Theatre

THE PRODIGAL DAUGHTER

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ABOUT THE SHOW (FROM RAVEN THEATRE) : In the Red Summer of 1919, Chicago’s Black Belt is boiling over, from both the ruthless heat and the intensifying racial conflict gripping America.

Virginia Bass, a successful saleswoman, is traveling with her business partner when they decide to pay her hometown and her family a visit. However, Virginia finds the welcome not nearly as warm as the weather outside, especially from her estranged father, leaving her wondering if it’s ever possible to truly come home.

Unresolved feelings, deep-seated tension, and a deadly urban clash set the scene for the third and final installment of The Grand Boulevard Trilogy.

THE PRODIGAL DAUGHTER CLOSES: JUNE 22ND

TTS ALUMNI INCLUDE: Bradford Stevens (MFA 02′)

YOU CAN FIND TICKETS HERE

Native Son At Lifeline Theatre!

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As Lifeline Theatre Puts It “Suffocating in rat-infested poverty on Chicago’s South Side during the 1930s, twenty-year-old Bigger Thomas struggles to find a place for himself in a world whose prejudice has shut him out. After taking a job in a wealthy white man’s house, Bigger unwittingly unleashes a series of events that violently and irrevocably seal his fate. Adapted with theatrical ingenuity by Chicago’s own Nambi E. Kelley, this Native Son captures the power of Richard Wright’s novel for a whole new generation.”

TTS Alumni/ Faculty/ Students Include: James Lewis (BFA ACTING 13′), Ashli Rene Funches (BFA ACTING 22′), Martine Kei Green-Rogers As The Dramaturg (Dean), Faramade (Fara) Oladapo (BAF Theatre Arts 24′).

Native Son Closes June 30th 2024.

You Can Access Tickets Here.

 

 

ENGLISH

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AS GOODMAN PUTS IT: “English Only.” Four adult students in Karaj, Iran are studying for the Test of English as a Foreign Language—the key to their green card, medical school admission or family reunification. Chasing fluency through a maze of word games, listening exercises and show-and-tell sessions, they hope that one day, English will make them whole. But it might be splitting them each in half.

TTS FACULTY INCLUDE: Yasmin Zacaria Mikhaiel

ENGLISH CLOSES: JUNE 16TH 2024

YOU CAN FIND TICKETS HERE

An Educated Guess At Definition Theatre

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As Definition Theatre puts it “It’s been a few years since the September 11 attacks on New York City, but the wounds are still raw. We find Alba Guerrero, a rising star at the federal immigration office in Manhattan, on the day she realizes an immigrant she admitted into the United States has committed a heinous act of mass murder. As her life begins to unravel, we meet characters from all over the world– helping Alba come to grips with guilt, forgiveness, and the inherent fallibility of our government systems.”

TTS Alumni Include: Claudia Quesada (BFA ACTING 19′) Portraying Alba Guerrero.

Definition Theatre celebrates stories created with, inspired by, and intended for people and communities of color. Through the act of making, Definition expands perspectives, stewards resources, and bridges the possibility found at the intersection of art, innovation, and education.

An Educated Guess Closes At Definition Theatre May 26th 2024.

You Can Access Tickets Here

LAVENDER MEN

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As AboutFace Puts It: Taffeta is a fat, multi-racial femme with a unique form of queer magic: she can conjure dead historical figures. In this energetic and surreal play, Taffeta invites audiences along as she summons none other than President Abraham Lincoln and his handsome young law clerk Elmer Ellsworth to her stage. Playing every other character in Abe and Elmer’s gay narrative, Taffeta uses this fantasia to confront issues of visibility, race, and LGBTQ+ inclusion. But is any of this historically accurate? Sit down, honey, that’s not what we’re here for. Lavender Men is an embrace to every queer, fat person of color who has been ignored, neglected, or erased for unapologetically being themselves.

TTS ALUMNI/ FACULTY INCLUDE: (BFA Dramaturgy/ Criticism 14) Catherine Miller Casting Director | (BFA Acting) Shea Peterson | (Costume Designer) Anna Wooden Faculty.

LAVENDER MEN CLOSES JUNE 8TH 2024 @ THE DEN THEATRE

YOU CAN FIND TICKETS HERE

An illustrated collage featuring Abraham Lincoln and Elmer in an embrace surrounded by Taffeta as multiple characters.

Warm on the Coolin’Board

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As MPAACT Puts It: Everybody has a plan, and Day is no exception. He has a plan for his baby brother Brian. Trouble is – Brian is off plan. He’s taking a break from college and picking up the family business, stripping the Roseland community to the bone. This decaying community is being pillaged by its own inhabitants, its politicians, and its few remaining businesses. As Day and Brian work to find their place in a community that is literally being picked clean, they struggle to come to grips with whether they are hastening the process, or part of the restoration.

TTS Alumni Included: Rich Oliver (MFA Acting 2023).

MPAACT is a multidisciplinary theatre arts organization dedicated to producing original works by the nation’s finest theatre artisits. Based in Chicago since 1991, MPAACT has built a reputation for innovation and excellence by solely producing world premiere productions which utilize language, music, and movement in a manner that captivates both the critical and commercial audience. The style of production has been labeled Afrikan Centered Theatre.

Warm on the Coolin’Board Closes June 2nd 2024

Tickets Can Be Found Here.

Are You Going, Or Coming To See Joe Turner’s Come And Gone?

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As Goodman Theatre puts it “On the heels of Gem of the Ocean (2022), expert August Wilson interpreter Chuck Smith revives the second work in the famed American Century Cycle—one of Wilson’s best-loved, most compelling plays. Herald Loomis searches the country with his young daughter to find his estranged wife. But first, he must regain a sense of his own heritage and identity in this story of spiritual and emotional resurrection”

TTS Alumni/ Faculty/ Students Include: Dexter Zollicoffer >< Seth Holly (Faculty), NAMBI E. KELLEY><mattie campbell (Playwriting 95′).

Joe Turner’s Come And Gone Closes May 12th In The GoodMan’s Albert Theatre.

You Can Find Students Here & Discounted Tickets Here.

 

Joe Turner’s Come and Gone at Goodman Theatre

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Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Goodman Theatre, closes 5/12/2024. NAMBI E. KELLEY (BFA, Playwriting, ’95) and DEXTER ZOLLICOFFER (MFA, Acting, ’90) are in the cast. KRISTIN E. ELLIS (BFA, Acting, ’11) is an understudy.  LINDA BUCHANAN (Faculty Emeritus) is the set designer, JARED GOODING (BFA, Lighting Design, ’12) is the lighting designer, and MARIO (MARS) WOLFE (BFA, Stage Management, ’16) is the stage manager.

Joe Turner's Come and Gone
Joe Turner’s Come and Gone

NANA @ Trap Door Theatre!

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As Trap Door Theatre put it: Olwen Wymark’s splendid dramatization of Zola’s Nana is a story of sexual and financial greed in nineteenth-century Parisian society, depicting the rise and tragic downfall of a young courtesan.

TTS Alumni Include: Dan Cobbler (BFA Acting 13′), & Emily Lotspeich (BFA Theatre Studies 03′).

Trap Door Theatre is committed to seeking out challenging and obscure works. Whether a forgotten European classic, an international project rarely seen in the United States, or an untarnished piece of American literature, Trap Door seeks diverse voices and presents them through innovative expression. We mix established and imaginative techniques to illustrate the absurdities of living in today’s society.

Nana Closes May 18th 2024.

You Can Access Tickets Here.

ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD @ Court Theatre

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As Court Theatre Puts It: Everyone dies, but not everyone’s death is pre-ordained by Shakespeare. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead puts the spotlight on two of Shakespeare’s minor characters as they wrestle with fundamental, pressing questions of identity, loss, fate, friendship, and the absurdity of existence. As they hurtle towards their imminent demise, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern unlock what it means to be truly alive.

TTS Alumni Include: Blake Hamilton (MFA ACTING 23′) Keith Parham (BFA LIGHTING DESIGN 98′).

ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD Closes April 28th 2024.

Accessible Performances:

  • April 20, 2024 at 2:00pm (Touch Tour/Audio Description/ASL Interpretation)
    • Touch Tour at 12:30pm
  • April 21, 2024 at 2:00pm (Open Captioning)

Tickets Can Be Found Here.

OTHER MEDIA:

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