Ike Holter News

Philadelphia Theatre Company (PTC) is pleased to announce James Ijames as the recipient of the fourth Terrence McNally New Play Award for the development of his play White. The Terrence McNally New Play Award is a $10,000 cash prize given annually to recognize a new play that celebrates the transformative power of art. The Award will also include a year of development support at PTC, including readings as well as administrative support and networking to help manage the future of the play beyond its time at PTC.

The Los Angeles LGBT Center and Sixth Avenue have announced the West Coast premiere of Hit the Wall by Ike Holter. This acclaimed play brings audiences into the famed 1969 Stonewall riots, credited historically as the beginning of the modern LGBT rights movement. Directed by Ken Sawyer with a cast of 10, a live three-piece band, and original music by Anna Waronker (former singer for That Dog) and Charlotte Caffey (guitarist for The Go-Go's), Hit the Wall will play three previews on September 15, 16, and 17, and opening is set for Friday, September 18 at 8pm. Hit the Wall will run through October 25 in the Davidson/Valentini Theatre.

 Irish Theatre of Chicago is pleased to launch its 2015-16 Season with the Midwest premiere of Geraldine Aron's touching and comedic one-woman show MY BRILLIANT DIVORCE, directed by Siiri Scott and featuring ensemble member Barbara Figgins*. MY BRILLIANT DIVORCE will play October 7 - November 1, 2015 at Chief O'Neill's Pub & Restaurant, 3471 N. Elston Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at www.irishtheatreofchicago.org.  The press opening is Thursday, October 8 at 7:30 pm.

Ayad Akhtar's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Disgraced kicks off Philadelphia Theatre Company's 2015-2016 season, October 9 - November 8 at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre (Broad and Lombard Streets).  Directed by Mary B. Robinson, the ensemble cast features Anthony Mustafa Adair, Ben Graney, Aime Donna Kelly, Monette Magrath and Pej Vahdat.

Victory Gardens Theater announces the next show of its 41st season, Never the Sinner by John Logan, directed by Gary Griffin.  Never the Sinner runs November 6 - December 6, 2015 with the press performance on Friday, November 13, 2015, at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue.

Jackalope Theatre Company wraps up its 7th season with The 6th Annual Living Newspapers Festival. In homage to the 1930's Living Newspapers of the Federal Theatre Project, Jackalope has assembled an exciting group of Chicago playwrights, directors, and actors to dramatize stories ripped from recent newspaper headlines. Presented for a five-performance limited engagement at The Frontier, 1106 W. Thorndale Ave, the festival will run today, August 19, through August 23, Wednesday - Sunday at 7:30pm.

First Floor Theater (FFT) is thrilled to announce its third annual literary festival, KAFKAPALOOZA, a festival of nine world premiere plays, by some of Chicago's most exciting playwrights, inspired by the life and work of Franz Kafka. Over the past two years, the FFT LitFest has brought together some of Chicago's greatest writers, including Seth Bockley, Philip Dawkins, Bonnie Metzgar, Ike Holter, Morgan McNaught, andPaul Oakley Stovall, to respond to literary greats The Brothers Grimm and Mark Twain.

Irish Theatre of Chicago is pleased to launch its 2015-16 Season with the Midwest premiere of Geraldine Aron's touching and comedic one-woman show MY BRILLIANT DIVORCE, directed by Siiri Scott and featuring ensemble member Barbara Figgins*. MY BRILLIANT DIVORCE will play October 7 - November 1, 2015 at Chief O'Neill's Pub & Restaurant, 3471 N. Elston Ave. in Chicago.

Stage Left Theatre announces Drekfest 2015, which performs tonight, August 11th at 7:30pm at The CSz Theatre, 929 W Belmont. Stage Left is proud to again partner with CSz Chicago for DrekFest 2015. CSz team members will be joining Stage Left company members and guest artists in staging the four finalists.

Jackalope Theatre Company wraps up its 7th season with The 6th Annual Living Newspapers Festival. In homage to the 1930's Living Newspapers of the Federal Theatre Project, Jackalope has assembled an exciting group of Chicago playwrights, directors, and actors to dramatize stories ripped from recent newspaper headlines. Presented for a five-performance limited engagement at The Frontier, 1106 W. Thorndale Ave, the festival will run August 19-23, Wednesday - Sunday at 7:30pm.

The Los Angeles LGBT Center and Sixth Avenue have announced the West Coast premiere of Hit the Wall by Ike Holter. This acclaimed play brings audiences into the famed 1969 Stonewall riots, credited historically as the beginning of the modern LGBT rights movement. Directed by Ken Sawyer with a cast of 10, a live three-piece band, and original music by Anna Waronker (former singer for That Dog) and Charlotte Caffey (guitarist for The Go-Go's), Hit the Wall will play three previews on September 15, 16, and 17, and opening is set for Friday, September 18 at 8pm. Hit the Wall will run through October 25 in the Davidson/Valentini Theatre.

Irish Theatre of Chicago will launch its 2015-16 Season with the Midwest premiere of Geraldine Aron's touching and comedic one-woman show MY BRILLIANT DIVORCE, directed by Siiri Scott and featuring ensemble Barbara Figgins*. MY BRILLIANT DIVORCE will play October 7 - November 1, 2015 at Chief O'Neill's Pub & Restaurant, 3471 N. Elston Ave. in Chicago. Tickets will go on sale Saturday, August 1 at www.irishtheatreofchicago.org.  The press opening is Thursday, October 8 at 7:30 pm.

Stage Left Theatre announces Drekfest 2015, which performs on Tuesday, August 11th at 7:30pm at The CSz Theatre, 929 W Belmont. Stage Left is proud to again partner with CSz Chicago for DrekFest 2015. CSz team members will be joining Stage Left company members and guest artists in staging the four finalists.

New Jersey Repertory Company, located at 179 Broadway in Long Branch, is proud to announce the U.S. Premiere of Nobody's Girl by Australian Playwright Rick Viede. 

Mercy Street Theatre continues its debut season with the world premiere of ROTPETER, a new play based on Franz Kafka's 'A Report to an Academy' and adapted by resident playwright Rachel DuBose*. The show begins today, July 17, and runs through August 1, 2015 at Hairpin Arts Center, 2810 N Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago. Tickets for ROTPETER are on sale now at brownpapertickets.org. 

 Oracle Productions is excited to announce the world-premiere run of an important new play as well as our first collaboration with Theater on the Lake. Zachary Baker-Salmon adapts and directs THIS HOUSE BELIEVES THE AMERICAN DREAM IS AT THE EXPENSE OF THE AMERICAN NEGRO, with performances at Oracle Theatre and multiple park locations this summer.

The Kennedy Center, in association with the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, the National New Play Network (NNPN)-the country's alliance of non-profit theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays-and with Stanford University's National Center for New Plays, will host more than 50 playwrights, directors, and dramaturgs from July 25 to August 2, 2015 as part of the 10th annual weeklong MFA Playwrights' Workshop featuring new works by MFA students from Columbia University, Northwestern University, Fordham University, Yale School of Drama, the Juilliard School, New York University-Tisch School of the Arts, University of California-San Diego, and the Juilliard School.

Mercy Street Theatre continues its debut season with the world premiere of ROTPETER, a new play based on Franz Kafka's 'A Report to an Academy' and adapted by resident playwright Rachel DuBose*. The show runs July 17 ­- August 1, 2015 at Hairpin Arts Center, 2810 N Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago.

Victory Gardens Theater presents the final show of its 40th anniversary season, the Midwest Premiere of The Who & the What by Ayad Akhtar, directed by Ron OJ Parson. The Who & the What runs tonight, June 12 - July 12, 2015 with the press performance on Friday, June 19, 2015, at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue.

A Red Orchid Theatre announces additional Ensemble casting for its 2015-2016 season. Founding Ensemble Member and Oscar Nominee Michael Shannon joins Artistic Director Kirsten Fitzgerald on stage in the World Premiere of Pilgrim's Progress by Ensemble Member Bret Neveu. Seven Ensemble Members will appear together in Tennessee Williams' The Mutilated, including Lance Baker, Jennifer Engstrom, Mierka Girten, Steve Haggard, Shade Murray, Doug Vickers and Natalie West. Murray makes his A Red Orchid stage debut with The Mutilated.