KING LEAR to Open at Babes With Blades Theatre Company
Directed by Alison Dornheggen with fight choreography by Jess Pennachio, the production will play at Theater Wit.
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Babes With Blades Theatre Compan has announced new production dates for the final production in its 2026 season, William Shakespeare’s King Lear, directed by Alison Dornheggen and fight choreography by Jess Pennachio, the new dates are now October 22 - November 21 in Theatre 3 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont.
The running time, including intermission, is approximately two hours and 20 minutes. Preview performances are Thursday, Oct. 22 and Friday, Oct. 23 at 8 p.m. with the press opening Saturday, Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m. The performance schedule is Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. The open caption performances are Saturday, Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 8 at 3 p.m. and Thursday, Nov. 12 and Friday, Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m. The sensory friendly performance is Sunday, Oct. 25 at 3 p.m. with the fully masked audience performance, Sunday, Nov. 1 at 3 p.m. There is no performance on Saturday, Oct. 31. Streaming dates for King Lear will be announced at a future date. Tickets are $28 for students and seniors, $37 for general admission and are on sale at the Theater Wit Box Office, 773-975-8150, or at BabesWithBlades.org.
King Lear tells the complicated story of a king who divides his kingdom into thirds for his three daughters and the unforeseen struggles from this decision’s aftermath. His unraveling is parallelled by the nefarious journey of a jealous Edmund, who seeks to overtake his nobleman father’s affairs from his half brother.
“I am thrilled that Babes are sinking their teeth into one of Shakespere’s most complex tragedies,' said Artistic Director Hayley Rice. “A quote from King Lear is “‘Tis the time’s plague when madmen lead the blind,” demonstrating, like so much of Shakespeare’s work, these themes are still painfully relevant today including greed, lust for power, the shortsightedness of our leaders and familial strife. We look forward to welcoming audiences to the final production in our 2026 season with this famous tragedy.”
With storefront theater veteran Lynne Baker (she/her) in the titular role of King Lear, the cast also includes Babes With Blades Theatre Company Ensemble Members Kim Fukawa (she/her, Oswald/Duke of Burgundy, Edgar U/S); Carrie Hardin (she/her, King Lear U/S); Jillian Leff (she/her, Duke of Cornwall); Morgan Manasa (she/her, Earl of Gloucester); Jennifer L. Mickelson (she/her, Duke of Albany/ensemble); Jennifer Mohr (she/her, Cordelia/Fool); Thomas Russell (he/they, Edmund) and Kathrynne Wolf (she/her, Earl of Kent). They are joined by, in alphabetical order, Kim Boler (she/her, Goneril); Sarah Cushman (she/her, Goneril/Duke of Albany/ensemble U/S); Dani De la Rosa (she/her; ensemble/Edmund and Duke of Cornwall U/S); Stephanie Mattos (she/her, Edgar); Sophia Lanza-Weil (she/her, Earl of Gloucester/ensemble U/S); Madeline Meyer (she/her; ensemble/Oswald and Kent U/S); Rachel Sleek Bañuelos (she/her, Regan); and Brittani Yawn (she/her, ensemble/Cordelia and Fool U/S).
The production team includes BWBTC ensemble members Line Bower (they/them, technical director); Alison Dornheggen (she/her, director); Hayley Rice (she/her, text coach); Payton Shearn (she/they, production assistant) and Laura J. Wiley (she/her, lighting designer) as well as Adri Andreolas (she/her, assistant stage manager); Jessie Gowens (she/her, Costume Designer); Hannah Foerschler (she/her, sound designer); Tristan Hall (they/them, intimacy designer); Rose Hamill (she/her, production manager); Morgan Lazlo (they/them, scenic designer); Arielle Leverett (she/her, assistant director); Ryan Liddell (he/him, assistant fight choreographer); Elena Lindeman (they/she, props designer); Grace Elizabeth Mealey (she/her, stage manager) and Jess Pennachio (she/her, fight director).
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