Nelson Rodriguez News

Arum Rae is the rare artist capable of conveying entire worlds of feeling with the subtlest movement of her voice. On her new album Loose Ends, mainly produced by Wesley Schultz of The Lumineers, the Wisconsin-based singer/songwriter shares a batch of songs rooted in stories of loss and hope and transformation, each delivered with exquisite nuance.

Classic plays provide us a snapshot of the time period in which they were written. They can show us how far we may or may not have progressed as a society. Henrik Ibsen's 'A Doll's House' is one such classic. Now in production at Raven Theatre, this new take offers up a sharp, refreshing look. Raven Artistic Director Cody Estle remarks in a program note that what is addressed in 'A Doll's House' 'remain issues in our own time.'

Raven Theatre is continuing its 2019-20 season with a revival of Henrik Ibsen's masterpiece A DOLL'S HOUSE, in a vibrant and progressive new adaptation making its Chicago premiere. Directed by Lauren Shouse, the new work features translation by Anne-Charlotte Hanes Harvey and adaptation by Hanes Harvey and Kirsten Brandt. A DOLL'S HOUSE will play February 6 – March 22, 2020 on Raven's 85-seat East Stage, 6157 N. Clark St. (at Granville) in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at raventheatre.com or by calling (773) 338-2177. The press opening is Monday, February 10 at 7:30 pm.

Raven Theatre will continue its 2019-20 season with a revival of Henrik Ibsen's masterpiece A DOLL'S HOUSE, in a vibrant and progressive new adaptation making its Chicago premiere. Directed by Lauren Shouse, the new work features translation by Anne-Charlotte Hanes Harvey and adaptation by Hanes Harvey and Kirsten Brandt. A DOLL'S HOUSE will play February 6 - March 22, 2020 on Raven's 85-seat East Stage, 6157 N. Clark St. (at Granville) in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at raventheatre.com or by calling (773) 338-2177. The press opening is Monday, February 10, 2020 at 7:30 pm.

Raven Theatre is pleased to announce casting for its a revival of Henrik Ibsen's masterpiece A DOLL'S HOUSE, in a vibrant and progressive new adaptation making its Chicago premiere.

Exit 63 Theatre is excited to announce the lineup for their third season, titled 'Possessed'. The 2020 season will feature three productions, with two Chicago premieres and one U.S. premiere.

Full cast and crew have been announced for THE DAYS ARE SHORTER, by Evanston resident Corinne J. Kawecki. In Kawecki's play, to be directed by Pride Films and Plays company member Iris Sowlat, 53-year-old Julia is afraid of getting older. Despite attempts to recapture her youth, her body keeps reminding her of her advancing years. With the help of her younger female lover's magic act, Julia creates a new, magical life to help her accept the inevitability of aging by find out who is she is and who really needs her love.  The play was an entrant in Pride Films and Plays' annual "LezPlay" competition in 2016 and was produced by Queer Theatre Kalamazoo this past January.

Full cast and crew have been announced for THE DAYS ARE SHORTER, by Evanston resident Corinne J. Kawecki. In Kawecki's play, to be directed by Pride Films and Plays company member Iris Sowlat, 53-year-old Julia is afraid of getting older. Despite attempts to recapture her youth, her body keeps reminding her of her advancing years. With the help of her younger female lover's magic act, Julia creates a new, magical life to help her accept the inevitability of aging by find out who is she is and who really needs her love.  The play was an entrant in Pride Films and Plays' annual "LezPlay" competition in 2016 and was produced by Queer Theatre Kalamazoo this past January.

Stage Left Theatre announces the upcoming rolling world premiere of The Luckiest People, written by Meredith Friedman and directed by Co-Artistic Director, Jason A. Fleece[AS2] [ADF3] . The Luckiest People is the final production of Stage Left's 36th season. Press opening is Thursday, January 11, at 8 PM in Studio 1 at the Athenaeum Theatre Chicago, 2936 N. Southport Ave. The show runs through April 29.

Stage Left Theatre announces the upcoming rolling world premiere of The Luckiest People, written by Meredith Friedman and directed by Co-Artistic Director, Jason A. Fleece. The Luckiest People is the final production of Stage Left's 36th season. Press opening is Thursday, January 11, at 8 PM in Studio 1 at the Athenaeum Theatre Chicago, 2936 N. Southport Ave. The show runs through April 29.

Pride Films and Plays' monthly festival of LGBTQ independent films, which was launched in October, will continue with its sixth monthly festival on Tuesday, March 13, 2018. The theme for this 95-minute program of eight films is 'Social Issues Here and Abroad.”

In THE DAYS ARE SHORTER, by Evanston resident Corinne J. Kawecki, 53-year-old Julia is afraid of getting older. Despite attempts to recapture her youth, her body keeps reminding her of her advancing years. With the help of her younger female lover's magic act, Julia creates a new, magical life to help her accept the inevitability of aging through finding out who is she is and who really needs her love.  The play was an entrant in Pride Films and Plays' annual "LezPlay" competition in 2016 and was produced by Queer Theatre Kalamazoo this past January.

February Films at Pride Arts Center - PRIDE FILM FESTIVAL 2/13

Pride Films and Plays' 2017-18 season - its first full season in residence at the Pride Arts Center - will bring Chicago its first look at three plays that examine gay and lesbian lives in earlier decades of the 20th Century, according to Executive Director David Zak and Artistic Director Nelson Rodriguez.

American Blues Theater, Chicago's second oldest Equity Ensemble, under the continued leadership of Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside, announces the 2017 Blue Ink Playwriting Festival. 

Drums and DJs. Monsters and mysteries. Victory. A legion of young heroes battles villains, saves the underdog, and once again makes dreams come true as Adventure Stage Chicago revives its electrifying 2012 production before embarking on its first-ever national tour. Influenced by comic books, video games, hip hop, urban mythology, and Latino folklore, this collection of vignettes celebrates youth as everyday heroes taking us on a thrilling, heartfelt journey. Scroll down for photos!

The Chicago-based performing arts company Pride Films and Plays announces its inaugural The Great Trans* Play Contest. The international competition is open exclusively to playwrights who are transgender, gender queer, gender fluid, non-binary, or of other gender nonconforming identities, all referred to here as 'trans*.' The mission of this new competition is to specifically encourage new stories touching the trans* community and its members which are told with authentic trans* voices and thereby provide valuable opportunities for trans theatre artists in the disciplines of performance, direction, and management. In the process, Pride Films and Plays will foster trans* identified authors and help amplify their work within the queer and general theatre communities.

Adventure Stage Chicago (ASC), a program of Northwestern Settlement (the Settlement), presents the touring version of 2012's Six Stories Tall, written by Marco Ramirez and directed by ASC Producing Artistic Director Tom Arvetis. The production includes performances in Chicago (March 21 - April 29), the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis, TN (March 29 - 31), and The Performing Arts Center at Purchase College in New York (May 5).

Adventure Stage Chicago (ASC), a program of Northwestern Settlement (the Settlement), presents the touring version of 2012's Six Stories Tall, written by Marco Ramirez and directed by ASC Producing Artistic Director Tom Arvetis. The production includes performances in Chicago (March 21 - April 29), the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis, TN (March 29 - 31), and The Performing Arts Center at Purchase College in New York (May 5).  As a participatory arts company, ASC productions feature multiple options for audience engagement.

When Joy, a driftless young woman, gets on the Brooklyn Scallywags and meets the star, Lizzie Lightning, she and her long-term partner Michelle find their lives turned upside down.