James Lea News

American Blues Theater continues its 2016-2017 Season with the Chicago Premiere of The Columnist by David Auburn and directed by Keira Fromm. The Columnist runs February 17 - April 9, 2017 at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago.  The official press opening is Thursday, February 23, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.

On last night's LATE LATE SHOW, James welcomed the legendary Cher to perform her 1965 classic 'I Got You Babe' with modernized lyrics.

American Blues Theater announces the addition of a new Ensemble member and three new Artistic Affiliates.

Once again, Peninsula Players imports a fresh new play first produced in 2015 direct from Utah to Door County. Playwright Kenneth Jones' Alabama Story received a first regional premiere at the award-winning Fish Creek theater in a story where an innocent children's book by Garth Williams--'The Rabbits' Wedding'-incites civil unrest in Montgomery, Alabama, 1959.

Inspired by actual events in 1959, Alabama Story centers on a fearless, no- nonsense librarian, a vocal segregationist senator and an innocent children's book. In a parallel story, childhood friends Joshua and Lilly, a black man and white woman, reunite among the societal tensions of the times. In 2000, Emily Wheelock Reed was cited for her work in 1959 Alabama by the American Library Association and received the Scroll of Honor from the Freedom to Read Foundation for refusing to remove the children's book, The Rabbits Wedding from the shelf.

'I hope you're not here to be entertained.' Norbert Leo Butz was all about managing expectations as he kicked off his week-long stint at Feinstein's/54 Below on August 5, though he had no reason to be worried. The two-time Tony Award winner (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Catch Me If You Can) has already done the hard part: The first incarnation of his show Girls, Girls, Girls was such a success, three years later he's back for more, coinciding with the release of an album of the same name via Broadway Records. Motley Crue reference aside, the title actually stems from the fact that Butz is constantly surrounded by women in his life, from his wife and three daughters, to his manager, to his 17 nieces.

 Peninsula Players Theatre, America's Oldest Professional Resident Summer Theatre and Door County's professional theatrical icon, continues its 81st season throughAugust 14 with the lively, uplifting pop-rock musical that takes it all off, 'The Full Monty' with book by Terrence McNally and music and lyrics by David Yazbek.   'The Full Monty.'   'The Full Monty' contains adult themes, language and nudity.

Peninsula Players Theatre, America's Oldest Professional Resident Summer Theatre and Door County's theatrical icon, continues its 81st season now through July 24 when it presents Agatha Christie's intriguing whodunit, 'The Hollow.' A weekend in the English countryside goes deathly awry with an explosive murder in this spell-binding mystery.

American Blues Theater kicks off its 31st Season - 'Define Yourself' - with a pair of one acts, including Dutchman by Amiri Baraka, directed by Chuck Smith and the World Premiere of TRANSit by Darren Canady, directed by Lisa Portes. Dutchman and TRANSit run August 26 - September 25, 2016 at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago. The official press opening is Thursday, September 1 at 7:30 pm.

American Blues Theater, Chicago's second oldest Equity Ensemble, under the continued leadership of Producing Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside, announce the submission period for the 2017 National Blue Ink Playwriting Award. Playwrights are invited to submit one (1) manuscript for consideration. The winner will have the opportunity to further develop their script with American Blues Theatre. The submission period runs July 1 - August 31, 2016. Submissions are accepted via email at BlueInk@AmericanBluesTheater.com.

Peninsula Players Theatre, America's Oldest Professional Resident Summer Theatre and Door County's theatrical icon, announces company members for its 81st season, running June 14 through October 16, 2016. The mix of plays include a late-in-life romance, an intriguing whodunit, a raucous pop-rock musical, an engaging Midwest premiere and a wildly comic thriller.

American Blues Theater, Chicago's second oldest Equity Ensemble, under the continued leadership of Producing Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside, hosts 2016 Ripped: The Living Newspaper Festival on Tuesday, May 17, 2016.

? Peninsula Players Theatre will present a reading of "Who Am I This Time? (& Other Conundrums of Love)" by Aaron Posner, adapted from stories by Kurt Vonnegut at Bjorklunden at 7590 Boynton Lane, Baileys Harbor at 7p.m., Monday, April 4.  Posner's charming comedy explores love, pure and complicated, by weaving short stories from Vonnegut's early masterpiece "Welcome to the Monkey House."   Join the Players reading of comedic love stories that explores, with warm hilarity, human foibles in a small town.  Admission is free.

Producing Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside and American Blues Theater, Chicago's second oldest Equity Ensemble celebrating 30 years of presenting visceral theatrical works while engaging its audience in missions of local service agencies, are proud to announce the Chicago premiere of LOOKING OVER THE PRESIDENT'S SHOULDER, by Artistic Affiliate James Still and directed by Timothy Douglas, February 5 - March 6, 2016 at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave.

American Blues Theater, under the continued leadership of Producing Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside, announces the lineup for its 2016 - 2017 Season, "Define Yourself."

? Todd Logan's highly acclaimed and emotionally poignant stage play Botanic Garden will be performed at the Ware Center on Friday, February 12, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. The play, starring real-life married partners Carmen Roman as Kate and James Leaming as her deceased husband Jake, offers a funny and refreshingly unsentimental look at love and loss, questioning our collective belief that "moving on" is the best medicine. Roman and Leaming are acclaimed actors both on-stage and on-camera, appearing in shows such as "Law and Order" and "Prison Break." The Ware Center is located at 42 N. Prince Street, Lancaster.

Producing Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside and American Blues Theater, Chicago's second oldest Equity Ensemble celebrating 30 years of presenting visceral theatrical works while engaging its audience in missions of local service agencies, are proud to announce the Chicago premiere of LOOKING OVER THE PRESIDENT'S SHOULDER, by Artistic Affiliate James Still and directed by Timothy Douglas, February 5 - March 6, 2016 at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave.

Producing Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside and American Blues Theater, Chicago's second oldest Equity ensemble, are proud to announce the return of the critically acclaimed It's a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago!, on the main stage of the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., November 20 - December 27. 'Pink Previews,' where tickets sales benefit the Lynn Sage Foundation for breast cancer research, play November 20 - November 22 following the regular schedule. The press/opening night performance is Wednesday, Nov. 25 at 7:30p.m. The running time is approximately 90 minutes. Tickets are $19 - $49 and are on sale now through the box office 773.404.7336 or online at AmericanBluesTheater.com. The performance schedule is Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. with additional holiday performances to be announced. For more information visit www.AmericanBluesTheater.com.

Producing Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside and American Blues Theater, Chicago's second oldest Equity Ensemble, announce that American Blues Theater is currently accepting submissions for the 2016 Blue Ink Playwriting Award between Wednesday, July 1 and Monday, Aug. 31 at 11:59 p.m.