Felicia P. Fields News

Porchlight Music Theatre has staged a number of similar revues over the years, and I look back on those most fondly for the tremendous talent they have showcased. That could not be more true of director Kenny Ingram's production of Sheldon Epps's BLUES IN THE NIGHT.

Award-winning Porchlight Music Theatre latest mainstage production the “Best Musical” Tony Award-nominated Blues in the Night, conceived by Sheldon Epps, with the music of Bessie Smith, Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen, Vernon Duke, Gordon Jenkins, Alberta Hunter and others, is now playing through March 13 at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St.

Award-winning Porchlight Music Theatre announces the cast for the “Best Musical” Tony Award-nominated Blues in the Night, conceived by Sheldon Epps+, with the music of Bessie Smith, Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen, Vernon Duke, Gordon Jenkins, Alberta Hunter and others, January 15, 2022 - February 27, 2022 at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts.

The cast will be led by Felicia P. Fields as one of three actors who will play Miss Celie. Joining Fields are Simon-Anthony Rhoden as Mister, Hope Mkhway as Young Celie, Joanna Francis as Miss Celie, Allison Semmes as Nettie, Melody A. Betts as Sofia, Alexis J. Roston as Shug Avery, Peyton Rowe as Squeak, Kristen Lowe as Doris, and more.

Writers Theatre Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma and Interim Artistic Director Bobby Kennedy have announced the company’s 2021/22 four-play season and are excited to welcome patrons back in-person in December 2021.

Porchlight Music Theatre has announced its return to live performance with its 27th season that includes the 2021 – 2022 Mainstage, Porchlight Revisits and New Faces Sing Broadway seasons. 

As a sequel to the first gala concert last week featuring some of the company’s most celebrated and beloved performers, MSMT presents two more special performances of its STARS #2 Concert on August 8-9. This second gala, directed once again by Curt Dale Clark with Ben McNaboe as Music Director, features four other nationally prominent artists who have been closely associated with the theatre - Felicia P. Fields, Heidi Kettenring, David Girolmo, and Gregg Goodbrod – in a program of story and song that dazzles and delights with its brilliance, humor, and warmth. One of Artistic Director Curt Dale Clark’s many talents is his ability to discover, retain, and nurture talent – from young artists to seasoned performers – and to create performances that tap into each individual artist’s best selves. This gala (as in the first) has been proof of that, as each artist is showcased in musical theatre numbers that have defined his/her careers. The evening is fast-paced, witty, and poignant by turns, allowing the audience to revel in the emotional ride that fine theatre provides.

“This has been a tough year and a half for so many, and the arts can help us rediscover our joy,” says actress Charis Leos, speaking enthusiastically about her upcoming appearance in one of Maine State Music Theatre Stars Concerts scheduled to celebrate the theatre’s return to live performing this summer. “It is a special gift for me to be able to perform again at a theatre that holds such a special place in my heart. To me it signals a return to the joy of the shared experience of live performance,” Leos adds. Leos is one of eight stars, chosen by Artistic Director Curt Dale Clark, to perform two gala concerts, each with different repertoire and cast at the Pickard Theater in Brunswick in July and August 2021. The first runs from July 28-August 1 and features Charis Leos, Lauren Blackman, Robert Creighton, and Kingsley Leggs. The second runs from August 4-8 with Felicia P. Fields, Heidi Kettenring, David Girolmo, and Gregg Goodbrod. Both programs are directed by Curt Dale Clark, who says the concerts will “offer audiences a chance to revel in the songs and stories that have kept audiences flocking to the Pickard for decades.”

The League of Chicago Theatres has announced plans for upcoming in-person performances this spring and summer. Many companies are also preparing for fall venue and production openings and some are taking advantage of the warmer months to produce outdoors.

Stu James answers questions about his virtual theatre appearance in SLOW FOOD, a tender, uproarious comedy by Wendy MacLeod and directed by Marya Mazor for International City Theatre. In this uproarious comedy, a vacationing couple heads to a Greek restaurant in Palm Springs for their anniversary dinner, only to be confronted with the worst service imaginable by a waiter who knows no limits to his meddling.

Northlight Theatre announces plans for outdoor musical events this summer, including Felicia P. Fields and E. Faye Butler in Lettin' the Good Times Roll with Fe and Faye! on July 9 and 10, 2021 at the NorthShore Center for the Performing Arts.

Porchlight Music Theatre has announced a line up including more than 50 Chicago artists performing, greetings and well wishes from Broadway stars including E. Faye Butler, Sean Allan Krill, Telly Leung, LaChanze, Susan Moniz and Kathy Voyto, a new raffle prize for a weekend in the home of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and more as a part of its annual Chicago Sings fundraising concert.

Broadway might be dark, but that doesn't mean that theatre isn't happening everywhere! Below, check out where you can get your daily fix of Broadway this weekend, March 20-21, 2021.

Each year, Porchlight Music Theatre celebrates an individual who has made an exceptional and lasting contribution to the state of the art of Chicago music theatre with the prestigious Guy Adkins Award. This year, Felicia P. Fields is the recipient.

Porchlight Music Theatre has announced Chicago Sings Rock & Roll Broadway, premiering Saturday, March 20 at 7 p.m. CDT.

This week's Theater Stories features the Broadway Theatre! Learn about the shows to have graced the stage of the theatre, including Gypsy, The Color Purple, Evita and more; the show that broke the theatre's box office record, and much more!

Basado en la novela de Alice Walker, este musical subía el telón en el The Broadway Theatre el 1 de diciembre de 2005. Bajo la dirección de Gary Griffin y con la aclamada presentadora de televisión Oprah Winfrey entre sus productores, THE COLOR PURPLE estuvo en cartel más de tres años

Patton Daye Slater Productions announced today the virtual release party for the Love & Southern D!scomfort EP (LASD). On Saturday, November 28, 2020, at 8:00 pm, Brenda Braxton (Smokey Joe's Café) will host the release party that will include appearances by EP vocalists Nikki M. James and more.

Writers Theatre Artistic Director Michael Halberstam and Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma have announced changes to the company’s 2020/21 Season, to include additional digital programming and updates to previously announced productions.

From Sunday October 25th to Saturday the 31st, the New Works Virtual Festival will stream video readings of 20 new scripts featuring the work of a diverse group of writers and all-star cast members.