OPENING: All Female OTHELLO Via Babes With Blades APRIL 11 – MAY 25 AT THE FACTORY THEATER

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

BABES WITH BLADES THEATRE COMPANY’S 

21ST SEASON CONTINUES WITH 

OTHELLO, 

APRIL 11 – MAY 25, 

AT THE FACTORY THEATER

Biennially, Babes With Blades Creates an Opportunity to See Shakespeare Through a New Lens, This Year, Mignon McPherson Stewart Directs an All-Female Cast in Shakespeare’s Tragedy About Prejudice, Pride and Paranoia

Babes With Blades Theatre Company’s (BWBTC) 21st season continues with its biennial William Shakespeare production. In 2019, the Shakespeare production is Othello running April 11 – May 25, directed by Mignon McPherson Stewart with fight choreography by Samantha Kaufman.  All performances are at The Factory Theater, 1623 W. Howard St. Preview performances are Thursday, April 11  - Saturday April 13 at 8 p.m., Sunday April 14 at 3 p.m.; Thursday April 18 and Friday, April 19 at 8 p.m. Opening Night is Saturday, April 20 at 8 p.m. Regular performances are Thursdays – Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Preview tickets are $10, general admission are $28 with a discounted student and senior price available at  $15. Every show has a limited number of $10 tickets for industry professionals who must present proof of theatre industry affiliation. Additional information and tickets are available now at BabesWithBlades.org or by calling 773-904-0391.

(L to R) Desdemona (Sarah Liz Bell) and Othello (Brianna Buckley) in OTHELLO from Babes With Blades Theatre Company. All Photos by Steven Townshend

In William Shakespeare’s Othello, Othello is a brilliant general with the support of the Venetian government and an army behind him. When he promotes Cassio over Iago, however, his military might not be able to protect him from madness and jealousy, as Iago schemes to destroy him utterly. As events spiral, prejudice, pride and paranoia all clash in one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies.

(L to R) Desdemona (Sarah Liz Bell) and Othello (Brianna Buckley), with Iago (Kathrynne Wolf) looking on in OTHELLO from Babes With Blades Theatre Company

(L to R) Desdemona (Sarah Liz Bell),Othello (Brianna Buckley) and Iago (Kathrynne Wolf) in OTHELLO from Babes With Blades Theatre Company

The cast of Othello includes Sarah Liz Bell, “Desdemona;” Deveon Bromby, “Othello” u/s; Brianna Buckley, “Othello;” Meredith Ernst, “Cassio;” Ashley Fox*, “Aemilia;” Kim Fukawa*, “Montano;”  Kimberly Logan, “Duke/Lodovico;” Michelle McKenzie-Voigt, “Brabantio;”  Izis Molliendo*, “Gentleman of Cyprus,” various u/s; Rachel Mock, “Roderigo;” Hilary Schwartz, “Bianca;” Mary Eliza Willingham, “Senator,” various u/s and Kathrynne Wolf*, “Iago”

The production team of Othello includes Samantha Barr*, production manager; Leigh Barrett*, sound designer; Libby Beyreis*, associate production manager; Lauren Brady, stage manager; Erin Gautille, scenic designer/technical director; Lacie Hexum, properties designer; Samantha Kaufman*, fight director; Carlie Casas, costume designer; Hayley Rice*, dramaturg/script adaptor; Sarah Riffle, lighting designer; Mignon McPherson Stewart, director;  and Lauren Valice, assistant stage manager.

*denotes BWBTC ensemble member

Othello SPECIAL EVENTS

Networking and Othello
Thursday, April 25
6 - 11 p.m.
Ticket: $35
Join Babes With Blades for an evening of networking and a show.  Enjoy wine and cheese before a performance of Othello and stay after the production to meet and mingle with the cast with a special  22nd Season Announcement included with the ticket price.  

Talk Back with Tania Richard
Sunday, May 5 immediately following performance
FREE
Immediately following the performance join in a conversation with Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Creative Consultant Tania Richard.  Richard is the creator of the podcast Race Bait and is the author of  “Unexpected Life” and “My So-Called Unexpected Life.”

Open Caption Weekend
May 9 - 12
All Othello performances May 9 - 12 weekend feature open captioning by Caption Point, on a screen provided by the Chicago Cultural Accessibility Consortium (CCAC) Accessible Equipment Loan Program.  The CCAC Accessible Equipment Loan Program is made possible through major funding by the Michael and Mona Heath Fund.

Teen Living Programs Weekend
May 23 – 25 
The Babes will be accepting donations from audiences this final weekend of the run for Teen Living Programs, Inc.  Teen Living Programs is a non-profit organization that has supported and strengthened Chicago’s most vulnerable young people for over 40 years.  Teen Living Programs builds community, hope and opportunity for youth who are homeless.  We address their immediate needs and help them achieve independence and stable housing.  For more information on TLP, please go to https://www.tlpchicago.org/mission-vision-. 

ABOUT MIGNON McPHERSON STEWART, DIRECTOR
Mignon McPherson Stewart directed last season’s Jeff Recommended production of Kia Corthron’s Breath, Boom for Eclipse Theatre. Other recent work includes Dandelions for Collaboraction’s Peacebook Festival, The Gospel of the New Earth for The Heart Knows at Chicago DanzTheatre Ensemble and The Crooner for Black Lives Black Words. Other work includes Night Vision and Dressing (Goodman Theatre: Facing Our Truth), and Wine in the Wilderness/Florence (eta Creative Arts Foundation).  Mignon also curated and co-wrote performances for “The Bang Bang Project” and “In the Hood”, exhibits by award-winning visual artist Cesar Conde. During her time as artistic associate with MPAACT, Mignon directed Lydia Diamond's Stage Black, Nambi E. Kelley’s MiLK and Shepsu Aakhu’s Fascia, Kiwi Black and Trouble the Water  which won the BTAA for best production. Other directing work include Gloria Bond Clunie's Sweet Water Taste and Shepsu Aakhu’s Softly Blue, (Goodman’s New Stages Series) and Lynn Nottage’s Crumbs from the Table of Joy (Loyola University) among others. Mignon received her BA in Theatre from Loyola and her MFA in Directing/Dramaturgy from Roosevelt University and was a Goodman Theatre Maggio Directing Fellow.

ABOUT SAMANTHA KAUFMAN, VIOLENCE DESIGNER 
Samantha Kaufman is a fight director, actor, and intimacy director. After being transplanted to Chicago to study circus arts with Actors Gymnasium; she now travels to perform in and fight direct productions across the nation. She has her BFA from the University of Wyoming and her MFA from Florida Atlantic University. She is also an advanced actor/ combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors and an intermediate actor/combatant with Fight Directors Canada. She made her BWBTC acting debut in their all-female Henry V and her BWBTC fight directing debut with The Lady Demands Satisfaction. 

BABES WITH BLADES THEATRE COMPANY – COMING UP
Fighting Words Festival- Three staged readings in two days
Otherworld Theater Company, 3914 N. Clark Street
Saturday, June 1: Life in a Sandcastle by Jayme McGhan, at 3 p.m. and Summer Nights and Fireflies by Bianca Sams, at 7 p.m.
Sunday, June 2: Jenga by Deborah Yarchun, at 3 p.m.
Tickets: FREE with refreshments and a talkback following each reading.

Each year BWBTC selects three scripts for development that have the potential to grow into the kinds of plays that fit its mission.  Several of the Fighting Words selections have been seen as full productions with BWBTC, as well as other theatre companies: most recently 180 Degree Rule, Patchwork Drifter, L’Imbecile and Bo Thomas and the Case of the Sky Pirates.

Each 2018-19 script has undergone two reading-and-feedback sessions with the ensemble and invited guests, prior to being introduced to the public (and given the BWBTC treatment of including one staged fight), at the Festival in June 2019.

To reserve tickets and for more information, please visit BabesWithBlades.org. Tickets now available on Brown Paper Tix.



ABOUT BABES WITH BLADES THEATRE COMPANY
Gender parity is a hot topic, with news clip, after article after report documenting how women, and women’s stories, are still underrepresented. Babes With Blades Theatre Company’s response – now, for the past 20 years, and moving forward – is to develop and present scripts focused on complex, dynamic (and often combative) female characters.

In each element of their programming, they embrace two key concepts: 
Women are central to the story, driving the action rather than responding or submitting to it
Women are capable of a full emotional and physical range, up to and including violence and its consequences.

The company offers participants and patrons alike an unparalleled opportunity to experience women as heroes and villains; rescuers and rescues; right, wrong, and everywhere in between: exciting, vivid, dynamic PEOPLE. It’s as simple and as subversive as that.

Babes With Blades Theatre Company’s (BWBTC) 21st season continues with its biennial William Shakespeare production. In 2019, the Shakespeare production is Othello, April 11 – May 25, 2019, directed by Mignon McPherson Stewart with fight choreography by Samantha Kaufman, at The Factory Theater, 1623 W. Howard St. Preview performances are Thursday, April 11 at 8 p.m.; Friday April 12 at 8 p.m.; Saturday April 13 at 8 p.m., Sunday April 14 at 3 p.m.; Thursday April 18 at 8 p.m. and Friday, April 19 at 8 p.m. Opening Night is Saturday, April 20 at 8 p.m. Regular performances are Thursdays – Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Preview tickets are $10, student and senior tickets are $15 and general admission are $25. Every show has limited tickets for Industry for $10, must present proof of theatre industry affiliation. Additional information and tickets are available now at BabesWithBlades.org or by calling 773.904.0391.



BWBTC’s 2019-20 programming is partially made possible by the kind support of The Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, The Illinois Arts Council Agency, and a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.

Shows On Our Radar: WORLD PREMIERE OF THE LADY DEMANDS SATISFACTION VIA BABES WITH BLADES THEATRE COMPANY THROUGH AUGUST 25TH

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:
Adult Night Out

BABES WITH BLADES THEATRE COMPANY BEGINS ITS 21ST SEASON WITH THE WORLD PREMIERE OF 

THE LADY DEMANDS SATISFACTION 

AT CITY LIT THEATER, JULY 21 – AUGUST 25

All Photos by Steve Townshend

Aunt Theodosia (Megan Schemmel*-Right) uses Tilly (Ari Kraiman-Left) as a volunteer to instruct her niece how to properly defend yourself in any circumstance 

*This production uses realistic, bloodless staged violence and double-entendres of an adult nature in the telling of the story. Parental discretion is advised.*

BWBTC Member Morgan Mansa Makes her Directorial Debut with Arthur M. Jolly’s Latest Farce About Family, False Identities, Friends, Funds and, of course, Fighting  

It was my great pleasure to hear a full length staged reading of The Lady Demands Satisfaction at Babes With Blades' Fighting Words Festival last May. The script is witty and wonderful and I can't wait to catch the full production! Check back soon for my review. BWBTC has long been a favorite of ours here at ChiIL Mama and ChiIL Live Shows. If you're considering bringing the family, this production should be suitable for most tweens and up, but everyone's comfort level and maturity is different, so do your research.

Aunt Theodosia (Megan Schemmel*) shows Tilly (Ari Kraiman) how to remain poised while vanquishing a masked villain (Amanda Forman) 

Babes With Blades Theatre Company (BWBTC) starts its 21st Season with the world premiere of The Lady Demands Satisfaction, playing at City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., July 21 – August 25.  Winner of the most recent Joining Sword and Pen Competition, and developed in 2017-18 through BWBTC’s Fighting Words Program, this play is written by Arthur M. Jolly, directed by Babes With Blades Theater Company Member Morgan Manasa with combat by Violence Designer and BWBTC Member Samantha Kaufman.  Preview performances are Saturday, July 21 at 8 p.m., Sunday, July 22 at 3 p.m., Thursday, July 26 at 8 p.m. and Friday, July 27 at 8 p.m. Opening Night is Saturday, July 28 at 8 p.m. 

Regular performances are Thursdays – Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Preview tickets are $10, student and senior tickets are $15 and general admission are $25. Every show has limited tickets for Industry for $10, must present proof of theatre industry affiliation. Additional information and tickets are available now at BabesWithBlades.org.

In The Lady Demands Satisfaction, a young maiden, Trothe, learns that her entire inheritance will be forfeit to anyone that bests her in a duel. Trothe must turn to the finest blade anywhere, (luckily, her Aunt Theodosia) if she is to save her house and lands. In addition to her aunt, she is helped and hindered by two of her favorite servants - whose well-intentioned meddling could create an international incident when a famous German swordmeister arrives on the scene.  True to farcical tradition, identities and intentions are mistaken, comedy and sword fighting ensue, and all get the just end they deserve (even if it’s not the one the audience expects).

“Heading into our 21st season, we're so pleased to be bringing our third world premiere by Arthur Jolly to the stage,” said Co-Artistic Directors Kathrynne Wolf and Elyse Dawson. “This period farce, The Lady Demands Satisfaction, features 18th-century women after our own hearts: taking charge of their destiny while subverting societal ideas of what it means to be female. The show honors our roots with numerous fights in a variety of styles, including robust and silly swordplay, all perfectly in sync with our mission of placing women center stage.”

The cast of The Lady Demands Satisfaction includes Kate Booth, "Penelope;" Felipe Carrasco "Osric;” Linsey Falls, "Abernathy;" Amanda Forman, "Luitger;" Ari Kraiman, “Tilly;” Deanalis Resto, “Trothe;” Megan Schemmel*, “Theodosia;” with Kim Fukawa*, Jennifer Mohr and Bobby Hoffman as understudies.

The production team of The Lady Demands Satisfaction includes Samantha Barr, production manager; Bec Bartle, lighting designer; Lauren Brady, assistant stage manager; Carlie Casas, costume designer; Kenya Hall, dramaturg; Carrie Hardin, dialect coach; Stefanie Johnsen, prop designer; Chaz Mathieu, set designer, Kayla Menz, stage manager and Becca Venable, sound designer and technical director.

*denotes BWBTC ensemble member

Luitger (Amanda Forman-Left) gets scolded by Theodosia (Megan Schemmel*-Right) for impertinence

The Lady Demands Satisfaction Special Events:

Joining Sword and Pen Competition Begins
Friday, Aug. 3 – Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019
Babes With Blades Theater Company launches the next Joining Sword and Pen (JS&P) competition. On Friday, Aug. 3, following the performance of The Lady Demands Satisfaction, the Babes will release, via FACEBOOK LIVE, an image.  The action shown in the image is to be included in the staging of all submitted scripts in the next Joining Sword and Pen Competition. The JS&P competition is seeking submissions from playwrights who identify as female, trans, or gender-nonconforming until February 7, 2019.  

These blind submissions should be full-length plays that are then read by and voted on by the Ensemble. The winner will participate in the Fighting Words development process and eventually be staged as a full Babes With Blades production. The winning playwright will also receive $1000 as part of the Margaret Martin Award, sponsored by BWBTC’s longtime benefactor, David Woolley. Questions may be sent to newplays@babeswithblades.org and all script submissions to joiningswordandpen@babeswithblades.org. 

Talk Back with the Playwright
Post Show, Sunday, July 29
Join the Company after the matinee performance to hear from the playwright of The Lady Demands Satisfaction, Arthur M. Jolly. 

Open Caption Weekend
August 9 – 12
All performances the August 9 – 12 weekend of The Lady Demands Satisfaction feature open captioning by Caption Point, on a screen provided by the Chicago Cultural Accessibility Consortium (CCAC) Accessible Equipment Loan Program.  The CCAC Accessible Equipment Loan Program is made possible through major funding by the Michael and Mona Heath Fund.

Chicago Foundation for Women Weekend
August 23 – 25 
BWBTC will be accepting donations from audiences the August 23 – 25 weekend for Chicago Foundation for Women. In 1984, four leaders of Chicago’s philanthropic community launched a series of planning groups that laid the financial and programmatic groundwork for what would become Chicago Foundation for Women.  This organization looks at issues including work/economic security, freedom from violence, and access to health. For more information on CFW, please go to https://www.cfw.org/about-us/

Pay What You Can Performances 
Thursdays: August 9 and 16
To reserve a pay what you can seat at these two Thursdays, August 9 and 16, audience members may call 773.904.0391. Pay what you can tickets are based on availability and may not be available at the door.

ABOUT ARTHUR M. JOLLY, PLAYWRIGHT
Arthur Jolly writes for stage and screen. He was recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences with a Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting, and in 2017 won the Hammond House International Literary Prize for a Screenplay. As a playwright, Jolly is a three-time Joining Sword and Pen (JS&P) winner, a finalist for the Woodward/Newman Drama Award and has penned more than 60 produced plays, with productions across the US and in Canada, Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. Previously at Babes With Blades Theater Company, A Gulag Mouse, (JS&P 2010 winner) and Trash (JS&P 2012 winner), both published by Next Stage Press. Where We Disappear, a feature film based on A Gulag Mouse, is in post-production. Other published works include Childish Things, The Christmas Princess, The Four Senses of Love, How Blue is My Crocodile, The Ithaca Ladies Read Medea, Long Joan Silver, Past Curfew, Rising, and two short play collections Thin Lines and Guilty Moments. Jolly is a member of the Writing Guild of America caucus, The Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights, and The Dramatists Guild. 

ABOUT MORGAN MANASA, DIRECTOR
Morgan Manasa, a transplant from Detroit, has been a theatre-maker in Chicago for the past 17 years. Manasa recently stepped down after serving as the managing director for Babes With Blades Theatre Company where she was most recently seen in their all-female production of Henry V (Fluellen) and Witch Slap (Goody Blunt). 

ABOUT SAMANTHA KAUFMAN, VIOLENCE DESIGNER 
Samantha Kaufman is an advanced actor/combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors and an intermediate actor/combatant with Fight Directors Canada. She has her MFA in acting from Florida Atlantic University and went through the professional circus-training program at the Actors Gymnasium in Chicago. She currently lives in Chicago but travels the country acting, fight directing and teaching. 

ABOUT BABES WITH BLADES THEATRE COMPANY
Gender parity is a hot topic, with news clip after article after report documenting how women, and women’s stories, are still underrepresented. Babes With Blades Theatre Company’s response – now, for the past 20 years, and moving forward – is to develop and present scripts focused on complex, dynamic (and often combative) female characters.

In each element of their programming, they embrace two key concepts: 
Women are central to the story, driving the action rather than responding or submitting to it
Women are capable of a full emotional and physical range, up to and including violence and its consequences.

The company offers participants and patrons alike an unparalleled opportunity to experience women as heroes and villains; rescuers and rescues; right, wrong, and everywhere in between: exciting, vivid, dynamic PEOPLE. It’s as simple and as subversive as that.

BWBTC’s 2018-19 programming is partially made possible by the kind support of The Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, The Illinois Arts Council Agency, and a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events

OPENING: Babes With Blades Launch 20th Season With 20th World Premiere: The Invisible Scarlet O’Neil

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

BABES WITH BLADES THEATRE COMPANY 

ANNOUNCES 

CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM FOR THE WORLD PREMIERE OF 

THE INVISIBLE SCARLET O’NEIL 

AT THE FACTORY THEATER, 

9/2 – 10/14

Based on the 1940s Russell Stamm Comic Strip, Barbara Lhota’s New Play, Directed by Leigh Barrett, Places The Beloved Superhero in Dire Straits as She Battles to Save Science, Chicago and Maybe the World

Babes With Blades Theatre Company (BWBTC) has been a favorite of mine for decades, and now that my own daughter is a teen, she's a frequent fan as well. I'm thrilled that she has such excellent role models of fierce, funny, fabulous women. We can't wait to catch Babes With Blades' next world premiere, The Invisible Scarlet O’Neil! 

Babes With Blades Theatre Company (BWBTC) launches its 20th Anniversary Season: “Origins” with its 20th world premiere The Invisible Scarlet O’Neil, playing at the Factory Theater, 1623 W. Howard St., September 2 – October 14. Based on the 1940s comic strip by Russell Stamm, the new play is written by BWBTC Ensemble Member Barbara Lhota, directed by Ensemble Member Leigh Barrett and features violence design by Ensemble Member Libby Beyreis. 

Preview performances are Saturday, Sept. 2 at 8 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 3 at 3 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 7 at 8 p.m. and Friday, Sept. 8 at 8 p.m. Opening Night is Saturday, Sept. 9 at 8 p.m. 

Regular performances are Thursdays – Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Preview tickets are $10, student and senior tickets are $15, early bird general admission (available online through September 9) are $20 and general admission (after September 9) are $25. To purchase tickets and for more information, please visit BabesWithBlades.org.

A mishap in her father’s lab gave Scarlet O’Neil (Chloe Baldwin) the power of invisibility – a power she promised Dr. O’Neil she’d never use…but Daddy never knew there’d be days like these.

It’s the 1940s, and the late Dr. O’Neil’s former lab assistant Evanna Keil (Elizabeth MacDougald) is desperate to perfect her mind-controlling Ruby Red Lipstick before selling it to the KGB. The ensuing mayhem threatens everything Dr. O’Neil has worked for, and everything his daughter, Scarlet, holds dear. Can Scarlet save her deceased father’s reputation, his scientific collaborators, and their military secrets while also rescuing her kidnapped landlady, a young prodigy, a small dog, the gals at the City News and all of Chicago – if not the world? It’s The Invisible Scarlet O’Neil to the rescue.

Babes With Blades Theatre Company is no stranger to the 1940s, having previously produced several shows set in and around that decade, such as Barbara Lhota’s 180 Degree Rule (with M.E.H. Lewis) and The Double. “It's one of my favorite time periods for comedy and action, and we have both! The style has such a great physicality, and the language just crackles,” said Director Leigh Barrett. “Plus Barb has taken this superheroine, who originated in 1940, and set her story right after World War II. This of course is when women who had been working in factories and offices – making a difference, having an impact – were expected to step down upon the soldiers' return from the war.” Playwright Lhota added, “Women who were made visible during World War II, because they took over so many male dominated jobs, were now asked to become, in effect, invisible as the men came home.” 

It’s not only the time or the politics, though – the creative team is smitten with Scarlet herself. “I love Scarlet’s origin story because she accidentally acquires her power at a young age and realizes, as many superheroes do, that this gift requires her to be her best and bravest self,” said Lhota. Barrett agreed, “She has this power of invisibility, but she's not invulnerable. She just happens to be brave enough to risk her own safety by jumping into a raging river or on top of a moving car when she sees someone who needs help.” Violence Designer Libby Beyreis added, “I've always been drawn to superhero stories because I think that kind of story, of standing up for things you believe in, is one of the most powerful and important stories you can tell.” Lhota concluded, “I feel like we could really use a hero like Scarlet fighting for the defenseless today, a hero who is optimistic and has a giant heart.”

Joining Chloe Baldwin as “Scarlet O’Neil” in The Invisible Scarlet O’Neil are Lynne Baker, “Dr. Greta Hertzfedt/Doris Carmichael;” Chris Cinereski, “Dr. O'Neil/Bill/Guard/Cop;” Margaux Fournier, “Sarah Blue;” Ashley Fox, “Judy Butafuco;” Lisa Herceg*, “Hedy Labarr/Marcie;” Aneisa Hicks, “Jean Sharp;” Elizabeth MacDougald*, “Evanna Keil” and Kirk Osgood, “Dr. Percy Spencer/Bobby/Joe” with  Patti Moore* and Savanna Rae, understudies.

The production team for The Invisible Scarlet O’Neill includes Leigh Barrett*, director; Libby Beyreis*, violence design;  Barbara Lhota, playwright; Chloe Baldwin, violence assistant; Milo Bue, scenic design; Meghan Erxleben, lighting design; Sarah Espinoza, sound design; Colleen Layton, production manager; G. Max Maxin IV, projection design; Lindsey Miller, stage manager; Kimberly Morris*, costume design; Manuel Ortiz, technical director; Vanessa Thomas, properties design and Hannah Wolff, dramaturg.

*denotes BWBTC ensemble member

ABOUT RUSSELL STAMM’S ORIGINAL COMIC STRIP
Widely recognized as America’s first female superhero comic strip, Russell Stamm’s “Invisible Scarlet O’Neil” ran in the Chicago Times from 1940-56 to great acclaim.  Within months of her first appearance, Scarlet could be found in the Sunday strips as well; “Famous Funnies” also produced monthly comic books reprinting her adventures.  By the mid-1940s, she was in more than 100 newspapers worldwide.

Scarlet’s superpower – invisibility – dropped her into the middle of extraordinary circumstances, but her focus was always her fellow human beings. As stated in The Untold Origins of Invisible Scarlet O’Neil, “Scarlet was not a wealthy adventurer, an expert acrobat, a skilled fighter, a sensual seductress, a sharp-witted detective, nor an avenger of the death of a loved one. Scarlet simply used her powers to help people.”

ABOUT RUSSELL STAMM, CREATOR OF INVISIBLE SCARLET O’NEIL
The creator of "Invisible Scarlet O'Neil,” Russell Arthur Stamm, was born on April 16, 1915 in Chicago, the youngest of five brothers and two sisters. After graduating from Crane Technical High School in 1933, through a series of fortuitous introductions, Stamm came to the attention of Chester Gould, an American cartoonist best known for the "Dick Tracy" comic strip. He assisted Gould on "Dick Tracy" from 1935-40, during which time he also met and married his wife, Marjorie. In 1940, Stamm created the groundbreaking heroine, Scarlet O'Neil, an investigative reporter who used her ability to make herself invisible to solve crimes.

His son, Russell A. Stamm, remembered his father’s creative process: "Since my father worked from our home most of the time, I have vivid memories of growing up by his side as he worked away at his drawing board creating Scarlet and her cohort of characters. There were numerous times when he would ask me to model a position or stance so he could better visualize perspectives for his creative art. When a strip would appear with a picture of a character's foot that I had modeled for I would proudly tell everyone I met that it was my foot in the newspaper."

ABOUT BARBARA LHOTA, PLAYWRIGHT 
Barbara Lhota is an award-winning playwright, a member of the Dramatists Guild, a network playwright with Pride Films and Plays, and a member of Babes With Blades Theatre Company.  

Her plays have been produced in Boston, Chicago, New York and throughout the country.  Her most recent productions and readings have been with Organic Theater, Raven Theatre, 20% Theater, Pride Films and Plays, Polarity Theatre, Idle Muse, Something Marvelous, and Stage Left.

Lhota has four volumes of short plays published with Smith & Kraus and 50 monologues published with Meriwether, Pioneer Press, Smith & Kraus and Performance Stuff. She has premiered three other scripts with BWBTC: Los Desaparecidos (The Vanished) in 2008, The Double in 2011 and 180 Degree Rule (with M.E.H. Lewis) in 2016.  She is a past recipient of the Mimi and Harold Steinberg Award for Playwriting for Hanging by a Thread and was a semi-finalist for the Shakespeare’s Sister Fellowship. 

ABOUT LEIGH BARRETT, DIRECTOR
A former artistic director of Babes With Blades Theatre Company, Leigh Barrett now serves as technical coordinator and casting director. She has been making theatre in Chicago as a Jill-of-all-trades since her graduation from Bradley University in 1989. In 1990, she joined Stage Left Theatre (representative lighting design work Leander Stillwell, The Waiting Room, Clue in the Old Birdbath, Burying the Bones, Police Deaf Near Far). She has been a member of BWBTC since designing The Girl in the Iron Mask in 2007. Her directing work includes Bo Thomas and the Case of the Sky Pirates, Patchwork Drifter and The Double (also by Barbara Lhota). The Invisible Scarlet O'Neil marks her third trip into the 1940s for BWBTC.

ABOUT LIBBY BEYREIS, VIOLENCE DESIGNER
Libby Beyreis has been fighting on stage and in film since 1994, and has been a proud company member of Babes With Blades Theatre Company since 2002. In addition to the Babes, she has designed violence for companies around Chicago including Idle Muse, Strangeloop, The DIVISION, Prop, Focal Point Theater Company, Chase Park and Free Street.



ABOUT BABES WITH BLADES THEATRE COMPANY
Gender parity is a hot topic, with news clip after article after report documenting how women, and women’s stories, are still underrepresented. Babes With Blades Theatre Company’s response – now, for the past 20 years, and moving forward – is to develop and present scripts focused on complex, dynamic (and often combative) female characters.

In each element of their programming, they embrace two key concepts: 
Women are central to the story, driving the action rather than responding or submitting to it. Women are capable of a full emotional and physical range, up to and including violence and its consequences.

The company offers participants and patrons alike an unparalleled opportunity to experience women as heroes and villains; rescuers and rescuees; right, wrong, and everywhere in between: exciting, vivid, dynamic PEOPLE. It’s as simple and as subversive as that.




Help Out:



BWBTC’s 2017-18 programming is partially made possible by the kind support of The Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, The Illinois Arts Council Agency, and a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.

ADULT NIGHT OUT: Babes With Blades Theatre Company’s The Promise of a Rose Garden at City Lit Theatre

Events and Deals Announced for  

Babes With Blades Theatre Company’s

The Promise of a Rose Garden,

Opening August 6, 2016

Post-show discussion, pay-what-you-can dates, and some big company announcements coming up during the run of the show.

Babes With Blades Theatre Company has long been a favorite of ours here at ChiIL Mama & ChiIL Live Shows. Their stage combat, grrrrrrrl centric takes on original works and classics are well worth a look. We love their mission statement "Babes With Blades Theatre Company uses stage combat to place women and their stories center stage."

Events and deals have been announced for Babes With Blades Theatre Company’s 19^th world premiere production, The Promise of a Rose Garden, written by Dustin Spence, to be performed at City Lit Theatre, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., in Chicago. The show will run Thursdays-Saturdays at 8PM and Sundays at 3 from August 6 – September 10.

The Promise of a Rose Garden is directed by BWBTC’s incoming Co-Artistic Director Elyse Dawson, and the cast features Catherine Dvorak, Arti Ishak, Sam Long, Izis Mollinedo, Patti Moore*, Maureen Yasko*, Aaron Wertheim, and Kathrynne Wolf*.

The design and production team includes Leigh Barrett* (Production Manager), Milo Bue (Scenic Design), Brigidta De Souza (Stage Manager), Jason A. Fleece (Dialect Coach), Rachel Flesher (Violence Design), Barbara Lhota* (Props Design), Kimberly Morris* (Costume Design), Matthew Reich (Sound Design), and David Trudeau (Lighting Design).

*denotes BWBTC ensemble member

DEALS AND DISCOUNTS

All Performances August 7 – September 10 offer discounted admission to members of the Military with ID. $15 Tickets can be purchased online with code OORAH.

The Thursday performances of August 18, 25, and September 1 will offer pay-what-you-can admission.

Sunday, August 14 will be an Industry performance, offering $10 tickets to anyone with proof of industry affiliation.

EVENTS

On Sunday, August 14, BWBTC will make a major leadership announcement, followed by an informal mingle at That Little Mexican Café, 1055 W. Bryn Mawr.

Sunday, August 21: Stick around after the show for Servicewomen, Before and After: a post-show discussion about the lives of women who serve in the armed forces. Speakers will include Kimberly Green (Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Jessie Brown VA Medical Center) and Meosha Thomas (10 years active duty in the United States Navy; founder of One Savvy Veteran).

Before the Thursday, September 8 performance, join the company and sponsor David Woolley at 7pm at That Little Mexican Café for a party to celebrate 10 years of Joining Sword & Pen, BWBTC’s playwriting competition. Following the performance, playwright Dustin Spence will be presented with the Margaret M. Martin Award.

All closing weekend, September 8-10, BWBTC will be collecting monetary donations for One Savvy Veteran (http://www.onesavvyveteran.org/), a 501c3 non-profit organization founded by a woman veteran to meet the needs of fellow women warriors. They are a source of support, advocacy, benefit assistance and access to veteran-specific information and resources for women veterans in the Chicagoland area and surrounding suburbs.

Event information and updates can be found on BWBTC’s website here: http://babeswithblades.org/promise-promos-events/

Additional discounts and deals will be offered on BWBTC’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/bwbtc

Tickets:

$22 general admission

$14 students and seniors

$10 previews

Available at babeswithblades.org or 773-904-0391.

About the Company

Babes With Blades Theatre Company uses stage combat to place women and their stories center stage. Through performance, script development, training, and outreach, our ensemble creates theatre that explores the wide range of the human experience, and cultivates broader perspectives in the arts community and in society as a whole.

Adult Night Out: Babes With Blades' 180 Degree Rule

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Babes With Blades Theatre Company’s 180 Degree Rule,

Opening April 25, 2016

**Do note, there is violence & violence of a sexual nature**

A love story wrapped in a mystery. Come see the show inspired by the pioneering female film directors in early Hollywood...and the world that was stacked against them. Here at ChiIL Live Shows and ChiIL Mama we've long been fans of Babes With Blades Theatre Company’s excellent productions. I'll be there for the press opening so check back soon for our full review. They're excellent about providing a showcase for women in stage combat roles as well as showcasing talents of female directors and writers. They excel at historical pieces and this show will be their 18th world premiere production! About the Play  A 1960s film professor searches for the missing film masterpiece of an obscure lesbian director - killed pre-World War II at the height of her talent - and speculates she was murdered because of her defiant flaunting of her sexuality with the studio’s “it” girl. But once the director’s former lover, now an aging, reclusive German movie star, is involved in the search, a more disturbing narrative unravels. Moving between 1930s Berlin and Hollywood and the late ’60s, this play shifts from film to live action, flashback to the present as it reveals the truth behind a doomed romance.  “This is a murder mystery, but it’s also a memory play,” says director Rachel Edwards Harvith. “It involves characters reaching across time to find each other. Memory plays tricks on us. Sometimes we remember hard facts, and other times we fill in gaps with assumptions—over time those assumptions become rewritten history. This production has visual poetry layered in with scenes, weaving between time periods, as characters struggle to find the truth, detect the lies, and express love they have been afraid to show.” Inspired by the pioneering female directors of early Hollywood, such as Dorothy Arzner, Alice Guy-Blaché, and Lois Weber, 180 Degree Rule’s  most extensive historical nod is to Arzner, an open lesbian who was notorious for affairs with her leading women, including Joan Crawford.  She worked throughout the 1920s-40s, creating films with independent, complex female protagonists – often with lesbian subtext. 180 Degree Rule is a 2013 graduate of BWBTC’s Fighting Words script development program, was a finalist in the 2013 Pride Series Women’s Work Competition (for works by women with lesbian characters or themes), and was hosted for a final public reading by Chicago Dramatists. This production has been awarded grants by the Arch and Bruce Brown Foundation and the Dramatists Guild Fund.

Post-show discussion, pay-what-you-can dates, and lots of desserts are in store for audiences during the run of the show

Events and deals have been announced for Babes With Blades Theatre Company’s 180 Degree Rule, written by Chicago playwrights Barbara Lhota (playwright, The Double and BWBTC ensemble member) and the late M.E.H. Lewis, to be performed at City Lit Theatre, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., in Chicago. The show will run Thursdays-Saturdays at 8PM and Sundays at 3 from April 28 - May 21, plus Wednesdays May 11 and May 18 8pm.

180 Degree Rule is directed by Rachel Edwards Harvith (Associate Artistic Director, Chicago Dramatists) and the cast features Kate Black-Spence, Tommy Bullington, Chris Cinereski, Amy E. Harmon*, Lisa Herceg*, Kimberly Logan*, Jason Narvy, and Kelly Yacono.*

The design and production team of 180 Degree Rule includes Leigh Barrett* (Sound Design), Libby Beyreis* (Violence Design), Kurt Brandt (Props Design), Jason Fleece (Dialect Coach), Adam Greye (Stage Manager), Kaitlyn Grissom (Technical Director), Amy E. Harmon* (Production Manager), Beth Laske-Miller (Costume Design), Barbara Lhota* (Production Manager), Carter Martin (Film Director/Editor), G. Max Maxin IV (Projection & Scenic Design), Heather Meyers (Dramaturg), Tim Tavano (Director of Photography), and Laura Wiley (Lighting Design).

*denotes BWBTC ensemble member

EVENTS

The Thursday performances of May 5 and May 12 will offer pay-what-you-can admission.

Sunday, May 8, stick around after the show for a post-show dessert buffet, featuring an array of tasty treats, homemade by the BWBTC ensemble. Delicious and free!

Wednesday, May 11, join us for “Cookies and Collaboration,” a post-show discussion with playwright Barbara Lhota.

Wednesday, May 11 and Wednesday, May 18 will be Industry Nights, offering ½ price tickets to anyone with proof of industry affiliation.

All closing weekend, May 18-21, BWBTC will be collecting monetary donations for the Pro Bono Network (http://www.pro-bono-network.org/)

Additional discounts and deals will be offered on BWBTC’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/bwbtc

180 Degree Rule is a 2013 graduate of BWBTC’s Fighting Words script development program, was a finalist in the 2013 Pride Series Women’s Work Competition (for works by women with lesbian characters or themes), and was hosted for a final public reading by Chicago Dramatists.

This production has been awarded grants by the Arch and Bruce Brown Foundation and the Dramatists Guild Fund.

Tickets:

$22 general admission

$14 students and seniors

$10 previews

Available at babeswithblades.org or 773-904-0391.

About the Company

Babes With Blades Theatre Company uses stage combat to place women and their stories center stage. Through performance, script development, training, and outreach, our ensemble creates theatre that explores the wide range of the human experience, and cultivates broader perspectives in the arts community and in society as a whole.

REVIEW: Bo Thomas and the Case of the Sky Pirates at Babes With Blades a Must See

We were wowed once again by Babes With Blades' latest, and highly recommend you check out this rockin' world premier.   How can you beat dirigibles, girl knife & gun fights, witty repartee, and orphanage arson?!   This show is aimed at adults but fine for theatre savvy tweens and teens as well.

My tweens sat front row for an extra adrenaline rush and both loved the show!   In Raven Theatre's intimate space, the knife play literally happens within arm's reach of the audience.   This awesome period piece has so many of our favorite elements... cool fight choreography, smart, strong women, clever writing and a quirky plot.   If you haven't checked it out, go already.

Check out our prior coverage here including all the pertinent show details.

Must close Saturday, 9/21...    Don't miss BWBTC's Production of Eric Simon's Bo Thomas and the Case of the Sky Pirates!   "If there were a Jeff Award for Most Adorable Production this should win." - The Dueling Critics "The fights are, as one expects with the Babes, top-notch stuff (JKChoreograpy - the team of Jay Burckhardt and Kim Fukawa - provided the violence design), and Schemmel's Bo is a saucy delight as a pastiche female Philip Marlowe." - Chicago Tribune Come see what the buzz is about! TICKETS ON SALE NOW At the Raven Theatre, West Stage 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago (Lot parking / easy street parking) Use this link for more information.  For special pricing and events during the show run, please visit our website. BWB Photo 2: Megan Schemmel,  Kelly Yacono  Auditions and More: Swords for Rusty Broads (& Gents) - Presenting Neo-Commedia! Saturday 9/14, 11am-5:30pm At the Prop Thtr, 3502 N. Elston, 60618 In preparation for our upcoming production of L'Imbecile (see below for more details!), we're offering a workshop in the fight style we'll be using in the show. For more information and to register, check out our website. Announcing Auditions for the Spring 2014 World Premiere of L'Imbecile  By Aaron Adair   A decadent, gender-twisted take on Giuseppe Verdi's opera Rigoletto.    Wed 9/25 and Thu 9/26, 2013 6:30-10pm (Invited Callbacks to take place Sat 9/28, 10am - 5pm) Non-Equity.  Male and Female roles are available All Ethnicities, All Ages are invited to audition.  Experience in stage combat, Commedia, and other physical work a plus. Auditions will be held by APPOINTMENT ONLY in the City Lit rehearsal room (1020 W. Bryn Mawr, 3rd floor)   Please prepare 1 monologue, no longer than 2 minutes, classical or other heightened language, comic preferred For an appointment contact spark@babeswithblades.org. Fighting Words Our 2013 new plays development series continues!  Want to be a part of the creative process? Please join us for the public readings of these exciting new plays and give your input. Patchwork Drifter by Jennifer L. Mickelson* Reading #2 + fight: 9/29, 1pm at Profiles Alley Stage (4147 N. Broadway, Chicago)    ...and the winner of Joining Sword & Pen 2013-14:  Witch Slap by Jeff Goode Reading #1: 10/27, 1pm at Profiles Alley Stage (4147 N. Broadway, Chicago)  Reading #2 + fight: 12/8, 1pm at Profiles Alley Stage (4147 N. Broadway, Chicago) Want to know more about Fighting Words?  Go here. Check Out These Babes Dawn Alden and Kathrynne Wolf can be seen on the new web series, "Dark Age" - http://www.darkage.tv.    Brooke Elliot is starring in Lifetime's Drop Dead Diva as Jane/Deb. Check it out!  Amy Harmon, Morgan Manasa and Mary Ann Bowman will be appearing in an enhanced staged reading of 180 Degree Rule by M.E.H. Lewis and fellow Babe Barbara Lhota, presented by Pride Films & Plays on Saturday, September 14 at 7pm at the Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted. Lisa Herceg will appear as Det. Jules Rossi in Stage Left Theatre's production of Barbara Lhota's Warped at Theatre Wit, 1229 W. Belmont.  Previews are 9/4 and 9/5; opens 9/6 and runs Thursdays - Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 3pm through 10/6.  For tickets and more information: http://stagelefttheatre.com/.     Kimberly Logan is appearing in All American at Redtwist Theatre, which closes 9/9 (performances are Saturday at 3:00pm and Sunday/Monday at 7:30pm). Industry tickets available for every show at the door ($10). Elizabeth MacDougald is appearing for one more weekend in Idle Muse Theatre Company's production of Enchanted April, running through 9/8 at Rivendell Theatre, 5779 N. Ridge.  For tickets: http://idlemuse.org/ Megan Schemmel is currently kicking butt, taking names, and solving crime as the titled character of BWBTC's production of Bo Thomas And The Case of The Sky Pirates. In addition, Wolf Point Media's web series premiered its pilot episode of The Scarlet Line on August 31, where Megan plays 'Naomi', the crime-fighting-scarlet gone vigilante. Fighting crime is in the blood, but flipping sides is where the fun's at!  Calling all active & emeritus Babes: please keep us up-to-date on your activities! Email notgonnalie@babeswithblades.org about a listing in the Babes With Blades BroadSheet! Fabulous Women (and Friends) At Work   Valerie Meachum stars in period horror short Witchfinder, which screened at the Dragon*Con Film Festival on September 1 and will also be shown at the Halloween Horror Picture Show in Tampa on September 28.  Is your organization providing opportunities for women in theatre or film? Want the Babes to promote your work? Email postal@BabesWithBlades.org about a listing in the Babes With Blades BroadSheet!