REVIEW: Reprise Recreates Recollections With Enjoyable Everyman Immigrant Tale

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Reprise Returns From Scotland With New November Dates At Adventure Stage Theatre

Northwestern Settlement’s Adventure Stage Chicago Adds More Dates to Reprise; Postpones new work Jack’s House to a later season.

ChiIL Mama had the pleasure of catching Reprise in their short 3 day run before they took the Chicago-centric commissioned piece abroad for Theatre of Scotland’s Home Away Festival in Glasgow. They're slated to perform in Scotland on October 8th then they'll be back home with a fall run for the public and school groups. We immensely enjoyed this history wrapped in mystery. Reprise recreates recollections with an enjoyable everyman immigrant tale. Recommended.

We've long been fans of Adventure Stage's excellent works. Their book based original adaptations via Artistic Director, Tom Arvetis, have pleased kids and parents alike for years. Recent productions have focused on an original post apocalyptic series. Now they're taking things one step further and writing their own past history in the form of Reprise, a fictional "everyman" immigrant tale based on the spark of an actual event. 

Amid the current political hotbed of immigrant bashing and backlash, it's so refreshing to see a poignant tale of struggle and success. Reprise begins as the story of a violin loaned to a boy and evolves into so much more. This production follows a European immigrant and his instrument from boyhood to old age, and takes the audience along on the journey, through triumphs and tribulations. We experience family, community, layoffs, financial hardships, bullying, marriage, love and loss. And throughout it all, the love and joy of music is interwoven. This production reminds us that music can unite, and compassion is key. It's incredibly tough to begin again in a new land where the language and everything is strange. Truly we are all connected, and one never knows the ripples a kind act will send out into the universe or down through the decades.

Adventure Stage Chicago (ASC), a program of Northwestern Settlement (the Settlement), announces additional dates for its fall production of Reprise, due to popular demand. A new play with original music forming part of the National Theatre of Scotland’s Home Away Festival (performing in Glasgow on October 8), Reprise will return to Chicago for public performances November 4-5. School matinees are scheduled for November 1-10. ASC also announces the postponement of Jack’s House. 

All performances take place at Northwestern Settlement’s Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble St. Tickets are $10 for preview performances, and $17 for adults and $12 for youth aged 14 years and younger for the regular run. Tickets may be purchased at adventurestage.org or by calling 773.342.4141 

Reprise 
November 4 - 5, 2016
Friday 7pm; Saturday 4pm

An old man returns a violin to Northwestern Settlement. Ms. Harriet Vittum lent it to him 80 years earlier, with the promise that he bring it back when he was done. With original music and lyrics inspired by Chicago’s cultural traditions, Reprise follows an immigrant story as we discover what he did with the instrument all those years, how he knew he was finished, and what it meant to keep his promise. The only North American company commissioned to participate in the National Theatre of Scotland’s Home Away Festival, ASC will tell the story of this decades-long community connection during a limited return engagement. 

Reprise has been featured in American Theatre Magazine, the Chicago Sun-Times, and Time Out Chicago Kids, and Ada Grey “really liked how the show had a powerful sense of community.” 

This production is supported in part by: the National Theatre of Scotland; the British Association for American Studies, US Embassy, London; and the Old Town School of Folk Music. 

Reprise is directed by Sarah Rose Graber, produced by Casey Pilkenton, with compositions and musical direction by John Szymanski, and features Felipe Carrasco, Sindy I. Castro, Mara Dale, Jacob Kelly, La Shone Kelly, Jose Nateras, Kalman Strauss, and Justine C. Turner, with Brandon Wardell (lighting and scenic design); Jessica Kuehnau Wardell (costume and scenic design); and Jen Poulin (stage management). 

About the Home Away Festival:
Spanning five continents, Home Away: An International Festival of Participatory Arts sees the National Theatre of Scotland partner with theatre artists and community arts organizations from Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Brisbane (Australia), Chicago (USA), New Delhi (India), and Kingston (Jamaica). 

These five organizations will come together with five companies from Scotland, including Artlink (Edinburgh), (Uist) a new Highlands Gaelic arts collective, and the Bangladeshi Association of Glasgow. As part of the program, ten original theatre pieces, commissioned by the National Theatre of Scotland, will be created by professional artists working with community participants. Each production will premiere within the community where it has been created and will be subsequently showcased at the Home Away festival in Glasgow. 

Jack’s House: 

ASC announces the postponement of Jack’s House, an original work conceptualized as a celebration of Northwestern Settlement’s 125-year history and the many vibrant individuals who make up our community. New works need time and space to develop, and we will continue to craft a play that best represents ASC’s values and the Settlement’s mission and commitment to service. ASC now directs its efforts to the return of Reprise, to our 2 presentations during the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival (Puzzle Theater’s Plastique, Jan 20-23; and Open Eye Figure Theatre’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Jan 24-27); and to our remount of Six Stories Tall, which will bookend our first- ever national tour. 

About Northwestern Settlement and Adventure Stage Chicago:
Northwestern Settlement opened its doors to its neighbors in 1891 in order to provide an opportunity for a better future. The Settlement’s success results from a commitment to treating every person who enters its doors with dignity and respect, while supporting them with transformational programming designed to interrupt the cycle of poverty. The Settlement has adapted its programming throughout the past century in response to changes in the community, economy and society. The Settlement has led the way in innovative programming by offering residential science and environmental education for inner-city youth, launching successful charter schools and adding a theater so children and teens have a forum for expressing their life experiences. 

The Settlement’s Adventure Stage Chicago (ASC) is one of the only theaters in Chicago to develop and present works specifically for the pre-teen and teenage audience. Adventure Stage Chicago creates and tells heroic stories about young people in order to engage the community and inspire everyone to be a hero in their own lives. ASC also offers: Neighborhood Bridges, the in-classroom arts residency program; Trailblazers, a youth mentoring arts program; summer drama camps; and drama instruction in the Settlement’s Rowe Elementary School. 

Adventure Stage Chicago is a member of IPAY (International Performing Arts for Youth), League of Chicago Theatres, Theatre Communications Group (TCG), and TYA/USA. www.northwesternsettlement.org www.adventurestage.org 

WIN 4 Tickets to The World Premiere of SPARK (9+) at Adventure Stage & Catch Push Play Free This Mon & Tues

Here at ChiIL Mama, we're long time fans of the fantastic work Adventure Stage does.  They're great about community building, bringing world premiers to life, and rocking the family friendly fare.  Check out their talented kids' from the ASC Trailblazers in FREE shows THIS Monday and Tuesday.   Then CLICK HERE to enter to WIN 4 free tickets (ages 9+) to the opening day performance (April 5/4pm) of  SPARK by Tom Arvetis!  He's a local dad and fixture in the Chicago theatre world.  Check out our past video interview with Tom (12/11) right here. ASC's Trailblazers present the world premiere of... Mon, Feb. 24 & Tue, Feb. 25 at 7:00pm     Our Trailblazers are putting the final touches on their creation PUSH PLAY, an inventive exploration of violence and negativity in media and how all of us are affected by it. The world we live in is complicated, and children process it in a myriad of ways. With PUSH PLAY, our young heroes have created a show that we think your young heroes should see. So grab your kids. Join us for the play. And let's START A CONVERSATION. TICKETS ARE FREE. Refreshments served afterward. Call 773-342-4141 or visit AdventureStage.org to reserve your seats. ll

Don't miss this exciting new stage play that completely re-imagines the classic myths of Prometheus and Pandora.

(Suggested ages 9+/4th grade.  Under age 5 NOT admitted.)

“It only takes a spark to ignite a flame.” 

Pandora lives a regimented life within the underground tunnels of Sanctuary, a secluded community designed to outlast the raging violence outside its walls. Each inhabitant of Sanctuary has a purpose, a place, and a common enemy—the mysterious Outliers who live in the world above.  

But after Pandora personally encounters two young Outliers, she starts to question all that has been taught to her. Is Sanctuary the safe haven she has always believed it to be, or a prison built on fear? As sides are chosen and truths shattered, Pan must ultimately decide between the life she knows and the one that is calling to her. 

Using projections designed by Liviu Pasare to simulate the texting and gaming that is ever-present in Sanctuary’s techno-savvy world, this inventive adventure set in the near future is recommended for ages 9 (grade 4) and up.

ABOUT THE PROMETHEUS PROJECT
The Prometheus Project began when playwright Tom Arvetis and director Rives Collins visited several Chicago middle school classrooms and conducted a series of story circles with Adventure Stage’s West Town neighbors, utilizing the Greek myth of Prometheus as a starting point for understanding contemporary challenges within our community. Themes of power, violence, sacrifice and hope emerged as young people and families shared the daily struggles they experience. Out of these story circles, SPARK was born.

Relying heavily on the archetypes of the Hero’s Journey, ASC's goal with SPARK is to ask our audience to think critically about the responsibility we have to our neighbors and the courage it will take to move our communities toward a more imaginative, healthy and tolerant status quo.

Check out our performance schedule, press release, cast and crew, and special events sections for more information!

TICKETS ON SALE NOW! Click here for more information. 

YOUR ADVENTURE AWAITS YOU.

ACT OUT KIDS OPENING: AUGUSTA AND NOBLE at Adventure Stage TODAY #theatre

(Pictured: Lisandra Tena as Mujer Azul and Miguel Nunez as Coyote)

Adventure Stage Chicago

Uses True Stories From West Town Neighbors

To Create The World Premiere AUGUSTA AND NOBLE

Written by DePaul University

Playwriting Professor Carlos Murillo

Directed by Adventure Stage Producing Artistic Director Tom Arvetis

Come check out Adventure Stage's world premiere.    We've long been fans of Adventure Stage's excellent explorations of community and place and how places shape and influence people and vice versa.   We've also been enthusiasts of Producing Artistic Director Tom Arvetis' work for years.

Click here to check out our past video interview with Director, Tom Arvetis, on his creative vision and that of Adventure Stage.  His interview is also part of our long running exploration on the subject of How Creatives Parent and How Parents Create.

(Pictured: Miguel Nunez as Coyote)

Written by DePaul University Playwriting Professor/Chicago Dramatists Resident Playwright Carlos Murillo

Directed by Adventure Stage Producing Artistic Director Tom Arvetis

April 13 – May 16, 2013 at Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble St., Chicago.

Tickets $15-25. Call 773.342.4141 or visit www.adventurestage.org.

Adventure Stage Chicago (ASC) at Northwestern University Settlement House presents the world premiere of AUGUSTA AND NOBLE, written by Carlos Murillo (DePaul University professor and Chicago Dramatists resident playwright) and directed by Tom Arvetis (ASC Producing Artistic Director).

SHOW DESCRIPTION

AUGUSTA AND NOBLE tells the story of Gabi, a girl who has lived her whole life amid a vibrant Latino community in the West Town neighborhood of Chicago. But Gabi is starting high school across the city at Northside College Prep, where she is quickly exposed to new people and possibilities. As Gabi begins asking questions about her heritage, including the truth about her parents’ journey to America, she struggles to discover exactly where in this world she belongs. Told in English peppered with Spanish, this world premiere celebrates the rich history and beautiful resilience of the many immigrants who call this city home. Recommended for ages 9 and up.

In honor of our Spanish-speaking neighbors, every weekend performance of AUGUSTA AND NOBLE will include Spanish and English supertitles on a screen above the stage.

THE STORY BEHIND AUGUSTA AND NOBLE

Adventure Stage Chicago is a proud program of the 121-year-old Northwestern University Settlement House, and the title AUGUSTA AND NOBLE refers to the intersection where the Northwestern Settlement resides. The play was first conceived in Summer 2011 through a series of story circles conducted with Settlement neighbors. These stories serve as inspiration for AUGUSTA AND NOBLE, which was developed over an eighteen month period with involvement from the ASC ensemble and West Town residents.

AUGUSTA AND NOBLE is made possible through a Continuing Innovation grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. While Adventure Stage remains devoted to telling stories for families and young audiences, AUGUSTA AND NOBLE represents an important step in our organization’s evolution toward more integration of social service delivery and artistic practice.

PLAYWRIGHT/DIRECTOR BIOS

Carlos Murillo (Playwright) has had his plays produced at Theater der Stadt Aalen in Germany, Vígszínház in Budapest, Hungary, Humana Festival at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Summer Play Festival, En Garde Arts, Soho Rep, Hangar Theatre Lab, Theatre at Boston Court, Circle X, Son of Semele, Actor’s Express, Salt Lake Acting Company, City Theatre of Miami and elsewhere. His work has also been seen at The Public Theater, New York Theatre Workshop, Goodman Theatre, South Coast Rep, Portland Center Stage, Madison Rep, Sundance Institute, The Playwrights’ Center, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Chautauqua Conservatory, Annex Theatre, UC Santa Barbara, Loyola University Museum of Art, and others. Awards include a Playwrights’ Center Jerome Fellowship, two Rockefeller MAP grants, two National Latino Playwriting Awards from Arizona Theatre Company, and the 2009 Otis Guernsey Award winner from the William Inge Theatre Festival. He has received commissions from The Goodman, Steppenwolf, Berkeley Rep, Playwrights Horizons, The Public, South Coast Rep, and En Garde Arts. Carlos has taught at the University of Iowa, the Kennedy Center, and is an Associate Professor at The Theatre School of DePaul University, where he heads the playwriting program. Carlos is also a resident playwright at Chicago Dramatists and New Dramatists. This is his first time working with Adventure Stage.

Tom Arvetis (Director) founded Adventure Stage Chicago in 2004 and is responsible for the creative vision of the company and the implementation of all programming. Tom's directing credits for Adventure Stage Chicago include Six Stories Tall by Marco Ramirez, And A Child Shall Lead by Michael Slade, Katrina: The Girl Who Wanted Her Name Back by Jason Tremblay (world premiere), The Blue House by José Cruz González (world premiere), and A Woman Called Truth by Sandra Fenichel Asher. Tom also directed a reading of Katrina: The Girl Who Wanted Her Name Back as part of the 2008 New Visions/New Voices Festival at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts. Other directing credits include 500 Clown Trapped (500 Clown tour), Dragon/Sky by Elizabeth Wong (Silk Road Theatre Project), The Search for Odysseus by Charles Way (The Simple Theatre) and The City Wears a Slouch Hat by Kenneth Patchen  (Wanderlust Productions). Playwriting credits for Adventure Stage include Walk Two Moons (honorable mention in Chicago Theatre Beat's Best Shows of 2011) and I Dream in Blues (dubbed "the sleeper hit of the season" by the Chicago Tribune). Tom was an Ann Shaw Fellow with TYA/USA in 2009 and a finalist for a 2010 Chicago Community Trust Fellowship. He is a board member with the American Alliance for Theatre and Education and a graduate of Northwestern University.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Weekday Education Matinees: 10:30am (also open to general public)
Tue, Apr. 16 | Thu, Apr. 18 | Tue, Apr. 23 | Thu, Apr. 25 | Tue, Apr. 30 | Thu, May 2 | Tue, May 7 | Thu, May 9 | Tue, May 14 | Thu, May 16

Weekend Evenings: 7:30pm
Fri, Apr. 19 | Fri, Apr. 26 | Sat, Apr. 27 | Fri, May 3 | Sat, May 4 | Fri, May 10 | Sat, May 11

Weekend Matinees: 4:00pm
Sat, Apr. 13 | Sat, Apr. 20 | Sat, Apr. 27 | Sat, May 4 | Sat, May 11

TICKETS

Adult: $25.00 | Child: $15.00 (14 and under) | Educator/Industry: $10.00 | Previews: $10.00
Public Groups: $13.00 (10 or more) | School Groups: $8.00 per student

Neighborhood Discount (zip codes 60642 and 60622): $10.00

 For tickets, call 773-342-4141 or visit www.adventurestage.org.

SETTLEMENT SATURDAY
Saturday, April 20, 4:00-8:00pm
The title AUGUSTA AND NOBLE refers to the Chicago intersection at which the Northwestern University Settlement House resides. In honor of our Settlement neighbors—many of whose true stories provide the inspiration and heart of AUGUSTA AND NOBLE—this special performance includes a post-show food and game reception.

(Pictured: Gabriela Mayorga as Gabi)

CAST AND CREW

Performers: Gabriela Mayorga (Gabriella Castillo), Miguel Nunez (Coyote/Old Man), Hannah Toriumi (Ms. Chan/Mujer Azul), Ivan Vega (Reymundo Castillo/Husband), Isabel Quintero (Dolores Castillo/Pregnant Woman), Tommy Rivera-Vega (Jesus Castillo), Kieran Kredell (Ricardo Wojciekowski)

Production Staff: Tom Arvetis (Director), Carlos Murillo (Playwright), Dani Bryant (Assistant Director/Dramaturg), Morgan Gire (Stage Manager/Light & Sound Board Operator), Simon Lashford (Scenic Design), Kitty Campbell (Properties Design), Becca Jeffords (Lighting Design), Laura Kollar (Costume Design), Robert Steel (Sound Design/Composition), Jarrod Bainter (Technical Director)

ABOUT ADVENTURE STAGE

Adventure Stage Chicago creates dynamic and transformative theatre for young audiences that activates the imagination, inspires dialogue and strengthens community among families, educators and artists. We strive to become Chicago's premier destination for theatrical productions and programming designed for young people and the adults in their lives; we aim to be leaders in theatre education through professional development workshops, residencies and resources that offer innovative ways to infuse theatre into the classroom; and we seek to cultivate and create challenging new work as well as produce celebrated stories. This is Adventure Stage's ninth season.

Adventure Stage has received numerous honors since its inception in 2004, including:

• Illinois Theatre Association’s 2012 Award of Excellence in Theatre for Young Audiences
• Continuing Innovation Stage II grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
• Selected participant in EmcArts' Innovation Lab for the Performing Arts, a program generously funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
• Zeta Phi Eta Winifred Ward Award for Outstanding New Children's Theatre Company from the American Alliance for Theatre and Education
• Two-time Finalist for the Broadway In Chicago Emerging Theater Award
• Participant in the New Visions/New Voices Festival at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Washington D.C.
• Four-time Recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Access to Artistic Excellence Grant

Adventure Stage Chicago is a program of Northwestern University Settlement House, the oldest continually operating settlement house in Chicago. Throughout its 121-year history, the Settlement has remained committed to providing resources that empower neighbors to overcome the obstacles of poverty. Adventure Stage extends this mission by presenting Chicago's young audiences, educators and families with an affordable artistic experience rooted in performance. Last season, Adventure Stage served over 7,000 students from 85 schools throughout the Chicagoland area and over 2,600 audience members for our weekend performances. 

Each Adventure Stage Chicago production presents weekday matinees primarily for school groups, as well as weekend performances for the general public. Every performance includes a post-show audience talkback with the cast. Out of respect for our actors and audience members, children under age 5 are not permitted in the theatre during a performance.

All shows are performed at Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble St., in the heart of Chicago’s West Town neighborhood. Street parking is available, and the theater is close to the Noble St. stop on the #56 Milwaukee bus line and the Division stop on the CTA Blue Line. The theater is wheelchair accessible.

ACT OUT: Dig Mermaids, Monsters & Spray Paint?! Six Stories Tall at Adventure Stage #giveaway

We're so excited to offer one of our lucky readers 4 free tickets to the opening performance of Six Stories Tall at 4pm on Saturday, November 10th.   Enter right here for your chance to win! 

*Wait for Rafflecopter to load up right here (if you've gone through RSS feed or are scrolling down the blog and don't see it, click on the actual page title and it should pop right up).   Enter like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often.   Entries accepted through midnight on 11/2/12.   Winner will be announced on Saturday 11/3.   

Thanks to Adventure Stage for once again providing us with rockin' awesome tickets for our give aways.

a Rafflecopter giveaway




Check out ChiIL Mama/ ChiIL Live Shows Past Interview With Director Tom Arvetis right here.

We have an exclusive interview with Tom Arvetis, Adventure Stage's Producing Artistic Director, and his infant daughter, Vivian, which we first ran in December of 2011.   Check out our video below for insights into balancing creative work and parenting, life after birth with 3 girls under 6, their past productions Walk Two Moons and The Giver.   Walk Two Moons was adapted by Tom, who also expounds on "adapting" to fatherhood & life in theatre.   We continue our series on "How Creatives Parents and How Parents Create".



Click here for our full past feature on Tom Arvetis and Walk Two Moons at Adventure Stage

Adventure Stage Chicago presents the Midwest Premiere of

Marco Ramirez’s Six Stories Tall: a play about mermaids, monsters and spray paint! directed by ASC Producing Artistic Director Tom Arvetis

Nov. 10 – Dec. 13 at Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble St., Chicago.

Tickets $15-25. Call 773.342.4141 or visit www.adventurestage.org.

Adventure Stage Chicago (ASC) at Northwestern University Settlement House is thrilled to present the Midwest Premiere of Six Stories Tall: a play about mermaids, monsters and spray paint!, written by Marco Ramirez and directed by ASC Producing Artistic Director Tom Arvetis.

Pictured top to bottom: Lance Newton, Alyssa Vera Ramos, Alexandar Knapp, Mark Anthony Gonzalez, Sarah Rose Graber, Kevin Brown and Danielle Davis.    Production Photos by Johnny Knight.

ABOUT THE PLAY

What Does It Mean To Be A Hero?

Inspired by Hispanic folklore, Six Stories Tall is a storytelling spectacle unlike anything ever seen on our stage. Featuring a live DJ and incorporating a unique mix of narrative influences including comic books, video games, hip-hop music and mythology, the six fantastical tales that comprise this remarkable play create a thrilling, heartfelt journey that families will not soon forget. *Recommended for ages 8 and older (grades 3 and above).

Six Stories Tall is a play of six stories commissioned by Washington D.C.’s The Kennedy Center, where it made its premiere in October 2008 under the title Mermaids, Monsters and the World Painted Purple and was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for Best New Play. One of the stories in the play, “I Am Not Batman,” was part of the 2007 Humana Festival and won the Heideman Award for Best 10-Minute Play before being incorporated into the complete script of Mermaids, Monsters and the World Painted Purple. This Adventure Stage Chicago production marks only the second time the complete play has been staged, and the first time under its new title Six Stories Tall: a play about mermaids, monsters and spray paint!

Tom Arvetis (Director/ASC Producing Artistic Director) says of the play: “The gift that Marco Ramirez has given us with Six Stories Tall is the joy derived from the power of youthful imagination and the conceit that young people can be superheroes, guardians and saviors. Through six uniquely wrought adventures we see a boy save a mermaid, a girl defeat the devil at the crossroads, another boy become Batman, another girl defeat a legendary monster relying on video game skills, a boy and a girl invent a musical language together, and a boy express his love for his grandfather by literally changing the world.“

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Previews: 10:30am
Thu, Nov. 8 | Fri, Nov. 9

Weekday Education Matinees: 10:30am (also open to general public)
Tue, Nov. 13 | Thu, Nov. 15 | Tue, Nov. 20 | Tue, Nov. 27 | Thu, Nov. 29 | Tue, Dec. 4 | Thu, Dec. 6 | Tue, Dec. 11 | Wed, Dec. 12 | Thu, Dec. 13

Weekend Evenings: 7:30pmFri, Nov. 16 | Fri, Nov. 23 | Sat, Nov. 24 | Fri, Nov 30 | Sat, Dec. 1 | Fri, Dec. 7 | Sat, Dec. 8

Weekend Matinees: 4:00pm
Sat, Nov. 10 | Sat, Nov. 17 | Sat, Nov. 24 | Sat, Dec. 1 | Sat, Dec. 8

TICKETS

Adult: $25.00

Child: $15.00 (14 and under) 
Educator/Industry: $10.00
Neighborhood Discount (zip codes 60642 and 60622): $10

Previews: $10

Groups: $13.00 (10 or more)

School Groups: $8 per student, with one complimentary chaperone ticket for every 10 students.

For tickets, call 773-342-4141 or visit www.adventurestage.org.

**FREE SPECIAL EVENTS

SNEAK PEEK
Sunday, Oct. 7, 4:00-5:00pm

Please join us for a FREE open rehearsal of Six Stories Tall and gain a glimpse into the journey that awaits you as we pull back the curtain for a sneak peek into what you can expect on show day. Refreshments provided. Limited seating - register at 773.342.4141 or www.adventurestage.org.

OPENING DAY CUPCAKE SOCIAL
Saturday, Nov. 10, 4:00-8:00pm
Celebrate opening day with us and mingle with the cast after the show while enjoying yummy cupcakes from Kyle’s Cupcakery. 

*ChiIL Mama's four pack ticket winner can have a show and cupcakes too!! 

SETTLEMENT SATURDAY
Saturday, Nov. 17, 4:00-8:00pm
Settlement Saturday is a day to celebrate our parent organization, the Northwestern University Settlement House, as well as the Settlement's neighbors. This performance includes Spanish supertitles, and the pre- and post-show discussion are conducted in both Spanish and English. The show is followed by a food and game reception in Vittum Theater's Burnside Hall for all audience members to enjoy.

CAST AND CREWCast:
Kevin Brown (Drummer/Chorus)

Danielle Davis (Rebecca/Marta Elena/Yennifer/Chorus)

Mikhail Fiksel (DJ/Chorus)

Mark Anthony Gonzalez (Tomas/Stranger/Abuelo/Chorus)

Sarah Rose Graber* (Sirena/Abuela/Lawn Guy/Chorus)

Alexander Knapp (Alfredo/Carbon/Warrior 2/Store Clerk/Chorus)

Lance Newton (Boy/Warrior 1/Chester/Chorus)

Alyssa Vera Ramos (Emilia/Lupe/Chorus)

Sara Sawicki (Understudy)
Tony Garcia (Understudy)

Crew:

Director: Tom Arvetis*
Asst. Director: Emilio Robles
Stage Manager: Phil Claudnic
Asst. Stage Manager: Morgan Gire
Dramaturg: Brian Bell*
Music Direction/Composition/Sound Design: Mikhail Fiksel
Movement Director: Stephanie Paul
Scenic Design: Brandon Wardell*
Lighting Design: Heather Gilbert
Costume Design: Jessica Kuehnau Wardell*
Props Design: Catherine Campbell
Technical Director: Jarrod Bainter

*denotes ASC company or ensemble member

BIOS

Marco Ramirez (Playwright) is a two-time Latino Playwriting Award winner at the Kennedy Center's American College Theater Festival and has had plays produced at The Juilliard School, The Arsht Center, and Actors Theatre of Louisville's Humana Festival of New American Plays (where he's twice received the Heideman Award). TV writing credits include FX's "Sons of Anarchy." He trained at both NYU and The Juilliard School.

Tom Arvetis (Director) founded Adventure Stage Chicago in 2004 and is responsible for the creative vision of the company, the implementation of all programming, and the supervision of the theater staff. Tom's directing credits for Adventure Stage Chicago include And A Child Shall Lead by Michael Slade, Katrina: The Girl Who Wanted Her Name Back by Jason Tremblay (world premiere), The Blue House by José Cruz González (world premiere), and A Woman Called Truth by Sandra Fenichel Asher. Tom also directed a reading of Katrina: The Girl Who Wanted Her Name Back as part of the 2008 New Visions/New Voices Festival at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts. Other directing credits include Dragon/Sky by Elizabeth Wong (workshop reading for Silk Road Theatre Project), The Search for Odysseus by Charles Way (The Simple Theatre) andThe City Wears a Slouch Hat by Kenneth Patchen  (Wanderlust Productions). Playwriting credits for Adventure Stage include Walk Two Moons (honorable mention in Chicago Theatre Beat's Best Shows of 2011) and I Dream in Blues (dubbed "the sleeper hit of the season" by the Chicago Tribune). Tom was an Ann Shaw Fellow with TYA/USA in 2009 and a finalist for a 2010 Chicago Community Trust Fellowship. He is a board member with the American Alliance for Theatre and Education.

ABOUT ADVENTURE STAGE

Adventure Stage Chicago creates dynamic and transformative theatre for young audiences that activates the imagination, inspires dialogue and strengthens community among families, educators and artists. We strive to become Chicago's premier destination for theatrical productions and programming designed for young people and the adults in their lives; we aim to be leaders in theatre education through professional development workshops, residencies and resources that offer innovative ways to infuse theatre into the classroom; and we seek to cultivate and create challenging new work as well as produce celebrated stories. This is Adventure Stage's ninth season.

Adventure Stage has received numerous honors since its inception in 2004, including:

• Recipient of a prestigious Continuing Innovation Stage II grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
• Selected participant in EmcArts' Innovation Lab for the Performing Arts, a program generously funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
• Zeta Phi Eta Winifred Ward Award for Outstanding New Children's Theatre Company from the American Alliance for Theatre and Education
• Two-time Finalist for the Broadway In Chicago Emerging Theater Award
• Participant in the New Visions/New Voices Festival at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Washington D.C.
• Four-time Recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Access to Artistic Excellence Grant

Adventure Stage Chicago is a program of Northwestern University Settlement House, the oldest continually operating settlement house in Chicago. Throughout its 121-year history, the Settlement has remained committed to providing resources that empower neighbors to overcome the obstacles of poverty. Adventure Stage extends this mission by presenting Chicago's young audiences, educators and families with an affordable artistic experience rooted in performance. Last season, Adventure Stage served over 7,000 students from 85 schools throughout the Chicagoland area and over 2,600 audience members for our weekend performances. 

Each Adventure Stage Chicago production presents weekday matinees primarily for school groups, as well as weekend performances for the general public. Every performance includes a post-show audience talkback with the cast. Out of respect for our actors and audience members, children under age 5 are not permitted in the theatre during a performance.

All shows are performed at Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble St., in the heart of Chicago’s West Town neighborhood. Street parking is available, and the theater is close to the Noble St. stop on the #56 Milwaukee bus line and the Division stop on the CTA Blue Line. The theater is wheelchair accessible.

The Giver--Adventure Stage Opening Day With Author, Lois Lowry (photos/video feature/review) #GIVEAWAY

Opening day of The Giver, Adventure Stage's latest offering, was fantastic.   Newberry Award winning author, Lois Lowry, flew in for the first show and graciously signed books for a lengthy line of fans at the cupcake social after the show.   We have fond memories of Gossamer, another Adventure Stage/ Lois Lowry adaptation they produced in Nov./Dec. 2009.

We'd been reading The Giver out loud as a family and it was truly magical to see the book transformed to stage in such an adept way.   The baby, Gabriel, was effectively portrayed by a puppet, and the monochromatic, grey, distopia provided the perfect back drop for this cautionary tale.   Highly recommended.  Recommended for ages 9+.   Nobody under 5 will be admitted.  Playing through April 26th.   Check out a full summary, show dates and details below.

Every performance includes a post-show audience talkback with the cast. * Please note:  Out of respect for our actors and audience members, children under age 5 are not permitted in the theatre during a performance.

*ENTER HERE FOR YOUR CHANCE AT 4 FREE TICKETS FROM CHIIL MAMA/ CHIIL LIVE SHOWS THROUGH MIDNIGHT TOMORROW 4/3/12.   WE'LL ANNOUNCE OUR WINNER ON 4/4.  

• The Giver at Adventure Stage-winners' choice of any Saturday night performance pending availability (That's April 7, 14 & 21 at 7:30pm.

*Wait for Rafflecopter to load up right here (if you've gone through RSS feed or are scrolling down the blog and don't see it, click on the actual page title and it should pop right up).   Entries are easy.   Winning rocks!   Please include your whole name as you would like it to appear on the guest list/box office tickets, so there's no delay in reserving if you win.

Act Out: Theatre Round Up-Adventure Stage Feature & Video Interview

We have an exclusive interview with Tom Arvetis, Adventure Stage's Producing Artistic Director, and his infant daughter, Vivian.   Check out our video above for insights into balancing creative work and parenting, life after birth with 3 girls under 6, their current production--Walk Two Moon, and their next show--The Giver.   Walk Two Moons was adapted by Tom, who also expounds on "adapting" to fatherhood & life in theatre.   We continue our series on "How Creatives Parents and How Parents Create".

Highly recommended Walk Two Moons at Adventure Stage Theatre is closing the 8th, with the last public shows happening this weekend.   This one's recommended for ages 9 and up, and those under 5 will not be admitted.   Check out ChiIL Mama's full review here.

We already gave away a family 4 pack of tickets to one of our lucky readers.   This is a must see for families with older children and we highly recommend this beautiful, physical and metaphorical journey as a great, production for parents and kids to experience together.

You have three more chances to experience Walk Two Moons! Shows run tonight (Friday) at 7:30pm and Saturday at 4:00 and 7:30pm.

Come see the show the Chicago Theater Beat described as having, "a poignant, valuable message for audiences of every age. It never preaches. It teaches."
Reserve your seats today, by calling 773.342.4141 or by clicking here!

"Tom Arvetis has condensed Sharon Creech's 276-page young-adult novel—the tale of a 13-year-old abandoned by her mother—into less than two hours of stage time, and done it with remarkable skill." Chicago Reader

"Adventure Stage Chicago bills itself as the premier Chicago theater for audiences ages 8–14, and with each new production coming out of the Noble Square theater, it's not difficult to see why." Time Out Chicago Kids

"Walk Two Moons has a poignant, valuable message for audiences of every age. It never preaches. It teaches." Chicago Theater Beat

"Tom Arvetis, Adventure Stage’s founder and Artistic Director, has lovingly adapted Sharon Creech’s Newberry Award winning novel into a moving, straightforward play for all ages." Centerstage Chicago

Don't judge a man until you've walked two moons in his moccasins.

Thirteen-year-old Sal's mother left over a year ago. When her friend Phoebe's mom disappears, painful memories of Sal's own abandonment come to the surface. Determined to find Phoebe's mother, the girls begin seeing murderous plots and schemes around every corner. Sal shares these conspiracy theories with her Gram and Gramps during a cross-country trip to confront her mother. But it is only through the telling of her friend's tale that Sal ultimately realizes that things - and people - are not always what they seem.

Based on the Newbery Medal-winning novel by Sharon Creech, this play is recommended for ages 9 and up. (4th - 8th grades)
Please note: Children under age 5 are not permitted in the theater.