PrideArts Announces Three-Show 2023-24 Season

For its 2023-24 season, PrideArts will present two premieres and an LGBTQ favorite. The season will open with the Chicago premiere of the hilarious romantic musical GAY CARD, return to the British tradition of holiday pantomimes with Tom Whalley's very adult SLEEPING WITH BEAUTY, and close with Joe Calarco's all-male present-day re-imagining of ROMEO AND JULIET, SHAKESPEARE'S R & J.
 
GAY CARD, written by NYU Tisch graduates Ryan Korell (music) and Jonathan Keebler (book/lyrics), is the heartwarming story of Logan, a newly-out college freshman trying to determine where he fits in. He gets help from his long-time friend Melanie, his love-interest Graham, and various friends and bloggers. GAY CARD will be directed by PrideArts' Artistic Director Jay Espano. As Music Director, Robert Ollis will conduct a five-piece band, with 21 lively songs blending pop, rock and musical theatre styles.
 
GAY CARD has enjoyed successful productions across the United States and a studio album featuring Broadway's Derek Klena (ANASTASIA, JAGGED LITTLE PILL, MOULIN ROUGE) has been released. TRIANGLE ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT in Raleigh North Carolina said of it, “This show is for everyone, regardless of sexuality, who has ever had to find themselves… The message is ultimately one of hope and a continuing promise of self-discovery.” 

GAY CARD will be directed by PrideArts Artistic Director Jay Españo, who for PrideArts directed last season's hit musical GIRLFRIEND, TOMMY ON TOP, 4000 DAYS, and THE THINGS I NEVER COULD TELL STEVEN. Elsewhere, Españo most recently directed the World Premiere musical AZTEC HUMAN SACRIFICE at City Lit Theater and BOEING-BOEING for the Dunes Summer Theater in Michigan City, Indiana. Robert Ollis, who has earned eight Jeff Award nominations and one win for his work with PrideArts and other Chicago companies, will return to Pride Arts as GAY CARD's music director.
 
More information on GAY CARD can be found at https://www.gaycardmusical.com/. GAY CARD will open to the press on Monday, August 28 at 7:30 pm at the Pride Arts Center, 4139 N. Broadway, Chicago; following previews from August 24, 2023. It will play through September 24, 2023. Tickets to GAY CARD are priced at $35 for regular performances August 28 – September 24 and $25 for previews August 24 - 27. Seniors and students will receive a $5 discount for all performances. Tickets will be on sale soon at www.pridearts.org or by phone  773-857-0222.
 
In 2022, PrideArts rocked the Chicago holiday theatre scene with Tom Whalley's JACK OFF THE BEANSTALK. For the 2023 holiday season, the company will return to the catalog of Whalley's sexy takes on the British theatrical genre of panto with his SLEEPING WITH BEAUTY. This fairy tale for adults 18+ has titillated audiences all across the United Kingdom and will be making its US premiere at the Pride Arts Center. Like JACK OFF THE BEANSTALK, SLEEPING WITH BEAUTY will include songs, dances and audience participation to make the show a raucous holiday celebration. Bryan McCaffrey, who directed last year's JACK OFF THE BEANSTALK for PrideArts, will return to direct. SLEEPING WITH BEAUTY will open on to the press on Monday, November 20, 2023, following previews November 16-19; and play Wednesdays through Sundays to December 17, 2023.
 
In SHAKESPEARE'S R & J, playwright Joe Calarco reimagines the Bard's tragic love story by setting it within an exclusive boys' prep school. The young students secretly act out the play at night, eventually getting caught up in the passion and eroticism of the text. Originally produced off-Broadway in New York in 1999, where it won the Lucille Lortel Award, SHAKESPEARE'S R & J has been a favorite throughout the United States and the UK ever since. PrideArts' staging will be the first fully staged professional production of the play in Chicago in 14 years. Michael D. Graham, who previously directed CASA VALENTINA and HOLDING THE MAN for PrideArts, and MRS. WARREN'S PROFESSION for Promethean Theatre Ensemble, will return to the company to direct.
 
THE NEW YORK TIMES called SHAKESPEARE'S R & J “Hot-blooded…Wrenching…[It] pulsates with an adolescent abandon and electricity of which Romeo himself might approve,” while THE WALL STREET JOURNAL said, “R&J is a gem, the most inventive reimagining of a classic in years.” London's THE TELEGRAPH said “This is one of the most electrifying adaptations of Shakespeare I have ever seen. When it comes to originality, sexiness, and daring, it is right up there with WEST SIDE STORY.” SHAKESPEARE'S R & J will open to the press on Monday, February 26, 2024, at 7:30 pm, following previews from February 22-25, 2024, and play through March 24, 2024.
 
All 2023-24 season performances will be at Pride Arts Center, 4139 N. Broadway, Chicago. Tickets $35 for regular performances, $25 for previews. Seniors and students receive a $5 discount off all performance prices. Tickets and more information will be available shortly at www.pridearts.org. Season packages will be offered at a later date.
 

GAY CARD

Music by Ryan Korell, book and lyrics by Jonathan Keebler

CHICAGO PREMIERE

Directed by Jay Españo
Music Direction by Robert Ollis

August 24 – September 24, 2023

Previews Thursday, August 24 through Saturday, August 26 at 7:30 pm, and Sunday, August 27 at 3 pm

PRESS OPENING Monday, August 28 at 7:30 pm

Curtain times Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 3 pm. Wednesday “Industry Night” performance Wednesday, September 20 at 7:30 pm, Understudy performance

Wednesday, September 13 at 7:30 pm. Pride Arts Center, 4139 N. Broadway, Chicago
Tickets $35 for regular performances, $25 for previews. Seniors and students receive a $5 discount off all performance prices. Tickets and more information at www.pridearts.org

GAY CARD is the hilariously heartwarming story of Logan Kapler, a one-friend loser who has never belonged. But now he's starting college with a trick up his sleeve: he's gay. Gay people are awesome; therefore, he will be awesome. Except his new college housemates don't agree. They revoke his "gay card" and deem him not-awesome-enough-to-be-gay instead. Determined to prove them wrong, Logan embarks on a quest to earn his gay card. But when his dream life leaves him lonelier than ever, he must learn that there are some insecurities you never grow out of — before he loses the only two people who truly love him.
 

SLEEPING WITH BEAUTY

By Tom Whalley

US PREMIERE

Directed by Bryan McCaffrey

November 16–December 17, 2023

Recommended for adults 18+

Previews Thursday, November 16 through Saturday, November 18 at 7:30 pm, and Sunday, November 19 at 3:00 pm

Press Opening Monday, November 20 at 7:30 pm

Regular run November 20–December 17, 2023. No shows November 22 – 24.
Curtain times Wednesdays–Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 3 pm

Pride Arts Center, 4139 N. Broadway, Chicago

Tickets $35 for regular performances, $25 for previews. Seniors and students receive a $5 discount off all performance prices. Tickets and more information at www.pridearts.org.
773-857-0222

In this adult pantomime by Tom Whalley, author of last season's JACK OFF THE BEANSTALK, Princess A'whora has finally come of age, though a terrible curse from the wicked fairy Carab*tch means one prick in her hand and she'll perish! With the help of the fabulously thorny Fairy Hanny, will the Queen and Muddles get in a spin? Or will the scantily clad Prince Albert have to get his chopper out?

SHAKESPEARE'S R & J

An adaptation by Joe Calarco

Directed by Michael D. Graham

February 22 – March 24, 2024

Previews Wednesday, February 22 through Saturday, February 25 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, February 26 at 3 pm

Press Opening Monday, February 27, 2024, at 7:30 pm

Regular run February 27-March 24, 2024

Curtain times Thursdays–Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 3 pm, plus Industry Night Wednesday, March 20 @ 7:30 pm

Pride Arts Center, 4139 N. Broadway, Chicago

Tickets $35 for regular performances, $25 for previews. Seniors and students receive a $5 discount off all performance prices. Tickets and more information at www.pridearts.org. 773-857-0222

Four young prep school students, tired of going through the usual drill of conjugating Latin and other tedious school routines, decide to vary their very governed lives. After school, one breaks out a copy of William Shakespeare's ROMEO AND JULIET, and they all take turns reading the play aloud. The Bard's words and the story itself are thrilling to the boys, and they become swept away, enmeshed in the emotion so much so that they break school rules in order to continue their readings. Perceptions and understanding are turned upside-down as the fun of play-acting turns serious, and the words and meanings begin to hit home and universal truths emerge

DIRECTOR BIOS

Jay Españo (PrideArts Artistic Director, Director GAY CARD). Born in Manila, The Philippines, he joined the prestigious Tanghalang Pilipino's Actors Company in 1998, where he trained with acclaimed Filipino director Nonon Padilla. He acted in several commercials, television series and films. Notably, he was a regular cast member of Koko KwikKwak - a spin-off of Batibot (Philippine Sesame Street). He toured The Philippines with that show's mascots, performing for kids throughout the country. In 2000, Jay was one of many Filipino actors who were cast in the Action Theater Singapore's hit musical CHANG AND ENG, which toured Asia for several years. Since moving to the Chicago area, Jay has worked with storefront theater companies such as Silk Road Rising, Prologue, Ghostlight, Halcyon, and PrideArts. Most recently, he directed City Lit Theater's world premiere musical AZTEC HUMAN SACRIFICE. He has played the role of the King in Rodgers and Hammerstein's THE KING AND I with various theater companies in the US and in Canada.

Robert Ollis (Music Director, GAY CARD) served as Music Director for PrideArts' productions of GIRLFRIEND, THE THINGS I COULD NEVER TELL STEVEN, A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE, SOUTHERN COMFORT, YANK!: A WW II LOVE STORY, THE NANCE, PRISCILLA: QUEEN OF THE DESERT, THE BOY FROM OZ, SONGS FROM AN UNMADE BED, A HISTORY OF SUMMER, and THE BOOK OF MERMAN, plus the premiere of Leo Schwartz's award-winning UNDER A RAINBOW FLAG. He served as Music Director for Underscore Theatre's musical HAYMARKET: A NEW FOLK MUSICAL. Robert received a Jeff Award for musical direction of KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN, in addition to his nominations for seven other shows.  Robert is the music director and co-creator of JUDY AND LIZA: THE LONDON PALLADIUM CONCERT — A TRIBUTE and accompanies other notable cabaret performers in New York City, Palm Springs, CA, and Chicago venues.

Bryan McCaffrey (Director, SLEEPING WITH BEAUTY). Bryan returns to PrideArts, where he directed Tom Whalley's JACK OFF THE BEANSTALK in 2022 and was Music Director for A CHRISTMAS KAROL: A HOLIDAY INTERVENTION in 2021. In 2022, Bryan also directed productions of PARADE and GUYS AND DOLLS for Theatre Nebula. He has additionally served as Music Director for Kokandy Productions' SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS: THE BROADWAY MUSICAL, Theatre Nebula's production of SOMETHING ROTTEN, and for Porchlight Music Theatre's PASSING STRANGE.

Michael D. Graham (Director, SHAKESPEARE'S R & J) directed Promethean Theatre Ensemble's Jeff award-nominated MRS. WARREN'S PROFESSION. Previously for PrideArts, he directed CASA VALENTINA, HOLDING THE MAN, TEN DOLLAR HOUSE, and BARNEY THE ELF. Other favorite directing credits include: THE MYSTERY OF IRMA VEP, THE MISANTHROPE, SMASH! (adapted from Shaw's THE UNSOCIAL SOCIALIST), PARALLEL LIVES, and THE MEMORY OF WATER for Piccolo Theatre; SPREADING THE NEWS (Halcyon Theatre), EXPATRIATES (the side project), METROPOLITAN OPERAS (ActOne Studios), THE YEARS (Appetite Theatre), and BUTLEY (Hubris Productions). In addition to directing, Michael has worked in the Chicago area as an actor, producer, playwright, dramaturg, dialect coach, sound designer, props designer, and stage manager.

WRITER BIOS 

Ryan Korell (Composer, GAY CARD). Ryan Korell is a musical theatre composer, arranger, and orchestrator whose work has been featured around the globe, including at Feinstein's/54 Below, at the Spoleto Festival, and on adult contemporary radio. An alumnus of the Johnny Mercer Writers Colony, he has also been recognized as a Finalist for the MAC Wallowitch Awards and the Jonathan Larson Grants.
 
His Broadway work includes THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY and HONEYMOON IN VEGAS along with the film adaptation of THE LAST FIVE YEARS. Among Ryan's most notable writing credits are GAY CARD (with Jonathan Keebler), MEET AND RUN (with Jonathan Keebler and Gia Mongell), REASONS I HATE GOING TO THE GYM BUT GO ANYWAY (with Jonathan Keebler and Kevin Wiczer), and LOVE IN NY (with Matthew Russell and Sven Jähnert). He also served as orchestrator, music director, and music producer on GAY CARD (Original Studio Cast Recording) and MEET AND RUN (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).Ryan has studied with generation-defining theatre makers Jason Robert Brown, William Finn, Michael John LaChiusa, and Marsha Norman.
 
Jonathan Keebler (Book writer, lyricist GAY CARD) is a New York City-based book writer and lyricist. His musicals include GAY CARD (music by Ryan Korell), TRUTH OR LIE (music by Bob Kelly), MEET AND RUN (music by Ryan Korell), THE SOPHOMORES (music by Jamie Lee Jacobs), and THE GOOD CHILD (music by Insoo Oh), as well as short works including WORLDS APART (music by Ryan Korell) and the short musical film, A MOST AVERAGE MUSICAL (screenplay by Talia Berger, music by Bob Kelly).

TOM WHALLEY (SLEEPING WITH BEAUTY) is the author of nearly 20 “pantomimes” in the British tradition. The majority of the scripts are contemporary takes on traditional fairy tales, but suitable for general audiences, while others, like JACK OFF THE BEANSTALK, SLEEPING WITH BEAUTY, and A-LAD-IN, are strictly for adult audiences.
 
Joe Calarco (SHAKESPEARE'S R & J). Joe Calarco's published work, in addition to SHAKESPEARE'S R&J (Lucille Lortel Award), includes Walter Cronkite IS DEAD (included in “The Best Stage Monologues of 2013”); IN THE ABSENCE OF SPRING (inaugural production of Second Stage's Uptown Series and included in “The Best Stage Scenes of 2004”); his short plays JUST A LITTLE SNIFFLE and PARTING GIFTS; and two collections of his plays for teens, SIGNATURE IN THE SCHOOLS, Volumes 1 & 2, which include the plays MY VACATION IN PARIS, SALAT, CIVIL WARS, AFTERSHOCK, SHAKESPEARE, WILL, IMAGE IS EVERYTHING, REVOLUTION, HERO WORSHIP, and VENI, VIDI, VICI.
 

ABOUT PRIDEARTS

PrideArts tells queer stories on a variety of platforms, including both live and virtual performances. Since its founding in 2010, PrideArts has had several chapters, including operating as an itinerant theater for their first six seasons, and as the developer and primary tenant in the Pride Arts Center from 2016 to the present.

The company produces full seasons of plays and musicals, as well as events including cabaret, and more. The company has earned 39 Jeff Awards and nominations, and six nominations in the 2019 ALTA Awards from the Alliance of Latinx Theater Artists of Chicago. Programming has reflected the diversity of queer communities by including work made by and illuminating the experiences of women, gay men, transgender people, and BIPOC.

PrideArts is supported by Illinois Arts Council, a State Agency; City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), Alphawood Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Arts Work Fund, Driehaus Foundation, The Saints.

PrideArts is a member of Buena Park Neighborhood Association, Uptown United, Northalsted Merchants Association, League of Chicago Theaters, Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce of Illinois, Lakeview East Merchants Association.

For more information and to donate, visit www.pridearts.org or call 1.773 857 0222.

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