Court Theatre Announces Cast of SATCHMO AT THE WALDORF

Court Theatre, under the leadership of Artistic Director Charles Newell and Executive Director Stephen J. Albert, announces casting for the Midwest Premier of Terry Teachout's Satchmo at the Waldorf, directed by Charles Newell. The role of Louis Armstrong will be played by Barry Shabaka Henley ("Collateral," "The Terminal," "Better Call Saul"). Satchmo at the Waldorf runs January 7 - February 7, 2016 at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Avenue. Press Opening is Saturday, January 16 at 8:00 p.m.

Court's production of Satchmo will be part of a community-wide Louis Armstrong Festival, happening in partnership with The Beverly Arts Center, The Logan Center at the University of Chicago, The Promontory, South Shore Jazz Coalition, The Louis Armstrong House Museum and the Louis Armstrong Archives at Queens College New York. This community-wide festival will help audiences deepen their understanding of Armstrong's life through musical performances, historical exhibits, symposium, talk-backs and film.

"I'm so excited that Barry Shabaka Henley found the time between his work on two feature films and decided to come to Chicago and embody the iconic role of Louis Armstrong in Satchmo at the Waldorf," comments Artistic Director Charles Newell. "Barry's work as an actor has been seen on TV and movie screens all over the world. This is going to be a rare opportunity for theatre lovers to see him in our intimate space. With Barry's involvement and the other events happening around the Louis Armstrong Festival, Satchmo at the Waldorf becomes a must-see event."

Says Court Executive Director Stephen Albert, "Court was excited by Terry's play and his book Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong. When we were granted the permission for this Chicago premiere, I visited the Louis Armstrong House Museum in Corona Queens, New York, which led to the recognition of how rich Armstrong's life was and a festival was needed to truly capture the range of his music and impact on American culture.

The Louis Armstrong Festival has attracted national support from an IncentOvate grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, and support from the Chicago Community Trust. We are excited to further illuminate this jazz legend for our audiences. We are also grateful for our community partners in this effort and for the generous support of for this amazing exploration of Armstrong's life."

About Satchmo at the Waldorf and the Artists

The greatest trumpet player in the world has just finished a set in the Empire Room of the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York. It's 1971, and Louis Armstrong is at the end of his incredibly successful career. After retiring backstage, he begins to reminisce about his life, revealing an intimate, unknown portrait of the man behind the trumpet and the ever-evolving struggle to live with dignity as a Black musician in a White world. Armstrong's story is told through the voice of a single actor playing both Armstrong and his Jewish manager Joe Glaser, bringing to life an emotional journey of deep friendship and its tragic destruction. Satchmo at the Waldorf is an intimate exploration of Armstrong's life, legacy, and above all, jazz.

Terry Teachout (Playwright) is the drama critic of The Wall Street Journal, the critic-at-large of Commentary, and the author of "Sightings," a biweekly column for the FridayJournal about the arts in America. He also writes about the arts on his blog, "About Last Night" (www.terryteachout.com). Satchmo at the Waldorf, his first play, was premiered in 2011 in Orlando, Florida, and has since been produced off Broadway and throughout America. Teachout's latest book is Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington. His previous books include Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong, All in the Dances: A Brief Life of George Balanchine, and The Skeptic: A Life of H.L. Mencken. He has also written the libretti for three operas by Paul Moravec, The Letter, Danse Russe, and The King's Man, and played jazz bass professionally in Kansas City before becoming a full-time writer.

Says Teachout: "It means the world to me to see Satchmo at the Waldorf being produced in Chicago, America's greatest theater town-and I'm thrilled beyond words to be working with Charles and Shabaka, both of whom are artists of the first rank. I think we're going to have a fabulous time!"

Charles Newell (Artistic Director/Director) was awarded the SDCF Zelda Fichandler Award, "which recognizes an outstanding director or choreographer who is transforming the regional arts landscape through singular creativity and artistry in theatre." Charlie has been Artistic Director of Court Theatre since 1994, where he has directed over 50 productions. He made his Chicago directorial debut in 1993 with The Triumph Of Love, which won the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Production. Charlie's productions of Man of La Mancha and Caroline, Or Change have also won Best Production Jeffs. Other directorial highlights at Court include The Secret Garden, Iphigenia in Aulis, The Misanthrope, Tartuffe, Proof, Angels In America, An Iliad, Porgy and Bess, Three Tall Women, Titus Andronicus, Arcadia, Uncle Vanya, Raisin, The Glass Menagerie, Travesties, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Invention of Love, and Hamlet. Charlie has also directed at Goodman Theatre (Rock 'n' Roll), Guthrie Theater (The History Cycle, Cymbeline), Arena Stage, John Houseman's The Acting Company (Staff Repertory Director), the California and Alabama Shakespeare Festivals, Juilliard, and New York University. He has served on the Board of TCG, as well as on several panels for the NEA. Opera directing credits include Marc Blitzstein's Regina (Lyric Opera of Chicago), Rigoletto (Opera Theatre of St. Louis), Don Giovanni and The Jewel Box (Chicago Opera Theater), and Carousel (Glimmerglass Festival). Charlie was the recipient of the 1992 TCG Alan Schneider Director Award, and has been nominated for 16 Joseph Jefferson Director Awards, winning four times. In 2012, Charlie was honored by the League of Chicago Theatres with their Artistic Achievement Award.

Barry Shabaka Henley (Louis Armstrong) Feature films credits include "Collateral," "Miami Vice," "The Terminal," "Ali," "How Stella Got Her Groove Back," "Devil In A Blue Dress", and many others. Television credits include "Flash Forward," Michael Mann's "Robbery Homicide Division," and HBO's "Luck." He has had guest starred on "NYPD Blue," "Law & Order," "Shameless," "Veep," and many more. Henley spent 8 years as host and producer for a local NPR station in San Francisco. He appeared in August Wilson's award-winning production of Jitney, winning an Obie, Drama Desk, Outer Critics, and the 2001/02 Olivier Award for best play. He has also appeared at The Taper Two in Joe Chakin's production of Waiting For Godot and Robert Egan's Richard II. He was in the company of actors at the Los Angeles Theatre Center, where he founded and was director of the Black Theatre Artists Workshop. He was the award-winning director of LATC's production of Leslie Lee's Rabbit Foot featuring Loretta Divine and Keb Mo. He is the writer and performer of the stage play Jungle Bells, which has played Los Angeles, San Francisco, East Berlin, and a critically acclaimed run at the Hackney Empire in East London. Henley has toured the globe as a company member of The San Francisco Mime Troupe. Most recently, he was the writer and star of Mingus Remixed, which premiered at the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre in San Francisco.

About the Louis Armstrong Festival

The Louis Armstrong Festival brings together visual arts, performing arts, music, and more to create a diverse artistic experience of "Satchmo" and his legacy in Chicago's Southside neighborhoods. Local arts organizations will collaborate throughout January and February to bring audiences community-wide events and performances that create a snapshot of Louis Armstrong's impact throughout the arts.

"We are excited to include Court Theatre among the notable institutions receiving an IncentOvate grant," comments Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Commissioner Michelle T. Boone. "The IncentOvate Program stimulates cultural innovation and supports large cultural institutions further the goals of the Chicago Cultural Plan and Cultural Tourism Strategy. The development of a Louis Armstrong Festival involving several other community partners advances multiple priorities of the Cultural Plan including to 'facilitate neighborhood cultural assets' and 'strengthen Chicago as a global cultural destination.'"

"The jazz genre epitomizes collaboration among musicians and extends its influence through visual art, poetry, storytelling, and all aspects of culture," notes Suzanne Connor, Senior Program Officer at The Chicago Community Trust. "This is reflected in Court's approach to the Louis Armstrong Festival, making it a rich and inclusive addition to the region's cultural scene in 2016."

Highlights of the festival programming include:

• Theatre: Satchmo at the Waldorf, Court Theatre
• Art Exhibition: Beverly Arts Center, "Satchmo at the BAC"
• South Side Jazz Coalition "From DuSable to Obama" an evening with Orbit Davis -Jan. 16th
• Music: Logan Arts Center, Third Tuesday Jazz Series; The Promontory, Jazz Performances
• Film: Beverly Arts Center will screen three films during the first week of February, including "High Society," "Cabin in the Sky," and Edward R. Murrow's "Satchmo the Great."
• Symposium: On January 25, the Beverly Arts Center will host a symposium featuring Satchmo at the Waldorf playwright Terry Teachout and Armstrong scholar Ricky Riccardi (Author of What a Wonderful World: The magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years).