Prof. William Ayers, the Distinguished Professor of Education and Senior University Scholar at UIC will be on hand at VG not once, but twice to talk about issues related to Jeffrey Sweet’s new play Class Dismissed. With ideas of idealism, activism and the value of education swirling around CD, the activist and education theorist will undoubtedly have much to say.
The convos go down at 6pm on March 26th and April 2nd, with Class Dismissed starting at 7:30. Click here to buy tickets.
Heads Up: The location for this Friday’s Pub Night has been changed from Clarke’s Bar and Grille to Lincoln Station Bar. Don’t stress out – it’s right across the street.
So, if you’re joining us for tomorrow’s performance of Living Green (and if you’re not already planning on it, you should), come devour some appetizers and a drink with us at Lincoln Station.
Just after Valentine’s Day, on February 15th and 16th, Arlene Malinowski will be presenting her one woman show, What Does the Sun Sound like?, the happy new edition to Fresh Squeezed! WDTSSL is Arlene’s personal account of growing up as the hearing daughter to two deaf parents.
Pictured here is Arlene’s Kindergarten report card. She passed with flying colors when it came to waiting her turn, knowing her clothes, and being polite. She knew her left hand from her right, and she knew her birthday.But unlike many of her peers, Arlene did not know her telephone number. This is because her parents did not communicate via telephone, so Arlene did not have a number to know!
no checks here
Pretty interesting, right?Arlene is a super-fun lady with a whole lot of story-telling in her, so come share the love after Valentines Day and see What Does the Sun Sound like?
Purchase tickets online at http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?organ_val=22686&event_val=WDSS&schedule=listnd and have a great time!
Get your pre-show on with some appetizers and a free drink! That’s right: Friday, February 13th is Pub Night, people. Starting at 6:30, VG’ll be hosting a little get together at Clarke’s Bar and Grille, right next door to the Biograph before the evening’s performance of Living Green.
Take a look at their MySpace page and tell me you don’t want to hang out there before the show.
Just get yourself a ticket for that evening’s show.
Last Thursday, VG had the honor of welcoming Ronald Holt for Living Green’s Humanities Night.
In 2007, Mr. Holt, a veteran Chicago police officer, lost his son Blair to an act of gun violence. Since then, he has founded Purpose Over Pain, an organization that provides a body of outreach programs related to gun violence, including victim support groups and violence prevention educational programs.
For those not in the know, VG’s Humanities Nights are an opportunity to hear Chicago-area scholars and activists share their knowledge and experiences that relate to our Mainstage shows. And, by the way, if you weren’t there on Thursday, you’ve got one more shot. Mr. Holt will be back again this Thursday for another discussion with Gloria Bond Clunie before the evening’s performance of Living Green.
Be there: Thursday, February 5th. Discussion starts at 6pm, show starts at 7:30. Just hop over here and get yourself a ticket for Thursday night’s show.
New year. New president. New plays. Can i get a “hell yeah!”?
The end of 2008 was pretty sweet—a big giant high five/hug/plain ol’ thank you (whichever you’re most comfortable with) to everyone who came out to support The Snow Queen and Drinking & Writing. The final Drinking & Writing show was completely sold out to standing room only!! (and the beer was pretty good, too)
We don’t like to lay low for long at Victory Gardens, though. We’re kind of sick of eating our way through the winter and ready to move on to something new. Next on the VGT docket?
Living Green
a world premiere by Gloria Bond Clunie
directed by Andi Dymond
This is a fresh new work set around the time of the Million Man March and follows the trials and triumphs of an affluent Black family living in the North Shore suburb of Chicago. As their children Carol and Dempsey come of age, Angela and Frank Freedman question whether they’ve done the right thing by choosing to bring them up in a privileged, predominantly white environment. Should they sell the home they’ve grown to love and relocate to a new fixer-upper in the far less glamorous Humboldt Park so they comfortably afford the cost of college? What motivates their hesitation to plunge back into the diversity they faught so adamantly for in their activist youth?
In the wake this recent Chicago Tribune article, the past year’s cuts in public transportation to areas of the city that are home to mostly minorities, and the impending inauguration of our nation’s first Black president, this is a important new show with a powerhouse cast and tender familial moments that will resonate with anyone who’s ever been a member of a family (that’s you! and you! even you!).
Living Green begins previews on Friday, January 23rd, 2009 at the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater.
You can check out the process before hand by attending our totally free open rehearsal on Thursday, January 15th at 6pm. Watch the actors and directors fine tune the show followed by a talkback and reception catered by Zig Zag Cafe. We’d love to have you, but keep in mind that space is limited. So if you’d like to come, please give us a little ring-a-ding or shoot us an email to say, “Hey! This looks cool! I want to come!” Direct these RSVPs to the great and wonderful Will Rogers at 773.549.5788 x2167 or wrogers@victorygardens.org
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
So The Snow Queen closed its doors on Sunday with its final performance to a sold-out house! The show was a wonderful success and we thank everyone who came out to see it and support live theater. For those of you who didn’t come see the show, what’s your deal? huh? You are officially uninvited to my birthday party.
I’ve had those bloody Snow Queen songs stuck in my head for weeks. Not that I’m complaining. They’re just so damn catchy. Have a listen at your own risk.
When my brain stops playing The Snow Queen soundtrack on repeat and I recover from the tumult that is the holidays, I can’t wait to tell you guys about Living Green. It starts up January 23rd. I truly can’t wait. But for now, I will just have to settle for living dirty.
HEY
Super Intern Ali, here. Just wanted to let you all know about the fun you’ve been missing at Victory Gardens while you’ve been busy with your kids, Christmas shopping, drug addiction, what-have-you.
Last night we were lucky enough to have a bunch of stellar musicians from the Old Town School of Folk Music come to our Lincoln Park Neighbors Night to teach us all a thing or two about the instruments featured in The Snow Queen. For those unfamiliar with what Lincoln Park Neighbors Night is, it’s a swingin’ party we hold on the first Wednesday of each mainstage show. Local businesses come and offer their unique expertise during our pre-show activities.
So last night we learned how to play the guitar, strum the banjo, and run horse hair over the strings of a violin. Shannon, Pilar, Sam and I learned how to play the Chuck Berry song from Pulp Fiction. Then we learned how to play the banjo. Here’s a little video from our jam session.
Fiesta Mexicana provided the food. So with our bellies full, and our fingers freshly calloused, we enjoyed The Snow Queen. Rock on.
Check out The Old Town School’s website for info on classes, concerts, and other things to keep your toes a tappin’.
Happy Week After Thanksgiving. We hope you ate as much as much as we did. Thanks to everyone who came out for opening night of Drinking & Writing IV: The 12 Steps of XMas. If you missed us, there’s still three more Fridays to catch Steve & Phil ham it up holiday style at our Biograph bar. The show is at 10:30, and the tickets drop $5 with the mere mention of the word “BEER” to the friendly box office staff. And extra $10 will keep your beer glass full all night. Plus, save the flyer in your Drinking & Writing program to get 2-for-one tickets to The Snow Queen.
Gluttony Weekend 2008 wouldn’t be complete without the first snow of the season and, I gotta say, it’s not too shabby. Enjoy it while it’s still fun. ‘Tis the season for getting up fifteen minutes earlier to warm up the car and scrape ice of the windows.
We actually ordered that snow. Yep. Victory Gardens actually finagled a deal with Mayor Daley to have flakes fall on Chicago just in time for opening night of The Snow Queen. I know, I know. Sounds totally bogus, right?
The Snow Queen opens it’s third year on the Victory Gardens Biograph stage tonight. Gerda and Kai are back (with VG newcomer Patrick Andrews playing Kai) with puppets and music bigger and better than ever! Come join us now through December 28th. This is a perfect opportunity for an original family activity this holiday season. If you come this week, we have several interactive evenings planned to make your Snow Queen experience even more magical!
Monday, December 1st – 7:30pm show
OPENING NIGHT GALA
-join us as we toast the opening of our 3rd year at a post-show reception in the Biograph lobby.
Wednesday, December 3rd – 6pm reception, 7:30pm show
LINCOLN PARK NEIGHBORS NIGHT
-Old Town School of Folk Music‘s Different Strummer Music Store will give free lessons on the instruments in The Snow Queen during a pre-show reception catered by Fiesta Mexicana.
Thursday, December 4th – 6pm backstage tour, 7:30 show
HUMANITIES NIGHT
-cast members host guided tours behind the scenes of The Snow Queen! Check out the set, the puppets, and meet the actors. This is a personal, hands-on experience not to be missed!
Saturday, December 6th at 3pm
FAMILY SATURDAY
-The Snow Queen is for children 8 and up, but what about younger kids? No worries…bring your whole family on Family Saturday! Parents and older kids can watch the show, while we keep kids 4 and up entertained in our rehearsal room with theater games, crafts, and storytelling.
**CLICK HERE TO SEE THE OFFICIAL SNOW QUEEN TRAILER**
we are thinking about Thanksgiving and how we are thankful for so many things this time of year, things like Coffeemate Peppermint Mocha creamer and Black Wednesday and cheaper gas. all of these things are so great. i didn’t even know what Black Wednesday was until today, but i am thankful for it because Thanksgiving makes me thankful for everything from lollipops to parking tickets.
but if i had to pick one thing that i am most thankful for, i would have to say Drinking & Writing IV: The 12 Steps of XMas. I mean, come on. who doesn’t like drinking? and writing? and don’t we ALL take the world in steps? so as you pick at that leftover turkey and green beans on Friday wondering what in the hell do do with your night, come to the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater and be thankful with us. Steve and Phil will make you laugh while we all share a Rock Bottom beer or two or three. There will even be pizza, and i promise that it won’t have any turkey or green beans on it.
mention the secret word BEER when you buy your ticket and get $5 off. then, take THAT $5 and add it to another $5, because for $10 you can take home your very own Victory Gardens pilsner glass that will be refilled with free brew all night!
mark it down. this friday, november 28th. 10:30pm. Biograph Theater Lobby.
bring your friends.
be there or be square.
first things first.
We can’t tell you who the new president’s going to be, but we can tell you that this new squeeze is fresher than fresh, hotter than hot, and funkier than funk. Ladies & gentlemen, we bring you Fresh Squeezed. Brought to you by Victory Gardens Theater, Fresh Squeezed is a new series of late-night, offbeat performances and events highlighting fresh talent from Chicago and around the country.
Basically, it’s off-the-hook.
Join us on Sunday, October 26th & Monday, October 27th at 7:30pm for our first event, WNYC’s RadioLab: Martian Invasion. The breakout public radio hit will explore the phenomenon that is War of the Worlds. Hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich examine the amazing and disturbing effects it has had on radio listeners not once, not twice, but three times. Just in time for Halloween, RadioLab lands for a rare, and always sold out, live event.
To view our season line-up and order your tickets to Fresh Squeezed events, visit our website or contact the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater box office at 773.871.3000
In the meantime, join us as we celebrate the opening the 2008-2009 Victory Gardens Biograph Theater season with Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl, running now through November 9th.
Eurydice just wrapped it’s first week and is taking Chicago by storm. Thanks to everyone who came so far, and to those who haven’t had the chance yet, allow the glowing reviews to entice you—
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
“wholly captivating, subtly madcap, heart-piercingly lovely…Co-directed by Sandy Shinner and Jessica Thebus in a way that feels magically at one with Ruhl’s sensibility…Daniel Ostling’s minimalist set is its own kind of poetry, as is Andre Pluess’ ideal sound design…Eurydice begins with the two young lovers — the sensitive, playfully prickly Orpheus (Jamie Abelson, whose golden boyishness is matched by an intriguing elusiveness), and Eurydice (Lee Stark, just a year out of Northwestern, supremely skilled, and with the charm of a young Jean Seberg).”
Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
“If you’ve not seen Eurydice, I wouldn’t miss the chance…The new production at Victory Gardens convinced me of this play’s honest beauty…3 stars…Obeys its own quirky rules, keeps its metaphors manageable and effects a very delightful simplicity…A beguiling little play…Very powerful…The most emotionally reachable performance comes from the terrific Joe D. Lauck, who plays Eurydice’s father and whose love for his daughter seems to flow out into the theater in great waves…Lee Stark is very appealing in the title role – and has a quirky, Ruhl-like quality”
Venus Zarris, ChicagoStageReview.com
A lovely dreamlike theatrical treat filled with beguiling imagery…There is great beauty and wonder, both physical and emotional, created by this production…Joe D. Lauck’s portrayal of the Father unlocks the emotional Pandora’s Box of this script. He finds an honesty and tenderness that is simultaneously heartbreaking, charming and lovely. His performance reaches into the depth of Ruhl’s writing and extracts the deceptive epiphany.”
Dan Zeff, ChicagolandTheaterReviews.com
4 STARS
“A magical staging…works both as glowing drama and as imaginative theater…loaded with droll and comic pleasures…an exceptional visual production…Beau O’Reilly nearly steals all his scenes as the flamboyant and slightly sinister Nasty Interesting Man and the Lord of the Underworld. The three Stones are well played by three old pros of the Chicago theater, William J. Norris, Cheryl Lynn Bruce, and Caitlin Hart…It is impossible to overpraise the contributions by the design team (who) collectively put together a physical production that is enchanting to see and hear.”
Tom Williams, ChicagoCritic.com
“I have not seen a more engrossing and lovely mounting of a classic Greek myth on stage…a lovely show filled with heart”
Eurydice runs through November 9th at the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue. Click here to purchase tickets or call the box office at 773.871.3000
It’s not only us who are super jazzed for our impending Fresh Squeezed event, RadioLab! Check out the Chicago Tribune’s article about our upcoming show at the VGT Biograph! It’s sure to be an eclectic romp through radio land! Since there’s a possibility you may have missed Orson Well’s first broadcast of War of the Worlds, here’s your chance to relive the fun and, of course, ensuing chaos and panic…GOOD TIMES!
Check out the Article HERE!
Jab Abumrad takes over NYC
Tickets to this very special event are going fast! Don’t miss the Martian Invasion! Trust me…BUY TICKETS HERE!
WNYC’s RadioLab: Martian Invasion runs for two nights only, October 26 and 27 at 7:30pm at the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue. Regular price tickets are $30. Fresh Squeezed members pay $25. Tickets are available by calling the Box Office at (773) 847-3000 or at www.victorygardens.org.
While RadioLab is steadily approaching (and yes, we’re still super jazzed…) it’s not too early to start getting excited for our next Fresh Squeezed event, Cabaret! Cabaret! This exclusive sneak peak into what will be playing on Chicago stages next season is November 7th and 8th at the Biograph. Mark your calendars. Or whip out your iphones. However you crazy kids remember things nowadays.
oo la la
So here is the deal. RadioLab is now gone and we are all very sad. But for those who just don’t want it to be done, here is your chance to win some awesome stuff! Below are three photos taken from the RadioLab’s time in Chicago. We are awarding prizes to the funniest caption. Look the photos over, get your noggin going, and tickle our collective funny bone.
What will you win? How about:
Here’s how it works:
If you haven’t stepped outside yet today, do so. It’s Niiiice. And if you haven’t made your plans for tonight yet, you should visit the Haunted Sanitarium at the Theater on the Lake. Feel free to harass the crazy clown lady…
AAHHHHHH!!!!
No, not this crazy clown lady. Although she is frightening….
VGT’s own Megan Mercier, of “slutty trucker clown” fame, is showing off her goulish talents at the haunted house. So get the gang together, throw back some libations, and hit up the Haunted Sanitarium. It’s $10 and runs til Saturday.
that’s right. you heard me. it’s time to get freaky with that cornucopia and tip your three-cornered hat to the almighty tap.
i’m sorry, was that too much?
it’s just that we’re still so fever geeked after spending the weekend with Cabaret! Cabaret! Even if you missed the show, be sure to catch the respective shows as they open and run throughout the year. thank you to everyone who came, saw, and conquered. here’s hoping you had as much fun as we did.
so who’s ready for the holidays? <universal grumble>
so who’s ready for Drinking & Writing?!?! <universal cries of jubilation>
that’s right ladies & gents*. Steve Mosqueda is back in the house, this time with friend Phil Ridarelli, and hyped to bring you another round of the hit show Drinking & Writing IV: The 12 Steps of XMas. This show is unlike our other shows and probably most shows. Why? Because it is staged at a bar. Our bar at the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater. You have four chances between November 28th and December 19th to watch hilarity ensue. Fridays at 10:30pm.
get your tickets now. like right now. we’re talking stop, drop, & roll style folks.
did we mention that today is thirsty thursday?
—–footnotes—–
*but not children of all ages. no, we don’t think you should bring your children to this show. we think you should put them to bed and call a babysitter. or the grandparents.
