World Premiere of THE LOCUSTS Via The Gift Theatre October 20 – November 19, 2022 at Theater Wit

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The Gift Theatre

Presents the World Premiere of

THE LOCUSTS

Written by Jennifer Rumberger

Directed by Ensemble Member John Gawlik

October 20 – November 19, 2022 at Theater Wit

The Gift Theatre is pleased to conclude its 2022 season with the world premiere of Jennifer Rumberger’s chilling thriller The Locusts, commissioned and developed by The Gift and directed by Ensemble Member John Gawlik*. The Locusts will play October 20 – November 19, 2022 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at www.thegifttheatre.org, by calling (773) 975-8150 or in person at the Theater Wit Box Office. I'll be out for the press opening, October 24th, so check back shortly for my full review.

The production features Ensemble Members Cyd Blakewell*, Brittany Burch* and Jennifer Glasse* with guest artists Mariah Sydnei Gordon, Renee Lockett and Patrick Weber.

With a serial killer on the loose in Ella’s small hometown of Vero Beach, Florida, she’s called up from her busy career in the Miami police force to help apprehend him. At home, she’s confronted with the life she left behind: her pregnant and struggling sister, her scared young niece, who like Ella, is desperate to find a life somewhere else, and the dark events of her childhood that she’s tried to forget. As the murders grow more horrific and the small community is frozen by fear, Ella realizes she has to confront the events of her dark past in order to stop him.

Playwright Jennifer Rumberger comments, “A few years ago, Mike Thornton approached me about writing a play for the ensemble members of the Gift, and sent me an article about the 200th anniversary of the publication of Frankenstein as a potential starting point. Mary Shelley was such a young girl dealing with a massive amount of trauma in her life by writing this classic horror story. At the same time, I was working on a serial-killer play, staying up late reading true crime novels and getting so furious about how these deranged men were deciding the path of women’s lives, when my partner remarked that perhaps they were both the same play. Over time, The Locusts ended up being a play that asks how women of different generations deal with the threat of male violence — a threat that looms in some way over all of the characters in the play, as well as over our current world and the legislation we see happening in America before our eyes.”

The production team includes Chas Mathieu (Scenic Designer), Jessica Van Winkle (Costume Designer), Trey Brazeal (Lighting Designer), Stefanie M. Senior (Sound Designer), Maday Favala (Props Designer), Parker Molacek (Projections Designer), Emjoy Gavino* (Casting Director), David Preis (Technical Director) and Sarah Luse* (Stage Manager).

*Denotes The Gift Theatre Ensemble Member

 Cast: (in alphabetical order): Cyd Blakewell* (Ella), Brittany Burch* (Maisie), Jennifer Glasse* (Layla), Mariah Sydnei Gordon (Olive), Renee Lockett (Willia) and Patrick Weber (Robbie).

Location: Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago.

Dates: Previews: Thursday, October 20 at 7:30 pm, Friday, October 21 at 7:30 pm, Saturday, October 22 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, October 23 at 3 pm

Press opening: Monday, October 24 at 7:30 pm

Regular run: Thursday, October 27 – Saturday, November 19, 2022

Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm.

Tickets: Previews $25. Regular run $38 - $45. Students $25. Seniors $35. Tickets are currently available at www.thegifttheatre.org, by calling (773) 975-8150 or in person at the Theater Wit Box Office.

Captioned performances: Saturday, November 12 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, November 13 at 3 pm

Sensory-friendly performance: Saturday, November 19 at 7:30 pm

Audio-described performance/touch tour & conversation with the cast: Saturday, November 19 at 7:30 pm (touch tour begins at 6:45 pm)

Come Closer Series

Join The Gift on Sunday, November 6, 2022* for the Come Closer conversation series, which provides an intimate look at the artistic process behind the production, and the important topics this story addresses. Explore The Locusts with the cast, crew and special guests following the matinée.

*The Come Closer series is exclusive to guests attending the performance on Sunday, November 6 and subscribers.

 

About the Artists

Jennifer Rumberger (Playwright) is a Chicago playwright and essayist. Recent productions include Night in Alachua County with Wildclaw Theatre, Open Blue Sky at Stella Adler/Tisch School of the Arts and The Bride with the Living Room Playmakers and Chicago Fringe Festival. Her play, A Little Ghost Story, was a second time selection for the 2019 Seven Devils Playwrights Conference; her play Night in Alachua County was also developed there in 2014. Night in Alachua County was recommended for consideration for the 2018 Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award. Jennifer was a nominee for the PoNY Fellowship and a semi-finalist for the P73 Fellowship. Jennifer’s work has also been developed or presented in New York, Houston, Chicago and Florida by The Lark Playwrights Center, id Theatre Company, The Gift Theatre Company, Black Box Acting Studio, The Living Room Playmakers, Commission Theatre Company, Wordsmyth Theatre Company, Mildred's Umbrella Theatre Company, White Rose Miami and Northwestern University. She performs at live storytelling events in Chicago with You’re Being Ridiculous and GiftLIT. She is a founding member and associate playwright with the Living Room Playmakers. MFA: Northwestern. 

John Gawlik (Director) has appeared with or helmed productions for many Chicagoland companies. Recent projects include directing Doubt and the world premiere of The Royal Society of Antarctica at The Gift Theatre. Favorite acting credits include: Bill Sykes in Oliver at Drury Lane, Blizzard ‘67 with Chicago Dramatists, The Lonesome West and Beauty Queen of Lennane with The Gift Theatre, A Skull in Connemara at Northlight (After Dark Award, Ensemble) and The Great Society with Famous Door. Additional directing credits include When the Rain Stops Falling at Circle Theater (Jeff Award for Director and Production), The Ruby Sunrise (Top Ten shows of 2009: TimeOut Chicago), the Jeff Award-nominated production of W;t and the Jeff Award-winning The Good Thief for The Gift Theatre. John is an ensemble member of The Gift Theatre. Television and film credits include: Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, The Chi, The Last Shift and The Trial of the Chicago Seven. 

Lead Production Sponsor: Tom Rieck and Cathy Dunlap

 

About The Gift Theatre

Since 2001 and over 70 productions, The Gift Theatre has been dedicated to telling great stories onstage with honesty and simplicity by being the most intimate professional Equity theatre in the country, leading to national acclaim for both the theatre and ensemble and creating a cultural revolution on Chicago’s northwest side.

 

SAVE THE DATES: SECOND CITY HOLIDAY REVUE, NOVEMBER 26-DECEMBER 23 AT PARAMOUNT'S NEWLY RENOVATED COPLEY THEATRE

 ChiIL Mama’s Chi, IL Picks List: Adult Night Out

PARAMOUNT READY TO UNWRAP ITS NEWLY RENOVATED COPLEY THEATRE WITH THE SECOND CITY HOLIDAY REVUE

NOVEMBER 26-DECEMBER 23

 

The Second City Holiday Revue. Photo courtesy The Second City.

This production is for audiences 18 years and older due to strong adult language and content. No one under 12 allowed.

Paramount Theatre is ready to unwrap its annual end-of-year tradition - bringing The Second City’s famous brand of seasonal hilarity to downtown Aurora for the holidays.

And this year, The Second City’s Holiday Revue: It’s a Wild, Wacky, Wonderful Life, will give audiences the holly jollies as the first live production to be presented in the beautiful, newly-remodeled Copley Theatre.

Following a $2 million, top-to-bottom renovation, capped by the addition of comfortable new seats and a sleek new lobby bar, the 165-seat Copley Theatre is an incredibly intimate space for Second City’s seasonal songs and gut-busting holiday skits. With no seat more than 70 feet from the stage, audiences will enjoy Second City’s side-splitting, song filled holiday spectacular up close and personal. Whether you are on the nice or naughty list, Chicago’s notorious improv troupe will have you laughing so hard you’ll shoot eggnog out your nose.

Skip the long lines and shipping delays, and give the gift of laughter to everyone you meet this holiday season. Performances are November 26-December 23: Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.; Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets to The Second City Holiday Revue are $37 and are on sale now. Buy early, as these shows will sell out.

The Copley Theatre is located at 8 E. Galena Blvd. in the North Island Center, right across the street from Paramount Theatre. For tickets and information, visit ParamountAurora.com, call (630) 896-6666, or stop by the Paramount box office, 23 E. Galena Blvd., 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. This production is for audiences 18 years and older due to strong adult language and content. No one under 12 allowed.

Following The Second City Holiday Revue, the Copley Theatre will become home in 2022 to Paramount’s much anticipated, all-new Bold Series, a four-show subscription series that promises to bring a new type of theater to downtown Aurora - fearless, unexpected and thought provoking.

Paramount will announce its inaugural four show Bold series line-up in the coming weeks. Subscribers to Paramount’s 2021-22 Broadway Series will have the first opportunity to purchase tickets and secure their seats as part of an exclusive subscriber pre-sale.

COVID POLICY

Paramount and Copley Theatre are about gathering together and sharing in the experience of live theater. Copley Theatre is committed to the health and safety of patrons, theater employees, production staff and cast. To ensure the safety of everyone in the theater, the following policies will be in place for all performances of The Second City Holiday Revue:

Masks required for performances through December 23, 2021: Everyone in the theater must wear acceptable face coverings at all times, including during the show, except while consuming beverages in designated locations. All face coverings must cover the nose and mouth, and comply with the CDC guidelines for acceptable face coverings.

Vaccinations required for performances through December 23, 2021: Guests will need to be fully vaccinated with an FDA emergency use-authorized vaccine in order to attend a show and must show proof of vaccination at their time of entry into the building with their valid ticket and government issued ID. “Fully vaccinated” means the performance date you are attending must be: at least 14 days after your second dose of an FDA authorized two dose COVID-19 vaccine, orat least 14 days after your single dose of an FDA authorized single dose COVID-19 vaccine.

The only exception will be for guests who need reasonable accommodations due to a medical condition or sincerely held religious belief. Guests under the age of 12 will not be permitted to attend Second City and guests requesting an exemption must provide proof of at least one of the following, in addition to properly wearing a mask inside the building:

negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of the start of the performance, ornegative COVID-19 rapid antigen test taken within 6 hours of the start of the performance.

Rapid antigen tests must be administered by a medical professional, pharmacy or healthcare worker and must be administered within six hours of the start of the desired performance. Proof of this, along with proof of negative results, are required for entrance. Any version of a home rapid antigen test will not be accepted.

Guests may present proof of vaccination or a negative test on paper or a smartphone. In addition to proof of vaccination, all guests 18 years or older must also present a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license or passport. Guests under 18 may also use a school photo ID.

Guests who do not comply with these policies will be denied entry or asked to leave the theater. If you feel you cannot follow these guidelines, please contact the Box Office at (630) 896-6666 to discuss your options.

About Paramount Theater

Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., is the center for performing arts and education in downtown Aurora, the second largest city in Illinois. Since 1931, the beautiful, 1,843-seat theater, graced with a strong 1930s Art Deco influence and original Venetian décor, has been downtown Aurora’s anchor attraction. Since launching its own Broadway Series in 2011, Paramount Theatre steadily amassed more than 41,000 subscribers, prior to COVID, making it the second largest subscription house in the U.S.

Paramount Theatre is one of four live performance venues programmed and managed by the Aurora Civic Center Authority. ACCA also oversees downtown Aurora’s 165-seat Copley Theatre, RiverEdge Park, the city’s 6,000-seat outdoor summer concert venue, the Stolp Island Theatre, an immersive space opening in summer 2023, and the new Paramount School of the Arts.

For the latest news from Paramount Theatre, please visit ParamountAurora.com or follow Paramount on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, all @ParamountAurora.

ADULT NIGHT OUT: CHICAGO DEBUT OF JOSHUA HARMON’S ADMISSIONS AT THEATER WIT MARCH 21-MAY 12

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

CAST ANNOUNCED 

FOR THEATER WIT’S CHICAGO DEBUT OF 

JOSHUA HARMON’S 

ADMISSIONS

WHITE LIBERALS FORCED TO DEFEND THEIR WHITE PRIVILEGE IN SCATHINGLY FUNNY SATIRE ABOUT RACE, POLITICS, COLLEGE APPS AND QUOTAS, 

MARCH 21-MAY 12

Theater Wit’s Chicago premiere of Joshua Harmon’s Admissions stars

(from left) Meighan Gerachis (Sherri), Stephen Walker (Bill), Kyle Curry (Charlie),

India Whiteside (Ginnie Peters) and Judi Schindler (Roberta).

College apps and quotas. White liberal guilt. Political correctness of all kinds. Joshua “Bad Jews” Harmon takes aim at all of this and more in his newest play, Admissions. 

Today, Theater Wit Artistic Director Jeremy Wechsler announced the cast for Wit’s Midwest premiere of Harmon’s scathingly funny new play about racial diversity in private schools, March 21-May 12, 2019, opening Monday, April 1 at 7 p.m.

Meighan Gerachis, whose credits include memorable turns in Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England at Theater Wit and The Wolves at Goodman Theatre, will play Sherri Mason, the longtime, very liberal director of admissions at Hillcrest college prep, a second-tier New Hampshire boarding school.

Stephen Walker, a stand-out as the diva lead actor in 10 Out of 12 at Theater Wit and, more recently, in TimeLine’s To Catch a Fish, will play Bill, Sherri’s husband and headmaster at Hillcrest.

Kyle Curry makes his Theater Wit debut as Sherri and Bill's son, Charlie, an outstanding Hillcrest student who has dreamed of attending Yale since he was a child, only to learn his shoe-in application has been deferred.

India Whiteside plays Ginnie Peters, another very liberal WASP and the mother of Charlie’s best friend, Perry.

Completing the cast is Judi Schindler as Roberta, a change-resistant white woman in her 70s who works in development at Hillcrest.

Also confirmed is Theater Wit’s Admissions production team: Jeremy Wechsler (director), Laura Fisher (assistant director), Jose Manuel Diaz (set), Kotryna Hilko (costumes), Jessica Neill (lights), Tony Bruno (sound), Amanda Herrmann (props), Clare Cooney (casting) and Sean McStravick (stage manager.)

Theater Wit’s Chicago premiere of this hilarious and scathing family drama is sure to press audiences’ buttons as it tackles hallowed, yet thorny, contemporary issues, skewering them with Harmon’s signature humor and satiric wit.

Performances are March 21-May 12, 2019: Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday at 3 p.m. Press opening is Monday, April 1 at 7 p.m. No show April 4.

Theater Wit is located at 1229 N. Belmont Ave., in the Belmont Theatre District in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. Tickets start at $12. For tickets and information, visit TheaterWit.org or call (773) 975-8150.



Meet the Masons

Meet Bill and Sherri Mason, the headmaster and head of admissions respectively of Hillcrest, a second-tier New Hampshire boarding school. When this very liberal, very progressive couple arrived 15 years ago, the student population at Hillcrest was 94 percent white. Deeply committed to diversity, Sherri has boosted the number of students of color from six to 18 percent, a figure she still considers embarrassingly low. However, Bill and Sherri’s dedication to diversity is put to the test when their son Charlie, an outstanding Hillcrest student who has dreamed of attending Yale since he was a child, learns his application has been deferred. Convinced that Yale based its decisions on race, Charlie claims to be a victim of reverse discrimination. And as their son lashes out, Sherri and Bill are forced to examine just how far their commitment to diversity goes. Are they true disciples? Total hypocrites?

When Admissions premiered last year at Lincoln Center Theater, The New York Times called it “an extraordinarily useful and excruciating satire — of the left, by the left, for the left — for today.” The Hollywood Reporter pegged Harmon’s newest play as “a smart, provocative drama with a rich vein of humor that pulls the rug out from under liberal white America.”

Indeed, Admissions is funny, sharp-witted, devastating and shockingly blunt, much like Harmon’s earlier plays Bad Jews, the most successful production in Theater Wit history, which ran an unprecedented eight months in 2015, and Significant Other, a Wit co-production with About Face Theater in 2017.

Admissions is also seductive — and, perhaps, controversial — as it splays open issues that have rarely been explored in the theater, at least not in Harmon’s comedic and biting manner.

"There's only one author who consistently makes me laugh helplessly and flinch in terror simultaneously. Joshua Harmon has done that to me twice now—first with Bad Jews and again when I read Admissions,” explains Jeremy Wechsler, Artistic Director at Theater Wit, who will also stage Wit’s production of Admissions. “Once again, Joshua’s immense compassion and wicked sense of humor is deployed to illuminate some of the key stresses of contemporary life: the intersection of diversity issues, white liberal guilt and privilege in education. His newest work is a keen satire, equally merciless and about the perils of privilege and whiteness. As such, I hope Admissions sparks the same level of conversation that made our previous collaborations such deep, memorable experiences for our audience."



About Theater Wit
Theater Wit, Chicago’s “smart art” theater, is a major hub of the Chicago neighborhood theater scene, where audiences enjoy a smorgasbord of excellent productions in three, 99-seat spaces, see a parade of talented artists and mingle with audiences from all over Chicago.

Currently on stage at Theater Wit is the company’s acclaimed co-production of Will Eno’s The Realistic Joneses with Shattered Globe Theatre, now through March 9. Try and keep up with the Joneses as they muddle through the small beauties, immense fears, and amazing moments of each day. Time is short but there are gift certificates to enjoy, tiny fireworks to light and another perfect summer evening to take for granted. “Very Funny! ★★★ Director Jeremy Wechsler’s production grounds the flightier aspects of the play in a Chicago-style reality,” wrote the Chicago Tribune. “★★★1/2 Sublime! Endless profundity (and marvelous wit),” said the Chicago Sun-Times.

To purchase tickets, a Theater Wit Membership or to inquire about Flex Pass options, visit TheaterWit.org or call the Theater Wit box office, 773.975.8150.


Biographies

Joshua Harmon’s plays include Bad Jews (Roundabout Theatre Company), Significant Other (Roundabout Theatre Company; Broadway/Booth Theatre), Admissions (Lincoln Center Theater); Ivanka (staged readings across the country on Election Eve, 2016) and Skintight (Roundabout Theatre Company). Bad Jews is one of the most produced plays in the United States of the last few years and has received international productions in Australia, Canada, Germany, Israel, South Africa and London’s West End, following sold-out runs at Theatre Royal Bath and the St. James. Fellowships include the MacDowell Colony, Atlantic Center for the Arts, and NNPN. Harmon is an associate artist at Roundabout Theatre Company and under commission from Manhattan Theatre Club. He is a graduate of The Juilliard School. 



Jeremy Wechsler (director) most recent directing credits at Theater Wit include Will Eno’s The Realistic Joneses, Eric John Meyer’s The Antelope Party, Mitchell Fain’s This Way Outta Santaland, Anne Washburn’s 10 Out of 12, and Mat Smart’s Naperville. Other directing credits include the company’s election night reading of The Trump Card by Mike Daisey, The New Sincerity by Alena Smith, The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence by Madeleine George, Bad Jews by Joshua Harmon, Mr. Burns, a post-electric play by Anne Washburn, Madeline George’s Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England, and that show’s summer remount at Art Square Theatre in Las Vegas. Wechsler also staged Wit’s acclaimed Completeness and The Four of Us (Itamar Moses), Tigers Be Still (Kim Rosenstock), This (Melissa James Gibson), Spin (Penny Penniston), Feydeau-Si-Deau (Georges Feydeau), Men of Steel (Qui Nguyen), Thom Pain (Based on Nothing) (Will Eno), Two for the Show (James Fitzpatrick and Will Clinger) and The Santaland Diaries. A veteran director in Chicago with over 50 productions, his work has been nominated for and won multiple awards for design, performance, adaptation and best new plays.



Meighan Gerachis (Sherri) returns to Theater Wit where she previously appeared in Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England. Chicago credits include The Wolves, A Christmas Carol and the New Stages production of Blue Skies Process (Goodman); Domesticated, Our Town and The House on Mango Street (Steppenwolf); Small Mouth Sounds and Solstice (A Red Orchid Theater); The Electric Baby, Precious Little, The Walls, Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue, Indulgences at the Louisville Harem, Factory Girls, My Simple City, Wrens and Ten Tiny Fingers, Nine Tiny Toes (Rivendell Theatre Ensemble); Measure for Measure (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Cloud Nine (About Face Theatre); Cigarettes and Moby Dick and Che Che Che (Latino Chicago); The Underpants (Noble Fool Theatricals).  



Stephen Walker (Bill) returns to Theater Wit, where he was previously seen in Anne Washburn’s 10 Out of 12. Other credits include To Catch a Fish (Timeline); Traitor, The Silence that Follows, Celebration, The Hothouse (A Red Orchid); American Buffalo (Jeff Nomination, Best Actor, as Teach) and Ibsen’s Ghosts (Mary-Arrchie), The White Road and War (Irish Theater of Chicago); Black River Falls, My Name is Mudd and Love Horse (Curious); The Last Two Minutes of The Complete Works of Henrik Ibsen (Neo-Futurists), the Denis Johnson trilogy of plays at Viaduct Theater and many others. He acted in and directed numerous productions at the Factory Theater, where he was an ensemble member and artistic director, and he is a founder and resident director of Hope & Nonthings Productions. 



Kyle Curry (Charlie) is excited to make his Theater Wit debut. Chicago credits include Macbeth, Dunsinane, and Shakespeare's Greatest Hits (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); We Are Proud To Present... (Steppenwolf); Three Days of Rain (Boho Theater); Pygmalion (Remy Bumppo), Pygmalion and Taming of the Shrew (Oak Park Festival Theater). Regional credit includes work with Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Next Act Theater, Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, Houston Shakespeare Festival, Virginia Shakespeare Festival and others. 



India Whiteside (Ginnie Peters) is also making her Theater Wit debut. Chicago credits include Court Theatre’s All’s Well That Ends Well (Diana); Transient Theater’s Getting Out (Arlene-Best Actress Jeff Citation nomination); Locked Up Down Shorty’s at American Blues; Folio Theatre’s As you Like It (Rosalind) and Othello (Emilia); Dirty Hands (Olga) at Mary-Arrchie Theater; The Way You Wear Your Hat (Sarah), Seanachai Theatre; American Divine (Sna. Neruda) for Dolphinback Theater and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival; and staged readings at Steppenwolf Theater and The Black Ensemble Theatre. 



Judi Schindler (Roberta), also making her Theater Wit debut, previously understudied at Steppenwolf, Northlight, Shattered Globe and Victory Gardens, where she went on as Hillary in Hillary and Clinton. Favorite roles include Miriam Goldman in Beau Jest, Juanita Bartlett in Sordid Lives, and the drunk passenger in Hellcab. Judi can also be seen in various local venues performing her one-woman show, Husbands: An Owner's Manual, based on 50+ years of marriage to Jack Schindler.

OPENING: CHICAGO OPERA THEATER PRESENTS “THE SCARLET IBIS” and The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing

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Adult Night Out: 

CHICAGO OPERA THEATER PRESENTS “THE SCARLET IBIS” FEBRUARY 16, 21 AND 24 AT HISTORIC STUDEBAKER THEATER

Operatic Adaptation of James Hurst’s 1960 Short Story Premieres in Chicago Having Received Rave Reviews at 2015 Prototype Festival

COT Presents First Concert Performance of “The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing” February 15 Following a Week-Long Workshop

Next week we'll be checking out both of these operas. Check back soon for our full reviews. *Do note, The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing is the result of a week-long workshop through COT's Vanguard Initiative. This opera is still in progress, so it will not be reviewed as a complete work.

Chicago Opera Theater (COT) continues its 2018/2019 season with the Chicago premiere of the contemporary opera “The Scarlet Ibis.” Composed by Stefan Weisman with libretto by David Cote, “The Scarlet Ibis” was declared an “outstanding new chamber opera” by David Allen of The New York Times upon its debut at the 2015 Prototype Festival. Chicago Opera Theater presents the first full production of this operatic adaptation of James Hurst’s 1960 short story (apart from its festival debut), featuring the artistry of stage director Elizabeth Margolius and conductor David Hanlon. The opera stars Annie Rosen (who also performed in COT’s season-opening production of “Iolanta”) as Brother and Jordan Rutter as Doodle. 

The opening night and press performance takes place Saturday, February 16 at 7:30 p.m. at the Studebaker Theater (410 S. Michigan Ave.) Additional performances will take place Thursday, February 21 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, February 24 at 3 p.m.  

That same week, COT will present a week-long workshop culminating in the first full concert performance of “The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing” by composer Justine F. Chen and librettist David Simpatico as part of Chicago Opera Theater’s Vanguard Initiative to promote the creation of new opera.

“COT’s mission to support the creation of new operatic work is exemplified in our February programming, with the first production of ‘The Scarlet Ibis’ since its debut at the 2015 Prototype Festival, and the first concert performance of ‘The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing’ as part of our Vanguard Initiative,” said Stefan Edlis and Gael Neeson General Director Douglas R. Clayton. “COT is proud to provide an opportunity for Chicago to see such new and exquisite operas for the first time.”

Based on James Hurst’s classic American short story, “The Scarlet Ibis” is a moving tale about brotherhood, nature and family, set in North Carolina against the backdrop of World War I. It tells the story of a young boy named Doodle and his relationship with his brother, exploring the ways people ‘other’ those who are different and questioning what it means to be ‘normal.’ The piece was commissioned and developed through the HERE Artist Residency Program (HARP) and Dream Music Puppetry Program and co-produced by Beth Morrison Projects, premiering at the Prototype Festival in January 2015 in New York City.

“It’s thrilling to see ‘The Scarlet Ibis’ picked up for a second production following its premiere at our Prototype Festival,” said co-producer Beth Morrison. “Chicago Opera Theater is a forward thinking opera company, truly embodying what a 21st century opera company should be.”

Composer Stefan Weisman spoke to the development process of the opera stating, “One element of creating this opera that felt really unique was that the two leads are a countertenor and mezzo-soprano, both high voices for male characters. And they are played by two different genders. We are playing around with traditional notions of gender and power—the weaker of the two is the male singer, and the stronger is the female singer.”

Librettist David Cote continued, “The story is very much in the tradition of Flannery O’Connor, Tennessee Williams, even William Faulkner. The language is lush and flowery, the emotions run high and the ending is both beautiful and tragic. I’m not a Southerner, I grew up in small-town New Hampshire, but I drew on memories of living near a lake and playing in the woods to create the sense of nature and wonder in the opera.”

In addition to Rosen and Rutter, “The Scarlet Ibis” cast includes Quinn Middleman as Mother, Sharmay Musacchio as Aunt Nicey, Bill McMurray as Father and dancer Ginny Ngo.

Creative Team for The Scarlet Ibis
Composer: Stefan Weisman
Librettist: David Cote
Conductor: David Hanlon
Stage Director: Elizabeth Margolius
Lighting Design: Charlie Cooper
Scenic Design: Jack Magaw
Costume Design: Brenda Winstead

Performance Schedule
Saturday, February 16, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, February 21, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, February 24, 3 p.m.

Tickets for “The Scarlet Ibis” ($45 - $145) can be purchased by calling 312.704.8414 or by visiting chicagooperatheater.org. For tickets to see “The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing,” visit cot.org/Turing.

About Stefan Weisman
Stefan Weisman’s music has been described as "personal, moody and skillfully wrought" (The New York Times). His compositions include chamber, orchestral, theater, dance and choral pieces, and he has specialized in vocal works that explore edgy and compelling topics. His operas include “Darkling” (American Opera Projects), “Fade” (Second Movement), and “The Scarlet Ibis” (produced by HERE and Beth Morrison Projects and premiered in the 2015 PROTOTYPE opera festival). He is a graduate of Bard College (BA), Yale University (MA), and Princeton University (PhD). Presently, he is on the faculty of the Bard High School Early College in Queens, New York. 

About David Cote
David Cote is a playwright, librettist and arts journalist based in New York City. His operas include “Three Way” with composer Robert Paterson (Nashville Opera and BAM); “The Scarlet Ibis” (Prototype Festival) and “Fade” with Stefan Weisman. Other works include his plays “Otherland” and “Fear of Art;” song cycle with Paterson, “In Real Life;” choral works with Paterson, “Did You Hear?” and “Snow Day.” Cote was born and adopted in New Hampshire and is a proud alum of Bard College. His fellowships include The MacDowell Colony, and he is a member of the New York Drama Critics Circle, ASCAP and the Dramatists Guild.

About David Hanlon
David Hanlon is a composer, conductor and pianist praised by Maestro Patrick Summers as “one of the major compositional voices of the young generation.” He has often written work for Houston Grand Opera, including his chamber opera “Past the Checkpoints” about undocumented immigrants, the chamber vocal piece “The Ninth November I Was Hiding,” about his grandfather's arrest during Kristallnacht and “Power,” based on a text by a high-schooler about bullying. Hanlon was recently commissioned by the Opera For All Voices consortium to write a new chamber opera with librettist Stephanie Fleischmann, and recently conducted the premiere of his and Fleischmann's chamber opera “After the Storm” at Houston Grand Opera.

About Elizabeth Margolius
Elizabeth Margolius is a Chicago-based Joseph Jefferson Award-nominated stage and movement director with a primary focus in developing and directing new and rarely produced music theater, operetta and opera. Margolius’ Chicago and regional stage and movement directorial credits include “Miss Holmes” for Peninsula Players, “Machinal” for Greenhouse Theater, “The Bridges of Madison County” for Peninsula Players, “The Boy Who Grew Too Fast” for SUNY/Albany Opera Program and “Uncle Philip’s Coat” for Greenhouse Theater. Margolius has been a guest director, master artist and guest/adjunct lecturer at numerous colleges, universities and festivals including the University of Nebraska, DePaul University and SUNY Albany.

The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing

February 15, 2019 @ 7:30pm

DePaul University School of Music - 

Gannon Concert Hall

2330 N Halsted St, Chicago

110 minutes; One Intermission

Performed & Discussed in English

"This opera celebrates the power of memory, creativity, and the potential within us all to live fully and truly.” 

Chicago Opera Theater joins American Lyric Theater  to bring this new opera to life as part of the Vanguard Initiative. After a week of workshops, COT presents a full concert performance of Justine F. Chen and David Simpatico’s intense and beautiful new work.

Featuring the Bienen School of Music Contemporary and Early Vocal Ensemble of Northwestern University, tenor Jonas Hacker (Lyric Opera’s Fellow Travelers), and baritone Jonathan Michie in the title role, don’t miss your chance to see this one-of-a-kind concert.

As part of Chicago Opera Theater’s Vanguard Initiative to promote the creation of new opera, COT joins American Lyric Theater to present a full concert performance of “The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing” by composer Justine F. Chen and librettist David Simpatico. The opera delves deep into the mind of the groundbreaking coder often credited to be the father of modern computer science. Turing’s work during World War II designing a machine to break the code utilized by the Nazi’s Enigma Machine is estimated to have saved millions of lives. A homosexual, he was charged with gross indecency in the 1950’s and is believed to have committed suicide because of his persecution. Featuring the Bienen Contemporary and Early Vocal Ensemble of Northwestern University, baritone Jonathan Michie in the title role, tenor Jonas Hacker (Lyric Opera’s “Fellow Travelers”) and conducting by COT’s Orli and Bill Staley Music Director Lidiya Yankovskaya, the performance will take place at 7:30 p.m. on February 15, 2019 at the DePaul School of Music’s Gannon Concert Hall (2330 N Halsted St.).

In addition to Michie and Hacker, the cast includes Diana Newman as Sara Turing, Vince Wallace as Fred Clayton/Judge, Elise Quagliata as Joan Clark, Arnold Geis as Steve Todd/Arnold Murray and David Salsbery Fry as Don Bailey/Bobby/Prosecutor.

About Justine Chen
Composer and violinist Justine F. Chen has been the recipient of many prestigious awards and commissions, including New York City Opera, New York City Ballet, The Juilliard School, American Composers Orchestra and New York Festival of Song. Justine has won grants from BMI, ASCAP, the Frances Goelet Charitable Lead Trust, Opera America and the American Composers Forum through their Jerome Fund for New Music. In 2010, she joined American Lyric Theater’s Composer Librettist Development Program as a resident artist. She earned her DMA, MM, and BM from Juilliard in violin and composition, and specializes in contemporary music performance.

About David Simpatico
David Simpatico’s work has been presented at major theatres around the globe, including London’s Hammersmith Apollo, Williamstown Theatre Festival and the New York Shakespeare Festival. Highlights include the stage adaptations of Disney’s “High School Musical” 1 and 2; “Whida Peru,” with a score by Josh Schmidt; and “The Screams of Kitty Genovese,” a rock-opera with a score by Will Todd. David also wrote the libretto for Pulitzer Prize-winner Aaron J. Kernis’ millennium symphony, “Garden Of Light.” David Simpatico joined American Lyric Theater’s Composer Librettist Development Program as a resident artist in 2010. David attended at Northwestern University and received his Masters of Creative Writing at Southern New Hampshire University.

About Chicago Opera Theater
Chicago Opera Theater (COT) is a nationally recognized opera company based in Chicago, now in its 45th season. COT expands the tradition of opera as a living art form, with an emphasis on Chicago premieres, including new contemporary operas for a 21st century audience.

In addition to its programmed mainstage season, COT is devoted to the development and production of new opera in the United States through the Vanguard Initiative, launched in the Spring of 2018. The Vanguard Initiative mentors emerging opera composers, invests time and talent in new opera at various stages of the creative process and presents the Living Opera Series to showcase new and developing work.

Since its founding in 1973 by Alan Stone, COT has staged more than 125 operas, including over 65 Chicago premieres and more than 35 operas by American composers.

COT is led by Stefan Edlis and Gael Neeson General Director Douglas R. Clayton and Orli and Bill Staley Music Director Lidiya Yankovskaya. As of fall 2018, Maestro Yankovskaya is the only woman with the title Music Director at any of the top 50 opera companies in the United States. COT currently performs at the Studebaker Theater (Michigan & Congress) and the Harris Theater for Music & Dance (Michigan & Randolph).


For more information on the Chicago Opera Theater and its programs please visit chicagooperatheater.org.

Chicago Magic Lounge Hosts The Halloween Show In Adult and Family Friendly Versions and More This October

Chicago Magic Lounge presents

an evening of eerie and mysterious magic with 

The Halloween Show,

hosted by Ed Furman

with magic by Sean Masterson and David Parr

The Halloween season of magic, mystery and the macabre includes

“Shock Illusionist” Dan Sperry: The Anti-Conjurer 

(October 11-13),

a special, child-friendly, Halloween-themed Family Show 

(October 28)

and David Parr’s Cabinet of Curiosities every Wednesday

Here at ChiIL Mama and ChiIL Live Shows, we were out for both the groundbreaking and the grand opening of Chicago Magic Lounge. From the secret entrance behind a bank of spinning washing machines, to the glamorous art deco decor, and the talent on stage, we were enamored. Check out this unique venue for an adult night out, or for a Sunday family friendly matinee.  

Chicago Magic Lounge, Chicago’s new home for close-up magic, brings magic, mystery and the macabre to the stage this Halloween season with a variety of performances to satisfy all cravings. Hosted by Ed Furman, The Halloween Show will feature magic by Sean Masterson and David Parr. In addition to the table and stage magic that evening, Parr will bring the spirits of the season to the 654 Club with an old-fashioned, Victorian-era séance. Seating to this exclusive bonus experience is limited and can be secured by purchasing an upgraded ticket to The Halloween Show. A special, child-friendly, Halloween-themed Family Show with costumes and trick-or-treating will be held on Sunday afternoon, October 28 at 2pm.

Featured offerings throughout the month include shock illusionist Dan Sperry: The Anti Conjurer (pictured above) as the headliner for The Signature Show, October 11-13. Artist-in-Residence David Parr will continue to perform his magical and mysterious show Cabinet of Curiosities every Wednesday.

Tickets for all Chicago Magic Lounge performances are available at the box office, (312) 366-4500 or online at chicagomagiclounge.com. Chicago Magic Lounge is a 21+ venue. Ages 16+ allowed to ticketed shows with a legal guardian. Ages 5+ allowed for The Family Show only.

In addition to its programming, Chicago Magic Lounge is a proud organizational sponsor of Open Heart Magic, a non-profit organization of volunteer magicians who perform Bedside Magic™ for kids in hospitals, regardless of their medical condition or physical abilities. Halloween is the 80th anniversary of National Magic Day, which recognizes the day of Houdini’s death and is observed as a day of service in the magic community. Open Heart Magic takes this philosophy and practices it year-round.


Halloween highlights include:

The Halloween Show
Hosted by Ed Furman
Featuring Sean Masterson and David Parr in the Harry Blackstone Cabaret
Upgraded ticket to the 654 Club: David Parr hosts a Victorian-era séance
Wednesday, October 31 at 7:30pm
Tickets: $39.50 (Main Floor), $44.50 (Premium Main Floor), $49.50 (Front Row), $54.50 (Mezzanine Experience)
The Halloween Show will begin with an hour of close-up magic at 7:30pm, followed by stage performances with Sean Masterson and David Parr, hosted by comedy writer and performer Ed Furman. Guests who purchase Front Row, Mezzanine and Premium Main Floor tickets are invited to the 654 Club immediately after the mainstage for an exclusive performance with David Parr, where he will explore the paranormal and the mysteries of the unknown. Each Wednesday, David Parr brings his favorite artifacts and stories in David Parr’s Cabinet of Curiosities, but on Halloween he will be bringing the spirits of the season to the 654 Club. You might begin to doubt the evidence of your senses when objects move of their own accord and strange sounds are heard.

Host Ed Furman has been a performer and writer in Chicago for over 30 years and was one of the original creators of “Co-ed Prison Sluts” at the Annoyance Theater. Furman co-wrote and performed in three Second City Mainstage shows, and, along with TJ Shanoff, co-authored the hit musicals Rod Blagojevich: Superstar, Rush Limbaugh: The Musical and Lanyard Skynard. Sean Masterson has been entertaining Chicago audiences with his close-up and stage magic for 25 years, including the long-running hit show Timeless Magic at Theater Wit. David Parr was a winner on the TV show Penn & Teller: Fool Us, created and co-starred in the longest-running, weekly magic show in Chicago, The Magic Cabaret, and is an Artist in Residence at Chicago Magic Lounge with his Cabinet of Curiosities.

The Halloween Family Show
Sunday, October 28 at 2pm
Tickets: $15 (children 5-16), $25
The Halloween Show will feature fun and family-friendly magic that will delight children and adults alike. Guests are encouraged to wear costumes and bring trick-or-treat bags as candy will be handed out at the show! The Halloween Family Show is appropriate for children ages 5 and up.

The Signature Show headliner Dan Sperry: The Anti-Conjurer
October 11-13, 2018
Thursdays at 7:30pm; Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm & 10pm
Tickets: $39.50 (Main Floor), $44.50 (Premium Main Floor), $49.50 (Front Row), $54.50 (Mezzanine Experience)
Shock Illusionist Dan Sperry: The Anti-Conjuror is hailed as the most popular and in-demand illusionist of this generation.  His live show is a high-energy roller coaster ride of shock illusion like you have never seen before. Combining the art of magic with the macabre, his totally unique and edgy illusions capture the imagination of crowds while his unhinged, shockingly eccentric humor and audience interaction makes his live show a truly unique experience. From starring in the best-selling magic show in Broadway history The Illusionists, appearing on America's Got Talent, Germany's hit series Das SuperTalent, FOX's World Magic Awards, and TLC's Cake Boss, to selling out countless performance venues around the world, Dan Sperry presents a magic show that is not for the faint hearted.

Ongoing Events and Performances are as follows:

Music & Magic
Mondays and Tuesdays at 7:30pm
Tickets: $10 (General Admission)
Unwind at the beginning of the week with magic, jazz, and a cocktail. Music & Magic is the only performance of its kind in the city. We feature live jazz on stage and close-up magic at your table performed by our resident house magicians. When the band takes a break, a magician takes the stage.

David Parr’s Cabinet of Curiosities
Wednesdays at 7:30pm (except October 31)
Tickets: $35 (Main Floor), $45 (Front Row)
Chicago Magic Lounge is proud to host David Parr, winner on the hit TV show Penn & Teller: Fool Us. David created and co-starred in the longest-running, weekly magic show in Chicago, The Magic Cabaret, which was chosen by the Travel Channel as one of the top nine magic shows in the country. For Cabinet of Curiosities David has gathered his favorite artifacts and stories to share with you in this show of mystery and magic. Each performance is accompanied by an hour of table-side magic.

The Signature Show
Thursdays at 7:30pm; Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm & 10pm
Tickets: $39.50 (Main Floor), $44.50 (Premium Main Floor), $49.50 (Front Row), $54.50 (Mezzanine Experience)
The Signature Show was conceived in 2015 as an homage to the historic, Chicago magic bar scene. Experience close-up magic right at your table during the cocktail hour, followed by an hour of stage magic featuring two masters of their craft performing feats of prestidigitation and sleight of hand. Guests who purchase Mezzanine, Front Row and Premium Main Floor tickets are invited to an exclusive performance of close-up magic directly after the show in our 43-seat close-up gallery, The 654 Club. *Please visit chicagomagiclounge.com for a complete schedule of performers and special Halloween shows.

The Family Show
Sundays at 2pm
Tickets: $25, $15 (children 5-16)
We take the bar scene out of Chicago Magic and open our Blackstone Cabaret for a 45-minute magic matinee suitable for younger ages. Our mission is to bring back the era of bar magic, bringing out the child in every adult; however, on Sundays, we feature a family-friendly magician that will fill both the adults and children full of wonder. The Family Show makes a great post-brunch activity with many restaurants nearby. The Family Show is suitable for ages 5 and up.

The Performance Bar
Mondays-Wednesdays, 5pm-11pm; Thursdays, 5pm-12am; and Fridays-Saturdays, 5pm-2am
Open from 5pm to close Mondays thru Saturdays, The Performance Bar features signature cocktails, luxurious seating and magicians behind the bar to challenge your imagination. The Performance Bar is open to the public and does not require a ticket to the show. Please note that The Performance Bar is 21+ only and is not open on Sundays.

For a complete schedule of performances and more information about Chicago Magic Lounge, as well as resident and guest performers, Chicago Magic College classes, the Chicago Magic Round Table, and more, please visit chicagomagiclounge.com.



About Chicago Magic Lounge
Chicago Magic Lounge reinvents the classic "magic bar" that once dotted Chicago's nightlife landscape, bringing cocktails and card tricks back together again. Shows include magic performance at the bar, on the stage and in true Chicago-style Magic form, at the tables of the guests, providing the classic "Close-Up" tradition Chicago-style Magic is known for. Chicago Magic Lounge is also the home of the Chicagoland magic community, showcasing over 30 local professionals, and serving as a networking hub for working magicians from all over the world. 

The newly constructed theater at 5050 N. Clark St., designed by Morris Architects Planners, has ushered in a new wave of entertainment, bringing back “Chicago-style Magic” under the leadership of Donald C Clark, Jr. and Joseph (Joey) Cranford. Converted from a 1940s-era, commercial laundry building, the Chicago Magic Lounge is a 7,200 square-foot, Art Deco, state-of-the-art theater and lounge complete with secret doors, elegant performance areas and a magic bar – all dedicated to the art of sleight of hand, prestidigitation and Chicago's contribution to the magical arts. From magicians to mind readers, Chicago Magic Lounge provides guests the unique, one-of-a-kind experience of seeing wonders up-close and personal in a venue unlike anything else offered throughout the country.

ADULT NIGHT OUT: Manual Cinema Band Members to Play After Shows Every Saturday During Run of The End of TV

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

Stick around for Mocrep on July 21, Marques Toliver on July 28

and Maren Celest on August 4

Join Manual Cinema every Saturday night during its upcoming Chopin Theatre run of The End of TV – that’s Saturday, July 21, July 28 and August 4 – for special post show performances featuring musicians from The End of TV band.

The End of TV 
Set in a post-industrial Rust Belt city in the 1990s and told through a collection of original 70’s R&B-inspired art pop songs, The End of TV explores the quest to find meaning amongst the increasingly constant barrage of commercial images and advertising white-noise. The production features Manual Cinema’s signature mix of handmade shadow puppetry, cinematic techniques, and innovative sound and music using vintage overhead projectors, multiple screens, puppets, actors, lo-fi live feed cameras, flat paper renderings of commercial products, multi-channel sound design, and a live music ensemble.

Throughout, The End of TV is driven by a sweeping, original chamber art pop song cycle scored by two of Manual Cinema’s Co-Artistic Directors, Ben Kauffman and Kyle Vegter. It is performed live, on stage by a seven-piece band: Shalynn Brown aka RED (drums), Maren Celest (vocals, live sound FX, live video mixing), Deidre Huckabay (flutes, vocals), Ben Kauffman (vocals, guitar, keyboard), Lia Kohl (cello, vocals), Marques Toliver (vocals, violin) and Kyle Vegter (bass).

Manual Cinema’s The End of TV features an original 70’s R&B-inspired pop art song cycle by Ben Kaufmann and Kyle Vegter, played live on stage by a seven-piece band.

Manual Cinema is presenting the Chicago premiere of The End of TV July 19 through August 5 at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood.

Performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m., Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets are $30; $20 for students and seniors. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at manualcinema.com/cal.


More about the Manual Cinema The End of TV after show shows:

After show shows start at 8:30 p.m. after every Saturday performance of The End of TV and are included with the ticket purchase. Here’s the line-up:


Mocrep 
(featuring Deidre Huckabay and Lia Kohl from The End of TV band)
Saturday, July 21

In Common Core Art, Mocrep takes seemingly menial tasks and make them almost unbearably difficult. Whether it is keeping a simple beat on the snare drum, reciting text, consuming food or water, or any other daily activity for an artist, Mocrep will do so in a way that stretches the performer to the limit, both physically and mentally. The piece will be composed of many different scenes that involve these kinds of tasks with as many extraneous layers and loops to jump through as we can find. For more, visit mocrep.org. 


Marques Toliver
Saturday, July 28

Marques Toliver is an international recording artist, songwriter, producer, violinist, and vocalist from Daytona Beach, Florida. He began to study music at the age of ten and later attended Stetson University's School of Music, where he studied classical violin. A move to New York, where he often busked, led him to performances and recordings with An Albatross, Grizzly Bear, TV on the Radio, Bat for Lashes, Holly Miranda, and Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson. Toliver released the four-track EP Butterflies Are Not Free (2011). The single "Magic Look" (2012) followed as a precursor to Toliver's first album, Land of CanAan, released in May 2013. In 2016 Toliver composed music for The Public Theater’s production of Romeo and Juliet. For more, visit marquetoliver.com.


Maren Celest
Saturday, August 4

Maren Celest is a multi-disciplinary artist living in Chicago. She works with Manual Cinema triggering live foley and singing. She has assembled a band of incredible musicians (Kate Barutha: cello, Daniel Villareal-Carrillo: percussion, Alex Babbit: Bass/Flute, Corey Allbritten: Clarinet, Electric Guiter, Aux Instrumentation) to help her execute and write songs that have been lovingly referred to as "Psychological Death Metal" by Lumpen Radio. Often within a soft, melodic sheath she offers a sharp word to the parts of herself, and us, that are questionably comfortable. - Jessica Hopper, Chicago Tribune, wrote “…her otherworldly, witchy voice. It undulates, coos, squeaks and moans — it sounds like it used to be feral and now it's just barely tamed.” Recently her work has been published (35mm from tour with Manual Cinema and writing/lyrics), and her book with music is available at marencelest.bandcamp.com or marencelest.com.

To learn more about The End of TV, visit manualcinema.com, follow the company on Facebook at facebook.com/manualcinema, on Instagram at instagram.com/manual_cinema and on Twitter @ManualCinema.



More about Manual Cinema

“this Chicago troupe is conjuring phantasms to die for…”
-Ben Brantley, The New York Times

Manual Cinema was founded in 2010 by Drew Dir, Sarah Fornace, Ben Kauffman, Julia Miller, and Kyle Vegter. To date the company has created seven original feature length live cinematic shadow puppet shows (Lula Del Ray, ADA/ AVA, Mementos Mori, My Soul’s Shadow, The Magic City, No Blue Memories and The End of TV); a live cinematic contemporary dance show created for family audiences in collaboration with Hubbard Street Dance and the choreographer Robyn Mineko Williams (Mariko’s Magical Mix); an original site-specific installations (La Celestina); an original adaptation of Hansel & Gretel created for the Belgian Royal Opera; music videos for Sony Masterworks, Gabriel Kahane, three time GRAMMY Award-winning eighth blackbird, and New York Times Best Selling author Reif Larson; a live non-fiction piece for Pop-Up Magazine; a self-produced short film (CHICAGOLAND); a museum exhibit created in collaboration with the Chicago History Museum (The Secret Lives of Objects); a collection of cinematic shorts in collaboration with poet Zachary Schomburg and string quartet Chicago Q Ensemble (FJORDS); and live cinematic puppet adaptations of StoryCorps stories (Show & Tell).

Manual Cinema has been presented by, worked in collaboration with, or brought its work to The Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC), Under the Radar Festival (NYC), The Tehran International Puppet Festival (Iran), La Monnaie-De Munt (Brussels), BAM (NYC), Underbelly (UK), Adelaide Festival (AU), The Kennedy Center (DC), The Kimmel Center (Philadelphia), the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Noorderzon Festival (Netherlands), The O, Miami Poetry Festival, Davies Symphony Hall (SF), The Ace Hotel Theater (LA), Handmade Worlds Puppet Festival (Minneapolis), The Screenwriters’ Colony in Nantucket, The Detroit Institute of Art, The Future of Storytelling Conference (NYC), the NYC Fringe Festival, The Poetry Foundation (Chicago), the Chicago International Music and Movies Festival, the Puppeteers of America: Puppet Festival (R)evolution, and elsewhere around the world.

Manual Cinema was ensemble-in-residence at the University of Chicago in the Theater and Performance Studies program in the fall of 2012, where they taught as adjunct faculty. In 2013 Manual Cinema held residencies and taught workshops at the School of the Art Institute (Chicago), The Future of Storytelling Conference (NYC), RCAH at Michigan State University, and Puppeteers of America: Puppet Festival (R)evolution (Swarthmore, PA), Southern Illinois University, and the Chicago Parks District. In Spring 2016 Manual Cinema held workshops at Yale University as visiting lecturers in the theater department.

In Fall 2016, they contributed visuals, music, and sound design for an immersive adaptation of Peter Pan with producer Randy Weiner (Sleep No More, The Donkey Show, Queen of the Night) which premiered in Beijing in December 2016. In February 2017, Manual Cinema premiered The Magic City, a new show for children and their families, adapted from a novel by Edith Nesbit, and the inaugural production at the new Chicago Children’s Theatre, The Station. That was followed in September, 2017 by No Blue Memories, about the life and work of poet Gwendolyn Brooks, commissioned by the Poetry Foundation and based on a screenplay by Eve Ewing and Nathaniel Marshall, presented at the Harold Washington Library, and remounted last March in partnership with the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival and the Poetry Foundation. The company also debuted in Australia, France and Germany in 2017 and returned to the Edinburgh Fringe with Lula del Ray.

Currently, Manual Cinema is touring its production ADA/AVA in Holland. Following its summer run of The End of TV, Manual Cinema will present its world premiere production of Frankenstein at Court Theatre in Hyde Park, November 1-December 2, 2018, as part of Court Theatre’s 2018-19 season.