CHICAGO, Sept. 27, 2011 /CHICAGOPRESSRELEASE.COM/ — Across the country cities have brewed up a cauldron of Halloween happenings. The travel experts at The GO Group, LLC, the nation’s largest ground transportation company, has conjured this list of spook-tacular events for the whole family:

In Chicago, buildings, parks and plazas join in the Chicagoween fun with decorations, events and activities.  Visit Franken Plaza (Daley Plaza) for movie nights, dance, theater, music and the Midnight Circus, featuring a high-flying act and juggling. Visit Chicago’s Park districts for pumpkin patches, haunted houses and scary theatre!

Indianapolis‘ premier scary amusement park is Hanna Haunted Acres, a collection of haunted hayrides, houses, mazes and more.  Open at dark, the attraction is located less than eight miles from downtown. Tickets are $27 for all six attractions.

New Orleans is reputed to be the most haunted city in America!  In addition to haunted hotels and bars, visitors can enjoy The Krewe of Halloween parade on October 29. The three-day Voodoo Music Experience takes place on Halloween weekend in City Park and has three stages and multiple music acts.  The Vampire Ball is hosted by the Vampire Lestat Fan club and encourages creative costumes while the Louisiana State Museum Friends of the Cabildo will lead Ghostly Gallivant, a tour through the French Quarter on Oct. 29 and 30.

San Francisco offers a Ghost Walk at City Hall on Oct. 29 and Family Halloween Fest,  Oct. 30 at the Randall Museum, with ghoulish games, pumpkin carving, live entertainment and treats.  Only the brave will partake in Fear Oaks Haunted Woods where visitors will be assaulted with scary sights, sounds and smells followed by teen zombies re-enacting Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video.

The Toms River Halloween Parade (New Jersey) is reported to be the second largest in the country.  Organized by Volunteer Fire Company No. 1, the parade runs Oct. 31, 7 p.m..  More than 6,000 participants and 100,000 spectators are expected to attend.

For more information visit each city’s tourism bureau web site.

The GO Group, LLC is a one-stop source for door-to-door airport shuttle services. Its members transport some 13 million passengers to and from airports in the United States, Mexico, Canada and Europe annually. Travelers can book ground transportation with both departure and destination airports through GO’s website, www.goairportshuttle.com.

SOURCE The GO Group, LLC

http://www.goairportshuttle.com

GO Group Members Recommend Halloween Festivities | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Each student will choose a monologue from Wilson’s Century Cycle, a series of 10 plays that portray African Americans during successive decades of the 20th century. The plays feature lyrical monologues by varied ensemble cast members.

Derrick Sanders, UIC adjunct lecturer in performing arts and a Wilson protégé, said the competition is designed to encourage educators to teach Wilson’s plays in high-school literature and social studies classes. Sanders initiated Chicago’s participation in the competition last year.

Sanders, who has directed Wilson’s plays around the country, will direct Wilson’s “Seven Guitars” at the UIC Theatre Feb. 11-20. The student competitors will preview the play and attend special post-show events.

“Last year was an incredibly successful launch of the Chicago wing of this competition,” Sanders said. “The three young Chicago women who competed at the finals in New York last May, two of whom now study at UIC, were excellent representatives of the caliber of artists that Chicago creates and nurtures. I’m so pleased that we can expand this important project this year.”

A panel of Chicago theater professionals will judge the competitors on preparedness, understanding of the text, emotional connection to the material, and commitment to the performance. Ten semi-finalists from the UIC round will receive coaching on their monologues before completing the Chicago preliminaries at the Goodman Theatre on April 11.

Three finalists from the Goodman round will receive scholarships and trips to New York City, where they will compete for additional scholarships in the national finals at the August Wilson Theatre. Last year, 12 students from around the country performed in the finals.

Funding for the August Wilson Monologue Competition is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, AT&T, Turner Broadcasting, AirTran Airways, Publix Supermarket Charities, and the Massey Charitable Trust.

UIC ranks among the nation’s leading research universities and is Chicago’s largest university with 27,000 students, 12,000 faculty and staff, 15 colleges and the state’s major public medical center. A hallmark of the campus is the Great Cities Commitment, through which UIC faculty, students and staff engage with community, corporate, foundation and government partners in hundreds of programs to improve the quality of life in metropolitan areas around the world. For more information about UIC, please visit www.uic.edu

UIC Hosts Chicago Round of National Acting Competition | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Originally reported by WISH-TV News. Read the original article here.

Urban League to hold Fall Career Fair | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

SPRINGFIELD – Governor Pat Quinn today awarded nearly $15 million in grants to 51 public museums in Illinois for new and expanded facilities, exhibits and infrastructure improvements through the Illinois Public Museums Capital Grant Program.

“Illinois’ public museums are some of our most valuable teaching resources. Students learn best when they have access to the hands-on learning available in museums throughout the state,” said Governor Quinn. “These capital grants will help ensure that learning is not limited to classrooms – but that students will be able to continue visiting museums, zoos and gardens all over the state to put their lessons to practical use.”

The Public Museum Capital Grants Program is designed to assist museums in expanding and upgrading facilities and creating new exhibits to enhance the ability of public museums to meet their missions.

A total of $15 million in funding from the state’s “Illinois Jobs Now!” capital program was made available for public museum capital grants for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010.  Applications for this round of grants were accepted last spring.  The maximum grant award for qualifying projects for FY2010 is $800,000.  The level of local matching funds required for each project is based on the level of attendance at the applicant museum during the preceding calendar year. 

Since the program is funded by capital development bonds, only those museums operated by or located upon land owned by a unit of local government are eligible. The program is administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

A list of grant recipients, grant amounts and project descriptions is below.

Adler Planetarium-Chicago – $750,000
Sky Theater upgrade – The grant funds will be used for the construction phase of the Sky Theater renovation. (Contact Person: Kathleen Jacob-312/322-0511)

Anita Purves Nature Center/Champaign – $160,000
ADA Trail – This project will construct an ADA compliant trail connecting the Nature Center with adjacent Busey Woods Nature Preserve. (Contact Person: Judy Miller-217/384-4062)
 
Art Institute of Chicago – $800,000
Energy efficiency upgrade – This project will replace the HVAC system as part of an ongoing facility upgrade (Contact Person: Kevin Beck-312/443-3120)  

Burpee Museum/Rockford – $300,000
New Fossil Exhibit – This project will complete a permanent Triceratops exhibit. (Contact Person: Scott Williams-815/965-3433 x1006)

Chicago Botanic Garden – $500,000
Children’s Growing Garden Exhibit – Funding will be used toward construction of a 10,000 square foot garden, teaching pavilion and horticulture support building. (Contact Person: Anya Maziak, 847/835-6896) 

Chicago Historical Society – $700,000
Energy efficiency upgrade- This project will upgrade museum heating and cooling systems in the galleries and collection storage area. (Contact Person: Gary T. Johnson -312/799-2200)

Chicago Zoological Society – $500,000
Conservation Center – This project includes renovation of the current Reptile House into a state of the art center for conservation and outreach programs. (Contact Person: Sarah Breen-Bartecki – 708/688-8974) 

Children’s Discovery Museum of Normal – $200,000
Renewable Energy Exhibits – This project encompasses the design, fabrication and installation of hands-on components for two exhibits (Contact Person: Shari Buckellew – 309/433-3444)

Dillon Home Museum/Sterling – $68,700
ADA Upgrades – Grant funds will be used to bring the Dillon Home Museum and parking area into ADA compliance. (Contact Person:  Doug Jacobs-815/622-6061)

Discovery Center of Rockford – $250,000
Expansion and improvement – This project will upgrade and/or replace existing exhibits and exhibit areas.  (Contact Person: Sarah Wolf – 815/963-6769)

Early American Museum/Champaign – $500,000
Education Center Addition – Phase 1 – This project will provide for an additional area for an educational classroom, collection storage/processing area, and public restroom facilities.  (Contact Person:  Cheryl Kennedy – 217/586-2612)

Elgin History Museum – $36,610
Museum Exhibits – These funds will be used to update the museums existing exhibits. (Contact Person:  Elizabeth Marston-847/742-4248) 

Ellwood House/DeKalb – $150,000
ADA and Signage upgrades – This project will make improvements to the grounds of the museum by addressing accessibility issues and signing. (Contact Person:  Gerald J. Brauer – 815/756-4609)

Elmhurst Art Museum – $70,000
Restoration of Meis House – Grant funds will be used to restore the Meis/McCormick House to use as a permanent exhibition and educational program area.  (Contact Person: Stuart W. Henn – 630/834-0202 x113)

Elmhurst History Museum – $50,000
Museum Campus and Building improvements – These funds will be used to install lighted sidewalks/walking paths and make roofing improvements. (Contact Person:  Lance Tawzer-630/530-6450) 

Fabyan Villa Museum/Geneva – $100,000
HVAC Control updates – This project includes installation of air-handling units throughout the building. (Contact Person: Lynn Dransott-630/377-6424)

Field Museum of Natural History/Chicago – $800,000
Energy efficiency project – This project will include purchase and installation of a new air handling unit for the museum. (Contact Person:  Deborah Bekeken – 312/665-7807)

Grand Army of the Republic/Aurora – $250,000
Interior improvements – Grant funds will be used for Phase 2 of the interior restoration of the museum building.  (Contact Person: Rena Church – 630/906-0654)    

Grove Historic Landmark/Glenview – $80,000
Exhibit improvements – This project encompasses the design, construction and installation of new educational exhibits. (Contact Person: Laura Stuart – 630/513-4370) 

Henson Robinson Zoo/Springfield – $200,000
Phase II Expansion – These grant funds will be used for walkway renovation and new exhibit updates. (Contact Person: Talon Thornton – 217/753-6217)

Hoosier Grove/Streamwood – $25,000
Accessibility Renovation – This project is the re-design and construction of an accessible ramp. (Contact Person: Debbie Karner – 630/483-3012)  

Klehm Arboretum/Rockford – $100,000
Interpretive Signage – This project will allow for the installation of interpretative and directional signage.  (Contact Person: Jane Snively-815/965-8146)

Kohl Children’s Museum/Glenview – $50,000
Powered by Nature Exhibit – This project will allow for the construction of a new exhibit entitled Powered by Nature.   (Contact Person: Jennifer Oates – 847/832-6911)

Lincoln Park Zoo/Chicago- $83,333
Gorilla Exhibit Moat – This project includes repairs and improvements to the moat surrounding the Regenstein Center for Africa Apes.  (Contact Person:  Kimberly Montroy – 312/742-2175)

Little White School Museum/Oswego – $100,000
ADA Access and drainage improvements – This project will allow for the installation of an inclined wheelchair lift and seat lift within the museum as well as installation of new gutters and downspouts to aid in drainage issues.   (Contact Person: Roger Matile – 630/554-2999)

Lizzadro Museum/Elmhurst – $150,000
Building upgrades – This project is for the installation of a new sprinkler system as well as updated HVAC and electrical systems.   (Contact Person: Dorothy J. Asher – 630/833-1616) 

Lombard History Museum – $70,000
ADA improvements – This project will allow for costs associated in making an 1870 Carriage House ADA accessible.   (Contact Person: Jeanne Angel – 630/629-1885)

Mayslake Peabody Estate /Oak Brook – $150,000
Restore Library Ceiling – This project will allow for the restoration of the library ceiling in the Mayslake Hall. (Contact Person: Chrissie Howorth- 630/206-9568)

McLean County Museum of History – $225,000
HVAC Renovation – This project will allow for the replacement of 11 old HVAC units and install new air conditioning in selected areas to allow for greater energy efficiency.  (Contact Person: Mr. Greg Koos – 309/827-0428 

Midway Village Museum/Rockford – $230,000
Many Faces, One Community Exhibit – This project will allow for the creation of an immersive, interactive exhibit that explores the history of immigration to Rockford and America.  (Contact Person: David Byrnes – 815/397-9112)

Museum of Contemporary Art/Chicago – $500,000
Knowledge Center and Energy Upgrades – This project will provide for the redesign of a new museum entrance, design and construct a new Knowledge Center and upgrade chillers and lighting to gain great energy efficiencies.  (Contact Person: Janet Alberti-312/397-3801)

Museum of Science and Industry/Chicago – $800,000
Energy Planet Exhibit – This project will allow for the design and site preparation for the new Energy Planet Exhibit.  (Contact Person: Kevin Frank – 773/753-7011)

Naper Settlement/Naperville – $350,000
Joseph Nader Homestead – This project will allow for the creation of a historical interpretive site on property of city founder Joseph Nader recently purchased by the City of Naperville.  (Contact Person: Debbie Grinnell – 630/305-7063)

National Museum of Mexican Art/Chicago – $700,000
Upgrade performance space – This project will allow for the upgrade and reworking of the original performance space.   (Contact Person: Ignacio Guzman – 312/738-1503 x3940) 

Peggy Notebaert Museum /Chicago – $100,000
Upgrade and enlarge exhibit space – This project will allow the museum to recapture the first-floor exhibit space and create a more direct, visible path for visitors to access the outdoor Bird Walk exhibit.  (Contact Person: Mary Snodgrass – 773/755-5132)

Peoria Park District/Peoria Zoo – $350,000
Australian Walk-About – These grant funds will be used for the construction of a new Australian walk-about and aviary.   (Contact Person: Yvonne Strode – 309/686-3365)

Pilcher Nature Center/Joliet – $600,000
Nature Center Renovation – This project will allow for the renovation of the log cabin nature center and make other necessary repairs to the roof.  (Contact Person: Debbie Greene – 815/207-6395)

Quad City Botanical Center/Rock Island – $250,000
Interactive Children’s Garden – This project is for the construction of the Mississippi River exhibit within the newly planned interactive Children’s Garden.  (Contact Person: Ami Jenkens – 309/794-0991×23)

Raupp Museum/Buffalo Grove – $46,600
Exterior Façade Upgrade – This project includes the resurfacing of the original portion of the Raupp Museum allowing for improvement of building climate control and other energy issues.  (Contact Person: Deborah Fandrei – 847/459-2318)

Rockford Art Museum/Rockford – $150,000
Museum Lighting Upgrade – This project is for the upgrading of the existing lighting systems to provide safe, energy-efficient, quality lighting that will enhance the museum’s permanent collection as well as featured exhibitions and education programs.  (Contact Person: Linda Dennis – 815/972-2878)

Sand Ridge Nature Center/Chicago – $375,000
Exhibit Restoration and Construction – This project will allow for the restoration of one prairie log cabin as well as the construction of a new replicated masonry forge.   (Contact Person: James Carpenter – 708/868-0606)

Scovill Zoo/Decatur – $250,000
ADA Accessibility – These grant funds will be used for the construction of a new ADA accessible concession stand, restrooms and hand washing stations.   (Contact Person: David Webster – 217/421-7435)    

Shedd Aquarium/Chicago – $800,000
Chiller Replacement – This project will allow for the replacement of two high energy efficient chillers as well as a new cooling tower to provide more efficient cooling for human comfort as well as to maintain animal-exhibit and holding-system temperature.   (Contact Person: Madelyn Thompson – 312/692-3152)

Spring Valley Nature Center/Schaumburg – $150,000
Nature Center Exhibit Gallery – This project is the first phase of new natural history exhibits within the Natural Center to include The Oak Tree and Backyard Habitats.   (Contact Person: David Brooks – 847/985-2100)

Stephenson County Historic Society/Freeport – $70,000
Renovation of School House – This project involves the complete renovation of an early 20th century one-room school house by preserving and stabilizing the building and making it usable year round as an education venue. (Contact Person: Edward Finch – 815/232-8419)

Tinker Swiss Cottage/Rockford – $400,000
Building Acquisition and Cleanup – This project involves the purchase of the Nelson Knitting Company building and basic cleanup of the site and building.  (Contact Person: Beverly Broyles – 815/964-2424)

Virginia Theater/Champaign – $500,000
Historic Auditorium Restoration – This project will include the replacement of auditorium seating to include ADA compliance as well as paint and plaster restoration.  (Contact Person: Bobbie Herakovich – 217/819-3819)

Wagner Farm/Glenview – $138,500
ADA Improvements and Barnyard Reproductions – This project will improve visitor access as well as develop additional barnyard exhibits for interpretative and education purposes. (Contact Person: Todd Price – 847/998-5490)

Walter Heller Nature Center/Highland Park – $200,000
Lake Michigan Interpretative Center – This project involves the addition of a lakefront education and interpretive room to the planned Lakefront Pavilion at Rosewood Park on Lake Michigan. (Contact Person: Steve Meyer – 847/579-4090)

Washington Park Botanical Garden/Springfield – $300,000
Bioswale/Parking Lot System – This project will allow for the reworking of the main parking area and the construction of a Bioswale system to include interpretative signs to explain the system.  (Contact Person: Chad Scaife – 217/753-6228)

Wheaton Park District’s Cosley Zoo – $300,000
Animal Care and Conservation Center – This project involves the construction of a new American Zoological Society recommended Animal Care and Conservation Center.  (Contact Person: Rob Sperl – 630/510-4975)  

Gov. Quinn Announces $15 Million in Public Museum Capital Grants – Projects will improve facilities, protect exhibits at public museums throughout Illinois | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

WASHINGTON – The stately White House East Room, home to many a bill signing and ceremonial gathering, becomes a stage Tuesday for pirouettes, jetes, gravity-defying leaps and maybe even some bumps and grinds as Michelle Obama inaugurates a new dance series.

Dancers of all types — ballet, modern, hip hop and Broadway — take over the room, first for an afternoon workshop, during which students from around the country will have the chance to work with some of the biggest names in dance.

Then, after a short break, the students return to see their mentors perform in an hour-long, star-studded show. Even Broadway’s young “Billy Elliot” will be there — four Billys actually, from the show’s rotating cast.

But the main attraction is the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and that’s because its celebrated artistic director, Judith Jamison, soon to retire after two decades in the job, is the honoree of the event.

“What a rare opportunity, to be invited by your country’s first lady to be honored like this,” Jamison said in a weekend interview. “I’ve been to the White House a couple of times before, but this event is totally unique. It’s so terribly important to recognize this art form and to understand how important it is to the fabric of this country.”

“This will be another clarion call to people: Pay attention to your arts!” Jamison said. “My dancers are so excited.”

The 67-year-old Jamison is an icon of the dance world. She joined the Ailey company in 1965 and became the choreographer’s muse, her dramatic power as a dancer epitomized in the unforgettable 1971 solo piece “Cry.” In 1989, after Ailey’s death, she took over as artistic director. She is scheduled to step down in 2011.

Tuesday’s program is directed by Damian Woetzel, the recently retired star of the New York City Ballet who is on the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities. He had a dizzying array of choices from which to cull an hour of the country’s best dance. And he said it wasn’t exactly hard to find dancers, no matter that the event comes just after a summer vacation weekend.

“Everyone was so excited to be a part of this,” Woetzel said in an interview. “It’s really an exciting opportunity to present the variety of dance in this country. And the student component makes it especially unique. It’s a great way to start the school year.”

Though the Obamas have spotlighted many varieties of music since they came to the White House — there have been events celebrating Latin music, rock, jazz, country, classical and Broadway show tunes — the dance world might have felt ignored, until now.

But Michelle Obama seems to be a dance fan. Jamison noted proudly that the Obamas and their daughters spent one of their first nights out as first family taking in an Ailey performance at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

“They came backstage, took pictures — the dancers were thrilled,” she said.

Also on the program Tuesday: the Paul Taylor Dance Company, Broadway’s “Billy Elliot the Musical,” The Washington Ballet, Super Cr3w and the New York City Ballet.

The students are from dance schools around the country: The Alvin Ailey School, Ballet Hispanico, Cab Calloway School of the Arts, Dance Theatre of Harlem, the Chicago Multicultural Dance Center and others.

Michelle Obama hosts first White House dance event | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Yet as co-written and directed with obsessive passion by Vincenzo Natali (Cube), the movie is a cheeky, great-looking, thoughtfully loopy creature feature about the lure and dangers of cutting-edge gene splicing.

Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley bring intensity and attractive intelligence to the characters of Clive and Elsa (a little joke allusion to “Bride of Frankenstein”), romantically linked hotshot genetic engineers who, when thwarted by the pharmaceutical company that funds them, conceive their greatest hybrid experiment in secret.

And behold, their test-tube fiddling gives life to Dren, a creature that’s part human and part…thing, with long, hinged bird legs and retractable wings.

Played to novelty perfection by French actress Delphine Chanéac, Dren (another wink — that’s ”nerd” backward) is everything amazing and unholy about the human ability to mess with creation.

The outstanding creature effects by Howard Berger only get more astonishing as Splice splits into an eerie horror picture, then divides again into something out of “Rosemary’s Baby.”

CHICAGOPRESSRELEASE.COM grade: A-

• Limited Release: June 04, 2010
• Rated: R
• Length: 104 Minutes
• Genre: Sci-fi
• With: Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley

Review: ‘Splice’ is cheeky creature feature | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

April 17, 21, 23, 25, 2010 at the Harris Theater in Millennium Park

Chicago Opera Theater (COT) presents the opening production of the 2010 Spring Festival Season – Rossini’s Moses in Egypt (Mosè in Egitto) on April 17, 21, 23 and 25 at the Harris Theater in Millennium Park.

“Moses in Egypt was only performed in Chicago once – back in 1863 during Abraham Lincoln’s presidency,” said General Director Brian Dickie. “We like to think our fellow Illinoisan, who we know did enjoy the theatre, might have been at that performance. Of course, we’ll never know – but we look forward to introducing present-day Chicagoans to this very great opera.”

Moses in Egypt is one of Rossini’s many serious but underperformed operas.  Chicago Opera Theater will be presenting the U.S. premiere using the edition by Charles Brauner for Philip Gossett’s critical edition of Rossini’s complete works.

Mr. Gossett, the Robert W. Reneker Distinguished Service Professor at The University of Chicago and a professor “di chiara fama” at the Univeristy of Rome “La Sapienza,” is the  general editor of Works of Gioachino Rossini (a publication of Bärenreiter-Verlag, Kassel.)

The story concentrates on Moses freeing the Hebrews from Egypt.  The opera ends with the famous parting of the Red Sea, as well as the beautiful and famous “Prayer: From thy starry throne (Dal tuo stellato soglio.)”

In 2008, Chicago Opera Theater launched The People’s Opera, the first fundraising initiative of its kind, in which the public voted, dollar by dollar, to choose one of the operas in the 2010 season.  Moses in Egypt was named The People’s Opera, and raised over $40K for Chicago Opera Theater.

The production will be led by Leonardo Vordoni, known for his specialty in Italian repertory, who has conducted most recently at the Minnesota Opera (Les Pecheurs de Perles and Casanova’s Homecoming.)  He will be making his Lyric Opera of Chicago debut later this month in Le nozze di Figaro.

The director will be Andrew Eggert who made his directorial debut with Chicago Opera Theater in last season’s production of Bizet’s La Tragédie de Carmen after eight seasons as assistant director on thirteen COT productions.  His new production of Mourning Becomes Electra was selected as a winner of Opera America’s 2009 Director-Designer Showcase.

Designing both the set and costumes is Anka Lupes, making her Chicago Opera Theater debut.  She has worked numerous times with regular COT director Diane Paulus, including creating the costumes for the Glimmerglass production of Kiss Me Kate in 2008, and more recently in January, for Gotham Chamber Opera’s production of Il mondo della luna.

Returning to Chicago Opera Theater from 2009 is lighting designer Keith Parham.  He is a company member of TUTA Theatre, and has worked at The Public Theatre, the Goodman Theatre, and the Writers’ Theatre, among many others.

In the title role is Andrea Concetti (bass) making his Chicago debut.  He has performed with La Scala, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, the Berlin State Opera, and the Minnesota Opera. Manuela Bisceglie (soprano) sings the role of Elcia in her North American debut.

In the past two seasons, Ms. Bisceglie has sung in a number of Italian opera houses including in Florence, Bologna, and Trieste.  Singing the role of Faraone is Tom Corbeil (bass), who recently sang at Santa Fe Opera and Florida Grand Opera, and who will sing later this season at Ft. Worth Opera.

Taylor Stayton (tenor), who will sing Osiride, made his debut earlier this year at Teatro dell’opera di Roma in Franco Zeffirelli’s new production of Falstaff. Kathryn Leemhuis (mezzo, Amaltea), Samuel Levine (tenor, Mambre), Jorge Prego (tenor, Aronne), and Emily Grace Righter (mezzo, Amenofi) complete the cast.

The chorus is made up mostly of the 2010 class of Chicago Opera Theater’s Young Artists Program, a performance-based training program for young professional singers.  These participants have the opportunity to work with the innovative artistic teams which are the hallmark of Chicago Opera Theater under General Director Brian Dickie.

The intention is to provide an artistic benchmark for young artists as they commence their careers, recognizing performance experience of standard and new repertoire as an essential training element.

Chicago Opera Theater’s 2010 Spring Festival Season runs April 17 through May 16 at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park, 205 East Randolph Drive.

Season Subscriptions for the 2010 Spring Festival Season range from $90-$345 and include a ticket to Moses in Egypt, as well as Cavalli’s Jason (Giasone) and Jake Heggie’s Three Decembers.

Single tickets are also on sale, and range from $30-$120.  COT also offers a 50% discounted student rate in most sections.

Tickets may be purchased at Chicago Opera Theater: ChicagoOperaTheater.org or  312.704.8414.

Tickets may also be purchased at the Harris Theater:  HarrisTheaterChicago.org or 312.334.7777.

Moses in Egypt is generously supported by The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation and an Anonymous Donor.

Gioachino Rossini
MOSES IN EGYPT (Mosè in Egitto)
April 17, 21, 23 at 7:30pm; April 25 at 3pm

CAST (Alphabetical)

Sung in Italian with English supertitles.

Chicago Opera Theater Young Artists -2010

Blake Bard, Leila Bowie, Rabihah Davis Dunn, Catalina Cuervo, Darik Knutsen, Benjamin LeClair,
Samuel Levine, Rebecca Luttio, Jorge Prego, Emily Grace Righter, Nikolas Wenzel, Martin L. Woods

MEDIA CONTACT:

Colleen Flanigan, 312-704-8420, Ext. 225
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
cflanigan@chicagooperatheater.org

Chicago Opera Theater presents Gioachino Rossini’s “Moses in Egypt” | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Three teenagers are charged with pilfering a 4-foot-tall plastic Simon the Chipmunk statue from Marcus Gurnee Cinema last month, authorities announced today.

Another chipmunk, Theodore, could have met the same fate as Simon. However, Gurnee police investigators said they used a social networking site to gain information and foil in advance a plot by the same teens to grab Theodore from the theater.

Eric Pasiewicz and Ryan Sibley, both 18 and of Beach Park, were charged with theft under a local ordinance. Also charged was a 16-year-old Beach Park boy, authorities said.

Cmdr. Jay Patrick said about 15 to 20 teens were departing the Gurnee Mills theater simultaneously when Simon was snatched in the late evening Feb. 11. Several teens were involved in moving the figurine through the doors and to a waiting car, he said.

Patrick said the incident was captured on the theater’s surveillance video, and a tip to police led to the suspects’ identities. Simon was recovered at the Beach Park home of one of the suspects Feb. 16.

Simon is back “safe and sound” at the theater, Patrick said.

During the investigation, police working an online social networking site found the information that Theodore was being targeted Feb. 17.

Simon and Theodore were among three figurines in the Gurnee Mills theater representing the cartoon stars of “Alvin and the Chipmunks: the Squeakquel.” No known plots against Alvin were reported by police.

Police said the chipmunk statues are worth $300 to $400 apiece. Police said the probe of the Simon theft wrapped up Feb. 26, culminating with today’s announcement of charges lodged against the teens.

Read the original article on DailyHerald.com.

Gurnee teens charged for snatching Simon | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST)

CST’s Short Shakespeare! program is designed for parents, grandparents, teachers—or anyone with children in their lives—to introduce young people to the timeless works of Shakespeare and the magic of live theater.

Immediately following each performance, the actors remain on stage for a brief question-and-answer session and then join the audience in the lobby for one-on-one conversations and photo opportunities.

Tickets are $16 for students (18 and younger), and $20 for adults.

Short Shakespeare! The Comedy of Errors runs Saturdays at 11:00 a.m., January 23 through March 6, 2010 in Chicago Shakespeare’s Courtyard Theater on Navy Pier. All CST patrons receive a 40% parking discount.

For further information and to purchase tickets, call the Box Office at 312.595.5600, or visit the Theater’s Web site at chicagoshakes.com.

The Comedy of Errors tells the wildly entertaining tale of Antipholus and his servant Dromio landing in Ephesus, searching for their long-lost twin brothers. Everywhere they go in this foreign land, strangers insist that they’re old friends.

Mistaken identities abound, but in the end, chaos gives way to clarity in this comedy filled with mayhem and madness as identical twin brothers and their identical twin servants get lost in a hilarious, mixed-up world of mistaken identities.

For young audiences being introduced to live theater, Chicago Shakespeare’s Courtyard Theater provides a close relationship between audience members and the actors, enhancing the play-going experience.

For this production, the Theater is configured with the addition of main floor seating on the proscenium stage itself, creating a theater-in-the-round.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater Introduces “Short Skakespeare” Theater for Young Audiences and Families Jan. 23 through March 6 | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Henry H. Perritt, Jr. is an accomplished attorney and academic. The former dean, now professor, at Chicago-Kent College of Law has published dozens of books, served four U.S. Presidents and run for U.S. Congress.

None of those things gave him the insight into human conflict and drama like the decade he spent helping rebuild the nation of Kosovo after its violent ethnic conflict in the 1990s. The experience motivated him to write two books about the conflict.

Perritt become a well-known figure in Kosovo, advising the nation’s Prime Minister, meeting with Madeleine Albright, and gaining the trust of the clandestine Kosovo Liberation Army as he led students on development missions.

While there he penned an anthem about Kosovo and the KLA insurgency that became a Kosovar hit – widely played on national radio and television. It was suggested that song, “Fire for the Colors,’’ could become a musical

“I thought it was a crazy idea,’’ Perritt recalls, “but I’ve always liked crazy ideas.’’

The stories flowed, the product of thousands of interviews he had conducted for his books. The one that resonated was of a young boy tormented by Serbian police and forced to eat a text book because it was written in his native Albanian. The boy decided to fight back.

“I asked about the consequences, if he didn’t worry he’d be killed,’’ Perritt said. “He said: ‘I didn’t care anymore. I vowed that even if they killed me I’d hurt them.’’

That story is the story of the Kosovar Albanians, the KLA and “You Took Away My Flag.’’ It’s a classic tale of young lovers separated by war and ethnicity – Vjosa is Albanian, Dragan a Serb.

“You Took Away My Flag’’ had a sold-out run at a storefront North Side theater in 2009 with a response so great Perritt began working immediately to stage it in a bigger space with professional leadership.

The show opens April 2, 2010 at Theater Building Chicago for an eight-week run with professional direction, choreography and musical direction.

To hear cast recordings, view photos or clips from the previous one, or learn more about the production, Perritt or Kosovo, please visit YouTookAwayMyFlag.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Anthony Burke Boylan, 312-953-1649
BoylanMedia@Gmail.com

Theatre Building Chicago Presents “You Took Away My Flag” Play About Kosovo | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Russian conductor Alexander Polianichko returns to the CSO podium to conduct the all-Tchaikovsky programs, which also include selections from The Snow Maiden, narrated by actor Alex Balestrieri.

Tchaikovsky’s rarely heard overture The Storm—which the CSO has performed only once, in 1899—opens the concerts on Dec. 17-19.

Known for their enormous and spectacular live productions, Redmoon Theater and artistic director Frank Maugeri have constructed a unique addition to the standard concert-hall experience, to be staged in synchronization with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s performance of music from Swan Lake.

Redmoon’s specially created dramatization showcases an array of handcrafted shadow puppets, meticulous live puppetry and larger-than-life video projections, bringing to life the tragic story of a princess, who is turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer’s curse, and the prince who falls in love with her.

The program also includes Tchaikovsky’s incidental music to The Snow Maiden, featuring actor Alex Balestrieri reciting a new adaptation from Aleksandr Ostrovsky’s play.

Gerard McBurney, CSO artistic programming advisor and an authority on Russian music, has retailored key scenes from Ostrovsky’s original text, telling the poetic story of an ice goddess whose heart is warmed when she falls in love with a mortal.

Redmoon Theater was founded in 1990 to promote a unique brand of performance committed to the highest quality artistic product, to civic well-being and to creating unexpected theater in unexpected locations.

Drawing on both contemporary art forms and ancient theatrical traditions, Redmoon has forged a performance style that is equal parts pageantry, gadgetry, acrobatics and ephemera.

Over the past decade, Redmoon has garnered international attention for its theatrical productions and site-specific performances, which have been seen everywhere in Chicago from the Jackson Park Lagoon to the façade of Museum of Contemporary Art.

In addition, Redmoon has expanding projects in Holland, Ireland, France and Australia; in October 2009, Redmoon was selected to perform as part of the White House’s exclusive Halloween festivities.

Redmoon Theater Partners with Chicago Symphony Orchestra for Four Performances Dec. 16-19 | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Opening Night is set for Thursday, Mar. 18, 2010 at 7:30pm.

“We’re delighted to work with the International Latino Cultural Center to showcase ‘Celia’ in Chicago,” said Henry Cardenas, the show’s executive producer.

“Since embarking on this tour, we’ve been constantly reminded of how much the world loved and admired Celia. She was an incredibly gifted artist whose legacy will live on forever. We hope Chicago audiences will also enjoy this tribute to the great ‘Queen of Salsa.’”

Since opening to rave reviews Off-Broadway in August 2007, “Celia” has gone on to see continued success in Miami, Tenerife, Spain and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The show launched its international tour in June 2008 in Miami, drawing more than 20,000 attendees including artists Gloria and Emilio Estefan, David Caruso and Jon Secada.

Pop queen Madonna also took in the musical during its nine-month engagement in New York.

“The International Latino Cultural Center recognized Celia in 1999 with the Gloria Lifetime Achievement Award - for her artistic excellence and contribution to the development of Latino cultures worldwide,” said ILCC Executive Director Pepe Vargas.

“It gives us great pleasure to collaborate with CMN and be a part of this extraordinary musical rendition.”

Beginning Mar. 18, Chicago audiences will be taken on a 60-year journey through the life and music of Cruz, from her humble beginnings in Cuba to her international superstardom.

Told through the eyes of her beloved husband Pedro Knight, the show features a superb ensemble of 16 singers, dancers and musicians in a live performance that highlights the global music icon’s greatest hits.

The spectacular Anissa Gathers returns to the stage to sing and act in the lead role of Celia. Music director Isidro Infante – who performed with the real Cruz – leads a seven-piece band that accompanies Gathers and the cast in faithful live renditions of the Queen of Salsa’s repertoire, including “Guantanamera”, “Quimbara,” “Bemba Colora,” “Cucala,” “La Vida Es Un Carnaval” and dozens more that became universal sensations.

To view images of the show, please visit consultantsmn.com/email/teaser/celia_press_photos.html.

“Celia” is written by the husband and wife team of Carmen Rivera and Candido Tirado and produced by Henry Cardenas, producer of the hit musical, “Who Killed Hector Lavoe?” Director duties fall under Jaime Azpilicueta, one of Spain’s most prominent theatrical directors.

Tickets for “Celia” at the Athenaeum Theatre will go on sale Friday, Dec. 4 at 10:00 a.m. and are $35, $55, $75, and $100 for a VIP package that includes a post-performance Meet-and-Greet with cast members, an official “Celia” polo and coffee mug.

Tickets can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-982-2787 or online at ticketmaster.com.

The Sunday, Mar. 21 performance at 7pm will contain English and Spanish dialogue (bilingual). All songs during all shows, however, will be performed in Spanish.

Off-Broadway Hit Musical “Celia: The Life and Music of Celia Cruz” Set for Chicago Premiere at the Athenaeum Theatre | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

The Dreamers is the tale of a band of old rock and rollers anxiously awaiting word of a possible record contract and tour. Before word arrives the band is thrown into chaos, and threatened with dissolution. Can Guardian Angels sent by Elvis himself save the band?

“Partnering with the The Time of Your Life Players fits very well with our mission,” says TBC’s Artistic Director Allan Chambers.

“The Dreamers fulfills TBC’s desire to reach out and help developing theatre companies and bring new musical theatre to audiences here in Chicago. TBC works with so many new and very young theatres, it’s refreshing to work with a group whose experience has only made them more dynamic and creative.

New musical theatre is what we are all about. I’m delighted to be able to provide this show with a home at TBC.”

Formed 2004, The Time of Your Life Players is comprised of a group of senior writers, directors and actors, age 55 and over dedicated to educating and entertaining from a senior perspective. They demonstrate that one can lead a creative life at any age.

The Dreamers is the sixth original musical comedy that has been presented by The Time of Your Life Players. The cast will be available for post-show discussions after each performance.

The Dreamers six performances at TBC will be at 2pm, Dec. 2, 4, 6 and 11 through 13. Tickets are $15. For groups of 10 or more tickets are $10.

To learn more about The Time of Your Life Players, visit their website, timeofyourlifeplayers.com, or contact Avrum Krause at 773-248-5249, akrause@rcn.com.

Theatre Building Chicago is an incubator for developing theatre companies, new musicals and emerging theatre artists.

TBC’s Musical Development Program offers an array of works in multiple stages of development and nurtures new works through its Musical Theatre Writers Workshop and through collaboration with theatre companies and artists across the country.

TBC series include: STAGES, an annual festival of new musicals in progress, New Musicals for Kids and Monday Night Musicals – a series of concert readings.

Theatre Building Chicago is located in the heart of Lakeview at 1225 W. Belmont Avenue – Chicago. (On the corner of Belmont & Racine, within short walking distance of CTA’s Belmont L stop & #77 bus).

For tickets call the Box Office: 773-327-5252

For complete details, visit TBC online: theatrebuildingchicago.org.

Theatre Building Chicago and The Time of Your Life Players Partner for New Musical Comedy “The Dreamers” | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

New Blood III presents a provocative vision of the next wave of performance art, and the artists featured in this weekend of performances blur the boundaries between theater, movement, and the visual arts.

Participating artists include:

• Chris Bradley
• Allison Fall
• Alan and Michael Fleming
• Elise Goldstein
• Millie Kapp
  
• Isabella Ng
• André Lenox
  
• Evan Lenox
• Noah Derek Logan
• Jennifer Mills
• Libby O’Bryan
• Marissa Perel
• Chloe Seibert
• Colin Self
• Jillian Soto

Students of SAIC choreographed by Stephanie Bailey, Chryssa Tsampazi in collaboration with five unemployed people, and Ethan A. White.

The New Blood III performance schedule is:

• Friday, Nov. 20, 7pm
  Studio Theater in the Chicago Cultural Center
  Entrance at 77 East Randolph Street
  Free, but reservations highly suggested at dcatheater.org or 312-742-TIXS (8497)

  André Lenox & Evan Lenox, Jennifer Mills, Libby O’Bryan, Marissa Perel, and Chryssa Tsampazi in collaboration with five unemployed people

• Saturday, Nov. 21, 7pm
  Studio Theater in the Chicago Cultural Center
  Entrance at 77 East Randolph Street
  Free, but reservations highly suggested at dcatheater.org or 312-742-TIXS (8497)

  Millie Kapp, Isabella Ng, Chloe Seibert, Colin Self, and Ethan A.  White

• Sunday, Nov. 22, 6pm
  Throughout the Chicago Cultural Center
  Entrance at 77 East Randolph Street
  Free, reservations not needed

  Chris Bradley, Allison Fall, Elise Goldstein, and Jillian Soto

Additional performances each evening will be presented by Alan and Michael Fleming, Noah Derek Logan, and students of SAIC choreographed by Stephanie Bailey.

School of the Art Institute of Chicago Presents “New Blood III” Student Performance Festival at DCA Theater | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

From Manischewitz to Matzo balls to the mayhem of High Holidays by Alan Gross, Goodman Theatre’s Education and Community Engagement division and Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies join forces for a unique dining event, “Tasting Tradition: Tales at the Table of Jewish Culture,” on Nov. 23 from 6:30 – 8:30pm at the award-winning Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies facility (610 S Michigan Ave) with floor-to-ceiling views of Grant Park and Lake Michigan.

Noted Kosher Chef Laura Frankel serves up a menu inspired by the play and its 1960s setting; participants will enjoy a scrumptious family-style dinner of classic Jewish fare—and some surprises. Storytellers from Serendipity Theatre Collective’s 2nd Story, Ilana Shavanov, Michael Przygoda and Julie Ganey, join the fun with tales of tradition in the spirit of the high holidays. Tickets are $36; call 312.443.3800.

Due to the unique nature of this event and its limited capacity, ticket sales end Nov. 19; tickets will not be available for purchase at the event.

“‘Tasting Tradition’ celebrates the way food, story and history are linked in Jewish culture. Each dish has significance and import, each meal filled with stories that remind us how we stand on the struggles and triumphs of the people who have come before,” said Willa Taylor, Director of Education and Community Engagement at Goodman Theatre.

“You see this in High Holidays—and to experience it personally with Laura’s amazing cuisine is like manna from heaven.”

Laura Frankel has been Executive Chef for Wolfgang Puck Catering’s kosher foodservice operations at Spertus since 2007. She was the founder and chef of the adventurous, gourmet kosher Shallots restaurants in Chicago and Manhattan, and has extensive training and experience in both savory and pastry kitchens.

After she started a family and began maintaining a kosher home, she became interested in expanding kosher offerings in the Chicago area; it was from this revelation that her career as a kosher chef was born. A lively and entertaining presenter, Chef Laura teaches kosher cooking classes for adults and children at Spertus and across the country, including at Chicago’s Green City Market and at New York’s legendary DeGustibus cooking school.

She is the author of Jewish Cooking for All Seasons: Fresh, Flavorful Kosher Recipes for Holidays and Everyday and a regular commentator—in print and on air—on all things kosher.

Curated by April Newman, “Tasting Tradition” is directed by Amanda Delheimer of 2nd Story, a hybrid performance event that combines storytelling, wine, and music, produced by the Serendipity Theater Collective. Three 2nd Story storytellers, Ilana Shavanov, Michael Przygoda and Julie Ganey, join “Tasting Tradition” to personify the history, values and memories in food rituals.

High Holidays runs through Nov. 29, 2009 in the Goodman’s Owen Theatre. Tickets ($10 – $40) are now on sale 312-443-3800 or GoodmanTheatre.org.

From civil rights upheaval to political cataclysm, 1963 was a pivotal year in American cultural and political history. The changes that are roiling the Roman family in High Holidays are more personal and mundane, but no less earth-shattering for those involved.

Billy is terrified by the prospect of reciting from the Torah at his upcoming Bar Mitzvah and desperate to find a way out of it. Rob is equally desperate to find an escape from a different sort of ritual—higher education—and embraces the growing counterculture that would come to define the 1960s.

Parents Essie and Nate feel they have sacrificed everything to provide a decent life for their children, but are now trapped between the expectations of their own immigrant parents and their children’s disdain for the family’s suburban lifestyle.

Production Sponsors for High Holidays include the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust and the Goodman World Premiere Season Sponsors M. Ann O’Brien and Randy and Lisa White, and New Works Season Sponsors: Julie and Roger Baskes; Joan and Robert Clifford; Patricia Cox; Eva and Michael Losacco; Kenneth and Harle Montgomery Foundation; Karen and Richard Pigott; Alice Rapoport and Michael Sachs, Sg2; Shaw Family Supporting Organization; and Orli and Bill Staley.

About the Goodman’s Education and Community Engagement

Goodman Theatre offers a wide variety of programming to enable Chicagoland learners of all ages to experience theater first hand with working professionals, teachers and artists; Willa Taylor is the Director of Education and Community Engagement.

Programs are offered to audience members of all ages to engage in deeper explorations of the work on the Goodman’s stages. In its 24th year, the Student Subscription Series works with over 40 Chicago public high schools each year to creatively supplement students’ reading, writing, critical thinking and communication skills.

Special matinee performances of Goodman productions are supplemented with exclusive teacher training workshops, educational guides and post-show discussions. CONTEXT: Discourse & Discussion is a series designed to engage the community in debate, dialogue and deeper exploration of themes within Goodman productions.

Unlike a traditional post-show discussion which centers on the production, CONTEXT events focus on particular issues raised within the plays and explore how they resonate in today’s culture. Cindy Bandle Young Critics (CBYC) is a joint venture between Goodman Theatre and the Association for Women Journalists that introduces 11th grade girls to the art of theater criticism and the world of professional writing.

Participants see every show in the Goodman’s season, interview theater artists and receive one-on-one mentoring from professional journalists. CBYC is named in honor of Goodman Theatre’s late, longtime Press Director, Cindy Bandle. General Theater Studies (GTS) is a six-week summer intensive for 14 – 19-year olds with a focus on critical thinking, literacy, oral history and storytelling.

Designed to validate student voices, help them examine their creativity and introduce them to the creation of theater, GTS is an ensemble-building program that culminates in an original student performance.

About Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies

Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies is located at 610 S Michigan Avenue in an environmentally sustainable facility designed by Chicago’s Krueck & Sexton Architects.

The building houses Spertus College, the Asher Library, and Spertus Museum, as well as a state-of-the-art theater for live performance and film, the innovative Gray Children’s Center, space for community events and celebrations, kosher catering facilities and a comprehensive book and gift shop.

Spertus is a Jewish institution grounded in Jewish values that invites people of all ages and backgrounds to explore the multifaceted Jewish experience. Through its innovative public programming, exhibitions, collections, research facilities and degree programs, Spertus inspires learning, serves diverse communities and fosters understanding for Jews and people of all faiths, locally, regionally and around the world.

Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies is a partner in serving our community, supported by the JUF/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago.

Learn more at Spertus.edu.

About Goodman Theatre

Named the country’s “Best Regional Theatre” by Time magazine (2003), Goodman Theatre is a leader in the American theater, internationally recognized for its artists, productions and educational programs since its founding in 1925.

Artistic Director Robert Falls and Executive Director Roche Schulfer’s forward-thinking leadership has earned the Goodman unparalleled artistic distinction, garnered hundreds of awards-including the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre (1992) and Pulitzer Prizes for Ruined by Lynn Nottage and Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet–and moved dozens of plays from Chicago to stages in New York and abroad.

Central to its commitment to the reinvestigation of classics and development of new plays and artists is the Goodman’s Artistic Collective, including Brian Dennehy, Frank Galati, Henry Godinez, Steve Scott, Chuck Smith, Regina Taylor and Mary Zimmerman.

The largest not-for-profit theater in Chicago, the Goodman moved in 2000 into a brand new state-of-the-art complex which houses two principal theaters: the 856-seat Albert Ivar Goodman Theatre and the 400-seat flexible Owen Bruner Goodman Theatre. Board Chairman is Patricia Cox and Karen Pigott is President of the Women’s Board.

American Airlines is the Exclusive Airline of Goodman Theatre.

Visit the Goodman virtually: watch artist interviews at ExploreTheGoodman.org; catch the latest backstage news on the Goodman’s Blog, Goodman-Theatre.Blogspot.com; peek behind-the-scenes at YouTube.com/TheGoodmanTheatre; and Friend us at Facebook.com/GoodmanTheatre.

Goodman Theatre and Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies Toast “High Holidays” with Dining Event Nov. 23 | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

The company’s 15th year program promises not only to continue offering audiences unmatched entertainment with unique programs and world premiers – but also afford them an opportunity to enjoy performances in a new, intimate setting.

Dance Chicago will kick off its 15th season with a new multi-venue performance format, including the Theater Building Chicago, located at 1225 West Belmont Avenue (theatrebuildingchicago.org).

With performances scheduled from November 4th through the 15th, a preview of the company’s innovative 15th anniversary programming follows.

New Moves: Described as brave and daring, New Moves features Chicago’s newest, hottest choreographers and the city’s best dancers. In a collaborative environment – the best of the best work together to create new and different dances for each of four scheduled performances – all of which are one-time-runs!

Extended View: Streets meets sweets with the award-winning Chicago choreographers’ production of Extended View. This program’s juxtaposition of urban and contemporary choreography promise to mesmerize audiences.

Jazz Cabaret: Best described as ‘Broadway up close!” the Jazz Cabaret program is a cornucopia of visual delights featuring ballroom, contemporary jazz, burlesque, tap, hip-hop, ballet and other cabaret-style dances.

Dance Romance: As its namesake implies, Dance Romance features warm and sensual choreography, and is perfect for a date or special occasion. Showcasing the best partnering acts from around Chicago, this new program features modern, salsa, contemporary jazz, and ballroom dance.

Fringe Carnival: Chicago’s finest cutting-edge performers will have their chance to shine during Dance Chicago’s Fringe Carnival. Both humorous and unusual, improvisational dancers and one-of-a-kind companies will push the boundaries of dance and performance to the edge in this unique event.

Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre: A must-see program for dance enthusiasts, the Cerqua Rivera Dance Theater will present its 2009 fall concert this year at Dance Chicago. Program highlights include signature works from Latin Fire and Jubilation, including “Corner Sketches – A Tribute to Miles Davis” and “The Trinity of Joann.”

Choreographer’s Showcase: A longstanding favorite of the Dance Chicago lineup – the Choreographer’s Showcase promises artistic bravery and brilliance with its much-anticipated world-premier programming. Among the leading Dance Chicago choreographers leading this program’s innovation will be The Cliff Dwellers Arts Foundation Dance Chicago 2009 Choreographer of the Year.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:

New Moves

• A – Wed, Nov 4, 8:00 P
• B – Thu, Nov 5, 8:00 PM
• C – Wed, Nov 11, 8:00 PM
• D – Thu, Nov 12, 8:00 PM

Extended View

• Fri, Nov 6, 8:15 PM

Jazz Cabaret

• Sat, Nov 7, 8:15 PM

Dance Romance

• Sun, Nov 8, 1:00
• Sun, Nov 8, 5:00 PM

Fringe Carnival

• Fri, Nov 13, 8:15 PM

Cerequa Rivera Dance Theatre

• Sat, Nov 14, 8:15 PM

Choreographers’ Showcase

• Sun, Nov 15, 1:00 and 5:00 PM

Tickets are on sale now and to save $5 per ticket, buy your tickets (online, by phone or at the box offices) and be sure to mention or enter coupon code DC2009.

This offer cannot be combined with any other discounts.

For more information on the Dance Chicago 2009 festival, including updated rosters and ticket ordering information, visit dancechicago.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Tim Ward, 312-332-4650 Ext. 20
H+A International
tward@h-a-intl.com

Dance Chicago Celebrates 15th Anniversary Season with Intimate Performances at Theatre Building Chicago | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

(left to right) Ensemble members Tracy Letts and Francis Guinan.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company continues its 2009-2010 season, an exploration of the theme of belief, with American Buffalo by David Mamet, directed by ensemble member Amy Morton.

American Buffalo features ensemble members Francis Guinan and Tracy Letts with Patrick Andrews. American Buffalo plays Dec. 3, 2009 – Feb. 7, 2010 in Steppenwolf’s Downstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St.

The press performance is Saturday, Dec. 12 at 3pm.

In a cluttered, run-down Chicago junk shop, three small-time crooks plot to steal a valuable buffalo nickel. As the heist unravels, the men’s frustration and paranoia intensify.

Ensemble member Amy Morton directs this groundbreaking American play that weaves humor and menace throughout an emotionally charged struggle for identity and dominance.

World-renowned playwright and Chicago-area native David Mamet has a successful writing and directing career in theatre, film and television.

Steppenwolf has produced Mamet’s productions of The Water Engine and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Glengarry Glen Ross (also directed by ensemble member Amy Morton).

Amy Morton received a 2008 Best Actress Tony^® nomination for Steppenwolf’s August: Osage County on Broadway.  Her Steppenwolf directing credits include Dublin Carol, The Weir, The Pillowman, Love-Lies-Bleeding (also Kennedy Center) and Glengarry Glen Ross (also Dublin and Toronto).

The design team for American Buffalo includes: Kevin Depinet (sets), Nan Cibula-Jenkins (costumes), Pat Collins (lights), Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen (sound and original music) and Rick Sordelet (fight choreography).  Malcolm Ewen is the Stage Manager and Christine D. Freeburg is the Assistant Stage Manager.

• Title: American Buffalo
• Playwright: David Mamet
• Director: ensemble member Amy Morton
• Featuring: ensemble members Francis Guinan (Don) and Tracy Letts (Teach) with Patrick Andrews (Bob)
• Location: Steppenwolf Downstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted Street
• Dates: Previews: Dec. 3 – 12, 2009
• Press performance: Saturday, Dec. 12 at 3pm
• Opening: Sunday, Dec. 13 at 6pm
• Regular Run: Dec. 15, 2009 – Feb.7, 2010

Curtain Times:

• Tuesdays through Sundays at 7:30pm
• (Sunday evening performances through Jan. 10 only)
• Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3pm
• Wednesday matinees on Jan. 13, 20, 27 and Feb. 3 at 2pm

Note: there are no 7:30pm performances on Sunday, Dec. 13, Tuesday, Dec. 8, Thursday, Dec. 24 (Christmas Eve), Friday, Dec. 25 (Christmas Day) and Friday, Jan. 1 (New Year’s Day); there is no 3pm performance on Sunday, Dec. 13.

Ticket prices: Previews: $20-$53

Regular Run: $20-$77

Twenty $20 tickets are available at Audience Services beginning at 11:00 a.m. on the day of each performance (1:00 p.m. for Sunday performances).  Half-price rush tickets are available one hour before each show.  Student discounts available.

Audience Services: 1650 N. Halsted St., 312-335-1650

Online ticketing available at steppenwolf.org

The American Buffalo Wine Tasting Night: Enjoy wine and food pairings from Vinci Restaurant while our DJ spins tunes in our balcony lobby:  Wednesday, Dec. 23 at 6pm. Tasting and performance cost $60 per person.  For tickets and additional information, contact Audience Services.

The American Buffalo MaTEENée performance for high school students will be held on Saturday, Feb. 6 at 3pm. Tickets cost $15 and include: a ticket to the performance, lunch and a post-show discussion with actors featured in the production – hosted by Steppenwolf’s Young Adults Council.

Free post-show discussions are offered after every performance.

United Airlines is the corporate production sponsor of American Buffalo. Additional support for American Buffalo provided by The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation.

Steppenwolf is located near all forms of public transportation and is wheelchair accessible.  Street and lot parking are available.  Assistive listening devices are available for every performance.

American Buffalo is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.

About the Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Committed to the principle of ensemble performance through the collaboration of a company of actors, directors and playwrights, Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s mission is to advance the vitality and diversity of American theater by nurturing artists, encouraging repeatable creative relationships and contributing new works to the national canon.

The company, formed in 1976 by a collective of actors, is dedicated to perpetuating an ethic of mutual respect and the development of artists through on-going group work.

Steppenwolf has grown into an internationally renowned company of 42 artists whose talents include acting, directing, playwriting and textual adaptation.

For additional information, visit steppenwolf.org.

Steppenwolf Continues Its 2009-2010 Season with “American Buffalo,” Directed by Ensemble Member Amy Morton | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Wright is the most recent addition to the A Red Orchid Theatre Ensemble, which includes Lance Baker, Dado, Jennifer Engstrom, Kirsten Fitzgerald, Joseph Fosco, Steve Haggard, Mierka Girten, Larry Grimm, Karen Kawa, Karen Kessler, Danny McCarthy, Brett Neveu, Michael Shannon, Guy Van Swearingen, Doug Vickers, and Tiffany Wilson.

“We at A Red Orchid are thrilled and honored to invite playwright and dear friend, Craig Wright to join our creative family in a more formal and ongoing capacity,” says Artistic Director Kirsten Fitzgerald.

“With our firm belief that theatre is the greatest sustenance for the human spirit, our past work with Craig could only lead to ongoing work. His plays are not only fantastic stories but penetrating explorations of human experience that relate to the personal, the public, the social and the political.

I have learned so much from my collaborations with Craig just as I learn from all of my co-Ensemble Members during every A Red Orchid production.”

“It is with a great sense of pride and homecoming that I accept A Red Orchid Theatre’s invitation to join their Ensemble. Even though I make a good portion of my living writing for television, my greatest loyalty will always be to the theater, since I am a firm believer in the immense value of the live, un-reproducible human moment.

In the theater, all the participants are there together, alive, betting the time of their lives on the potential for meaning within this moment, this play, this night — it’s an equal exchange, an equally shared risk,” says Craig Wright.

“A Red Orchid Theatre has demonstrated its commitment over the years to creating theater that is rich with risk, full of ideas, and infused from top to bottom with a faith in the magical mutuality of the live theatrical moment. I’m deeply honored to be invited to be a part of their ongoing journey.”

The World Premiere of Craig Wright’s Mistakes Were Made featuring A Red Orchid Theatre Ensemble Members Michael Shannon and Mierka Girten opened the company’s 2009-2010 Season and is currently extended through Oct. 31, 2009.

Wright’s The Unseen was produced last season at A Red Orchid Theatre, and Mistakes Were Made marks Craig Wright and Ensemble Member Michael Shannon’s third collaboration.

Wright was commissioned by Northlight Theater to pen Lady for Shannon and actor Paul Sparks in 2007. Shannon also appeared at Northlight in Wright’s award-winning play Grace in 2006.

Wright’s plays include Lady, Grace, The Pavilion, Melissa Arctic, Orange Flower Water, and Recent Tragic Events. He has received several awards for his writing, including the Helen Hayes/Charles MacArthur Award for Best New Play (Melissa Arctic) and has been the recipient of fellowships from the McKnight Foundation, the Jerome Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

For his work on Six Feet Under, he received an Emmy nomination, and a Writer’s Guild of America award for his work on Lost. He created Dirty Sexy Money for ABC.

He holds a Masters of Divinity degree from United Theological Seminary and is currently creating a show about a minister for Showtime called Revelation.

About A Red Orchid Theatre Company

Since 1993, A Red Orchid Theatre has been an artistic mainstay of the Chicago theatre community; known and praised for its powerful ensemble, creative design and its gripping, intimate productions.

The resident Ensemble maintains the conviction that passionately committed theatre will draw passionately committed audiences, and the 2009-2010 subscription season promises to bring Ensemble and audience even closer together.

A Red Orchid Theatre is: Lance Baker, Dado, Jennifer Engstrom, Kirsten Fitzgerald, Joseph Fosco, Steve Haggard, Mierka Girten, Larry Grimm, Karen Kawa, Karen Kessler, Danny McCarthy, Brett Neveu, Michael Shannon, Guy Van Swearingen, Doug Vickers, Tiffany Wilson and Craig Wright.

The A Red Orchid Youth Ensemble includes: Chaz Allen, Najwa Brown, Jackson Chalinor, Jaiden Falllo, Paola Lehman, Melanie Nielan, Adam Rebora, Kara Ryan, Elenna Sindler and Aria Szalai-Raymond.

The 2009-2010 Season is dedicated in loving memory of, and with many thanks to, Donald Shannon, who has provided invaluable guidance and energy as an Advisory Board member since the beginning.

Emmy-Nominated Writer Craig Wright Joins Storied Ensemble of Chicago’s “A Red Orchid Theatre” | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Academy Award-winner Olympia Dukakis will be featured at ABT's Rebirth of Blues Benefit Nov. 16

As part of the program, Dukakis reads a passage from ABT’s Spring 2010 show “RIPPED: The Living Newspaper Project” and participates in a VIP pre-event reception. The benefit takes place at the Bridgeview Bank, 4753 N. Broadway, from 6:30 – 8:30pm.

Tickets are currently on sale.

“As a long-time friend of ABT ensemble member Carmen Roman, I’ve watched this company continuously produce incredible, groundbreaking work. The 2009/10 season is no exception. I’m honored to be a part of their benefit celebration, and fully support this inspirational Chicago ensemble,” said Dukakis.

Set in a stunning Italian Renaissance rotunda within the Bridgeview Bank, the evening kicks-off with a private reception at 5:30pm where guests can spend an intimate hour with Dukakis. At 6:30pm, the party begins with drinks, delicious food, live music and a preview of “RIPPED.”

Dukakis and Artistic Director of Victory Gardens Theater Dennis Zacek will read select pieces written by Eduardo Machado and Rick Cleveland.

An auction will offer extraordinary items, from the hottest theater tickets in town to a walk-on Broadway role. Chicago’s popular blues band, The Skirts, perform live throughout the evening.

Tickets are $75 ($125 VIP tickets include a 5:30 p.m. private reception with Dukakis). Parking is available adjacent to the bank and is complimentary.

For tickets, call 312-725-4ABT or visit americanbluestheater.com.

About American Blues Theater

Founded in 1985, American Blues Theater is known for its gritty, uncompromising style. The company has produced more than 70 shows, many award-winners, including 40 regional/Chicago and world premieres.

Ensemble member plaudits include more than 60 collective Joseph Jefferson nominations, 10 Jeff awards, two Writers Guild awards, four After Dark awards and one Emmy.

Ensemble members have been seen in 80 films, 120 television appearances and nine Broadway shows as well as at theaters throughout America.

In 1993, ABT leased a space at the corner of Byron and Lincoln and in 1997 changed its name to American Theater Company (ATC).

In parting with ATC and reclaiming its original name, the American Blues Theater reaffirms its commitment to producing American classics and creating new ones that serve as a mirror for audiences to better understand themselves and their world.

ABT is theater that reaches out: talking to audiences, inviting feedback in person and via all forms of electronic communications, and doing outreach in local communities.

“I had a wonderful time helping the fledgling ABT years ago,” says Dennis Zacek, artistic director of Victory Gardens Theater, “and I’m thrilled to be working with them again because I believe the work of the ABT ensemble is vital and important to Chicago’s theater community and our city as a whole.”

The current ABT ensemble includes Dawn Bach, Ed Blatchford, Matthew Brumlow, Kate Buddeke, Casey Campbell, Rick Cleveland, Dennis Cockrum, Lauri Dahl, Tom Geraty, Cheryl Graeff, Lindsay Jones, Kevin R. Kelly, Ed Kross, James Leaming, Heather Meyers, John Möhrlein, Jim Ortlieb, William Payne, Suzanne Petri, Tania Richard, Carmen Roman, Editha Rosario, John Sterchi, Stef Tovar and Gwendolyn Whiteside.

The American Blues Theater is supported by a passionate board that includes James Leaming, John Fenton, Michael Colky, Ken Shanoff, Wendy Whiteside and five original American Blues board members:  Joan Esposito, Lawrence Schulmann, Jan Sugar, Mary Suma and Scott Suma.

American Blues Theater is a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit arts organization.

For more information call 773-628-3526, or email info@americanbluestheater.com or visit americanbluestheater.com.

Academy Award-Winner Olympia Dukakis Featured at American Blues Theater’s “Rebirth of Blues Benefit” Nov. 16 | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Chicago DCA Theater offers downtown audiences an off-Loop theater experience with an exciting look at the vibrant emerging theater companies that call Chicago home.

As an anchor of the downtown theater district, Chicago DCA Theater will present productions by six companies: WNEP Theater, Theater Mir, The Hypocrites, and Dog & Pony Theatre Company in its Storefront Theater; and James Anthony Zoccoli and Shaw Chicago in its smaller Studio Theater.

The Studio Theater space will also host two companies as part of its continued Incubator Program.  The selected companies are Wishbone Theatre Collective and The New Colony.

Additionally, DCA Theater presents several special theater events including the IN>TIME 2010 Showcase and the SKALD 11 Storytelling Festival.

All tickets are available by calling (312) 742-TIXS (8497), visiting dcatheater.org, or stopping by the box office, open Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 6 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 4 p.m.; and one hour prior to each performance.

Discounted parking is once again available at Wabash Randolph Self Park at 20 E. Randolph.  Patrons can receive the $10 rate by validating their ticket at the Storefront Theater box office.

CHICAGO DCA THEATER SPRING 2010 SEASON

The (edward) Hopper Project

• Presented by WNEP Theater
• Media Opening: Friday, January 15, at 7:30 pm
• January 15 – February 21, 2010
• Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm
• No performance on Friday, February 12, due to the holiday
• Post-show Discussion following the Thursday, January 21, performance
• Storefront Theater, 66 E. Randolph Street
• Tickets: $20 general admission; $15 for seniors and students
• dcatheater.org or (312) 742-TIXS (8497)

WNEP Theater brings to life a mosaic of characters inspired by the paintings of American realist artist Edward Hopper.  In a series of vignettes and short moments written by WNEP company members, a dozen actors follow Hopper’s New York from dawn to dark and thrust the audience into the quiet desperation and dark comedy of the city.

Wiggerlover

• Presented by James Anthony Zoccoli
• Media Opening: Friday, February 5, at 7:30 pm
• February 5 – February 22, 2010
• Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm
• No performances on Friday, February 12, or Monday, February 15, due to the holidays
• Post-show Discussion following the Monday, February 8, performance
• Studio Theater in the Chicago Cultural Center, entrance at 77 E. Randolph Street
• Tickets $20 general admission; $15 for seniors and students
• dcatheater.org or (312) 742-TIXS (8497)

Part memoir, part editorial, all comedy, this is the totally too-good-to-be-true story of an interracial family in 1979 Chicago.  Actor/writer James Anthony Zoccoli gives a retrospective account of his life as little Jimmy: a half-Italian, half-Polish kid who thinks he’s all Black when his White mother remarries an African-American man.

Beautiful City

• Presented by Theater Mir
• Media Opening: Friday, March 5, at 7:30 pm
• March 4 – April 3, 2010
• Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm
• Post-show Discussion following the Thursday, March 11, performance
• Tickets: $25 general admission; $20 for seniors; $15 for students
• dcatheater.org or (312) 742-TIXS (8497)

“This is the future” begins this darkly comic fable about urban developers, criminals, law enforcement, and even a witch, all fighting for the soul and vision of a city.

Set in an urban landscape ripe for redevelopment, the parable blends off-kilter characters, fast-paced storytelling, and stinging social satire in a tale of greed, corruption, and civic responsibility.

Theatre Mir’s production marks the Chicago professional premiere of this work by George F. Walker, one of Canada’s most prolific and celebrated playwrights.

Cabaret

• Presented by The Hypocrites
• Media Opening: Saturday, April 17, at 7:30 pm
• April 15 – May 23, 2010
• Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm
• Post-show Discussion following the Thursday, April 22, performance
• Tickets: $25 general admission; $15 for seniors and students; $15 for previews (4/15 & 4/16)
• dcatheater.org or (312) 742-TIXS (8497)

Known for sexy, witty, and politically-charged numbers, Cabaret is also a backdrop for one of the darkest moments in world history. Set in Weimar Berlin just prior to Nazi rule, the play highlights the impact of global conflicts on the lives of everyday people.

The Hypocrites, with guest director Matt Hawkins, circumvent the sometimes indulgent tradition of musicals, staging a more intimate production and depicting people in crisis struggling with the moments that define them.

The Doctor’s Dilemma

• Presented by ShawChicago
• Media Opening: Monday, April 19, at 7 pm
• April 17 – May 10, 2010
• Mondays at 7 pm; Saturdays and Sundays at 2 pm
• Post-show Discussions following the Saturday, April 24, and Sunday, May 2, performances
• Tickets: $22 general admission; $20 for seniors; $10 for students
• dcatheater.org or (312) 742-TIXS (8497)

ShawChicago returns to the Studio Theater with a staged reading of Bernard Shaw’s tale of Doctor Colenso Ridgeon.  The newly knighted doctor has discovered a cure for tuberculosis but has only one slot left for the clinical trial.

Should he choose a kindly medical colleague who ministers to the poor or a callous, amoral, but potentially great artist?  And will his love for the artist’s wife interfere with his decision?

A fascinating tug-of-war between art and science…and love, as only Shaw could tell it.

Dead Letter Office

• Presented by Dog & Pony Theatre Company
• Media Opening: Friday, June 11, at 7:30 pm
• June 9 – July 18, 2010
• Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm
• No performance on Sunday, July 4, due to the holiday
• Post-show Discussion following the Thursday, June 17, performance
• Tickets: $22 general admission; $17 for seniors and students
• Patrons may pay-what-they-can at the door on Thursdays and Sundays
• dcatheater.org or (312) 742-TIXS (8497)

In this world premier thriller written by Ben Viccellio, each staff member of the Dead Letter Office communicates in his or her own special manner.

While examining the changing nature of language in our digital culture, the play surveys the staff sorting the backlog of the postal system and searching for anything of value among the written letters.

But when a newcomer joins the group, she uncovers a secret – a secret buried deep within the walls of the post office and threatened to be lost with the buildings imminent destruction.

CHICAGO DCA’S STUDIO THEATER INCUBATOR SPRING 2010 SEASON

The Studio Theater Incubator Series supports the creation of new work by emerging Chicago theater companies. Utilizing Chicago DCA Theater resources and rehearsal space in the Chicago Cultural Center, participants explore new projects, develop and refine styles, and share their process with the public during a special showcase event.

The evening showcase events offer a glimpse into the companies’ projects through readings, performances, or works-in-process. The events are free, but reservations are encouraged by calling 312.742.TIXS (8497) or by visiting dcatheater.org.

Wishbone Theatre Collective

• Incubator Showcase for untitled (The Heroes Project)
• Monday, January 25, at 7:30 pm
• Studio Theater in the Chicago Cultural Center, entrance at 77 E. Randolph Street
• Pay-what-you-can: $5 suggested donation at the door
• Reservations encouraged at dcatheater.org or (312) 742-TIXS (8497)

Wishbone Theatre Collective produces original works of theatre that encourage diverse audiences to embrace the thrill of chance and the incredible possibilities that lie in the unknown.

This ensemble-developed project will explore the complexities of heroism as it relates to the individual and societal perception.

The New Colony

• Incubator Showcase for That Sordid Little Story
• Monday, March 8, at 7:30 pm
• Studio Theater in the Chicago Cultural Center, entrance at 77 E. Randolph Street
• Pay-what-you-can: $5 suggested donation at the door
• Reservations encouraged at dcatheater.org or (312) 742-TIXS (8497)

The New Colony strives to contribute original material to the American artistic canon and develop a new theater-going audience. Its new play, That Sordid Little Story, follows a man who believes that a 1963 concept album is really the story of his of his life.

CHICAGO DCA THEATER SPECIAL EVENTS SPRING 2010 SEASON

AFTRA/SAG Senior Radio Players

• Claudia Cassidy Theater in the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington Street
• Admission is Free

Audiences are invited to witness the performance of classic radio scripts by voice actors, sound effects artists and, often, live musicians.  The AFTRA/SAG Players stay faithful to the original model by having to get it right the first time – no retakes permitted.

Charity Never Began and Liz’s Radio Script

• Wednesday, February 10, at 7 pm
• The War of the Worlds
• Tuesday, May 18, at 7 pm

IN>TIME 2010 Showcase

• Presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and the Chicago Performance Network
• Saturday, March 27, 6–9 pm
• Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington Street
• Admission is Free

Developed as a collaboration between DCA Theater and the Chicago Performance Network, IN>TIME is an annual Chicago performance series of local, national, and international artists.  The event features practitioners working with ideas of time and body, crossing the performing body with text, objects, sounds, visual art, and technology.

SKALD 11 Storytelling Festival

• Presented by WNEP Theater
• May 10 – May 15
• Studio Theater in the Chicago Cultural Center, entrance at 77 E. Randolph Street
• Tickets will be on sale in March

This week-long event celebrating the art of storytelling includes workshops and competitions for children (KIDSKALD), adults (MAELSTROM), and professionals (SKALD 11).

MAELSTROM

• Friday, May 14, at 7:30 pm
• Tickets are $15 at dcatheater.org or (312) 742-TIXS (8497)

KIDSKALD

• Saturday, May 15, at 3 pm
• Free, but reservations are encouraged at dcatheater.org or (312) 742-TIXS (8497)

SKALD 11

• Saturday, May 15, at 7:30 pm
• Tickets are $20 at dcatheater.org or (312) 742-TIXS (8497)

Directors on Directing

Presented by DirectorsLabChicago

• Monday, June 14, at 7 pm
• Claudia Cassidy Theater in the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington Street
• Admission is Free

DirectorsLabChicago brings a frank and in-depth conversation with some of the city’s most prominent stage directors as they discuss their varied approaches to their work.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Christine Carrino, 312-742-1148
Media Relations Manager
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs
christine.carrino@cityofchicago.org

Chicago DCA Theatre Announces 2010 Season; Emerging Theaters Selected for Storefront and Studio Performances | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.