American Blues Theater Sets 2017 Blue Ink Playwriting Festival Lineup
By: BWW News Desk May. 19, 2017
The Blue Ink Festival will feature staged readings of four exceptional new plays held May 22 - 25, 2017 at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont or American Blues Theater, 4809 N. Ravenswood, in Chicago.
This year's Blue Ink Playwriting Festival features staged readings of four new works, including Hype Man by Idris Goodwin, winner of the 2017 National Blue Ink Playwriting Award. The festival also includes readings of featured finalists Flying by Sheila Cowley, Mynx & Savage by Rebecca Gorman O'Neill, and This Thing of Ours by Caridad Svich.
The 2017 Blue Ink Playwriting Festival schedule and ticket information is as follows:
Monday, May 22 at 7pm
HYPE MAN (winner of the 2017 Blue Ink Award)
Written by Idris Goodwin
Directed by Jess McLeod
Featuring Walter Briggs, Rashaad Hall, and Kimberly Vaughn
Location: Stage 773, 1225 W Belmont, Chicago
Tickets: $10
Purchase tickets by calling (773) 654-3103 or online at americanbluestheater.com.
HYPE MAN is a story about a controversial police shooting inflaming tensions between an interracial hip hop trio. It is a rhythmically woven drama exploring race, representation, fame and friendship. A post-reading discussion with playwright Idris Goodwin will follow the performance.
American Blues previously named Idris Goodwin the winner of the 2017 National Blue Ink Playwriting Award. Goodwin's play, HYPE MAN, was selected from a pool 543 submissions. As part of the award, Goodwin receives a $1,000 cash prize and the opportunity to further develop his script with American Blues Theater.
Tuesday, May 23 at 7pm
FLYING (featured finalist)
Written by Sheila Cowley
Directed by Heather Meyers
Featuring Ian Paul Custer, Jazmin Corona, Lisa Herceg, John Mohrlein, and Patricia Patton
Location: American Blues Theater, 4809 N. Ravenswood, Chicago
Tickets: FREE (Limited Seating, RSVP Recommended)
Susan flew military planes in WWII, so men could go and fight. Now she's been sent home to get back to normal, while the town waits for her local hero husband to come home.
Wednesday, May 24 at 7pm
MYNX & SAVAGE (featured finalist)
Written by Rebecca Gorman O'Neill
Directed by Elyse Dolan
Featuring Clara Byczkowski, Jennifer Cheung, Jesse Massaro, and Nelson Rodriguez
Location: American Blues Theater, 4809 N. Ravenswood, Chicago
Tickets: FREE (Limited Seating, RSVP Recommended)
MYNX & SAVAGE is a tri-level story of a comic book writer, the characters of his superhero story, and the creatures of his "serious" work. When corporate powers start pushing him to produce, he is torn between the comfort of fantasy and the necessary truth.
Thursday, May 25 at 7pm
THIS THING OF OURS (featured finalist)
Written by Caridad Svich
Directed by Isaac Gomez
Featuring Debbie Banos, Andrew Goetten, Rashaad Hall, Priya Mohanty, and Avi Roque
Location: American Blues Theater, 4809 N. Ravenswood, Chicago
Tickets: FREE (Limited Seating, RSVP Recommended)
An act of violence struck our city. This has happened before. We say we will put our lives back together. Years will go by. We will grow apart, come together, have children, and some of us, will wonder how to keep going, as we turn to myths and seek lessons there. In our theaters of memory, in our songs of transcendence, perhaps we will find peace.
Winner of the American Theatre Wing's prestigious 2016 National Theatre Company Award, American Blues Theater is a premier arts organization with an intimate environment that patrons, artists, and all Chicagoans call home. American Blues Theater explores the American identity through the plays it produces and communities it serves.
The diverse and multi-generational artists have established the second-oldest professional Equity Ensemble theater in Chicago. The 37-member Ensemble has 530+ combined years of collaboration on stage. As of 2016, the theater and artists received 186 Joseph Jefferson Awards and nominations that celebrate excellence in Chicago theater and over 31 Black Theatre Alliance Awards. The artists are honored with Pulitzer Prize nominations, Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Emmy Awards and numerous other accolades.
The American Blues Theater Ensemble includes all four Founders Ed Blatchford, Rick Cleveland, James Leaming, and WilLiam Payne with Dawn Bach, Matthew Brumlow, Manny Buckley, Kate Buddeke, Sarah Burnham, Dara Cameron, Casey Campbell, Darren Canady, Brian Claggett, Dennis Cockrum, Austin Cook, Laura Coover, Ian Paul Custer, Lauri Dahl, Joe Foust, Cheryl Graeff, Marty Higginbotham, Jaclyn Holsey, Lindsay Jones, Nambi E. Kelley, Kevin R. Kelly, Steve Key, Ed Kross, Warren Levon, Michael Mahler, Heather Meyers, John Mohrlein, Christopher J. Neville, Suzanne Petri, Carmen Roman, Editha Rosario, Sarah E. Ross, and Gwendolyn Whiteside.
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