Babes With Blades Theatre Company's 21st Season Continues With OTHELLO

Babes With Blades Theatre Company's (BWBTC) 21st season continues with its biennial William Shakespeare production. In 2019, the Shakespeare production is Othello, April 11 - May 25, 2019, directed by Mignon McPherson Stewart and fight directed by Samantha Kaufman, at The Factory Theater, 1623 W. Howard St. Preview performances are Thursday, April 11 at 8 p.m.; Friday April 12 at 8 p.m.; Saturday April 13 at 8 p.m., Sunday April 14 at 3 p.m.; Thursday April 18 at 8 p.m. and Friday, April 19 at 8 p.m. Opening Night is Saturday, April 20 at 8 p.m.

Regular performances are Thursdays - Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Preview tickets are $10, student and senior tickets are $15 and general admission are $25. Every show has limited tickets for Industry for $10, must present proof of theatre industry affiliation. Additional information and tickets are available now at BabesWithBlades.org or by calling 773.904.0391.

In William Shakespeare's Othello, Othello is a brilliant general with the support of the Venetian government and an army behind him. When he promotes Cassio over Iago, however, his military might not be able to protect him from madness and jealousy, as Iago schemes to utterly destroy him. As events spiral, prejudice, pride and paranoia all clash in one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies.

The cast of Othello includes Sarah Liz Bell, "Desdemona;" Deveon Bromby, "Othello" u/s; Brianna Buckley, "Othello;" Meredith Ernst, "Cassio;" Ashley Fox*, "Aemilia;" Kim Fukawa*, "Montano;" Kimberly Logan, "Duke/Lodovico;" Michelle McKenzie-Voigt, "Brabantio;" Izis Molliendo*, "Gentleman of Cyprus," various u/s; Savanna Rae, "Roderigo;" Hillary Schwartz, "Bianca;" u/s; Mary Eliza Willingham, "Senator," various u/s and Kathrynne Wolf*, "Iago" and Deveon Bromby, "Othello;" u/s.

The production team of Othello includes Samantha Barr*, production manager primary; Leigh Barrett*, sound designer; Libby Beyreis*, production manager, tech week; Lauren Brady, stage manager; Erin Gautille, scenic designer/technical director; Lacie Hexum, properties designer; Samantha Kaufman*, fight director; Sanja Manakoski, costume designer; Hayley Rice*, dramaturg/script adaptor; Sarah Riffle, lighting designer; Mignon McPherson Stewart, director and Lauren Valice, assistant stage manager.

*denotes BWBTC ensemble member

Mignon McPherson Stewart directed last season's Jeff Recommended production of Kia Corthron's Breath, Boom for Eclipse Theatre. Other recent work includes Dandelions for Collaboraction's Peacebook Festival, The Gospel of the New Earth for The Heart Knows at Chicago DanzTheatre Ensemble and The Crooner for Black Lives Black Words. Other work includes Night Vision and Dressing (Goodman Theatre: Facing Our Truth), and Wine in the Wilderness/Florence (eta Creative Arts Foundation). Mignon also curated and co-wrote performances for "The Bang Bang Project" and "In the Hood", exhibits by award-winning visual artist Cesar Conde. During her time as artistic associate with MPAACT, Mignon directed Lydia Diamond's Stage Black, Nambi E. Kelley's MiLK and Shepsu Aakhu's Fascia, Kiwi Black and Trouble the Water which won the BTAA for best production. Other directing work include Gloria Bond Clunie's Sweet Water Taste and Shepsu Aakhu's Softly Blue, (Goodman's New Stages Series) and Lynn Nottage's Crumbs from the Table of Joy (Loyola University) among others. Mignon received her BA in Theatre from Loyola and her MFA in Directing/Dramaturgy from Roosevelt University and was a Goodman Theatre Maggio Directing Fellow.

Samantha Kaufman is a fight director, actor, and intimacy director. After being transplanted to Chicago to study circus arts with Actors Gymnasium; she now travels to perform in and fight direct productions across the nation. She has her BFA from the University of Wyoming and her MFA from Florida Atlantic University. She is also an advanced actor/ combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors and an intermediate actor/combatant with Fight Directors Canada. She made her BWBTC acting debut in their all-female Henry V and her BWBTC fight directing debut with The Lady Demands Satisfaction.

Gender parity is a hot topic, with news clip after article after report documenting how women, and women's stories, are still underrepresented. Babes With Blades Theatre Company's response - now, for the past 20 years, and moving forward - is to develop and present scripts focused on complex, dynamic (and often combative) female characters.
In each element of their programming, they embrace two key concepts:

1. Women are central to the story, driving the action rather than responding or submitting to it
2. Women are capable of a full emotional and physical range, up to and including violence and its consequences.

The company offers participants and patrons alike an unparalleled opportunity to experience women as heroes and villains; rescuers and rescues; right, wrong, and everywhere in between: exciting, vivid, dynamic PEOPLE. It's as simple and as subversive as that.

Babes With Blades Theatre Company's (BWBTC) 21st season continues with its biennial William Shakespeare production. In 2019, the Shakespeare production is Othello, April 11 - May 25, 2019, directed by Mignon McPherson Stewart with fight choreography by Samantha Kaufman, at The Factory Theater, 1623 W. Howard St. Preview performances are Thursday, April 11 at 8 p.m.; Friday April 12 at 8 p.m.; Saturday April 13 at 8 p.m., Sunday April 14 at 3 p.m.; Thursday April 18 at 8 p.m. and Friday, April 19 at 8 p.m. Opening Night is Saturday, April 20 at 8 p.m. Regular performances are Thursdays - Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Preview tickets are $10, student and senior tickets are $15 and general admission are $25. Every show has limited tickets for Industry for $10, must present proof of theatre industry affiliation.

Additional information and tickets are available now at BabesWithBlades.org or by calling 773.904.0391.

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