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Shakespeare 400 Chicago Line-up Announced

Barbara Gaines' Tug of War Casting Announced
Pritzker Military Museum & Library joins MacArthur Foundation as Lead Festival Sponsors

Chicago—January 20, 2016—Shakespeare 400 Chicago announces today the festival line-up for 2016, featuring 850 events on stages and in museums, restaurants, parks, schools and neighborhoods across Chicago. Today, Chicago Shakespeare Theater Artistic Director Barbara Gaines and Executive Director Criss Henderson gather with leaders of the City’s cultural institutions at British Consul General Stephen Bridge’s residence to launch the festival and unveil the Shakespeare 400 Chicago catalog, which will be available at many of the event venues across Chicago. Casting is announced for Chicago Shakespeare’s centerpiece of the festival, Barbara Gaines’ epic production of Tug of War. Shakespeare 400 Chicago is made possible by leading support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Pritzker Military Museum & Library.

As the world commemorates the four hundred years since Shakespeare’s death in 1616, Shakespeare 400 Chicago brings together the city’s resident world-class institutions across disciplines, and welcomes leading artists from around the globe to celebrate, interpret and reimagine Shakespeare’s work. Spearheaded by Chicago Shakespeare Theater, this yearlong international arts festival will engage more than 500,000 Chicagoans and visitors in events spanning theater, opera, music, dance, cuisine, exhibitions, workshops and discussion series.

In addition to the previously announced Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Shakespeare-inspired presentations at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Supernatural Shakespeare exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago—Joffrey Ballet has announced Romeo and Juliet as part of its fall season. Yo-Yo Ma joins musicians from Chicago Symphony Orchestra to perform A Distant Mirror, exploring the musical worlds inspired by Shakespeare and Cervantes. Chicago Mariachi Project debuts a new work, El eterno Shakespeare (The Eternal Shakespeare), which weaves themes from the Bard’s plays into the traditional sounds of mariachi. The Grant Park Chorus performs Shakespeare selections at the Grant Park Music Festival. The Gift Theatre Company’s Richard III featuring Artistic Director Michael Patrick Thornton in the title role is presented in the Steppenwolf Garage, in partnership with The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. The Q Brothers return with their award-winning Othello: The Remix after international tours to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, South Korea, New Zealand, Poland, the United Arab Emirates and beyond. Chicago’s own band of actor/musicians The Lincoln Squares premiere their Gravediggers’ Hamlet.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater also announces the acting company for Artistic Director Barbara Gaines’ epic six-play history cycle Tug of War, which will be presented as a two-part theatrical event: Foreign Fire (beginning May 11) and Civil Strife (beginning September 14). The dynamic ensemble cast performs over 100 characters ranging from kings to commoners throughout the action-packed drama. Spanning more than a century of British history, the play reveals that, when it comes to politics and pride, history is doomed to repeat itself. The company includes: Karen Aldridge, David Darlow, Matt Deitchman, Jed Feder, Neil Friedman, Kevin Gudahl, Shanna Jones, Timothy Edward Kane, Heidi Kettenring, Daniel Kyri, Elizabeth Ledo, Michael Aaron Lindner, James Newcomb, Barbara Robertson, Freddie Stevenson, Steven Sutcliffe, John Tufts, Alex Weisman, Tahirah Whittington, Dominique Worsley and Larry Yando. A vibrant musical soundscape encompasses music from Bach and the blues, to contemporary pop and rock anthems.

In a uniquely Chicago tribute to the City’s rich culinary scene, Culinary Complete Works translates the 38 plays of Shakespeare through the immense talents of 38 of Chicago’s most inventive chefs in restaurants across the city throughout 2016. Curated by Alpana Singh, proprietor and master sommelier of Boarding House, Culinary Complete Works reflects the incredible breadth of cuisine that makes Chicago the hub of the dining world today. Rick Bayless (Topolobampo) makes magic in the kitchen channeling A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Tony Mantuano’s (Café Spiaggia) Italian cuisine marries love and tragedy interpreting Romeo and Juliet. Art Smith (Blue Door Kitchen & Garden) tackles the iconic tragedy of King Lear. Ryan McCaskey (Acadia) explores The Winter's Tale at his newly ranked two-Michelin-star restaurant. And Carrie Nahabedian (Naha) brings bold experimentation to Measure for Measure—to name just a few highlights. Representing the city’s vibrant microbrewery scene, North Coast Brewing Co. is set to release a special Shakespeare 400 Chicago edition of their popular beer, Puck.

The international artists participating in Shakespeare 400 Chicago hail from nations spread over five continents, including Australia, Belarus, Belgium, China, Germany, India, Mexico, Poland, Russia, the United Kingdom and beyond. The festival kicks off with Cheek by Jowl and Pushkin Theatre, Moscow’s Measure for Measure, directed by world-renowned Shakespeare interpreter Declan Donnellan, presented at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, January 27–31, 2016.

Newly announced international presentations include: acclaimed Chilean playwright Eduardo Pavez Goye’s collaboration with Mexico’s Foro Shakespeare—Enamorarse de un incendio, a new play inspired by the themes of Romeo and Juliet; from the UK, Spymonkey’s new work The Complete Deaths, in which all 74 deaths of Shakespeare are messily and movingly captured onstage; and hailing from Belgium, Theater Zuidpool’s live concert version of Macbeth featuring alternative musicians Mauro Pawlowski and Tijs Delbeke presented at Thalia Hall. UK writer/director/actor Tim Crouch brings his one-man interpretation of Twelfth Night, as told by Shakespeare’s much-maligned steward in I, Malvolio; while David Carl presents his off-beat, one-man show, Gary Busey’s One-Man Hamlet. Australia’s award-winning performance group, one step at a time like this (Since I Suppose, en route), creates a new personal audio-walking theater work engaging the environs around the lakefront and Navy Pier entitled unpathed waters, undreamed shores. Closing the year’s festivities in December 2016 is the return of Cheek by Jowl with its new English-language production of The Winter’s Tale.

These varied works join the line-up of previously announced events that include: Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre’s The Merchant of Venice, starring Jonathan Pryce at Chicago Shakespeare; Shanghai Peking Opera’s The Revenge of Prince Zi Dan (based on Hamlet) and the Hamburg Ballet’s Othello, both at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance; (In)Complete Works: Table Top Shakespeare from Forced Entertainment at the Museum of Contemporary Art; Belarus Free Theatre’s King Lear; Oxford Playhouse’s Sancho: An Act of Remembrance, written by and starring Paterson Joseph; The Company Theatre of Mumbai’s Hindi translation of Twelfth NightPiya Behrupiya; Songs of Lear from Poland’s Song of the Goat; and Filter Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Twelfth Night—all at Chicago Shakespeare.

Families and students can connect to the festival through: Chicago Public Library’s free “Check Out Shakespeare” initiative; the Short Shakespeare! abridgment of Twelfth Night at Chicago Shakespeare and on tour to schools around the region; and in the free Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks tour to 19 neighborhood parks on the south, north and west sides of the city. Chicago Symphony Orchestra teams up with Chicago Shakespeare for family-friendly concerts featuring CST actors interpreting Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Three hundred high school students and teachers from 50 public, private and parochial schools citywide will participate in the Battle of the Bard—developed in partnership with Chicago Youth Shakespeare—in which students will perform scenes plus their own creative mash-ups from the canon in a slam-style arena.

Initiatives to foster a citywide conversation about the playwright’s legacy include Newberry Library’s Creating Shakespeare, featuring over 100 treasures from the Newberry Library and other distinguished collections. The exhibition displays a variety of artifacts, manuscripts, printed books, artwork, music and more, while examining how Shakespeare’s works have been reimagined and recreated throughout the centuries. In addition to Newberry Library, Chicago Shakespeare joins with partners including Chicago Humanities Festival, Illinois Humanities, Northwestern University, University of Chicago and Logan Center for the Arts to offer thought-provoking lecture and discussion series, classes and educational programs. Throughout the year, City Desk 400 correspondents from ten of Chicago’s world-class universities will respond online to the remarkable body of artistic work encompassed by Shakespeare 400 Chicago.

Tickets are on sale now for many Shakespeare 400 Chicago events through the individual event venues, which can all be accessed through www.shakespeare400chicago.com; additional ticketing links will be updated online as they become available. Chicagoans and the world can engage with Shakespeare 400 Chicago across platforms—on Facebook (facebook.com/shakespeare400chicago), Twitter (@shakes400chi) and Instagram (@shakes400chi).

For the most up-to-date information about programming, tickets and event venues, go to www.shakespeare400chicago.com.


Shakespeare 400 Chicago Festival Line-up

 

THROUGHOUT 2016

 

CULINARY COMPLETE WORKS

curated in partnership with Alpana Singh | developed with Rick Boynton
throughout 2016 | in restaurants across Chicago

Experience the beauty of Shakespeare translated through the immense talents of 38 of Chicago’s most talented chefs. Culinary Complete Works is an unprecedented exploration of food and theater, offering a complete culinary tour of the Bard’s plays through the vibrant and diverse restaurant scene that makes Chicago an international dining destination. Culinary Complete Works is curated by Alpana Singh, proprietor and master sommelier of Boarding House. The participating chefs reflect the incredible breadth of cuisine that is Chicago, hub of the dining world today. From award-winning fine dining to hidden neighborhood gems, Shakespeare is served at restaurants across Chicago. This yearlong experience features some of the city’s best-known and most inventive chefs. Rick Bayless (Topolobampo) makes magic in the kitchen channeling A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Tony Mantuano’s (Cafe Spiaggia) Italian cuisine marries love and tragedy interpreting Romeo and Juliet. Art Smith (Blue Door Kitchen & Garden) tackles the iconic tragedy of King Lear. Ryan McCaskey (Acadia) explores The Winter's Tale at his newly ranked two-Michelin-star restaurant.And Carrie Nahabedian (Naha) brings bold experimentation to Measure for Measure— to name just a few highlights. Each participating chef’s vision takes flight with the help of Rick Boynton, Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Creative Producer, whose expertise helps craft unique dishes inspired by the thematic richness found in each play. Taste the passion, jealousy, humor, battle, love and forgiveness in a tantalizing experience that lasts all year long.

shakespeare400chicago.com/culinary


CITY DESK 400

throughout 2016 | online & on the go

Chicago’s world-class universities are among our city’s most treasured resources, from the University of Chicago on the vibrant South Side to Northwestern University along its North Shore. Throughout the year, scholars from ten universities will be responding online to the remarkable body of artistic work encompassed by Shakespeare 400 Chicago. Audiences from around the world can learn more about the immense range of work through the insightful lens provided by this group of academics—from emerging scholars to distinguished emeriti. Subscribe to receive biweekly updates, or check out the Shakespeare 400 Chicago website for the latest posts from our “City Desk 400 Correspondents.”

citydesk.shakespeare400chicago.com


Chicago Public Library

CHECK OUT SHAKESPEARE

throughout 2016 | in library branches across Chicago

Throughout the year, Chicago Public Library will offer dozens of screenings of Shakespeare and Shakespeare-inspired films; a brand new Shakespeare Read-Aloud Book Club, featuring Richard III, Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream; and monthly peeks into its Theater Collection for interesting artifacts of fellow Chicagoans performing, reading and engaging with Shakespeare throughout our city’s history. Online resources that offer historical information about Shakespeare and his works, words he created, and even a chance to learn to talk like Shakespeare through the Mango Languages database, will be accessible from anywhere in the world. Throughout the year, the Library will prominently feature their extensive collection of Shakespeare’s plays and huge variety of books, films, audiobooks, musical scores and other works that he has inspired.

All programs are free.
chipublib.org


Chicago Shakespeare Theater & Chicago Youth Shakespeare

HIGH SCHOOL SHAKESPEARE SLAM: BATTLE OF THE BARD

Finals Bout: November 14, 2016 | Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Chicago Shakespeare Theater and Chicago Youth Shakespeare join forces to create a high school Shakespeare slam uniting teams from 50 public, private and parochial schools from across the many neighborhoods of our city and collar counties. Saturday workshops, after-school rehearsals and regional preliminary bouts culminate in the Finals Bout, held at Chicago Shakespeare in its beautiful Courtyard Theater. Three hundred high school students will perform scenes plus their own creative mash-ups from the canon in a slam-style arena. The program honors the unparalleled power of Shakespeare’s language when it is catalyzed by students’ imagination. Building a culture of community that spans the Chicago region, Battle of the Bard celebrates Shakespeare’s capacity to speak to all.

Tickets: $15
chicagoshakes.com • 312.595.5600


Pritzker Military Museum & Library

SHAKESPEARE AND THE CITIZEN SOLDIER

throughout 2016 | Pritzker Military Museum & Library

Chicago is home to the incomparable Pritzker Military Museum & Library. This internationally renowned institution celebrates the personal journey of the citizen soldier and honors the courage of those who have served. Shakespeare’s canon has played a critical role in shaping our modern view of war and warfare, and the Museum & Library is proud to serve as a lead partner for Shakespeare 400 Chicago. From the inspirational St. Crispin’s Day speech of Henry V to the master class in political rhetoric that is Mark Antony’s call to action in Julius Caesar— across centuries, monarchs and soldiers alike have taken solace in Shakespeare’s words. In 2016, Pritzker Military Museum & Library and Chicago Shakespeare will provide new access to Shakespeare for Chicago’s active and retired military personnel. Military bases around the world will engage in an emerging video series, entitled “Shakespeare and the Citizen Soldier.” Recorded by the collective of international artists converging in Chicago in 2016, the series features Shakespeare’s legendary monologues illuminating the personal impact of war.

pritzkermilitary.org


The Improvised Shakespeare Company

IMPROVISED SHAKESPEARE

Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays | The iO Theater

Based on an audience suggestion, the critically acclaimed Improvised Shakespeare Company creates a fully improvised Shakespearean masterpiece before your very eyes. Every “staggeringly brilliant” production employs plotlines and themes inspired by the Bard himself (Time Out Chicago). The players effortlessly invent Shakespearean dialogue and rhyming couplets in verse, bringing you “a night of Elizabethan tomfoolery” that’s “downright hilarious” (Time Out Chicago, Edge Miami). Named Chicago’s best improv group by both Chicago Reader and Chicago Examiner, this is one production that would be a tragedy to miss.

Tickets: start at $16
ioimprov.com/chicago • 312.929.2401


North Coast Brewing Co.

PUCK: THE BEER

limited-edition release for Shakespeare 400 Chicago | in shops, bars & restaurants across Chicago

Drawing inspiration from the playful spirit in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, PUCK is a sharp and spritzy petite saison, with a delicious flowery, spicy dry-hop aroma. Joining in on the anniversary celebration, PUCK will be released with a limited-edition Shakespeare 400 Chicago label, sold and served across the US in 2016. North Coast Brewing Company, a pioneer in the craft beer movement with more than 70 awards in national and international competitions, will mark the release with special events and PUCK “pop-ups” throughout Chicago during the quadricentennial festivities.

northcoastbrewing.com


WTTW & WFMT

SHAKESPEARE ON AIR

throughout 2016 | Channel 11 & 98.7 FM

WTTW, Chicago’s “Window to the World,” will broadcast a range of programming celebrating Shakespeare’s work as it lives on screen and on air. In January, WTTW 11 presents Our City, Our Shakespeare, painting a vibrant portrait of how Shakespeare comes alive in Chicago through theater, opera, ballet, improv and contemporary art. Airing February through March, Shakespeare Uncovered delves into the stories of his greatest plays. Each episode combines interviews with actors, directors and scholars, along with visits to key locations, clips from some of the most celebrated film and television adaptations, and illustrative excerpts from the plays specially staged for the series at Shakespeare’s Globe in London. On Saturday, April 23, tune in 98.7 WFMT or listen via the WFMT mobile app for an all-day Shakespeare bash featuring: the Metropolitan Opera’s live broadcast of Verdi’s Otello at noon, the greatest music inspired by the Bard’s work, and a few surprises scattered throughout the day. And in August, the concluding episode a BBC three-part series makes its US premiere on WTTW 11. The Hollow Crown: The War of the Roses is directed by former artistic director of Royal Court Theatre and Olivier Award-winner Dominic Cooke, with Benedict Cumberbatch playing King Richard III.

wttw.com • wfmt.com


JANUARY


The Theatre School at DePaul

PROSPERO’S STORM

adapted & directed by Damon Kiely | music & lyrics by Mark Elliott
part of Chicago Playworks for Families and Young Audiences Series
January 14–February 20, 2016 | DePaul’s Merle Reskin Theatre

Chicago Playworks for Families and Young Audiences, the oldest continually producing children’s theater in the Midwest, presents a family-friendly introduction to Shakespeare’s fantastical story of The Tempest. Wizard Prospero wields crashing sea-storms, airy spirits, savage ghost hounds and terrifying creatures to exact revenge on his enemies, trapping them on his magical island. Will he learn mercy from his teenage daughter, or sink everyone into the sea? This entertaining vaudeville adaptation uses puppets, singing, slapstick and magic to weave an enchanting tale of fatherhood and forgiveness. Recommended for ages 8 and up.

Tickets: $10
theatre.depaul.edu • 312.922.1999


from RUSSIA | Cheek by Jowl & Pushkin Theater, Moscow

MEASURE FOR MEASURE

by William Shakespeare | directed by Declan Donnellan | designed by Nick Ormerod
presented by Chicago Shakespeare Theater
January 27–31, 2016 | Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Hailed as “a shattering portrait of contemporary Russia” by Moscow’s Novaya Gazeta, this gripping production received five Golden Mask Award nominations, including Best Director for Declan Donnellan and Best Large Scale Drama Production. With a unique brew of laughter and darkness, Shakespeare dissects the nature of government, love and justice—asking unsettling questions about how we are governed, and exploring the complex relationships between those in power and ordinary citizens. Founded in 1981, London-based Cheek by Jowl has performed the world over. The company has a longstanding history of creating works with Russia’s leading artists, and this marks its first co-production with the Pushkin Theatre, Moscow.

Performed in Russian with projected English translation.
Tickets: $68–$78
chicagoshakes.com • 312.595.5600


FEBRUARY


from BELARUS | Belarus Free Theatre

KING LEAR

by William Shakespeare | directed by Vladimir Shcherban | adapted by Nikolai Khalezin
presented by Chicago Shakespeare Theater
February 5–14, 2016 | Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Belarus Free Theatre returns to Chicago following its widely acclaimed productions of Being Harold Pinter and Minsk 2011, A Reply to Kathy Acker. Featuring tempestuous poetic language, moments of heartrending simplicity and touches of humor, this production is a striking and relevant artistic exploration of the human condition. Founded in 2005 under Europe’s last surviving dictatorship, Belarus Free Theatre is one of the most outspoken critics of Belarus’s repressive regime and is banned from performing in their own country. Though many company members have served time in prison, lost their jobs, gone into hiding or been exiled, Belarus Free Theatre continues to create award-winning work with the support of artists around the world.

Performed in Belarusian with projected English translation.
Tickets: $48–$58
chicagoshakes.com • 312.595.5600


Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Chicago Shakespeare Theater

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

conducted by Edwin Outwater | adapted & directed by David H. Bell
February 13, 2016 – 11:00 a.m. & 12:45 p.m. | Symphony Center

Ignite your child’s imagination and love of music with a delightful, kid-sized CSO concert of Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The composer takes us into magical woods where a group of fairies hilariously fumble in their attempts to manipulate the lives of ordinary people. Chicago Shakespeare Theater actors join the Orchestra to craft an enchanting, interactive concert experience sure to delight the whole family—complete with engaging pre-concert activities that will feature colorful exhibits and fun musical experiences.

Tickets: $6–$57
cso.org • 312.294.3000


Chicago a cappella & Chicago Shakespeare Theater

SHAKESPEARE A CAPPELLA

adapted & directed by Tom Mula | musical direction by John William Trotter
February 13–21, 2016 | Nichols Concert Hall, Pilgrim Congregational Church, Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, Wentz Concert Hall

Innovative and artful a cappella music illuminates the inherent musicality in William Shakespeare’s words as Jeff Award-winning actors Barbara Robertson and Greg Vinkler join nine singers from the acclaimed vocal ensemble Chicago a cappella. A global roster of talented composers has created music designed to elevate the drama in Shakespeare’s sonnets and soliloquies with vibrant, expressive accompaniment. Prepare for a remarkable fusion of classical theater and a cappella music that Opera News describes as teeming with “spirit, commitment, and good musicianship.”

Tickets: $12–$38
chicagoacappella.org • 773.281.7820


from the UNITED KINGDOM | Oxford Playhouse

SANCHO: AN ACT OF REMEMBRANCE

written by & starring Paterson Joseph | co-directed by Simon Godwin
presented by Chicago Shakespeare Theater
February 17–21, 2016 | Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Celebrated Royal Shakespeare Company actor Paterson Joseph (HBO’s The Leftovers, NBC’s You, Me and the Apocalypse) inhabits the curious, daringly determined life of Charles Ignatius Sancho—composer, social satirist, general man of refinement. Born on a slave ship but never a slave, Sancho became the first black person of African origin to vote in Britain. Among his circle of friends was David Garrick, celebrated Shakespeare actor and theater owner. A renowned man of letters, Sancho quoted Shakespeare more than he did any other author in his writing. This endlessly revealing, frequently funny one-man show casts a new light on the often-misunderstood narratives of African-British experience.

Tickets: $38–$48
chicagoshakes.com • 312.595.5600

 


Chicago Shakespeare Theater

OTHELLO

by William Shakespeare | directed by Jonathan Munby
February 18–April 10, 2016 | Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Fresh from Shakespeare’s Globe and the Royal Shakespeare Company, renowned British director Jonathan Munby returns to Chicago to stage Shakespeare’s most intimate tragedy. In a black and white world, Othello and Desdemona fall in love, but the distinguished commander knows no maneuvers for the affairs of the heart. A stranger in a strange land, he falls under Iago’s spell, mistaking a lethal enemy for his closest ally. Here, Shakespeare excavates the most elemental of human emotions: the all-consuming passion of love and jealousy, featuring James Vincent Meredith in the title role.

Tickets: $48–$88
chicagoshakes.com • 312.595.5600


Lyric Opera of Chicago

GOUNOD’s ROMEO & JULIET

by Charles Gounod | conducted by Emmanuel Villaume | directed by Bartlett Sher
February 22–March 19, 2016 | Lyric Opera of Chicago

Complete with star-crossed lovers and swashbuckling sword fights, this opera has something for everyone. The ultra-romantic, timeless love story by Shakespeare bursts with new life in this grand production, and the lush orchestration will have Gounod’s gorgeous melodies soaring straight to your heart in Lyric’s stunning production. Susanna Phillips is a Juliet to remember with an “exquisite” voice of “purity and bloom,” while Joseph Calleja (February 22–March 8) and Eric Cutler (March 11–19) embody all the elegance and ardor that Romeo demands (The New York Times). Prepare yourself for love and loss, rage and revenge, scored magnificently. With the Lyric’s stellar ensemble, the fate of the world’s favorite young lovers will intoxicate and excite like never before.

Performed in French with projected English translation.
Tickets: $20–$239
lyricopera.org • 312.827.5600


from GERMANY | Hamburg Ballet

OTHELLO

Presented by Harris Theater for Music and Dance
February 23 & 24, 2016 | Harris Theater

The world-renowned Hamburg Ballet returns to the Harris Theater to perform its awe-inspiring interpretation of Shakespeare’s seminal tragedy, Othello. Created by company Artistic Director and Chief Choreographer John Neumeier, this stirring adaptation is charged with “emotional depth and power” and truly “elegant lyricism” (Splash Magazine). Rousing music and dance sequences heighten the drama in the tangled web of deceit and manipulation that is Othello. With live accompaniment from the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra and music by Arvo Pärt, Alfred Schnittke and Naná Vasconcelos, the stage is set for misdirection, betrayal and revenge. Watch the destructive course of action unfold in all its meticulously crafted glory.

Tickets: $35–$125
harristheaterchicago.org • 312.334.7777


from the UNITED KINGDOM | Tim Etchells & Forced Entertainment

(IN) COMPLETE WORKS: TABLE TOP SHAKESPEARE

Presented by Museum of Contemporary Art & Chicago Shakespeare Theater
February 25–27, 2016 | MCA Stage

Salt and pepper shakers for the king and queen. A ruler for the prince. A spoon stands in for a servant. Macbeth becomes a cheese grater. For over 30 years, UK-based theater pioneers Forced Entertainment have made formative works that search for identity in a fractured, uncertain world. With (In) Complete Works, taken from their marathon Complete Works project, Shakespeare’s plays are condensed and presented on top of a table using a cast of ordinary, everyday objects. “Shockingly brilliant” is how London’s The Guardian describes Forced Entertainment’s imaginative art, as one by one, members of the ensemble retell the plays, creating scaled-down worlds that are vivid, accessible and comic.

Tickets: start at $30
mcachicago.org • 312.397.4010


Rockefeller Chapel

THE BELL INVITED ME: SHAKESPEARE AT THE CARILLON

February 26, 2016 – 5:00 p.m. | Rockefeller Memorial Chapel

MUSIC IN THE TIME OF SHAKESPEARE

February 27, 2016 – 7:30 p.m. | Rockefeller Memorial Chapel

This winter, two concerts at University of Chicago explore popular styles of music from Shakespeare’s time. The first showcases the talents of internationally celebrated musician and teacher Joey Brink as he plays Rockefeller Memorial Chapel’s world-famous, 72-bell carillon. The second night features the Decani, Rockefeller Chapel’s professional vocal ensemble, performing an a cappella celebration of Thomas Tallis and the Elizabethans. Tallis’s famous Lamentations will be paired with musical settings of Shakespeare texts by the Pulitzer Prize-winning Israeli-American composer Shulamit Ran, including the world premiere of Ran’s setting of Sonnet 64.

Tickets: $20, free to all students with university ID
rockefeller.uchicago.edu • 773.702.ARTS


MARCH


from the UNITED KINGDOM | Filter Theatre in association with the Royal Shakespeare Company

TWELFTH NIGHT

directed by Sean Holmes | music & sound by Tom Haines & Ross Hughes
presented by Chicago Shakespeare Theater
March 1–13, 2016 | Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Two worlds collide in Filter Theatre’s explosive take on Shakespeare’s lyrical Twelfth Night, originally commissioned for the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Complete Works Festival in 2006. This story of romance, satire and mistaken identity combines dynamic narrative drive with a torrent of sound and music. Olivia’s melancholic, puritanical household clashes head on with Sir Toby’s insatiable appetite for drunken debauchery. Orsino’s relentless pursuit of Olivia and Malvolio’s extraordinary transformation typify the madness of love in Illyria: land of make-believe and illusion. Experience the madness of love in this heady world where riotous concert meets Shakespeare.

Tickets: $48–$78
chicagoshakes.com • 312.595.5600


The Gift Theatre Company
in association with Steppenwolf Theatre Company & The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago

RICHARD III

directed by Jessica Thebus | dramaturgy by Michael Peterson, PhD
March 3–May 1, 2016 | Steppenwolf’s Merle Reskin Garage Theatre

For over ten years, Chicago’s Gift Theatre Company has earned and deepened its reputation as an ensemble dedicated to acting of the highest caliber. Now, its Artistic Director Michael Patrick Thornton (The Dilemma, ABC’s Private Practice) takes on the title role in the Machiavellian rise and reign of Richard III. Thornton partners with the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago to re-define what (dis)ability and Shakespeare’s great villain look like by utilizing assistive devices past and present as innovative articulations of Richard’s protean identity, character and self-perception.

Tickets: start at $30
steppenwolf.org • 312.335.1650


Chicago Shakespeare Theater

SHORT SHAKESPEARE! TWELFTH NIGHT

adapted and directed by Kirsten Kelly
March 2–April 9, 2016 – Saturdays at 11:00 a.m. | Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s energetic, 75-minute abridged production of Twelfth Night will introduce 40,000 students to Shakespeare—at the Courtyard Theater on Navy Pier and on tour to schools across Chicagoland and the Midwest, supporting and enriching the curriculum by adding a dynamic complement to classroom study. Separated from her twin brother in a shipwreck, the resilient Viola adopts a male disguise and enters into the service of Duke Orsino—only to find herself in the middle of a triangle of unrequited love. Saturday public performances on Navy Pier welcome families to experience the play, followed by a facilitated discussion with the actors.

Tickets: $22–34
chicagoshakes.com • 312.595.5600


Logan Center for the Arts

KING LEAR SCREENINGS

Featuring University of Chicago Professor Emeritus in English Richard Strier
March 6, 2016 – 2:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m. | Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts

A discussion following the screening of two interpretations of King Lear: one by England’s Peter Brook and the other by Russia’s Grigori Kozintsev.

Tickets: Free Admission
tickets.uchicago.edu • 773.702.ARTS


Harvard Professor of Political Philosophy Michael Sandel with Illinois Humanities & Chicago Shakespeare Theater

WHAT ARE WE WORTH?

featuring Professor Michael Sandel
March 21, 2016 – 7:00 p.m. | Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Are there some things money can’t buy? What are our obligations to each other as citizens? Come participate in an evening of dramatic interpretations and public debate. This one-night-only event will include Shakespeare readings by Chicago Shakespeare actors, along with a lively town hall-style conversation with the audience conducted by Harvard professor and best-selling author Michael Sandel. The evening explores how money and markets shape our values and beliefs—the subject of Sandel’s recent book, What Money Can’t Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets.

Tickets: $10
A limited number of seats are available free of charge through Illinois Humanities.
chicagoshakes.com • 312.595.5600


APRIL


from the UNITED KINGDOM

THE TALLIS SCHOLARS

written by & starring Peter Phillips
presented by Chicago Symphony Orchestra
April 5, 2016 – 7:30 p.m. | Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago

Since their founding over forty years ago, The Tallis Scholars have become the gold standard for Renaissance sacred music. Led by director and founder Peter Phillips, the revered a cappella group performs a concert of exquisite Renaissance and contemporary music, including Byrd’s Laetentur coeli, Salve regina, Vigilate; Taverner’s Missa Western Wynde; Davy’s Salve regina; Tallis’s Lamentations I; and Ferrabosco’s Lamentations. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette declares, “their immaculate intonation and accuracy were a given; their full, pure, clear sound, big enough to fill the hall, distinguished their performance.

Tickets: start at $35
cso.org • 312.294.3000


Chicago Symphony Orchestra

BERLIOZ’S ROMEO AND JULIET

conducted by Riccardo Muti | featuring Ekaterina Gubanova, Paul Groves & Dmitry Belosselskiy
April 7–9, 2016 | Symphony Center

Riccardo Muti leads the CSO, Chicago Symphony Chorus and international superstars Ekaterina Gubanova, Paul Groves and Dmitry Belosselskiy in Berlioz’s most romantic score, widely considered his greatest work. Romeo and Juliet is the French composer’s tribute to his beloved Shakespeare and to Harriet Smithson, the Irish actress with whom he fell in love when she played the role of Juliet.

Tickets: $36–$260
cso.org • 312.294.3000


Art Institute of Chicago

SUPERNATURAL SHAKESPEARE

April 11–October 10, 2016 | Art Institute of Chicago

Supernatural Shakespeare brings the Bard’s mischievous witches and faeries to the fore, featuring three atmospheric engravings that emulate the work of renowned Gothic artist Henri Fuseli and are sure to capture the imagination with their intensity and vivid detail. The Nursery of Shakespeare (1810) depicts the infant William Shakespeare already haunted by phantasmal inspirations. The Witches Appear to Macbeth and Banquo (1798) portrays the three sorceresses getting ready to triple the antihero’s toil and trouble, while Titania and Bottom with Ass’s Head (1796) features the enchanted odd couple carousing in their sylvan bower.

Tickets: included with museum admission
artic.edu • 312.443.3600


Chicago Symphony Orchestra

MAHLER 4, TCHAIKOVSKY'S ROMEO AND JULIET & THE TEMPEST

conducted by Riccardo Muti | featuring Rosa Feola
April 14–24, 2016 | Symphony Center

Shakespeare’s works have inspired countless acts of creativity. Few come close to the symphonies inspired by Tchaikovsky’s love of Romeo and Juliet and The Tempest. Conducted by one of the world’s foremost maestros, Riccardo Muti, and performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, this concert features two vividly romantic overtures. Completing the show is Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, one of the composer’s best-loved works.

Tickets: $46–$270
cso.org • 312.294.3000


The Q Brothers

OTHELLO: THE REMIX

written, directed & composed by GQ & JQ | developed with Rick Boynton
presented by Chicago Shakespeare Theater & Richard Jordan Productions
April 12–May 8, 2016 | Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Following acclaimed international tours and previous sold-out engagements in Chicago, this hip-hop adaptation created with Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Creative Producer Rick Boynton is spun out and lyrically rewritten over original beats. Since its world premiere at Shakespeare’s Globe as part of the 2012 London Cultural Olympiad, the production has toured widely, captivating audiences around the world and garnering tremendous acclaim and multiple honors— including Edinburgh’s Musical Theatre Matters Award for Best New Musical Theatre Show and the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Ensemble. London’s The Telegraph’s five-star review proclaims Othello: The Remix “a triumph from beginning to end.”

Tickets: $35–$45
chicagoshakes.com • 312.595.5600


Chicago Symphony Orchestra

FALSTAFF

conducted by Riccardo Muti | featuring Ambrogio Maestri
April 21–26, 2016 | Symphony Center

Maestro Muti’s exploration of Giuseppe Verdi’s three Shakespeare operas culminates in performances of Falstaff. With Muti’s incomparable musicianship, command of style, and unique understanding of Verdi’s genius, Falstaff is sure to be both a memorable highlight of the season and a crowning achievement of the conductor’s Verdi performances in Chicago. Singing the title role is Ambrogio Maestri, “the most sought after Falstaff singer of his time” (The New York Times).

Tickets: $40–$255
cso.org • 312.294.3000


Alice Kaplan Institute for the Humanities & Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art

CATCH MY SOUL

directed by Patrick McGoohan
April 22, 2016 – 7:00 p.m. | Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art

Directed by Patrick McGoohan (famous for co-creating and starring in the 1960s television series The Prisoner), Catch My Soul is a rediscovered rock opera adaptation of Othello, presumed lost for many years. Set in a hippie commune, Othello is an evangelist and Iago is a Mephistophelian demon. Featuring an unusual cast of musicians from the 1970s, including Richie Havens and Tony Joe White, Catch My Soul did not attract the same critical success as Jesus Christ Superstar, released seven months earlier. The film has only recently been resurrected from obscurity, and this screening will be projected from a new restoration scan of the original negative.

Tickets: Free Admission, seating is limited.
shakespeare.northwestern.edu • 847.491.4000


Northwestern University & Alice Kaplan Institute for the Humanities

PLAY THE KNAVE: AN INTERACTIVE SHAKESPEARE VIDEO GAME

conceived & created by Gina Bloom & the ModLab, University of California, Davis
April 28, 2016 – 4:00 p.m. Play the game; 7:00 p.m. Lecture | Hagstrum Room

Play the Knave is a highly interactive digital game that gives everyone a chance to design, direct and act in scenes from Shakespeare’s plays, karaoke-style. But this is no ordinary karaoke. A motion-capture camera maps each player’s movements onto a 3D avatar that mirrors their gestures. Players receive a free video of their digital performance to edit or share with others. Play the Knave engages its users in the material labor of dramatic production, helping them understand and enjoy a Shakespeare play through the act of staging it. All ages are invited to play. Following the installation, Professor Bloom will discuss the game’s uses as a pedagogical tool.

Tickets: Free Admission, seating is limited.
shakespeare.northwestern.edu


MAY


Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Art Institute of Chicago

CSO CHAMBER AT THE AIC: A WORLD OF CHARACTERS

May 1, 2016 – 2:00 p.m. | Art Institute of Chicago

Enjoy an afternoon filled with Shakespearean inspiration and characters depicted in art and music. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra brings its Shakespeare celebration to the Art Institute of Chicago, with selections from Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Mozart’s String Quartet in C Major employs dazzling musical techniques that create a musical portrait unlike any other of his chamber works. Brahms’ First String Quartet showcases the composer’s genius for creating rich harmonic character. A post-concert gallery tour will feature sixteenth- and seventeenth-century portraits inspired by the characters evoked in the music.

Tickets: start at $30
cso.org • 312.294.3000


University of Chicago Arts

INTERPRETING SHAKESPEARE THROUGH ALDERMAN BOYDELL’S PRINT COLLECTION

Featuring David Bennington
May 6, 2016 – 1:00 p.m. & October 15, 2016 – 2:00 p.m. | Smart Museum of Art

A visual analysis of large engravings of scenes from Shakespeare’s plays, originally commissioned by Alderman Boydell in the 1790s.

Tickets: Free Admission
smartmuseum.uchicago.edu/register • 773.702.0200


Artists Breaking Limits & Expectations

TWELFTH NIGHT

presented by Chicago Shakespeare Theater
May 28, 2016 – 11:00 a.m. | Chicago Shakespeare Theater

A.B.L.E. (Artists Breaking Limits & Expectations), in partnership with Chicago Children’s Theatre, provides artistic experiences through which individuals with special needs feel empowered to discover their own unique voices and develop the confidence and skills to share who they are. Supported by a staff of teaching artists and volunteer facilitators, actors work together and support each other to create a performance piece, while building lifelong skills that will help both onstage and in their day-to-day lives. Speaking in Shakespeare’s original verse, twenty teenage actors with Down syndrome will share roles in scenes, monologues and songs to tell this tale about identity and love—and how things can be different from what they seem.

Tickets: start at $15
chicagoshakes.com • 312.595.5600


Chicago Shakespeare Theater

TUG OF WAR: FOREIGN FIRE

adapted & directed by Barbara Gaines
May 12–June 12, 2016 | Chicago Shakespeare Theater

In the spirit of addictive epic sagas like Scandal and House of Cards, tensions build as the origin stories of Shakespeare’s most iconic rulers unfold with surprising poignancy and humor. Fueled by live music and stunning staging, Chicago Shakespeare Artistic Director Barbara Gaines’ electrifying adaptation distills six Shakespeare plays into two action-packed dramas, tracing the rise and fall of kings and the uncommon courage of common men. The adventure begins in the spring with Foreign Fire—laying bare England’s war with France in Edward III, Henry V and Henry VI, Part 1, and the very personal consequences on all who bear arms. The story continues in the fall as focus shifts to the homefront in Civil Strife. Family divisions launch a country at war with itself in Henry VI, Parts 2 and 3 and Richard III— and nobility and commoners alike pay the price. All in all, each part (Foreign Fire and Civil Strife) is approximately six hours, including several brief intermissions and a meal break.

Tickets: $100
chicagoshakes.com • 312.595.5600


JUNE


from the UNITED KINGDOM | Tim Crouch

I, MALVOLIO

written & performed by Tim Crouch
presented by Chicago Shakespeare Theater
June 2–5, 2016 | Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Tim Crouch, one of Britain’s most innovative and respected theater-makers, re-imagines Twelfth Night in a brilliant one-man show that tells a timeless story of bullying, prudery and practical jokes. I, Malvolio is a charged, hilarious and sometimes unsettling rant from a man adrift in front of a cruel audience. Part abject clown, part theater-hating disciplinarian, Malvolio asks his audience to explore the pleasure we take in other people’s suffering. This is a show for anyone who has ever been told off, called a name, or has fallen in love with the wrong person.

Tickets: $38–$48
chicagoshakes.com • 312.595.5600


University of Chicago’s Basic Program of Liberal Arts Education for Adults & Graham School

TO MAKE HIGH MAJESTY LOOK LIKE ITSELF

Featuring North Park University Professor of Politics and Government Joseph Alulis
June 3, 2016 – 12:15 p.m. | Claudia Cassidy Theater at Chicago Cultural Center

Examine the portraits of the two very different kings in Richard II, one with too many scruples and one with too few.

Tickets: Free Admission
grahamschool.uchicago.edu • 773.834.0157


Chicago Humanities Festival and Chicago Shakespeare Theater

SILENT SHAKESPEARE

featuring Judith Buchanan
June 6, 2016 – 7:00 p.m. | Music Box Theater

World expert on Shakespeare and silent films, Director of the Humanities Research Centre at the University of York Judith Buchanan comes to Chicago to host an evening at the Music Box Theatre, transporting audiences back one hundred years when Shakespeare’s beloved works first found themselves translated into the new medium of moving pictures. Chicago actors and a live accompanist will join Buchanan onstage for a presentation featuring rare clips from silent films and lively commentary.

Tickets: on sale Spring 2016
chicagohumanities.org • 312.494.9509


Yo-Yo Ma with Musicians from Chicago Symphony Orchestra

A DISTANT MIRROR

June 12, 2016 – 3:00 p.m. | Symphony Center

One of the most venerated performing artists today, Yo-Yo Ma displays his peerless musicianship in a unique program. A Distant Mirror explores the musical worlds and contemporary resonances of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, including the impact of the period’s most celebrated literary figures, Shakespeare and Cervantes. An internationally acclaimed musician and humanitarian, Yo-Yo Ma has been recognized as a Kennedy Center Honoree, appointed a CultureConnect Ambassador by the United States Department of State, and serves as a UN Messenger of Peace. Whether performing new or familiar works from the cello repertoire, coming together with colleagues for chamber music, or exploring cultures and musical forms outside the Western classical tradition, he strives to find connections that stimulate the imagination.

Tickets: start at $46
cso.org • 312.294.3000


THE VIOLA PROJECT WORKSHOP FOR GIRLS

presented by Chicago Public Library
Summer 2016 | Library branches across the city

Through the works of William Shakespeare, The Viola Project unites and empowers girls from diverse backgrounds so they may grow up to be whoever they want to be. In partnership with Chicago Public Library and Chicago Shakespeare Theater, The Viola Project will hold three free workshops in summer 2016 for girls in each region of the city to take on Shakespeare’s text while engaging in a vibrant discussion of contemporary issues facing young women. These girls-only workshops focused on Twelfth Night will explore the twists and turns of this gender-bending comedy and give participants the opportunity to perform a scene using Shakespeare’s language as their own.

The Viola Project welcomes youth ages 10–16 who identify culturally as girls, regardless of race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, or ability.

Program information coming soon
violaproject.org


JULY


David Carl

GARY BUSEY’S ONE-MAN HAMLET

co-created & directed by Michole Biancosino | co-created, written & performed by David Carl
presented by Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Richard Jordan Productions, PM2 Entertainment & Project Y
July 12–17, 2016 | Chicago Shakespeare Theater Theater

NY Fringe Outstanding Solo Performance Award-winner David Carl portrays Gary Busey in this offbeat, hilarious one-man show. Having triumphed in “Celebrity Big Brother,” survived Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, taken on Meatloaf and Donald Trump, Keanu Reeves’ favorite co-star now undertakes his biggest challenge yet: performing all the parts in Hamlet with outrageous songs and homemade puppets. Carl channels the ultimate Hamlet-ized Busey in what Georgetown Voice has deemed “the best impersonation of Gary Busey the world will ever know.” A hit among critics, Shakespeare scholars and fans of Busey alike, don’t miss out on the tragically epic madness.

Tickets: start at $35
chicagoshakes.com • 312.595.5600


Chicago Shakespeare Theater & Chicago Parks District & Boeing

CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARKS: TWELFTH NIGHT

adapted and directed by Kirsten Kelly
Summer 2016 | neighborhood parks across Chicago

Chicago’s summer tradition, Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks returns with a free 75-minute abridged production of Twelfth Night, coming to neighborhood parks across the city. At each tour location, a specially equipped truck rolls into each park, a stage unfolds, and a company of professional actors shares the delight of Shakespeare with families and neighbors of all ages. This year’s production tells the tale of a young girl named Viola, who is separated from her twin brother in a shipwreck. Resilient, she adopts a male disguise and enters into the service of Duke Orsino—only to find herself in the middle of a triangle of unrequited love. Since the inception of the program five years ago, more than 80,000 Chicagoans have experienced free Shakespeare in their communities.

Tickets: Free for all—bring your blanket or lawn chair.
chicagoshakes.com • 312.595.5600


University of Chicago’s Basic Program of Liberal Arts Education for Adults & Graham School

ADULT SUMMER COURSE: SHAKESPEARE AT WAR

taught by Cynthia Rutz
July 14–August 18, 2016 – Thursdays at 6:00 p.m. | Gleacher Center

In response to Chicago Shakespeare’s 2016 productions of Tug of War: Foreign Fire and Tug of War: Civil Strife, this seminar discussion class will examine the six plays inspiring Barbara Gaines’ adaptation. Together, these plays chronicle an intriguing chapter of English history marked by ambition and betrayal. The stunning literary journey through the soaring rhetoric of Shakespeare examines a spectrum of monarchs, from the ultimate hero, Henry V, to the greatest villain, Richard III.

Registration: $260
grahamschool.chicago.edu • 773.702.1722


Grant Park Music Festival

GRANT PARK CHORUS

chorus director, Christopher Bell
July 24 & 26, 2016 | Columbus Park Refectory & South Shore Cultural Center

Grant Park Music Festival Chorus Director Christopher Bell and the award-winning Grant Park Chorus return to two of the city’s cultural hubs with a concert of a cappella choral songs and settings of the Bard’s verse. Highlights of the program include: Thomas Morley’s “It Was a Lover and His Lass,” a madrigal that may have been performed in Shakespeare’s original production of As You Like It, and the contemporary A Summer Sonnet, composed with a Brazilian-salsa feel by Chicago jazz musician Kevin Olson.

Tickets: Free Admission
gpmf.org • 312.742.7647


Chicago Mariachi Project

EL ETERNO SHAKESPEARE

Summer/Fall 2016

If, in fact, “all the world’s a stage,” then surely William Shakespeare would have found himself at home in Mexico. The Chicago Mariachi Project is proud to present a unique experience where Shakespeare meets mariachi in El eterno Shakespeare (The Eternal Shakespeare). UNESCO granted Shakespeare writings the prestigious Memory of the World in 2014 and named mariachi music as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012—distinctions not lost to the Chicago Mariachi Project whose mission is to “Elevate the Art of Mariachi.” This newly commissioned short work will weave Shakespearean themes into the traditional sounds of mariachi, bringing together two great art forms in a world premiere for Shakespeare 400 Chicago.

Performance information coming soon.
shakespeare400chicago.com


AUGUST


from BELGIUM | Theater Zuidpool

MACBETH

presented by Chicago Shakespeare Theater

August 2016 | Thalia Hall

Theater Zuidpool brings Macbeth to life in a raw, minimal, live concert, featuring an original score by two of Belgium’s greatest alternative musicians, Mauro Pawlowski and Tijs Delbeke. A dynamic and feverish production bordering between underground opera and rock concert, this Macbeth is a music theater deconstruction of one of Shakespeare’s most recognizable works. CuttingEdge declares “rough rock, partybeats and country mingle with the impassioned expression of the players… this shows how you can move the boundaries of theater without using far-fetched concepts.” Interweaving modern music with the spoken words of Macbeth and his Lady, this is a one-of-a-kind experience you won’t want to miss.

Program information coming soon.
shakespeare400chicago.com


from the UNITED KINGDOM | Shakespeare’s Globe

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

by William Shakespeare | directed by Jonathan Munby | starring Jonathan Pryce
presented by Chicago Shakespeare Theater
August 4–14, 2016 | Chicago Shakespeare Theater

The critically acclaimed Shakespeare’s Globe production that took London by storm comes to Chicago. In some of his most highly charged scenes, Shakespeare dramatizes the competing claims of tolerance and intolerance, religious law and civil society, justice and mercy; while in the character of Shylock he created one of the most memorable outsiders in all theater. Double Olivier and Tony Award-winner Jonathan Pryce plays Shylock, and is joined on stage by his daughter, Phoebe Pryce. The Telegraph praises “Director Jonathan Munby’s oak-solid, finely weighted production… the lighter and darker elements combine in a seamless whole.”

Tickets: on sale May 15
chicagoshakes.com • 312.595.5600


SEPTEMBER


from AUSTRALIA | one step at a time like this

UNPATHED WATERS, UNDREAMED SHORES (OR A LITTLE WATER IN A SPOON)

conceived & created by one step at a time like this
commissioned & presented by Chicago Shakespeare Theater & Richard Jordan Productions
Fall 2016 | Navy Pier

Take a journey into Shakespeare’s words and imagination, amongst the tempests, the wrecks and the sea-changes of life, death and transformation rolling in on the waves of his genius. This new personal audio-walking theater work by multi-award-winning Australian performance group one step at a time like this (en route, Since I Suppose) has been specially commissioned and created to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. Performed in and around the environs of Lake Michigan and Navy Pier, unpathed waters, undreamed shores will take its audiences on a contemplative voyage into Shakespeare’s lifelong engagement with imagery of water, sea, tears and oceans—and their echos in our own lives today.

Available for download beginning in September.
chicagoshakes.com • 312.595.5600


from POLAND | Song of the Goat

SONGS OF LEAR

directed by Grzegorz Bral | composed by Jean-Claude Acquaviva & Maciej Rychły
presented by Chicago Shakespeare Theater
September 15–18, 2016 | Chicago Shakespeare Theater Theater

The highest-rated performance in the 2012 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Songs of Lear is an ensemble-driven, constantly evolving original work that invites audiences to witness the fruition of an intimate artistic process. Using crucial scenes from King Lear, it weaves a story using gestures, words and music, exploring the subtle energies and beautiful rhythms that govern one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies. Through this musical exploration of the text, melody becomes the embodiment of character, relationships and drama. London’s The Guardian exclaims, it “seems to have already passed into legend even though it’s only a work in progress” and The Scotsman five-star review raves, “there is surely no other show like this one!”

Tickets: start at $48
chicagoshakes.com • 312.595.5600


Chicago Shakespeare Theater

TUG OF WAR: CIVIL STRIFE

adapted & directed by Barbara Gaines
September 14–October 9, 2016 | Chicago Shakespeare Theater

In the spirit of addictive epic sagas like Scandal and House of Cards, tensions build as the origin stories of Shakespeare’s most iconic rulers unfold with surprising poignancy and humor. Fueled by live music and stunning staging, Chicago Shakespeare Artistic Director Barbara Gaines’ electrifying adaptation distills six Shakespeare plays into two action-packed dramas, tracing the rise and fall of kings and the uncommon courage of common men. The adventure began in the spring with Foreign Fire—laying bare England’s war with France in Edward III, Henry V and Henry VI, Part 1, and the very personal consequences on all who bear arms. The story continues in the fall as focus shifts to the homefront in Civil Strife. Family divisions launch a country at war with itself in Henry VI, Parts 2 and 3 and Richard III— and nobility and commoners alike pay the price. All in all, each part (Foreign Fire and Civil Strife) is approximately six hours, including several brief intermissions and a meal break.

Tickets: $100
chicagoshakes.com • 312.595.5600


from MEXICO | Foro Shakespeare

ENAMORARSE DE UN INCENDIO

written & directed by Eduardo Pavez Goye
presented by Chicago Shakespeare Theater
September 22–24, 2016 | Chicago Shakespeare Theater Theater

One of Mexico City’s most innovative and courageous theater companies, Foro Shakespeare is world-renowned for its social justice work and inventive spirit. Enamorarse de un incendio, its first production with acclaimed Chilean playwright Eduardo Pavez Goye, draws on Shakespeare’s exploration of love and relationships in Romeo and Juliet. Aimed at breaking the traditional mold of theater in Mexico, Foro Shakespeare utilizes camera-work and film projection to highlight and hide moments during three conversations on the phenomenon of love.

Tickets: start at $38
chicagoshakes.com • 312.595.5600


The Newberry

CREATING SHAKESPEARE

September 23–December 31, 2016 | The Newberry

A must-see exhibit for every Shakespeare fan, Creating Shakespeare is a masterpiece—featuring over 100 items, including treasures from the Newberry Library and other distinguished collections. The exhibition displays a variety of artifacts, manuscripts, printed books, artwork, music and more, while examining how Shakespeare’s works have been reimagined and recreated throughout the centuries. Join the Newberry for a series of public programs throughout the fall of 2016, including lectures and curator-led tours of the galleries.

Tickets: Free Admission
newberry.org • 312.943.9090


Chicago Shakespeare Theater

SHAKESPEARE IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: A PANEL DISCUSSION

September 24, 2016 – 11:00 a.m. | Chicago Shakespeare Theater

This panel discussion features theater professionals conducting Shakespeare-focused programming in prisons and jails. Across the world, Shakespeare offers individuals who are incarcerated with much-needed opportunities for reflection and analysis, emotional support and the opportunity to cultivate self-esteem and communication skills. Hear stories from the front lines from international artists collaborating with inmates. Learn how participants benefit from Shakespeare today.

Tickets: Free Admission
chicagoshakes.com • 312.595.5600


from INDIA | Company Theatre Mumbai

PIYA BEHRUPIYA (TWELFTH NIGHT)

presented by Chicago Shakespeare Theater & Eye on India
September 27 & 29, 2016 – 7:30 p.m. | Chicago Shakespeare Theater

First premiered at Shakespeare’s Globe in London, Piya Behrupiya is an award-winning Hindi translation of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, filled with a cast of unforgettable characters. Amidst the household of Olivia, two campaigns are being quietly waged: one by Duke Orsino against the indifferent heart of Olivia; the other by an alliance of servants and hangers-on against the high-handedness of her steward Malvolio. When Orsino engages the cross-dressed Viola to plead with Olivia on his behalf, a bittersweet chain of events follows. Part of the 2016 Eye On India festival, the production combines cruelty with high comedy and the pangs of unrequited love with some of the subtlest poetry and most exquisite songs Shakespeare wrote.

Performed in Hindi with projected English translation.
Tickets: start at $48
chicagoshakes.com • 312.595.5600


from CHINA | Shanghai Peking Opera

THE REVENGE OF PRINCE ZI DAN (HAMLET)

directed by Shi Yukun | written by Feng Gang
presented by the Harris Theater for Music and Dance & Chicago Shakespeare Theater
September 28 & 29, 2016 – 7:30 p.m. | Harris Theater

Internationally renowned Shanghai Peking Opera transforms Shakespeare’s Hamlet into one of China’s most impressive forms of traditional art, setting the story in the fictitious ancient Chinese state of the Red City. Here, as in Shakespeare’s classic, the prince becomes disillusioned after discovering his uncle has killed his father and seduced his mother. The stage presentation strictly follows the rules of Chinese dramatic aesthetics, famous for its succinct and meaningful depiction. Described by The Guardian as “an evening that makes you sit up, look and listen afresh at a familiar story,” this Peking opera is sure to thrill.

Tickets: on sale Spring 2016
harristheaterchicago.org • 312.334.7777


The Newberry & Chicago Shakespeare Theater

EQUIVOCATION IN 1606

featuring Columbia University Professor of English and Comparative Literature James Shapiro
September 29, 2016 – 6:00 p.m. | The Newberry

The Newberry Library and Chicago Shakespeare Theater invite three great American scholars from the world of Shakespeare to address three very different topics. The series will open with James Shapiro, distinguished author of several widely popular Shakespeare books, including 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare. Shapiro will speak on the tumultuous year of 1606 that launched Shakespeare’s great, late tragedies, including King Lear, the subject of his latest book. In addition to Shapiro’s talk, lecture-goers have the opportunity to explore the Newberry’s ongoing fall exhibition, Creating Shakespeare.

Tickets: Free Admission
newberry.org • 312.943.9090


OCTOBER


The Joffrey Ballet

ROMEO & JULIET

October 13–23, 2016 | Auditorium Theatre

Internationally renowned choreographer and Director of the Polish National Ballet Krzysztof Pastor creates a unique telling of the romantic tragedy. This contemporary rendition of the classic Shakespearean tale of star-crossed lovers is set in Italy against a striking multimedia backdrop depicting three different political eras of the twentieth century. Throughout each time period, the timeless tale of love and loss unfolds to Prokofiev’s formidably dramatic score played live by the Chicago Philharmonic. Bravura dancing, touching lyricism, and epic storytelling unite in this rendering of ill-fated true love. Chicago Sun-Times calls it “a masterful achievement on every level...transcendent.”

Tickets: start at $34
p>joffrey.org • 312.386.8905


The Newberry & Chicago Shakespeare Theater

SHAKESPEARE ON SCREENS IN THE 21ST CENTURY

featuring Notre Dame University Associate Dean for the Arts Peter Holland
October 13, 2016 – 6:00 p.m. | The Newberry

The Newberry Library and Chicago Shakespeare Theater invite three great American scholars from the world of Shakespeare to address three very different topics. The second talk of the series will feature Peter Holland speaking on the interpretation of Shakespeare in film, a topic on which he is considered one of the country’s experts. In addition to Holland’s talk, lecture-goers have the opportunity to explore the Newberry’s ongoing fall exhibition, Creating Shakespeare.

Tickets: Free Admission
newberry.org • 312.943.9090


Chicago Shakespeare Theater

SHAKESPEARE TONIGHT!

written by Bob Mason | music direction by Beckie Menzie
October 17, 2016 – 7:30 p.m. | Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Celebrate the Bard on and off Broadway with music from the great American songbook by such illustrious composers as Richard Rodgers, Cole Porter, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim. Written by Chicago Shakespeare Theater Artistic Associate Bob Mason with musical direction and arrangements by nationally renowned cabaret artist Beckie Menzie, Shakespeare Tonight! will star some of the top cabaret and musical theater performers from Chicago and beyond. From reinterpretations of well-known songs from such classics as West Side Story and Kiss Me Kate to little-known gems like Frank Loesser’s jazz-inflected version of Hamlet and Jimmy Van Heusen’s blues-inspired Darn That Dream, this is an inspired marriage of Shakespeare and cabaret.

Tickets: start at $25
chicagoshakes.com • 312.595.5600


Georges Bigot & Theatre Y

MACBETH

directed by Georges Bigot
October 20–December 4, 2016 | Chopin Theatre

Georges Bigot—central to Ariane Mnouchkine’s Theatre du Soleil during the ‘80s and ‘90s and one of France’s most lauded contemporary actors—comes to Chicago to collaborate for a full year with Theatre Y, one of Chicago’s “bravest and most uniquely intriguing theater companies” (Chicago Stage Review). Known all over the world for highly physical ensemble work, Bigot’s style reads like a “mask in human form that, when turned towards an audience, hits you like a punch in the stomach” (Olivier Berardi). Bigot hunts for the paradox that animates the nightmare of Macbeth.

Tickets: on sale Spring 2016

theatre-y.com


Logan Center for the Arts

EXPLORING CULTURAL IDENTITY: SHAKESPEARE ON STAGE

Featuring Chicago actor, director & educator Aaron Todd Douglass
October 26, 2016 – 7:00 p.m. | Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts

An engaging conversation on how cultural identity informs casting in productions of Shakespeare’s work.

Tickets: Free Admission
tickets.uchicago.edu • 773.702.ARTS


The Lincoln Squares & Chicago Shakespeare Theater

GRAVEDIGGERS’ HAMLET

Fall 2016 | Chicago Shakespeare Theater

While the famous story of Denmark’s prince plays out among the rich people in the castle up the hill, down in the graveyard five blue-collar gravediggers crack jokes about mortality, laugh at ghosts passing through, and live out a story of betrayal, loss, obsession, love—a “gravediggers’ Hamlet” of their own. Performed by Chicago’s own band of actor/musicians The Lincoln Squares, this world premiere commissioned and developed by Chicago Shakespeare Theater considers what happens when the thing that comes for everyone else finally comes for you.

Tickets: on sale Spring 2016
chicagoshakes.com • 312.595.5600


NOVEMBER


from the UNITED KINGDOM | Spymonkey

THE COMPLETE DEATHS

directed & adapted by Tim Crouch | co-produced with Brighton Festival and Royal & Demgate Northampton
developed at The Other Place at the Royal Shakespeare Company
presented by Chicago Shakespeare Theater
November 30–December 11, 2016 | Chicago Shakespeare Theater

There are 74 onstage deaths in the works of William Shakespeare— 75 if you count the black ill-favored fly killed in Titus Andronicus. From the Roman suicides in Julius Caesar to the death fall of Prince Arthur in King John; from the carnage at the end of Hamlet to snakes in a basket in Antony and Cleopatra. And then there’s the pie that Titus serves his guests. Spymonkey will perform them all—sometimes lingeringly, sometimes messily, sometimes movingly, sometimes musically, but always hysterically. The four “seriously, outrageously, cleverly funny clowns” (Time Magazine) will scale the peaks of sublime poetry and plumb the depths of darkest depravity. It may even be the death of them. Directed by Tim Crouch (I, Malvolio, An Oak Tree, Adler & Gibb), The Complete Deaths is a solemn, somber and sublimely funny tribute to the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.

Tickets: start at $48
chicagoshakes.com • 312.595.5600


DECEMBER


The Newberry & Chicago Shakespeare Theater

THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE WORKS: THE CHALLENGE OF CELEBRATING SHAKESPEARE

featuring Brown University Professor of English Coppélia Kahn
December 8, 2016 – 6:00 p.m. | The Newberry

The Newberry Library and Chicago Shakespeare Theater invite three great American scholars from the world of Shakespeare to address three very different topics. The final presentation features Coppélia Kahn, one of the pioneers in Shakespeare gender studies, who turns her attention to the very timely topic of our cultural celebrations of Shakespeare, the focus of her current research and publication. All three talks, held at the Newberry, are free of charge, and offer lecture-goers the opportunity to visit the library’s ongoing fall exhibition, Creating Shakespeare.

Tickets: Free Admission
newberry.org • 312.943.9090


from the UNITED KINGDOM | Cheek by Jowl

THE WINTER’S TALE

by William Shakespeare | directed by Declan Donnellan | designed by Nick Ormerod
presented by Chicago Shakespeare Theater
December 14 – 21, 2016 | Chicago Shakespeare Theater

In December, the award-winning British company Cheek by Jowl returns to Chicago with a new production of one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays. Writing The Winter’s Tale after completing his great tragedies, this is a new Shakespeare. Unity of time, place and action are hurled aside as we move across Europe—from court to country, from high tragedy to low comedy—in a story that spans fourteen years. A delusional and paranoid king tears his family apart, but the struggle for redemption yields flickers of hope. Initial darkness gives way to joy as Time leads the characters to a shattering conclusion.

Tickets: on sale May 15

chicagoshakes.com • 312.595.5600

 

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Contact Us
 

Hannah Kennedy
Director of Communications
hkennedy@chicagoshakes.com

Emma Perrin
Public Relations & Digital Media Manager
eperrin@chicagoshakes.com
Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Media Office
312.667.4957

Cathy Taylor
cathy@cathytaylorpr.com
Cathy Taylor Public Relations
773.564.9564

Chicago Shakespeare Theater
on Navy Pier
800 East Grand Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611

Additional Pages