A DOLL’S HOUSE
Writers Theatre
Adapted by Sandra Delgado
Directed by Lavina Jadhwani
This focused one-act adaptation of the Henrik Ibsen classic reinvigorates the compelling story of the vibrant young Nora Helmer, deeply devoted to her husband Torvald. However, all is not as it appears: when Nora takes action to protect her husband, she unwittingly puts them both in jeopardy, testing the bonds of their marriage and forcing them to take stock of their relationship and ask themselves how well they truly know one another…
cambodian rock band
By Lauren Yee
Directed by Marti Lyons
Featuring songs by Dengue Fever
This epic play/rock concert thrusts us into the life of a young woman trying to piece together her family history thirty years after her father fled Cambodia. Featuring actor/musicians who perform a mix of contemporary Dengue Fever hits and classic Cambodian oldies live, playwright Lauren Yee brings to vivid life the Cambodian rock scene of the ‘60s and ‘70s, a movement cut short by the Khmer Rouge’s brutal attempt to erase the music (and musicians) once and for all. Directed by Marti Lyons (Native Gardens) this story is about survivors, the resilient bond of family and the enduring power of music.
★★★½ “Remarkable…superb…triumphant”
—Chicago Tribune
★★★★ “Brilliant…Crazily clever and compelling…There really isn’t a dull moment in CAMBODIAN ROCK BAND.”
—Chicago Sun-Times
★★★★ “Exhilarating… Wonderful… Hilarious.”
—Time Out Chicago
“Stunning…scorching…one of the best plays of the year.”
—Chicago Reader
“The best show you’ll see in Chicago this spring. Maybe all year.”
—NewCity Stage
“CAMBODIAN ROCK BAND makes Victory Gardens the go-to, high-energy Off-Loop theater of the moment…”
—Windy City Times
“Brave, heartwarming and funny”
—Third Coast Review
★★★★ “A major artistic event… One of the most rewarding viewing experiences available to local playgoers this season.”
—Chicagoland Theater Reviews
“Magnificent… beyond brilliant… You have to be here”
—Stage & Cinema
“Amazing… Powerful… One of the finest shows of the year”
—Chicago OnStage
LA RUTA
Steppenwolf Theatre Company
World Premiere by Isaac Gomez
Directed by Sandra Marquez
To the U.S.-owned factories in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, La Ruta is just a bus.
But to the hundreds of women who live, work and often disappear along the route, it's so much more than that.
Inspired by real testimonies, and using live music to evoke factory work and protest marches, La Ruta is a visceral unearthing of secrets buried in the desert and a celebration of the Mexican women who stand resiliently in the wake of loss.
“Every single woman in this play is based on a real person. And although some names have been changed for their protection, the violence they face and their resilience have not. I made a promise to these women that their stories would be heard by as many people as humanly possible, and through this world premiere at Steppenwolf, we are one step closer to keeping that promise -- to bear witness and carry their stories forward. As a queer Mexicano from the border, I owe my entire existence to Mexican women. This play is for them. Para todas. Para siempre.” - Isaac Gomez
MEDUSA
Devised by Global Hive Laboratories
The Pleasance Theatre, London -11th - 15th November 2019
The Cockpit Theatre, London - 2nd March - 6th March 2020
Medusa. For generations, she has been depicted as a god, a mortal, an erotic power capable of unravelling men, a fearsome image to ward off evil, and a dangerous monster to be destroyed. With feminist ideals at the forefront of our culture, she is again a power player, arresting us in her gaze.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "And as we find ourselves inside Medusa’s own mind, the multinational cast supplement the English narration with simultaneous translation, in languages from French and Italian to Korean. It helps underscore how Medusa’s story – finding herself and her life weaponised as a result of somebody else’s actions."
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A truly accessible production and an empowering contemporary perspective on the classic Greek myth.'
BITTER GROUNDS
A short film by Amber Snyder
Alex and Joyce are best friends turned roommates. It’s a scenario often avoided at all costs but maybe they can push through bitterness and find common ground.
tHE VIEW UPSTAIRS
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Max Vernon
A Chicago Premiere
Circle Theatre Chicago
When Wes, a young fashion designer from 2017, buys an abandoned building in the French Quarter of New Orleans, he finds himself transported to the UpStairs Lounge, a vibrant seventies gay bar. As this forgotten community comes to life, Wes embarks on an exhilarating journey of self-exploration that spans two generations of queer history. The View UpStairs asks what has been gained and lost in the fight for equality, and how the past can help guide all of us through an uncertain future.
Hir
Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Photos by: Michael Brosilow
The classic dysfunctional family drama has just crashed through into a wholly original place. Meet Paige, a wife and mother liberated from an oppressive and abusive marriage; Max, her newly out transgender son; and Isaac, Max’s PTSD-addled older brother, who discovers a brand new war zone when he comes home from Afghanistan. Hir’s crusade to shake up the patriarchy is disarmingly funny, absurd and surprising as it looks at an American family forced to build a new world out of the pieces of the old.
Taylor Mac (who uses “judy” not as a name but as a gender pronoun) is a playwright, actor, singer-songwriter, performance artist, director and producer. Named “one of the most exciting theater artists of our time,” by Time Out NY, judy is the author of 17 full-length plays and performance pieces including Hir, which placed on the top ten theater of 2015 lists of The New York Times, New York Magazine and Time Out NY.
For the Love of (or, the Roller Derby Play)
A World Premiere
Pride Films & Plays
When Joy, a driftless young woman, gets on the Brooklyn Scallywags and meets the star, Lizzie Lightning, she and her long-term partner Michelle find their lives turned upside down. For the Love Of asks how much you’re willing to sacrifice – or lose – in order to follow your heart. This world premiere play by Gina Femia, a Brooklyn born and based playwright whose work has been presented in more than 30 festivals locally, nationally and internationally, will open March 16 under the direction of Rachel Edwards Harvith. Press opening is March 20, 2017. Pride Films and Plays Artistic Director Nelson Rodriguez says, “In an era when women’s rights and autonomy are threatened, I am thrilled for PFP to present For the Love Of. Femia’s superb writing, diverse all-female cast of characters, and representation of contemporary queer women is anchored by Joy’s journey of realizing she has the authority, confidence, and passion to find fulfillment in herself. This play is one hell of ride in which we see that love and roller derby are both contact sports.”
Earthquakes in London
Steep Theatre Company
Directed by Jonathan Berry
As global destruction approaches, the lives of a climate scientist and his three estranged daughters come crashing unexpectedly back together. The wildly epic Earthquakes in London embodies the chaos of today’s society, and asks us what matters most when everything's falling apart. A US Premiere, and directed by ensemble member Jonathan Berry, a Jeff Award winning director who most recently helmed Steppenwolf Theatre’s Constellations.
Heart’s Core
Refugee Women’s Theatre Programme
Heart’s Core was s a women-led theatre project for women refugees & asylum seekers. Six months of drama workshops, as well as writing, directing, music, dance, story-telling and singing workshops were cultivated into a high-quality performance event at Z Arts increasing the profile of Greater Manchester refugee & asylum-seeking women, giving them a voice and advocating for their needs.
The workshops offered a dedicated space for the women to come together, develop their confidence through enjoyable creative activity, share cultural traditions, learn new skills, express and develop their own voices, and expand their support networks.
To celebrate Refugee Week in 2013, women from Greater Manchester’s refugee and migrant communities welcomed audiences to the heart of their lives. Telling stories that were significant to them and to their communities, these women invite audiences to share their dreams – and nightmares.
Community Arts North West presented Heart’s Core, on 15 June 2013 at Z-Arts, 335 Stretford Road, Hulme, M15 5ZA
Antigone Now
Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Early College High School
In the midst of a bombed-out city still feeling the aftershocks of war, the rebellious and intense Antigone defies her uncle to bury her disgraced brother. This contemporary response to the myth of Antigone brings powerful, modern prose to an ancient and universal story. In response to the shooting of Michael Brown and subsequent unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, students explored the place of teenagers in revolution, and what it means for a community to stand against their leaders in the face of injustice.
PSJA High School's submission to the UIL One-Act Play contest. One-Act Play contests are hosted by University Interscholastic League throughout Texas to foster appreciation of good theatre, satisfy the competitive, artistic spirit with friendly rivalry among schools, learn to lose or win graciously, promote interest in theatre during adult life and increase the number of schools which have adopted theatre arts as an academic subject in school curricula. At various levels of competition, schools perform a short play. The plays are adjudicated and individual awards are given to performers and technicians. Schools advance through multiple tiers of contest, culminating in the UIL State Meet every spring.
The Wizard of Oz
Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Early College High School
A collaboration between Raul Yzaguirre Middle School Drama Department and Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Early College High School. Middle school student collaborated with high school program and performed in PSJA High School's annual children's show.
