Pegasus presents this sneak peak readings. A spellbinding tale based on the beloved book MIDDLE PASSAGE. Told through Rutherford Calhoun’s 1830s log entries, The newly freed Illinois youth has migrated south to New Orleans seeking fortune, where he stows away on an outbound rigger to escape debtors. But The Republic isn’t just any ship. It’s a slave ship and it’s headed to Africa! From an open rehearsal on April 15, to a staged reading and discussion, there are several opportunities to engage! Join us for a special reception where you can meet Dr. Charles Johnson, MacArthur Fellow & author of MIDDLE PASSAGE. The adventure begins…
Get Reading Tickets Here:
Tickets: Regular $12 | Students $10
April 16, 6:00PM Special Event:
Reception with Dr. Charles Johnson, Author of MIDDLE PASSAGE, National Book Award Winner & MacArthur Genius
Click for Event Tickets $25-$300* – Includes the 7:30PM Reading
*Be A Production Donor:
$25 – Stowaway – Reception, Staged Reading
$50 – Shipmate -Above plus Name in Program
$75 – Deckhand – Above plus Advanced ticket to Fall Production
$100 – Boatswain – Above plus guest at a rehearsal in October 2016
$300 – Captain – Above plus Private Event with Johnson, stage adaptors and cast
MUSE 2016: MIGRATIONS & JOURNEYS
March 25–April 10 2016
Pegasus’ annual MUSE Festival features music, poetry, dance and discussion inspired by the Great Migration Centennial celebration.
Featuring:
CLASSIC BLACK: Southern Roots & Urban Migrations – Zahra Baker, Mwata Bowden, Shanta Nurullah and Avreeayl Ra. The group will share memories, stories and music connected to the Great Migration and life in Chicago.
QUEEN’S DOMAIN: Two nights of poetry, dance and music celebrating women of color. Curated and hosted by L11
DISCUSSION: Join us for two fascinating panels on history, legacy, diversity, and collaboration curated and moderated by playwright/producer Reginald Edmund and actor/educator Ashley Honoré!
FOR HER AS A PIANO
September 30–November 1 2015 | by Nambi E. Kelley | directed by Ilesa Duncan | produced in association with The Goodman Theatre and Chicago Dramatists
Kelley’s new play is the story of one woman’s journey to unravel a history that she’s never been told. Through music, memory and magic, FOR HER AS A PIANO traces the lives of three generations of women, and how they are interconnected across time, space, and remembrance.
Nambi has penned plays for Steppenwolf, Goodman Theatre, and Court Theatre, American Blues, Lincoln Center in New York, and internationally. Most recently, her adaptation of Native Son was presented to critical acclaim at Court Theatre with American Blues Theatre (co-production) and was the highest grossing production in Court Theatre’s 60 year history. Native Son is also on the Kilroy’s List 2015, in the top 7 % of new plays by female and trans* authors nominated by literary managers, directors, and other artists polled across the country. Kelley recently returned to Singapore to perform in her co-adaptation of The Book of Living and Dying that was published in an anthology of plays in Singapore in 2014, and is working on several commissions with productions slated in 2016. Nambi is also a professional actress, most recently closing the critically acclaimed Two Trains Running at the Goodman Theatre, and has been seen on television in Person of Interest, Madam Secretary, Elementary, and Chicago PD. Nambi guest lectures at Lake Forest College, University of Illinois at Chicago, has a BFA from The Theatre School at DePaul University, and an MFA in interdisciplinary arts from Goddard College. www.nambikelley.com
29th YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL
January 2016 | Chicago Dramatists
Pegasus Theatre’ will present the season production resulting from its annual playwriting competition for high-school-age scribes in Chicago. Three to four one-act plays will be hand-picked and showcased in a full production 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. Be sure to witness the amazing results and enjoy an evening of theater from tomorrow’s theater stars. Plays will be selected by September 2015.
newly freed Illinois youth who has migrated south to New Orleans seeking fortune. In an attempt to escape debtors and avoid marriage, he stows away on an outbound rigger. But The Republic is not just any ship. It is a slave ship—and it’s headed to Africa. Of Middle Passage, the Chicago Tribune said, “Long after we’d stopped believing in the great American novel, along comes a spellbinding adventure story that may be just that.”
Pegasus Theatre Chicago’s 2019-20 season offers productions that new voices and timely themes beginning with the 33rd Young Playwrights Festival. Young Playwrights Festival will be producing the festival in residence at Columbia College Chicago’s new Courtyard Theatre. Readings and other upcoming programs remain at Pegasus’s resident home Chicago Dramatists, 773 N. Aberdeen.