Chicago Shakespeare Theater News

The epic story of King Henry V's battle with the French during the Hundred Years' War comes alive for the first time at the Folger Theatre, in William Shakespeare's historical drama Henry V. The production, directed by Robert Richmond (Othello and Henry VIII at the Folger), stars Zach Appelman (War Horse on Broadway) in his Folger Theatre debut as Henry V, and will run from tonight, January 22 - March 3, 2013.

A total of 35 established and emerging writers, composers and lyricists will converge on the Goodspeed campus this month to participate in the first-ever Johnny Mercer Writers Colony at Goodspeed Musicals. The writing teams, representing more than twenty new musicals, will populate the campus, creating a truly exciting environment for discovery and inspiration.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) collaborates with The Chicago Chamber Musicians (CCM) for the 11th annual family concert, presenting the Chicago premiere of LEAVE IT TO LUDWIG by Bruce Adolphe, today, January 19 and Sunday, January 20, 2013 at 10 and 11:30 am at Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) and The Market Theatre in South Africa host the world premieres of Cadre, written by Omphile Molusi, in Chicago as part of CST's World's Stage Series February 15-23, 2013 and in Johannesburg, South Africa, March 18-April 14, 2013. Following Molusi's internationally acclaimed production Itsoseng, presented by Chicago Shakespeare in 2010, Cadre is inspired by true events in the life of an activist during and after the apartheid era. Cadre is produced by CST, with Richard Jordan Productions Ltd in association with The Market Theatre of Johannesburg and Adelaide Festival of Arts. Committed to fostering dialogue on the important political issues explored in this production, Chicago Shakespeare is encouraging broad-based participation by offering all tickets for $20.

Religion and science collide in playwright Catherine Trieschmann's How the World Began, a visceral examination of the way in which we navigate interpersonal relationships involving seemingly irreconcilable beliefs - and just how hard it is to truly listen to one another in an increasingly polarized world. How the World Began runs in the Stiemke Studio from January 16 - February 24, and opens tonight, January 18.

Executive Producer Mike Isaacson announced today the directors, choreographers and music directors for its 2013 Season, which opens on June 17 with Monty Python's Spamalot. 'This is a phenomenally talented group of artists, and I'm thrilled to be working with all of them. Last season our audience inspired us to take many risks and push ourselves far. These directors and choreographers are already working on ways to top last season's level of excitement and excellence.'

Celebrating the most romantic night of the year, powerhouse songstress Felicia P. Fields will perform her all new show, Mess Around & Fall in Love, on Thursday, February 14 at 7:30 p.m. at Theatre at the Center, 1040 Ridge Rd. Filled with sassy hits like "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)", "Women Be Wise", "You Can Have My Husband But Don't Mess With My Man", and "I Got My Mojo Workin', Mess Around & Fall in Love brings entertainment to a new level and will have the audience singing and dancing in their seats for the entire 75-minute program. Dinner theater packages are available for $50 per person and performance only tickets are available for $35.

A delightful midwinter night's dream, ALMOST, MAINE by John Cariani will play TheaterWorks in downtown Hartford. The sweet and poignant comedy runs January 25 - March 3, 2013, directed by Amy Saltz.

A total of 35 established and emerging writers, composers and lyricists will converge on the Goodspeed campus this month to participate in the first-ever Johnny Mercer Writers Colony at Goodspeed Musicals. The writing teams, representing more than twenty new musicals, will populate the campus, creating a truly exciting environment for discovery and inspiration.

BroadwayWorld Chicago invited all winners, nominees, past winners and nominees, theater folk, superfans, board members and everyone else to the third annual BroadwayWorld Awards Celebration on January 9, 2013 at The Call nightclub in Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood. BroadwayWorld's Paul W. Thompson and The Call's Ashley Morgan once again co-hosted the event, with showtune videos presented by VJ Michael Hogan in between categories.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) announced today casting for its contemporary retelling of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, staged by acclaimed British director Jonathan Munby in his Chicago debut, February 5-March 24, 2013 in CST's Courtyard Theater. The production features a celebrated company of artists that includes Jeff Award-winning Chicago actor David Darlow in the title role, Canada's Stratford Festival favorite Dion Johnstone as Marc Antony, New York stage and screen actor Jason Kolotouros as Caius Cassius and British actor John Light as Marcus Brutus. The production also welcomes the return of veteran CST actors David Lively as Ligarius/Lepidus, Barbara E. Robertson as Calphurnia and Larry Yando as Casca.

Religion and science collide in playwright Catherine Trieschmann's How the World Began, a visceral examination of the way in which we navigate interpersonal relationships involving seemingly irreconcilable beliefs - and just how hard it is to truly listen to one another in an increasingly polarized world. How the World Began runs in the Stiemke Studio from January 16 - February 24, and opens on Friday, January 18.

Belarus Free Theatre makes its way to the United States in January, despite several police raids last month at underground performance spaces in the capital of Minsk. The raids came on the eve of the company bringing its newest political piece, Minsk, 2011: A Reply to Kathy Acker, to Chicago Shakespeare Theater January 30-February 3, 2013. To foster dialogue and encourage participation, all tickets for this six-performance limited engagement are $20. The piece, which explores the sexual brutality and oppression by the totalitarian regime in Belarus, is one of many award-winning productions by the company, celebrated for creating art based upon the unjustly persecuted people of Belarus.

New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) Artistic Director James C. Nicola and Managing Director William Russo have announced that the New York premiere of Belleville, written by Amy Herzog and directed by Anne Kauffman, will begin performances Tuesday, February 12 at NYTW, 79 East 4 Street, between Bowery and Second Avenue. Opening night is set for Sunday, March 3 at 7pm. Belleville is scheduled to run through Sunday, March 31.