Special Reading Of Ike Holter's HIT THE WALL to be Presented This Month at Pride Arts Center

In honor of LGBTQ+ History Month, directors Jordan Ratliff and Magdiel Carmona will present a special reading of Ike Holter’s critically acclaimed play, HIT THE WALL. 

HIT THE WALL offers a poignant and powerful exploration of the 1969 Stonewall riots. The play's recurring phrase, "I was there," lends a sacred weight to the narrative, while the refrain, "The reports of what happened next are not exactly clear," underscores the complexity and ambiguity of this pivotal moment in LGBTQ+ history. 

The reading will be directed by PrideArts Artistic Associates Jordan Ratliff and Magdiel Carmona, and will feature a talented cast including Jared Brown, Heather Abbott, Daniel Suarez Velez, Destin Teamer, Carl Herzog, Haven Denson, Elijah Warfield, Kyle Johnson, Joey Alvey, and Zoe Replinger. Stage directions will be read by Emma Louise Anderson. 

The performance will take place at the PrideArts Center, located at 4139 N Broadway, on October 21, 2023, at 7:30 pm, and October 22, 2023, at 3 pm. Admission to the reading is free, with contributions gratefully accepted to support the cast.

For ticket reservations please visit https://forms.gle/NWEJ8bToYTDtRDKZ6

Jordan Ratliff

(Co-Director) is a director, playwright, choreographer, graphic designer, and much more. His directing credits include ONE IN TWO for PrideArts, THE FORMER KINGS OF CLUTCH CITY in the 2022 Lime Arts Fringe Festival – a national virtual festival of dramatic works by young artists; a virtual reading of his own play FUGITIVES IN AMERICA for PrideArts in September 2021 and directing two plays in the Chicago Dramatists Network 10 Minute Play Festival. He has served as an assistant director for PrideArts’ THE THINGS I NEVER COULD TELL STEVEN and was a Casting/Producing intern at Victory Gardens Theatre. Ratliff says, “As a theatre artist, I work to deconstruct, analyze, and criticize social norms, structures, and issues that have led to systematic inequalities both within and outside marginalized communities. My career goals center around advocacy for LGBTQ and racial equality.” Ratliff is a 2021 graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with a major in Theatre Studies and a minor in  LGBTQ Studies.
 

Magdiel Carmona

(Co-Director). Pride Arts Artistic Associate Magdiel Carmona is queer Mexican-American artist who dabbles in theatre, film, and digital design. Most recent credits include: OR by Heather Elayne Abbott (Director), The PATHFINDERS PROJECT 1 & 2 (Director, Producer), & THE LAST HERMANOS at Red Orchid Theatre (Understudy). His company Carmona Producxions seeks to create works that are independent and impactful. Carmonaproducxions.com.

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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