Cast Announced for Midwest Premiere of REFUGE at Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre will open its 25th Anniversary season with the Midwest premiere of Refuge, a powerful new play with music and puppetry from creators Satya Jnani Chávez and Andrew Rosendorf with translations by Mari Meza-Burgos. Refuge is set to begin previews October 7 with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 6:00 p.m. The regular run begins October 20 playing through November 13 with performances Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 6:00 p.m.

Chronicling the harrowing journey of one young Honduran girl as she crosses the US border into the inhospitable, barren land of Texas, Refuge is an exploration of empathy and of America. Magical realism allows this multidisciplinary play to tackle the immigration crisis through a beautiful, unique lens.

"I feel an immense responsibility to honor those who came before me with this work. Creating with radical acceptance of all of my identities, hoping to encourage those who come after me to fully express the breadth of theirs," says co-writer and co-director Satya Jnani Chávez. "Inspired by my ancestors, my Duranguense father, and the people of this earth who managed to survive and thrive despite being plants expected to grow without water. May we continue to cultivate spaces that truly welcome our Indigenous, Queer, Latiné, BIPOC, and Immigrant communities."

Echoing this feeling of the story's complex intersection of borders and the human experience is co-creator Andrew Rosendorf reflecting, "Queerness is at the forefront of my work. I can't escape the borders that define how I move through the world. The literal borders, the walls, put up on the southern border as well as the border I carry in my body and soul. The borders that tell me daily in small and large ways that I am less than. Refuge - created with my co-creator Satya - is a contribution to continue breaking down these borders. Borders that aren't real but solely human made."

Satya Jnani Chávez (she/they; Co-Director/Music Director) will lead the creative team alongside Valen-Marie Santos (she/her; Co-Director). The production will feature the work of Jose Alexander (he/they; Scenic Designer), Trey Brazeal (he/him; Lighting Designer), Jazmin Aurora Medina (she/her/ella; Costume Designer), Lonnae Hickman (she/her; Properties Designer), Stefanie Senior (she/her; Sound Designer), Josiah Croegaert (he/him; Production Electrician), Isaac Mandel (he/him; Audio Engineer), Molly Smith (they/them; Production Manager), and Peyton Cooper (she/her; Stage Manager).

Bringing the story to life will be the cast of Tatiana Bustamante (she/they), Bill Kalinak (he/him), Devon Carson (she/her), Juan Gonzalez Machain (he/him), Marcela Ossa Gómez (she/her), Laura Murillo Hart (she/her), Bridgett Martinez (she/her), Laura Quiñones (she/her), Andres J. DeLeon (he/him), Aida Palma Carpio (she/her) and Eustace Allen (he/him).

Theo Ubique steps into its 25th Anniversary and fourth season at its home in Evanston with great intention. "To me, the most special element of Refuge is its use of both English and Spanish in equal parts to create a truly bilingual piece of theatre. In doing so, it reaches out to both traditional and non-traditional theatregoers at the same time, which is part of what I think theatre needs to do going forward," reflects Managing & Casting Director Christopher Pazdernik. "It's the best tool we have to achieve our goal of telling stories that reflect our community. For example, Evanston's Hispanic population has doubled in the last 2 decades and Refuge is a beautiful way to honor their history and experiences."

Theo Ubique continues to offer its pre-show dinner experience partnering with Evanston's Taco Diablo for all performances of Refuge. Dinner reservations can be placed when purchasing your tickets and are offered at an additional $30 per person.

Subscriptions are currently available for the 25th Anniversary Season and single tickets for Refuge will be available beginning September 18, 2022. Tickets can be purchased online at theo-u.com or via phone at 773-939-4101. Box office hours are Wednesday-Sunday 12 p.m.-5 p.m. Subscriptions start at $120. Single tickets are $35 for preview performances, and range $45-$55 during the regular run of performances. For the 2022/2023 season, reserved seats are dedicated to season ticket holders and all single tickets will be sat on a first come, first served basis at the theater on the night of the performance.

ABOUT REFUGE

Refuge weaves passionate and driving original music with the charm of artistic puppetry to share a bilingual tale of determination, grit, and hope. The show made its World Premiere at Curious Theatre in Denver, Colorado in March 2022 as a part of the NNPN Rolling World Premiere program. Additional stops on their NNPN journey include Unicorn Theatre in Kansas City and Theatre Lab in Boca Raton. During the development process, the piece was awarded an Edgerton New Play Award, a Venturous Theater Fund Grant, and a MAP Fund Grant. Additionally, as a part of their time with Curious Theatre, co-writers Satya Jnani Chávez and Andrew Rosendorf were able to spend a week in Mexico to further develop the play.

The production at Theo Ubique is partially supported by a grant from the Evanston Arts Council, a city agency supported by the City of Evanston, and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a Federal agency.

Theo Ubique also acknowledges gratitude to its community partners including Evanston Latinos and the International Latino Cultural Center for this production.

ABOUT THE WRITING TEAM

Satya Jnani Chávez (Co-Creator; Chicago, IL)

"Somos como la planta que crecen sin agua"

Satya is a Chicago-based, queer, Mexican-American actor, singer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and intersectional feminist. They are inspired by their ancestors, their Duranguense father, and the people of this earth who managed to survive and thrive despite being "plants told to grow without water." They create with radical acceptance of all their identities to honor those who came before them, impeded by Eurocentric social constructs to fully express the breadth of theirs. As an Actor, you may have seen them in: Where Did We Sit On The Bus?, (Cleveland Playhouse, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Actors Theatre of Louisville); American Mariachi (Dallas Theater Center, South Coast Rep, Arizona Theatre Comp); Empanada (The Public SA); Soul of the World, A Christmas Carol, Evocation to Visible Appearance, All of this Togetherness, and You Across From Me (Actors Theatre of Louisville); Undesirables (Eugene O'Neill Theater Center); Life On Paper (Jackalope Theatre Company); The Happiest Song Plays Last (Curious Theatre); Othello and Twelfth Night (Colorado Shakespeare Fest); Ghost Of Lote Bravo, Shoe, and Undesirables (John F. Kennedy Center); Jesus Christ Superstar (Arvada Center); Black Elk Speaks and Arabian Nights (The Aurora Fox). As a Composer and Musician, their work includes; Refuge, co-created with Andrew Rosendorf, which has received an Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award, a Venturous Theater Fund Grant, and a MAP Fund Grant and getting its NNPN backed, Rolling-World-Premiere this year (Curious Theatre, Theatre Lab FAU, Unicorn Theatre), an original score for the virtual, Drama League Nominated Where Did We Sit on the Bus? by Brian Quijada (Actors Theatre of Louisville), Hamlet and Ophelia (The Artistic Home), Life on Paper (Jackalope Theatre Comp.), Late, A Cowboy Song (Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts), and you may have even caught them on Season 1 of ABC's American Idol (Hollywood Week). Chávez received their B.F.A. in Acting from The University of Colorado.

Andrew Rosendorf (Co-Creator; Minneapolis, MN)

Andrew's work has been produced or developed at La Jolla, MCC, KC Rep, Signature Theatre, the National New Play Network, American Theater Company, Nashville Rep, City Theatre, Geva Theatre, Actor's Express, Curious Theatre Company, and Local Theater Company. He is the recipient of an Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award, a Venturous Theater Fund Grant, and a MAP Fund Grant for Refuge, which he co-created with Satya Jnani Chávez. He is an alum of NNPN's Playwright-in-Residence program, the Ingram New Works program, terraNOVA Collective's Groundbreakers Playwrights Group, and has been a SPACE on Ryder Farm, Tofte Lake Center, VCCA, and MacDowell Colony Fellow. He was a previous McKnight and Jerome Fellow at the Playwrights' Center. He is a current Core Writer with the Playwrights' Center and an Associate Artist with Local Theater Company. He is currently in development on a television pilot with Amblin at Peacock.

ABOUT THEO UBIQUE

Theo Ubique was founded in 1997 by Artistic Director Fred Anzevino. Productions were first staged at the Heartland Studio Theatre, and from 2004 to May 2018, at No Exit Café, where the company began focusing on musicals and revues, reigniting the cabaret theatre trend in Chicago. The company moved to the Howard Street Theatre, a venue owned and developed for Theo Ubique by the City of Evanston, in fall of 2018. Theo Ubique has produced more than 60 shows and won 64 Jeff Awards, having received 154 nominations. The company also earned three After Dark Awards. www.theo-u.com

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Refuge

Midwest Premiere

Co-Created by Satya Jnani Chávez and Andrew Rosendorf
Translations by Mari Meza-Burgos

Previews: Oct. 7-15 (Fridays-Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 6:00 p.m.)

Run: Oct. 17-Nov. 13 (Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 6:00 p.m.)

Co-Director/Music Director Satya Jnani Chávez

Co-Director Valen-Marie Santos

Midwest Premiere! Refuge weaves passionate and driving original music with the charm of artistic puppetry to share a bilingual tale of determination, grit, and hope. Magical realism allows this multidisciplinary play to tackle the immigration crisis through a beautiful, unique lens. Chronicling the harrowing journey of one young Honduran girl as she crosses the US border into the inhospitable, barren land of Texas, Refuge is an exploration of empathy and of America - who we are and who we say we are.

All performances will be held at the Howard Street Theatre, 721 Howard Street, Evanston, IL 60602.

More information at www.theo-u.com or by phone at 773-939-4101 Wed.- Sun. Noon - 5 p.m.

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