Chicago Theaters Prepare for the Fall Season; Chicago Shows Open In NYC

As Chicago theaters prepare for the fall season, the city has proven itself a leader on the national theater scene. Highlighted by two consecutive Pulitzer Prizes awarded to plays generated in Chicago-Tracy Letts' August: Osage County (Steppenwolf) and Lynne Nottage's Ruined (Goodman)-the Chicago theater season is poised to launch at home, while its influence is seen on Broadway.

Chicago's prominence will be especially evident on September 29 and October 1 with the Broadway openings of Keith Huff's A Steady Rain and Tracy Letts' Superior Donuts. Both plays were written, developed, premiered and set in Chicago.

"Chicago is a premier theater city, locally, nationally and internationally. We are proud of our recent successes and look forward to our upcoming season at home. With such a strong presence on Broadway and across the country, we can say with confidence that Chicago is a leader in generating and producing new work, classics and musicals," says League of Chicago Theatres Executive Director Deb Clapp.

Each season, Chicago boasts more than 200 producing theater companies, a total 115 performance venues with 5 million tickets sold annually and an average ticket price of only $23. Chicago is the only city with 4 theaters that have been awarded the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre Excellence (Chicago Shakespeare, Goodman, Steppenwolf and Victory Gardens).

Information and links to all ChicaGo Productions can be found online at ChicagoPlays.com. Half-priced tickets are always available online at HotTix.org and at the Hot Tix booth locations, 72 E. Randolph and 163 E. Pearson in downtown Chicago.

This season, a record number of New York productions have a strong Chicago influence, including:
A Steady Rain, opening September 29 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, was written by Chicago playwright Keith Huff. The production premiered at Chicago Dramatists before transferring to Chicago's The Royal George Theatre for an extended run.
Superior Donuts, opening October 1 at the Music Box, by Tracy Letts, was commissioned and produced by Steppenwolf.
Brighton Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound, opening October 25 and December 10, respectively, will be directed by David Cromer. Cromer's recent New York hits including The Adding Machine and Our Town.
The Lady with All the Answers opens at The Cherry Lane Theatre, in association with Northlight Theatre, on October 14. The production is directed by Northlight Artistic Director BJ Jones and features two-time Tony winner, and Chicago native, Judith Ivey.
Graceland by Ellen Fairey, first produced and developed by Profiles Theatre, is expected to be produced by Lincoln Center later this fall.
In Chicago, highlights of the upcoming fall season schedule include:
Among the distinguished actors appearing on Chicago stages are: Kevin Anderson (A Guide for the Perplexed at Victory Gardens Theater, July 2010); Brian Dennehy (Hughie and Krapp's Last Tape at the Goodman, January 2010); Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth (The Addams Family at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts/Oriental Theatre, November 2009); John Mahoney (A Life at Northlight Theatre, March 2010); William Petersen (Endgame at Steppenwolf Theatre, April 2010); Rondi Reed (Endgame at Steppenwolf Theatre, April 2010), Michael Shannon (Mistakes Were Made at A Red Orchid Theatre, September 2009).

Notable directors working in Chicago include: David Cromer (A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams at Writers Theatre, May 2010); Gary Griffin (Private Lives by Noel Coward at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, January 2010); Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Long Red Road by Brett C. Leonard at the Goodman Theatre, February 2010); David Schwimmer (Trust at Lookingglass Theatre, (March 2010); Anna D. Shapiro (A Parallelogram by Bruce Norris at Steppenwolf, July 2010).

Notable productions playing on Chicago stages include: a modern musical adaptation of Animal Crackers directed by Harry Wishkamper at the Goodman Theater; the Chicago Premiere of Yeast Nation (the triumph of life) by Greg Kotis and Mark Hollman, the creators of Urinetown, at American Theater Company; the Chicago premiere of Late: A Cowboy Story at Piven Theatre Workshop by Piven alumna Sarah Ruhl; the Midwest premiere of The Mercy Seat, marking Profiles seventh production of a Neil LaBute play; the second year of the Chicago run of Million Dollar Quartet; Chicago Shakespeare's World's Stage Series productions of Druid's The Walworth Farce and Maly Drama Theatre of St. Petersburg's Uncle Vanya.

A small selection of Chicago's 2009-2010 world premiere productions include:
Mistakes Were Made by Craig Wright (A Red Orchid Theatre)
Welcome to Arroyo's by Kristoffer Diaz (American Theater Company)
Lucinda's Bed by Mia McCullough (Chicago Dramatists)
Will Rogers: An American Original by Kevin McKillip, based on the life and writings of Will Rogers (First Folio Theatre)
Fake by Eric Simonson and A Parallelogram by Bruce Norris (Steppenwolf Theatre)
High Holidays by Alan Gross, The Long Red Road by Brett C. Leonard and The True History of the Johnstown Flood by Rebecca Gilman (Goodman Theatre)
Summer People by Jenny Connell (The Gift Theatre)
A Shroud for Lazarus by Rotimi Babatunde (Halcyon Theatre)
Fedra by J. Nicole Brooks, Icarus by David Catlin and Trust by Andy Bellin and David Schwimmer (Lookingglass Theatre)
War with the Newts by Jason Loewith and Justin D.M. Palmer, based on the novella by Karel Capek and Return to Haifa, adapted by Ibrahim Miari based on the novella by Ghassan Kanafani (Next Theatre)
Low Down Dirty Blues by Randal Myler and Dan Wheetman (Northlight Theatre)
A Guide for the Perplexed by Joel Drake Johnson, Year Zero by Michael Golamco and The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity by Kristoffer Diaz (Victory Gardens Theater)

THE LEAGUE OF CHICAGO THEATRES
Founded in 1979, the League is a non-profit alliance of theaters that leverages its collective strength to promote, support and advocate for Chicago's theater industry locally, nationally and internationally. Currently, the League serves a diverse membership of nearly 200 theaters and theater companies, ranging from small storefront, non-union companies to major cultural centers with multi-million dollar facilities and productions.

Photo credit Walter McBride