ChiIL Mama's Adventures at Women Driving Excellence #WDE15 #NissanCAS #AD

I've got to admit, 25 years ago, when I was a struggling writer/actor newly out of college, I worked the Chicago Auto Show for Saab, in what I only half jokingly refer to as my "booth bimbo" days. I had a college degree with honors, yet the market seemed more interested in my face than my brains. And I was one of the lucky ones among the Chicago Auto Show women. We got to wear t-shirts instead of bikinis, like so many of the "models" were required to work in. Still, we had to wear heels and hose with our short shorts and endure thousands of men hitting on us day after day and panning up and down us with giant, late 80s era video cameras. 

Thankfully, 25 years later, "Women's Day" at The Chicago Auto Show doesn't mean token complimentary manicures or more bikini babes. In 2015 women are THE major automotive purchasing force and a force to reckon with, and the women being recognized at the auto show include doctors, lawyers, politicians, police, entrepreneurs and TV producers. And not one of them was required to show up for work in a bikini!

It was our great pleasure to partner up with ChicagonistaLIVE and Nissan for Women Driving Excellence for the second year. Last Tuesday was indeed an enriching, educational, and fun day with informative, inspiring women. I'm also thrilled to say I'm back, working The Auto Show, and getting paid for my writing skills, with Media credentials around my neck, and no short shorts and high heels required!

Smart blonde, Janet Davies, getting honored instead of ogled at The Chicago Auto Show, with emcee, Andrea Metcalf. 



Disclosure: We have been compensated for sharing this information with our readers and covering the event. As always all opinions are our own. Thanks to Women Driving Excellence for inviting ChiIL Mama to partner up with them on this fabulous programing again this year. 

Women Driving Excellence - celebrating women who start, accelerate, fuel, and steer others to excellence. 

Check out our slide show here for our full photo recap from the day including the incredible honorees. Some of our favorite shots are embedded below as well.

Women's Day, Feb. 17, 2015


I couldn't possibly choose a favorite story among the nominees. We all laughed together, and commiserated. I did enjoy Debi Lilly's story of hiring on friends of her little brother as a summer favor, and how that ended up being her golden ticket to work with Oprah. The honorees had empowering stories of overcoming good old boy networks, husbands who step up to help with the kids while the women fly out to pursue their careers, stick shift skills beating the boys for a car parking job, and so many more tiny triumphs and brave chances these women all took to follow their dreams.



Another high point of the day was the medley of tunes from First Date the Musical, sung by the male and female leads. The show is currently playing at Royal George Theatre and highly recommended. We had a chance to catch opening night, and it's hilarious, heartfelt and too true. Check back with ChiIL Live Shows for our full review and video clips from their performance at Women Driving Excellence that will be up shortly.

Dana Parker and Charlie Lubeck (Production Photos Via 'First Date')

Thanks again to Nissan for sponsoring this excellent annual event. And thanks to producers MJ Tam & Beth Rosen (inspiring women in their own right) of the #ChicagonistaLIVE show in coordination with the Chicago Tribune. 

This time last year we were in the market for a new car and I'm excited to admit that we bought that Nissan Rogue I was ogling last year at the Chicago Auto Show. I've been driving it since last March and it's definitely excellent. (No, I didn't get the "ChiIL Mama Rogue" as awesome as it was... I went for the slightly more subtle, gorgeous graphite blue!) We got the 7 seater and it's perfect for occasional visits from the grandparents, carpooling, and taking friends to fun events with us. When Nissan steps up and takes women seriously, and backs some seriously brilliant women, it makes me even prouder to be driving a Rogue.



Thanks also to State Farm. We insure our cars with them, and last year when someone rear ended me and totaled my car at a Kennedy on ramp red light they made the claims process pretty painless. They gave us a rental car while we went car hunting and a decent settlement that went toward the down payment on my sweet new Nissan Rogue! 



"The State Farm Swag Bag Stretch"-- a mini work out lead by emcee and fitness guru, Andrea Metcalf.

2014 Recap:

The ChiIL Mama Nissan Rogue

The Graphite Blue Nissan Rogue

Click here and scroll down to check out our photo filled recap from last year.

We were quite happy that Women Driving Excellence brought back the networking sessions this year. I made quite a few invaluable connections and came home with a stack of business cards. Thanks to Nawbo (National Women's Business Organization) & Epwng (Exclusive Professional Women's Networking Group) for facilitating. The honorees recognition portion was beyond empowering, with a fabulous assortment of women who are all amazing in their fields. We've been to numerous tapings of The ChicagonistaLIVE show, and it's always a treat to see the rapport of the fab four of the Chicagonista team, imparting wit and wisdom.

Check out more honorees below:

Get social: Want a recap of all the stellar live coverage from #WDE15, follow the hashtag on Twitter and Instagram or check out the Women Driving Excellence Facebook Page. 

For flash giveaways, real time photo features, and the first heads up on incoming fun in Chi, IL and beyond, FOLLOW ChiIL Mama (family friendly) and ChiIL Live Shows (adult) on line and social media.

Disclosure: We have been compensated for sharing this information with our readers and covering the event. As always all opinions are our own. Thanks to Women Driving Excellence for inviting ChiIL Mama to partner up with them on this fabulous programing again this year. 

OPENING: The Hypocrites Endgame Opens at Den Theatre 2/20 #theatre #Chicago

Parents' Night Out:

The Hypocrites Present 

Samuel Beckett’s

ENDGAME

Directed by Company Member Halena Kays

February 20 – April 4, 2015

I first became intrigued with Beckett's works during my college theatre days and can't wait to see The Hypocrites and Halena Kays put their unique spin on this classic. Endgame should be quite a departure from the trio of Gilbert and Sullivan musicals. Previews start tomorrow, Friday February 20th. Check them out at the fabulous Den Theatre Mainstage.

The Hypocrites are pleased to continue their 2014-15 season with Samuel Beckett’s comic masterpiece ENDGAME, directed by Company Member Halena Kays*, playing February 20 – April 4, 2015 at their new home, The Den Theatre Mainstage, 1329-1333 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. Tickets are currently available at www.the-hypocrites.com. 

ENDGAME will feature longtime Company Members Kurt Ehrman* as Hamm and Donna McGough* as Nell, joined by Brian Shaw as Clov and Sean Sineski as Nag.

Hamm is blind and cannot stand. His servant, Clov, cannot sit.  And then there’s his legless parents Nagg and Nell who live in trashcans.  Trapped in a tiny house by the sea after some sort of apocalyptic disaster, they trudge through an absurd, cyclical existence. In true Hypocrites fashion, the actors and audience alike share a full and lush visual world to experience Beckett’s classic comedy. 

“Endgame will allow me to play to the absurdity of life with the clowns I love,” comments Director Halena Kays. “Our design team is also full of long-time collaborators who will create an absurdest landscape that will involve and heighten the audience's experience with this classic.  It’s one of my favorite texts – physical, funny and beautiful – and there's no better group of artists to join me in exploring it,” adds Kays.

The production team includes: Elizabeth Bracken (scenic design), Jessica Kuehnau (costume design), Maggie Fullilove-Nugent (lighting design), Nick Keenan (sound design), Danielle Case (props design) and Justine B. Palmisano (stage manager).

Previews: Friday, February 20 at 8 pm, Saturday, February 21 at 8 pm, Sunday, February 22 at 3 pm and Tuesday, February 24 at 8 pm

Regular Run: Friday, February 27 – Saturday, April 4, 2015

Curtain Times: Mondays, Friday and Saturdays at 8 pm; Sundays at 3 pm 

Tickets Prices: $28. Tickets are currently available at www.the-hypocrites.com.

About the Director
Halena Kays’ Chicago credits include: Ivywild, Six Characters in Search of an Author at The Hypocrites; The Magic Play at The Goodman, Lord of the Flies at Steppenwolf theatre company; Burning Bluebeard, 44 Plays for 44 Presidents, Daredevils, Daredevils Hamlet and Fake Lake at The Neo-Futurists (artistic associate); Roustabout at Concordia College; Buried in Bughouse Square at The University of Chicago. Kays is a former artistic Director of The Hypocrites, co-founder and former artistic director of Barrel of Monkeys, where she directed the majority of their public performances. She is The Hyprocrites’ Artistic Council, a founding member of the artistic collaborative The Ruffians, a UT-Austin and Northwestern grad, former member of the Big Apple Circus Clown Care unit and a visiting professor at North Central College.  Halena has been nominated for a Jefferson Citation for Best Supporting Actress and Best Direction, was the recipient of the prestigious 3Arts Award and was named one of the top 50 “players” in Chicago theater by Newcity. 

About The Hypocrites

Founding Artistic Director Sean Graney* created The Hypocrites in 1997. It is currently run by Artistic Director Sean Graney* and Managing Director Megan Wildebour*.  The Hypocrites are recognized as groundbreakers that defy the audience’s expectations. The company has grown significantly in the past 

few years, receiving acclaim for productions at the Steppenwolf Garage, Goodman Theatre, Museum of 

Contemporary Art, DCASE Storefront and Chopin Theater before moving to a residency at The Den Theatre Mainstage. The company’s smash-hit production of Our Town, directed by David Cromer, transferred in 2009 to Off-Broadway, Los Angeles and Boston. The Pirates of Penzance has appeared at Actors Theatre of Louisville and American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.). A.R.T. has also brought Romeo Juliet, 12 Nights and The Mikado (forthcoming). The American Theatre Wing, best known as the creator of the Tony Awards, presented The Hypocrites with one of the 2013 National Theatre Company awards in 2013. In June 2015, the critically acclaimed All Our Tragic, a 12 hour play adapting the 32 surviving Greek tragedies, will return. For more information, please visit www.the-hypocrites.com.

The Hypocrites’ 18^th season is supported in part by The Alphawood Foundation, The Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The Illinois Arts Council, Negaunee Foundation, Scholl Foundation and Venta.

*Denotes The Hypocrites Company Members.

⁺Denotes The Hypocrites Artistic Associates 

OPENING: The Diary of Anne Frank at Writers Theatre

Writers Theatre presents an intimate staging of

The Diary of Anne Frank

Directed by Kimberly Senior

 February 24 – June 28, 2015

Here at ChiIL Live Shows we're thrilled to announce that Kimberly Senior will be directing Writers Theatre's Anne Frank beginning with previews the final week of February. 

This vital piece of historical storytelling, through a young girl's eyes, has become more than required reading for generations. It's become a poignant, powerful first person account of World War 2 that has moved and influenced countless numbers of readers. We can't wait to see it come to life on stage under Senior's creative and capable direction in the tiny but mighty theatre space in the back room of Books on Vernon. It's sure to be all the more moving because of the intimate space. For the same reason, shows here frequently sell out quickly. Be sure to purchase tickets early for the best prices and seat/date selection.

*Set designer Jack Magaw has designed a set for The Diary of Anne Frank that encloses the audience and most of the cast in its intimate space for the duration of the play.*

  

Title: The Diary of Anne Frank

Written by: Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett

Adapted by: Wendy Kesselman

Directed by: Kimberly Senior

Cast: Lance Baker, Sean Fortunato, Coburn Goss, Kevin Gudahl, Sam Hubbard, Leah Karpel, Heidi Kettenring, Lila Morse, Eric Slater, James Sparling, Sophie Thatcher, Kristina Valada-Viars and Antonio Zhiurinskas

Dates: First performance: February 24, 2015

Press openings: Wednesday, March 4 and Thursday, March 5 at 7:30pm

Closing performance: June 28, 2015

                          

            Schedule: Tuesdays & Wednesdays: 7:30pm

                        (with select 2:00pm Wednesday matinees)

                        Thursdays & Fridays: 8:00pm 

                        Saturdays: 4:00pm and 8:00pm

                        Sundays: 2:00pm and 6:00pm

                       

Location: Books on Vernon, 664 Vernon Ave, Glencoe 

             

Prices: Prices for all performances range from $35 - $70

           Purchase early for best prices     

Box Office: The Box Office is located at 321 Park Avenue, Glencoe;

847-242-6000; www.writerstheatre.org

*Director Kimberly Senior recently made her Broadway debut with Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar.*

Writers Theatre is again partnering with North Shore Libraries for its annual From Page to Stage program.  In addition, WT has joined forces with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. and The Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center in Skokie.  A comprehensive list of events can be found at www.writerstheatre.org/from-page-to-stage. 

Writers Theatre presents The Diary of Anne Frank by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, adapted by Wendy Kesselman and directed by Kimberly Senior. The show runs February 24 – June 28, 2015 at Books on Vernon, 664 Vernon Avenue, Glencoe. 

Thirteen actors share the intimate Writers Theatre bookstore space in this powerful and authentic portrait of a young girl clinging to hope in a time of tragedy. 

*The collection of 13 actors represents the largest cast ever to perform together on any Writers Theatre stage.  In the 60-seat bookstore space, they will equal nearly a quarter of the audience.*

As vital today as when it was first written, Anne Frank’s extraordinary diary has become an essential part of how we remember one of the darkest periods of human history. Filled with its young author’s luminous spirit – her “boundless desire for all that is beautiful and good” – the diary also illuminates the coming of age of a complex, passionate young girl as she falls in love, grows into a woman and struggles to survive with her family amid the chaos of war and religious persecution.

*For the Writers Theatre production, Anne Frank will be played by an actress very close to Anne’s age at the time of the play, 14-year-old Sophie Thatcher.*

Directed by Kimberly Senior, the Writers Theatre production will provide a visceral insight into the realities of life in the “secret annex,” in which the tight quarters and forced intimacy serve as an ever-present reminder of the danger just outside--allowing audiences to come to know Anne and her family in a new and strikingly honest way.

  

Curtain times are Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7:30pm; Thursdays and Fridays at 8:00pm; Saturdays at 4:00pm and 8:00 pm; Sundays at 2:00pm and 6:00pm. Select Wednesday matinees are at 2:00pm. Tickets are $35-$70 and are available at the Box Office, 321 Park Avenue, Glencoe; 847-242-6000 or online at www.writerstheatre.org.

  

AUDIENCE ENRICHMENT

Throughout the season, Writers will be offering post-show discussions on select Wednesday evenings following the performance. Post-show discussions provide a forum for audience members to ask questions of the artists in the production and gain new insight into the work.

This year, Writers Theatre is continuing its partnership with select North Shore libraries to present the 10^th Annual From Page to Stage, designed to enhance and enrich audience appreciation of The Diary of Anne Frank.  All events are FREE of charge and open to the public, though reservations are required.  

Additionally, Writers is collaborating with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center on a series of special enrichment events in order to further enhance audience engagement with the play:

CO-PRESENTED WITH THE ILLINOIS HOLOCAUST MUSEUM & EDUCATION CENTER IN SKOKIE

Presentation: In Their Voices

Sunday, March 15 – 1:30 p.m.

Hosted by Temple Am Shalom - 840 Vernon Ave, Glencoe

Aaron Elster, a child survivor of the Holocaust, will speak about his youth in the Sokolow Ghetto with his two sisters, mother and father, and his experiences and lessons from the Holocaust.

Performance: In Their Voices II

Sunday, March 22 – 1:30 p.m.

Hosted by the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center - 9603 Woods Drive, Skokie

Reading from the moving compilation of stories In Our Voices, actors from Writers Theatre pay tribute to emotional and inspiring accounts of Holocaust survival written by Chicagoland-based survivors.

CO-PRESENTED WITH THE UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

Lecture: Some Were Wives, Some Were Mothers: Female Perpetrators during the Holocaust

Tuesday, May 12, (The start time and location for this event are yet to be announced.)
Wednesday, May 13, (The start time and location for this event are yet to be announced.)

Featuring Wendy Lower, Ph.D., Professor of History at Claremont McKenna College.

Former Museum fellow Lower will present new evidence that challenges the traditional picture of Germany’s women during World War II, shifting from that of loyal wives and mothers holding down the home front to one in which they are perpetrators in the Reich’s killing fields.

For more information, visit writerstheatre.org/events.

RIDE METRA TO WRITERS THEATRE

In an effort to promote taking public transit to the Theatre, Writers Theatre launched a new promotion in 2013. Any audience member who purchases a ticket to a Writers Theatre production and rides Metra’s Union Pacific North Line to the Theatre may snap a photo of themselves on the train and post it to their Facebook page or Twitter feed with a tag of @writerstheatre and #[the title of the show], and upon showing the post at the Writers Theatre Box Office, receive $5 in cash (in essence, paying the cost of the train ride from Downtown ($4.75).

This promotion is available for a limited time only, and may end without warning. Ticket must have been paid for in advance. Not valid on comp tickets. More information available at writerstheatre.org/metra

WRITERS THEATRE PARTNERS

Writers Theatre is pleased to recognize BMO Harris Bank as Season Sponsor of its 2014/15 Season, The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation as Bookstore Series Supporter, Northern Trust and Urban Innovations as Corporate Sponsors of The Diary of Anne Frank, and ComEd as Official Lighting Sponsor.  Additionally Writers Theatre is grateful to the following individuals for their sponsorship of The Diary of Anne Frank: Mrs. Louise Hart as Artists Council Sponsor; Randy L. and Melvin R. Berlin as From Page to Stage Sponsors; Julie and Larry Bernstein as Student Matinee Supporters; and Jeremy and Gill Farmer, Carol and Joel Honigberg, Cindy and David Knapp, Jane and Richard Lipton, Lizzy and Josh Scheinfeld, Harrison and Lois Steans, Seth Traxler and Jessica Aspen, and Kevin and Ellen Van Wart as Director’s Society Sponsors.

For more information about Writers Theatre’s 2014/15 Partners, visit writerstheatre.org/our-supporters.

ABOUT WRITERS THEATRE

Over the past twenty-three seasons, Writers Theatre has become a major Chicagoland cultural destination with a national reputation for excellence. Under the artistic leadership of Michael Halberstam and the executive leadership of Kathryn M. Lipuma, Writers Theatre has been deemed the “best drama company in the nation” by The Wall Street Journal. The company, which plays to a sold-out and discerning audience of 35,000 patrons each season, has garnered critical praise for the consistent high quality and intimacy of its artistry. Prized for the finest interpretations of classic and contemporary theatre in its two intensely intimate venues, Writers Theatre’s acclaimed work includes Artistic Director Michael Halberstam’s world premiere in Glencoe and subsequent productions of A Minister’s Wife at Lincoln Center Theater and West Coast premiere at the San Jose Repertory Theatre; David Cromer’s productions of A Streetcar Named Desire and Picnic; and the commissioning, world premiere and New York premiere of Crime and Punishment, which has received more than 30 subsequent regional theater productions.

In November 2013, Writers Theatre announced the launch of the $34 million On To a New Stage Campaign, which includes a cash reserve.  This campaign will establish the company's first permanent home in a new theatre center in downtown Glencoe, designed by the award-winning, internationally renowned Studio Gang Architects led by Founder and Design Principal Jeanne Gang. This will allow the Theatre to continue to grow to accommodate its audience, while maintaining its trademark intimacy. The new facility will resonate with and complement the Theatre’s neighboring Glencoe community, adding tremendous value to Chicagoland and helping to establish the North Shore as a premier cultural destination.

Find Writers Theatre on Facebook at Facebook.com/WritersTheatre or follow @WritersTheatre on Twitter. For more information, visit www.writerstheatre.org.

Chicago Theatre Week Features Great Discount Tickets Now Through February 22nd #ChicagoTheatreWeek #ChiILPicksList

Due to overwhelming success, Chicago Theatre Week is expanding in 2015. The upcoming celebration of the rich tradition of theatre-going in Chicago is returning for its third year and will take place February 12 – 22, 2015, spanning a week and two full weekends for the first time. More than 100 productions are expected to participate as part of the 2015 lineup by offering tickets for $15 or $30, or less. Chicago Theatre Week is presented by the League of Chicago Theatres in partnership with Choose Chicago.

Tickets are onsale at www.ChicagoTheatreWeek.com.

ChiIL Live Shows has seen and highly recommends:

The Selfish Giant at Chicago Children’s Theatre; Rapture, Blister, Burn at the Goodman Theatre; Mr. Burns: A Post Electric Play at Theater Wit; and Samsara at Victory Gardens Theater. 

A few more of Chicago Theatre Week’s 2015 participating productions of note include:

Waiting for Godot at Court Theatre; Tannhäuser at the Lyric Opera of Chicago; Tommy at Paramount Theatre; and Marie Antoinette at Steppenwolf Theatre Company.

The complete list of participating theatres are listed on www.chicagotheatreweek.com. In the past two years, more than 200 shows have offered value-priced tickets to more than 600 performances in one week. Visitors and residents will again have the opportunity to sample the extraordinary range of theatrical offerings throughout Chicagoland.

“The decision to expand Chicago Theatre Week comes in response to the overwhelming success this celebration has seen over the past two years,” comments Deb Clapp, Executive Director of the League of Chicago Theatres. “We are so thrilled to be able to share the amazing work this theatre community produces with audiences during this 11-day celebration.”

“Choose Chicago is excited to be a partner for Chicago Theatre Week in 2015,” declares Melissa Cherry, Vice President of Cultural Tourism & Neighborhoods of Choose Chicago. “This is a perfect moment for visitors to experience the city, and shine a light on Chicago's amazing theatre scene.”

Kate Lipuma, Executive Director of Writers Theatre and Chair of the League of Chicago Theatres adds, “The reach of Chicago Theatre Week has expanded so much that one week just wasn’t enough! The 11-day celebration in 2015 will offer Chicagoans and visitors even more opportunities to visit their favorite theatres and explore new companies all across Chicago.”

The hotel partners for Chicago Theatre Week 2015 are ACME Hotel Company and The Dana Hotel & Spa.  For information about Special Theatre Week rates, visit www.chicagotheatreweek.com.

About Chicago theatre

Chicago theatre is a leader in the U.S. with more than 250 theatres throughout Chicagoland, comprising a rich and varied community ranging from storefront, non-union theaters to the most renowned resident theatres in the country, including 5 that have been honored with Regional Tony Awards, and the largest touring Broadway organization in the nation. Chicago’s theatres serve 5 million audience members annually and have a combined budget of more than $250 million. Chicago produces and/or presents more world premieres annually than any other city in the nation. In 2012-13 alone, Chicago theatre companies produced more than 130 world premiere productions and adaptations. Each year, Chicago theatres send new work to resident theatres across the country, to Broadway, and around the world. 

About the League of Chicago Theatres

The League of Chicago Theatres is an alliance of theatres which leverages its collective strength to promote, support, and advocate for Chicago's theatre industry locally, nationally, and internationally. The League of Chicago Theatres Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the art of theatre in the Chicago area through audience development and support services for theatres and theatre professionals.

For a comprehensive list of Chicago productions, visit the League of Chicago Theatres website, www.chicagoplays.com.  Half-price tickets are available each week at www.hottix.org.  Additional information about Chicago Theatre Week is available at www.chicagotheatreweek.com.

IT'S ON: Chicago Theatre Week 2015 #theatre

More than 100 productions are participating as part of the 2015 lineup by offering tickets for $15 or $30, or less. Chicago Theatre Week is presented by the League of Chicago Theatres 

in partnership with Choose Chicago.

Additional events to take place at Theatre Week Central including a staged reading of Mia McCullough’s The Plays About the Squirrels and Playwrights at Work with Regina Taylor, Philip Dawkins, Ike Holter J. Nicole Brooks and Randall Colburn, among others 

February 12 – 22, 2015

Chicago Theatre Week, starting this week, February 12 – 22, 2015, is returning for a third year and is spanning a week and two full weekends for the first time.  Also for the first time is Theatre Week Central, 163 E. Pearson, featuring the Storefront Playwright Project – as well as hotel partnerships with ACME Hotel Company and the dana hotel and spa. Special hotel room rate information for Chicago Theatre Week can be found at http://bit.ly/CTW15HotelOffers.

  

Tickets are on sale and a complete list of participating shows is listed on www.ChicagoTheatreWeek.com.  In the past two years, more than 200 shows have offered value-priced tickets to more than 600 performances in one week. Visitors and residents will again have the opportunity to sample the extraordinary range of theatrical offerings throughout Chicagoland.

Theatre Week Central

Theatre Week Central, 163 E. Pearson in the historic Water Tower Water Works, will provide information on the extraordinary range of theatrical offerings taking place throughout Chicago during Theatre Week and special happenings, including Playwrights at Work and a staged reading.

Playwrights at Work will take place at Theatre Week Central throughout Chicago Theatre Week on Tuesdays through Saturdays, from 10am to 6pm and Sundays from noon– 4pm.   Following the success of the Storefront Playwright Project in 2013 and 2014, the League of Chicago Theatres is again supporting and providing space for nearly 20 emerging and established playwrights to work on a current writing project in view of the public.  From a large screen facing outward, the public will be able to read what the playwright is writing and watch the creation of the next great Chicago play in real time. The aim of the project is to raise the visibility of playwrights in Chicago and encourage audiences to engage more deeply with Chicago theatre and the creative process of writing a new play for the theatre.

Participating Playwrights at Work include: Brooke Allen, Scott T. Barsotti, J. Nicole Brooks, Randall Colburn, Bilal Dardai, Philip Dawkins, Emily Dendinger, Liz Ellison, Chad Eschman, Skye Robinson Hillis, Ike Holter, Robert Koon, Susan Lieberman, Jessy Lauren Smith, Laura Stratford, and Regina Taylor.

Chicago Dramatists will present a staged reading of The Plays About the Squirrels by Resident Playwright Mia McCullough on Saturday, February 14 at 4:30pm at Theatre Week Central. Directed by Interim Artistic Director Meghan Beals McCarthy, the cast includes Cory Krebsbach, Emi Clark, Marguerite Hammersly, Janelle Snow, and Alicia Berneche.

About The Plays About the Squirrels

Infestation: Sarah and Tom don't want squirrels. They don't want them in their house or on the premises, not even on the fence. It's in the pre-nup. So when Tom accidentally traps a squirrel in their attic and Sarah must call in an exterminator, it nearly tears their relationship to shreds.

Compensation: When Sarah and Tom get the bill from the exterminator, Tom goes on a crusade to get the neighborhood association to cover part of the cost... since squirrels are a public health issue, after all. The neighborhood association doesn't feel the need to pay for other people's "carelessness" in regards to squirrels until one of their powerful members is attacked and has an extermination bill of her own.

Mia McCullough’s plays have been produced at theatres around the country, including Steppenwolf, Chicago Dramatists, and Stage Left (Chicago), The Old Globe (San Diego), and InterAct (Philadelphia). Mia teaches playwriting and screenwriting at Northwestern University, as well as teaching yearly playwriting workshops in Chicago Public schools.

About Chicago theatre

Chicago theatre is a leader in the U.S. with more than 250 theatres throughout Chicagoland, comprising a rich and varied community ranging from storefront, non-union theaters to the most renowned resident theatres in the country, including 5 that have been honored with Regional Tony Awards, and the largest touring Broadway organization in the nation. Chicago’s theatres serve 5 million audience members annually and have a combined budget of more than $250 million. Chicago produces and/or presents more world premieres annually than any other city in the nation. In 2012-13 alone, Chicago theatre companies produced more than 130 world premiere productions and adaptations. Each year, Chicago theatres send new work to resident theatres across the country, to Broadway, and around the world. 

About the League of Chicago Theatres

The League of Chicago Theatres is an alliance of theatres which leverages its collective strength to promote, support, and advocate for Chicago's theatre industry locally, nationally, and internationally. The League of Chicago Theatres Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the art of theatre in the Chicago area through audience development and support services for theatres and theatre professionals.

For a comprehensive list of Chicago productions, visit the League of Chicago Theatres website, www.chicagoplays.com.  Half-price tickets are available each week at www.hottix.org or at one of the three downtown Hot Tix locations.  Additional information about Chicago Theatre Week is available at www.chicagotheatreweek.com.

Junior Explorers Turns Planet Friendly Play Into Real Donations #JuniorExplorers #review #ad

Disclosure: I received a Junior Explorers sample kit for the purpose of this review. This post was made possible by Mom Spark Media. Thoughts are my own. 

Here at ChiIL Mama we're all about philanthropy and teaching our kids cool ways to make our planet a better place, locally and globally. So, we were excited when Junior Explorers offered to send us a sample kit to review. We were particularly jazzed that this month's packet was an Arctic Mission, since all 4 of us actually took a trip not too far south of the Arctic Circle in Sweden, as far north as Mora, a few years back. And 3 of us spent summer solstice just south of the Arctic Circle in Alaska, as far north as Fairbanks, before that.

ChiIL Mama's Sage wants to be a vet and loves to make a difference. She's fashionably ready for her Mission ARCTIC in her flap hat!

Junior Explorers is a first-of-its-kind program for kids that combines offline and online learning to teach them about our planet!

Junior Explorers is great for kids ages 5-11

My daughter, Sage, is at the top of the recommended age range, as an 11 year old, 6th grader. And she still totally got excited when our big envelope full of little animals, collectable cards, an activity book, stickers, a button, a page of fun facts and a collectible mission band arrived in the mail. Junior Explorers includes so much great info and and so many fun activities in their on line component. Then the tangible items that arrive in the mail are like having a birthday, with exciting little surprises to open, every month!

Who doesn't love little collectibles and getting mail?!

Here at ChiIL Mama we're thrilled with the eco-friendly, educational bent and even happier that Junior Explorers donates to some of our favorite nonprofits, such as the WWF and the Nature Conservancy, to make a real world difference. 

**Junior Explorers gives back a percentage of its revenue to real conservation projects happening around our planet! We’ve teamed up with Seventh Generation to jumpstart this initiative!**

How does it work? Kids complete ‘missions’ to explore different ecosystems and animals every month! Each mission includes both offline and online components.

1. Delivered home: Each month, Junior Explorers receive a kit in the mail. This kit is filled with activities, games, cool collectibles and a secret code. This code is used to unlock the monthly online component.

2. Learning online: Once kids log on and unlock their mission, they join Junior Explorers Kia and Kyle in solving a mystery about our planet. Through gamified learning, they follow an engaging narrative and complete games, while earns points and discover new concepts along the way!

3. Giving back: As kids play games online, they earn points that are turned into real donations to nonprofits such as the WWF and the Nature Conservancy. Kids are given a true experience in giving back to the animals and ecosystems they have just learned about!

What are we all about? Kids + Animals + Learning + Fun!

Check it out. Junior Explorers is real fun in the real & virtual worlds, that makes a world of difference. Click here for more information or to sign up and get started on your own eco-friendly adventures!

Disclosure: I received a Junior Explorers sample kit for the purpose of this review. This post was made possible by Mom Spark Media. Thoughts are my own. 

Women Driving Excellence Returns to The Chicago Auto Show 2/17/15 #WDE15 #NissanCAS #Ad

ChiIL Mama is elated to be partnering up with Women Driving Excellence at The Chicago Auto Show for the second year now. ChiIL out in Chi, IL with us for an enriching, educational, and fun day with informative, inspiring women.

Disclosure: We have been compensated for sharing this information with our readers and covering the event. As always all opinions are our own. Thanks to Women Driving Excellence for inviting ChiIL Mama to partner up with them on this fabulous programing again this year. We're looking forward to it and hope you'll join us there in person or vicariously, on line.

Click here and scroll down to check out our photo filled recap from last year.

PS. This time last year we were in the market for a new car and I'm excited to admit that we bought that Nissan Rogue I was ogling last year at the Chicago Auto Show. I've been driving it since last March and it's definitely excellent. (No, I didn't get the "ChiIL Mama Rogue" as awesome as it was... I went for the slightly more subtle, gorgeous graphite blue!) We got the 7 seater and it's perfect for occasional visits from the grandparents, carpooling, and taking friends to fun events with us.

2014 Recap:

The ChiIL Mama Nissan Rogue

The Graphite Blue Nissan Rogue

Women Driving Excellence - celebrating women who start, accelerate, fuel, and steer others to excellence. 

Join in Person:

Women's Day on Feb. 17, 2015

Click HERE to register.

The networking session will be facilitated by Nawbo (National Women's Business Organization)  & Epwng (Exclusive Professional Women's Networking Group). The honorees recognition portion will be empowering. We've been to numerous tapings of The ChicagonistaLIVE show and as always, it promises to bring some fun to the festivities.

Join us on line:

Live far or can't ditch work? You can still join us on line for Women Driving Excellence 2014. Follow the hashtags! #WDE15 is sponsored by Nissan and produced by MJ Tam & Beth Rosen of the #ChicagonistaLIVE show in coordination with the Chicago Tribune and will be held at the Chicago Auto Show - Women's Day on Feb. 17, 2015

Get social: Join us now, leading up to, and during WDE15 on the Women Driving Excellence Facebook Page.

For flash giveaways, real time photo features, and the first heads up on incoming fun in Chi, IL and beyond, FOLLOW ChiIL Mama (family friendly) and ChiIL Live Shows (adult):

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Disclosure: We have been compensated for sharing this information with our readers and covering the event. As always all opinions are our own. Thanks to Women Driving Excellence for inviting ChiIL Mama to partner up with them on this fabulous programing again this year. We're looking forward to it and hope you'll join us there in person or vicariously, on line.