Spotlight: Neo-Futurists salute First Ladies

First ladies feted

The Neo-Futurists commences its 2020-2021 season with "45 Plays for America's First Ladies," a companion piece to the company's "43 Plays for 43 Presidents," which premiered in 2004 and was remounted in 2012. Written by Neo-Futurists alumni Andy Bayiates, Downers Grove's Bilal Dardai, Genevra Gallo-Bayiates, Sharon Greene and Chloe Johnston, the show examines the role of women in American history through mini-plays about its First Ladies.

"'45 Plays' takes a box cutter and a stylus to U.S. history," said director Denise Yvette Serna in a prepared statement. "With effortless honesty and crushing vulnerability ... we're prepared to create space for ourselves, hold space for one another, and cry/laugh in horror at the wicked pageantry of American democracy."

Livestreamed with audience participation on Thursday and Friday, Oct. 8-9, and Sunday, Oct. 11. The show runs through Nov. 2. $15. See neofuturists.org.

Documentary play

Waltzing Mechanics presents the darkly satirical "No AIDS, No Maids: Stories I Can't (expletive) Hear Anymore," a solo documentary play conceived, written and performed by ensemble member DeeDee Batteast. In it, the actress/university instructor examines the role race and gender play in our lives and the obstacles minority artists face as they attempt to tell their stories.

Batteast wrote the show in response to her and her Black students' frustration over an industry suffering from "image addiction and stuck narratives."

"At the same time, I realized that my queer students were similarly trapped, fed up with being a sidekick, a cautionary tale or a magical best friend," said Batteast in a prepared statement. "I believe that inclusion is love, and love makes us stronger ... So I decided to refocus my energy away from making excuses for what was happening to us and into a performance that would help explain how and why we're stuck."

Streaming from Thursday, Oct. 8, through Nov. 14. $5. See waltzing mechanics.org.

In other news

• Music Theater Works will make available online a video of its recent outdoor concert "Richard Rodgers' Greatest Hits" featuring Curtis Bannister, Alicia Berneche, Lydia Burke and Juwon Tyrel Perry performing favorites from "Carousel," "The Sound of Music," "South Pacific," "Pal Joey" and other Rodgers' musicals. The virtual concert will be available from 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, through 11 p.m. Oct. 11. Tickets are $34. musictheaterworks.com.

• Otherworld Theatre hosts its virtual gala, Sorcery & Spectacle, beginning online at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3. Harvey Guillén, Guillermo on the FX comedy series "What We Do in the Shadows," hosts the event, which includes appearances by Marina Sirtis and Gates McFadden of "Star Trek: The Next Generation"; "Westworld" writer Charles Yu; voice actor James Sie ("Avatar: The Last Airbender"); rocket scientists Arvind Nagarajan and Andy Sadhwani, and others. DJing the virtual after-party is Kristian Nairn (Hodor on "Game of Thrones"). "We came to the realization early this spring that we would have to take our annual gala online," said director of development Dylan Schaefer in a prepared statement. "We wanted to create a memorable and unique experience that would stand out from the many virtual events taking place. With our host, Harvey Guillén, and lineup of actors, scientists and writers, we have done just that. We are so excited to present an incredible evening of entertainment geared toward the interests of our patron base: nerdom, geekery and science." Tickets are $100. Proceeds benefit the company. See otherworldtheatre.org/gala2020.

• First Flight Theatre Company livestreams four staged readings of plays by Maxwell Anderson at 6 p.m. Sundays in October as part of its Plays of Revolution series. First up is "Letter to Jackie" (Oct. 4), based on a letter a World War II commander wrote to his young son on the eve of battle. Proceeds for that performance benefit the USO. Anderson's grandson Duncan Maxwell Anderson will participate in a discussion of the author's work. On Oct. 11, First Flight presents "The Miracle of the Danube," juxtaposing the Nazis' mounting threat with the freedom to worship. Proceeds benefit Season of Concern. Next up is "Second Overture" on Oct. 18. It's about the Russian Revolution's impact on innocent people. Proceeds benefit The Actor's Fund. The series concludes Oct. 25 with "The Feast of Ortolans," set on the eve of the French Revolution. Proceeds benefit First Flight. See firstflighttheatreco.com.

• Artemisia, a Chicago theater company that develops and performs works that empower women, has renamed its podcast series Artemisia Feminist Podcast and will release biweekly, virtual readings of rarely produced and new feminist works. Founding artistic director Julie Proudfoot and Congo Square Theatre managing director Charlique C. Rolle will serve as co-creators and co-directors of the series, which begins Tuesday, Oct. 6, with "They That Sit in Darkness," a 1919 play by Mary P. Burrill about how legal restrictions on reproductive rights affected women and their families. A discussion of the play follows on Oct. 20. A virtual reading of "Every Waiting Heart," Laura Ferebee's play that won Artemisia's 2018 new play festival, follows on Nov. 10. It's about the relationship between an overworked single mother and her rebellious teenage daughter. A discussion of that play follows on Nov. 24. See artemisiatheatre.org.

• First Folio Theatre's interview series, hosted by associate artistic director Melanie Keller, continues with ensemble member Diana Coates, who played King Henry in the company's 2019 production of Shakespeare's "Henry V." She also appeared in 2016's "The Winter's Tale" and assistant directed "Firestorm" in 2019. Type in "First Folio interviews" on youtube.com to access the interview. Also available online are Keller's chats with artistic associates Nick Sandys, Hayley Rice, Christian Gray, Heather Chrisler, Wendy Huber and Cassy Schillo.

• Strawdog Theatre announced its 33rd season continues with the digital U.S. premiere of "The Beast Came Down" (Oct. 2-25), Titas Halder's timely, one-man play about obsession, delusion and isolation. That's followed by the holiday favorite "Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins," inspired by Eric Kimmel's family-friendly book and adapted to a virtual format by ensemble member Michael Dailey. The season concludes with "How We Navigate Space" (March 8-28, 2021), a series of real-life-inspired video monologues about society's response to a pandemic and civil unrest over the pursuit of social justice. See strawdog.org.

• Porchlight Music Theatre announced it will provide pay-to-view virtual programming this fall beginning with a revival of "Working" (beginning Oct. 16), the musical based on Studs Terkel's book profiling people engaged in different occupations and produced in cooperation with L.A. Theatre Works. Next up is the cabaret series "New Faces Sing Broadway: 1987" (Nov. 6-29), showcasing Porchlight artists performing that year's Broadway hits from "Les Miserables," "Into the Woods" and other shows. "Zoot Suit," another collaboration with L.A. Theatre Works, is available for viewing Nov. 27 to Dec. 20. The 1940s-set play with music chronicles the case of 12 young Latino men in Los Angeles who were unjustly convicted of murder. From Dec. 11 to Jan. 3, 2021, Porchlight fans can experience "Happy Holidays from Porchlight!" It's a virtual get-together where Porchlight artists perform holiday-themed tunes from assorted musicals. Tickets range from $15 to $50. Ongoing free virtual programming includes: the Sondheim @90 round table discussion with artistic director Michael Weber at 7 p.m. every other Saturday; Movie Musical Monday at 7 p.m. Mondays; WPMT Presents: Classic Musical from the Golden Age of Radio at 1 p.m. Tuesdays; and Porchlight By Request, where musical lovers can use Facebook to request a tune and make a dedication. See porchlightmusictheatre.com.

• Chicago Fringe Opera's upcoming projects include Tales from a Safe Distance, a collaboration between nine U.S. opera companies based on "The Decameron," Giovanni Boccaccio's tale of 10 people quarantined together during the Black Plague. It will be broadcast online beginning Oct. 9. Chicago Fringe Opera's part of the collaboration, "Chapter 4: The Bolts of Fortune," premieres Oct. 30 and details a man's journey from isolation to community. That's followed by "City of Works" (premieres in November), which is inspired by Chicago's moniker of "The City that Works." It consists of commissioned works for one or two vocalists with a single instrumentalist. Each of the works will be inspired by one of Chicago's 50 wards. See chicagofringeopera.com.

• The Elmhurst Art Museum, the Al Larson Prairie Center for the Arts in Schaumburg, Chicago's Collaboraction, Invictus, Definition theater companies and Evanston's Mudlark Theater are among 12 Northern Illinois arts organizations receiving grants of up to $10,000 from the League of Chicago Theatres and ComEd as part of the utility company's Powering the Arts program. "I am truly proud of the partnership we have built with ComEd through this program, which provides exposure to the arts," Deb Clapp, executive director of the League of Chicago Theatres, said in a prepared statement. "I have seen the tremendous impact of our work together, specifically among underserved communities whose exposure to the arts is otherwise limited. These grants bring vibrancy and joy to communities - even more important this year as we all feel the effects of COVID-19."

• The Illinois Theatre Association awarded its 2020 Award of Honor for excellence in theater arts to City Lit Theater's Viola Project. The project uses Shakespeare's plays to empower young girls and gender-nonconforming youth through creative play and workshops.

• After eight years as Teatro Vista's executive artistic director, Ricardo Gutiérrez is stepping down. "I appreciate the honor and opportunity I was given to lead Teatro Vista," Gutiérrez said in a prepared statement. "It has been a remarkable experience working with an abundantly talented group of artists. I am proud of the work we have done and goals we have accomplished in pursuit of our mission."

• Silent Theatre Company expanded its ensemble to include longtime colleagues Robyn Coffin and Phillip Lewis.