Theater streaming online this week: 'School Girls,' Shakespeare sonnets and McNally audio plays
Goodman show goes on
Goodman Theatre's Chicago-area premiere of "School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play" will go on. Jocelyn Bioh's comedy about the queen bee at a girls boarding school in Ghana whose position is threatened by a newcomer was canceled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic days before it was scheduled to open. However, Goodman will stream a digital version recorded during last month's previews.
"As proud as we are to make history as the first Goodman production to appear online before it even opens, we look forward to the day when we can share Jocelyn's smart, beautiful, provocative and hilarious play with a live audience once again," said director Lili-Anne Brown in a prepared statement. Tickets are pay-what-you-can starting at $15. See goodmantheatre.org/streamschoolgirls.
Shakespeare at home
Chicago Shakespeare Theater introduced a new online platform consisting of Chicago actors performing William Shakespeare's sonnets and a virtual Q&A with creative producer Rick Boynton and "As You Like It" director Daryl Cloran discussing CST's upcoming production, which unfolds to Beatles' tunes. Also available online are preshow discussions with Shakespeare scholars, children's activities and a cooking lesson with actor John Tufts. See chicagoshakes.com.
Pride Films salutes McNally
Pride Films and Plays presents a live, virtual reading of "Mothers and Sons" by the late Tony Award-winning playwright Terrence McNally at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 16.
McNally ("Master Class," "Love! Valour! Compassion!" and the books for the musicals "Ragtime" and "Kiss of the Spider Woman") was 81 when he died last month from COVID-19 complications.
The play chronicles the reunion between Dallas matron Katherine and Cal, the former lover of her son, Andre, who died of AIDS. The widowed Katherine and Cal - now the husband of Will and father of their young son, Bud - have not seen each other since Andre's memorial service 20 years earlier.
Lisle native and artistic director David G. Zak directs the reading. In compliance with the stay-at-home order, the cast - Michelle McKenzie-Voight as Katherine, Benjamin Sprunger as Cal, Cody Dericks as Will, and Patrick Scott McDermott as Bud - will perform from their own locations, appearing on screen simultaneously when the play demands.
The reading is $10. Tickets, with instructions on how to access the remote viewing, are available at (866) 811-4111 or pridefilmsandplays.com.
Audio theater
In another McNally-related theater event, L.A. Theatre Works, an ensemble that has produced more than 500 audio theater recordings of classic and contemporary plays, will stream a production of "Lips Together, Teeth Apart" through April 30 in tribute to the late playwright. An examination of mortality, the play centers on two heterosexual couples who are spending the July 4 weekend in a gay community at the vacation home of a relative who recently died of AIDS.
Additionally, LATW offers free streaming productions weekly. Neil Simon's comedy "Lost in Yonkers," starring Barbara Bain, Dan Castellaneta, Ben Diskin, Roxanne Hart and Kenneth Schmidt, begins streaming Saturday, April 11. Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest," starring James Marsters, Charles Busch, Emily Bergl and Matthew Wolf, follows on April 18. "The Graduate," with Matthew Rhys, Kathleen Turner, Bruce Davison and John Getz, streams April 25. See latw.org/broadcasts#recent.
Second City online
In response to stay-at-home orders, The Second City will livestream an improv house party featuring alumni from around the country at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 11. The performance is free, but donations to Second City's alumni fund, which assists performers experiencing health or financial challenges, are accepted. Register at secondcity.com.
Other theater news
• The prolific Cory Goodrich - who last month responded to the COVID-19 pandemic with her wry musical parody on YouTube titled "My (Not So) Favorite Things" - has produced a follow-up.
Titled "Locked In," it's a parody of "Let It Go" from "Frozen" in which Goodrich's Elsa pleads: "Stay at home, stay at home. Let the kids Snapchat 'til dawn. Stay at home, stay at home. My privacy is gone. Here I stand from six feet away. Social distancing. Alone never bothered me anyway."
On a more wistful note, Goodrich also posted on her channel a gentle hymn titled "Ghost Light" about artists and colleagues forced apart by the health crisis who maintain their bonds through music.
• The Chicago Musical Theatre Festival is accepting applications for audience-ready shows for inclusion in next year's festival, which takes place in February 2021 during Chicago's annual Theater Week celebration. Authors, composers and producers may submit applications through June 15. The jury will choose 10 shows. Those entrants are responsible for their own productions including casting, rehearsals, design, technical and marketing. The participant fee is $1,900 for shows chosen for the festival. Proceeds from ticket sales are split evenly between entrants and festival organizers. Apply at cmtf.org/apply.
• Collaboraction launched a digital project titled "Together" consisting of works created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The company invites people to submit videos of two minutes or less incorporating writing, photography, visual arts and other media. See collaboraction.org.
• Like their suburban counterparts, Chicago theaters shut down shows in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Postponed productions and suspended seasons translate to lost revenue for Chicago theaters, and ensembles that comprise the city's vibrant storefront scene could find themselves in dire financial straits as a result. If you cherish theater, consider making a donation to one of Chicago's more than 200 ensembles.