated, and awesome. 


Travis Turner as Puck. Photos by Liz Lauren


Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) presents Short Shakespeare! A Midsummer Night’s Dream —a 75-minute abridgment of William Shakespeare’s riotous tale of mismatched love among mischievous fairies, young lovers, and an amateur theatrical troupe. Directed and adapted by Jess McLeod and featuring a power-packed ensemble cast, this production will bring the magic to life for more than 1,000 students each day in the innovative, new venue The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare during its six-week run. 

Short Shakespeare! A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be performed for the public on Saturdays February 3–March 10, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. After each performance, the actors remain on stage for a question-and-answer session before joining the audience in the Lobby for one-on-one conversation and photo opportunities. 

This year, Short Shakespeare! A Midsummer Night’s Dream will have an extended run in The Yard, allowing thousands of additional students and families to engage with this education program. The Yard will be configured as an intimate thrust stage, with audiences surrounding the stage on three sides and runway aisles for actor entrances and exits. 

Titania (Christiana Clark) beckons Bottom (Adam Wesley Brown), who has been transfigured into an ass, and her Fairy attendants (Hannah Starr and Lane Anthony Flores). Photo by Liz Lauren.


Jess McLeod makes her Chicago Shakespeare debut with Short Shakespeare! A Midsummer Night’s Dream, although her work has reached thousands of audiences as resident director of Chicago’s Hamilton. In 2016, she was awarded the Michael Maggio Fellowship by Goodman Theatre and has directed at a range of local theatres including Victory Gardens, Haven Theatre, and Steppenwolf’s Next Up! Program. McLeod is also a teaching artist at Storycatcher’s Theatre and a program manager for the annual “Louder Than a Bomb” youth poetry festival.


Adam Wesley Brown as Bottom and Christiana Clark as Titania. 
Photo by Bill Burlingham.

The Short Shakespeare! A Midsummer Night’s Dream cast features Adam Wesley Brown (Bottom, through March 18), Ally Carey (Helena), Christiana Clark (Titania/Hippolyta), Richard Costes (Snout/Fairy), Lane Anthony Flores (Flute/Fairy), Sean Fortunato (Oberon/Theseus), Jeremy Peter Johnson (Bottom, beginning March 19), Jarett King (Egeus/Quince), Andrew L. Saenz (Demetrius), Faith Servant (Hermia), Christopher Sheard (Lysander), Drew Shirley (Starveling), Hannah Starr (Snug/Fairy), and Travis Turner (Puck).

Collaborating with Jess McLeod to transform The Yard into an enchanted forest setting is Scenic Designer Lauren Nigri, Costume Designer Izumi Inaba, Lighting Designer Greg Hofmann, Sound Designer Mikhail Fiksel, Wig and Make-up Designer Richard Jarvie, Fight Choreographer Jerry Galante, Verse Coach Kathryn Walsh, and Assistant Director Héctor Alvarez.

Chicago Shakespeare’s Short Shakespeare! Series is rooted in the Theater’s steadfast commitment to young audiences, which has resulted in one in four audience members being age 18 or under. Chicago Shakespeare partners with teachers to extend the experience into the classroom, providing show-specific materials and activities in addition to leading free professional development workshops for teachers.



Public Performance Dates:
Saturday, February 3, 2018 – 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 10, 2018 – 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 17, 2018 – 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 24, 2018 – 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 3, 2018 – 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 10, 2018 – 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

For more information, visit www.chicagoshakes.com/ssmidsummer.

Short Shakespeare! A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be performed in The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare, Saturdays at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., February 3–March 10, 2018. Tickets are on sale now for $22–$34 (subject to change). For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Box Office at 312.595.5600 or visit the Theater’s website at www.chicagoshakes.com.

CST strives to make its facility and performances accessible to all patrons through its Access Shakespeare programs. Short Shakespeare! A Midsummer Night’s Dream will have an Audio-Described Performance on Saturday, February 17 at 11:00 a.m. and an Open-captioned and ASL Duo-interpreted Performance on Saturday, February 24 at 11:00 a.m.



ABOUT CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER
A global theatrical force, Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) is known for vibrant productions that reflect Shakespeare’s genius for storytelling, musicality of language, and empathy for the human condition. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Barbara Gaines and Executive Director Criss Henderson, Chicago Shakespeare has redefined what a great American Shakespeare theater can be, putting forward a company that delights in the unexpected and defies theatrical category. A Regional Tony Award-winning theater, CST produces acclaimed plays at its home on Navy Pier, throughout Chicago’s schools and neighborhoods, and on stages around the world. In 2017, the Theater unveiled a new stage, The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare. Together with the Jentes Family Courtyard Theater and the Thoma Theater Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare, The Yard positions CST as the city’s most versatile performing arts venue.

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