Spotlight: Stage Left Theatre revives award-winning 'The Project(s)' virtually
In their own words
Stage Left Theatre revives the award-winning play "The Project(s)." An examination of the history of Chicago's Robert Taylor Homes, a public-housing project established during the early 1960s, the play is made up of the residents' own stories.
Co-written by the late PJ Paparelli (former American Theater Company artistic director) and Joshua Jaeger, "The Project(s)" received the 2015 Joseph Jefferson Award for best new work.
"How often do Black people get to tell our story the way we experienced it? Rarely. 'The Project(s)' tells this story from the residents' perspective. Their story, the true story of the Chicago housing projects, will never make it in a history book," said director Christian Helm in a prepared statement. "But we, the artists, can rectify that by offering our arts as a service to the community."
Begins livestreaming at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, and runs at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday through Nov. 26 (Thanksgiving performance will be pre-recorded). $20 or pay-what-you-can. (773) 883-8830 or stagelefttheatre.com.
Artemisia audio drama
After the COVID-19 pandemic forced Artemisia Theatre to cancel its stage production of "Every Waiting Heart," the artistic team re-imagined the production and produced an audio version of Lauren Ferebee's play about a single mother and her rebellious teenage daughter whose lives are upended after the mother attends a church-sponsored, speed-dating event. Founding artistic director Julia Proudfoot directs.
Begins streaming Tuesday, Nov. 10. Free, but donations are accepted. The play also will be available to subscribers to Artemisia's biweekly feminist podcast. See artemisiatheatre.org.
In other news
• Northlight Theatre's backstage series At Home with BJ continues with artistic director BJ Jones conversing with playwright Steven Dietz ("Last of the Boys," "Yankee Tavern"). Northlight's 2020 premiere of Dietz's "How a Boy Falls" has been nominated for a 2020 equity Joseph Jefferson Award for best new work. See northlight.org.
• Lifeline Theatre announced it will rerelease its virtual production of "Pride and Prejudice," adapted from Jane Austen's novel by ensemble member Dorothy Milne, on Nov. 12. The Chicago theater also announced other virtual offerings this season including a new series titled On the Air. It consists of storytelling in November and holiday offerings in December followed by an audio version of Austen's "Sense and Sensibility" in May 2021. Lifeline also announced that the 24th annual Filet of Solo Festival will take place online in February 2021. In March 2021, the theater will present a virtual production of its children's show "Click Clack Moo," adapted from Doreen Cronin's tale. See lifelinetheatre.com.
• Writers Theatre announced changes to its season, including more digital programming such as The Green Room, an interview series featuring artistic director Michael Halberstam, new work and dramaturgy director Bobby Kennedy, associate artistic director Geoff Button and education director Kelsey Chigas in conversation with artists including playwright Lydia R. Diamond, director David Cromer and actor/writer Sandra Delgado. Writers also plans to stream "Two Scrooges: A Christmas Carol, Two Ways," consisting of a pair of holiday shows: Halberstam's solo adaptation of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol"; and Manual Cinema's reinvention of the classic tale incorporating the company's trademark shadow puppetry and storytelling. To its previously announced productions, Writers has added an original revue titled "Pearl's Rollin' With the Blues" created by Kimberly Dixon-Mays, Felicia P. Fields and Ron OJ Parson. Julia Doolittle's "Love & Contracts" will move to the 2021-2022 season. See writerstheatre.org.
• Redtwist Theatre announced actor/director James Fleming has been appointed the new associate artistic director focusing on new play development. Matthew Moynihan has been named literary manager. "I'm looking forward to deepening Redtwist's relationship with the Edgewater community and Chicago theater community, expanding our current pool of artists, and creating a new play development program that will utilize our affiliation with the National New Play Network to provide Chicago writers a national platform and make Redtwist an important destination for new plays nationally," said Fleming in a prepared statement.