PEGASUS THEATRE CHICAGO ANNOUNCES ITS 2017 – 2018 SEASON, “LEGACIES”
Pegasus Theatre Chicago’s 2017-18 Season offers productions that explore the Civil Rights era from a timeless story of a girl raised by a community of southern women after losing her mother to tragedy, to four new additions from local young playwrights, to a world premiere about a perilous journey from the south. This season honors America’s tumultuous and triumphant journeys while reminding us the lessons we still must learn.
Shakin’ The Mess Outta Misery
by Shay Youngblood | November 8-December 10th | Chicago Dramatists
Youngblood’s story of a young black girl’s coming of age during the turbulent 1960s \ kicks off the season. “Daughter,” shares being raised in the south by a community of women after losing her mother as a child. She then becomes a child again as the women embody her memories of growing up–recalling the rituals, the faith healings, the stories told and the lessons about survival, healing, deep faith and mystery. Pegasus Artistic Director Ilesa Duncan originally directed this hit play nearly two decades ago at Chicago Theater Company. The Chicago Tribune said, “…even though the backdrop of racism is omnipresent, this is an optimistic play that celebrates the power of the human spirit.”
31st Annual Young Playwrights Festival
January 4-28, 2018 | Chicago Dramatists
The season continues with full production of winning plays from the annual playwriting competition for high-school-age scribes in Chicago. Four one-act plays will be showcased as part of Pegasus’ main stage season. The second oldest such festival in the country, this annual tradition regularly receives over 500 submissions from students throughout the area. From those, the winning playwrights are chosen to join with professional artists to workshop and stage their scripts.
This year’s Young Playwrights Festival includes:
Bullet With Butterfly Wings, student playwright: Maday Favela, Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, teacher: Elizabeth Danesh
Monster, student playwright: Mairi Glynn, Von Steuben High School, teacher: Margaret Sullivan
Decision Day, student playwright: Abigail Henkin, Lane Tech College Prep, teacher: Brian Telles
Pencils and Pens, student playwright: Aaron Powdermaker, Lane Tech College Prep, teacher: Kirsten Hanson.
Be sure to witness the amazing results and enjoy an evening of theater from tomorrow’s theater stars.
The Green Book
By Calvin A. Ramsey | March 1-April 1, 2018 | Chicago Dramatists
A co-production with ShPIeL Performing Identity
Written by the award-winning co-author of “Ruth and the Green Book,” the play is an homage to the historical travel book and centers on the Davis’, an African-American family who open their home to black travelers in the south during Jim Crow/segregation and activism. The play is also an investigation of the impact of civil rights on contemporary American issues. Inspired by Victor Hugo Green’s historical “The Negro Motorist Green Book,” the setting takes place during a weekend when the Davis’ are celebrating the arrival of Dr. W.E.B. DuBois for a lecture. The appearance of a white visitor, who turns out to be a Jewish Holocaust survivor, sets off a chain of events that shows that racism and anti-Semitism cannot be ignored.
All Tickets: $18-30
Group and student pricing available!