Showing posts with label six stories tall. Show all posts
Showing posts with label six stories tall. Show all posts

Thursday, March 2, 2017

OPENING: Adventure Stage Chicago Presents The Touring Version of 2012’s Six Stories Tall Starting 3/24

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Northwestern Settlement’s Adventure Stage Chicago Announces Remount and Tour of Its Hit 2012 Production, 
Six Stories Tall 

All photography by Johnny Knight Photo and design by vivid valentine

ChiIL Mama's ChiIL Picks List

Adventure Stage Chicago (ASC) is one of our long time favorites for community involvement and stellar story telling. We caught Six Stories Tall back in 2012 and are thrilled to see they're doing a remount. Don't miss this!

Adventure Stage Chicago (ASC), a program of Northwestern Settlement (the Settlement), presents the touring version of 2012’s Six Stories Tall, written by Marco Ramirez and directed by ASC Producing Artistic Director Tom Arvetis. The production includes performances in Chicago (March 21 – April 29), the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis, TN (March 29 – 31), and The Performing Arts Center at Purchase College in New York (May 5). 

As a participatory arts company, ASC productions feature multiple options for audience engagement. Each performance is framed by a Curtain Conversation, asking audiences to keep a question in mind as they watch the play and return to it after the show; our lobby transforms into an interactive installation; and Learning Guides are available for teachers and parents, including show context and arts-integrated activities. 

All Chicago performances take place at Northwestern Settlement’s Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble St. 

Tickets are $17 for adults and $12 for youth aged 14 years and younger. Group tickets are $10 for ten or more guests. Student matinee tickets are $7 for CPS and $8 for non-CPS groups. Tickets may be purchased at adventurestage.org or by calling 773.342.4141. 


Six Stories Tall
March 24 at 7pm
March 25, April 8, April 15 at 4pm
April 21 at 7pm
April 22 & 29 at 4pm


Student Matinees select dates March 21 – April 27. Performances begin at 10:30am. 


Drums and DJs. Monsters and mysteries. Victory. A legion of young heroes battles villains, saves the underdog, and once again makes dreams come true as ASC revives its electrifying 2012 production before embarking on its first-ever national tour. Influenced by comic books, video games, hip hop, urban mythology, and Latino folklore, this collection of vignettes celebrates youth as everyday heroes taking us on a thrilling, heartfelt journey. 

Six Stories Tall features Christopher Acevedo (Ensemble), Danielle Davis (Ensemble), Mikhail Fiksel (DJ, Original Music & Sound Design), Jeffery Freelon (Ensemble), Alyssa Vera Ramos (Ensemble), Nelson Rodriguez (Ensemble), and Jesse Williams (DJ Swing – Tour), with Brandon Campbell (Production Stage Manager), Liviu Pasare (Projection Design), Stephanie Paul (Choreographer), Jessica Kuehnau Wardell (Costume Design), and Brandon Wardell (Scenic, Lighting, and Properties Design). 

About the Six Stories Tall production team:
Marco Ramirez has had plays produced at The Kennedy Center, The Juilliard School, The Arsht Center, and Actors Theatre of Louisville's Humana Festival of New American Plays (where he's twice 
received the Heideman Award). TV writing credits include FX's Sons of Anarchy. He trained at both NYU and The Juilliard School. His award-winning play The Royale opened at Lincoln Center in 2016 after a critically-acclaimed premiere production at Chicago’s American Theater Company.
Tom Arvetis is the Founder and Producing Artistic Director of Adventure Stage Chicago at Northwestern Settlement in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood. Tom is a writer/director/performer whose work investigates the themes of identity, family, and community. Playwriting credits: Walk Two Moons (Dramatic Publishing; AATE Distinguished Play of 2013), Spark: Chapter One of the Prometheus Project, Sight Unseen: Chapter Two of the Prometheus Project, and I Dream in Blues. Directing credits include: Augusta and Noble by Carlos Murillo (world premiere), Six Stories Tall by Marco Ramirez (Midwest premiere and national tour), And a Child Shall Lead by Michael Slade, 500 Clown: Trapped (national tour), Katrina: The Girl Who Wanted Her Name Back by Jason Tremblay (world premiere), The Blue House by José Cruz González (world premiere). In 2013, Tom received the Orlin Corey Award for Artistic Excellence from AATE. Tom was a member of AATE’s first Theater Leadership Institute in 2007, an Ann Shaw Fellow with TYA/USA in 2009 and twice a finalist for a Chicago Community Trust Fellowship. He has served on the AATE board of directors and is an adjunct lecturer at Northwestern University. 

About Northwestern Settlement and Adventure Stage Chicago:
Northwestern Settlement nurtures, educates and inspires children and families across Chicago. The Settlement’s success results from a commitment to treating every person who enters its doors with dignity and respect, while supporting them with transformational programming designed to disrupt generational poverty. The Settlement has led the way in innovative programming by offering residential science and environmental education for inner-city youth, launching successful charter schools, and adding a theater so children and teens have a forum for expressing their life experiences. 
The Settlement’s Adventure Stage Chicago (ASC) is one of the only theaters in Chicago to develop and present works specifically for the pre-teen and teenage audience. Adventure Stage Chicago creates and tells heroic stories about young people in order to engage the community and inspire everyone to be a hero in their own lives. ASC also offers: Neighborhood Bridges, the in-classroom arts residency program; Trailblazers, a youth mentoring arts program; summer drama camps; and drama instruction in the Settlement’s Rowe Elementary School. 



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


www.northwesternsettlement.org www.adventurestage.org 

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Winning Wednesday--Winners Announced #giveaways



Big congrats to Melissa K.   You've won ChiIL Mama's 4 ticket give away for Harold and the Purple Crayon at Chicago Children's Theatre at 6:30 this Friday, 10/19.   Your name will be on 4 tickets at the box office.   Tickets include a craft making post show pajama party with Wishcraft.   Wear your PJs if you wish.  Full show location and details are here.    Congrats again!

a Rafflecopter giveaway 
Shows are selling out for this limited run.   Click here for ChiIL Mama's past Harold coverage then order your tickets today.






Big congrats to Nicole F.  You've won ChiIL Mama's first 4 ticket give away for ChiTAG--Chicago Toy and Game Fair.  Enjoy!

Click here for ChiIL Mama's past ChiTAG coverage then enter below for your chance to win.   We have a total of SIX family 4 packs to give away weekly, leading up to ChiTAG's big 10th anniversary.   Prior entries do carry over, but you can Tweet and share for additional entries throughout the duration.   Good luck! 



Remember to Check back with ChiIL Mama like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often.  

Monday, October 15, 2012

Winning Wednesdays & Great Chi-Town Family Friendly Ticket Give Aways #giveaways

Fall into free fall fun with ChiIL Mama's Winning Wednesdays

ChiIL Mama has a full plate of fun fall give aways.   Our free kindie concert and theatre tickets are for our Chicago readers (or for you if you can get yourself to Chicago for the show).    

Here's a run down of ALL our current give aways.   Remember....check back with ChiIL Mama like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often!   Entry is easy and winning rocks.


Chicago Tickets:


4 tickets to Harold and the Purple Crayon at Chicago Children's Theatre (theatre ages 3+) Enter through midnight 10/16.



*check out our past coverage and click here to enter to win tickets.





4 tickets to Six Stories Tall at Adventure Stage Theatre (theatre ages 8+)  Enter through midnight 11/2.

*check out our past coverage and enter to win tickets here.






4 tickets to Beat Kitchen's Concerts for kids
(kindie rock)-ChiIL Mama has free tixs to EVERY show.  New winner announced every Friday (ongoing).


Show are aimed at birth through 10 with parents, every Sunday at noon in Chicago's Roscoe Village neighborhood.   Bands vary weekly.   

ChiIL Mama is stoked to be back again as media sponsor for the series.   Check here and on ChiIL Mama's YouTube Channel for 175+ original band video interviews & live show footage.   We have loads of kindie music reviews, new release news and free give aways!
   
*Check out our past coverage and enter to win tickets here every week.   All October Beat Kitchen Concerts for Kids shows are open for entries right now.




4 tickets to Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus Presents Dragons!  Enter through midnight 10/21.

*Enter to win tickets here and check out our past coverage. 







4 tickets to ChiTAG(Chicago Toy & Game Fair)-new winner announced every Wednesday leading up to the fair/6 total

*Check out our past coverage and enter early and often to win tickets here.  We have 6 family 4 packs and will announce new winners weekly!

There's an autumn chill in the air, and loads of rockin' fun to be had.  So get out to see family friendly theatre or rock out at a kindie concert.  ChiIL out with ChiIL Mama and be sure to check back like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often for the latest entertainment news, photo & video filled reviews, great give aways and more.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

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







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

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

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



a Rafflecopter giveaway




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

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



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


Adventure Stage Chicago presents the Midwest Premiere of
Marco Ramirez’s Six Stories Tall: a play about mermaids, monsters and spray paint! directed by ASC Producing Artistic Director Tom Arvetis

Nov. 10 – Dec. 13 at Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble St., Chicago.
Tickets $15-25. Call 773.342.4141 or visit www.adventurestage.org.
Adventure Stage Chicago (ASC) at Northwestern University Settlement House is thrilled to present the Midwest Premiere of Six Stories Tall: a play about mermaids, monsters and spray paint!, written by Marco Ramirez and directed by ASC Producing Artistic Director Tom Arvetis.


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


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

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

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

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

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

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

Weekend Matinees: 4:00pm
Sat, Nov. 10 | Sat, Nov. 17 | Sat, Nov. 24 | Sat, Dec. 1 | Sat, Dec. 8
TICKETS
Adult: $25.00
Child: $15.00 (14 and under) 
Educator/Industry: $10.00
Neighborhood Discount (zip codes 60642 and 60622): $10
Previews: $10
Groups: $13.00 (10 or more)
School Groups: $8 per student, with one complimentary chaperone ticket for every 10 students.
For tickets, call 773-342-4141 or visit www.adventurestage.org.

**FREE SPECIAL EVENTS
SNEAK PEEK
Sunday, Oct. 7, 4:00-5:00pm
Please join us for a FREE open rehearsal of Six Stories Tall and gain a glimpse into the journey that awaits you as we pull back the curtain for a sneak peek into what you can expect on show day. Refreshments provided. Limited seating - register at 773.342.4141 or www.adventurestage.org.

OPENING DAY CUPCAKE SOCIAL
Saturday, Nov. 10, 4:00-8:00pm
Celebrate opening day with us and mingle with the cast after the show while enjoying yummy cupcakes from Kyle’s Cupcakery. 
*ChiIL Mama's four pack ticket winner can have a show and cupcakes too!! 




SETTLEMENT SATURDAY

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

CAST AND CREWCast:
Kevin Brown (Drummer/Chorus)

Danielle Davis (Rebecca/Marta Elena/Yennifer/Chorus)
Mikhail Fiksel (DJ/Chorus)
Mark Anthony Gonzalez (Tomas/Stranger/Abuelo/Chorus)
Sarah Rose Graber* (Sirena/Abuela/Lawn Guy/Chorus)
Alexander Knapp (Alfredo/Carbon/Warrior 2/Store Clerk/Chorus)
Lance Newton (Boy/Warrior 1/Chester/Chorus)
Alyssa Vera Ramos (Emilia/Lupe/Chorus)
Sara Sawicki (Understudy)
Tony Garcia (Understudy)

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

*denotes ASC company or ensemble member

BIOS
Marco Ramirez (Playwright) is a two-time Latino Playwriting Award winner at the Kennedy Center's American College Theater Festival and has had plays produced at The Juilliard School, The Arsht Center, and Actors Theatre of Louisville's Humana Festival of New American Plays (where he's twice received the Heideman Award). TV writing credits include FX's "Sons of Anarchy." He trained at both NYU and The Juilliard School.
Tom Arvetis (Director) founded Adventure Stage Chicago in 2004 and is responsible for the creative vision of the company, the implementation of all programming, and the supervision of the theater staff. Tom's directing credits for Adventure Stage Chicago include And A Child Shall Lead by Michael Slade, Katrina: The Girl Who Wanted Her Name Back by Jason Tremblay (world premiere), The Blue House by José Cruz González (world premiere), and A Woman Called Truth by Sandra Fenichel Asher. Tom also directed a reading of Katrina: The Girl Who Wanted Her Name Back as part of the 2008 New Visions/New Voices Festival at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts. Other directing credits include Dragon/Sky by Elizabeth Wong (workshop reading for Silk Road Theatre Project), The Search for Odysseus by Charles Way (The Simple Theatre) andThe City Wears a Slouch Hat by Kenneth Patchen  (Wanderlust Productions). Playwriting credits for Adventure Stage include Walk Two Moons (honorable mention in Chicago Theatre Beat's Best Shows of 2011) and I Dream in Blues (dubbed "the sleeper hit of the season" by the Chicago Tribune). Tom was an Ann Shaw Fellow with TYA/USA in 2009 and a finalist for a 2010 Chicago Community Trust Fellowship. He is a board member with the American Alliance for Theatre and Education.
ABOUT ADVENTURE STAGE
Adventure Stage Chicago creates dynamic and transformative theatre for young audiences that activates the imagination, inspires dialogue and strengthens community among families, educators and artists. We strive to become Chicago's premier destination for theatrical productions and programming designed for young people and the adults in their lives; we aim to be leaders in theatre education through professional development workshops, residencies and resources that offer innovative ways to infuse theatre into the classroom; and we seek to cultivate and create challenging new work as well as produce celebrated stories. This is Adventure Stage's ninth season.
Adventure Stage has received numerous honors since its inception in 2004, including:
  • Recipient of a prestigious Continuing Innovation Stage II grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
  • Selected participant in EmcArts' Innovation Lab for the Performing Arts, a program generously funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
  • Zeta Phi Eta Winifred Ward Award for Outstanding New Children's Theatre Company from the American Alliance for Theatre and Education
  • Two-time Finalist for the Broadway In Chicago Emerging Theater Award
  • Participant in the New Visions/New Voices Festival at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Washington D.C.
  • Four-time Recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Access to Artistic Excellence Grant
Adventure Stage Chicago is a program of Northwestern University Settlement House, the oldest continually operating settlement house in Chicago. Throughout its 121-year history, the Settlement has remained committed to providing resources that empower neighbors to overcome the obstacles of poverty. Adventure Stage extends this mission by presenting Chicago's young audiences, educators and families with an affordable artistic experience rooted in performance. Last season, Adventure Stage served over 7,000 students from 85 schools throughout the Chicagoland area and over 2,600 audience members for our weekend performances. 
Each Adventure Stage Chicago production presents weekday matinees primarily for school groups, as well as weekend performances for the general public. Every performance includes a post-show audience talkback with the cast. Out of respect for our actors and audience members, children under age 5 are not permitted in the theatre during a performance.
All shows are performed at Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble St., in the heart of Chicago’s West Town neighborhood. Street parking is available, and the theater is close to the Noble St. stop on the #56 Milwaukee bus line and the Division stop on the CTA Blue Line. The theater is wheelchair accessible.




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