Goodman Unites 6 Theaters For Celebration Of Women Artists

Goodman Theatre unites six diverse Chicago theater companies who are presenting work created, produced and/or performed by women for a special spring series, "Taking the Stage: A Celebration of Women Making Theater," April 4 - 19, 2009. Over the course of two weeks, each of the participating companies-Babes with Blades, Berwyn's 16th Street Theater, Goodman Theatre, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, Serendipity Theatre Collective and Teatro Luna-presents productions, panel discussions and workshops that highlight the voices and visions of female theater artists, as well as the opportunities and obstacles they face today. 3Arts is the Lead Sponsor for "Taking the Stage," and the Chicago Foundation for Women is the Community Partner. The Sara Lee Foundation is the "Strong Women, Strong Voices" (the Goodman's 3-play series of work written and directed by women) Owen Theatre Season Sponsor. The Joyce Foundation provides Principal Support of Artistic Development and Diversity Initiatives.

"The Goodman continues to be a home for an incredibly diverse chorus of female voices. The ‘Strong Women, Strong Voices' series offers the perfect opportunity to look at the continuing legacy of women in Chicago theater," said Director of Education and Community Programs Willa Taylor who, together with Theatre Communications Group (TCG) Fellow, Julieanne Ehre and Literary Manager, Tanya Palmer, have facilitated this artistic collaboration with theaters in the Chicago community. "We are so happy to work with these six companies to showcase some the remarkable work they do."

Chicago's women artists have been integral to the development of a vibrant local and national artistic community since the beginning of the "little theater" movement in the early 1900s. Chicago writer Susan Glaspell was a founding member of the Provincetown Players in Massachusetts, perhaps the most influential of these "little theaters." Similarly, Mary Aldis' Lake Forest Players became known in Chicago and throughout the country for their innovative work in the years just prior to World War I. Today, women artists and administrators are at the forefront of American theater, and many of Chicago's most celebrated theaters and productions have been helmed by women.

A list of performances, workshops and special events (current as of press time) follows, and a calendar listing performance information appears at the end of this release. Audiences are encouraged to check GoodmanTheatre.org for the most up-to-date information.

PERFORMANCES

Goodman Theatre presents

Magnolia | March 14 - April 19
By ReGina Taylor | Directed by Anna D. Shapiro
Tickets are $25-70 - 312.443.3800 or GoodmanTheatre.org

Atlanta,1963. As Martin Luther King Jr. inspires Atlanta's black citizens to fight passionately for their civil rights, the new mayor erects "Peyton Wall" to restrict where they can live. Amid these churning social currents, Magnolia Estate faces foreclosure, pitting the sensual, free-spirited heiress Lily Forrest against Thomas, a strong-willed businessman who lays claim to the estate where his ancestors were slaves. As we welcome the first African American president into the White House, this poignant and timely world premiere by ReGina Taylor reminds us how much of Dr. King's dream has been realized-and how much is yet to be achieved.

Ghostwritten | April 4 - May 3
By Naomi Iizuka | Directed by Lisa Portes
Tickets are $10-39 - 312.443.3800 or GoodmanTheatre.org

While traveling in Southeast Asia, an American woman strikes a bargain with a mysterious stranger. Twenty years later, she's become an acclaimed chef specializing in Asian cuisine and the mother of an adopted Vietnamese-born daughter. She is successful beyond her wildest dreams-until the stranger from her past reappears to collect on the debt. Clerestroy Consulting is the contributing sponsor of Ghostriwtten.

Rivendell Theatre Ensemble presents an Open Rehearsal of

The Walls | April 10 at 2pm
By Lisa Dillman | Directed by Megan Carney
Steppenwolf Garage Theatre | 1650 North Halsted Street

FREE but reservations are requested: 773.334.7728 or RivendellTheatre.net

Be the first to experience The Walls-an ensemble-devised time-bending play about the elusive nature of madness-in a sneak-preview reading in advance of its upcoming world premiere-production (May 17 - June 13 at Steppenwolf Garage as part of the Steppenwolf Theatre Visiting Company Initiative). Rivendell Theatre Ensemble is committed to cultivating the talents of women theater artists and seeking out innovative plays that explore the unique female experience.

Serendipity Theatre Collective Presents

2nd Story: Female Erotica | April 4, doors open 10:30pm
G Boutique | 1451 West Fullerton, Chicago
Featuring storytellers Sara Kerastas, Deb Lewis, Margo Bordelon and Aimee Perkins

Tickets are $15 including complimentary beverages - StoriesAndWine.com

2nd Story: Ladies Night | April 19, doors open at 7pm
Webster's Wine Bar | 1480 West Webster, Chicago
Featuring storytellers Megan Stielstra, Kimberlee Soo, Khanisha Foster and Kim Morris

Tickets are $12 - StoriesAndWine.com

2nd Story is a personal narrative storytelling series produced by the Serendipity Theatre Collective and set in wine bars around Chicago. The artists tell stories in the same way an audience member might talk to his/her best friend a story over a glass (or two or five) of wine: some are funny, some confessional, some outright down and dirty-but all with the aim of inspiring the audience to leave telling their own stories.

16th St. Theater in Berwyn presents the Words in Motion Festival

Blurred Vision | April 2-11 Mixing It Up | April 16-25 The Me, Mom & Dad Show! | April 16-25
By Tekki Lomnicki By Marilyn Campbell & Maria Merrin By Martie Sanders

Ticket prices and performance times vary - visit 16thStreetTheater.org

Words. Movement. Imagination. Experience three very different true tales about the lives of very real women.
Blurred Vision is "a funny, powerful, vivid, autobiographical show (that) would be a bummer to miss!" (Chicago Reader). This show explores growing up with a disability, the crapshoot of healthcare and the power of storytelling. Writers and performers Marilyn Campbell and Maria Merrin perform Mixing it Up, their mother/daughter saga of funny and touching stories about the difficulties and joys of mixing the races, feminism and single motherhood. Martie Sanders and her parents, Caroline and Charlie, dish it out on the 16th Street stage in The Me, Mom and Dad Show! The production includes hilarious moments of parental imprinting, along with politics and a powerful tap dance by Charlie that brings racial unity to 1967 Detroit. 16th Street Theater exists to tell the stories of all our diverse community and to be a space for engagement, dialogue and debate through the art of playwriting.

Babes with Blades presents

Macbeth | April 19 - May 30 (Thurs - Sat at 8pm and Sun at 3pm)
By William Shakespeare
Dream Theatre | 556 West 18th Street
Tickets are $7-20 - 773.880.0016 or BabesWithBlades.org

 

Babes with Blades is a diverse ensemble of artists working together to expand opportunities for women in the world of stage combat. By exploring theatrical violence as a storytelling tool and as a means to entertain, educate and enlighten, the Babes challenge traditional expectations, push personal limitations and celebrate the historical role of the woman warrior and her modern evolution.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Creating Our Own Narrative: Women Playwrights and Process | April 7 at 7pm
Juicy Wine Co.694 North Milwaukee | FREE but reservations are requested: 312.443.3800
Goodman-affiliated playwrights Rebecca Gilman, Naomi Iizuka and Tanya Saracho discuss the creation of work by women writers.

Ghostwritten and the Contemporary Fairy Tale | April 12 | Post-performance
Goodman Theatre | 170 North Dearborn | FREE Event
Join Naomi Iizuka, author of Ghostwritten, and director Lisa Portes for a discussion of the play and its process, following the 7:30pm performance in the Owen Theatre.

Women in Theater Criticism: What's Our Role? | April 16, 5:30 - 7:30 pm

Columbia College | 1104 S. Wabash | FREE but reservations are requested: AWJ-Chicago.org

This panel of women critics will discuss the special challenges and opportunities they face in reviewing, including the tension between the work of a critic and that of an advocate for women in the arts.

Connecting to History | April 17 | Post-performance
Goodman Theatre | 170 North Dearborn | FREE Event
Playwright ReGina Taylor discusses her work Magnolia after the 8pm performance in the Albert Theatre.

Women at the Helm | April 19 at 4pm
Goodman Theatre | 170 N Dearborn | FREE but reservations are requested: 312.443.3800

Female Artistic Directors Ann Filmer (16th Street Theater), Wendy C. Goldberg (National Playwrights Conference at The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center), Jessica Hutchinson (New Leaf Theatre), Martha Lavey (Steppenwolf Theatre), Tara Mallen (Rivendell Theatre Ensemble) and Jackie Taylor (Black Theater Ensemble) address the ways women leaders impact theater.

WORKSHOPS

Solo Performance Workshop with Holly Hughes | April 10, 11am - 1pm
Goodman Theatre | 170 N. Dearborn | FREE but reservations are requested: 312.443.3800
Two-time Obie Award-winning performance artist Holly Hughes leads this workshop on creating original solo work.

Performing Community - A Workshop for Teenage Girls | April 11, 11am - 2pm
Teatro Luna @ St. Luke's Church | 269 N. Francisco | FREE but reservations are requested: 312.443.3800
The all-Latina theater company Teatro Luna offers this workshop for teens interested in creating original, autobiographical work. Young women aged 14-19 gain experience strengthening their point of view through writing and performance..

2nd Story Workshop | April 11, 12 - 3pm

Serendipity Studio | 4043 N. Ravenswood #224 | FREE but reservations are requested: StoriesAndWine.com

Serendipity Theatre shares their popular 2nd Story series in a personal narrative workshop exploring how to relate your personal story to an audience.

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