Nambi E. Kelley News

Producing Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside and American Blues Theater, Chicago's second oldest Equity ensemble, are proud to announce the summer engagement of American Blues Theater's Hank Williams: Lost Highway, by Randal Myler and Mark Harelik, directed byDamon Kiely, music director Malcolm Ruhl and starring Matthew Brumlow as 'Hank Williams,' today, July 25 - August 31 at the Greenhouse Theater Center's Downstage Mainstage Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave.

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 2015 Blue Ink Playwriting Award through Monday, Sept. 1 at 11:59 p.m.

Producing Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside and American Blues Theater, Chicago's second oldest Equity ensemble, are proud to announce the summer engagement of American Blues Theater's Hank Williams: Lost Highway, by Randal Myler and Mark Harelik, directed byDamon Kiely, music director Malcolm Ruhl and starring Matthew Brumlow as "Hank Williams," July 25 - August 31 at the Greenhouse Theater Center's Downstage Mainstage Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave.

Court Theatre Artistic Director Charles Newell and Executive Director Stephen J. Albert and American Blues Theater present the world premiere of American Blues Ensemble Member Nambi E. Kelley's new adaptation of Richard Wright's classic novel, Native Son, directed by Seret Scott. Native Son will run September 11 - October 12, 2014 at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Avenue. Press Opening is Saturday, September 20, 2014 at 8:00PM.

Producing Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside and American Blues Theater, Chicago's second oldest Equity ensemble, are proud to announce the summer engagement of American Blues Theater's Hank Williams: Lost Highway, by Randal Myler and Mark Harelik, directed by Damon Kiely, music director Malcolm Ruhl and starring Matthew Brumlow as "Hank Williams," July 25 - August 31 at the Greenhouse Theater Center's Downstage Mainstage Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. Pink Previews, where tickets sales benefit the Lynn Sage Foundation for breast cancer research, are Friday, July 25 and Saturday, July 26 at 7:30 p.m. Opening night is Friday August 1 at 7 p.m.

Producing Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside and American Blues Theater, Chicago's second oldest Equity ensemble, are proud to announce the Saturday, June 21 performance of Grounded, by George Brant and directed by Lisa Portes, at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. is a benefit performance for Children of War Foundation. Proceeds from the performance will go directly to surgery and medical treatment for Shah Bibi Tarakhail, an Afghan Child Affected by War. The running time is approximately 80 minutes. Grounded runs through July 13. The performance schedule is Thursdays - Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $19 - $49 and are available at 773.404.7336 or americanbluestheater.com.

Producing Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside of American Blues Theater is proud to announce American Blues Theater is hosting a staged reading of the 2014 Blue Ink Playwriting Award-winning play Comden Mall Community Activists, by Chicagoan Douglas Post, Sunday, June 29 at 4:30 p.m. at Greenhouse Theater Center, Upstairs Studio, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., directed by American Blues Theater Ensemble member Heather Meyers. Admission is a suggested donation of $5 payable at the door. For more information go to americanbluestheater.com.

Producing Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside and American Blues Theater, Chicago's second oldest Equity ensemble, are proud to announce the Chicago premiere of Grounded, by George Brant and directed by Lisa Portes, today, June 6 - July 13 at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave.

Victory Gardens Artistic Director Chay Yew, Managing Director Chis Mannelli and The One-Minute Play Festival Producing Artistic Director Dominic D'Andrea announce the Fourth Annual Chicago One-Minute Play Festival (#1MPF), an evening of one-minute plays by sixty of Chicago's top playwrights, directed by ten Chicago directors. #1MPF will be presented for two performances only, Sunday, May 4 and Monday, May 5 at 7:30 p.m. at the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue in Lincoln Park.

Producing Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside and American Blues Theater, Chicago's second oldest Equity ensemble, are proud to announce the Chicago premiere of Grounded, by George Brant and directed by Lisa Portes, June 6 - July 13 at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. The running time is approximately 80 minutes. Pink Previews, where tickets sales benefit the Lynn Sage Foundation for breast cancer research, are Friday, June 6 and Saturday, June 7 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, June 8 at 2:30 p.m. Opening Night is Thursday, June 12 at 7 p.m. The performance schedule is Thursdays - Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $19 - $49 and are available at 773.404.7336 or americanbluestheater.com.

Court Theatre announces its 60th season under the continuing leadership of Artistic Director Charles Newell, Executive Director Stephen J. Albert, and Board Chair Marilyn Fatt Vitale. The company's ambitious 2014/15 season will feature the World Premiere of Native Son adapted from Richard Wright's classic novel by Nambi E. Kelley and co-produced with American Blues Theater; Euripides' Iphigenia in Aulis translated by Nicholas Rudall and directed by Artistic Director Charles Newell; Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot, directed by Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson; and the World Premiere of Lisa Peterson and Denis O'Hare's The Good Book, directed by Lisa Peterson. Closing out the anniversary season is Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon's The Secret Garden, based on the beloved novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett and directed by Artistic Director Charles Newell with music direction by Doug Peck.

Producing Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside announces the American Blues Theater's Season 29 'Lost & Sound' at the 'Blue Bash,' their annual fundraiser, Thursday, Feb. 27 from 5:30 - 9 p.m., at the office of Seyfarth Shaw, Suite 2400, 131 S. Dearborn. Complete performance schedules, venues, casting and ticket information will be announced at a later date. Flex passes for Season 29 'Lost & Sound' are available now. Details on each production are included in this release. For more information on the current and next season's productions visit americanbluestheater.com. Season 29 includes:

Victory Gardens Theater continues its season with the World Premiere of The Gospel of Lovingkindness by Victory Gardens Ensemble Playwright Marcus Gardley, directed by Artistic Director Chay Yew. The Gospel of Lovingkindness runs February 28 - March 30, 2014 at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue.

'Tis the season! Step Up Productions presents HoliDaze, a gift-wrapped line-up of original Christmas one-acts showcasing the dysfunctional chaos and joyous celebration the holidays bring. HoliDaze features works by Lisa Dillman, Tate Geborkoff, Nambi E. Kelley, Joshua Rollins and Steve Simoncic and plays now through December 22, 2013 at The Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave. in Chicago. BroadwayWorld has new images of the cast onstage below!

A new crop of local talent joins Goodman Theatre's artistic team for the 2013/2014 Season. The four Chicago-based writers named to the fourth season of the Playwrights Unit-a year-long residency program designed to support and develop new works-include Andrew Hinderaker, Gift Theatre ensemble member; Mickle Maher, cofounder of Theater Oobleck; Anne Garcia-Romero, a resident playwright at Chicago Dramatists; and Laura Schellhardt, who oversees undergraduate playwriting at Northwestern University. A partnership with Chicago Dramatists, the Playwrights Unit meets twice per month with members of the Goodman's artistic team to discuss their plays-in-progress and provide feedback for one another. The program includes readings of the playwrights' works-in-progress at Chicago Dramatists in early 2014, and culminates in summer 2014 with staged readings of their completed works at the Goodman. Playwrights Unit alumni include Greg Allen, Alice Austen, Ike Holter and Christopher Oscar Peña (2012/2013 Season); Philip Dawkins, Nambi E. Kelley, Elaine Romero and Martin Zimmerman (2011/2012 Season); and Seth Bockley, Lisa Dillman, Laura Jacqmin and Rohina Malik (2010/2011 Season).

'Tis the season! Step Up Productions presents HoliDaze, a gift-wrapped line-up of original Christmas one-acts showcasing the dysfunctional chaos and joyous celebration the holidays bring. HoliDaze features works by Lisa Dillman, Tate Geborkoff, Nambi E. Kelley, Joshua Rollins and Steve Simoncic and plays now through December 22, 2013 at The Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave. in Chicago. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Tis the season! Step Up Productions presents HoliDaze, a gift-wrapped line-up of original Christmas one-acts showcasing the dysfunctional chaos and joyous celebration the holidays bring. HoliDaze features works by Lisa Dillman, Tate Geborkoff, Nambi E. Kelley, Joshua Rollins and Steve Simoncic and plays November 30 - December 22, 2013 at The Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are available online at www.stepupproductions.org and www.athenaeumtheatre.org or by calling The Athenaeum Box Office at (773) 935-6875. The press performance is Tuesday, December 3 at 8 pm.

Tis the season! Step Up Productions presents HoliDAZE, a gift-wrapped line-up of original one-acts showcasing the dysfunctional chaos and joyous celebration the holidays bring - featuring works by Lisa Dillman, Tate Geborkoff, Nambi E. Kelley, Joshua Rollins and Steve Simoncic. HoliDAZE plays November 30 - December 22, 2013 at The Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are available online at www.stepupproductions.org and www.athenaeumtheatre.org or by calling The Athenaeum Box Office at (773) 935-6875. The press performance is Tuesday, December 3 at 8 pm.

Theatreworks is presenting Seven Guitars in conjunction with next month's Death of a Salesman as part of a miniseries entitled 'America's Backyards.' Both productions are set in 1948 outside ordinary homes and revolve around ordinary lives. The synchronicity invites further comparisons between August Wilson's portrait of black blues musicians and Arthur Miller's masterwork. Both plays share a theme of hope against desperate odds, of reaching for the better life that The American Dream claims everyone is entitled to. Both plays feature a man who pursues that dream in defiance of everything against him, and both end in tragedy.

Producing Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside of American Blues Theater, Chicago's second oldest Equity ensemble, announces the Ensemble's 28th season. The season begins with the Chicago professional premiere of Hank Williams: Lost Highway by award-winning playwrights Randal Myler and Mark Harelik, directed by Damon Kiely, today, September 5 - October 6; the 12th smash year of It's a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago! , now at the 199-seat Greenhouse Theater Center, directed by Ensemble member Marty Higginbotham, November 22 - December 29; world premiere of 2012 Blue Ink Playwriting Award-winning script American Myth by Christina Gorman, directed by Steve Scott, February - March 2014; Chicago premiere of 2012 Smith Prize winner Grounded by George Brant, June 2014. American Blues also announces year-long development and public reading of Ensemble member's Nambi E. Kelley's adaptation of Richard Wright's Native Son which will receive a production in fall of 2014.