Theater events
Ÿ A Red Orchid Theatre showcases two new one-acts by Clint Sheffer titled “The Molehill” and “Come the Hell On” at 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 13-14. Performances take place at 1531 N. Wells St., Chicago. $10. (312) 943-8722 or aredorchidtheatre.org.
Ÿ About Face Theatre's new Out Front Series showcasing in-progress plays continues with a free public reading of “The Good Private” by About Face associate Tanya Saracho. The reading takes place at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, and 1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15, at The National Pastime Theater in the Preston Bradley Center, 941 W. Lawrence Ave., Chicago. The play is a fictionalized account of a real Civil War soldier Albert Cashier who was born female but enlisted in the 95th Illinois Infantry as a male. (773) 784-8565 or aboutfacetheatre.com.
Ÿ The new show “Just the FAQs: A Comedy Panel Show of Facts & Falsehoods” has its second installment at 8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15, at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. ComedySportz Chicago veteran Steven Lyons hosts the show, which is comprised of two teams made up of special guests. See stage773.com.
Ÿ The Magic Parlour, featuring magician and House Theatre company member Dennis Watkins, has added performances. They include 7:30 p.m. shows on Dec. 15 and Dec. 21 and 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. shows on Dec. 20 and 27 at The Palmer House Hilton Hotel, 17 E. Monroe St., Chicago. There's also a 10:30 p.m. show New Year's Eve that includes a champagne toast at midnight. See thehousetheatre.com.
Ÿ Broken Nose Theatre Company's all-female Bechdel Fest, consisting of short plays written, directed and performed primarily by women, continues Monday through Wednesday, Dec. 16-18, at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 404-7336 or greenhousetheater.org. BNT's 2013-2014 season continues Jan. 24, 2014, with “From White Plains,” a drama about bullying and vengeance written by Michael Perlman with Aaron Rossini, Craig Wesley Divino, Karl Gregory and Jimmy King. See brokennosetheatre.com.
Ÿ Soul Theatre artistic director and actress Ravi Batista directs and performs in “Blasted Fool: Hamlet, Hope and the Madness in Our Blood,” an examination of mental illness that asks whether one should celebrate, deny or escape his or her inner chaos. The show, created by Batista and Neo-Futurist Greg Allen, runs from Thursday, Dec. 19, through Jan. 5, 2014, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. (773) 975-8150 or theaterwit.org.
Ÿ Performances run Dec. 19-22 for On the Spot Theatre Company's double-bill titled Two Brayns are Better Than One, at City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago. The bill consists of “Shifts,” by Emma Brayndick, about college students working in a bookstore and negotiating romance. “What About Martha?” by Mike Brayndick, is a farce about a young temp who sets off a chain reaction after she reveals a secret. (800) 838-3006 or onthespottheatrecompany.weebly.com.
Ÿ The comedy duo of Joseph Schupbach and Elizabeth Levy made a bargain to delay the 2012 apocalypse. The catch is, it's set to take place after their show, “Apocalypse WOW: The Last Holiday Special Ever,” which runs Dec. 18-21 at Gorilla Tango Theatre, 1919 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. (773) 598-4549 or gorillatango.com.
Ÿ Bailiwick Chicago celebrates the holidays retro-style with a cabaret show titled “Season of Change: Holidays in the Sixties” at 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 19, at Davenports Piano Bar and Cabaret, 1383 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. (773) 279-1830 or davenportspianobar.com.
Ÿ “Million Dollar Quartet,” in honor of the holidays, has once again added performances and will include “Run, Run Rudolph” in the finale. Additionally, the show has been extended through March 30, 2014, at the Apollo Theater, 2540 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 935-6100 or ticketmaster.com or milliondollarquartetlive.com.
Ÿ The New Colony recently announced two world premieres will complete its sixth season. Andrew Hobgood and Megan Johns' “reWILDing Genius” (Feb. 14-April 20, 2014) will premiere as part of Steppenwolf Theatre's 2014 Garage Rep. The play examines the self-described geniuses, hactivists and anarchists who converge in an Uptown loft to alter the fate of humanity. Coming in summer 2014 is David Zellnik's “Orville and Wilbur Did It!” an adults-only comedy about the sex, drugs and scams the members of a theater company indulge in while touring the Midwest in a children's musical about the Wright Brothers. See thenewcolony.org.
Ÿ Pride Films and Plays recently announced Dennis Shinners' “Boys in Summer” as the winner of its 2013 Great Gay Screenplay Contest. The play is about a college student trying to re-connect with a French exchange student he met in high school and must compete with a Jersey girl for the man's affection.
Ÿ Mary-Arrchie Theatre Company heralds the start of its 28th season with the departure of producing director Carlo Lorenzo Garcia, who will remain a company member, and the arrival of Tosha Fowler as associate artistic director. She will assist artistic director Richard Cotovsky in restructuring the company for the coming decades. “Many Chicago theater artists over the years have climbed up the stairs to Angel Island and descended an artist forever changed,” said Fowler in a prepared statement. “Whether it be from watching a groundbreaking production, through the sweat and labor of creating a set, or performing in the Abbie Fest in the wee hours of the morning, artists young and old ... have had the invaluable opportunity to rub elbows and exchange ideas.” Mary-Arrchie also announced that Elyse Cowles, Brian Crawford, Claire Meyers, Stefin J. Steberl and Will Von Vogt have joined the company administration.
Ÿ The actor training program Black Box Acting last month announced its new permanent home at 2625 W. North Ave., Chicago. Founded by Laura Hooper and Audrey Francis in 2008, the school, which styles itself as a Fight Club for actors, has trained more than 600 students. See blackboxacting.com.
— Barbara Vitello