Podcasts about northlight theatre

Jeremy Wechsler is Theater Wit's Producing Artistic Director. On this episode, Jeremy joins us to discuss his direction of Prayer for the French Republic by Joshua Harmon, co-produced with Northlight Theatre. The play, set in 1944 and 1945, during the Vichy Government's fall, and in 2016 and 2017, delves into the complexities of personal relationships to their Jewish identity and the challenges of navigating cultural expectations. Throughout the episode, Jeremy and I discuss the play's themes of safety, belonging, and individual choices in the face of uncertainty.  Don't miss the Chicago premiere of this powerful play, blending sharp humor and profound drama in a story as timely as it is timeless. Prayer for the French Republic runs through May 18th!BUY TIX HEREFollow Theater Wit here: @theaterwitFollow Northlight Theatre here: @northlightthtr

On this episode, I spoke to writer and co-director Kelly O'Sullivan, co-director Alex Thompson, and lead actor Keith Kupferer about their work on Ghostlight.  Another reminder for all movie lovers! Win a gift card to your favorite local cinema! Subscribe to Silver Screen Social on iTunes or Spotify, leave a rating/review, and DM us a screenshot on Instagram @jacksonvickery or @silverscreensocialpod for your chance to win!  A bit about the three… KELLY O'SULLIVAN (Writer and Co-Director): Kelly O'Sullivan is a writer, director and actor. She wrote and starred in SAINT FRANCES which premiered at SXSW and won a Special Jury Prize for "Breakthrough Voice" and the Audience Award for Narrative Feature. SAINT FRANCES, released by Oscilloscope Laboratories, is one of the most acclaimed independent films of 2020. Kelly received a Gotham Award nomination for Breakthrough Actor, a John Cassavetes nomination from the Independent Spirit Awards and was also named one of Filmmaker Magazine's "25 New Faces of Independent Film."  Kelly was recently seen in Cooper Raiff's acclaimed 2022 film CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH, and will next be seen in the independent films HANGDOG, directed by Matt Cascella and THE GRADUATES by Hannah Peterson. On the small screen Kelly has appeared in two seasons of "Sirens" as well as Hulu's "Battleground" and FOX's "The Mob Doctor." Her theater credits include THE SEAGULL at The Goodman and seven productions at the Steppenwolf including THE CRUCIBLE. Kelly recently made her debut behind the camera with the short film "My Summer Vacation." ALEX THOMPSON (Co-Director) Alex Thompson is a writer, director and producer based in Chicago. His debut feature, SAINT FRANCES, premiered at the '19 SXSW Film Festival and won the Grand Jury prize for "Breakthrough Voice" and the Audience Award. KEITH KUPFERER (Dan) Keith Kupferer's more recent stage credits include West Side Story (Lyric Opera) The Seagull and The Great Leap at Steppenwolf Theatre; The Cake, Cal in Camo (Jeff Award for Supporting Actor), American Wee-Pie, and 26 Miles at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble where he is a founding member; Sweat, Support Group for Men (Jeff nomination for Ensemble), God of Carnage, Passion Play, High Holidays at The Goodman Theater; Murder on the Orient Express at Drury Lane; The Mystery of Love and Sex (Jeff Nomination for Supporting Actor), and Death of a Streetcar Named Virginia Wolf at Writer's Theatre; The Qualms, Good People, and Middletown, Of Mice & Men also at Steppenwolf Theatre; the world premiere of The Humans at American Theatre Company; Hillary and Clinton, Never the Sinner, and Appropriate at Victory Gardens; Gypsy at Chicago Shakespeare Theater; The Legend of Georgia McBride at Northlight Theatre; Big Lake, Big City and Trust for Lookingglass Theatre. Film credits include Emperor of Ocean Park (currently filming); Ghostlight; Widows; Monuments; The Dilemma; Dark Knight; Public Enemies; The Express; Stranger Than Fiction; Road to Perdition; Finding Santa; Fred Klaus; The Last Rights of Joe May; and The Merry Gentleman directed by Michael Keaton. TV credits include Southside, The Big Leap, 61st Street, The Chi; Proven Innocent; Better Call Saul; Empire; Chicago P.D.; Betrayal; Crisis; Chicago Fire; and Detroit 187.

In a delightfully macabre bit of counter-programming, Northlight Theatre is producing the classic Dial M For Murder, which has already been extended into 2024 and whose director Georgette Verdin talks about why it's the perfect kind of play for the holiday season. Georgette reveals the fantastic run of mystery-thrillers she's been on; the opportunity and payoff of leaning into genre programming; the fundamental need for catharsis; how the theatre industry struggles to market new work and reach new audiences (and sometimes succeeds); and the powerful beauty of finding light in the darkness. (Length 17:47)

This week, playwright, poet, and author Pearl Cleage discusses her life and career with Remy Bumppo Theatre Artistic Director Marti Lyons. Remy Bumppo staged Cleage's Blues for an Alabama Sky in the fall of 2023. This conversation originally took place September 26, 2023 and was recorded live via Zoom. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME More about the speakers: Pearl Cleage (she/her/hers) is an Atlanta-based writer whose plays include POINTING AT THE MOON, WHAT I LEARNED IN PARIS, FLYIN' WEST, BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY, and BOURBON AT THE BORDER, commissioned and directed by Kenny Leon at the Alliance Theatre. She is also the author of A SONG FOR CORETTA, written in 2007 during Cleage's time as Cosby Professor in Women's Studies at Spelman College. Her play, THE NACIREMA SOCIETY REQUESTS THE HONOR OF YOUR PRESENCE AT A CELEBRATION OF THEIR FIRST ONE HUNDRED YEARS, was commissioned by the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and premiered in 2010, in a joint production by the ASF and Atlanta's Alliance Theatre, directed by Susan Booth. Her plays have also been performed at Arena Stage, Hartford Stage, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Huntington Theatre, the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, the Long Wharf Theatre, Just US Theatre, True Colors Theatre, Bushfire Theatre, the Intiman Theatre, St. Louis Black Repertory Company, and Seven Stages. She is also an accomplished performance artist, often working in collaboration with her husband, writer Zaron W. Burnett, Jr. They have performed at the National Black Arts Festival, the National Black Theatre Festival, and colleges and universities across the country. Cleage and Burnett also collaborated with performance artists Idris Ackamoor and Rhodessa Jones on the script for THE LOVE PROJECT, which premiered at the National Black Theatre Festival in 2008, and is currently touring the country. Cleage is also an accomplished novelist. Her novels include “What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day,” a New York Times bestseller and an Oprah Book Club selection, “I Wish I Had a Red Dress,” “Some Things I Never Thought I'd Do,” “Babylon Sisters,” “Baby Brother's Blues,” “Seen It All and Done the Rest,” and “Till You Hear from Me.” She is also the author of “Mad at Miles: A Blackwoman's Guide to Truth,” a groundbreaking work of race and gender, and “We Speak Your Names,” a praise poem commissioned by Oprah Winfrey for her 2005 celebration of legendary African American women and written in collaboration with Zaron Burnett. Cleage has also written for magazines, including “Essence,” “Vibe,” “Rap Pages,” and “Ms.” In addition to her work as the founding editor of “Catalyst” magazine, a literary journal, she was a regular columnist for the Atlanta Tribune for ten years, winning many awards for her thought-provoking columns. She has also written for TheDefendersOnLine.com. Cleage has been awarded grants in support of her work from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Fulton County Arts Council, the Georgia Council on the Arts, the Atlanta Bureau of Cultural Affairs, and the Coca-Cola Foundation. Her work has earned her many awards and honors, including an NAACP Image Award for fiction in 2008. Pearl Cleage is represented by Ron Gwiazda at Abrams Artists Agency in New York City. Her website is www.PearlCleage.net. She also maintains a Facebook fan page. www.pearlcleage.net. Marti Lyons (she/her/hers) most recently directed the world-premiere of Galileo's Daughter by Jessica Dickey at Remy Bumppo, Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberly at Northlight Theatre, Wife of a Salesman by Eleanor Burgess at Milwaukee Rep, Sense and Sensibility adapted by Jessica Swale at American Players Theatre and the world-premiere of John Proctor is the Villain by Kimberly Belflower at Studio Theatre in D.C. Marti's other productions include The Niceties by Eleanor Burgess at Writers Theatre; Cymbeline at American Players Theatre; The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe and both the stage and audio productions of Kings by Sarah Burgess at Studio Theatre; the world-premiere of How to Defend Yourself by liliana padilla, a Victory Gardens and Actors Theatre of Louisville co-production; Cambodian Rock Band by Lauren Yee at Victory Gardens and City Theatre; Witch by Jen Silverman at Geffen Playhouse and Writers Theatre (LA Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Direction); Native Gardens by Karen Zacarías at Victory Gardens; Botticelli in the Fire by Jordan Tannahill at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company; I, Banquo at Chicago Shakespeare Theater; Title and Deed by Will Eno at Lookingglass Theatre Company; Laura Marks' Bethany and Mine at The Gift Theatre. Marti is also an ensemble member at The Gift Theatre, and a member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. martilyons.com

An award-winning theatrical costume designer who has collaborated with The American Conservatory Theater, Teatro Zinzanni, The Roundabout Theatre Company, Cabaret Zazou, California Shakespeare Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Walnut Street Theatre, Cleveland Playhouse, TheatreWorks, Classic Stage Company, Northlight Theatre, The Papermill Playhouse and The Pasadena Playhouse.  She has created costumes for A Christmas Carol, Comedy of Errors, Test Match, Tales of the City, Scapin, The Government Inspector, The Merry Widow, Crowns, Blue, Everything's Ducky and The Cherry Orchard.  

About the New Jewish Theatre: The New Jewish, St. Louis' Premier Small Professional Theatre, is dedicated to the exploration of universal themes and issues and the examination of the full range of the human experience filtered through the lens of the Jewish experience. Through the medium of theater, we build bridges of multicultural understanding, tolerance, communication and education. ——— About Rebekah Scallet: Rebekah served as the Producing Artistic Director for the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, an Equity summer Shakespeare festival, from 2011 to 2020.  During that time, she produced 32 plays and musicals, directed eight, and oversaw the creation of 2020's “Revisiting Shakespeare,” an online festival celebrating and investigating Shakespeare and his work's role and relevance today. ——- Notable accomplishments during her time at AST include: more than doubling AST's audience size; expanding the performance season by one week; establishing a hugely successful educational touring program; and founding the AST Artistic Collective, a group of actors, designers, and directors who advise AST's artistic process and are committed to AST as their creative home. —— Prior to her time with AST, Rebekah also worked as the Producing ——Associate and Literary Manager for Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, an Equity company based in Chicago with a mission of producing works by and about women's lives. She also served as the Marketing Associate for Northlight Theatre in Skokie for four years. ———    

Two-time Olivier Award-winning playwright Ken Ludwig has written Dear Jack, Dear Louise, a funny and charming romantic comedy that won the Helen Hayes award in 2020 for Best New Play and opens this week at the Northlight Theatre in the suburbs of Chicago. Dear Jack, Dear Louise depicts the unlikely courtship of Ken's parents during World War II, and he discusses the origins of a play that is both right in his wheelhouse and a departure from the rest of his oeuvre; the joy of discovering subject matter that's both freeing and always surprising; the wonder of actors becoming new people who also have his parents' essence; whether it's easier to think of your parents as real people or as characters in a play; how he's writing a brand-new jukebox comic opera, using music by Rossini, called Tenor Overboard; a shout-out to the Chichester Theater Festival; and how Dear Jack, Dear Louise is ultimately a love letter to Ken's – any maybe all – parents. (Length 18:45) (PICTURED: Casey Hoekstra and Sarah Price as the title characters in the Northlight Theatre production of Dear Jack, Dear Louise, directed by Jessica Fisch. Photo by Greg Inda. The post Jack And Louise appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

'Red Bike' Playwright, Caridad Svich and Director/Writer, Kareem Fahmy talk to TNT about working and developing new works in the theatre industry- what needs to change and where to start. Caridad discusses how to make climate aware art with a transmedia design in mind. Kareem goes on to say that artists are the vanguard to change. – and so much more in this discussion with TNT Artistic Director, Nathaniel Shaw. ARTIST BIOS: Caridad Svich received a 2012 OBIE for Lifetime Achievement. Her work as a playwright, translator, lyricist, and essayist has been seen in print, live and digital stages at diverse venues across the US and abroad. Key plays in her extensive repertoire include 12 Ophelias, Iphigenia Crash Land Falls…, Red Bike and The House of the Spirits (based on Isabel Allende's novel). Theatrical digital world premieres in 2021 have included The Book of Magdalene at Main Street Theater, Houston, and Theatre: a love story at Know Theatre, Cincinnati. Memories of Overdevelopment was developed at The Goodman Theatre's Future Labs Reading Series this summer. As a screenwriter, her first feature film (as co-screenwriter, based on her play) Fugitive Dreams has been seen at the Fantasia, Austin, Tallinn Black Nights, Manchester (UK) and Maryland Film Festivals. Among her recognitions are an American Theatre Critics Association Primus Prize, the Edgerton Foundation New Play Award, and National Latino Playwriting Award (which she has received twice). She has edited several books on theatre. She most recently authored a book about Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Routledge). Her second feature film Abilene (as screenwriter) is currently in post-production. Her new book Toward a Future Theatre was published in December 2021 by Methuen Drama. Follow Caridad on Twitter @Csvich. Make sure not to miss their new play THE HOUSE ON THE LAGOON, based on Rosario Ferre's novel, premieres at GALA Theatre in Washington D.C. February 3-27, 2022. …… Kareem Fahmy is a Canadian-born director and playwright of Egyptian descent. His plays, which include American Fast, A Distinct Society, Dodi & Diana, Pareidolia, The In-Between, and an adaptation of the acclaimed novel The Yacoubian Building, have been developed at Atlantic Theatre Company, The Denver Center, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Northlight Theatre, The Magic Theatre, Capital Repertory Theatre, New York Stage & Film, and more. Current commissions: Artist Repertory Theatre, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Colt Coeur. Former Sundance Theatre Lab Fellow, Yaddo Literature Fellow, Phil Killian Directing Fellow (OSF), and TCG Rising Leader of Color. Co-founder/Chair of the Middle Eastern American Writers Lab at The Lark. MFA (Theatre Directing), Columbia. www.kareemfahmy.com …… Thank you for checking out TNT: artFORUM. Subscribe to hear more of what is next for The New Theatre. This podcast is produced, edited, and directed by Hannah Sikora and Kaelen Williams. Theme music by Julian Evans www.julianevans.info

Shakespeare's Birthday Month continues with Part Two with our conversation with Dr Edel Semple from University College in Cork, Ireland, and Dr. Ronan Hatfull from the University of Warwick, talking about Shakespearean Biofiction onstage, screen, and this week on the page, too. We share love for both Hamnet the novel by Maggie O’Farrell and Hamnet the play (by Irish companies Dead Centre and the Abbey Theatre); brushes with greatness (in the forms of playwright Edward Bond and comedian Eddie Izzard); and we discuss all the big questions: how intimidating it can be putting words into Shakespeare’s mouth; how biofiction can speculate realistically or fantastically about where Shakespeare’s genius comes from; whether Shakespeare is, in fact, worth it; how Shakespeare compares to Leontes in The Winter's Tale; how we can avoid spoilers for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier; what's amazing about Lauren Gunderson’s The Book of Will; and, amazingly, the good things in Roland Emmerich’s film Anonymous. (Pictured, clockwise from top left: Laurie Davidson as the title character in the miniseries Will; Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell; Austin Tichenor as Richard Burbage in Lauren Gunderson's The Book of Will at Northlight Theatre, photo by Liz Lauren; and Kenneth Branagh as William Shakespeare in All Is True.) (Length 22:31) The post More Shakespearean Biofiction appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

Will you share your life with me for the next hour? This Episode we are talking about The Last 5 Years, and it gets spicy. Join us as Kat and SLee debate Anna Kendrick and agree on very little. They try to figure out who is at fault for the break up and reminisce on their past. Kat announces her idea for a one women production and you are gonna LOVE the cast. Will Kat and SLee's friendship survive the stress of The Last 5 Years? You'll have to listen and find out!Performances Discussed:https://youtu.be/TzGPx0W04YI - Cythina Erivo ‘Still Hurting’https://youtu.be/SkXF23iph9w - Joshua Henry ‘Moving too fast’https://youtu.be/9IAWpRANcr0 - Lauren Kennedy in the Original Production at Northlight Theatre in Skokie, Ilhttps://youtu.be/31atv2Yi4JE - Norbert Leo Butz ‘If I Didn’t Believe in You’https://youtu.be/V1EZ6m_EeNY - Sherie Rene Scot ‘I Can Do Better than that’https://youtu.be/qLq6k6Ckafg - Cher's West Side StoryFollow us on Social Media!! @thispodwontrunaweek on instagram & TikTok @thispodwontrun on twitter Hosts: Kat Shaw, @katlynwithak on all platforms Savannah-Lee Mumford @dntcallmesavannah on instagram and @dntclmesavannah on twitter Theme Song written and performed by: Rachel Lind @rachellindnyc on instagram and @rachelglind on twitter

Emily Ritger is a director, playwright, performer and choreographer based in Chicago. As a teacher and director developing new work, she has worked for American Theatre Company, Redmoon, Cleveland Public Theatre, Northlight Theatre, ChiArts, The New Harmony Project and The National High School Institute. While Ritger’s focus is in ensemble based work, her diverse training includes Viola Spolin Theatre Games, Viewpoints, Puppetry, Contact Improv, experimental methods of writing and various forms of music, creating work that is saturated in movement, music and play. Her work draws from her experience of growing up in small town Wisconsin. It celebrates rural america - its voice, land, dialect, sense of community and the people who carry on the traditions and way of life inherent to living off the land. With the agrarian landscape as her cornerstone, her work explores the philosophy and religion inherent in nature and living off the land, and the cyclical birth and death inherent in life on a farm. Her current projects include her solo show, "Crud", part documentary style theatre, part fantastical music and shadow puppetry, examining a day her family never talks about. "Behaymas", a collaboration with playwright Aliza Bartfield, three humans and one animal blur the lines of domesticity and societal constructions of family. And her play "The Day Krissy LeDuke Fell Through the Ice", is a moment in time and its arrayed vectors of tragedy told through free verse and music. She has studied with theater artists Dan Hurlin, David Neumann, Sibyl Kempson, Tina Landau, Brett Bailey, Claudia Castellucci, Aretha Sills, Shirley Kaplan, Cassandra Medley, Stuart Spencer and Tom Lee, and received her MFA in Theater from Sarah Lawrence College and a BS in Theatre and Philosophy from the University of Evansville. Edited and Produced by Kyrie Ellison (SLC21) Interviewed by Anne Bakan (SLC20) and Kyrie Ellison (SLC21)

Representation and the Role of the Multilingual Classroom pt. 1 WHBLE founder, Ah-Keisha McCants talks with Sindy I. Castro, actress, teaching artist and co-founder of Jugando N Play, a multilingual theatre for young audiences. Sindy talks about the power in engaging a multilingual learning community, and creating space for using languages as assets. Sindy Isabel Castro is an actress, educator, and theatre artist. She is co-founder of Jugando N Play, a multilingual theatre for young audiences. She graduated with her MA in Applied Theatre from CUNY's Schools of Professional Studies. She is a teaching artist with the People's Theatre Project, New York City Children's Theatre, Lincoln Center Theater, and Arts Connection. Sindy is bilingual in English and Spanish. She strives to use theatre as a tool for creating multilingual and multicultural spaces where students are empowered to embrace their home languages and cultures in the classroom. Before moving to NYC, Sindy was a teaching artist/education administrator in Chicago for seven years and worked with Steppenwolf Theatre, Writers Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Adventure Stage Chicago, and Project AIM. She was an invited member of Young IDEA at the IDEA Congress in Paris in 2013, a member of the TAD (Teaching Artist Development) Studio Cohort at Columbia College in 2014, part of the Intermediate Teaching Artist Lab at Lincoln Center Education in 2016, and a U.S. Delegate at the International Teaching Artist Conference (ITAC) in 2018. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/whble/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/whble/support

In episode 10 Louise chats to the more than a little bit impressive Sarah Rose Graber. Sarah-Rose is a performer, director, teaching artists and occasional unicorn with a fascinating resume. She's always off an exciting new creative adventure, so it was a lucky delight to catch her for a coffee and a blether. Originally from Miami, she moved to Chicago to study theatre at Northwestern University and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London which piqued her interest in the international theatre scene. Graber is a Circumnavigator Scholar Grant winner having traveled around the world to England, South Africa, Kenya, Mauritius, Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina exploring theatre for social change. She was awarded a prestigious US-UK Fulbright Grant in 2013 to work with professional theatre companies across the UK researching devising based practices and making interdisciplinary theatrical experiences. Sarah Rose was named “One of 15 Women to Watch” in 2015 by Today’s Chicago Woman Magazine and received the MacArthur International Connections Fund for her production of REPRISE with National Theatre of Scotland’s HOME AWAY Festival in partnership with Adventure Stage Chicago. In the UK, Graber has worked with the National Theatre of Scotland (TIN FOREST, GRANITE, HOME AWAY, EXCHANGE 2018), Playwrights’ Studio Scotland (STAGE TO PAGE), Fuel (THE ROOF), New Inck (SCENES UNSEEN, GOLD DUST), Tron (TRON 100 FESTIVAL), the LIFT festival (TURFED), Scottish Youth Theatre (BIT BY BIT, CREATIVE SPACES, STEALING STARS), Surge (DIRTY LAUNDRY CAMPAIGN) and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (HUNTING OF THE SNARK). Hailed by the Chicago Theatre Beat as “one of the finest comedic actresses in Chicago,” Graber has worked with many US companies including Northlight Theatre, Victory Gardens, Collaboraction, Strawdog Theatre, Metropolis Performing Arts Center, Adventure Stage Chicago, the Factory Theater, and Knife & Fork. You can find out more about her work at her website http://sarahrosegraber.com Follow Sarah-Rose on Twitter @SRGraber and on Instagram @srgraber You can support Persistent and Nasty and receive exclusive members only content by subscribing to our Patreon at www.patreon.com/persistentandnasty Persistent and Nasty is produced in association with Edinburgh based live-arts production house Civil Disobedience. Civil Disobedience is committed to creating and supporting queer work and theatre and art that addresses issues of inequality and injustice. You can find out more about the Persistent and Nasty project and all the work that Civil Disobedience do by visiting wearecivildisobedience.com. You can also find us on all the usual social media platforms. On Twitter @weareohsocivil On Instagram @wearecivildisobedience And on Facebook at Facebook.com/wearecivildisobedience

It's Gary and Frank together in the Booth for a cavalcade of theatergoer notes on shows we've recently seen around Chicago. First off, Frank tells us about his adventures in speech competition judging that's kept him away from home the past month. By all accounts, the dazzling array of young talented actors and orators is promising news for the future of theater and performance in the Chicago area. Just this afternoon, our boys went to Northlight Theatre to see the world premiere play Landladies by Sharyn Rothstein, directed by Jess McLeod. As luck would have it, this sparkling three-hander features actress Leah Karpel, who Frank has known since she was a baby some 25-odd years ago. Leah was gracious enough to spend a few minutes with us after the show talking about her role and the privilege of appearing in a world premiere, and we bring you some of that remote interview in this episode. Running through April 20. Next, we traveled to the Den Theatre to see a truly inspiring and brilliantly produced musical show called The Total Bent. Written by the acclaimed singer, songwriter, founder and leader of the punk-rock combo The Negro Problem, Stew, and his writing partner Heidi Rodewald, The Total Bent traces the lives of an established Gospel and R&B singer (magnificently played by Robert Cornelius) and his upstart young son (a dazzling debut by Gilbert Domally) as they navigate show business and the total bent of their lives together and apart. Though closed now, this show was one of the finest productions Chicago has seen in many years, so keep your eyes peeled for a revival. Director Lili-Anne Brown does amazing work keeping the story and the tension moving. Teaser Alert: Robert Cornelius and Lili-Anne Brown will be our guests next time on Episode 96! Have you heard of the very smart fish that scientists think can recognize itself in a mirror? Until now, the only species to have passed the mirror test were great apes, bottlenose dolphins, killer whales, Eurasian magpies and a single Asian elephant. Add to that list the cleaner wrasse, a 4-inch fish that lives in coral reefs. Read the full story here. Along those lines, Gary wishes that some annoying theatergoers were more self-aware! A Caryl Churchill play called A Number is receiving a striking production at Writers Theatre this spring. Running through June 9 in the Gillian Theatre, this 65-minute show is about parenting, cloning and going back to try to fix mistakes in your life. Gary was a bit lost in the narrative at times, but the two performances by William Brown and Nate Burger are compelling. Directed by Robin Witt, it's a roller coaster ride through a strikingly familiar future. As always with Writers, the production values and quality are top-notch. You can't go wrong with an evening out at Writers Theatre. Former President Jimmy Carter has become the longest-living president in US history. This past week, Mr. Carter, the nation's 39th president, reached the age of 94 years and 172 days. He has enjoyed the longest post-presidency in American history. His tireless resolve and heart have helped to improve life for millions of the world's poorest people. God bless Mr. Carter and his continued work for those in need. I'll Be Seeing You (aka Kiss of Death) Stanley Donan - The director and choreographer of classic musicals such as Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Singin' in the Rain, Royal Wedding, The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees. Mr. Donan was frequently overshadowed by his collaborator Gene Kelly, but they made a grand team. By 1960, the Metro musical was no more and Donan became an accomplished director of comedy, romance and spoof thrillers, such as Charade and Two for the Road. Mr. Donan was married five times and is survived by his long-time partner, the writer, director and actor Elaine May. Stanley Donan was 94. Read the full Guardian obit by David Thomson here.  

Gary welcomes to the Booth two true Chicago theatre professionals - both long-time stage managers at Steppenwolf Theatre - Malcolm Ewen and Laura Glenn. No one has better behind-the scenes stories than great stage managers. Malcolm has been at Steppenwolf since 1987 and was most recently welcomed into the company's elite Ensemble, an honor he didn't even know was possible. He is the first stage manager to become an ensemble member. Malcolm has taken 4 shows to Broadway, including The Grapes of Wrath and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, which were both honored with Tony awards. He has also stage managed at the Goodman, Northlight, and Remains Theatres, among others. He has directed at the Weston Playhouse Theatre in Vermont during summers for 30 years. Laura has been with Steppenwolf for 25 years with an impressive resume of memorable shows including Buried Child, Superior Donuts, and The Rembrandt. From her Actor's Equity bio: "I was fortunate enough to work with and be mentored by many great stage managers, including my hero, Malcolm Ewen. I have been a part of world premieres, great revivals, taken shows to international festivals and Broadway – both with Steppenwolf and my other creative home, Northlight Theatre." Laura and Malcolm address the age-old question, "What does a stage manager do?", with wit, sincerity and personal insight. As Gary well knows, having started his career in the theatre as a stage manager in New York, being an SM involves a myriad of responsibilities, including establishing a safe and collaborative space in which the actors and director can feel free to create, fail and try new ideas. There are also the tangible elements of scheduling, communicating, and upholding the Actors' Equity rule book, which Malcolm describes as jigsaw puzzle work. The two colleagues and dear friends reminisce about past show experiences, including some of their most satisfying and rewarding projects - Bruce Norris' Downstate for Laura and Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolff for Mal.  Laura talks about the special bond she had with the late John Mahoney. As a teacher of stage management, Malcolm has reminded his students to find their own rewards and reasons for individual achievement in a profession that can have very few accolades or public job recognition. Laura likens stage management to being a catcher on a baseball diamond. While you direct the traffic on the field and may even call the no-hitter, it's likely most people will not see your face behind the mask. Malcolm discusses his most challenging project to date - Paul Simon's Broadway musical The Capeman. This 1998 Broadway show was a commercial and critical failure, and Gary compares it to his experience on the ill-fated Peter Allen musical Legs Diamond. The three stage managers recall how the most stressful projects are the ones where the many elements that go into making a stage piece either don't come together or were ill-conceived from the start. Large casts and financial risk are also contributing factors. In our "Good Times and Bum Times" segment, we learn about the ex-wife of a man who declined to take him back even after he won the $275 million Mega Millions lottery. "I have morals," Eileen Murray said. Then there's the story of the man who tried to strangle his Lyft driver for singing out-of-season Christmas songs. Silent Night indeed! Everyone loves to hear stories of theatrical near-disasters and Malcolm, Laura and Gary have their share of tales to tell. From The Grapes of Wrath (41 actors for starters) to John Malkovich in a scenery train wreck, these stories bring to light the backstage trials and tribulations of stage management and production. And they're hilarious to boot! Gary announces the 2019-20 Steppenwolf season of shows, which contains two basketball-themed plays, as well as a world premiere musical called Lindiwe featuring the music of Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Malcolm and Laura will both be working on that project,

Tania has a call to action for listeners related to her experience with her family at Blue Harbor Resort over President's Day Weekend. A father at the park in attendance with his family had giant White Power and Swastika tattoos across his chest. When Tania and her husband requested that the manger ask the man to put on a t-shirt or leave the water park for spreading hate speech the manager refused to do it, threatened to kick out Tania's family and proceeded to make all the wrong decisions when it comes to leadership in a racially charged situation.  On a lighter note Tania talks to Chicago actress Sydney Charles (starring as Nina Simone at Northlight Theatre) in Hey, girl heyyy. Tania met with Sydney between her matinee and evening performance so there's sexy ambient sound from the Panera Bread where they ate lunch.  Like the Tania's Take Facebook page Follow @taniastake on Instagram

In this episode, we sit down with Annie Coakley. Annie is the executive director of Downtown Evanston, which was created in 1987, and provides marketing and management services to the downtown Evanston, Illinois district and is a 501(c)(6) non-profit corporation for business. Annie Coakley previously worked for the City of Chicago's Department of Planning and Development for over 14 years, managing and coordinating a wide range of programs to attract, retain and support the growth of businesses throughout Chicago. The episode walks us through what the Downtown Organization is, what it does, and why it exists, and why it is so important. She talks about the additional services it provides like advertising, landscaping and a multitude of events throughout the year. Annie talks about the new projects that are being talked about in Downtown Evanston, and what is currently being constructed. For more information you can click here. She also talks about all of the new coffee shops coming to town like Philz and Newport Coffee House. We also talk about many of the current coffee shops in Downtown Evanston like Unicorn Cafe, Other Brother, and Starbucks, Annie talk about her wishes for Evanston like an entertainment venue like Northlight Theatre; more money for public art like the Art Encounter EMAP program. More information can be found here: a pie in the sky wish for a bike route along the Metra line all the way from Evanston down to Elston similar to the 606. Reach out to Alderman Don Wilson for more information on this idea; and more landscaping similar to Michigan Avenue in Chicago. Downtown Evanston and all of their events like the Hygge Fest, which is a Danish based social winter festival which starts on February 16th at Bookends and Beginnings can be found at http://downtownevanston.org/, on Facebook at @downtownevanston, Instagram at @downtownevanston, and on Twitter at @DowntwnEvanston. I’d like to thank several people for help with today’s show. This includes my real estate brokerage, Dreamtown Realty in Evanston for helping me with my graphics for the show. I’d like to thank Industrious in Evanston for use of their space to record follow them on Instagram at @industriousevanston. And if listening to this podcast gave you the bug to buy or sell real estate, give me call or go to my real estate website at http://www.aaronmasliansky.com And don’t forget to subscribe! Thank you.

Kevin Kenerly is a 22-year veteran of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and is currently playing Richard Burbage in Lauren Gunderson's The Book of Will (after having played Burbage in Shakespeare in Love in 2017). Kevin talks with Austin Tichenor (who played Burbage in the Northlight Theatre production in 2017 and blogged about it for the Folger Shakespeare Library) about his approach to playing Shakespeare's leading man, how he first came to Shakespeare, how the role of Burbage resembles Cyrano de Bergerac, inspirational teacher shoutouts, impressive instruments, the magic of different interpretations, a love for language, the pleasure of needing no clue, Michael Caine aphorisms, how theatre sleeps when we do, and ultimately how Shakespeare and microbrew prove to be an unbeatable combination. Featuring a special appearance from Lauren Gunderson herself! (Pictured: David Kelly as Henry Condell, Kevin Kenerly as Richard Burbage, and Jeffrey King as John Heminges. From the Oregon Shakespeare Festival production of Lauren Gunderson's The Book of Will, directed by Christopher Liam Moore.) (Length 22:56)

SEASON ANNOUNCEMENTS Theatre Exile in Philadelphia. The Garry Marshall Theatre in Burbank The Studio Theatre in DC WHO'S IN AND WHO'S OUT BroadwayWorld.com shared Northlight Theatre's announcement  that they are welcoming their first ever Artistic Fellowship, Mikael Burke. For more info about Mikael Burke and the theatre go to NorthlightTheatre.org. American Theatre Magazine online shares that Marissa Wolf has been named as the new artistic director of Portland Center Stage at The Armory in Portland, OR. To read more about Marissa Wolf go to the theatre's website pcs.org or the article on AmericanTheatre.org. ARTICLES & INTERVIEWS American Theatre Magazine's series, Know A Theatre - Boise Contemporary Theater of Boise, ID. Deadline.com interviews actor James Hong, one of the founders of East West Players in LA. Theatre Philadelphia Announces 2018 Barrymore Award Nominees SOMETHING I LOVE AND HAD TO SHARE WITH YOU... Theatre Philadelphia offers $25/yr industry cards to theatre professionals that pass their criteria. They are offered discounts to 40 theatres in & around Philly, a monthly newsletter and discounts on other events and advertising. Don't forget you can buy your own copy of Treading the Boards via acltheatreresoures.com, Amazon.com, Drama Book Shop in NYC or dramabookshop.com. Thanks for listening. I hope you'll join me next Thursday and every Thursday for more Treading the Boards' Regional Theatre News.

Artistic Director BJ Jones (left) talks about Northlight Theatre, the fourth largest theatre in the Chicagoland area and producer of an extraordinary body of new work. BJ discusses the importance of understanding one's audience while raving (positively!) about student matinees, commissioning new work, remembering John Mahoney, challenging the current generation while training the next generation of theatergoers and theatre makers, and, most importantly, encouraging compassion and improving one's perspective through theatre and art. (Length 17:07)

Last week, I raved about "Faceless," a drama that's playing at The Rep in St. Louis. I liked it so much that I invited its two leads to join me in the studio to talk about it. Susaan Jamshidi plays the prosecutor, Claire, while Lindsay Stock plays Susie, the teenager accused of trying to run off an join ISIS.We talked about what they see as their characters' motivations, what it was like to step into those roles again after having played them a year ago at the Northlight Theatre in Chicago, and what it's like to be a working actress in that city.Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes! "Faceless" continues at The Rep through Sunday, February 4th. Get tickets here.

In her new play The Book of Will, Lauren Gunderson imagines what Shakespeare's fellow actors John Heminges and Henry Condell had to accomplish to publish the First Folio, the first collection of Shakespeare's plays. In the Northlight Theatre production in Chicago, actors Jim Ortlieb (a veteran of Broadway, TV, and film) and Gregory Linington (whose stage, film, and TV credits across the country include 12 seasons at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland) play John and Henry and share insights into what it's like to create these roles. Featuring research, textual clues, King's Men actors defined by NBA analogies, the difference between real life and art, the anticipation of 19th century actor/managers, the trick of getting across information, and the absolute fundamental Disney-related difference between these two literary saviors. (Length 22:27) (Jim Ortlieb as John Heminges (left), Dana Black as his daughter Alice, and Gregory Linington as Henry Condell in the Northlight Theatre production of Lauren Gunderson's The Book of Will. Photo by Liz Lauren.)

Director Jessica Thebus (Richard III, In The Garden: A Darwinian Love Story) returns to the podcast to talk about the midwest premiere of Lauren Gunderson's The Book of Will, which she's directing at the Northlight Theatre in Chicago. Jessica talks about her approach to this play, and from where she draws her certainties and insights. Featuring surprisingly little historical fudging, labors of love, illuminating paths, avoiding traps, staying ahead of the audience, and celebrating the creation of a thing that might easily never have happened. (Length 17:51) (l-r, Richard Burbage (Austin Tichenor), Alice Heminges (Dana Black), John Heminges (Jim Ortlieb), and Henry Condell (Gregory Linington) from the Northlight Theatre production of Lauren Gunderson's The Book of Will. Photo by Liz Lauren.)

Gary's guest this week is photographer, explorer, and theatre artist Stephan Mazurek. Stephan  is a storyteller - on screens, on stages, on buildings and on the web. He is a director of photography, still photographer, playwright, theatre director and projection designer. His clients include The Discovery Channel, National Geographic Channel, Food Network and ESPN, as well as spot work for Skittles, Nikon, Oscar Mayer, McDonalds and Goo Gone! Stephan is an acclaimed documentary photographer. His favorite long form documentary project was the award-winning Louder Than a Bomb, which followed 10 Chicago area high school students for a year as they prepared for a poetry competition. He also spent more than a year in Turkey, Somalia, Iraq and Bosnia shooting Love is a Verb, which tells the fascinating story of Fethullah Gulen, the exiled religious leader of the transnational social movement that began in Turkey in the 1960s, and bears his name. Gulen has been in the news recently because Mike Flynn was offered $15 million if he could bring him back to Turkey. Here is a photo of Stephan filming in Somalia with an armed body guard. Documentary film-making has taken Stephan all over the world. He tells Booth One about a favorite place - Northern Ireland. He says there is something about "the pace, the color, the light" that make him feel comfortable there. Though he has never taken a photography class, still photography remains Stephan's first love because "I know when I have it." He tells us how he gets inspired "just walking around." As a theater artist, Stephan has worked on numerous productions, designing projections for plays and musicals, including Shining Lives at Northlight Theatre. He also designed projections for The Remembered City, part of the Tim Evans' Traffic series at Steppenwolf, which featured Tony Fitzpatrick and Steve Earle and was directed by our producer, Betsy Ingram. Stephan is currently working on a screenplay. We can't wait to hear what it's about and see the film! Gary and Stephan discuss the infinite variety of theatre experiences available these days in Chicago, and what memorable stage encounters stay with them through the years. Stephan's was in Spain, Gary's in Hamburg, Germany. Stephan admits to being highly selective when choosing to take on a theatrcal project, knowing that he will want to fully dive into the work. He's looking to be challenged, inspired and wholly committed to the process. Having gone to some of the more troubled spots in the world to "get the shot", Stephan relates a harrowing story about his interpreters in southern Turkey near the Syrian border while filming Love is a Verb. After getting him lost and then lying about their exact location, Stephan has decided that in future, he will demand translators instead - someone who will repeat his conversations word for word and not "interpret" what he is saying or asking. A good lesson learned. Kiss of Death: Frances Hansen, Who Wrote Poetry Across and Down The New York Times published 82 of Mrs. Hansen's crossword puzzles, starting in the 1960s. The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times and book publishers like Dell, Random House and Simon & Schuster also printed puzzles she constructed. A diabolical cruciverbalist, Hansen often used her own original poems and limericks as answers in the 21x21 grid that makes up the Sunday NYT magazine crossword puzzle. Many times clues were given backwards, and answers were to be entered back to front. She said that puzzles came to her in her sleep, left there by the "idea Fairy." Mrs. Hansen was 85.

[vc_row full_width="stretch_row" content_placement="top" equal_height="yes" parallax="content-moving-fade" slider_images="12004" slider_animation="fadeZoom" overlay_color="rgba(0,0,0,0.2)" css=".vc_custom_1512315432253{background-position: center;background-repeat: no-repeat;background-size: contain !important;}" anchor_link="top"][vc_column width="2/3" offset="vc_col-lg-offset-2"][rowshape type="rowshape_4" position="bottom" height="30" color="#2b272c"][rowshape type="rowshape_4" position="bottom" height="50" color="rgba(166,115,81,0.6)"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width="stretch_row" anchor_link="intro" css=".vc_custom_1451644722488{padding-top: 60px !important;padding-bottom: 100px !important;}"][vc_column][vc_empty_space height="15px"][vc_column_text]Playwright Lauren Gunderson is the most produced playwright in America, and has been near the top of that list for several years now. Her play Silent Sky was recently produced at Merrimack Repertory Theatre, she's a resident playwright at Marin Theatre Company, she's written a Shakespeare Cycle consisting of three plays (Exit, Pursued by a Bear; Toil and Trouble; and The Taming), and her play The Book of Will, a comedy about the creation of the First Folio of Shakespeare's plays, is having at least three productions this season (the first and midwest premiere of which at the Northlight Theatre in Chicago our own Austin Tichenor is in). In this fun conversation, Lauren clarifies who the real most produced playwright in America while discussing battling brothers, untimely deaths, capers and hijinks, the wonder of humanizing Shakespeare, and the fundamental value of gathering communally and telling stories. HEAR PART TWO OF OUR CONVERSATION HERE! (Length 22:33)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row full_width="stretch_row" content_placement="top" equal_height="yes" parallax="content-moving-fade" slider_images="12004" slider_animation="fadeZoom" overlay_color="rgba(0,0,0,0.2)" css=".vc_custom_1512315432253{background-position: center;background-repeat: no-repeat;background-size: contain !important;}" anchor_link="top"][vc_column width="2/3" offset="vc_col-lg-offset-2"][rowshape type="rowshape_4" position="bottom" height="30" color="#2b272c"][rowshape type="rowshape_4" position="bottom" height="50" color="rgba(166,115,81,0.6)"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width="stretch_row" anchor_link="intro" css=".vc_custom_1451644722488{padding-top: 60px !important;padding-bottom: 100px !important;}"][vc_column][vc_empty_space height="15px"][vc_column_text]Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor preview all our upcoming fall dates: four shows in three countries, ten states, and thirteen cities, performed by a dozen or so actors! Featuring news about The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised], All the Great Books (abridged), The Ultimate Christmas Show (abridged), and William Shakespeare's Long Lost First Play (abridged). Featuring impressive statistics, cast member assignments, reasons why certain actors can't do certain performances, new venues, old lines, the perils of hotel ballrooms, some reluctant oversharing, previews of the upcoming comedy The Book of Will at the Northlight Theatre and It's a Wonderful Life: The Live Radio Play at Napa Valley College, and a simple beautiful phrase that can encapsulate all your holiday blessings. (Length 18:16)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Jennifer Bielstein loves the art form and experience of live theatre and believes that it can change people’s lives. Bielstein is managing director of Actors Theatre of Louisville where she oversees finance, marketing, fundraising and general operations for one of America’s most innovative theatre companies. Every year Bielstein manages one of the nation’s most prestigious new-play events, the Humana Festival while also managing regular season programming. Bielstein moved to Louisville from Chicago, Ill., where she was most recently the executive director of Writer’s Theatre. She also worked for Steppenwolf Theatre Company, About Face Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Apple Tree Theatre, and Lincoln Park Zoo and served on the board of the League of Chicago Theatres. Bielstein is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in business administration and theatre.

We're re-branding!  TalkSports is now BOOTH ONE!  Named in honor of the famous "Booth One" at the Pump Room in the former Ambassador East hotel in Chicago's trendy River North.  It was for decades the most sought-after seat in the house, as those celebrities seated there could be seen from the lobby, the bar and the rest of the room. [Booth One]  We strive to bring you the finest Booth One experiences as we explore the worlds of Culture and the Arts.  See our ABOUT page for more... In this week's Keys to the Car-ly segment, we review Ms. Fiorina's performance on the recent GOP debate and the many "mic drop" moments she claims to have scored during the proceedings.  Did her campaign staff get it right?  What is a mic drop moment? Roscoe falls on his sword while issuing some corrections to misinformation about Cinecon given in Episode 15.  Despite the errors, we are still in awe of his silent film knowledge and he continues to amaze with his Gary and Roscoe preview the upcoming Broadway and Chicago theatre seasons as they prepare for separate trips to New York to see a few shows. View 15-16 Season Preview here We also review our last ten days of Booth One experiences, including a dress rehearsal of Steppenwolf Theatre's East of Eden [link to Steppenwolf], front row seats at Cirque du Soleil's Kurios [Cirque Kurios], and Northlight Theatre's opening night of Funnyman, starring George Wendt and  Tim Kazurinsky [go to Northlight Site].  Kiss of Death We profile the life and times of legendary actor Dean Jones, star of stage and screen.  Jones was most widely known for his starring appearances in a number of Disney films, including The Love Bug and That Darn Cat.  Theater-philes will of course remember Jones as the original Bobby in Stephen Sondheim's Company.  Read more

Matthew Arkin's Broadway credits include Neil Simon's The Sunshine Boys, with Jack Klugman and Tony Randall, Mr. Simon's Laughter on the 23rd Floor, and Manhattan Theater Club's Losing Louie. Other New York credits include originating the role of Gabe in Donald Margulies' Pulitzer Prize winning Dinner with Friends(Drama Desk nomination, Drama League Honoree), Manhattan Theatre Club'sMoonlight and Magnolias, and Richard Dresser's Rounding Third. Regional Theater includes Our Mother's Brief Affair at South Coast Rep., Surf Report at La Jolla Playhouse, The Scene at Hartford Stage Company, Around the World in 80 Days at the Cape Playhouse, Rounding Third at Chicago's Northlight Theatre, Talley's Follyat The Bay Street Theatre, Guys and Dolls at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theater, and Sight Unseen at The George Street Playhouse. Film credits include indies Margot at the Wedding, Second Best, Raising Flagg, The Curse, and Bittersweet Place, as well as Death to Smoochy, Liar, Liar, North, An Unmarried Woman, and Chu Chu and the Philly Flash. Matthew appeared in recurring roles as Dr. Thompkins on the hit FX drama Rescue Me and as Legal Aid Attorney Paul Bernard on A&E's 100 Centre Street. Other television credits include the PBS pilot Copshop, Medium, Third Watch, Hack, The Education of Max Bickford, Ed, Law and Order, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Law and Order: SVU, Kojak, and All My Children. Matthew chats with Take 2 Radio on July 7th at 5pm EDT about his career and his new suspense book on kickstarter called "In the Country of the Blind" 

Transformation is both the subject and the central technique of Marie Jones' Stones in His Pockets, currently playing at Northlight Theatre. Director J.R. Sullivan and actors Brian Vaughn and David Ivers join Anne Nicholson Weber to talk about how they created signature gestures and silhouettes to distinguish the 15 characters that Vaughn and Ivers play between them.

On this week's episode of the Talk Theatre In Chicago podcast, Tom Williams talks with Richard Friedman, the Managing Director at the Theatre at the Center in Munster. In the past he was also managing director/producer at Northlight Theatre and the Organic Theatre.

On this week's podcast, cast members John Mahoney, Rondi Reed and Tom Cox join Anne Nicholson Weber to talk about Northlight Theatre's hit show, The Outgoing Tide, by Bruce Graham. They discuss how they create believable family relationships on stage, why they love to act in Chicago, and how audiences are reacting to the content and tone of the piece.

This week's podcast features the production of Danai Gugira's play, Eclipsed, which is currently playing at Northlight Theatre. Director Hallie Gordon and cast member Paige Collins join Anne Nicholson Weber to talk about the psychic cost of exploring the chaotic and violent world of Liberian Civil War where the play is set, about the process of creating an ensemble piece and about audience responses to tough material.