Academy Award-nominee David Strathairn stars in Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski
Broadway-bound World Premiere musical The Notebook from Ingrid Michaelson & Bekah Brunstetter
Shakespeare’s All’s Well That Ends Well directed by Shana Cooper in the Courtyard Theater
Leading director Sheldon Epps stages new take on The Tempest
Academy Award-nominated actor David Strathairn takes the stage in a tour-de-force solo performance, Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski (November 3-14, 2021). Originally created by The Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University, Remember This is written by Clark Young and Derek Goldman, and directed by Goldman. Best known for acclaimed performances in Good Night, and Good Luck, Nomadland, and Lincoln, Strathairn takes on the role of real-life World War II hero Jan Karski. After surviving the devastation of Poland by Nazi Germany, Karski swears allegiance to the Polish Underground and risks his life to carry the first eyewitness reports of the Holocaust to the White House, where his warnings are met with inaction and disbelief. Strathairn captures the remarkable life of the self-described “insignificant, little man” who spoke truth in the halls of power in a timely story of moral courage.
The Theater’s raucous and irreverent holiday tradition Q Brothers Christmas Carol returns in a special limited engagement in The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare (December 7-23, 2021). Created and performed by Chicago hip hop sensations the Q Brothers Collective (GQ, JQ, Jax, and Pos) and developed with Creative Producer Rick Boynton, this wildly entertaining 80-minute reinterpretation of the Charles Dickens classic mashes up hip hop with contemporary musical styles ranging from reggae and dancehall music, to dubstep and epic rock ballads—all underscored with beats spun live at the turntables by DJ Supernova. A Chicago Shakespeare production, Q Brothers Christmas Carol is presented by CST and Richard Jordan Productions. In collaboration with leading Broadway and regional theater multimedia company HMS Media, the production will be filmed in front of a live audience for broadcast distribution.
Following the success of 2020’s virtual pop-up shop, the Holiday Artisan Market is slated to return in December 2021. From jewelry and ceramics to knitwork and more, the Holiday Artisan Market will not only be a one-stop-shop for bespoke and beautifully made gifts, but also celebration of the talent and resilience of our city’s creative community. One hundred percent of proceeds will go directly to the featured artisans, all from the creative sector—including onstage performers, backstage technicians, designers, and community artist partners from the Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks program. Last year’s event showcased more than 200 one-of-a-kind treasures from 25 local makers and garnered nearly $10,000 in direct artist support.
This winter, acclaimed Belgian theatre company Ontroerend Goed—previously seen at Chicago Shakespeare with Fight Night (2018) and A History of Everything (2012)—virtually presents its new production TM (January 2022) as part of the WorldStage series. Made in collaboration with theater-makers from across the world and directed by Alexander Devriendt, TM beckons audiences into a live interactive one-to-one experience exploring media manipulation, populist ideology and conspiracy theories—and was hailed “an ingenious show that tears up theatre’s playbook” by The Guardian.
In March, Chicago Shakespeare is proud to continue its role as a key partner in the development of new work with the debut of Broadway-bound new musical, The Notebook (March 15–April 24, 2022). The World Premiere production features music and lyrics by singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson with book by playwright Bekah Brunstetter. Known for her distinctively soulful folk-pop style, Michaelson is a force in the music industry with four Top 20 albums and two Platinum singles: “The Way I Am” and “Girls Chase Boys.” Brunstetter is a supervising producer and writer on NBC’s Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning series This Is Us, as well as an accomplished playwright whose work has played at theaters including Manhattan Theatre Club, South Coast Repertory, Atlantic Theater Company, and The Old Globe. Broadway powerhouses Michael Greif (Dear Evan Hansen, Next to Normal, Grey Gardens, RENT) and Schele Williams (Aida, Motown the Musical) team up to direct this deeply moving portrait of the enduring power of love. Based on Nicholas Sparks' best selling novel that inspired the hugely popular film, The Notebook chronicles the decades-long love story between a mill worker named Noah and a privileged debutante named Allie. Beginning with a whirlwind summer romance, their love affair spans an entire lifetime—in spite of the differences that threaten to pull them apart. With music direction by Carmel Dean and choreography by Katie Spelman, the World Premiere production will feature a diverse, multi-generational cast, reflecting the timeless and universal nature of the love story.
Beginning in April 2022, Shakespeare’s nuanced coming-of-age love story All’s Well That Ends Well (April 23–May 29, 2022) is brought to new life in the uniquely intimate setting of the Courtyard Theater, staged by acclaimed director Shana Cooper. A company member at the acclaimed Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, D.C., Cooper’s directing credits span classical theater to new works at leading regional companies including Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Seattle Rep, and Yale Repertory Theatre. She notably staged the world premiere of The COOP's inaugural production Terra Firma off-Broadway in 2019. Bold, complex characters and hilarious turns of wit and wisdom make for a vivid exploration of love and loss, courtship and class. Besotted with a man who does not return her love, the intelligent, resourceful young Helena navigates the complexities of unrequited romance, courtly drama, and the pesky meddling of her elders—only to discover the reality that happy endings are never quite as simple as they seem in fairy tales.
The new musical It Came from Outer Space (May 25–June 26, 2022) will make its World Premiere in the Spring directed by Laura Braza. Commissioned and developed by Chicago Shakespeare with Creative Producer Rick Boynton, the project reignites an artistic partnership with creators Joe Kinosian and Kellen Blair, following the success of their Jeff Award-winning 2011 musical, Murder for Two which premiered at Chicago Shakespeare and went on to be produced off-Broadway and in theaters around the world. In this adaptation of the cult classic ‘50s sci-fi film from Universal Pictures, It Came from Outer Space spins Ray Bradbury’s flying saucer tale with a clever musical score and creative physical humor—examining society’s fear of outsiders and embracing the wonder of what lies just beyond the stars.
In September 2022, Chicago Shakespeare will join forces with leading director Sheldon Epps to stage a new production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest. An award-winning director, Epps conceived and directed the Tony Award-nominated Broadway musical Play On!, an adaptation of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night set to the music of Duke Ellington, as well as the acclaimed musical revue Blues in the Night, which played on Broadway and London's West End. He directed the world premiere of Blue at Arena Stage Theatre, which went on to be produced off-Broadway at the Roundabout Theatre. In addition to serving more than 20 years as the artistic director for the Pasadena Playhouse, Epps has directed plays and musicals for many of the nation’s major theaters including The Guthrie, the Old Globe Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, and Goodman Theatre. Epps is set to bring his artistic vision to a lyrical storytelling of Shakespeare’s mystical romance.
One of the most comprehensive and highly respected arts education programs in the country, Chicago Shakespeare’s Team Shakespeare education initiatives are set to serve thousands of teachers and students all year long. Key initiatives include Bard Core, a professional learning seminar that introduces Chicago Public Schools high school English, Special Education, and ESL teachers to drama-based strategies for engaging students—including struggling and reluctant readers, and English language learners—with Shakespeare and other challenging texts. In the annual Chicago Shakespeare SLAM, hundreds of high school students and their teacher coaches come together from Chicago Public Schools, and public, private, and parochial schools across the region to celebrate the power of their own artistic voices in conversation with Shakespeare’s stories. Saturday workshop sessions and small group work sessions throughout the fall culminate in a spirited, fun-filled Final Bout at Chicago Shakespeare in January 2022.
Chicago Shakespeare strives to make its facility and performances accessible to all patrons through Access Shakespeare programming, which offers services designed for individuals with mobility, hearing, or visual impairments for its productions. In addition to offering assistive-listening devices as well as large-print and Braille programs, the Theater schedules dedicated performances featuring ASL duo-interpretation, open captioning, audio description, and touch tours. Tickets to Access Shakespeare performances are provided at pay-what-you-can rates to ensure that cost does not prohibit participation.
ABOUT CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER
A Regional Tony Award recipient, Chicago Shakespeare Theater produces a year-round season—featuring plays, musicals, world premieres, family productions, and theatrical presentations from around the globe—alongside education programming for students, teachers, and lifelong learners, and creative community engagement with the city’s artists and neighborhoods.
Founded in 1986, the Theater has evolved and expanded to present as many as twenty productions and 650 performances annually and has been honored with numerous national and international awards. Chicago Shakespeare is the city’s leading presenter of international work and has toured its own productions to five continents. Dedicated to welcoming the next generation of theatergoers, one in four audience members is under the age of eighteen.
As a non-profit organization, Chicago Shakespeare is committed to approaching its work onstage and in the community with the values of service, ingenuity, and collaboration. The Theater strives to engage today’s artists and audiences in active and critical conversations with the work of the Theater’s namesake playwright, William Shakespeare.
Located on Chicago’s iconic Navy Pier, Chicago Shakespeare’s campus features the Jentes Family Courtyard Theater, The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare, and the Thoma Theater Upstairs. Onstage, in classrooms and neighborhoods across the city, and in venues around the world, Chicago Shakespeare is a multifaceted cultural hub—inviting audiences, artists, and community members to share powerful stories that connect us. www.chicagoshakes.com
Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s 2021/22 Season
Re-lighting of the Marquee – October 6, 2021
AUDIENCES RETURN TO CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE
As You Like It
by William Shakespeare | adapted & directed by Daryl Cloran
conceived by Daryl Cloran and the Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival
in the Courtyard Theater
October 6–November 21, 2021
WORLD-CLASS ARTISTRY ON OUR STAGES
Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski
by Clark Young and Derek Goldman | directed by Derek Goldman | starring David Strathairn
in The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare
November 3-14, 2021
THE HOLIDAY TRADITION CONTINUES
Q Brothers Christmas Carol
written by Q Brothers Collective (GQ, JQ, Jax, Pos) | directed by GQ and JQ | developed with Rick Boynton
in The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare
December 7-23, 2021
CELEBRATING THE TALENT OF OUR CITY’S ARTISANS
Holiday Artisan Market @ Chicago Shakespeare
Virtual pop-up shop with 100% proceeds to local artists
December 2021
STREAMING THE WORLDSTAGE
Ontroerend Goed’s
TM
a WorldStage production from Belgium
directed by Alexander Devriendt
on Chicago ShakesSTREAM
January 2022
STUDENTS IN CONVERSATION WITH SHAKESPEARE
Chicago Shakespeare SLAM
in high schools across the region and onstage at Chicago Shakespeare
January 2022
PRE-BROADWAY WORLD PREMIERE
The Notebook
music and lyrics by Ingrid Michaelson | book by Bekah Brunstetter | based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks | directed by Michael Greif and Schele Williams
In The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare
March 15–April 24, 2022
SHAKESPEARE’S COMING-OF-AGE LOVE STORY
All’s Well That Ends Well
by William Shakespeare | directed by Shana Cooper
in the Courtyard Theater
April 23–May 29, 2022
WORLD PREMIERE MUSICAL EVENT
It Came from Outer Space
book, music and lyrics by Joe Kinosian and Kellen Blair | directed by Laura Braza
in the theater Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare
May 25–June 26, 2022
LEADING DIRECTOR HELMS NEW PRODUCTION
The Tempest
by William Shakespeare | directed by Sheldon Epps
September–October 2022
