The burgeoning discussion about transgender inclusion in Chicago Theatre is encouraging. It’s great to see large institutions like Steppenwolf and The Goodman Theatre beginning to have important conversations about trans representation on their stages. But for the people living this struggle, those conversations can a little, well … basic. In this episode, Avi Roque…
It’s season announcement season! Chicago Theatres are rolling out their plans for 2017-18. But how to find shows that might have a chance at passing the Bechdel Test? Don’t just give up and re-watch Gilmore Girls (again). Here’s a list of work by and about women and genderqueer folks that we think you’ll love! Catch…
Diversity on Chicago’s stages has been the hot button issue in 2016. But, as director Lavina Jadhwani observes, “Casting is the symptom, not the root problem. I wish we could focus the conversation more on decision makers (including directors and writers — but also producers, artistic directors, etc).” The lack of diversity she saw in…
The only question for which Iris Sowlat didn’t have a detailed answer was, “what do you do in your free time?” Iris is the definition of hustle and in the short time she’s been in Chicago, she worked or interned with Steppenwolf Theatre, American Theatre Company, Stage Left Theatre, Pride Films and Plays and About…
Playwright and director Olivia Lilley along with her assistant director Anna Gelman sit down with Smyra to talk about their new show Mary Shelley Sees The Future, which opened this past weekend at Outer Space Studios. We talk about Mary Shelley’s radical polyamorous romance with Percy Shelley, and how she serves as an interesting lens to…
This week Smyra talks with the Liz Seidt, Caitlin Aase and Teagan Walsh-Davis, the three founding members of The Jades. The new storefront theatre company is dedicated to “lifting diverse, underrepresented voices and providing a platform for female-identified artists to thrive.” We discuss the company’s commitment to diverse casting, their personal struggles with internalized sexism…
LEARNING CURVE, an immersive, original show about Chicago public schools, seems a natural fit for Albany Park Theatre Project. But why now? Through its 19 years of producing new work with young artists, APTP had never seriously tackled the subject. Co-founder David Feiner says that for years audiences asked, “When are you going to do…
