Jenna Schoppe News

The Jeff Awards announced today a total of 115 nominations in 19 categories for the 45th Annual Non-Equity Jeff Awards.

Porchlight Music Theatre concludes its fifth season of Chicago's "lost" musicals in staged concert series with Porchlight Revisits Do Re Mi, starring Porchlight Music Theatre's Artistic Director Michael Weber and Nancy Voigts, music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and book by Garson Kanin, with direction and choreography by Christopher Pazdernik and musical direction by David Fiorello.

Jeremiah Alsop and Bradley Halverson have joined the cast of Pride Films and Plays' Chicago premiere of YANK! A WWII Love Story.  Halverson, whose recent credits include THEY'RE PLAYING OUR SONG with Brown Paper Box Company and HIGH FIDELITY with Refuge Theatre Project, is now playing Czechowski, the 'nice guy' of the platoon.  Alsop, a recent graduate of the Chicago College of Performing Arts, is playing India and is a member of the ensemble.

Pride Films and Plays' Chicago premiere of YANK! A WWII Love Story will be extended by four weeks due to audience demand. David Zak, Executive Director of Pride Films and Plays, announced the extension today. The hit off-Broadway musical, which opened to the press in Chicago on January 18, is the story of a midwestern boy who joins the Army during World War II, falls in love with another soldier in his squad and is later introduced to the gay underground of the Armed Services through a journalist for the Army magazine YANK. Zak directs the musical, with Robert Ollis providing musical direction and Jenna Schoppe choreography.

YANK! A WWII LOVE STORY is the story of a midwestern boy who joins the Army during World War II, falls in love with another soldier and is introduced to the gay underground of the Armed Services through a journalist for the Army magazine YANK. David Zak is directing the musical, with Robert Ollis providing musical direction and Jenna Schoppe choreography.

Casting for Pride Films and Plays' Chicago premiere of YANK! A WWII Love Story was announced today by David Zak, Executive Director of Pride Films and Plays.

Casting for Pride Films and Plays' Chicago premiere of YANK! A WWII Love Story was announced today by David Zak, Executive Director of Pride Films and Plays.

 It is with great excitement Brown Paper Box Co. announces a change-up and addition to their Executive Team as they continue their 2017/2018 season. Co-founding members Anna Schutz and M. William Panek are making the move to Executive Director and Marketing Director, respectively. They are joined by Kristi Szczepanek in the company's newest Executive role, Director of Community Outreach & Development. Kristi has gone above and beyond as Company Admin and has proven herself as a driven, organized, and forward-thinking leader in her short time as Artistic Associate.

Brown Paper Box Co. is excited to announce the cast and production team for their second main stage production of their 2016/2017 season - The Baltimore Waltz by Pulitzer Prize winner Paula Vogel.

Brown Paper Box Co. is excited to announce their second main stage production of their 2016/2017 season - The Baltimore Waltz by Pulitzer Prize winner Paula Vogel. This production opens this week, on Saturday, January 21, 2017 and runs Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 PM and Sundays at 2:30 PM through February 19, 2017 at The Frontier in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood (1106 W. Thorndale Avenue). A preview is scheduled for Friday, January 20, along with special Monday night performances on January 23 and February 6, both of which begin at 7:30 PM. Additionally, this production is a participant of Chicago Theatre Week 2017 and The Ghostlight Project and all tickets are on sale now. Photos from rehearsal can be found attached; information about ticket sales and more can be found at www.BrownPaperBox.org.

Underscore Theatre Company, in association with Harborside Films, is pleased to present the Chicago premiere of TONYA AND NANCY: THE ROCK OPERA, a dark musical comedy based on the infamous 1990's Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan 'knee whack' ice skating scandal.

Brown Paper Box Co. is excited to announce the cast and production team for their second main stage production of their 2016/2017 season - The Baltimore Waltz by Pulitzer Prize winner Paula Vogel.

Steep Theatre will kick off its sixteenth season in September with the world premiere of Alex Lubischer's Bobbie Clearly, directed by Josh Sobel. 

Steep Theatre will kick off its sixteenth season in September with the world premiere of Alex Lubischer's Bobbie Clearly, directed by Josh Sobel. 

Underscore Theatre Company is pleased to present its third annual CHICAGO MUSICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL, featuring 14 new musical productions. Created to showcase and support Chicago's burgeoning field of musical theatre creators, this year's festival will be held August 9 - 28, 2016 at Victory Gardens Richard Christiansen Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago. Each production will receive four performances during the Festival. The full schedule (Tuesdays - Sundays) and can be found at www.cmtf.org, with tickets currently on sale ($20 per show, $200 all-festival rush passes). The press "sneak preview," featuring a sampling of songs from the 2016 Festival, is Monday, August 8 at 7:30 pm.

The cast and staff of Brown Paper Box Co.'s summer production of Now. Here. This. was surprised on Friday, August 5 by the show's original creative team, collaborators, and stars. Jeff Bowen (music and lyrics), Tony Award nominee Hunter Bell (book), and original director and choreographer Michael Berresse caught the Chicago premiere of their work and met with Brown Paper Box Co.'s team and audience members following the performance. The cast, band, and staff took to social media to share the excitement - check out photos below!

Brown Paper Box Co.'s summer production of Now. Here. This. is currently up and running at the Rivendell Theatre in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood. The show opened Saturday, July 23, and runs Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 PM, and Sundays at 2:00 PM through August 21 at Rivendell Theatre (5779 N. Ridge Avenue). Click below to watch highlights from the show!

Brown Paper Box Co.'s summer production of Now. Here. This. is currently up and running at the Rivendell Theatre in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood. The show opened Saturday, July 23, and runs Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 PM, and Sundays at 2:00 PM through August 21 at Rivendell Theatre (5779 N. Ridge Avenue). BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Brown Paper Box Co. is thrilled to finalize the cast & creative staff for their upcoming summer production of NOW. HERE. THIS.