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By Carrie L. Kaufman
| Theatre
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3:12 PM, Aug 30, 2010
| Updated 11:19 PM, Aug 30, 2010 |
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It feels like Chicago Theatre has stepped it up a notch in the last few years. Or perhaps the rest of the country—having had their eyes opened by the phenomenal world-wide success of August: Osage County—is honoring the excellence that was already here. This past season we’ve watched as shows like The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity and Year Zero have leapt off of Victory Gardens’ stage to national prominence. We had to go see Drury Lane’s production of Ragtime the critics were going wild about. And Cabaret. And Cromer’s Streetcar at Writers. And most of the theatre community has seen at least one of The Brother/Sister Plays.
The Joseph Jefferson Committee agrees. This year’s Equity Jeff nominees cover a theatre that is as diverse as it is excellent.
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By Carrie L. Kaufman
| Theatre
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2:22 PM, Aug 27, 2010
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The trickles of talk about the first annual Chicago Fringe Festival exploded this week, and Sarah Mikayla Brown is a little blown away by it.
Brown, the executive producer who conceived of the Chicago version of a fringe fest last year after performing at the Minnesota Fringe Fest, thinks that the combination of 45 performance groups sending out press releases and e-mails to their constituents has coalesced into a “fervor and energy” that has created a groundswell of curiousity.
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By Kerry Reid
| Theatre
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2:17 PM, Aug 27, 2010
| Updated 2:28 PM, Aug 27, 2010 |
 Many extraordinary young people have come through the doors of Free Street Theater over the years, but Abraham Mendoza, or “Abe” as he was known to family and friends, was special.
“He was so brilliant, so compassionate,” says Free Street creative director Anita Evans. “Everyone who met Abe knew he was going to change the world.”
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By Kevin Heckman
| Review Roundup
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2:15 PM, Aug 27, 2010
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Despite the fact that I am in no way a fan of musical theatre, as a child one of my favorite albums was the soundtrack to Godspell. I enjoyed the songs, although I didn’t get most of the Biblical references (growing up Unitarian doesn’t guarantee familiarity with the Bible). But I had not seen the musical itself since attending a college production of it when I was 10 or so.
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By Kerry Reid
| Theatre
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12:45 PM, Aug 20, 2010
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In the midst of all the anxious conversation sparked by “Outrageous Fortune” over the financial fate of American playwrights, one high-profile theatre has unveiled a new program geared toward providing tangible resources and benefits for writers. Arena Stage in Washington, DC announced the American Voices New Play Institute in June, which will essentially put five playwrights on salary as staff members of the theatre for three years. And it’s a safe bet that playwrights and theatres around the country will be watching this program closely as a possible harbinger of a new way of supporting new work—and the people who create it.
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By Kerry Reid
| Behind the Curtain
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1:15 PM, Aug 20, 2010
| Updated 1:55 PM, Aug 20, 2010 |
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If you’re looking to mix it up this weekend, head over to Theater Wit for the first Chicago Theatre (Anti) Conference, designed in part as a response to June’s TCG conference in Chicago, and in part as a return to the old days of League of Chicago Theatres’ annual retreat. A host of speakers and panelists from companies large (Martha Lavey of Steppenwolf Theatre, Roche Schulfer of Goodman Theatre), and small (Don Hall of WNEP) will hold forth on the challenges and controversies swirling around our two-fisted community of theatermakers. I’ll be on a panel on Saturday at 10 a.m., moderated by Tony Adams of Halcyon Theatre, on theatre festivals. The entire shindig costs $32, including lunch and dinner. More info online or at 773/975-8150.
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