Tamarus Harvell

Casting has been announced for Chicagoan Nambi E. Kelley’s adaptation of Richard Wright’s powerful introspection on race and justice like never before. Native Son runs at Lifeline Theatre, 6912 N. Glenwood Ave. in Rogers Park, from May 10 – June 30, 2024.

Black Ensemble Theater’s Founder and CEO Jackie Taylor announces the 2022 Black Playwrights Festival from April 26-30, 2022, featuring works by Viola Bennett, Jill Ross, Lillian Mitchum, Reginald Williams and Dwight Neal, curated and directed by Black Ensemble Producing Managing Director Daryl D. Brooks. 

Invictus Theatre Company today announced the full cast and production team for its production of Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prize-winning RUINED. Ebby Offord will direct the play, which will preview from February 17 to 20, in advance of the press opening on Monday, February 21, 2022, at 7:00 pm.

EVERY WAITING HEART, the full-length play by Lauren Ferebee that was planned pre-COVID for a fully staged production in June 2020, will be produced as an audio drama streaming for an open-ended run and premiering on Tuesday, November 10.

EVERY WAITING HEART, the full-length play by Lauren Ferebee that was planned pre-COVID for a fully staged production in June 2020, will be produced as an audio drama streaming for an open-ended run and premiering on Tuesday, November 10.

Full cast and crew have been announced for Artemisia's world premiere production of EVERY WAITING HEART. The drama will be performed at The Den in June 2020 and directed by Artemisia Founding Artistic Director Julie Proudfoot.

Strawdog Theatre Company will continue its 32nd season, “Truth,” with the Midwest premiere of C.A. Johnson's dystopian drama Thirst, directed by Andrea J. Dymond, playing January 9 – February 15, 2020 at 1802 W Berenice Ave. in Chicago's North Center neighborhood. Single tickets are currently available at www.strawdog.org.  

Strawdog Theatre Company will continue its 32nd season, 'Truth,' with the Midwest premiere of C.A. Johnson's dystopian drama THIRST, directed by Andrea J. Dymond, playing January 9 - February 15, 2020 at 1802 W Berenice Ave. in Chicago's North Center neighborhood. Single tickets are currently available at www.strawdog.org. The press opening is Monday, January 13 at 7:30 pm.

Strawdog Theatre Company is pleased to announce casting for its Midwest premiere of C.A. Johnson's dystopian drama THIRST, directed by Andrea J. Dymond.

Six directors and 30 actors from the Chicago theatre community will collaborate to create staged readings of six new feminist plays in the Artemisia Fall Festival 2018, to be performed September 24-26 and October 1-3 at The Edge Theater at 5451 N. Broadway. Artemisia Founding Artistic Director Julie Proudfoot and Literary Manager Sharai Bohannon have curated the festival from submissions solicited from writers, agents and literary managers across the US with whom the company has had working professional relationships. One play from the six to be performed will be chosen for further development by Artemisia Artistic Director Proudfoot, who will work closely with the playwright over the next two years to develop their feminist story for a full production in Chicago.

Raven Theatre is pleased to launch its 35th anniversary season with the Chicago premiere of CHOIR BOY, by recent Academy Award winner Tarell Alvin McCraney who, together with writer-director Barry Jenkins, won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for the Academy's Best Picture winner, Moonlight. Directed by Artistic Director Michael Menendian, CHOIR BOY will play September 27 November 12, 2017 in Raven's 120-seat East Stage, 6157 N. Clark St. (at Granville) in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at www.raventheatre.com or by calling (773) 338-2177.

Raven Theatre is pleased to launch its 35th anniversary season with the Chicago premiere of CHOIR BOY, by recent Academy Award winner Tarell Alvin McCraney who, together with writer-director Barry Jenkins, won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for the Academy's Best Picture winner, Moonlight.  Directed by Artistic Director Michael Menendian, CHOIR BOY will play September 27 - November 12, 2017 in Raven's 120-seat East Stage, 6157 N. Clark St. (at Granville) in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at www.raventheatre.com or by calling (773) 338-2177. The press opening is Tuesday, October 3, 2017 at 7:30 pm.

Raven Theatre Company's 35th anniversary season will begin in September with the Chicago premiere of Choir Boy by recent Academy Award winner Tarell Alvin McCraney who, together with writer-director Barry Jenkins, won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for the Academy's Best Picture winner, Moonlight.  

The cast of Raven Theatre Company's premiere of Tennessee Williams' Not About Nightingales has been announced, with Raven Founding Artistic Director Michael Menendian directing. The play's action revolves around the tyrannical prison warden Boss Whalen's inhumane treatment of the inmates in his island prison.  Deciding they have had enough, and inspired by their de facto leader Butch, the inmates of Hall C fight back by waging a hunger strike. When it garners media attention, Boss Whalen responds with torture.  All the while, Whalen's inmate assistant Jim and new secretary Eva struggle with the moral dilemma of either exposing the strike and losing their jobs or assisting Whalen in keeping it under wraps. 

Direct from Death Row The Scottsboro Boys (An Evening of Vaudeville and Sorrow), which on Monday, June 6 was honored for 'Outstanding Ensemble' at the annual Jeff Awards (Non-Equity Branch), has extended its previously announced remount by one week, with a new closing date of August 27, 2016. The entire Jeff award-winning all-African-American cast of the production will return for the run from July 21 through August 27, 2016.

Direct from Death Row The Scottsboro Boys (An Evening of Vaudeville and Sorrow), which earned rave reviews, was Jeff-recommended, won the BroadwayWorld Chicago Awards for Best Revival, Best Director and Best Actor (Andrew Malone) and became one of the largest selling hits in Raven Theatre Company's 32-year history, will return for a limited engagement in July and August of 2016. Michael Menendian, Producing Artistic Director of the company and director of this production, announced the remount today. The entire all-African-American cast of the production will return for the run from July 21 through August 21, 2016.

Raven Theatre will welcome Elizabeth Clarke, founder and President of the Juvenile Justice Initiative and one of its board members, Khadine Bennett, staff attorney and Legislative Counsel with the ACLU of Illinois, when they visit the theater to lead a discussion of its critically acclaimed DIRECT FROM DEATH ROW THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS following the November 7th performance of the play.

Raven Theatre will welcome Elizabeth Clarke, founder and President of the Juvenile Justice Initiative and one of its board members, Khadine Bennett, staff attorney and Legislative Counsel with the ACLU of Illinois, when they visit the theater to lead a discussion of its critically acclaimed DIRECT FROM DEATH ROW THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS following the November 7th performance of the play.

Raven Theatre's cast and creative team for Direct from Death Row The Scottsboro Boys (An Evening of Vaudeville and Sorrow) has been announced by Michael Menendian, Co Founding Artistic Director. Playwright Mark Stein's play with music and dance, a satirical retelling of the true story of nine African-American teenagers falsely accused in 1931 of raping two white women on a train in Alabama, will be performed by an all-African-American cast of nine actors. Menendian will direct, with Frederick Harris providing musical direction for the score by Harley White Jr. Kathleen Dennis will be choreographer. Previews will be Wednesday, September 16 - Monday, September 21, 2015 with the press opening Tuesday, September 22. The regular run will be September 25 - November 14, 2015. Tickets are on sale now at www.raventheatre.com or by calling 773-338-2177.

The Trial of Moses Fleetwood Walker, written by Ervin Gardner, is produced and directed by Jackie Taylor with music composed by Taylor, and music director & arranger Robert Reddrick, at the Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center, 4450 N. Clark Street, running now through March 15, 2015. The show opens today, Sunday, February 15 at 3 p.m. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!