Kelvin Roston News

Congo Square Theatre Company (Congo Square), one of the nation's premier African American theatres, is proud to present the first full show of its Hit 'Em on the Blackside sketch comedy series, available for free online viewing starting Saturday, Dec. 19 at www.congosquaretheatre.org.

The acclaimed Black Ensemble Theater, led by Founder and CEO Jackie Taylor, is celebrating the 2020 Holiday season with The Black Ensemble Virtual Holiday Extravaganza, written and directed by Producing Managing Director Daryl D. Brooks.

In its 52nd annual celebration of theater excellence, the Jeff Awards has recognized 39 recipients for the 2020 awards, selected from among 142 theater artist nominees across 30 artistic and technical categories.

The Jeff Awards has announced the nominees for the 52nd annual awards for theater excellence that include 142 theater artists across 30 artistic and technical categories. The awards will be presented in an online program on Monday, November 9, 2020 at 7:00PM.

Congo Square Theatre Company one of the nation's premier African American theatres, has announced its full 21st Season of programming for 2020-2021.

Court Theatre, under the continuing leadership of Charles Newell, Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director, and Executive Director Angel Ysaguirre, has announced that Kelvin Roston, Jr. is the recipient of the 2019/20 Nicholas Rudall Classic Artist Award.

The League of Chicago Theatres announced The Samuel G. Roberson Jr. Resident Fellowship, a grant to fund a residency for early to mid-career Black theatre artists based in Chicago for a one-year partnership with a Chicago area theatre. This fellowship is funded by the McMullen & Kime Charitable Trust.

Court Theatre has announced updates to its 2020/21 Season in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The reimagined season has Court returning to the stage in February 2021 with Owen McCafferty's Titanic (Scenes from the British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, 1912), followed by Shakespeare's Othello, and then August Wilson's Two Trains Running.

Join WGN-TV's a?oeAround Towna?? correspondent Ana Belaval and a star-studded line-up of more than 20 top Chicago stage performers for Chicago Offstage! Live at Home, a virtual streaming event debuting live on Season of Concern's new YouTube channel (https://tinyurl.com/soctube) on Sunday, April 19, at 6 p.m. CST.

Twenty-one Chicago high school students will compete in the finals of the 11th Annual August Wilson Monologue Competition for a chance to represent Chicago in the National Competition at the August Wilson Theatre in New York City. Hundreds of students competed across the city in preliminary rounds. The finals will be held at the Goodman Theatre, 170 N Dearborn on Monday, March 9, 2020 at 6:00 pm. The August Wilson Monologue Competition is free and open to the public.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis announces a dynamic new set of shows for its 2020-2021 season designed to delight, excite and engage theatregoers like never before.

Victory Gardens Theater has announced a Chicago tour of its production of Pipeline, written by 2018 MacArthur Fellow Dominique Morisseau and directed by Cheryl Lynn Bruce. As a leader in developing and producing new theater work and cultivating an inclusive Chicago theater community, Victory Gardens will tour the production this spring with free performances at six locations on the South and West sides of Chicago, bringing this highly praised work into local communities, March 16 - 21, 2020.

Court Theatre, under the continuing leadership of Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director Charles Newell and Executive Director Angel Ysaguirre, announces its 66th season. The company's 2020/21 season will feature the sixth play in August Wilson's American Century Cycle, Two Trains Running, directed by Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson; the Americana musical Violet, with book and lyrics by Brian Crawley and music by Jeanine Tesori, directed by Charles Newell; the culmination of Court's Oedipus Trilogy with the Sophocles classic Antigone, directed by Seret Scott; Caryl Churchill's Fen, directed by Vanessa Stalling; and a new production of Shakespeare's Othello, starring Kelvin Roston, Jr. and Timothy Edward Kane, adapted and directed by Charles Newell.

Congo Square Theatre Company, well known for its powerful portrayal of African American classics and gripping new works, commemorates its 20th Anniversary season with a rare production of the 1965 satirical fantasy Day of Absence at the Richard Christiansen Theatre (housed inside Victory Gardens Biograph Theatre, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave.), February 27-March 22, 2020. The official opening night is Monday, March 2 at 7:30 p.m.

Congo Square Theatre Company, well known for its powerful portrayal of African American classics and gripping new works, commemorates its 20th Anniversary season with a rare production of the 1965 satirical fantasy, Day of Absence, at the Richard Christiansen Theatre (housed inside Victory Gardens Biograph Theatre, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave.), February 27-March 22, 2020. Its official opening night is Monday, March 2, 2020, at 7:30pm.

Court Theatre presents for August Wilson's King Hedley II, directed by Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson. King Hedley II runs through October 13, 2019 at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. 

Eleven world premiere plays and musicals seen first by Chicago audiences were among those receiving nominations by the Jeff Awards, announced today. A total of 192 nominations were made in 34 categories that honor Chicago Equity theatrical productions that opened between August 1, 2018 and July 31, 2019. During the 2018-19 season, Jeff Awards judges attended opening nights of 132 Equity productions offered by 43 producing organizations and from these openings, 112 productions were a?oeJeff Recommendeda?? and eligible for award nominations.

Court Theatre, under the continuing leadership of Charles Newell, Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director, and Angel Ysaguirre, Executive Director, continues its 2019/20 season with Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, translated by Nicholas Rudall and directed by Charles Newell. Oedipus Rex runs November 7 a?" December 8, 2019 at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. The press opening is Saturday, November 16, 2019 at 7:30pm.

Porchlight Music Theatre's 25th anniversary season began with the 14th Annual Chicago Sings concert: Chicago Sings 25 Years of Porchlight, Monday, Aug. 5 at 7 p.m., at The Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave, directed by Christopher Pazdernik and Artistic Director Michael Weber with music direction by David Fiorello and a band featuring Kelsey Boltz, Cara Hartz, John McCreary, Greg Strauss, Celeste Park and Jake Saleh.

Mosaic Theater Company of DC launches its 5th season this month with the DC premiere of Lynn Nottage's Fabulation, Or The Re-Education of Undine, previewing August 21 (see our August 1 Fabulation press release for opening night information, and our March 29 a?oe#Wokeseason5a?? release for full season line-up), exactly one month after the close of the most successful show in Mosaic's history, the co-production of Kelvin Roston Jr.'s Twisted Melodies, which sold out its last week of performances, playing to record crowds and box office, providing the capstone to a season of transformative artistic and fundraising achievements.