A Red Orchid Theatre Reveals Season 34 Lineup
The lineup includes Rosmersholm, Heroes of the Fourth Turning, and more.
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A Red Orchid Theatre, under the artistic direction of Kirsten Fitzgerald, has announced its 34th Season, featuring a world premiere adaptation and two Chicago premieres, all exploring the theme of a “world on fire.” The season kicks off this fall with the Chicago premiere of Will Arbery's politically-charged drama Heroes of the Fourth Turning, directed by Ensemble member dado. The season continues next winter with the Chicago premiere of Keiko Green's imaginative dark comedy You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World!, directed by Terry Guest and featuring Ensemble Members dado and Sadieh Rifai. The 34th Season concludes next spring/summer with a world premiere adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's haunting classic Rosmersholm, adapted by Ensemble Members Steve Haggard and Shade Murray, directed by Shade Murray and featuring Ensemble Members Sherman Edwards, Steve Haggard, Travis A. Knight and Natalie West.
Subscribers are also invited to join A Red Orchid for a revival of last year's sell-out hit Birds of North America, a critically-acclaimed father-daughter drama by Anna Ouyang Moench, directed by Artistic Director Kirsten Fitzgerald and featuring Ensemble Member John Judd with Cassidy Slaughter-Mason.
Artistic Director Kirsten Fitzgerald comments, “There is very little I am certain of these days other than the importance of live theatre. The world is on fire. From the intensely personal to the whole big earth and the ethereal beyond, it is imperative that we challenge ourselves and each other to remain curious in the face of the flames and burning embers. To hold each other up while holding our feet to the fire is the task at hand with every creative endeavor at A Red Orchid Theatre.
When Shade Murray and Steve Haggard shared their curiosity about the challenge of adapting Ibsen anew, the ensemble responded with a resounding 'tell us more!' To be in collaboration with long-admired new-to-us artists such as Will Arbery, Keiko Green and Terry Guest is a huge honor. That each of these artists trusts us with their stories and vision fills me with immense gratitude and pride.
This season you are cordially invited to gather face to face (or shoulder to shoulder), breathe together, experience your own humanity and that of others near and far, interrogate your fears, find joy, stoke your curiosity and rekindle wonder.”
Heroes of the Fourth Turning – Chicago Premiere!
By Will Arbery
Directed by Ensemble Member dado
October 29 – December 6, 2026
Press Opening: Saturday, November 7, 2026 at 3 pm & 7 pm
It's nearing midnight in Wyoming, where four recent graduates have gathered to celebrate their beloved mentor and professor, Gina, newly inducted as president of their tiny Catholic liberal arts college. The reunion spirals into spiritual chaos, clashing generational politics, and a vicious fight to be understood. Offering grace and disarming clarity, this haunting play speaks to the torn heart of a country at war with itself.
You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World! – Chicago Premiere!
By Keiko Green
Directed by Terry Guest
Featuring Ensemble Members dado and Sadieh Rifai
February 4 – March 14, 2027
Press Opening: Saturday, February 13, 2027 at 3 pm & 7 pm
Since Greg's terminal diagnosis, he's felt a deep connection to the Earth—and to save himself, he'll need to save the planet. Viv desperately wants to savor every last minute with her husband. Meanwhile M, our emcee, searches desperately to find meaning in the chaos of their final year with Dad. A heartfelt family story and joyful theatrical event, as magical as the world itself.
Rosmersholm – World Premiere Adaptation!
By Henrik Ibsen
Adapted by Ensemble Members Steve Haggard & Shade Murray
Directed by Ensemble Member Shade Murray
Featuring Ensemble Members Sherman Edwards, Steve Haggard, Travis A. Knight and Natalie West
May 6 – June 13, 2027
Press Opening: Saturday, May 15, 2027 at 3 pm & 7 pm
A reimagining of Ibsen's masterpiece in which hard truths, wild rumors and the supernatural slowly become indistinguishable from one another. Former pastor John Rosmer is wrestling with the cryptic circumstances of his wife's death, a fractured political climate fueled by toxic rumors churned by a tabloid press, and his own reckoning with God. By his side is the idealistic, young graduate student Rebecca West, who shall prove to be either his salvation or his mortal undoing... And we haven't even gotten to all the ghosts.
Season Add-On:
Birds of North America
By Anna Ouyang Moench
Directed by Artistic Director Kirsten Fitzgerald
Featuring Ensemble Member John Judd with Cassidy Slaughter-Mason
September 10 – October 4, 2026
Press Opening: Thursday September 10, 2026 at 7 pm.
John and his daughter Caitlyn are birders. As they scan the skies over their backyard in suburban Maryland looking for elusive birds, years go by. Relationships begin and end. Children grow up and parents age. The climate and the world change in small and vast ways. Birds of North America takes a close look at the relationship of a father and daughter over the course of a decade as they struggle to understand the parts of one another that defy understanding.
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