The GRIND = Gossip, Rumors, Innuendos, News & DramaUrbanTheater Company (UTC) is committed to the creation and exploration of urban-inspired works that convey, illuminate and empathize with the human experience. FROM the STREETS to the STAGE.
[Now Showing] Midwest Premiere of "Beauty of the Father" by Nilo Cruz, directed by Cecilie Keenan at the Wicker Park Art Center (at St. Paul's Community Church). Runs until November 19. For tickets/info visit go to:
www.UrbanTheaterChicago.org
[PRESS RELEASE] URBANTHEATER COMPANY ANNOUNCES CAST FOR MIDWEST PREMIERE OF SUZAN-LORI PARKS’ CONTROVERSIAL PLAY “FUCKING A”
CONTACT: For questions, contact Ivan Vega at (708) 370-3138 or
ivanvega@urbantheaterchicago.org.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JANUARY 10, 2012
URBANTHEATER COMPANY ANNOUNCES CAST FOR MIDWEST PREMIERE OF PULITZER PRIZE WINNER SUZAN-LORI PARKS’ CONTROVERSIAL PLAY “FUCKING A”
Led by Kelly Owens, Best Actress Nominee (Black Theatre Alliance Awards) and Madrid St. Angelo, Best Supporting Actor Nominee (Joseph Jefferson Awards), UrbanTheater Company’s production features an ethnically diverse combination of Chicago notables and newcomers.
Sixteen actors in all, the cast includes: Owens, St. Angelo, Lyndsay Kane, Kamal Hans, Amrita Dhaliwal, Lance Newton, Robert Hope, Greg Wenz, Michael Moran, David Guiden, Joan McGrath, Bert Matias, Courtney Berne, Brandon Holmes, Warren Levon and Brian Mason. At the directing helm is Richard Perez, Theatre Communications Group (TCG) Fellow and former Associate Artistic Director for Chicago Dramatist. Prior to his Fellowship, Perez was the Producing Artistic Director for the Bloomington Playwrights Project in Bloomington, IN.
Synopsis: “Fucking A” is set in a post apocalyptic world and centers around ‘Hester’, an abortionist who must take life, in order to save the life of her imprisoned son, ‘Monster”. Inspired by Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, “The Scarlet Letter”, “Fucking A” explores societal corruption and the enduring, deep and profound love one mother has for her child.
Bonnie Metzgar, current Artistic Director for Chicago’s About Face Theatre Company (and Associate Producer for the Public Theatre’s 2003 production of “Fucking A”), has agreed to assist the production as an Artistic Adviser.
Suzan-Lori Parks received The MacArthur Foundation Genius Award in 2001 and the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for her play, “Topdog/Underdog”.
“After the critically acclaimed Midwest Premiere of Nilo Cruz’s ‘Beauty of the Father’, UrbanTheater Company remains as Chicago’s Premiere multicultural non-equity theatre company, with a history of preserving, producing, promoting and performing the works of under represented minority actor’s and playwrights”, says Artistic Director, Madrid St. Angelo.
“Fucking A” will be performed at the Wicker Park Art Center from Friday, March 2nd through Saturday, March 31st, 2012 (Thursday through Saturday) at 7:30pm, with only four previews beginning Monday, February 27th through Thursday, March 1st, 2012 at 7:30pm.
General Admission - $20, Students/Seniors - $10 & Previews - 2 for 1 - $20/$15 (for single ticket). Group rates available. For tickets call 312-239-8783 or visitwww.UrbanTheaterChicago.org
For additional information on UTC, visit:
www.UrbanTheaterChicago.org, www.facebook.com/UrbanTheater or www.twitter.com/UrbanTheater.
Mission: UrbanTheater Company (UTC) is committed to the creation and exploration of urban-inspired works that convey, illuminate and empathize with the human experience.
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Getting to Know: Nicolas Gamboa
1 - What are your basic stats? Name: Nicolas Gamboa, Age: 30, Weight: 160lbs,Height: 5’11”, Ethnicity: Latino from Bogota Colombia.
2 - Have you always wanted to be an actor or work in the Performing Arts? For as long as I can remember.
3 - Right now Chicago is considered, “the theatre capitol of America”. What are your thoughts about this? I believe it to be true. Not only that, but every time, more and more the community is opening to diversion and directors are taking chances and utilizing new creative routes by spicing their plays with ethnic actors.
4 - Who are 3-5 of your favorite playwrights/why? José Rivera - I have always seen him as the Gabriel García Márquez of theater. I guess that could also be because he worked and was mentored by him. Nilo Cruz- I believe he offers the actor the capability to fly trough language and action. Martin Mcdonah- I am enchanted with how subtle his comedy is….you can be in the most of dramatic moments and somehow he finds a way to make you laugh laudly without taking you away from the emotional tension of the situation, and the always great Bill Shakes. (Do I really have to elaborate?)
5 - What’s your favorite play/why? My favorite plays are Macbeth and Salome. I like tragedies that are triggered by human ambition that truly reveal till what point is the human willing to go to acquire it.
6 - Favorite Chicago Director? Theatre Company? I don’t have a favorite yet, but Cecilie is right up there! I don’t have a favorite company, I am in search for projects that attract me at the moment and I am too new to the city to really be able to venture that statement.
Beauty of the Father by Nilo Cruz, directed by Cecilie Keenan closes November 19th! Only THREE show left. Performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm. For tickets go to: www.UrbanTheaterChicago.org or call 312-239-8783.
Goldstar Member Reviews - Beauty of the Father by Nilo Cruz
For tickets go to: www.UrbanTheaterChicago or call 312-239-8783
We close Saturday, November 19th!
CAST & CREW
Beauty of the Father by Nilo Cruz, directed by Cecilie Keenan
Pulitzer Prize Winner, Nilo Cruz’s ‘Beauty of the Father’ follows a young American woman who travels to Andalusia, Spain, to meet her estranged father. While there, she becomes romantically involved with her father’s Moroccan companion. The lover’s triangle provides the setting for an exploration of the conflict between love and sacrifice.
PRODUCTION INFO:
- Runs from October 14 thru November 29, 2011
- Thurs - Sat at 8pm
- Wicker Art Center (at St. Paul’s Church) - 2215 W. North Ave/Levitt
- Tickets are $20
- Group rates available!
For more tickets/info call visit BEAUTYor call 312-239-8783
What Critics Are Saying About: BRAINPEOPLE by José Rivera
[WORD ON THE STREET]
Chicago Tribune - Recommended
This last supper of lost souls could easily become overcooked in its own fever-dream juices, but director Marti Lyons finds a balance between offhand humor (early on, Ani says of Mayannah’s lair with deadpan accuracy, “This place is basically creepy”) and potent images of death. -Kerry Reid
Time Out Chicago - Recommended
In her smart and seductive staging, Lyons emphasizes the script’s ominous qualities while striking a compelling balance between the surreal and the real. -Zac Thompson
Chicago Stage Review - Highly Recommended
BRAINPEOPLE requires a genius at the helm to take us through the turbulent waters of Rivera’s sinister storm and director Marti Lyons makes the near impossible seem almost effortless. -Venus Zarris
Mayannah is the macabre mistress and aberrant architect of this evening of insanity and Marilyn Camacho commands the stage in this role with a powerful presence that is breathtakingly beguiling. -Venus Zarris
Completing this devilishly deviate reality is a dream design team. Christopher Kriz’s sound design evokes a hauntingly eerie atmosphere before the play even begins. Freddie Rocha’s costume design accents the characters perfectly. Katherine Greenleaf’s props design makes the weird a reality. Jorge Félix physically manifests the spiritual purgatory and suspended surrealism of Rivera’s script and solidifies himself as one of the city’s most visionary scenic designers. Richard Ebeling’s lighting design beautifully illuminates the drama of this dark world. - Venus Zarris
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
This play will make you laugh and scare the hell out of you as it entices you into the wacky world of three desperate folks. The result is one of the finest acted shows I’ve seen this year. Brianpeople is a macabre work that will rattle you beliefs as it celebrates the depths of psychosis. Powerful acting and terrific storytelling fuel this “must see” play. -Tom Williams
FOR TICKETS GO TO: WWW.URBANTHEATERCHICAGO.ORG
Meet the girls of the Jeff Recommended production of Brainpeople by José Rivera, directed by Marti Lyons!
A wealthy woman invites two strangers to join her in a strange feast commemorating the death of her parents. Mayannah has done this every year but her dark purpose remains unclear. All that will change tonight when two damaged souls find their way to her table. Taking place in a not-so-distant future, the sounds of a war-torn Los Angeles fill the air. Tensions rise, true colors are revealed and the main course is not the only thing with claws.
November 26th at 7:30PM is a benefit performance for only $35 and it includes:
- Live pre-show entertainment
- Puerto Rican food and refreshments
- A talk-back with cast of Brainpeople
- The opportunity to help support one of Chicago’s up-and-coming theater’s!
Show runs until December 12th! Tickets available at:
photos by Anthony Aicardi
BRAINPEOPLE is officially Jeff Recommeded!
Congrats to the cast and crew for all their hard work and energy! We are fortunate to be working with such a talented group of theater makers and to continue bringing professional theater to the Humboldt Park community. Thank you!
For tickets go to: www.UrbanTheaterChicago.org
We looking forward to seeing you soon!
-From the Streets to the Stage
Official BRAINPEOPLE postcard. Photo by Anthony Aicardi, Graphic Design by Cindy Hardy (Designer’s Ink) and Hair & Make-up by Nancy Duran (Glam Fetish).
Show features: Marilyn Camacho (UTC Co-Artistic Director), Amanda Powell and Kate Brown
Get To Know Our Team: Erynn Mackenzie as Lourdes - ‘Cuba and His Teddy Bear’
1. Where are you from? If not from Chicago, how did you end up here? What is your ethnicity?
Hey, my name is Erynn Mackenzie and I am originally from Indianapolis, IN. Once I graduated from college, I moved to Gary and from there then moved to Chicago. I always wanted to live in a Big City and Chicago was always a really cool place. I decided to pursue my passion for theatre and film in The Windy City. My ethnic background is of black and irish descent.
2. What is your position in Cuba?
When you ask position I am assuming you mean what role do I play in Cuba. LOL. I play the role of the spicy Latina Lourdes.
3. What drew you to want to work on Cuba and His Teddy Bear?
In terms of what drew me to this play Cuba and His Teddy Bear, interesting enough, I received a call from the director asking me if I would be interested in auditioning for the play. I was, but knew absolutely nothing about the play. The Director (Marilyn Camacho) gave me a brief description of the character I’d be auditioning for and I frantically got off the phone with her and began researching the play. I was so excited to do a play like this where I’d get to play a chararcter of another race. I thought it would be both fun and challenging. Boy, was I right!!!!
4. Why is this a great piece of theater for Chicago?
I think that this play is a great piece for Chicago because it displays urban life in a Big City. In the play we are talking about New York but the issues and problems that affect minorities in New York are the same in any metropolitan area. I also feel that though this play takes place circa 1983, the problems are still just as relevant today as they were almost 30 years ago. I find this play to be very endearing and shows a portrait of the struggles that a father and a son contend with in the face of poverty and identity.
5. What makes Chicago Theater great to you?
Wow, Chicago theatre is great because Chicago is such an amazing city!! I mean there is truly no place on earth quite like Chicago. Chicago is so refreshing in that here we have so many nationalities of people. It is truly a melting pot and it has the laid back midwestern vibe that makes people very down to earth and approachable. I think that is why Theatre is so great here. There is a humbleness from the actors I’ve encountered that is unlike any other place.
6. What do like about working with UTC/PTC? If you have worked with UTC/PTC before what show did you work on and how was your experience?
What I enjoyed about working with People’s and Urban Theater Company was the fact that everyone was so supportive and like family. It was a very nurturing environment and also, these folks are TALENTED!!! The fact that they think me talented just makes me swell with pride. LOL.
7. What do you do for work outside of your position in Cuba?
I, outside of the acting work I do, I teach dance to highschool girls (cheerleading coach) and I do mental health therapy.
8. Also maybe, other than Cuba, what is your favorite play that you have worked on?
I would have to be diplomatic when answering the question of my favorite play. I would genuiniely have to say that I’ve been lucky that all the work I’ve done has been really great work that is very close to my heart. But, If i had to pick, I would say that aside from Cuba, doing Hair was amazing. But, honestly I’ve done great work. Body and Sold was really incredible, The Darkest Pit, and Raisin In the Sun were awesome plays as well. Don’t get me started on the movies I’ve done.
9. Why are you pursuing theater in Chicago, rather than somewhere else?
First off, I love Chicago. But also I still have family here who need me and I am reluctant to leave them at this point.
10. What’s your favorite line from a play?
Dios Mio!!!! The questions just keep getting harder!!! This is a tough question in terms of what is my favorite line from the play. I mean this is a heavily dialogued play with alot of great lines so picking just one is way hard. But since you want an answer, let me think, um, I’d have to say when Cuba says: “When you got money you’ve got friends all over the place and when your broke nobody wants you.” Also there is a line that Cuba says: “I am your father and if I wasn’t your father I’d say don’t trust me.” I also like alot of other lines but I would be here all day dissecting the entire play and really who has time for that!!
Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For tickets click: I Support Theater in Chicago!
-UrbanTheater Company (UTC)
FROM the STREETS to the STAGE
Interview by Ivan Vega
