Theater events: Marriott hosts 'Katie Deal Sings Patsy Cline' Sunday

Posted August 31, 2018 1:00 am

Katie Deal channels Patsy Cline during an Artists Lounge Live performance at Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire. Courtesy of Artists Lounge Live

• "You & Me," the two-person improv show established by The Gift Theatre co-founder Michael Patrick Thornton and featuring him and a guest artist, continues at Filament Theatre, 4041 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. Thornton performs with Atra Asdou at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 31, and with Max Thomas at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 1. See filamenttheatre.org.

Playwright Nilaja Sun wrote Definition Theatre Company's season-opening production of "No Child ..."

• Previews begin Friday, Aug. 31, for Definition Theatre Company's season-opening production of "No Child ..." by Nilaja Sun. Named after 2001's No Child Left Behind Act, the play is set at a fictional Bronx high school in which a young theater teacher leads her students in a production of Timberlake Wetenbaker's "Our Country's Good," in which Australian prison officers and convicts put on a play. Director Chika Ike's production opens Sept. 5 at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 871-3000, victorygardens.org or definitiontheatre.org.

• The adults-only "Shark Tank: The Musical" a parody of the TV show in which budding entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to high-profile investors, returns to the Annoyance Theatre, 851 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Performances resume at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 31. Also at The Annoyance, "Clued In: An Improvised Murder Mystery" opens at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 6. (773) 697-9693 or theannoyance.com.

• L. Frank Baum's novel "The Patchwork Girl of Oz" inspired "Scraps," a new play about racial and gender identity by New American Folk Theatre co-artistic director Anthony Whitaker. New American Folk premieres the play about a girl who sheds her patchwork quilt to become "a more normal person." Co-artistic director Jamal Howard directs the play, which begins previews Saturday, Sept. 1, at The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. The show opens Sept. 4. (773) 697-3830 or newamericanfolktheatre.org.

Larissa Marten performs in the one-woman show "I Killed the Cow," which she co-wrote with Leia Squillace, during the Chicago Fringe Festival.

• New York-based ensemble The Herd brings its one-woman show "I Killed the Cow" to Chicago as part of the Chicago Fringe Festival running this weekend in Jefferson Park. In the show, a woman recalls the moments that shaped her, including a long-repressed assault. It runs Saturday through Monday, Sept. 1-3, at The Playhouse at Jefferson Park, 4766 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. See chicagofringe.org or ikilledthecow.com.

• Country music artist Katie Deal ("Always, Patsy Cline") performs "Sweet Dreams of You: Katie Deal Sings Patsy Cline" at Marriott Theatre as part of Michael Ingersoll's Artists Lounge Live, a concert series showcasing theater and music artists in a cabaret or concert setting. Deal channels Cline, whose hits included "Crazy" and "I Fall to Pieces," at 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 2, at 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. (847) 634-0200 or artistsloungelive.com.

• Playwright Jordan Seavey participates in a talkback with audience members following Pride Films and Plays' final preview of Seavey's "Homos, or Everyone in America." It follows the 3:30 p.m. performance on Sunday, Sept. 2, at 4139 N. Broadway, Chicago. The play is about couples struggling with commitment. (773) 857-0222 or pridefilmsandplays.com.

Ilse Zacharias, left, and Drew Schad perform in Shattered Globe Theatre's season-opening production of "Crime and Punishment" adapted from Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel by Chriss Hannan. Courtesy of Nico Fernandez: A Little Photo Studio

• Shattered Globe Theatre opens its 2018-2019 season with Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel "Crime and Punishment" adapted by Chris Hannan. The play is about a poor student who murders an old woman he believes is worthless, then confesses under the weight of his guilt. Sent to prison, he learns redemption that comes from suffering. Ensemble member Lou Contey directs the show, which beings previews Thursday, Sept. 6, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The show opens Sept. 9. (773) 975-8150 or shatteredglobe.org.

• The Side Project opens its season with two plays that will run in repertory at the company's home at 1439 W. Jarvis Ave., Chicago. "Nick & Zoe" is Daniel Talbott's drama about the volatile relationship between a couple played by Andrew Rathgeber and Josephine Longo. Previews begin Thursday, Sept. 6. The show opens Sept. 8. The second play, the world premiere of S.J. Spencer's "OXY, Ohio," is about regular folks caught up in the opioid epidemic. It previews on Sept. 22 and opens Sept. 23. See thesideproject.net.

• Erasing the Distance, an organization that adapts for the stage the true stories of people dealing with mental health issues, presents a documentary theater festival. DocFest2018 runs from Thursday, Sept. 6, through Sept. 16 at Strawdog Theatre, 1802 W. Berenice Ave., Chicago. "Learning 101" examines trauma students experience in classrooms. "Over the Moon" examines how the female reproductive system affects mental health. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. A $45 DocPass offers access to all festival events including three wellness workshops. See erasingthedistance.org.

• Goodman Theatre invites city and suburban kids ages 5 to 17 to audition for youth roles in the company's 41st production of "A Christmas Carol." Experience is not necessary, but youngsters should be able to deliver a memorized poem or monologue, one minute or less in length. The auditions take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8, at 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. Day-of, in-person registration takes place from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. that day. See goodmantheatre.org.

• The Second City announced a partnership with the Theater Development Fund to produce at least seven open-captioned performances during its 2018-2019 season including a performance at 8 p.m. Sept. 13 of "Gaslight District." During an open-captioned performance, audience members read word-for-word what the actors are saying thanks to text displayed on the side of the stage. Other open-captioned performances include: "She the People" (Oct. 14); "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly Sweater" (Dec. 11); "The Second City's 107th Mainstage Revue" (Jan. 30, 2019); "The Best of Second City" (March 18, 2019); Improv Comedy Hour (April 15, 2019) and "The Second City's 43rd e.t.c. Revue" (May 19, 2019). Call (312) 337-3992 or see secondcity.com/chicago/accessibility-services.

• The Neo-Futurists announced their 30th anniversary season will begin Sept. 13 with a remount of "Tangles & Plaques," which attempts to "demystify the experience of dementia in the language of theater." Workshops for the company's new commission "Comfortable Shoes" by Ida Cuttler take place Nov. 29 and March 27, 2019. "Best of the Infinite Wrench," drawn from the Neo-Futurists' flagship production that consists of 30 plays in 60 minutes, runs Nov. 30 through Dec. 9. Ensemble members perform "60 Songs in 60 Minutes" from Dec. 13-15. The company stages "Tedium ... and Other Sensations" adapted from Mickle Maher's writings from Jan. 17-26, 2019, as part of the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival. The world premiere of "Remember the Alamo" created by ensemble member Nick Hart, runs Feb. 28 to April 27, 2019. The show imagines what might happen if another ensemble took over the theater in order to create the Battle of the Alamo in its entirety. See neofuturists.org for tickets.

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