Christine Pascual News

Actors, designers, technicians, staff, and supporters gathered at TimeLine Theatre on Tuesday, April 9 for the first rehearsal of Black Sunday, a startling new look at, as described by playwright Dolores Díaz, “a dust storm so massive, so great, nobody had ever seen anything like it before.”

With NOTES FROM THE FIELD, playwright Anna Deavere Smith once again proves she’s a master of her genre of theatrical storytelling. Known for her documentary (or verbatim) plays, Smith presents monologues from 19 different interviews in this exploration of the school-to-prison pipeline in America. By allowing her interview subjects to literally speak for themselves, Smith has mastered the art of showing and not telling. NOTES FROM THE FIELD has a clear agenda; it’s a searing condemnation of the systemic failings of the American judicial, police, educational, and penitentiary institutions — and most notably a condemnation of the ways in which those systems have failed Black and Brown Americans. But Smith conveys her points with a blistering humanity (even if, at two hours and 40 minutes, I think she could have arrived at those points with a shorter run-time).

Mildred Marie Langford, Adhana Reid and Shariba Rivers will give voice to 18 real-life people caught in America’s school-to-prison pipeline in TimeLine Theatre’s Chicago premiere of Notes from the Field by Anna Deavere Smith.

Court Theatre will open its 2023/24 season with The Lion in Winter directed by Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson. Learn more about the production and how to get tickets here!

Chicago Shakespeare Theater has announced the cast and creative team for the upcoming production of William Shakespeare’s romantic comedy Twelfth Night. Learn more about who is starring in the production here!

TimeLine’s 2022-23 subscription season returns February 1 – March 19, 2023 with the world premiere of Boulevard of Bold Dreams by LaDarrion Williams, a Los Angeles-based playwright new to Chicago audiences, with a story about dreamers overcoming obstacles and fighting for recognition amidst the racism and inequity of Hollywood.

TimeLine Theatre Company has announced he addition of two matinees to the current run of the company’s critically acclaimed revival of Trouble in Mind on Thursday, December 8, and Thursday, December 15, at 2 p.m.

All new video footage has been released for Tiger Style!, now playing at Writers Theatre through October 30th in Glencoe.

TimeLine Theatre Company’s 2022-23 season will continue this fall with the landmark classic Trouble in Mind by Alice Childress, directed by TimeLine Company Member Ron OJ Parson, running November 2 – December 18, 2022.

Writers Theatre will debut its 2022/23 Season with Tiger Style! by Mike Lew, directed by Brian Balcom. The production runs September 29, 2022 – October 30, 2022 in the in the Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre.

Recognizing a strong return to the spotlight over the 2021-2022 Equity theater season, the Joseph Jefferson Awards in Chicago announced its nominations for theater excellence. This year’s nominees include 201 theater artists across 38 categories of excellence in theater production among shows from 43 companies.

The Joseph Jefferson Awards have announced this year's Equity nominations, including 201 theater artists across 38 categories.  The 54th anniversary Equity Jeff Awards will take place October 17, 2022, at Drury Lane in Oakbrook, IL. 

Victory Gardens Theater preesents the final show in its 2021/22 Mainstage Season, the regional premiere of cullud wattah, written by Erika Dickerson-Despenza and directed by Lili-Anne Brown. 

On June 19, 2022, Victory Gardens Theater opened the regional premiere of cullud wattah, written by Erika Dickerson-Despenza and directed by Lili-Anne Brown. 

In cullud wattah, Erika Dickerson-Despenza compellingly weaves the personal and political. The play is ultimately a narrative of resilience as the women in the play struggle with environmental racism and to econcile with the tension between their desire for justice (especially in ainee’s case) and the will to survive and make enough money to pay their bills.

Court Theatre continues its 2021/22 season with Two Trains Running by August Wilson, directed by Ron OJ Parson. Two Trains Running runs May 13 – June 12, 2022 at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. The press opening was on Saturday, May 21, 2022 at 7:30pm.

Victory Gardens Theater has announced the cast for the final show in its 2021/22 Mainstage Season, the regional premiere of cullud wattah, written by Erika Dickerson-Despenza and directed by Lili-Anne Brown. cullud wattah runs June 11 – July 17, 2022 at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue.

Two adjustments to the season schedule at Goodman Theatre shifts the 2021/2022 “Homecoming” Season line-up in the months ahead. The world-premiere production of Swing State by Rebecca Gilman directed by Robert Falls, previously announced for this spring, has been repositioned as this fall’s Owen Theatre opener.

On Our Team has developed a first of its kind tool to help theater companies establish pay equity within their organization and serve as a public recognition for equitably paid theater.

TimeLine Company Member Ron OJ Parson directs Abercrumbie’s startling new work, which was developed through the company’s Playwrights Collective and now serves as the first production in TimeLine’s 25th Anniversary season.