OPENING: 36th YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL FEATURING THREE NEW WORKS BY EMERGING ARTISTS JANUARY 4 – JANUARY 28, 2023

ChiIL Mama’s ChiIL Picks List

PEGASUS THEATRE CHICAGO ANNOUNCES THE THREE PLAYWRIGHTS IN THE 

36th YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL 

FEATURING THREE NEW WORKS BY EMERGING ARTISTS  

JANUARY 4 – JANUARY 28, 2023

Written by High School Students and Given a Professional Production, this Year’s Plays Share Teen’s Views on Technology, Isolation and the Future. Tickets go on Sale Thursday, Dec. 1

Here at ChiIL Mama, we've long been fans of the Annual Young Playwrights Festival. My son participated in this excellent program during his high school years at Lane Tech, and a close friend of mine's daughter made it to the finals and had her play produced years ago. It's gotten more competitive over the passing years, with a deep talent pool, and increasing numbers of submissions. Come support the future and check out some excellent new talent.

Pegasus Theatre Chicago is proud to announce the authors and plays being presented at the 36th Annual Young Playwrights Festival, Wednesday, Jan. 4 - Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, at Chicago Dramatists, 765 N. Aberdeen. The preview performance is Wednesday, Jan. 4 at 7:30 p.m. with the press opening Saturday, Jan. 7 at 7:30 p.m. and an Opening Ceremony, Sunday, Jan. 8 at 3 p.m. 

The performance schedule is Fridays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 3 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 - $30 and go on sale Thursday, Dec. 1 at 10 a.m. Tickets and more information are available at PegasusTheatreChicago.org and by phone at 773.878.8864. Educators may schedule school group matinees via ypf@pegasustheatrechicago.org.  

The Young Playwrights Festival, the oldest such festival in the United States, has for 36 years, engaged and inspired high school students across Chicago by teaching them to craft one-act plays. Under the auspices of Pegasus Theatre Chicago, the winning teen playwrights’ productions are work-shopped and staged by industry professionals. The competition typically receives more than 300 submissions annually.  

The 36th Young Playwrights Festival includes:

Dead Boy Walking by Elliott Valadez 

(Whitney Young Magnet HS, teacher: Elizabeth Danesh)

Directed by Enrico Spada

Victor, an isolated teen, is desperate to escape his own loneliness. He thinks he’s found a friend in Millie, the ghost of a 19th-century girl, but when someone new wanders into his life, he begins to question Millie’s motives and his own sanity.

Terms and Conditions by Lucas Bigos 

(Lane Tech College Prep, teacher: Kirsten Hanson)

Directed by ILesa Duncan

It is 2086 in a suburb near the city of Chicago. Leonard does not trust technology, but decides to begin using an Artificial Intelligence app developed by his good friend Jeffrey. He soon realizes technology is increasingly taking over his life.

Another Star in the Sky by Jonathan Soco

(Lane Tech College Prep, teacher: Julie Allen)

Directed by Jason A. Fleece

Elise and Marcus are the last two scientists on the command center of a space station orbiting the earth. An alien invasion has destroyed Earth and is heading to the space station. Will the scientists succeed in warding off the aliens?  

ABOUT THE DIRECTORS

ILESA DUNCAN, DIRECTOR, Terms and Conditions

ILesa Duncan is the executive/producing director at Pegasus Theatre Chicago and the artistic director at Lifeline Theatre. She recently directed and co-adapted the spring 2022 production of Middle Passage from the National Book Award-winning novel at Lifeline Theatre. She directed for Pegasus Jeff-Nominated productions of Eclipsed, including its remount at Theatre on the Lake in the summer 2019, Shakin the Mess Outta Misery (BTAA-award, Ensemble) and the world premiere of Rutherford’s Travels.  Other recent credits include Neverwhere, The Nativity with Congo Square and the Jeff Award-winning Jar the Floor at ETA Creative Arts. Duncan has also worked with The Goodman, Writers Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, Stage Left and Chicago Dramatists, as well as Contemporary American Theatre Company (Ohio). The Alliance Theatre  (Atlanta), Arena Stage (Washington DC) and Lincoln Center Theater (New York). Duncan’s creative nonfiction short stories have been published (Columbia College Chicago) and she’s written poems and screenplays.  For the stage, in addition to Middle Passage, Duncan co-wrote and directed Blakk Love: Storeez of A Darker Hue and the devised project Do You See What I’m Saying for Chameleon.

JASON A. FLEECE, DIRECTOR, Another Star in the Sky

Jason A. Fleece is a freelance director, dialect coach, dramaturg and educator living in the Chicagoland area. Fleece returns to the Young Playwrights Festival, having directed plays in several Festivals. Some other favorite directing credits include The Body of an American (Stage Left Theatre), Ordinary Days (BoHo Theatre) and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (Oakton Performing Arts Center). Fleece was formerly co-artistic director at Stage Left Theatre, one of the oldest ensemble storefront theatres in Chicago. Fleece holds an M.F.A. in Directing from the Theatre School at DePaul University.

ENRICO SPADA, DIRECTOR, Dead Boy Walking

Enrico Spada is a freelance director and teaching artist. Recent credits include: Much Ado About Nothing at Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre; The Light in the Piazza, The Illusion, All's Well That Ends Well and Kimberly Akimbo at Illinois State University; and Sleeping Beauty at Illinois Shakespeare Festival.As founder and artistic director of Pittsfield Shakespeare in the Park, a free outdoor festival in Western Massachusetts, Spada has directed Twelfth Night, The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Romeo and Juliet. As a teaching artist, he has directed in the National High School Institute Theatre Program ("Cherubs"), as well as in Shakespeare & Company’s Fall Festival of Shakespeare and other K-12 residencies.  He received his MFA candidate from the professional directing program at Illinois State University/Illinois Shakespeare Festival and holds a Bachelor's Degree in Acting and Theatre Education from Emerson College in Boston, MA.

 

ABOUT PEGASUS THEATRE CHICAGO

Pegasus Theatre Chicago has been a mainstay in the Chicago theater community for more than four decades. Its mission is to champion new, authentic voices and produce boldly imaginative theatre primarily by and about black or other people of color. The company promotes cultural equity while celebrating diversity, inclusion and first voice and is committed to initiating important conversations through the arts with strong community engagement and socially relevant programming, including the Young Playwrights Festival for high school-age scribes, which celebrates its 36th year this season. Pegasus Theatre Chicago has received 77 Joseph Jefferson Awards since its inception.

Pegasus Theatre Chicago is proud to announce the authors and plays being presented at the 36th Annual Young Playwrights Festival, Wednesday, Jan. 4 - Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, at Chicago Dramatists, 765 N. Aberdeen. The preview performance is Wednesday, Jan. 4 at 7:30 p.m. with the press opening Saturday, Jan. 7 at 7:30 p.m. and an Opening Ceremony, Sunday, Jan. 8 at 3 p.m. The performance schedule is Fridays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 3 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 - $30 and go on sale Thursday, Dec. 1 at 10 a.m. Tickets and more information are available at PegasusTheatreChicago.org and by phone at 773.878.8864. Educators may schedule school group matinees via ypf@pegasustheatrechicago.org.  

The 36th Young Playwrights Festival is made possible with the generous support of The MacArthur Fund at the Richard Driehaus Foundation, the Walder Foundation, The David & Reva Logan Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Seabury Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE). The Festival is also made possible in part by an Illinois Arts Council Agency grant.

OPENING: 31st ANNUAL YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL Via PEGASUS THEATRE CHICAGO at Chicago Dramatists

PEGASUS THEATRE CHICAGO ANNOUNCES

31st ANNUAL YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL FEATURING FOUR NEW WORKS BY EMERGING ARTISTS  

JANUARY 4 – 27, 2018

Written by High School Students and Given a Staged Professional Production at Chicago Dramatists 

Here at ChiIL Mama, we're excited to be promoting and reviewing this excellent Fest again this year. I'll be out this Sunday, so check back soon for my full review. In the past I've been enthralled with the high caliber writing and diverse styles of the winning authors. Years ago the daughter of a close friend of mine won the Young Playwrights Fest in high school, and she went on to get her Masters from U of I and continue a lifelong love of theatre and literature. This year my 16 year old son's theatre class from Lane Tech is coming out to see the show this Wednesday, then they're going back to write their own submissions for next year! I'm thrilled we have such a stellar resource in Chicago, to spark the interest of our next generation of playwrights and creative thinkers.

All photos by Emily Schwartz

(L to R)Kristen Alesia and Meagan Dilworth in DECISION DAY by Abigail Henkin, directed by Jerrell Henderson

Pegasus Theatre Chicago is proud to announce the authors and plays being presented at the 31st Young Playwrights Festival, Jan. 4 – 27, 2018 at Pegasus’s resident home Chicago Dramatists, 773 N. Aberdeen. Each play is written by high school students and given a staged professional production. The winning productions are performed in tandem Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Previews are Thursday, Jan. 4 – Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018 at 7:30 p.m. each night. 

Tickets are $18 for students, $25 for seniors and $30 for general admission and are available at PegasusTheatreChicago.org or by phone at 866.811.4111.

All photos by Emily Schwartz

(L to R) David Flack and Peter Surma in PENCILS AND PENS by Aaron Powdermaker, directed by Ilesa Duncan

The Young Playwrights Festival (YPF) celebrates the 31st year of the program that inspires Chicago students to explore their histories, research their communities and mine their personal journeys to write dynamic one-act plays for the stage. YPF is the only event of its kind in Chicago and is the second largest in the country.

Under the auspices of Pegasus Theatre Chicago, the winning teen playwrights’ productions are work-shopped and staged as part of its main stage season with full casts and production teams. The competition enhances language arts, encourages independent, high-level thinking, strong personal values and influences career development for Chicago’s teens.

The competition received over 500 submissions in 2017 with this year’s selections being Maday Favela of Whitney M. Young Magnet High School and her play Bullet With Butterfly Wings; Mairi Glynn of Von Steuben High School, Monster; Abigail Henkin of Lane Tech College Prep, Decision Day and Aaron Powdermaker of Lane Tech College Prep, Pencils and Pens.

All photos by Emily Schwartz

(L to R) Gloria Petrelli and Meagan Dilworth in BULLET WITH BUTTERFLY WINGS by Maday Favela, directed by Emmi Hilger 

The 31st YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL includes:

Bullet with Butterfly Wings
By Maday Favela – Whitney M. Young Magnet High School – teacher Elizabeth Danesh
Directed by Emmi Hilger
Leviathan takes advantage of Lexa’s anxiety and depression by coaxing her into ending her year-long friendship with Juno.

Monster
By Mairi Glynn – Von Steuben High School – teacher Margaret Sullivan
Directed by Ilesa Duncan
Alya, a Hijabi Muslim teen, is called into a police station for questioning after a bombing.

Decision Day
By Abigail Henkin -- Lane Tech College Prep – teacher Brian Telles
Directed by Jerrell Henderson
Lizzy, a high-achieving high school senior, is being wooed in this hilarious send up of college recruitment.  She struggles to decide which of the three is really her best option.

Pencils and Pens
By Aaron Powdermaker – Lane Tech College Prep – teacher Kirsten Hanson
Directed by Ilesa Duncan
Perry and Marshal are friends enjoying a simple life. However, when Perry wants to move up in the world it’s at the cost of leaving his best friend behind.

All photos by Emily Schwartz

(front L to R) Gloria Imseih Petrelli and Hunter Price, (rear) Amy Johnson and Peter Surma in MONSTER by Mairi Glynn, directed by Ilesa Duncan

The productions’ casts include Kristen Alesia. Meagan Dilworth, David Flack, Amy Johnson, Gloria Petrelli, Hunter Price and Peter Surma.

The production team includes Marisa Gil (scenic designer), Josh Wroblewski (lighting designer), Robert Kuhn (costume designer), Katy Vest (prop designer), AJ Chien (sound designer) and Kelly Butler (production manager).

ABOUT JERRELL L. HENDERSON, director
Jerrell L. Henderson is a director and teaching artist. Recent directing credits include Bud, Not Buddy at the Children's Theatre of Charlotte and The Caucasian Chalk Circle at Franklin & Marshall College. Other credits include The Healer: A Workshop Production with Pegasus Theatre Chicago and In The Red and Brown Water at Northwestern University (co-director with Henry Godinez). As an assistant director, Henderson has worked with The Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, and Lookingglass. He received a BA in Theatre Arts from The Pennsylvania State University, an MFA in Directing from Northwestern University, is a member of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab and is currently a member of Victory Gardens Directors Inclusion Initiative.

ABOUT EMMI HILGER, director
Emmi Hilger has directed The Clean House by Sarah Ruhl, References to Salvador Dalí Make Me by José Rivera, Don’t Look by Gina Doherty and Johnny 10 Beers’ Daughter for Something Marvelous (where she is producing artistic director). Hilger has also recently worked with Ensemble Dal Niente, Stage Left, The Jades, 20% Theatre Company, Concordia University, and Collaboraction.  She is an associate artist and associate dramaturg with Chicago Dramatists and an artistic associate with Stage Left.

ABOUT ILESA DUNCAN, director
Ilesa Duncan is the producing artistic director at Pegasus Theatre Chicago. Her recent directing work includes Pegasus’ recent, Jeff-Recommended, sold-out Shakin the Mess Outta Misery, the world premiere of Jeff-Recommended Rutherford’s Travels and For Her as a Piano also for Pegasus, Broken Fences at 16th Street Theater, the Jeff Award-nominated The Nativity with Congo Square and the Jeff Award-winning Jar the Floor at ETA Creative Arts. Duncan has also worked with Goodman Theatre, Writers Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, Lifeline Theater, Stage Left and Chicago Dramatists, as well as Contemporary American Theatre Company (Ohio), The Alliance Theatre (Atlanta), Arena Stage (Washington DC) and Lincoln Center Theater (New York). Duncan’s creative nonfiction short stories have been published (Columbia College Chicago) and she’s written poems and screenplays.  For the stage, she co-adapted Rutherford’s Travels from the National Book Award-winning novel "Middle Passage," co-wrote and directed Blakk Love: Stoeez of A Darker Hue and facilitated the devised project Do You See What I’m Saying for Chameleon.

ABOUT PEGASUS THEATRE CHICAGO
Pegasus Theatre Chicago has been a mainstay in the Chicago theater community for nearly 38 years. Its recent rebranded mission is to produce boldly imaginative theatre, champion new and authentic voices and illuminate the human journey. The theatre adheres to the core values of community engagement, social relevance, boldness, adventure and excellence.

Pegasus is also committed to initiating important conversations through the arts with strong community engagement and socially relevant programming, including the Young Playwrights Festival for high school-age scribes, which celebrated its 31st Anniversary this year. Pegasus Theatre Chicago has received seventy-seven Joseph Jefferson Citations since its inception.

The 31st Young Playwrights Festival is made possible with the generous support of The MacArthur Fund at the Richard Driehaus Foundation, the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, the Seabury Foundation, the City of Chicago, Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, and the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

CLOSING: Final Chance to See Heartache and Hilarity In ‘STILL DANCE THE STARS’ at Chicago Dramatists Through 9/15

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar:

New Light Theater Project and Chicago Dramatists

Present the World Premiere of Jayme McGhan’s

‘STILL DANCE THE STARS’ 

Written by Jayme McGhan

Directed by Sarah Norris

Closing Friday, September 15th 

REVIEW: 
Here at ChiIL Live Shows and ChiIL Mama, It was our great pleasure to partner up with the theatre and give away 3 pairs of tickets to some of our lucky readers. We also caught the show ourselves last Tuesday and loved it. This poignant and heart-wrenching story redefines love and loss and coping. It's quite funny at times, and full of charm, with all those messy, magical, raw moments that make being human the wacky experience it is. Catch it while you can! Recommended for tweens and up. 

Still Dance the Stars at Chicago Dramatists is an emotional rollercoaster complete with a menagerie of stuffed animals, reverse anthropomorphism, and the joys and tribulations of family love. This world premiere features a cast from across the country including 3 Elmhurst natives who now live and work in New York. 



About the Show:
New Light Theater Project and Chicago Dramatists present the World Premiere of Still Dance the Stars, a highly theatrical story based on the struggles of love in the face of unthinkable loss. Directed by the Founding Artistic Director of New Light Theater Project, Sarah Norris, and written by highly acclaimed American playwright, Jayme McGhan, this work takes on the struggles of marriage in a unique and fictitious manner that has never been seen before on stage. 

This play is the recipient of the renowned Chicago Dramatists’ Grafting Project, a project designed to partner with theatre companies to produce Resident Playwright’s world-premiere plays. An energy packed performance filled with both romance and comedy that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats, Still Dance the Stars is on stage for a limited time engagement at Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W Chicago Ave.

Still Dance the Stars tells the story of James and Anne, the viral Internet proposal sensation couple that has hit a rut in their sixth year of marriage. The night before another nationally televised interview on the proposal story, these two get into a drunkenly infused battle with a box of stuffed animals over the fate of their marriage. One of these stuffed animals, Hope the Hippo, comes to life to make it her quest to save the marriage of James and Anne and rekindle the flame of love they once shared.  “This play takes the idea of heartache and infuses it with comedy and dance, creating a storyline for the whole audience to enjoy,” says McGhan. “This story brings to life a couple’s biggest struggles and triumphs in a unique yet relatable fashion. It is a performance you will most definitely not want to miss.”



The casting lineup for Still Dance the Stars stuns with actors and actresses nationwide including: Martel Manning (Chicago), Bethany Geraghty (New York City based actress and Chicago native), Ariana Sepúlveda (Philadelphia), Courtney Knysch (New York City based actress and Chicago native), Michael Aguirre (New York City based actor and Chicago native), Carl Jaynes (New York City based actor and Chicago native), Claudia Campbell (New York City), Dana Martin (Los Angeles), and Kaycee Jordan (Chicago). In addition to the Director Sarah Norris, the creative team also includes Ashlee Wasmund (Choreographer), Ashley Poteat (Set and Costume Designer), John Kelly (Lighting Designer), Andy Evan Cohen (Sound Designer), Becs Bartle (Stage Manager) and Alan Weusthoff (Technical Director). Jayme McGhan (Playwright) is the author of 20 full-length plays that have been produced across the country. He is a Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists, an Associate Artist at Chicago’s Stage Left Theatre, and serves as the Director of the School of Stage and Screen at WCU. He lives in North Carolina with his wife & son. Sarah Norris (Director) is the Founding Artistic Director of New Light Theater Project. Her work has been seen both around the country (New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Fresno, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Maine & Alaska) and around the world (Australia, England, & Ireland). She has worked with: Playwrights Horizons, Theatre Communications Group (TCG), LAByrinth Theater Company, Disney Theatrical Productions, BAMA Theatre Company, The Flea Theater, and The Gallery Players to name a few. She is a proud member of AEA and associate of SDC.

Performances for Still Dance the Stars are as follows:  Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 6:00 p.m. There will not be a performance on Sunday, Sept 3rd. Performances are at Chicago Dramatists (1105 W Chicago Avenue). Tickets are $35. To purchase tickets, visit http://stilldance.brownpapertickets.com. About New Light Theater Project (NLTP)

New Light Theater Project (NLTP) is an ensemble-driven theater company that strives to capture the Little Theater Movement (artistry over commerce; producing new and classic works) in the NYC indie theater community. To accomplish this, NLTP places the ensemble at the center of the process, where all members, regardless of artistic role, bear weight and voice to the stories selected to tell. NLTP devises and develops new work, brings classical texts and revivals to life, and creates a spirit of community for all theatrical collaborations. NLTP illuminates other artists and companies through a network of shared resources, such as The Darkroom Series, while cultivating theatrical partnerships around the world. For more information, visit newlighttheaterproject.com.

About Chicago Dramatists Since 1979, Chicago Dramatists has been dedicated to the development and advancement of playwrights. Chicago Dramatists nurtures extraordinary playwrights with the space, resources, and collaborators needed to realize new work and thrive as artists. Workshops, readings, classes, and special programs, provide opportunities for beginning and established dramatists to develop their work, expand their professional affiliations, showcase their plays and collaborate with actors, directors, and audiences during the creative process. For more information, visit chicagodramatists.org.

OPENING: 30th YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

PEGASUS THEATRE CHICAGO ANNOUNCES 30th YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL FEATURING

FOUR NEW WORKS BY EMERGING ARTISTS  

Now Through JANUARY 29 AT CHICAGO DRAMATISTS

Written by High School Students and Given a Staged Professional Production, this Year’s Plays Explore the Theme of “Assumptions”

We'll be out Pegasus Theatre Chicago's opening night of the 30^th Young Playwrights Festival this Sunday and the fest is one of our top picks for the weekend here at ChiIL Mama and ChiIL Live Shows. 

The competition received 600 submissions in 2016 with this year’s selections being Alexandra Obert of Lincoln Park High School and her play Obsessed; Elyssa Saldana of Whitney Young Magnet High School, Guarding the Princess; Ricardo Salgado of Lane Tech Academy, Eye See All and Sejahari Saulter-Villegas of Kenwood Academy, Race to the Finish.

Previews are currently going on through Saturday at Pegasus’s resident home Chicago Dramatists, 773 N. Aberdeen. This year’s world premieres, written by high school students and given a staged professional production, explore the theme of “Assumptions.” Each winning production is performed in tandem Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. with weekday student matinees. 

Previews are Wednesday, Jan. 4 - Saturday, Jan. 7 at 7:30 p.m. Opening night is Sunday, Jan. 8 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $18 - $30 and available at PegasusTheatreChicago.com or by phone at 866.811.4111. 

The Young Playwrights Festival, the second oldest such festival in the United States, has for 30 years engaged and inspired high school students across Chicago by teaching them to craft one-act plays. Under the auspices of Pegasus Theatre Chicago, the winning teen playwrights’ productions are work-shopped and staged as part of its main stage season. The competition enhances language arts, encourages independent, high-level thinking, strong personal values and influences career development for Chicago’s teens.

YPF Winners Alex Obert, Ricardo Salgado, Elyssa Saldana and Sejahari Saulter-Villegas. Photo credit: Emily Schwartz

The 30th YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL:

Obsessed

By Alexandra Obert -- Lincoln Park High School – teacher Ahoo Kosari

Directed by Juan Ramirez

A barista believes that he has met the woman of his dreams. Things take a nasty turn when he becomes obsessed with her.

Guarding the Princess

By Elyssa Saldana -- Whitney Young High School – teacher Elizabeth Graf

Directed by Ilesa Duncan

Eadweard the Dragon guards his beloved princess from all potential suitors, whether a good match or not.

Eye See All

By Ricardo Salgado -- Lane Tech Academy – teacher Kirsten Hanson

Directed by Warner Crocker

Jessica, a paranoid conspiracy theorist, drags her brother into a plan to expose a secret society she believes is controlling the world.

Race to the Finish

By Sejahari Saulter-Villegas -- Kenwood Academy – teacher Nina Williams

Directed by Ilesa Duncan

Two heaven-bound beings, recent victims of police brutality in Chicago, compete in a game show in this play satirizing All Lives Matter. 

The productions’ casts include Quenna Lené Barrett, Alex Brick, Kai Ealy, Alex Ireys, Nicole Laurenzi, Ryan Smetana and Christina Ward.

ABOUT THE DIRECTORS

Warner Crocker, Eye See All

Warner Crocker recently directed the world premiere of the new musical The Man Who Murdered Sherlock Holmes at Mercury Theatre Chicago. As a producer, director, and playwright his work has been seen on numerous stages in the United States and Russia. He directed the world premiere of The Seven-Per-Cent Solution for City Lit Theatre, Barnum for The Old Creamery Theatre and Boeing Boeing for Circa 21 Dinner Playhouse. Following a 20-year career in Chicago theatre, he served as artistic director of the Wayside Theatre in Middletown, Virginia from 1999 to 2013. In Chicago he was the founder of the Absolute Theatre Company and Plan B Productions, and served as artistic director for New Tuners Theatre and Pegasus Players. A short list of his directing work in Chicago and regionally includes Pentecost, The Kentucky Cycle, Passion, La Bête, Edward II, Good, Kiss Me Kate, Man of La Mancha, Cotton Patch Gospel, Southern Crossroads, Romeo and Juliet, Ballad of the Sad Cafe, Forever Plaid, Othello, Noises Off, Always a Bridesmaid, Tuesdays With Morrie, and Stonewall Jackson’s House. He is the recipient of a number of Joseph Jefferson Awards and other awards for his work as a director and designer. He is the author of Robert E. Lee and John Brown: Lighting the Fuse; the musicals Southern Crossroads and Southern Crossroads: New Orleans, a musical version of A Christmas Carol with composter Steve Przybylski, and a musical adaptation of The Three Musketeers with Gregg Opelka.

Ilesa Duncan, Guarding the Princess and Race to the Finish

Ilesa Duncan is the producing artistic director at Pegasus Theatre Chicago. Her other recent directing work includes the world premiere of Jeff-Recommended Rutherford’s Travels, and For Her as a Piano for Pegasus, Broken Fences at 16th Street Theater, the Jeff Award-nominated The Nativity with Congo Square and the Jeff Award-winning Jar the Floor at ETA Creative Arts. Duncan has also worked with Goodman Theatre, Writers Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, Lifeline Theater, Stage Left and Chicago Dramatists, as well as Contemporary American Theatre Company (Ohio), The Alliance Theatre (Atlanta), Arena Stage (Washington DC) and Lincoln Center Theater (New York). Duncan’s creative nonfiction short stories have been published (Columbia College Chicago) and she’s written poems and screenplays.  For the stage, she co-adapted Rutherford’s Travels from the National Book Award-winning novel Middle Passage, co-wrote and directed Blakk Love: Stoeez of A Darker Hue and facilitated the devised project Do You See What I’m Saying for Chameleon.

Juan Ramirez, Obsessed

Juan Ramirez has been active in film, theater and television for 35 years. As an actor, he has been featured in over 50 films, television shows and stage plays, including a co-starring role on the Chicago based ABC series “Missing Persons.” Ramirez is currently in charge of PanAmerica Performance Works, formerly Latino Chicago Theater Company at The Firehouse. As a director, he has mounted more than 30 stage productions and two feature length films, which he also wrote and produced). The first of these, “Israel in Exile,” was a 2002 Slamdance Film Festival Competition selection that has been screened in France, England, Spain, Cuba, Mexico and across the United States. The second, “Blankverse,” is currently in post-production. Other projects include the completion of two screenplays and the development of several others. 

ABOUT PEGASUS THEATRE CHICAGO

Pegasus Theatre Chicago has been a mainstay in the Chicago theater community for nearly 38 years. Its recent rebranded mission is to produce boldly imaginative theatre, champion new and authentic voices and illuminate the human journey. The theatre adheres to the core values of community engagement, social relevance, boldness, adventure and excellence.

Pegasus is also committed to initiating important conversations through the arts with strong community engagement and socially relevant programming, including the Young Playwrights Festival for high school-age scribes, celebrating its 30^th Anniversary in 2017. Pegasus Theatre Chicago has received seventy-seven Joseph Jefferson Citations since its inception. 

The 30^th Young Playwrights Festival is made possible with the generous support of Bloomberg Philanthropies, The MacArthur Fund at the Richard Driehaus Foundation, the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, the Seabury Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council Agency and the National Endowment for the Arts.