Chicago - Jackie Taylor, the author of more than 100 plays and musical bios, thousands of poems, a screenplay, and two books, has been selected as the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame’s 2025 Fuller Award recipient in honor of her lifetime achievements. Taylor will be celebrated at a ceremony on Monday, October 20, at her Black Ensemble Theater (4450 N. Clark Street). Registration is open. Presenters will include Jeff Award-winning director Daryl Brooks, UIC Associate Professor of Theatre Lydia R. Diamond, poet and author Haki Madhubuti, and Harvey Young, Dean of the College of Fine Arts at Boston University. The American Writers Museum is a major partner in the program. 

The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame selection committee consisted of past Fuller Award recipient Patricia Smith, Linda Bubon, Yoland Nieves, Ugochi Nwaogwugwu, and Keehnen Owens. During the stringent selection process, the committee considered dozens of outstanding candidates, evaluating the quality of their literary output, the strength of their Chicago connections, and their greater contributions to Chicago’s literary life.

Born August 10, 1951 in Chicago, Taylor was raised in the Cabrini Green housing project. Taylor founded Black Ensemble Theatre in 1976, a year after she made her Hollywood acting debut in the now classic film Cooley High.  

Taylor majored in theater with an education minor, and after earning her B.A. from Loyola University in 1973, she began working with Free Street Theater. In addition to her acting break in 1975's Cooley High she produced and starred in television and film - as well as in theatrical productions with such companies as the Goodman Theater, Organic Theater and Victory Gardens Theater. Early in her career, Taylor concluded that Hollywood’s depiction of African Americans would continue to be largely negative, which led to her to found Black Ensemble Theater, according to her biography at History Makers. Since the start, Taylor has written, produced, and directed stories that cut across racial and cultural lines. Her mission, she says, is to bring people together.

Among Taylor’s many writing credits are The Other Cinderella, The Hoochie Coochie Man: Muddy Waters (co-written with Jimmy Tillman), The Marvin Gaye Story, The Jackie Wilson Story, All In Love Is Fair, I Am Who I Am (The Story of Teddy Pendergrass), Don’t Make Me Over (The Story of Dionne Warwick), Don’t Shed A Tear (The Billie Holiday Story), Somebody Say Amen, At Last: A Tribute To Etta James, and Precious Lord Take My Hand. She has had featured roles in several major films, including Hoodlum, Barbershop 2, The Father Clements Story, Losing Isiah and To Sir With Love: Part 2, and worked with such greats as Sidney Poitier, Laurence Fishburne, Vanessa Williams, Bill Dukes, Glynn Thurman, and Lawrence Hilton Jacobs.  

In 2010, Taylor broke ground on a new 20-million-dollar Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center, which opened on November 18, 2011. The Free To Be Village development, introduced in 2023, aims to expand the existing campus, in part to offer affordable housing to artists in the community and establish an education program. The project’s goal is to reinforce and grow the theater’s mission of reducing inequality in the arts. 

Taylor earned a master’s degree in education and receive an honorary doctorate degree from DePaul University. She has worked for the Chicago Board of Education, the Illinois Arts Council, and Urban Gateways. Through the years, Taylor has taught every grade level from kindergarten through major universities. She served as president of the African American Arts Alliance and is on the board of the Betty Shabazz International Schools.

The City of Chicago honored her by naming a street after her, Jackie Taylor Street, and Governor Pat Quinn declared March 27, 2009, Jackie Taylor day in Illinois.

Taylor’s many awards include a Special Jeff Award for her cultural contributions and a League of Chicago Theater Lifetime Achievement Award. She has been named as an outstanding performer, director, and business woman by dozens of media outlets, including New City, Chicago Defender, Today’s Chicago Woman Magazine, Chicago Magazine, Chicago Sun-Times. She and her work have been featured in Jet, Variety, the New York Times, The Washington Post and Essence.

Registration closes when the theater reaches capacity.

See Chicago Dance, the dance industry's nonprofit service organization celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2025, is proud to announce organizations and performers participating in Chicago Dance Month, May 31 - June 28. Now in its 12th year, Chicago Dance Month provides more than 30 artists and companies the opportunity to share why Chicago’s dance scene is so strong. This summer celebration, featuring many free events, begins with a Chicago Dance Month Kickoff Celebration, Saturday, May 31 at 3 p.m. at Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave.

“For the last 20 years, See Chicago Dance has been connecting audiences to dance and dance artists to the resources they need,” said See Chicago Dance Executive Director Julia Mayer. “Dance Month is the most visible example of how we do both. This June, by partnering with Navy Pier and Night Out in the Parks, we are providing 34 artists and companies (out of 108 applicants) with performance opportunities in 14 different events. More than 50% of them are performing in Dance Month for the first time, demonstrating the relevance of this program and the vitality and growth of the Chicago dance community in recent years.”

Mayer continues, "Over the last 12 years of the program, curation decisions have been internally managed by SCD staffers. With recent organizational changes, we saw the opportunity to make the curation process more participatory and equitable. So, this year, we piloted the Community Curatorial Committee, a cohort of community members [makers, performers, administrators and the like] representing the breadth and dynamism of Chicago's dancing communities. We are thrilled with their selections and cannot wait for the larger public to experience this year's lineup!" In addition to the events listed below, See Chicago Dance will highlight the work of scores of artists and organizations during this citywide celebration. Chicago Dance 

Month events and Hot Deal discount offers will be added to future releases and updated regularly on the organization’s newly re-designed, state-of-the-art website, SeeChicagoDance.com.

EVENTS CURRENTLY SCHEDULED INCLUDE*:

Chicago Dance Month Kickoff Celebration Navy Pier’s Lake Stage, 600 E. Grand Ave. Saturday, May 31 3 - 5 p.m. FREE

Chicago Dance Month begins with an opening celebration at Chicago’s Navy Pier featuring a dynamic mix of performances from companies and artists that span genres and cultural traditions. Audiences are encouraged to bring a blanket, have a picnic and enjoy the performances.

The Chicago Kickoff Celebration performers include Ayodele Drum and Dance, Chicago Dance Crash**, Chicago Mexican Folkloric Dance Company**, Hiplet NEXT**, MOMENTA Dance Company, Natya Dance Theatre, Praize Productions, Inc. and Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater.

Pier Dance

Navy Pier’s Wave Wall Platform, 600 E. Grand Ave. Wednesdays, June 4 - 25 6:30 - 8 p.m. FREE

Enjoy free dance lessons on Navy Pier’s Wave Wall Platform every Wednesday in June. These sessions are great for those who love socializing, learning new dances, and being outdoors. Make it a date night or social event by sticking around for Navy Pier’s iconic fireworks display every Wednesday night following these exciting dance classes.

Companies and individuals participating in Pier Dance are Wednesday, June 4 at 6:30 p.m.: Bollywood Culture and Groove** Wednesday, June 11 at 6:30 p.m.: Traffic Jam Swing**

Wednesday, June 18 at 6:30 p.m.: Christopher “Mad Dog” Thomas** Wednesday, June 4 at 6:30 p.m.: Movement Revolution Dance Crew

Wave Wall Moves

Navy Pier’s Wave Wall Platform, 600 E. Grand Ave. Saturdays, June 7 - 28 4 - 5 p.m. FREE

In partnership with Navy Pier, dance comes to the Wave Wall stage, located across from the iconic Ferris Wheel grand staircase, with pop-up performances from a rotating roster of dance companies every Saturday in June.

Companies and individuals participating in Wave Wall Moves are

Saturday, June 7 at 4 p.m.: Dilshad Khan Kathak** and Phillip "Phree" Wood** Saturday, June 14 at 4 p.m.: Clinard Dance's Flamenco Project and Niko8** Saturday, June 21 at 4 p.m.: Chicago Tap Theatre and Yielded Vessels**

Saturday, June 28 at 4 p.m. - part of Navy Pier Pride: Fever Dream Dance Collective** and Queer Dance Freakout**

On the Move

Palmisano Park, 2700 S. Halsted St. Tuesdays, June 17 and 24 5:30 - 7 p.m. FREE

A series of short, site-specific performances that winds its way through public parks, inviting audience members to discover hidden pockets of movement.

•     Tuesday, June 17 at 5:30 p.m. with Silambam Houston**, Aerial Dance Chicago, Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council Ballet Folklórico, Chibuck Movement**,Raks Inferno and Shubukai.
•     Tuesday, June 24 at 5:30 p.m. with Bodies of Water**, Chicago Flying Fairies Culture and Arts Center, Anniela Huidoboro Castro**, Michelle Haskell**, Sildance/Acrodanza, Symbiosis Arts** and Winifred Haun & Dancers.

*Performers, companies and programs are subject to change.

**First-time Chicago Dance Month performer.

ABOUT JULIA MAYER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SEE CHICAGO DANCE

Julia Mayer, who was named Executive Director of See Chicago Dance in 2020, has been involved in and influencing Chicago’s cultural scene in a variety of capacities for more than 25 years, having worked at 3Arts Inc., The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Chicago Humanities Festival, Morrison-Shearer Foundation, and Museums In the Park. In addition, she has chaired and served on numerous committees from Links Hall to Chicago Dancemakers Forum to the Chicago Park District. Mayer has been a choreographer, teacher or consultant at Columbia College, University of Chicago and in Indiana at Valparaiso University and Saint Mary’s College. She has a master of fine arts degree in dance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a bachelor’s degree in Linguistics from the University of Chicago.

ABOUT THE COMMUNITY CURATORIAL COMMITTEE

Chicago Dance Month programming is intentionally curated to ensure a diverse range of dance forms and performances, offering a large platform for a variety of companies and performers while reflecting the cultural richness of Chicago. In early 2025, See Chicago Dance convened a group of seven community leaders to serve as a new Community Curatorial Committee to assist in the curation of Chicago Dance Month, a task previously handled internally by staff. This group focused on developing performance rosters for Chicago Dance Month’s Kick Off performance on Saturday, May 31, 2025 and “On the Move” with Night Out in the Parks, and included representatives from Asian Improv Arts Midwest, Ishti Collective, the Peruvian Arts Center and ReinventAbility.

ABOUT SEE CHICAGO DANCE

See Chicago Dance is a nonprofit service organization with the mission to advocate for the dance field and strengthen a diverse range of dance organizations and artists through services and programs that build and engage audiences. Its vision is to fearlessly inspire an ever-growing inclusive community to share in and spread the power of dance in Chicago.

See Chicago Dance is the source for all things dance with the city’s most comprehensive resource for dance information and one of the largest–and newly designed–websites in the United States dedicated to the art form. Its two-pronged approach focuses on building audiences while developing a more cohesive dance community.

For audience members, See Chicago Dance offers a dynamic calendar of dance performances and experiences, Hot Deal ticket discounts, professionally written reviews and previews, and listings for more than 200 dance organizations.

For dance artists and organizations, See Chicago Dance provides a full range of Programs and Industry Resources to help build audiences, improve skills, and foster appreciation of dance in all its forms.

The critically acclaimed Trinity Irish Dance Company (TIDC), a Chicago-based company whose internationally-celebrated versatility and percussive power have been hailed as “impossibly complex” (The New York Times) and “sophisticated and commanding” (Los Angeles Times), will launch its 35th Anniversary season at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in May. Led by the consistent pioneering vision of Founding Artistic Director Mark Howard, the 35- year evolution of this company is leading to a flurry of major milestone moments - including the world premiere of groundbreaking work at the MCA, the company’s Jacob’s Pillow debut, and administrative and artistic expansion.

MCA 35th Anniversary Kick-Off: May 16-18

The highly anticipated main event will be the world premiere of The Sash, and its companion dance, Taking the Mick, which celebrated its premiere last spring at TIDC’s annual Auditorium Theatre performance.

Two years in the making, these companion works are inspired by the Irish on both sides of the pond: Taking the Mick, “whimsy meets percussive ferocity” (Chicago Reader) choreographed by Howard and Associate Artistic Director and dancer Chelsea Hoy, is set against a vaudevillian era narrative that dances amongst the madness between Irish immigrant insecurities, social mobility, one-upmanship and assimilation into America.

The Sash, choreographed by Founding Artistic Director Mark Howard, Associate Artistic Director and dancer Chelsea Hoy and guest contemporary choreographer Stephanie Martinez, founder and Artistic Director of Chicago’s PARA.MAR Dance Theatre, presents an unprecedented movement vocabulary that brings the virtuosity and versatility of TIDC’s artists to a new level. Fusing Irish precision, traditions, and history with contemporary flair, The Sash brings to life Northern Irish composer Kevin Sharkey’s dream inspired by his childhood during the “Northern Ireland Troubles,” and reminding audiences that unity is stronger than conflict.

Set to a rousing score by Sharkey, the world premiere also features dialogue from the hit television series Derry Girls as well as spoken text provided by acclaimed Irish actress Eva Birthistle of the famed television series Bad Sisters.

“These companion works and their range represent a sort of ‘Sergeant Pepper’ moment for us,” says Howard. “Ours is a company that continuously and seamlessly re-grows to meet its expanding potential. Our artists’ movement vocabulary and prowess are developing at breakneck speed, and as choreographers, we love nothing more than to create new landscapes and open up new portals for our company members to soar through.”

The program will be rounded out with audience favorites that showcase the range of TIDC’s genre-defying repertoire, including Howard’s Push, an explosion of hard-driving percussive power demonstrates the company’s consistent message of female empowerment; and Michelle Dorrance and Melinda Sullivan's American Traffic, a hybrid of Irish step and American tap that plays at the intersection of rhythmic sensibilities and rebellious histories, amongst others. The program will feature original live music performed by TIDC’s band, fronted by Killarney-raised, New York City-based Brenoshea; company member Francisco Lemus who was named in Dance Magazine’s 2025 “Top 25 to Watch,” and a prelude that will introduce audiences to ten international dancers that make up TIDC’s brand-new Training Company, showcasing the high- powered athleticism of these new artists hailing from the US, Mexico, and Canada.

The four-performance series at the Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave., May 16-18 will include:

• Friday, May 16: 7 m. - 11 p.m. - Opening night performance and 35th Anniversary gala celebration
• Saturday, May 17: 2 m. matinee and 7:30 p.m. performance
• Sunday, May 18: 1 m. matinee

The opening night performance and gala celebration will honor Trinity Warrior Award recipient Mark Kelly, former commissioner of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, and Agnes Howard Award recipient Rie McGarry, who served as TIDC’s devoted costume manager and traveled with the company for more than a decade. The post- performance celebration will also feature drinks, light fare and celebrating with the artists.

Tickets for TIDC’s MCA engagement are on sale now and range from $40 to $80. Tickets for the opening night gala performance are priced at $275.

MAKING HISTORY - JACOB’S PILLOW

Following their MCA engagement, TIDC will celebrate their debut at Jacob’s Pillow, America’s longest running international dance festival, which celebrates its 93rd season in Summer 2025. Their engagement will feature six performances from July 10-13.

"Trinity Irish Dance Company embodies the spirit of tradition and innovation that we look for," said Jacob’s Pillow’s Executive and Artistic Director Pamela Tatge. “The company's commitment to blending the bold energy of Irish dance with contemporary sensibilities is unmatched. Their performances will mark the first time Jacob’s Pillow has presented a full program of Irish dance on the Ted Shawn Theatre stage. We can’t wait to celebrate their 35th Anniversary with their Jacob’s Pillow debut.”

For tickets and more information about their 35th Anniversary Season, please visit trinityirishdancecompany.com/performances.

EXPANSION

Leading into its 35^th Anniversary Season, TIDC is celebrating artistic and administrative expansion. The company recently welcomed a longtime leader in the Chicago dance community, former executive director of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and River North Dance Chicago, Gail Kalver, to their team as Development Manager and Board Liaison. In response to growing interest from elite dancers around the globe to join TIDC’s mission and study Howard’s unique movement genre, known as progressive Irish dance, TIDC launched a new Training Company this fall.

The Joffrey Ballet concludes its 69^th season with two-time Tony Award®-winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon's enchanting and family-friendly Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Set to Joby Talbot's hallucinatory sound world of sweeping melodies and ticking clocks, the production features vibrant stagecraft and puppetry by Tony Award®-winning designer Bob Crowley, transforming Lewis Carroll's classic tale with a modern twist. The production run has been extended for the first time in the Company's history, with 14 performances across three weekends at the historic Lyric Opera House, 20 North Upper Wacker Drive, from June 5 to 22, 2025 (originally scheduled to close June 15). 

Based on Carroll's beloved story, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland takes audiences on a magical journey through a fantastical world filled with iconic characters, including the high-strung Queen of Hearts, the entrancing Caterpillar, and the tap-dancing Mad Hatter. Through a seamless fusion of humor, whimsy, and fantasy, Wheeldon makes Wonderland wonderfully real in this audience-favorite dance adventure.

A highlight of the year, the Joffrey is the first American company to bring Wheeldon's whimsical Wonderland to life. Premiering in 2011 at the Royal Opera House in London, the ballet has since toured internationally with some of the world's most prestigious ballet companies.

Renowned for blending popular culture with artistic brilliance, Wheeldon also choreographed The Joffrey Ballet's reimagined holiday classic The Nutcracker, celebrating its 10^th anniversary this year. The Joffrey first collaborated with Wheeldon on Swan Lake in 2014.

"The Joffrey holds a special place in my heart. I can't think of a more fitting U.S. company to premiere Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," says choreographer Christopher Wheeldon. "The Joffrey dancers lead the way in storytelling through dance, approaching choreography with enthusiasm and energy. Their passion allows them to fully inhabit the zany and colorful characters of Wonderland. Each year, I'm in awe of their growth in The Nutcracker; it remains one of my proudest achievements. These dancers are artists of curiosity and great integrity."

The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director Ashley Wheater MBE said, "Collaborating with Christopher is always extraordinary. We are honored to be the first American company to perform Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, a production that dazzles on every level. This spectacular finale to our record-breaking season bursts with theatricality, whimsical stagecraft, and inspiring design. The versatility, theatricality, and technical prowess of the Joffrey artists will bring the iconic characters of Wonderland to life in the most magical way."

President & CEO Greg Cameron added, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland embodies the Joffrey's commitment to artistic excellence and accessibility. For the first time, we've added four extra performances to expand our Joffrey for All initiatives. These added performances provide more opportunities to engage with our Community Engagement partners and affiliated schools, offering equitable access to arts education for Chicago's youth. Wonderland is a joyful and imaginative showcase of the very best the Joffrey has to offer."

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland features live music performed by the Lyric Opera Orchestra, conducted by Scott Speck, Music Director of The Joffrey Ballet.

Special thanks to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Producing Sponsor Margot and Josef Lakonishok; Presenting Sponsors Ethel Gofen, The Negaunee Foundation, and Sonja and Conrad Fischer; Major Sponsors Mary Jo and Doug Basler, Dancing Skies Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Ronald V. Waters III, Audrey Weaver, and the Women's Board of The Joffrey Ballet; Production Sponsors Lynda Sue Lane, M.D., Holly Palmer Foundation, Jeanette Stevens, Richard and Diane Weinberg, and an anonymous Production Sponsor; and Costume Sponsor Jane Ellen Murray Foundation.

Tickets and Schedule
The Joffrey Ballet presents Alice's Adventures in Wonderland from Thursday, June 5–Sunday, June 22, 2025; the full performance schedule is as follows: Thursday, June 5 at 7:30PM; Friday, June 6 at 7:30PM; Saturday, June 7 at 2:00PM and 7:30PM; Sunday, June 8 at 2:00PM; Thursday, June 12 at 7:30PM; Friday, June 13 at 7:30PM; Saturday, June 14 at 2:00PM and 7:30PM; Sunday, June 15 at 2:00PM; Thursday, June 19 at 7:30PM; Friday, June 20 at 7:30PM; Saturday, June 21 at 2:00PM and 7:30PM; Sunday, June 22 at 2:00PM.

Tickets are available for purchase at the Lyric Opera Box Office located at 20 N. Upper Wacker Dr. by telephone at 312.386.8905, or online at joffrey.org.

About The Joffrey Ballet 
The Joffrey Ballet is one of the premier dance companies in the world today, with a reputation for boundary-breaking performances for 69 years. The Joffrey repertoire is an extensive collection of all-time classics, modern masterpieces, and original works.  

Founded in 1956 by pioneers Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino, the Joffrey remains dedicated to artistic expression, innovation, and first-rate education and engagement programming. The Joffrey Ballet continues to thrive under The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director Ashley Wheater MBE and President and CEO Greg Cameron. 

The Joffrey Ballet is grateful for the support of its 2024-2025 Season Sponsors: Abbott Fund, Alphawood Foundation Chicago, Daniel and Pamella DeVos Foundation, The Florian Fund, Gallagher, Anne L. Kaplan, and Live Music Sponsors: Sandy and Roger Deromedi, Sage Foundation, Robert and Penelope Steiner Family Foundation, and The Marina and Arnold Tatar Fund for Live Music. The Joffrey also acknowledges Season Partners: Chicago Athletic Clubs, and Athletico Physical Therapy, official provider of physical therapy for The Joffrey Ballet. 

For more information on The Joffrey Ballet and its programs, visit joffrey.org. Connect with the Joffrey on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. 

The Opera Festival of Chicago announces the cast and creative team for The Love of Three Kings (L’Amore dei tre Re), with music by Italo Montemezzi, a libretto by Sam Benelli, directed by Sasha Gerritson, conducted by Uff. Emanuele Andrizzi with a cast of more than 40 performers and an orchestra of 39 musicians. Performances are Friday, May 9 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 11 at 2 p.m. at the Athenaeum Center, 2936 N. Southport Ave. Single tickets are $25 - $50 with subscriptions available at OperaFestivalChicago.org.

Forty years after conquering Altura, the blind king Archibaldo faces growing resentment from its people. He recalls the conquest as a thrilling victory, likening it to winning a beautiful woman. His son, Manfredo, is married to the Alturan princess Fiora, who secretly loves another Alturan prince, Avito. Though Archibaldo suspects Fiora’s infidelity, his blindness and uncooperative servants leave him without proof.

Amid love duets and tense confrontations, Archibaldo grows increasingly enraged and strangles Fiora at the end of the second act. In the final act, Fiora’s body lies in a crypt as the Alturans mourn. Archibaldo poisons her lips, intending to trap her lover. Avito kisses Fiora and dies, revealing their affair to Manfredo, who, in grief, also kisses her and succumbs. Archibaldo enters to confirm his scheme but is devastated to hear the voice of his dying son.

In addition to The Love of Three Kings (L’amore dei tre re), the Opera Festival continues with its Young Artists program performing a delicious program featuring songs inspired by food in opera, Delicatessen Recital, June 5, the Opera Festival of Chicago's leading artists then appear in concert for Love is a Triangle, June 14, with the season concluding with Ruggero Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, June 27 and 29.

“The 2025 Festival, our fifth season, is going to be a season of celebration here at the Opera Festival of Chicago. This organization began forging its path in the opera world in 2021 with the mission of presenting Italian opera masterworks that rarely-if ever- grace the stage in the United States,” said General Director Sasha Gerritson. “These fully staged productions featured star-studded casts and have included several United States and Chicago premieres. We look forward to welcoming audiences from all over the Chicagoland area to this year’s season, which is based on a powerful theme, “Love is a Triangle,” and continues our mission in 2025 with concerts and two Italian masterworks.”

The cast of The Love of Three Kings features Andrea Silvestrelli (bass, King Archibaldo); Maria Kanyova (soprano, Fiora); Franco Pomponi (baritone, Manfredo); Andrew Morstein (tenor, Avito); Matthew DiBattista (tenor, Flaminio); Aldo Alan Navarette (Giovanetto/Fanciulo); Jade Dashá (soprano, Ancella/Giovanetta) and Viktoria Vizin (mezzo-soprano, Una Vecchia).

In addition, there will be a chorus including Floriana Bivona; Lizzie Broeker; Melanie Budreck, Winifer Castaneda; Jorie Clark; Brooke Craig; Ryan Daly (cover, Avito); Angela DeVenuto (cover, Fiora); Katrina Dubbs; Theresa Egan; David Green; Abigail Greer Arcamona; Lauren Ingebretsen; Marlina Karimi; Ally Lewkowski; Joe Lodato (cover, Manfredo); Jake Luellen; Samantha Mcgonigal (cover, Una Vecchia); Margaret Meierhenry; Grisella Milla; Chimerie Obianom; Jennifer Parr (cover, Ancella/Giovanetta); Brian Pember; Leah Rockweit, Pamela Spann; Meg Thomas-Cary; Leo Radosavljevic (cover, Archibaldo);

 Jose Vargas Ramirez; Carmen Vizin-Esquivel; Kevin Wheatle and Jonathan Wilson (cover, Manfredo).

The creative team for The Love of Three Kings includes Uff. Emanuele Andrizzi (conductor); Sasha Gerritson (director/supertitle design); Richard Robbins (chorus master); Catherine O’Shaunessy (assistant conductor); Darren Brown (production manager); Bill Morey  (costume designer); Erzebet Schneider (costumes supervisor); Shane Cinal (set designer); Andres Fiz (projections designer); Mike Goebel (lighting designer); Mary Mazurek (recording engineer); Melanie Saso (hair and wigs designer); Errin Austin (makeup designer); Hannah Zizza (supertitle operator); Gisella Milla (assistant to the director); Sebastian Medina (master electrician); Hannah Wein (assistant lighting designer); Rachel Rock (stage manager); James Juliano (SHOUT!) (publicity director); Lorenzo Formosa (house manager); Natalie Zoia (orchestra manager); Emily Zwijack (social media); Jacob Little (production assistant); Kaylea Meyers (production assistant); Irina Feoktistova (accompanist) and Leo Radosavljevich (chorus accompanist)

ABOUT SASHA GERRITSON, GENERAL DIRECTOR

Sasha Gerritson is a highly sought after opera and musical theater stage director who directs for many local and regional companies, specializing in traditional productions of believed repertoire. For the Opera Festival of Chicago, Gerritson received rave reviews for her production of Assassinio nella Cathedrale (2023). She also is regularly involved with Music Theater Works where she recently directed Guys and Dolls (March 6 - 30, 2025), Lerner & Loewe’s Brigadoon (2023) and Irving Berlin’s White Christmas (2022) both to great critical acclaim.

Gerritson served as the Opera and Music Theatre director of Northeastern Illinois University from 2010-2022, has directed for Musica Nelle Marche (Urbino, Italy), Opera Piccola, DePaul University, the Cherub Music Theatre program for Northwestern University, in addition to various other summer programs in the area.

In addition to her stage direction work, she is a choral conductor and singer, serving as the director of music ministries for the Park Ridge Community Church. She also proudly serves on a number of boards city-wide, including The Brookfield Zoo, the Navy Pier Foundation, the Goodman Theatre and DePaul University, for which she is vice chair.

Gerritson lives in Glenview with her husband, Eugene Jarvis, and their two sons.

ABOUT OPERA FESTIVAL OF CHICAGO

The Opera Festival of Chicago presents world-class standard productions of Italian opera masterpieces in Chicago that rarely grace the stage in the United States. In doing so the Opera Festival of Chicago aspires to: generate an inquisitive operatic appetite within Chicago audiences; make its work – and its cultural context – accessible to a wide audience; provide a stimulating and inspirational environment of Italian opera for artists and audiences alike; provide a vital opportunity for young artists entering the profession to uphold the high integrity and demands of Italian opera with artists and musicians who are established professionals and to highlight and celebrate the immense talent that has originated from the Chicagoland area.

See Chicago Dance, the dance industry's nonprofit service organization celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2025, is proud to announce that its popular annual offering, Chicago Dance Month, will return May 31 - June 28. Now in its 12th year, Chicago Dance Month provides numerous opportunities for artists and companies to celebrate the myriad talents that make Chicago’s dance scene so strong. This summer celebration, featuring many free events, begins with a Chicago Dance Month Kickoff Celebration, Saturday, May 31 at 3 p.m. at Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave.

“It’s going to be an amazing June for Chicago’s dance community as we celebrate 20 years of See Chicago Dance and 12 years of presenting Chicago Dance Month,” said See Chicago Dance Executive Director Julia Mayer. “This year’s CDM artists were selected by our inaugural Community Curatorial Committee, a marvelous group of dance leaders whose insights helped to lift up new voices and further diversify our program offerings.”

In addition to the events listed below, See Chicago Dance will highlight the work of scores of artists and organizations during this citywide celebration. Chicago Dance Month events and Hot Deal discount offers will be added to future releases and updated regularly on the organization’s newly re-designed, state-of-the-art website, SeeChicagoDance.com.

EVENTS CURRENTLY SCHEDULED INCLUDE*:

Chicago Dance Month Kickoff Celebration

Navy Pier’s Lake Stage, 600 E. Grand Ave.

Saturday, May 31

3 - 5 p.m.

FREE

Chicago Dance Month begins with an opening celebration at Chicago’s Navy Pier featuring a dynamic mix of performances from companies and artists that span genres and cultural traditions. Audiences are encouraged to bring a blanket, have a picnic and enjoy the performances.

Pier Dance

Navy Pier’s Wave Wall Platform, 600 E. Grand Ave.

Wednesdays, June 4 - 25

6:30 - 8:00 p.m.

FREE

Enjoy free dance lessons on Navy Pier’s Wave Wall Platform every Wednesday in June. These sessions are great for those who love socializing, learning new dances and being outdoors. Make it a date night or social event by sticking around for Navy Pier’s iconic fireworks display every Wednesday night following these exciting dance classes.

Wave Wall Moves

Navy Pier’s Wave Wall Platform, 600 E. Grand Ave.

Saturdays, June 7 - 28

4 - 5 p.m.

FREE

In partnership with Navy Pier, dance comes to the Wave Wall stage, located across from the iconic Ferris Wheel grand staircase, with pop-up performances from a rotating roster of dance companies every Saturday in June.

On the Move

Palmisano Park, 2700 S. Halsted St.

Tuesdays, June 17 and 24

5:30 - 7 p.m.

FREE

A series of short, site-specific performances that winds its way through public parks, inviting audience members to discover hidden pockets of movement.

• Tuesday, June 17 at 5:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, June 24 at 5:30 p.m.

*Performers, companies and programs are subject to change.

ABOUT JULIA MAYER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SEE CHICAGO DANCE

Julia Mayer, who was named Executive Director of See Chicago Dance in 2020, has been involved in and influencing Chicago’s cultural scene in a variety of capacities for more than 25 years, having worked at 3Arts Inc., The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Chicago Humanities Festival, Morrison-Shearer Foundation, and Museums In the Park. In addition, she has chaired and served on numerous committees from Links Hall to Chicago Dancemakers Forum to the Chicago Park District. Mayer has been a choreographer, teacher or consultant at Columbia College, University of Chicago and in Indiana at Valparaiso University and Saint Mary’s College. She has a master of fine arts degree in dance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a bachelor’s degree in Linguistics from the University of Chicago.

ABOUT SEE CHICAGO DANCE

See Chicago Dance is a nonprofit service organization with the mission to advocate for the dance field and strengthen a diverse range of dance organizations and artists through services and programs that build and engage audiences. Its vision is to fearlessly inspire an ever-growing inclusive community to share in and spread the power of dance in Chicago.

See Chicago Dance is the source for all things dance with the city’s most comprehensive resource for dance information and one of the largest websites in the United States dedicated to the art form. Its two-pronged approach focuses on building audiences while developing a more cohesive dance community.

For audience members, See Chicago Dance offers a dynamic calendar of dance performances and experiences, Hot Deal ticket discounts, professionally written reviews and previews, and listings for more than 200 dance organizations.

For dance artists and organizations, See Chicago Dance provides a full range of Programs and Industry Resources to help build audiences, improve skills, and foster appreciation of dance in all its forms.

The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago announces 16 by Red Clay Dance Company for three performances only, April 17-19, 2025, featuring Founding Artistic Director and CEO Vershawn Sanders-Ward (‘02)’s new staging of Written on the Flesh and a premiere by Bebe Miller—commissioned and set on Red Clay Dance Company dancers including Columbia alumni Amaya Arroyo (‘23) and Celeste Brace (‘23).

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit dance.colum.edu/events/2025/4/17/red-clay-dance-company.

Season 51 welcomes the return to the Dance Center of two extraordinary dance artists who have significantly impacted the dance ecosystem in Chicago and beyond—Bebe Miller and Vershawn Sanders-Ward. New York- and Ohio-based Miller was dubbed a “MoMing Sensation” by the Chicago Tribune in 1986 when she first performed in Chicago at MoMing Dance and Arts Center. Miller made her Dance Center debut at the original Uptown location in 1990 as part of Present Vision/Past Voice – The African American Tradition in Modern Dance series and returned in 1999 for the Changing Channels Festival where then-undergraduate Vershawn Sanders-Ward first experienced her work. From 2005 through 2020, the Dance Center, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and Links Hall all presented Miller in Chicago. Sanders-Ward founded Red Clay Dance Company in Chicago in 2009 and began making a local, national and international name for herself. Sanders-Ward returned to her alma mater for Red Clay Dance Company’s collaboration with Uganda-based Keiga Dance Company in 2018. During the pandemic, the South Loop Spark Plug incubator residency at the Dance Center commissioned four Chicago-based choreographers, including Sanders-Ward, to premiere new works in 2022 that were developed over a 6-month period with Miller serving as an artistic process mentor. 16 is the latest opportunity for Chicago to experience these two artists at the Dance Center.

“Vershawn Sanders-Ward and Bebe Miller are shining examples of continued, never-ending dedication to the field, to process, to inquiry, to continuing to investigate,” says Dance Center Artistic Director Meredith Sutton.

Tickets for Red Clay Dance Company’s 16 at the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago (1306 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago) are now available for $30, with non-Columbia student tickets available for $10. Performances are Thursday, April 17 at 7:30 p.m. (includes post-performance Q&A with Bebe Miller and Vershawn Sanders-Ward); Friday, April 18 at 7:30 p.m.; and Saturday, April 19 at 7:30 p.m. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit dance.colum.edu/events/2025/4/17/red-clay-dance-company.

Displayed int he lobby will be an archive of Red Clay Dance Company’s16 years in partnership with the Chicago Dance History Project for audiences to view before the show and during intermission.

Alongside the performances, advanced/professional dancers and students can take a masterclass with Bebe Miller at Red Clay Dance Company (808 E. 63rd Street, Chicago) on Thursday, April 17. Tickets are available for $30 HERE. A workshop with Vershawn Sanders-Ward will also be held at the Dance Center at Columbia College Chicago (1306 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago) on Friday, March 7 at 10:30 a.m.

When Written on the Flesh first premiered in 2016 at Chicago’s DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, it had been sparked by a Ta-Nehisi Coates’ 2014 essay in The Atlantic where he wrote: “elegant racism is invisible, supple, and enduring.” In developing the dance work, Vershawn Sanders-Ward and the Red Clay Dance Company dancers were struck by how memories of direct, in-your-face bigotry were easy to call up and respond to, “But some of the underpinnings of the things that we just move through in our lives become a way of living,” says Sanders-Ward. “They are actually invisibilized. I was intrigued about how to make those things visible.”

This 2025 restaging takes the inquiry deeper, drawing additional inspiration from Isabel Wilkerson’s 2020 book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents: “As we go about our daily lives, caste is the wordless usher in a darkened theater, flashlight cast down in the aisles, guiding us to our assigned seats for a performance. The hierarchy of caste is not about feelings or morality. It is about power—which groups have it and which do not.” Reimagining the work with the current dancers in the company, Sanders-Ward seeks to confront systemic racial inequities while searching for resilience, forgiveness, and love.

“There are systemic issues that we still don’t have the courage to really lay bare,” says Sanders-Ward. “Even when it’s bubbling up there’s still this powerful dynamic to suppress and suppress and suppress, not let’s address it head on no matter how disruptive it’s going to be. We see pockets of it. But are we willing to let it all come out?”

“The relationships that I have now in the field are because of the time that I was at the Dance Center and the generosity of the faculty in making connections for me,” says Sanders-Ward. “I feel very blessed to be in a position to put the dancers in the company in relationship with Bebe Miller, an artist who is just legendary to me, but is also still on her own creative journey.” says Sanders-Ward. “It’s a homecoming to be able to be incubated in a space and go away and to come back at this pivotal moment.”

About 16’s Choreographers

A native New Yorker, Bebe Miller first performed her choreography at NYC’s Dance Theater Workshop in 1978. She formed Bebe Miller Company in 1985 to pursue her interest in finding a physical language for the human condition. Committed to keeping dance available to a wide spectrum of people and to further the conversation about the role of arts and creativity in our culture, Miller is dedicated to providing access to the creative process and expression to diverse communities. She has created more than 50 dance works for the company and has been commissioned and presented by 651 ARTS, BAM Next Wave, DTW, Jacob’s Pillow, Joyce Theater, PICA, REDCAT, Walker Art Center, and Wexner Center for the Arts among others. Her choreography has been performed by Kyle Abraham’s A.I.M. (Abraham In Motion), Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Oregon Ballet Theater, Boston Ballet, Philadanco, Salt Lake City’s Repertory Dance Theater, the UK’s Phoenix Dance Company, PACT Dance Company of Johannesburg, South Africa, and at a host of colleges and universities including the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago. Named a Master of African AmericanChoreography by the Kennedy Center in 2005, Bebe has been a Movement Research honoree, has received four New York Dance and Performance “Bessie” awards, the David R. White Award from New York Live Arts, United States Artists and Guggenheim Fellowships, honorary doctorates from Ursinus College and Franklin & Marshall College, and is one of the inaugural class of Doris Duke Artist Award recipients. Bebe is a Distinguished Professor Emerita in The Ohio State University’s Department of Dance and lives in Columbus, OH. bebemillercompany.org

The Founding Artistic Director& CEO of Red Clay Dance Company, Vershawn Sanders-Ward blends elements of African diasporic dance forms with modern techniques and is committed to reshaping the landscape of contemporary dance while driving social change. Through Red Clay Dance Company, she provides a platform for artists of diverse backgrounds to explore issues of identity, race, and social justice through dance and ARTIVISM. Her work has been presented in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, The Yard at Martha’s Vineyard, and internationally in Toronto, Dakar and Kampala and commissioned by Columbia College Chicago, Northwestern University, Knox College, AS220, and the National Theatre in Uganda. On the Board of Trustees for Dance/USA, Sanders-Ward is President of the Board of Directors for the Black Arts & Cultural Alliance of Chicago, was selected as a Community Impact Fellow for the Harvard Business School Club of Chicago and as a member of the inaugural Obama Foundation Summit for Emerging Global Leaders. She is the recipient of the inaugural Walder Foundation Platform Award, Dance/USA Artist Fellowship, Dance/USA Leadership Fellowship, Chicago Dancemakers Forum Award, and 3Arts Award. She was featured on the 2024 Chicago episode of the PBS series "The Expressway with Dulé Hill, "named a 2024 Chicagoan of the Year by the Chicago Tribune, and inducted into Newcity’s “Players 50: People Who Really Perform for Chicago” Hall of Fame in 2023. Sanders-Ward is a candidate for Dunham Certification and currently serves on faculty at Loyola University of Chicago. She holds an MFA in Dance from New York University and is the first recipient of a BFA in Dance from  Columbia College Chicago, where she was a Gates Millennium Scholar. redclaydance.com

About Red Clay Dance Company

Red Clay Dance Company, Chicago’s premier Afro-contemporary dance company, is the brainchild of Vershawn Sanders-Ward, the institutions’ Founding Artistic Director & CEO. The touring company is an award-winning ensemble of versatile and dynamic dance Artivists that tour and perform locally, nationally, and internationally. In its 16-year history the company has toured and performed in venues such as the Harris Theater for Music & Dance, Dance Center of Columbia College, the DuSable Museum Roundhouse, the Museum of Contemporary Art, ODC Theater, Dance Mission Theater, The Painted Bride, Joyce Soho, and the National Theater of Uganda. Committed to taking their signature Artivism in Motion from the stage into learning environments, its community engagement work is a vital part of the company’s creative process and village building work.

About The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago

Within the School of Theatre and Dance, the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago is home to the Dance program and the Dance Presenting Series. Valuing embodied human expression, nurturing an expansive understanding of dance from the established to the experimental, and centering pluralism, the Dance Center aims to be a nucleus for innovation and creativity—on stage, in the classroom, and beyond. By partnering with local, national, and international dance artists dedicated to transforming the field, the Dance Presenting Series offers live performances and other shared opportunities for students, faculty, artists, and audiences to connect, witness, research, experiment, practice, imagine, and grow. We cultivate an environment and culture that prioritizes respect for self and others, and advances an anti-racist, equitable, and just society.

Season 51 is supported in part by Alphawood Foundation, Chicago International Puppet Theatre Festival, City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Illinois Arts Council, Kalapriya Center for Indian Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, Red Clay Dance Company, and The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation. Additional support for She’s Auspicious is provided by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

About Columbia College Chicago

Located in the heart of downtown Chicago’s Cultural Mile, Columbia College Chicago is a private, nonprofit college offering a distinctive curriculum that blends creative and media arts, liberal arts, and business for nearly 6,700 students in more than 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Dedicated to academic excellence and long-term career success, Columbia College Chicago creates a dynamic, challenging, and collaborative space for students who see the world through a creative lens.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) presents the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC)'s Pericles, direct from a "triumphant" (The Telegraph) run at the company's home in Stratford-upon-Avon, UK. One of the world's preeminent theater companies, the RSC returns to Chicago for the first time in 30 years as part of a new, ongoing partnership with CST.

Tamara Harvey directs this major new production of Shakespeare's moving tale in her and Daniel Evans' first season as the RSC's co‑artistic directors. The Guardian raved about the UK premiere, "Pericles could not have been done better." This exclusive engagement runs October 20–December 7 in the Courtyard Theater, marking CST's 100th international production bringing the world's great artists to Chicago.

When Prince Pericles solves a riddle set by the neighboring King, he knows the answer could get him killed. Fleeing for safety, he finds himself swept away on an epic voyage that will see him battle princes, marry his true love, and become a father. But this is also a journey of storms and shipwrecks, abduction and devastating loss. Adrift in an ocean of grief, will Pericles ever see his family again?

"It is a huge pleasure to be bringing the Royal Shakespeare Company back to Chicago for the first time in 30 years with this most timely and beautiful production of Pericles," said CST's artistic director Edward Hall. "The inaugural production as co‑artistic director from Tamara Harvey is a rare opportunity for audiences to immerse themselves in this thought-provoking and wise story brought to life by an exceptionally talented company. This marks the beginning of a partnership between the RSC and CST in an expression of the shared passion for Shakespeare long held by us, Tamara Harvey, and Daniel Evans."

Harvey shared, "As I stepped with excitement and trepidation into the rehearsal room to create this, my RSC debut, I wouldn't have dared hope that the experience could be so joyful and creatively exhilarating. This company of actors is extraordinary, and we are thrilled to welcome Zach Wyatt as Pericles for the next leg of our journey together, whose professional debut—a very Pericles-like note of connection and reunion—was with Ed Hall when he was artistic director of Hampstead Theatre in London."

She continued, "Sharing this lesser-known Shakespeare with audiences in Stratford‑upon‑Avon has confirmed our belief that Pericles' perennial relevance is compelling, with its examination of leadership, endurance, loss, and hope. We can't wait to share this beautiful play with Chicago Shakespeare Theater's audiences as together we start to write the next chapter in the centuries-old story of collaboration between our two nations."

Zach Wyatt leads the cast of the Chicago engagement in the title role of Prince Pericles. Wyatt has been seen onstage in the West End production of A Little Life, Bartholomew Fair and The Merry Wives of Windsor at The Globe, Wild East at the Young Vic, and I And You at Hampstead Theatre. His television and film credits include The Witcher: Blood Origin, Timestalker, and Blithe Spirit.

The company also includes Miles Barrow (Thaliard/Boult), Philip Bird (Helicanus), Jacqueline Boatswain (Cerimon/Bawd), Rachelle Diedericks (Marina), Chyna‑Rose Frederick (Antiochus' Daughter/Lychorida/Diana), Sasha Ghoshal (Ensemble), Leah Haile (Thaisa), Felix Hayes (Anitochus/Pander), Kel Matsena (Lysimachus), Miriam O'Brien (Ensemble), Emmanuel Olusanya (Ensemble), Chukwuma Omambala (Cleon), Sam Parks (Escanes, Leonine), Christian Patterson (Simonides), and Gabby Wong (Dionyza).

Joining Harvey on the creative team are Jonathan Fensom (Set Designer), Kinnetia Isidore (Costume Designer), Ryan Day (Lighting Designer), Claire van Kampen (Composer),Claire Windsor (Sound Designer), Annie‑Lunnette Deakin-Foster (Movement Director), Charlotte Sutton CDG (Casting Director),Elinor Peregrin (Music Director), Tess Dignan (Voice and Text), Francesca Murray-Fuentes (Associate Director), Zoë Thomas‑Webb (Associate Costume Designer), and Juliano Zaffino (Textual Consultant).

The press opening for Pericles is scheduled for Friday, October 25 at 7:00 p.m. 

More information at www.chicagoshakes.com/pericles or on social media at @chicagoshakes.

Pericles

By William Shakespeare
Directed by Tamara Harvey
October 20–December 7, 2024
Courtyard Theater

PERFORMANCE LISTING

• Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. (except November 12 and 19)
• Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. (no matinee on October 23 and no evening on November 27)
• Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. (except November 28)
• Fridays at 7:00 p.m. 
• Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
• Sundays at 2:00 p.m. (additional performances at 6:00 p.m. on October 20 and 7:00 p.m. on December 1)

Chicago Shakespeare strives to make its facility and performances accessible to all patrons. Accessible seating, assistive listening devices, large-print and Braille programs, and sensory tools are available at every performance. Enhanced performances include:

• Audio-described performance with optional touch tour – Sunday, November 17 2:00 p.m.
  A program that provides spoken narration of a play's key visual elements for patrons who are blind or have low vision. Touch Tours provide patrons the opportunity to experience, firsthand, a production's design elements.
• Open captioning – Wednesday, November 20 at 1:00 & 7:00 p.m.
  A text display of the words and sounds heard during a play, synced live with the action onstage.
• Projected Spanish translated performance - Thursday, November 21 at 7:00 p.m.
  A text display of the words of the play, translated into Spanish, synced live with the dialogue.
• ASL interpreted performance – Friday, November 22, at 7:00 p.m.
  All dialogue and lyrics are translated into American Sign Language by two certified interpreters