Displaying items by tag: theatre

Following a critically-acclaimed, sell-out run of Just For Us at Steppenwolf Theatre and around the globe, Tony and Emmy Award-winning comedian Alex Edelman returns with another hilarious and thought-provoking dissection of identity: What Are You Going to Do, playing five performances only August 12 – 16, 2026 in Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theater, 1650 N. Halsted St. in Chicago. Tickets ($54* – $94*) are now on sale at steppenwolf.org or by calling the Box Office at (312) 335-1650. *includes $10 processing fee

This all-new show finds the Bostonian sweetheart asking different and more unsettling questions. Primarily, should he spend his time doing something else? Should he be saving lives like his physician father? Should he be trying to return to the sense of community he experienced growing up among Israelis and Palestinians? In a show that reckons with the effects of time spent in trauma, Edelman deftly weaves in and out of examinations of faith broadly – not just Judaism – and wonders if, perhaps, there might be better things out there for him.

Performance Schedules:

Wednesday, August 12 at 7:30 pm
Thursday, August 13 at 7:30 pm
Friday, August 14 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, August 15 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, August 16 at 3 pm

Artist Biography

One of the most critically hailed comedians of his generation, Alex Edelman is best known for solo shows that blur the line between his stand-up comedy roots and narrative-driven storytelling. His last offering, Just For Us, played more than 500 performances all over the world - including acclaimed runs off- and on-Broadway. It premiered as an HBO original comedy special in April of 2024, earning him a place on the Time 100 list, a Tony Award and an Emmy Award for Best Writing for a Variety Special. Edelman appeared in Jerry Seinfeld's directorial debut for Netflix, Unfrosted. Beyond stand-up, he writes regularly for TV and can be seen starring in Peacock's The Paper, a Greg Daniels-helmed spiritual successor to The Office. He also writes on the show as a Consulting Producer. 

Accessibility:

Steppenwolf is committed to making the theatergoing experience accessible to everyone. Assistive listening devices are available for every performance and all our spaces are equipped with an induction hearing loop. Our building features wheelchair accessible seating and restrooms, push-button entrances, a courtesy wheelchair and all-gender restrooms, with accessible counter and table spaces at our bars. For additional information regarding accessibility, visit steppenwolf.org/access. If you have questions or would like to make a specific request, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call our box office at (312) 335-1650.

Sponsor Information: 

United Airlines is the Official and Exclusive Airline of Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf is also grateful for the significant season support from lead sponsors Allstate Insurance Company, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Crown Family Philanthropies, Caroline and Keating Crown, Julius Frankel Foundation, Lefkofsky Family Foundation, Northern Trust, Anne and Don Phillips, John Hart and Carol Prins, Shubert Foundation, Inc, Walder Foundation, and Zell Family Foundation. Steppenwolf also acknowledges generous support from premier sponsors Anonymous, Andrew and Amy Bluhm, Michael and Cathy Brennan, Ann and Richard Carr, Chicago Community Trust, Conagra Brands Foundation, Rich and Margery Feitler, FROST CHICAGO, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Orlebeke Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, Sacks Family Foundation, Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Thoma Bravo and Bryan Traubert and Penny Pritzker. Steppenwolf also acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council and the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

About Steppenwolf Theatre Company:

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation's premier Ensemble Theater with 50 members who are among the top actors, playwrights and directors in the field. Thrilling, powerful, groundbreaking productions have made this theatre legendary. From the 1980 phenomenon of Balm in Gilead, to The Grapes of Wrath, August: Osage County, Downstate, The Brother/Sister Plays, and now, the 2025 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Purpose, Steppenwolf Theatre has had a long-running and undeniable impact on American Theatre and Chicago's cultural landscape. Founded in 1975 by Terry Kinney, Jeff Perry and Gary Sinise, Steppenwolf started as a group of young people in their teens and early 20s performing in the basement of a church. Today, the company's artistic force remains rooted in the original vision of its founders: an artist-driven theatre, whose vitality is defined by its appetite for bold and innovative work. Every aspect of Steppenwolf is rooted in its Ensemble ethos, from the intergenerational artistic programming to the multi-genre performance series LookOut, to the nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf Education and Engagement which serves nearly 15,000 teens annually. While grounded in the Chicago community, more than 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success nationally and internationally, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. Steppenwolf also holds accolades that include the National Medal of Arts, 14 Tony Awards, two Pulitzer Prize-winning commissions and more. Led by Artistic Directors Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis, Executive Director E. Brooke Flanagan and Board of Trustees Chair Keating Crown — Steppenwolf continually redefines the boundaries of live theater and pushes the limits of acting and performance.

Steppenwolf's Mission: Steppenwolf strives to create thrilling, courageous and provocative art in a thoughtful and inclusive environment. We succeed when we disrupt your routine with experiences that spark curiosity, empathy and joy. We invite you to join our ensemble as we navigate, together, our complex world. steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre, twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr and instagram.com/steppenwolfthtr.

If you’ve ever worked in an urban coffee shop, chances are you’ve encountered at least one ultra-paranoid kook who believes the government is spying on them. Often they’re filling out long journals or manifestos. Or perhaps that one crazy uncle we all seem to have who believes in way too many conspiracy theories. These loveable, but disturbed weirdos commonly refer to themselves as “targeted individuals.” 

Hanna Kime’s new play The Targeted makes its world premiere at A Red Orchid Theatre. In it, she empathetically explores the lives of these folks and what draws them to their beliefs. Though it is at times humorous, Kime’s play is not exploitative. Rather, she builds an entire ecosystem for not only those affected by this kind of thinking, but the ways in which others profit from it. 

Grace Dolezal-Ng directs a bonafide dream cast of some of Chicago’s best actresses. They turn the main stage at The Chopin into a woodsy, weekend retreat called The Solidarity and Truth Summit. Rhonda (Kirsten Fitzgerald), Didi (Natalie West) at first seem very nice and chummy when welcoming newcomer Sherry (Sadieh Rifai), but as the weekend wears on, fractures begin to form. Rhonda is immediately mistrustful of Mia (Stephanie Shum), another newbie who is very upfront about not being a believer in government tracking conspiracies; she’s only there to support her misguided younger brother Eric (Glenn Obrero). The power structure becomes more complicated once the organizer of the summit, Jeff (Lawrence Grimm), starts giving whacky lectures.

In 95 minutes of quick-moving scenes, each character reveals how this affliction has sabotaged their personal lives. At the beginning, you can almost convince yourself these people are normal, just with some strange ideas. Sadieh Rifai plays Sherry with such naive conviction that you can’t imagine a simple, suburban housewife could ever be tempted by this rabbit hole. Through her character, Kime makes a thinly veiled parallel to the “Q-Anon” to “Trad Wife” pipeline. In contrast, Kirsten Fitzgerald’s Rhonda is hard as nails and her desire to control the weekends’ narrative speaks directly to just how dangerously persuasive conspiratorial ideology can be.

The central storyline presents itself in the relationship between Eric and Mia though. As a non-believer, Mia is outnumbered and it’s not long before she begins questioning her own sanity. Stephanie Shum plays the voice of reason with a quintessential authority. Her character’s demand for truth shows how frustrating independent thinking can feel in group settings.

While there is certainly a rubber-necking quality to the topic at hand, Kime never treats her characters as some sort of Netflix documentary sideshow specimens. Natalie West plays one of the weirder believers but her quirky softness makes her one of the show’s most endearing characters, even if she is hawking metaphoric snake oil for a living.

In the end, Kime lets the audience make up their own mind as to whether these folks actually believe what they’re talking about, or whether they’re just extremely lonely. It’s hard to criticize conspiracy theorists in an era in which almost every aspect of our federal government seems to be conspiring against its people. Kime builds a case for compassion with The Targeted.

Through June 14 at A Red Orchid Theatre. At Chopin Theatre. 1543 W Division St. 773-278-1500.

While many of my classmates were signing up for Spanish classes, I thought it would be terribly useful to sign up for French. French? In Southern California? What good would that possibly do? A degree and several trips to French-speaking countries later, and I’m proud to say French is not only useful, but I also find it in use in the very theatres I now have the privilege to patronize. Unbeknownst to many, theatre is deeply rooted in French, and French words span everything from the venue to the play’s structure and how we, as audience members, engage with the play. We often enter through the foyer (hearth or lobby), take seats in the balcony (borrowed via the French balcon), to become part of the audience (from Old French audience, meaning the act of hearing), to watch a drole (from the French adjective meaning amusing, or comical) production with witty repartee (from the French repartie, which means "to reply quickly.”) The French also gave us hundreds of pieces of work, none more famous than the master of modern comedy himself, Molière, with plays such as Tartuffe, or, The Charlatan, now playing at Stars & Garters Theatre.

Photo by Logan and Candice Conner, Oomphotography. 

Tartuffe, or The Charlatan’s is a story that takes place in the home of the wealthy Orgon, where Tartuffe - a fraud and a pious charlatan - has insinuated himself. He succeeds in winning Orgon’s respect and devotion, then attempts to marry his daughter, seduce his wife, and seize the deed to his property. Tartuffe nearly gets away with it, too, but an emissary from THE KING arrives in time to recover the property, free Orgon and haul Tartuffe off to jail. The charlatan’s duplicity is finally exposed and punished, but not before the author mercilessly skewers the evil that men can commit with the right cult following. Tartuffe, or The Charlatan, is a comedy about the dangers that imperil those who would believe only what they choose to believe despite a mountain of evidence to the contrary. 

Photo by Logan and Candice Conner, Oomphotography. 

It’s easy to see why director Wm. Bullion chose to stage such a farce (borrowed from the Middle French word farce, meaning "to stuff", referring to short comic sketches that were “stuffed” between the scenes of serious religious plays). It’s a satirical piece written in rhyming couplets, which makes the play fast-paced, with an easy-to-follow storyline that has an almost musical, sophisticated quality. Despite being written in 1664, the story is not only relatable but humorously relevant today; a charlatan pulling the wool over a single man’s eyes who ignores everyone’s warnings and fact-based evidence to the contrary of what he believes, eerily and frustratingly relevant today. Hundreds of years after the controversial play was written, it still makes for a hilarious performance, and The Conspirators managed to stage a punk-esque (from the French suffix -esque denoting "in the style of" or "resembling") production that would make Molière himself proud, so long as The King was in good spirits.

(L-R) Anthony Soto with Tucker Privette. Photo by Logan and Candice Conner, Oomphotography. 

Whether you catch a matinée (from the French matinée, meaning morning or daytime) or an evening show, don’t commit a Chicago faux pas (French meaning "false step”) and miss your opportunity to see this play. Tartuffe, or The Charlatan, is now playing at Stars & Garters (3914 N. Clark St., Chicago), through June 7. Tickets are $30 and may be purchased online at Humanitix.com. For more information about The Conspirators, please visit ConspireWithUs.org. J'espère que vous avez appris un ou deux mots de français. Maintenant, allons au théâtre!

This review is proudly shared with our friends at www.TheatreInChicago.com. 

Real Chicagoans don’t gatekeep hidden gems. Whether it’s hidden bars behind laundromats, the best Billy Goat location (under Mag Mile), the best desserts or street tacos, the best place to catch a local game (insert season + sport), or a must-see show or concert, real Chicagoans share the hidden gems and surprise experiences. They share because it's thoughtful, considerate, and they want others to experience the same joy and elation they themselves experienced. Most importantly, they want to talk about the shared experience after, preferably at a hidden beach adjacent gem. Today’s hidden gem is TUTA, a theatre company staging a heavy-themed production of Crime and Punishment.

The story of Crime and Punishment follows the mental anguish and moral dilemmas of Rodion Raskolnikov, an impoverished former law student in Saint Petersburg who plans to kill an unscrupulous pawnbroker. The play is a stage adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky's 1866 novel of the same name, co-written by Marilyn Campbell and Curt Columbus. The authors of the adaptation condensed a heavily philosophical and psychological novel into a 90-minute, three-person play where the actors portray multiple characters without losing any of the depth or themes conveyed in the novel. Themes like isolation, morally gray ambiguity, faith, and fairness all still resonate today over 100 years later.

The TUTA Theatre (The Utopian Theatre Asylum) really proves that good things really do come in small packages. The small theatre found through an alleyway and accessed through a garage provided an unintentional eerie setting, winding your way to a small enclosure similar to the run-down windowless room the protagonist lives in. The minimalist-yet-evocative stage design also lent itself to the poignantly punishable psychology of Dostoevsky's play. By having Raskolnikov kneeling in dirt in supplication, having characters move behind sheer yet blurry plastic tarps, making you question if they were really there or if the character was descending into the madness of his own logic. In a way, the stage was the fourth cast member, moodily setting the tone with lights and effects that aided the claustrophobic and alienation the protagonist was showing on stage. And big talent filled the room with the incredible talent of TUTA company members Felix as Sonia, Huy Nguyen as Inspector Porfiry, and Clifton Frei as Raskolnikov.

TUTA is a fascinating theatre company with a pay-what-you-choose ticket structure. As a non-profit theatre, TUTA relies on ticket sales as well as grants, donations, and in-kind gifts of labor and talent to create art. For Crime & Punishment, for example, a price of $100 per ticket is what it would take to cover the costs of the production. By choosing a higher ticket price, you are creating opportunities for others to attend at lower prices who may not be able to enjoy this performance otherwise. If you want a guaranteed seat in the small theatre, reservations are available online, and you can choose one of four suggested prices ($20, $45, $60, and $100). The higher price you pay or donate, the more affordable future tickets can become throughout the production’s run time.

Whether a production is staged in a garage that borders the Brown Line or the finest auditoriums the city has to offer, Chicago proves time and time again that it houses a thousand treasures. And if you don’t know how to find them, don’t worry, there’s always a friendly Chicagoan ready to tell you all about it. Crime and Punishment is now playing at the TUTA Theatre (4670 N. Manor, Chicago) through June 28^th. To purchase reservations and guarantee a seat to the performance of your choice, visit www.tutatheatre.org. It'd be a Crime if you didn't get the chance to see this one.

This review is proudly shared with our friends at www.TheatreInChicago.com. 

Your favorite kids show is back! The Second City is excited to welcome the return of its wildly popular summer hit for young audiences. No Grown-Ups Allowed is a high-energy, fast-paced sketch and improv comedy show delivering 60 minutes of non-stop laughter for the whole family. Tickets sell fast every year! For tickets and more information, visit secondcity.com or call The Second City box office at 312-337-3992.

The show features a mix of family-friendly songs and sketches from The Second City's iconic comedy archives, alongside fresh new material created just for young audiences. And of course, it's all brought to life with the ridiculous improv hijinks The Second City is known for.

Starring a hilarious cast, No Grown-Ups Allowed is a one-of-a-kind interactive theatrical experience, giving kids the chance to jump into the action, whether from their seats or by joining performers live onstage.

No Grown-Ups Allowed runs Saturdays at 11am and 1pm, June 6 through August 29, with one added Sunday performance on July 5 at 11am and 1pm. Tickets are $29. Perfect for ages 6-13.

About The Second City

The Second City opened its doors in 1959 as a small comedy cabaret and has since grown into the world's most influential name in improvisation and comedy, celebrating its 65th anniversary in 2024. The Second City's stages, Touring Companies, and Training Centers across North America have proudly been the launch pad and artistic home for many of the funniest performers, writers, directors, and comedic minds on the planet. As well, for decades The Second City's corporate education and entertainment arm, Second City Works, has supported global businesses using the same methods pioneered on its stages to drive individual growth and organizational improvement.

For more information on The Second City, visit www.secondcity.com and follow The Second City on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Buffalo Theatre Ensemble (BTE), the professional Equity theater company in residence at the McAninch Arts Center (MAC), announced it will mark its 40th anniversary season with three productions spanning beloved literary adaptations, classic suspense and broad British comedy. The season opens with "Louisa May Alcott's Little Women," by Lauren Gunderson (Nov. 12-Dec. 13). It will be followed by "Dial M for Murder" adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher, from the original by Frederick Knott,  directed by Steve Scott (Jan. 28-Feb. 28) and Richard Bean's "One Man, Two Guvnors" directed by Ensemble member Connie Canaday Howard (May 6-June 6).

"Forty years of sharing stories on stage has been made possible by our outstanding community of audience members who have made Buffalo Theatre Ensemble their theatrical home. These plays, filled with humor and heart, are a thank you to our loyal patrons and an open invitation to new friends to experience Buffalo Theatre Ensemble during this milestone season,"says Daniel Millhouse, Interim Managing Artistic Director.

BTE's 2026-2027 three-play season is as follows.

"Louisa May Alcott's Little Women"
By Lauren Gunderson
Director to be Announced
Nov. 12 – Dec. 13, 2026
Preview: Thursday, Nov. 12, Press Opening: Friday, Nov. 13
Performances: 7:30 p.m. Thursday - Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday
Note: No show on Thursday Nov. 26 (Thanksgiving); added performance Saturday, Nov. 28 at 3 p.m.

In Lauren Gunderson's fresh and heartfelt adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's classic novel "Little Women," the beloved four March sisters step onto the stage with new vitality and emotional clarity. As Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy navigate growing up during the Civil War in Massachusetts, they chase dreams, confront loss and discover the fierce power of family. Gunderson, co-writer of the popular "Christmas at Pemberly" trilogy, illuminates Alcott's timeless story, celebrating imagination, resilience and the enduring bonds that shape who we become. Splash Magazine calls it, "an absolute delight from start to finish," and Chicago Stage and Screen calls it, "a heartwarming experience perfect for the holiday season."

"Dial M for Murder"
Adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher from the original by Frederick Knott
Directed by Steve Scott
Jan. 28 – Feb. 28, 2027
Preview: Thursday, Jan. 28, Press Opening: Friday, Jan. 29
Performances: 7:30 p.m. Thursday - Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday

A sophisticated game of cat and mouse unfolds in this classic suspense thriller when a carefully constructed murder plot begins to unravel in unexpected ways. What follows is a razor-sharp battle of wits filled with deception, twists and chilling surprises. The Chicago Sun-Times says, "'Dial M' calls up a noirish universe filled with shady corners and shadier characters," and the Chicago Tribune calls it, "an entertaining evening of old-fashioned suspense." Originally written for a 1952 BBC broadcast, Knott's play was adapted for London and Broadway stages, TV and a 1954 Alfred Hitchcock film starring Ray Miland, Grace Kelly and Robert Cummings.

"One Man, Two Guvnors"
By Richard Bean
Based on "The Servant of Two Masters" by Carlo Goldoni
With "Tomorrow Looks Good from Here," Music by Grant Olding, Lyrics by Richard Bean  and Grant Olding
Directed by Connie Canaday Howard
May 6-June 6, 2027
Preview: Thursday, May 6, Press Opening: Friday, May 7
Performances: 7:30 p.m. Thursday - Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday

The perpetually hungry Francis Henshall accidentally winds up employed by two men: a fearsome gangster and a criminal on the run. Both guvnors are entangled in a web of schemes, shakedowns and seductions. To keep his double-dealing a secret, Henshall must juggle both guvnors, chase a decent meal and win the girl. Playwright Bean transports the classic commedia dell'arte tale "The Servant of Two Masters" (1746) into the bright, brash world of seaside Brighton in 1963. Daily Variety calls "One Man, Two Guvnors" "...sheer comic delirium," and London Theatre calls it "one of the funniest shows I've seen ... a rip-roaring hit."

For each play, there will be a pre-show discussion before the Thursday preview performances, and a post-show discussion following the second Friday performance. There will be an ASL Performance on the fourth Thursday of each run.

Tickets

Subscriptions are now on sale. Those subscribing by June 10 save 25% off single show ticket prices. After that date, subscribers receive 20% off single show ticket prices. A Season Flex-Pass is also available redeemable for each production during BTE's 2026-2027 Season. Subscriber benefits include free ticket exchanges, invitations to subscriber nights, a subscription to the SuBTExt newsletter, 10% discount at the MAC Gift Shop and two complimentary tickets to a COD student performance. Subscriptions are $103.50 (Adult) and $99 (Senior) - add $9/subscription for all-in pricing. Online flex-pass subscription is $103.50, plus $9 subscription fee and additional online fees.  

Single show tickets for all BTE shows are $46. For all-in pricing visit AtTheMAC.org or call the box office at 630.942.4000. BTE's 2026-2027 Season performances will take place in the Playhouse Theatre of the McAninch Arts Center located at 425 Fawell Blvd. on the campus of College of DuPage. .

Single show tickets go on sale in July. For all-i n]pricing visit AtTheMAC.org or call the box office at 630.942.4000. Single show tickets for all BTE shows are $46. BTE's 2026-2027 Season performances will take place in the Playhouse Theatre of the McAninch Arts Center located at 425 Fawell Blvd. on the campus of College of DuPage.
About Buffalo Theatre Ensemble 

The mission of Buffalo Theatre Ensemble is to provide a forum in which artists, scholars, writers, students and community members explore new ideas and provocative issues through the production of quality theater for the enjoyment of its audiences. Since 1986 BTE has staged more than 125 productions. The Artistic Staff for BTE includes Daniel Millhouse* (Interim Managing Artistic Director), and Bryan Burke+* (Business Manager).

BTE Ensemble members are Aly Renee Amidei^, Robert Jordan Bailey*, Amelia Barrett*, Bryan Burke*, Connie Canaday Howard*, Rebecca Cox, Lisa Dawn, Nick DuFloth, Jon Gantt, Christopher Kriz^, Laura Leonardo Ownby, Michael W. Moon, Kurt Naebig*, Galen G. Ramsey*, William "Sandy" Smillie* and Kelli Walker. For more information about BTE, visit btechicago.com. 

*Denotes member of Actors' Equity;  ^Denotes member of United Scenic Artists

Buffalo Theatre Ensemble is partially supported and funded by generous grants from Arts DuPage, Choose DuPage, College of DuPage Foundation, The Norm Woodel Inspiration Fund, the DuPage Foundation, and the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

About The MAC  

McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage is located 25 miles west of Chicago near I-88 and I-355. It houses three indoor performance spaces (the 780-seat proscenium Belushi Performance Hall; the 186-seat soft-thrust Playhouse Theatre; and the versatile black box Studio Theatre), the outdoor Lakeside Pavilion, plus the Cleve Carney Museum of Art and classrooms for the college's academic programming. The MAC has presented theater, music, dance and visual art to more than 1.5 million people since its opening in 1986 and typically welcomes more than 100,000 patrons from the greater Chicago area to more than 230 performances each season. For more information visit AtTheMAC.org.

Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre today announced full casting and production team for its season-opening production of GEE'S BEND, the 2008 play by Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder, to play Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons from May 23 to June 7 at the Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre in the Noyes Cultural Arts Center at 927 Noyes Street in Evanston. GEE'S BEND follows a family —Alice, her daughters Sadie and Nella, and Sadie's husband, Macon — from 1939 to 2002 as they experience segregation, family strife, the Civil Rights movement, and celebrity. The play is set in the real-life community of Gee's Bend – an isolated community in West Alabama's Black Belt, which has become known for the hand-stitched quilts made by generations of its women. 

Tim Rhoze, Producing Artistic Director of the company since 2010, will direct the production and design the set. His cast features Toccara Castleman, who is double-cast as Alice, the matriarch of the family, and later as Asia, Alice's granddaughter. Castleman is a multidisciplinary writer and actress whose credits include CONFEDERATES at Redtwist Theatre and I DON'T WANT TO PLAY MYSELF at The Tank in New York City. Alice's daughter Nella will be played by Jasmine Robertson, who performed in the two-actor cast of FJT'S UNTIL THE FLOOD in 2024, and was seen there most recently in 2025's HONEYPOT: BLACK SOUTHERN WOMEN WHO LOVE WOMEN. Cast in the lead role as Alice's youngest daughter, Sadie, is Kaitlyn Fields, a recent graduate of Northwestern University, who was among the cast members of HONEYPOT. Sadie's husband, Macon, will be performed by Rashun Carter, whose Chicago stage credits include GODS AND MONSTERS at Theater Wit and REASONS: A TRIBUTE TO EARTH, WIND AND FIRE for Black Ensemble Theatre.

The GEE'S BEND production team, in addition to Rhoze as director and set designer, includes David Goodman-Edberg (Lighting Designer), Rick Sims (Sound Designer), Kate Parker Barrows (Costume Designer), Sarah Kaiser (Muralist), Ben Blount (Props Designer), Melissa Blount (Quilting Instructor), Howard Godfrey Jr. (Musical Director), Charity Moody (Assistant Musical Director), Tuesdai B. Perry (Movement Specialist), Phil Timberlake (Dialect Coach), Bria Walker-Rhoze (Artistic Associate/Dramaturg), Tara Malpass (Production Stage Manager), Mary Dixon (Assistant Stage Manager), Shadana Patterson (Graphic Artist), Sholo Beverly (Poster Artist); Sholo Beverly, Sally Peipmeir, and Monica Sageman (Scenic Painters); and Shane Rogers (Technical Director/Set Builder). 

 DC Theater Arts said, "GEE'S BEND weaves the essence of the quilt into a theatrical experience that exalts universal themes of family, faith, and overcoming adversity in a deeply moving way. "GEE'S BEND was commissioned and produced by the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and has been performed at Denver Center, Cleveland Playhouse, Kansas City Rep, Northlight Theatre, Philadelphia's Arden Theatre, and Hartford Stage, among others. 
 
Tickets to GEE'S BEND are $33 and can be purchased at fjtheatre.com. Students and seniors can purchase tickets for $20 at the box office on the day of the performance. FJT is also offering Premium Gold Membership cards for $90.00 that include four reserved seats for any of the productions of the 2026 season, and other exclusive bonuses. The card can be purchased on Evanston's Parks and Recreation site. 
 
LISTING INFORMATION
 
GEE'S BEND
by Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder
Directed by Tim Rhoze
May 23 – June 7, 2026
Saturdays at 7 pm, Sundays at 3 pm
Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre in the Noyes Cultural Arts Center
927 Noyes St., Evanston
Tickets $33.00, Students and Seniors $20.00 at the box office. On sale at www.fjtheatre.com
Phone 847-866-5914
 
GEE'S BEND is the story of the Pettway women, quilters from the isolated community of Gee's Bend, Alabama. Beginning in 1939, the play follows Alice, her daughters Nella and Sadie, who is inspired by the real-life Gee's Bend descendant Mary Lee Bendolph, and Sadie's husband, Macon, through segregation, family strife, and the Civil Rights movement. Throughout their lives, the women's extraordinary quilts provide a respite from the turmoil around them. In the finale, Part III of the play, it is the year 2002; the quilts have been discovered as highly praised and sought-after folk art. Sadie, now 78 years old, is delighted with the recognition, and despite the lure of celebrity and the big city, she returns home to Gee's Bend and continues her lifelong passion for quilting. Wilder's play explores the resilience of the human spirit, especially as it is expressed in art, language, and gospel music. 
 
BIOS

Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder (Writer, GEE'S BEND) has written THE FURNITURE OF HOME, which deals with the Gulf Coast recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and premiered at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in 2009. Her play THE FLAG MAKER OF MARKET STREET followed at ASF in 2011. THE BONE ORCHARD was commissioned by the Denver Center Theatre and workshopped at the Perry Mansfield New Works Festival. Other plays include FRESH KILLS (Royal Court/London), THE FIRST DAY OF HUNTING SEASON (EST), and THE SPIRIT OF ECSTASY. 
 
Tim Rhoze (Director, Artistic Director) Tim Rhoze has been the Producing Artistic Director of Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre since 2010. His directing credits include: THE BALDWIN | GIOVANNI EXPERIENCE, PASS OVER, HONEYPOT: BLACK WOMEN WHO LOVE WOMEN, UNTIL THE FLOOD, FOR COLORED GIRLS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE/ WHEN THE RAINBOW IS ENUF, 1619: THE JOURNEY OF A PEOPLE, THIS BITTER EARTH, , THE LIGHT, AMERICAN SON, HOME, TWILIGHT: LOS ANGELES 1992, THE MEETING, FIRES IN THE MIRROR, BLACK BALLERINA (co-writer),  NUTCRACKER(ISH), CROWNS, HAVING OUR SAY, FROM THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA, WOZA ALBERT!, GOING TO ST. IVES, SINGLE BLACK FEMALE, A SONG FOR CORETTA, YELLOWMAN, SWEET, LADY DAY AT EMERSON BAR & GRILL, BEAR COUNTRY, NOBODY, FENCES, PIANO LESSON, AIN'T MISBEHAVIN, K2, THE GLASS MENAGERIE, and others. Tim is also the writer/director of WHY NOT ME? A SAMMY DAVIS JR. STORY, and MAYA'S LAST POEM, both produced at FJT; and BLACK BALLERINA, produced at FJT and Pittsburgh Public Theatre. He was also co-writer and director of THE BALDWIN | GIOVANNI EXPERIENCE and A HOME ON THE LAKE. His performances in August Wilson's PIANO LESSON (1997) and JOE TURNER'S COME AND GONE (2024) at the Goodman Theatre were nominated for Jeff Awards.
 
ABOUT FLEETWOOD-JOURDAIN THEATRE 

Founded in 1979, Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre is a professional, award-winning theatre company that has been thrilling audiences with over four decades of unique, inspirational, and invigorating Black American and African Diaspora-centered storytelling. The company has been honored by the Black Theatre Alliance/Ira Aldridge Awards and is frequently listed as a top-rated Chicago theatre company. From original plays to the best of Broadway, Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre has remained committed to supplying the very best in theatre. "Umoja!! ....Working Together in Unity" is the foundation from which FJT began and continues to thrive!
 
Our mission is to present captivating and intellectually stimulating productions, embody artistic excellence, maintain a steadfast commitment to community engagement, and foster the development of diverse established and emerging artists while honoring the rich history of Black theatre. The Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre is funded by the City of Evanston and in part by the Illinois Arts Council, A State Agency.