Scott Olson News

A third audience engagement event has been added to the list of special events surrounding Raven Theatre's production of Red Velvet, which details the story of Ira Aldridge, who in 1833 became the first black actor to play Othello on a London stage.

Level 11 Theatre is pleased to announce the Chicago Premiere of The Library by Scott Z. Burns. Performances will take place at The Den Theatre on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 3 pm. Level 11 will make The Library a 'PAY WHAT YOU CAN' performance. To reserve seats please visit level11theatre.org. Tickets will be available at the door for a suggested donation of $20. The Shows running time is 90 min with no intermission.

Michael Menendian, Producing Artistic Director of Raven Theatre, has announced casting for the company's upcoming production of Red Velvet, by Lolita Chakrabarti.

Three of Chicago's leading theater artists - actor James Vincent Meredith, and director/educators Henry Godinez of Northwestern University and Susan Padveen of Columbia College will appear following performances of the play detailing the story of Ira Aldridge, who in 1833 became the first black actor to play Othello on a London stage. The three each have a unique and personal connection to the play's themes. 

Michael Menendian, Producing Artistic Director of Raven Theatre, has announced casting for the company's upcoming production of Red Velvet, by Lolita Chakrabarti.

Bainbridge Performing Arts presents Disney's THE LITTLE MERMAID, directed by Joanna Hardie, with music direction by Josh Anderson, and choreography by Debbie Pierce. Run dates are May 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28 & 29. Check out photos below!

It's music, madness, and Mozart at Bainbridge Performing Arts this March. AMADEUS, Peter Schaffer's Tony and Oscar award winning story of passion, jealousy, and revenge comes to vivid life with the sublime music of Mozart performed live by a Chamber group and choral ensemble. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

? Mercy Street Theatre continues its second season with the world premiere of BURN, written by ensemble member Ian Michael James.  The show runs March 4 - 19, 2016 at 1914 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago. Preview performance tickets are $10 with performances on Friday, March 4 at 7:30 pm and Sunday March 6 at 3 pm. Press performance will be Tuesday, March 8 at 7:30 pm. The regular performance schedule will be Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Saturday and Sundays at 3 pm. Single tickets are $15 and are currently on sale. Student and industry discount are also available.  Tickets are available for purchase online at brownpapertickets.org.

What does it mean to have agency over our lives and those around us? And what happens when we're unable to fully grasp that which intrinsically controls us? With direction by Ethan McSweeny, the world premiere play FULFILLMENT, in a co-production with The Flea Theater of New York City, boldly examines this theme of agency and the quest to live a 'successful' life. This compelling construct makes for an intense, often uncomfortable, and extremely provocative 90 minutes on the stage.

American Theater Company (ATC), 1909 W. Byron Street, kicks off Season 31: The Legacy Season with the co-world premiere of FULFILLMENT, written by Thomas Bradshaw and directed by Ethan McSweeny, now through Dec. 13, 2015. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

AstonRep Theatre Company is pleased to kick-off its 2015-16 season with the Chicago premiere of Nicky Silver's darkly humorous family drama THE LYONS, directed by Company Member Derek Bertelsen*, playing tonight, August 27, through September 27, 2015 at The Raven Theatre (West Stage), 6157 N. Clark St. in Chicago. The press opening is this Sunday, August 30 at 3:30 pm. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast onstage below!

AstonRep Theatre Company is pleased to kick off its 2015-16 season with the Chicago premiere of Nicky Silver's darkly humorous family drama THE LYONS, directed by Company Member Derek Bertelsen*, playing tonight, August 27, through September 27, 2015 at The Raven Theatre (West Stage), 6157 N. Clark St. in Chicago.

AstonRep Theatre Company is pleased to kick off its 2015-16 season with the Chicago premiere of Nicky Silver's darkly humorous family drama THE LYONS, directed by Company Member Derek Bertelsen*, playing August 27 - September 27, 2015 at The Raven Theatre (West Stage), 6157 N. Clark St. in Chicago.

AstonRep Theatre Company is pleased to kick-off its 2015-16 season with the Chicago premiere of Nicky Silver's darkly humorous family drama THE LYONS, directed by Company Member Derek Bertelsen*, playing August 27 - September 27, 2015 at The Raven Theatre (West Stage), 6157 N. Clark St. in Chicago. 

Join us in the BPA Gallery for a special artist reception and a fun evening of art, food, and friends tonight, April 3. Kim Scott-Olson exhibits her remarkable collection of arresting photographs from Shakespeare productions on Bainbridge Island, 2012 - 2014. The 'behind the scene roles' of directors, choreographers, costume designers, stage managers, light and sound technicians, family, and friends are just as essential as the courage it takes to perform. The team effort involved in any production is what makes each moment Kim captures on any stage a sweet miracle. In essence, Kim's art is that of seeing, revealing, and preserving glimpses of the collective magic created by others

Toss together James Joyce, Vladimir Lenin, and Dadaist poet Tristan Tzara in Zurich in 1917 (where they really were), throw in limericks and lyrics and The Importance of Being Earnest, then shred the whole melange through the mixed-up mind of an aging British civil servant (who has a big grudge against Joyce concerning a pair of trousers), and you've entered the Wilde-ly witty world of Travesties.

Join BPA Shakespeare Society Director Tom Challinor April 4, 16, and 22 for "Shakespeare and the Authorship Issue" - a program that will help both writers and speakers deepen their understanding of Shakespeare in a way that is both fun and informative.

Against the backdrop of an America torn by World War II, cultures and communities clash when a Japanese American islander is accused of murder. This hauntingly lyrical saga-adapted from David Guterson's acclaimed story of mystery, love, and identity-deftly shifts from courtroom to strawberry fields to bloody battlefront, digging for hard truths buried in a forgotten history. Set in 1954 in a Puget Sound community divided among fishermen and farmers, whites and Japanese, SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS is at once a courtroom drama, a mystery, a love story, and, in flashbacks, a social history freighted with the angry residue of World War II and the exclusion of Japanese Americans. SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS appears at BPA tonight, March 13 - 29, 2015. Scroll down for a first look at the cast onstage!

Join us in the BPA Gallery for a special artist reception and a fun evening of art, food, and friends on April 3. Kim Scott-Olson exhibits her remarkable collection of arresting photographs from Shakespeare productions on Bainbridge Island, 2012 - 2014. The 'behind the scene roles' of directors, choreographers, costume designers, stage managers, light and sound technicians, family, and friends are just as essential as the courage it takes to perform. The team effort involved in any production is what makes each moment Kim captures on any stage a sweet miracle. In essence, Kim's art is that of seeing, revealing, and preserving glimpses of the collective magic created by others