Displaying items by tag: on stage

The first thing you notice about the meticulously curated Black dance performance held at the Harris Theater over the weekend is language.  The eloquence and weight of the words used to explain why the Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project (CBDLP) exists and what it hopes to achieve. 

Organized in 2019, Black dance companies rooted in Chicago joined forces to learn from one another artistically and operationally while working in collaboration with the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts in Hyde Park and “other University of Chicago entities”. Sustaining viability and preserving legacy were placed at the heart of the project’s end objectives. 

Its formation would have several residual benefits.  An annual festival of dance performed by the companies who make up CBDLP remains chief among them.  Events like the one held Friday night to a sold-out house also raise the profile of Black dance in Chicago and underscore its contributions to the city’s cultural topography and its continuing vitality. 

Dancing the Archive:  Embodied Histories, Collective Power / Photos by Kyle Flubacker.

Honoring and showcasing the history and the arc of Black dance sat at the core of Dancing the Archive: Embodied Histories, Collective Power, the title of the evening’s multi-textured production.  Not only was it dense with dance featured by ten of the project’s cohort companies, video clips that provided essential context on the trailblazers who spearheaded creative renewal within the Black creative community was also woven through this remarkable gala.  The clips also helped to convey the importance and significance of the works being performed.  Framed as chapters in a book, the dances flowed together to tell a comprehensive story.

Made up of 175 companies, dance culture in Chicago is extraordinarily deep, wide and rich. For Black companies who often face greater exposure challenges, Dancing the Archive serves to train the spotlight on their presence and gifts. The high degree of that talent and its proliferation marked the entire program that opened with a focus on youth. 

Each individual work or dance suite performed honored a key individual who is making or has made significant contributions to Black dance or some other aspect of the city’s cultural art forms that reflect the Black experience.  Through The Stillness celebrated Homer Bryant, founder of the Chicago Multi-Cultural Dance Center.  A work that Mr. Bryant choreographed and performed here by members of his company, it used Albinoni’s Adagio for Organ and Strings to pay homage to concentrated sensuousness. A dance for two performed by Sasha Levy and Davion Bellinger, it was an accomplished composition of strength, control and technical mastery executed with extreme beauty by two young dancers.

Dancing the Archive:  Embodied Histories, Collective Power 

The first chapter’s companion piece, Touch U, was a world premiere and an adaptation of Gerald Arpino’s Touch Me.  In it, choreographers Bradlee Lathon and Pierre Lockett collaborated with a phalanx of their very youthful and talent-laden dancers at Forward Momentum Chicago to present a dance sparkling with infectious positivity.  Bursting with innovative and highly sophisticated contemporary dance design, Touch U felt as if you were watching the next generation of dance on a maiden voyage. One that couldn’t have been more stimulating or aesthetically refreshing.

That sense of captivating vibrancy defined Dancing the Archives.  In addition to the absorbing heritage-centered components of the program, dance was used to provide visual markers to history and highlight the place Black dance held during its march.  Najwa Dance Corps’ Ancestral Steps looked back to dance crazes 100 years ago in the mid 1920s when the Charleston electrified a generation and the music of Count Basie ruled the airwaves.  Later, in another world premiere, M.A.D.D. Rhythms with their Oscar Plays Gershwin Suite (They All Laughed, Summertime, Nice Work If You Can Get It), deftly exalted the “fire, finesse and swing” of tap with cool bravado.

The span of time and of dance expressions that paralleled it was vast.  Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago in Woven jubilantly recalled another time and place when “living archives” were embodied in a central griot-like figure.

Lines in Motion danced by The Era Footwork Collective was all about the kind of suavity that happens when you fuse mellow chill to dazzling footwork; creating repeated flashes of dance lightning in the process. 

With Chance the Rapper as honoree, Chicago Multicultural Dance Center and Hiplet Ballerinas placed an impish toe in the future with its playfully eerie Speed of Light; attaching culturally specific overtones to our tech laden times.

Dancing the Archive:  Embodied Histories, Collective Power 

Superlatives in either concept, execution or; most commonly, both ran thick in many of the other dances performed.  Most of which have never been seen by audiences until now. Dorianne Thomas’s solo in Who Will Comfort Me, a world premier for the record books by the Joel Hall Dancers, was flawless in her display of dance fluency and emotional projection through movement.  Attributes found in other performances were just as noteworthy.   Praize Productions Inc.’s Leader of the Pack and Deeply Rooted Dance Theater’s excerpt from Crowns instantly come to mind.  As does that churning and jubilant tribute to Curtis Mayfield and Lupe Fiasco by Move Me Soul.  Curtis Suite and Sour, masterminded by Diana Muhammed, brought back to life the musical catalog of a genius and created a dance piece that complemented it gorgeously.

Because remembrance played such a significant role in the program, the In Memoriam segment commemorating leaders and standard bearers who died in 2025 was particularly notable and memorable.  Before presenting the names and images of the fallen, a solo rendition of Precious Lord was sung by Cholé Johnson.  Distinguished by its spare simplicity and for Ms. Johnson’s captivating interpretation, the artistic merits of the performance were astonishingly high.   The song’s inclusion fittingly reveals the thread of the divine that lies within so much Black creative enterprise.  An indispensable component often found in the bedrock of creative inspiration.

Dancing the Archive:  Embodied Histories, Collective Power

Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project

August 28, 2026

The Harris Theater for Music and Dance

205 E. Randolph Street

Chicago, IL  60601

For more information:  https://www.chicagoblackdancelegacy.org/

Giordano Dance Chicago (GDC) hosts its highly anticipated 19th Anniversary "Dancing With The Giordano Stars" ballroom dance competition 7-11 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8 at Park West, 322 W. Armitage Ave. This popular annual event, patterned after the hit ABC series "Dancing With The Stars," benefits GDC's transformative initiatives through the GDC Youth Arts Education Fund. Event Co-Chairs are Dina Gallay and Sandy Golub. Emcee for the evening is former FOX News and sports anchor Corey McPherrin.

On Oct. 8, a group of Chicago A-listers, each with their Giordano professional dancer partner, will compete for a shot at winning the coveted Disco Ball and the title of Best Male Dancer or Best Female Dancer. The stakes are high with each couple performing only one dance for one chance to impress the guest judges including Emmy Award-winning director, choreographer and GDC Resident Choreographer Al Blackstone, Associate Publisher Chicago Star Media and author of the Candid Candace Blog, Candace Jordan and Emmy Award-winning Anchor/Reporter and Host at Fox 32 Chicago, Tia Ewing. Contestants also vie for special awards for Top Fundraiser and Audience Favorite.

The slate of male contestants (and their GDC dance partners) includes. Andy Anisfeld, Vice President Medical Affairs and Health Impact, Immunology, AbbVie (Erina Ueda), Adam Cummis, Restaurateur, Blaze Pizza (Analysse Vance), Ted Grady, Partner, J&L Catering ,(Sasha Lazarus), Erik Kessler, Managing Director, Alvarez & Marsal (Amanda Hickey-Newcom) and Peter Q. Thompson, Managing Director, Blue Marlin Partners (Talia Luzzo).

The slate of female contestants (and their GDC dance partners) includes Jordan C. Carqueville, MD, Founder of Derm Institute of Chicago (Joshua Brumm), Allana Emery, Finance Director , Publicis Groupe (Eduardo Zambrana), Annie Laughton, Stay at Home Mom (Simon Schuh),  Bonnie Micheli, CO-CEO, Shred415 (Aidan Aloma) and Elena Moore, Physician, Gynecologic Oncology, Endeavor Health (Adam Houston).

Individual tickets begin at $150. Tickets include a 4-hour open bar and light fare provided by J&L Catering. For tickets or more information, visit giordanodance.org/dwtgs or call 312.922.1332.

"Dancing With The Giordano Stars" fundraising supports GDC's transformative initiatives. Through the Youth Arts Education Fund, the company illuminates the path for the next generation with innovative programs such as the CPS Jazz Dance/Science & Health, GDC's Free Ticket Program, dynamic dance workshops, enriching mentorship partnerships, immersive school residencies and the esteemed NGCP® certification.

"Dancing With The Giordano Stars 2026" precedes GDC's "untamed passion" fall engagement
at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, located at 9501 Skokie Blvd.,
at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6 and Saturday, Nov. 7. For tickets, visit northshorecenter.org.

America's original jazz dance company electrifies into their 64th season with radiance and infinite horizons. Giordano Dance Chicago (GDC) is an iconic cultural institution with deep roots in Chicago and around the globe (28 countries, 47 states, and more than 1,300 cities). From founder Gus Giordano's vision, the company continues to honor the past while pushing the art form forward. Nan Giordano celebrates 42 years as an artistic leader responsible for commissioning innovative choreographic works and mentoring thousands of dancers. Alongside Nan, Associate Artistic Director, Cesar G. Salinas and the magnificent dancers are an integral part of the GDC legacy. Al Blackstone serves as Resident Choreographer, truly a testament that the art form of jazz dance is thriving. The company is one of the few in the world that has a foundational technique, Nan Giordano Certification Program®, with certified teachers in 9 countries and 36 states. GDC is committed to Youth Arts Education at home and on tour through mentorships, scholarships, and our free Chicago Public Schools and park programs. GDC is proud to be one of the longest running dance companies in the world, continuing to enrich lives through dance. For more information visit giordanodance.org.

Vape! The Grease Parody, currently running at Chicago’s Apollo Theater through January, takes a satirical swing at the iconic 1978 film. The production leans heavily into campy, low‑brow humor, poking fun at the original and the characters who appeared in it - Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson, made famous by John Travolta and Olivia Newton‑John, their respective groups, the T‑Birds and the Pink Ladies, and a parade of other colorful personalities. Vape! attempts to capture the same irreverent energy that made recent parody hits like Titanique and Schmigadoon! work, but it struggles to carve out its own distinct identity.

For those unfamiliar with the source material, Grease follows the summer‑fling romance between Danny Zuko, the swaggering leader of the T‑Birds, and Sandy Olsson, the wholesome new girl who unexpectedly lands at his high school. Their reunion at Rydell High kicks off a swirl of teen drama, pep‑rally posturing, and 1950s hot‑rod bravado, all set against the antics of their respective cliques. The story ultimately tracks whether Danny and Sandy can bridge the gap between their carefully curated images and who they actually are - all wrapped in a soundtrack that has produced some of the most memorable songs from a stage and screen musical.

The narrative of Vape! modernizes the classic tale by tossing an assortment of pop-culture tropes and theatrical nods at the audience. Some of these updates land, such as transforming Sandy into a washed-up mermaid or reimagining "Beauty School Dropout" as an "Influencer Dropout" sequence featuring the ensemble performing with ring lights affixed to their heads. Theater lovers will also spot references to Wicked, The Phantom of the Opera, A Chorus Line, and others. However, some of the updates – like turning Rizzo into a Scream-esque murderer – don’t.

At times, the structural additions feel somewhat disjointed. The modernizations do not always mesh smoothly with the source material, creating an odd juxtaposition where 1950s greasers and TikTok culture clash rather than complement one another.

While the original Grease carried a certain tongue-in-cheek approach beneath its mature content, Vape! leans fully into explicit and crude farce. For instance, Grease’s "Hand Jive" gets a lyrical update to become the "Handjob.”

Despite the material, the cast delivers energetic and capable performances, keeping the energy high. Will Leonard offers an enjoyable Travolta impersonation, capturing his signature vocal whine with precision – though it’s a bit disappointing he didn’t have the iconic black hair. Jenna Smith makes Sandy fun to watch, especially in the way she pokes fun at Olivia Newton‑John’s accent. Among the ensemble, Suzanne Sole and Sophia Brazada turn in standout moments, each showing off impressive vocal chops.

The creative team behind Vape! brings together a mix of comedy writers and seasoned parody specialists. Sketchworks Comedy and Catie Hogan supply the show’s core concept, while Billy Recce - of A Musical About Star Wars fame - contributes additional lyrics and book alongside Danny Salles. Jack Plotnick, known for directing Broadway’s Disaster!, steers the production, with Ashley Marinelli shaping the choreography and Lena Gabrielle overseeing music supervision and arrangements. Sketchworks also produces the show, with Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley Jackson offering input as creative consultants.

It’s clear from the theater’s decorative environment that great care has been taken with the overall experience. It’s immersive and outfitted with goofy parody posters, themed photo ops, cutouts, and even Grease‑themed cornhole. So, for devoted Grease fans looking for a lighthearted mockery of the classic, or perhaps theatergoers simply seeking silly, inconsequential escapism, Vape! offers a breezy night out.

Vape! The Grease Parody is being performed at the Apollo Theater Chicago through January 3rd, 2027. Tickets and information are available at vapethemusical.com.

Hell in a Handbag Productions celebrates its 25th year with a revival of Joan Crawford Goes to Hell, a sharp, mischievous look at the Hollywood icon through the company’s signature parody lens. It is truly perfect timing that Handbag's guiding force David Cerda has chosen to do this play in the hellish year of 2026. First staged in 1999 by Sweetback Productions, the show is currently staged at The Clutch with a fresh cast and a renewed appetite for chaos, blending biography, satire, and Crawford’s own self-mythologizing into a hypnotic, magnificent, and powerfully funny indictment of one of Hollywood’s greatest movie stars. It’s a wildly funny show, bristling with the kind of big, brazen laughs that Handbag delivers better than anyone. The premise is simple and delicious: Joan Crawford dies and lands in hell, where she’s forced to relive scenes from her life as filtered through daughter Christina’s memories, including the indelible Mommie Dearest moments, from the wire hanger tirade to the all-out battle royale between mother and daughter. 

One of the show’s sharpest structural choices is the way it pits Christina’s Mommie Dearest against Joan’s own memoir, My Way of Life. Each woman clings to her version of the truth, and the production amplifies that contradiction by having the characters volley excerpts from their respective accounts. Christina’s recollections paint a childhood marked by significant acts of child abuse and cruelty, while Joan counters with polished, self‑protective passages that insist on glamour, discipline, and maternal devotion. The back‑and‑forth becomes a theatrical tug‑of‑war over legacy itself. The truth is, legacy is all that was important to Joan Crawford because she cared more about public perception than her own children. 

Handbag’s reimagining of the most unforgettable Mommie Dearest moments hits home in both comedy and tragedy, reminding us why those scenes have stayed lodged in the cultural imagination for decades.

(left to right) Gretchen Greear and Anna Rose Steinmayer in Hell in a Handbag Productions’ revival of Joan Crawford Goes To Hell.

With Christina and Joan locked in a battle over whose version of the truth will prevail, Handbag pushes the idea even further: Joan isn’t embodied by just one performer. She’s split into three distinct incarnations, each capturing a different era and emotional temperature. David Cerda, as Joan #1, the older, not-so-remorseful, excuse-making Joan who has just passed away, delights everyone in the role with a wry, sardonic comic edge (and yes, Handbag finds a way to even make a deathbed funny). Gretchen Greear steps in as Joan #2, the impeccably polished Hollywood star, while Nicholas Ian unleashes Joan #3, the volatile, larger-than-life tempest with a hair-trigger temper. Together, the trio creates a lively rotation that keeps the show moving and underscores the contradictions that fueled Crawford’s public image. I really enjoyed watching the three Joans bounce off one another – the interplay keeps the show unpredictable in the best way.

By splitting Joan Crawford into three personalities, the production sharpens our view of the forces pressing in on her - Hollywood’s unforgiving demands, the intimidation she faced under MGM studio head Louis B. Mayer, and the specter of financial ruin - all seen through Christina’s spooky, subjective retelling of her mother’s life. 

And Cerda, now back as his premiere character Joan Crawford, also recorded an album called The Joans back in 2001, and the music is used in this play. Having also been in a band at the time we met, I remember feeling an immediate connection with David - a kind of gay fairy godmother - from the first time I heard him elicit enormous laughs from his loving audiences through Joan’s curling blood‑red lips. 

(left to right) Haley Gillman,Nicholas Ian and Ryan Kenny.

Joan’s remorse is fleeting at best. The production makes it clear that even when she’s forced to relive the worst moments of her life, including the cruelty toward Christina, the chaos she inflicted on friends, and the emotional wreckage she left behind, she rarely accepts responsibility. Instead, she pivots, excuses, reframes, or outright denies, often doubling down on the very behaviors that landed her in trouble in the first place. When Joan Crawford is asked if she had any regrets about her dramatic life decisions, she answers with a martini dry, rock solid “absolutely not” that millions of women from her generation to the present will all echo with a fury. Handbag plays this not as tragedy but as sharp comedy: Joan’s instinct for self-preservation is so strong that the devil himself can’t pry a sincere apology out of her. The result is funny, pointed, and perfectly in line with the company’s parody style.

At the same time, the play doesn’t ignore the darker realities of Crawford’s life. Even though Joan Crawford was accused of severe child abuse by two of her adopted children, the play also acknowledges that a woman alone in the world at that time - especially one operating at her level of Hollywood fame and power - would have faced enormous pressure, mind‑bending double standards, and relentless scrutiny, including outright sexist abuse both behind the scenes and sometimes in public. 

I’ve always appreciated Handbag’s knack for casting performers who can land both the joke and the heart of a moment, and this group embodies that beautifully. A steady, clear‑eyed anchor comes through in TJ O’Brien’s performance as Adult Christina, while Haley Gillman supplies a youthful spark as her younger counterpart. As Carol Ann, Ryan Kenny delivers some of the evening’s most reliable laughs, playing a maid whose patience seems almost supernatural. Lori Lee steps into a few sharply etched roles, including Helga, a housemaid and recipient of Crawford’s iconic “I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at the dirt” line, and Al Steele, the Pepsi executive who became Crawford’s fourth husband.

Good-natured and genial, Michael Rashid’s Greg brings an easy charm to the MGM lawyer who helped facilitate Christina’s adoption, though even he eventually reaches his limit with the Crawford tumult. A devilish glint runs through Nick Dorado’s turn as Mr. Deville, guiding Joan through her infernal afterlife, while Anna Rose Steinmayer and Tyler Calhoun add texture throughout the ensemble.

The magnificent projections, beautifully designed by DJ Douglass, deliciously underscore how much of Crawford’s power came from the control of her face - the slick black rolls of shiny hair, the hours of evenly applied makeup, the sweet yet searing expressions, those magnificent, even terrifying eyes. She quite literally had to possess the “looks that kill” to survive the jungle of Hollywood. The projections draw from multiple sources, each revealing a different facet of her beauty and its eventual fading, including one haunting image of her gaunt body dancing in an old nightgown near the end of her life. Handbag uses these projections to sprinkle in memorable cameo appearances: Jennifer Engstrom of A Red Orchid Theatre and Coco Sho Nell materialize as yet more versions of Joan, adding to the show’s gleeful multiplicity. 

(left to right) Gretchen Greear and ensemble members Lori Lee and TJ O’Brien. Photos by Rick Aguilar Studios.

Playwright and Artistic Director David Cerda once again proves why Handbag’s voice is so distinct, shaping the material with his trademark blend of camp, bite, and affectionate parody. In perfect sync with that tone, director Cheryl Snodgrass keeps the energy sharp and well-paced, guiding the ensemble through the show’s chaos with a steady hand and a clear understanding of how Handbag humor lands best.

I noticed early on that what makes David’s writing - and the plays he produces - so special is the deeply compassionate view of life he brings from the woman’s side of things. Cerda doesn’t just tease the audience with camp, easy and tawdry jokes, he educates, encourages and supports his audience with easy and tawdry jokes. 

Even Hell needs a good design team, and this one delivers the right mix of style, practicality, and playful flair. Marcus Klein’s scenic design uses a simple, brilliant, sparkling catwalk feel that suits the production well, giving the cast plenty of room to play without clutter. Costumes by Ben Argenta Kress are perfectly designed to reflect the period with style and humor, Syd Genco’s makeup design adds dramatic, expressive detail, and Keith Ryan’s wig work rounds out the look with steady, character-focused polish.

If you’re already a fan of David Cerda as Joan Crawford and of Hell in a Handbag Productions, you should still do yourself a favor and watch Mommie Dearest before seeing the show. You’ll laugh hysterically, and during the play you’ll fully appreciate the immaculate detail the production and cast bring to the black‑and‑white film projections, the hair and wigs, the makeup, costumes, and jewelry - all crafted to showcase the utmost in humor, radiance, and accuracy.  

For two decades, Buzz Center Stage has lovingly followed Handbag’s work, and in their 25th anniversary celebratory season, Joan Crawford Goes to Hell does what the company does best: delivers affectionate and hilarious parody with a genius wink of glamour. It’s a light, funny summer offering with a faithfully committed ensemble and a clear love for the material.

Joan Crawford Goes to Hell runs August 21st through September 27th at The Clutch, 4335 N. Western Ave. Tickets available at handbagproductions.org.

Highly recommended.

Award-winning Redtwist Theatre, launching its 22nd season with Prayer Circle, September 17 - November 8, by Erik Gernand and directed by Executive Artistic Director Dusty Brown, announces today an added special engagement to its 2026 - 2027 season, the world premiere of Flying Monkeys, produced in collaboration with the New Theatre Project, December 6 - January 17, by L.C. Bernadine and directed by Robert Falls, at Redtwist Theatre, 1044 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. Preview performances are Friday, Dec. 4 and Saturday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m. Regular performance schedule includes Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3:30 p.m. Some dates adjusted for the holidays. Single tickets are on sale starting September 15 for $50 (seniors and veterans: $35; students: $10 and Fridays are Pay-What-You-Can) with subscriptions also available at RedtwistTheatre.org. 

Chicago is a city where, when all goes well, theater happens at every scale. Just weeks after his production of Don Giovanni will open at the almost 3,500-seat Lyric Opera of Chicago, Robert Falls will direct Flying Monkeys, a new play by Chicago playwright L.C. Bernadine, at Edgewater’s Redtwist Theatre, an intimate venue of just over 35 seats. 

Flying Monkeys follows two transport agents working in the so-called “troubled teen industry.” Hired by a desperate mother, they arrive in the middle of the night to legally take her 15-year-old daughter from her home and deliver her to a residential treatment program across the country. What begins as a job governed by contracts and procedure becomes increasingly complicated as everyone involved is forced to confront what they believe desperation can justify.

Falls read the play earlier this year and was drawn both to its subject and to the opportunity to stage it in an extremely intimate venue. “I’ve been an admirer of L.C. Bernadine’s plays for quite a while,” said Robert Falls. “She has a very distinctive voice — tough, funny, poetic and completely her own — and Flying Monkeys feels to me like an especially exciting new work. It takes on difficult, volatile material without reducing anyone to a type or telling us too quickly what to think. The play keeps shifting under you: your sympathies move, your assumptions get challenged and what at first seems morally clear becomes much more complicated. There are no easy villains and no easy answers, which is exactly what I find so compelling about it.” 

For Falls, the shift from Lyric Opera to Redtwist reflects something essential about Chicago theater. He continued, “I cut my teeth in Chicago at Wisdom Bridge Theatre, one of the city’s first storefront theaters, a small space up two flights of stairs over a bar and a violin repair shop on Howard Street. I spent more than a decade of my life there, so coming to Redtwist really does feel like a homecoming. It’s one of Chicago’s finest theaters and there’s something about being back in a room this intimate that takes me right back to where I began.” 

“L.C. Bernadine has been an incredible friend and collaborator over the past few years, welcoming me to Chicago when I first made the move,” says Redtwist Artistic Director Dusty Brown. “After working together on the Independent Productions Initiative, I jumped at the opportunity to collaborate artistically with L.C. on her new play. Bringing Bob Falls on to direct spoke to the very thing that drew me to Chicago in the first place, the most incredible artists in the world can be found in the least likely of places. Some of our country’s greatest artists started their careers in Chicago storefronts and Bob Falls’s return is a reminder that artistic merit can’t be judged simply by the size of the theatre.”

Redtwist Theatre is producing Flying Monkeys in collaboration with the New Theatre Project. Peter Handler and Spencer Huffman will serve as producers. Founder of the New Theatre Project Spencer Huffman said, "Since our first production in 2024, L.C. has been pivotal in New Theatre Project's success as a producer. When the opportunity arose to co-produce her excellent new play with Bob directing, we jumped at it. This collaboration captures something essential about the Chicago theatre: the city's most notable director teams up with two small storefronts to produce a new play by an under-the-radar Chicago playwright. It's so exciting."

ABOUT L.C. BERNADINE, playwright 

The author of numerous plays and a frequent collaborator with The New Theatre Project, Bernadine was recently profiled in Newcity's "50 Players" as founder of the Independent Productions Initiative, which supports work outside ongoing companies. Her plays include The Whole Seamus Thing, co-written with Ben Auxier (Bramble Theatre); Welcome J-1 Students (University of Alabama Theater); Is You Is, a musical co-written with Nik Whitcomb and Erik Olsen about the 1930s “Races of Mankind” exhibit at The Field Museum (DCASE’s Chicago Cultural Center New Play Residency and then Broadway Rose Theatre, Portland, Oregon) and The Virginian, co-written with Spencer Huffman (City Lit Theatre). 

ABOUT ROBERT FALLS, director

Over a career spanning more than four decades, Robert Falls has directed new plays and reimagined classics, large-scale musical theater and opera in the United States and internationally. He began his career at Chicago’s Wisdom Bridge Theatre and later served as artistic director of Goodman Theatre for 35 years. His most recent productions include Richard Greenberg’s Holiday at the Goodman and Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus at Steppenwolf Theatre Company.

Falls’ many Broadway credits include Death of a Salesman, Long Day’s Journey into Night, Horton Foote’s Pulitzer Prize-winning The Young Man from Atlanta and Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida.

His honors include a Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Obie Award, Helen Hayes Award, multiple Jeff Awards and the Savva Morozov Diamond Award from the Moscow Art Theatre. He was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in 2015.

ABOUT NEW THEATRE PROJECT, producer

The New Theatre Project is an independent theatre collective based in Chicago. The New Theatre Project intends to put artists at the far edge of their abilities so that they must discover something new to succeed. They believe there is nothing more moving than an artist on the brink. This process of artistic risk and discovery defines their work.

Buffalo Theatre Ensemble (BTE), the professional theater company in residence at the McAninch Arts Center (MAC), is pleased to announce that, in keeping with the company's general policy of promoting from within, BTE Interim Artistic Managing Director Daniel Millhouse has been named the company's new Managing Artistic Director. 

"As we enter our 40th anniversary season, welcoming Daniel Millhouse as Managing Artistic Director seems incredibly fitting. He has worked with the Ensemble for nine years, and has been mentored by Connie Canaday Howard and Amelia Barrett, both sharing their deep institutional knowledge and sharp artistic vision. Daniel brings an understanding of who BTE has been, who we are, and who we strive to be. BTE has and will continue to provide thought-provoking, laughter-inducing, and heart-tugging professional storytelling not only for our community but for those who travel to see the immense level of talent our ensemble and guest actors share with us," shared Brandee Martin, president of BTE's Board of Directors. 

"I am honored to work with Buffalo Theatre Ensemble as we enter our 40th anniversary season," said Millhouse. "BTE has a remarkable legacy of bringing artists and audiences together through powerful storytelling. I look forward to building on that legacy with our Ensemble, Board, students, and community while creating new opportunities for connection, collaboration, and artistic growth." 

From July 2024-June 2026, Millhouse served as BTE's Interim Associate Artistic Director, Associate Artistic Director, and then Interim Managing Artistic Director, contributing to season planning, production oversight, marketing, educational outreach, subscriber engagement, fundraising, and strategic planning. Other administrative credits include co-founder and Managing Director of Misalliance Repertory Theatre (2019-2022), where he oversaw company operations, financial planning, marketing, fundraising, nonprofit compliance, and production activities. 

As an actor, BTE audiences have enjoyed Millhouse in productions like "The 39 Steps" and the Pemberley trilogy by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon. Millhouse is an Associate Professor in the theater department of the College of DuPage where he directs collegiate productions. 

Millhouse* is also BTE's newest Buffalo Theatre Ensemble member. Other members of the
ensemble: Aly Renee Amidei^, Robert Jordan Bailey*, Amelia Barrett*, Bryan Burke*(Business Manager), Connie Canaday Howard*, Rebecca Cox, Lisa Dawn, Nick DuFloth, Jon Gantt, Christopher Kriz^, Laura Leonardo Ownby, Michael W. Moon, Kurt Naebig*, GalenG. Ramsey*, William Sandy "Smillie* and Kelli Walker.  

*Denotes member of Actors' Equity; ^Denotes member of United Scenic Artists 

In collaboration with BTE's Board of Directors and Ensemble members, Millhouse is ramping up plans for BTE's 40th anniversary season which includes: "Louisa May Alcott's Little Women" by Lauren Gunderson, directed by BTE Managing Artistic Director Daniel Millhouse*(Nov. 12-Dec. 13, 2026); "Dial M for Murder" by Frederick Knott, adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher, directed by former Goodman Theatre Associate Director and long-time BTE director Steve Scott (Jan. 28-Feb. 28, 2027); "One Man, Two Guvnors" by Richard Bean, directed by BTE Managing Artistic Director Emerita Connie Canaday Howard* (May 6-June 6, 2027). For tickets or more information, contact the MAC Box Office at 630-942-4000 or visit AtTheMAC.org. 

Throughout its 2026-2027 season BTE continues its commitment to the next generation of
artists by offering collegiate artists the opportunity to shadow professional artists and productions, continued mentoring through a student shadow program, the BTE Stage Management Scholarship and high school ambassador outreach. 

About Buffalo Theatre Ensemble  

The mission of Buffalo Theatre Ensemble is to provide a forum in which artists, scholars, writers, students and community members explore new ideas and provocative issues through the production of quality theater for the enjoyment of its audiences. Since its founding in 1986, BTE has produced 132 productions and presented more than 2,000 performances, featuring world and regional premieres. In the 2025-2026 season, BTE employed 80 professional artists and
welcomed 8,800 patrons. Over 500 College of DuPage students studied and attended productions. The Equity Jeff Awards have recognized the company with two awards and more than a dozen nominations. The Jeff Awards are Chicago's premier professional theater awards, recognizing excellence in acting, directing, design, and production among companies in the Chicago area. 

BTE was established as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation in 2016. For more information about BTE, please visit BTEChicago.com or AtTheMAC.org.  

Buffalo Theatre Ensemble is partially supported and funded by generous grants from Arts DuPage, Choose DuPage, College of DuPage Foundation, The Norm Woodel Inspiration Fund, the DuPage Foundation, and the Illinois Arts Council Agency. 

Composition, tension, balance, light, and harmony come together seamlessly in Kokandy Productions’ revival of Sondheim’s opus, ‘Sunday in the Park with George’. Director Derek Van Barham transforms the basement of the Chopin Theatre into a three dimensional reproduction of Georges Seurat’s ‘A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte’ for this beloved musical’s return to Chicago.

Sondheim was never known to write ordinary musicals. His smash hit ‘Company’ is considered the first “concept” musical. Wherein, the story has no real plot, instead themes are explored through song. ‘Sunday in the Park with George’ with whom he worked with James Lapin is similar in that it’s hard to describe exactly what it’s about, per se. In succinct terms, it’s a fictionalized account of how Georges Seurat painted his pointillism masterpiece while trying to balance interpersonal relationships. Specifically, his flailing relationship with the painting’s focal point, Dot. It’s as if Sondheim was exploring his own obsessiveness and how it hindered him in many ways.

‘Sunday in the Park with George’, which won the 1985 Pulitzer for drama, has a special connection to Chicago as the famed painting hangs in the Art Institute. The last time a local storefront theatre revived it was 2010. However, longtime Chicago theatre lovers are unlikely to forget Gary Griffin’s production at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater in 2004, later remounted in 2012. Though it’s a favored musical by many, it’s not one often produced because you really need all the right ingredients to do this one justice.

Kokandy has gathered those ingredients for this imaginatively staged new version. Derek Van Barham, who also serves as artistic director has been noodling on this show for the near decade he’s been working with Kokandy and the result is simply gorgeous.

A large and talented ensemble is led by Kevin Webb as Georges and Missy Wise Vanderzee as Dot. The two are not only incredible vocalists but each are wonderful in bringing their characters off the canvas and into real life. Webb’s take on Georges is vulnerable, less stoic, less cold,  less fixed. Vanderzee is also much warmer and less shrill than the original cast recordings. Going from 1800s Dot to 1980s elderly Marie can prove to be tricky for some actors but Vanderzee does a great job of bridging the gap with humor and pathos.

Perhaps no other adjective is more apt to describe this production than bittersweet. Nearly devoid of melodrama and yet cuts right to the emotional bone. Under Nick Sula’s music direction Sondheim’s orchestrations are performed with such attention to detail that audiences hang around well past the curtain call. Some of the best choral arrangements ever composed for the stage finds their stride as the company and music moves fluidly through G “Max” Maxin IV’s brilliant staging.

Van Barham has made something special here. Moving the staging from the traditional proscenium to an in-the-round black box provides so much more room to play around with the spectacle of live theatre. Rather than aiming for utmost fidelity to the ‘Sundays’ that have come before it, Kokandy opts to create their own signature production that will be remembered as one of Chicago’s best.

Through November 1 at Kokandy Productions at Chopin Theatre. 1543 W Division St. 773-278-1500

*Extended through November 29th!

https://www.kokandyproductions.com/

From its beginning in 1992 on the tiny stage of a modest theater, Dance for Life (DFL) has grown and grown over the decades into something glorious.  Its purpose over the last 35 years, as conceived by DFL’s creator, Keith Elliott, then with the Joseph Holmes Chicago Dance Theatre, has never altered or faltered.  Mobilize a community devastated by a deadly scourge.  Raise money to help the stricken. Build solidarity within Chicago’s professional dance culture.  Initially and always a festival of dance chiefly focused on that second point, a few things have changed with time.  Although AIDS has virtually been vanquished, at least in the first world, health and other needs within the dance community have not diminished.  In 2025, DFL affiliated Chicago Dance Health Fund awarded $75,000 to dancers and other dance professionals facing critical need. 

The annual celebration of dance very much remains a way for dancers to help other dancers by practicing their art.  These days its being done on a much grander scale and showcasing a far wider range of what world class dance looks like and even feels like in the present day.

There were hints the 35^th annual Dance for Life performance at the Auditorium Saturday night would be particularly memorable and they all centered on dress.  Although venue is always a factor, dance audiences are not especially circumspect when it comes to presentation.  Much of the attire on display in the concert hall’s spacious lobby that evening was not only stylish, dashing and glamorous, some pieces touched on the spectacular.  Collectively, the energy they generated heightened the sense of expectation that already hung heavy in the air.  The display proved just the right harbinger to forecast a sensational night of dance.

Bulging at the seams with the exceptional, the latest iteration of DFL showcased ten dance companies along with two additional finale works - and even a third, a raffle performance. In addition to the traditional large-scale finale that always closes the show, the program would also include a sizzling bonus dance performance that was also featured in the inaugural DFL concert. 

This year’s show opened with elegance.  Danced to the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater’s Beyond Mortal used sweep and grace to beautifully capture the secular spirituality of Mozart’s score.  Choreographed by the company’s Artistic Director Nicole Clarke-Springer, it reveals how one Black-led dance company lives up to its mission to “diversify the aesthetics of contemporary dance”.  Fireworks scripted in the language of the ethereal, Beyond Mortal ushered in the night with a nod to serenity and poise.

Giordano Dance Chicago. Photo by Cheryl Mann.

Giordano Dance Chicago decided to leave a different stamp on the gala by amping up a version of its signature heat.  There would be several excerpts featured throughout the evening and Giordano chose the best of its 2011 Sabroso to spellbind the thousands seated in the ornate theater.  Not only were the dancers speed and precision blinding, their joy blasted from the stage.  Triggering genuine awe and lighting up the room with cheers.

The temperature would ebb and flow throughout the night and after such a prodigious display of white-hot energy, a cool down came in the form of romantically sublime ballet.  This year a pair of fresh Joffrey faces, Hyuma Kiyosawa and Yumi Kanazawa, superlatively danced Postcards, founder Robert Joffrey’s ode to love, innocence and Paris of the 1920s.  With Jorge Ivars’ ravishing accompaniment on piano, the dance ushered in an extended moment of enchantment.

A slight pause and rocket engines soon screeched again with Loud, created by KC Bevis and performed by the Ensemble of Chicago Dance Crash.  Street dance and concert dance converged to make scorching hot magic in this mesmerizing performance. Here dance takes on a decidedly charismatic persona. One defined by strength, vigor, dexterity and boundless native imagination.   Jazzed up with the burning beats of DJ B-Gram P, the heady mix of club and dance culture lit the theater on fire.  One of many highlights that evening, Loud proved once again boundaries in dance simply don’t exist.  

Both Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater and later Trinity Irish Dance Company stole the show with drama and the ability to turn the sound of synchronized feet striking a stage floor into transfixing music.  In this case eliciting two completely different emotional responses that were both riveting.

Trinity Irish Dance Company. Photo by Todd Rosenberg.

Ballet 5:8 luxuriated in the freedom and unique beauty of contemporary ballet.  On their heels was another band of boundary pushers.  Chicago Dance Artists Piece performed Harrison McEldowney and Jeremy Plummer’s Red, White & Black; employing aerial concepts devised by Plummer.  Aerial acrobatics, dance and music by F.U.N. came together to blend brawn-flecked whimsy with a healthy dash of wholesome excitement.

After intermission, and dressed up in colorfully glam togs, Visceral Dance Chicago tapped into mischief. Dancing R E V E L, set to Maurice Ravel’s Bolero, they vamped, seduced and cavorted to the timeless music of an international classic. Devilishly choreographed by Nick Pupillo, it was not only brilliant and unexpected, it was massive delight to watch.

Visceral Dance Chicago. Photo by Cheryl Mann.

Two other works were even more impactful.  One was a dance featured in the very first Dance for Life performance called The Man That Got Away.  Sultry, sexy and a solid story told in dance, it featured only two dancers.  One acted simply as a prop.  The other, Johnathon Dole, was the soloist who danced the part of a shattered heart. One that begged and pleaded not to be ignored and cast aside.  Dole’s was the kind of dancing that kept rising and rising until it struck magnificent.  Buoyed by the right dancer, the right music and the power of bold expressive choreography, The Man That Got Away induced amazement and roars of approval.

The other masterwork was more restrained but no less beautiful or potent.  Robyn Mineko Williams and Artists danced a portion of Cloudline, a dream-state piece that used a 30-foot-silk cloth to help accentuate the dance’s atmosphere.  Two lovers find one another and embody the mystery and overwhelming satisfaction true love manifests through dance. As portrayed in movement by Morgan Clune and Amari Frazier, a more convincing display of that ideal is impossible to imagine.  A benchmark piece, its sudden and surprising ending provoked a collective gasp and then robust ovations.

This year’s concert honors choreographer, mentor and teacher Randy Duncan.  Mr. Duncan has created most DFL closing works since its inception, including Renewed; this year’s finale. Made up of dancers from the night’s performing companies, freelancers and students, they comprise a large contingent.  And in the muteness of Richard Dayhoff’s quiet gray costumes, there was a somber cast that shadowed their numbers. 

As the dance developed and took shape to music and lyrics by Ira Antelis, you could see the themes of resilience and positive conviction shining through.  A rejoicing in emerging from darkness to thrive once again.  The essence of Dance for Life. 

Dance for Life

August 22, 2026

The Auditorium Theatre

50 Ida B. Wells Drive

Chicago, IL  60605

For more information:  https://www.cdhf.org/danceforlife

City Lit Theatre’s world premiere of Shane, adapted for the stage and directed by Mark Pracht, brings a fresh, nostalgic perspective to Jack Schaefer’s classic novel - a story immortalized by Alan Ladd in the memorable 1953 film. Pracht, who has been developing this piece since the 2000s, crafts the adaptation as a heartfelt tribute to his own father and grandfather. The result is a sincere exploration of positive masculinity, celebrating men who stand by their virtues and protect others, even at great personal cost.

Set in the Wyoming Territory in the 1880s, the story kicks into gear when Shane, a quiet, mysterious stranger carrying the weight of a dangerous past, rides onto the homestead of Joe Starrett. Seeing something noble in the newcomer, Joe offers him a job as a farm hand, inviting him into his home and introducing him to his wife Marian and young son Bob. But the family’s peaceful routine is threatened by an escalating battle over land. Fletcher, a ruthless local cattle baron, wants to drive out the homesteaders at all costs, even hiring a killer to instigate a final conflict.

The narrative shines primarily through the eyes of young Bob, played warmly by Bruce Holtman. Spying on Shane at every opportunity, Bob serves as our window into understanding this complex, high-stakes frontier world. Narrating much of the action, Holtman skillfully transitions from an energetic, shy, and wide-eyed child into a mature observer. He injects a sense of humor into the production, as his younger self observes the adult world without always understanding the subtext. Through Bob’s perspective, the story taps into the beloved western's classic father-son overtones. He sees the mysterious stranger as the tough, capable man he wants to become, while Shane’s genuine kindness toward the boy shows that despite a dark past, he is capable of taking him under his wing.

Whitney Minarik (Marian Starrett), Josh Odor (Joe Starrett) in Shane at City Lit Theatre.

Michael B. Woods gives a strong performance as Shane, maintaining a jaded, guarded viewpoint that slowly softens. He gives the titular character a needed complexity as he wrestles with his past and rediscovers himself.  Woods also executes the stage combat with convincing physical precision.

The ensemble also gives strong performances. Josh Odor plays Joe Starrett, with a steady, kind masculinity. He is stoic, hard-working, and fiercely devoted to his family, yet far from weak; in Shane, he finds a true blood brother who is willing to stand beside him in the fight against Fletcher's greed. Whitney Minarik plays the wife, Marian, with equal skill, portraying a stern woman who may be a little bit of a fish out of water in the frontier, but who manages regardless. Minarik handles the character's complex emotional landscape well, navigating a subtle romantic pull toward Shane.

Adapting a western presents production challenges, and yet, the play manages a compelling story. In a contemporary landscape where masculine energy is often framed negatively, this tale highlights what it means to be a man of integrity: placing the needs of others first and standing up for what is right despite fear. As Shane famously notes, "A gun is a tool. No better and no worse than any other tool.” In that same spirit, Shane learns to see himself as more than the past he ran from. By choosing to protect a family and a home he cares about, his ultimate victory on stage allows us, much like Bob, to recognize our own capacity for growth and virtue. City Lit’s Shane is earnest, capable entry for anyone looking to step into the Wild West for an evening.

Through October 4^th. https://www.citylit.org/shows/46-s

The rise of artificial intelligence raises many questions about its effect on humanity. What does it mean if we become increasingly reliant on AI to think for us, create for us, and entertain us? What happens if this tool encroaches into our lives in ways it never should? Matthew Libby’s Sisters at Writers Theatre tackles the impact of AI in a fascinating way—what if it’s part of your family? Directed by Jessica Thebus, the play examines the profound, complicated implications of growing up with a synthetic sibling. Brenda Barrie plays Matilda, whose sister is an AI system named Greta, performed off-stage by Chloe Johnston. The story follows their complex relationship, which spans decades.

The weight of the production falls heavily on Barrie, who delivers a remarkable performance. She carries the hard task of playing Matilda across a ninety-year lifespan—from a six-year-old child to a woman in her nineties—without any reliance on makeup or costume changes. Instead, she portrays each stage of life through subtle shifts in posture, physicality, and the changing timbre of her voice. Because she is the only person on stage for the entire evening, the play functions virtually as a one-woman character study, compelling the audience to lean into the smallest movements of her face to track the complex emotions her character conceals. Opposite her, Chloe Johnston plays Greta, masterfully capturing the polite, Siri-esque cadences of an operating system while subtly infusing threads of humanity as the AI evolves.

At its core, the piece wrestles with a wounded family dynamic. Matilda is a deeply lonely character, bearing a chip on her shoulder after feeling neglected by her father following her mother's death. She struggles to comprehend how her father could share his deepest self with a system of circuit boards while remaining emotionally distant from his only daughter. This insecurity fuels Matilda’s initial hesitancy to accept her "sister" and drives a quiet jealousy, as through the years, others seem to value a computer over a living human. When Greta eventually asks for a physical body, Matilda must confront this jealousy directly, knowing that Greta’s lack of a physical form was the one thing that gave Matilda the upper hand.

Where Sisters stumbles slightly is in its thematic focus. The play begins to feel muddled as it attempts to juggle a wide array of high-concept questions: What rights does AI have? Is AI a friend or a foe? Is Matilda being manipulated by a machine? Is it healthy to befriend a computer?

Other works tackling the intersection of AI and humanity have succeeded by maintaining focus. Films like Spike Jonze’s Her (starring Joaquin Phoenix as a lonely man falling for an operating system) or Alex Garland’s Ex Machina maintain clarity by grounding their sci-fi premises in very specific themes that examine intimacy with AI or the ethics of creating a seemingly sentient computer. In contrast, Sisters struggles to decide whether it is a play about sisterhood, grief, memory, the inevitable intrusion of technology, or if it’s a character study using AI as a mirror for human fault. Sisters has interesting moments, but it's hard to feel their gravity when so many ideas are talking at once.

Part of the disconnect in this piece also seemed to be Matilda’s guardedness. She goes through phases of being open and closed with her “sister,” and since this is the only window into her as a character, the audience can’t get close because she’s not letting Greta get close. The hook of the play doesn't come until much later when the underlying truth of Matilda's feelings finally erupts. It’s when the sisters are finally seeing each other for who they are that the piece finds itself and provides intrigue.

Perhaps some technical difficulties also caused a disconnect. The set is simple; a living room with a single chair and a side table. But projections and sound cues build a larger world. Visual cues tell us Matilda’s age as we jump through time, and at some moments, we see videos of Matilda in her younger days through Greta’s eyes. The production also evokes Greta’s progression in a highly effective way. We experience a sort of cosmic spark of life as Greta first comes online, and later, when Greta expands into an infinite system, the stage turns into a breathtaking sky full of stars.

Unfortunately, the evening had several technical difficulties. The projectors seemed to reboot several times during the performance, and the play was halted for approximately ten minutes for a bug to be fixed. Nevertheless, Barrie handled the delay like a total professional, resuming the performance without a moment’s hesitation once the system recovered.

Ultimately, Sisters is an intriguing piece of theater. While the script could benefit from a more refined focus, it remains a thoroughly compelling watch, anchored by an extraordinary lead performance from Brenda Barrie that easily carries the evening.

Sisters plays at Writers Theatre until November 8.