Raven Theatre Presents RADIO GOLF, 2/27

Raven Theatre continues its 28th season with Radio Golf, directed by Aaron Todd Douglas. Opening is Sunday, February 27, at 7:00 p.m. at Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark, with a reception following in the Raven lobby sponsored by Big Jones Restaurant (www.bigjoneschicago.com).  Tickets and information are available at www.raventheatre.com or 773-338-2177.
 
Are Ivy League-educated lawyer, Harmond Wilks, a neighborhood real estate developer who is running to be Pittsburgh's first black mayor, and his long-time friend - newly-minted bank executive, Roosevelt Hicks - equal competitors in capitalism's public-private arena, or are they being used as black front men for white money? Will Harmond's vision for the future come at the expense of his fallen neighborhood, the "Hill", and its history? With offstage city politics and backroom deals taking a front seat in this searing drama, August Wilson's tenth and final play in The Pittsburgh Cycle is a riveting masterpiece about loyalty, integrity and the uncompromising desire to achieve the American Dream.
 
Director, Aaron Todd Douglas, states, "I am intrigued by Harmond's perceived success weighed against personal and spiritual freedom as an expression of life.  The investigation of individual responsibility to self, family and the community is perfectly timed against Chicago's upcoming mayoral race. Perhaps the myriad of candidates can reflect upon their own ambitions and how they relate to the significant needs of the people of Chicago."
 
August Wilson is regarded as one of America's most respected playwrights.  The Pittsburgh Cycle, a ten play cycle about the African-American experience throughout the 20th century, won two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama and is considered his legacy. Each play focuses on a story in each decade of the 20th century, painting a picture of the struggles and new opportunities of African-Americans. In 2005, the Virginia Theatre was renamed the August Wilson Theatre, Broadway's first theatre named for an African-American.
 
Director Aaron Todd Douglas is a founding member of Congo Square Theatre Ensemble and a 2010 Joseph Jefferson nominee for his direction of Raven's Twelve Angry Men, which captured a Jeff Award for Outstanding Ensemble.  He also directed Talented Tenth for Congo Square, a production that was awarded Best Play by the Black Theatre Alliance.  A part time faculty member at Loyola University, Mr. Douglas has worked with Court Theatre, Steppenwolf, Goodman, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Victory Gardens, Pegasus Players and others.  Douglas has a special connection to August Wilson as he is a founding ensemble member of Congo Square Theatre Company where August Wilson served on the advisory board.
 
The cast includes Michael Pogue (Harmond) who has performed with Steppenwolf Theatre, Remy Bumppo, Eclipse Theater and Redtwist Theatre; Warren Levon (Roosevelt) who was last seen at Raven Theatre in Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train and has also worked with Goodman Theatre, Teatro Vista, Collaboraction and Black Everyday Ensemble; Demetria Thomas (Mame) who has performed with MPAACT where she received a Jeff Citation for Best Actress, Live Bait, and Stage Left; David Adams (Old Joe) who was seen in numerous award winning productions with ETA Creative Arts Theatre Company and has also worked with Lifeline, Steppenwolf, and Congo Square; and Antoine Pierre Whitfield (Sterling) who has performed Off Broadway and has worked regionally with Congo Square and ETA Creative Arts Theatre Company.
 
The design staff includes:  Andrei Onegin (Set Designer); Christine Ferriter (Lighting Designer); Sharlet Webb (Costume Designer); Katherine M. Chavez (Sound Designer) and Mary O'Dowd (Props).  Jen Short and Cathy Bowren serve as Stage Managers.
 
About "Out at Raven"
Raven Theatre reaches out to the LGBTQ community through their new event series, "Out at Raven".  This series shows Raven's appreciation of and commitment to the LGBTQ community, providing an opportunity to mingle and network during one Friday night performance of each mainstage show.  Tickets for each "Out at Raven" performance include a post-show wine and appetizer reception and discussion with the cast and director.
 
About Guest Speaker Quraysh Ali Lansana
As April is National Poetry Month, Raven Theatre is thrilled to welcome renowned poet and creative writer, Quraysh Ali Lansana, to speak about August Wilson and read some of his poetry pieces that were inspired by Wilson and Radio Golf, in particular.  The reading is followed by a talk-back with Ali Lansana and the cast and director of Radio Golf.

Quraysh Ali Lansana is author of five poetry books, a children's book, and editor of seven anthologies. He is Director of the Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing at Chicago State University, where he is also Associate Professor of English/Creative Writing. A former faculty member of the Drama Division of The Juilliard School and a former Reading/Language Arts editor for three of the nation's largest educational publishers, Lansana has been a literary teaching artist and curriculum developer for two decades. His most recent book, "Our Difficult Sunlight: A Guide to Poetry, Literacy & Social Justice in Classroom & Community", co-authored with Georgia A. Popoff, was released in January 2011 by Teachers & Writers Collaborative/NYC. 
 

Founded in 1983, Raven Theatre is dedicated to breathing new life into American classics and exploring other works that illuminate the American experience, with occasional forays into world classics. In addition to its regular season, Raven produces a Workshop Series of new and experimental productions, as well as an Educational Outreach program, including teaching partnerships with various Chicago Public Schools, summer youth classes and original children's shows performed at Raven Theatre.
 
Raven Theatre Company is funded in part by the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, Polk Bros. Foundation, Yates-Feldman Foundation, The Lloyd A. Fry Foundation,  The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, The Alphawood Foundation, The Arts Engagement Exchange through The Chicago Community Trust, The MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, S & C Electric Company, The Department of Cultural Affairs, CityArtsII, a city agency, and The Arts Work Fund for Organizational Development through The Chicago Community Trust.

 

Photo Credit: Dean LaPrairie

To post a comment, you must register and login.