Lookingglass Announces THE SECRET PASSAGE, A New Digital Membership

Lookingglass Theatre Company announces the new digital membership: The Secret Passage, which includes exclusive programming of enthralling stories, virtual delights and artist engagement opportunities.

The Secret Passage is a digital membership that reveals a corridor of hidden doors. And behind each door lives an exclusive peek into the Lookingglass process. From mind-expanding artist conversations to first-ever play workshops to archival audio recordings of our former glories to discounts on classes and public Lookingglass events, the perks of the pass will cast you as a true "insider" and a key player in preserving our future.

The Secret Passage memberships are $50 and are available through October 31 at lookingglasstheatre.org. Memberships begin October 2020 and run through August 2021. Beginning November 1, the price for new members is $8 monthly.

Explore some of what will be discovered in The Secret Passage:

The Jungle Radio Play by Upton Sinclair

adapted and directed by Ensemble Member David Schwimmer

David Schwimmer's adaptation and direction of Upton Sinclair's American classic ignited Lookingglass's lift-off as part of "the bold breed" of new Chicago theatre-makers. Recorded in 1992 in a co-production with L.A. Theatre Works, and featuring 11 Ensemble Members, this radio adaptation strikes deep at the eternal American myths about immigrants, labor, and who can come out ahead...or even alive.

The Master and Margarita Radio Play

by Mikhail Bulgakov's adapted by Artistic Director/Ensemble member Heidi Stillman, directed by Heidi Stillman and Ensemble Member David Catlin

Ensemble Members David Catlin and Heidi Stillman brought Mikhail Bulgakov's fantastical, subversive novel to wild, rollicking life onstage, and this radio adaptation is no less boisterous and outlandish. Traversing time from ancient Jerusalem to 1930's Moscow, the whirlwind novel brings Satan and his retinue to Stalin's Russia, as two lovers reach across time in an effort for eternal connection. Featuring many Ensemble Members including David Schwimmer, Philip R. Smith, Joy Gregory, and our beloved friend and Steppenwolf ensemble member Mariann Mayberry.

The Scarlet Letter Radio Play

by Nathaniel Hawthorne, adapted by Ensemble Member Thomas J. Cox

Thomas J. Cox's adaptation of this classic American tale of sin, Puritanical obsession, and a woman fiercely determined to make her own choices resonates in ways author Nathaniel Hawthorne could not have foreseen...or maybe he did. The Lookingglass Ensemble tears into this (apparently) timeless contest of wills.

Lucy and Charlie's Honeymoon Developmental Workshop

A new musical by Artistic Associate Matthew C. Yee

Matthew C. Yee's new play takes his characters, and us, on a side-winding road-trip through an America we've never seen before, with original songs as road signs and highway markers. Come grab a seat and buckle up for a sneak peek during this developmental workshop as this brand-new play makes its way towards its next destination.

The Hidden Door: Artist Conversations

Online conversations featuring exclusive conversations with Ensemble Members David Schwimmer, Kevin Douglas, Mary Zimmerman, Mellon Playwright in Residence J. Nicole Brooks, Anthony Fleming, Kareem Bandealy, and David Catlin, among others.

Live Concerts: Coffeehouse and House Party

The Coffeehouse concert features Artistic Associates Matt Yee and Sully Ratke, with a special appearance by Ensemble Member Kareem Bandealy. House Party is an intimate concert by Ensemble Member Kasey Foster and partner Charlie Otto.

Diverse. Vibrant. Teeming with stories. This is Chicago. Lookingglass Theatre has called Big Shoulders home for over three decades. And as life is a process of perpetual self-discovery, we're making this moment in the company's life to find out who we are now. The Chicago Stories initiative will feature COVID-considerate events/expressions that plumb the depth of Chicago's history and people, while inventing new Chicago traditions to carry us forward...together. More information: lookingglasstheatre.org/chicagostories.