Derrick Sanders News

The 18th Annual Monologue and Design Competition of the August Wilson New Voices program culminated in a night of celebration as thirteen student finalists from across the nation captivated audiences with their performances and designs inspired by the timeless works of August Wilson.

oin Atlantic Theater Company's The Judith Champion MixFest as they showcase the best of traditional diaspora music. Immerse yourself in a vibrant celebration of cultural heritage and experience a melodic journey through the rich traditions of the diaspora. Don't miss this unifying event that brings together diverse musical talents on one stage.

Hundreds gathered in Pittsburgh's historic Hill District on Saturday, Aug. 13, for a day of festivities to mark the grand opening of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson's restored childhood home at 1727 Bedford Ave.

The African American Arts Alliance will present Black United Theater Auditions and pre-audition “Focus on You” preparatory events for African American performers and students of Chicago. The workshops will include three panel discussions and workshops designed to prepare actors for the upcoming auditions and provides career-building resources.

The feelings and attachments of men, whether gay or straight, as they fight for self-respect and survival in a harsh world are portrayed in playwright Katori Hall’s Pulitzer-Prize winning play The Hot Wing King. The compromises, commitments, camaraderie, and fractious relationships of a non-traditional family are explored with immediacy and sophisticated insight by Ms. Hall. Like all superbly written plays, one is continually taken by surprise as the play develops and nothing is as expected. The writing here is on the caliber of playwrights Annie Baker or August Wilson.

Lookingglass Theatre Company has announced its 35th Season! A partnership with one of this city’s leading Black theatre companies. A homegrown holiday hearth-warmer. Two original CHI-made works each featuring unconventional central characters. A twirl around five extraordinary homespun districts, and more.

Out of the 330 total Chicagoland high school students who entered the 13th annual August Wilson Monologue and Design Competitions, Demi Davis from Senn High School prevailed, taking the first-place prize at the Chicago finals earlier this month for her 2-3-minute monologue performance.

The classic, timeless, epic work of seminal American playwright August Wilson endures as a new partnership—the “August Wilson Legacy Project”— has formed between the August Wilson Estate, Goodman Theatre and Derrick Sanders.

The August Wilson Monologue Competition announces the Chicago winners of the 2021 August Wilson Monologue Competition and the new “Designing August” competition.

The August Wilson Monologue Competition announces the finalists for the 2021 August Wilson Monologue Competition and the new “Designing August” competition.  The Chicago finals will be held virtually on March 22, 2021 at 6pm. Each year, hundreds of high schoolers compete for a chance to represent Chicago in the national competition, which will also be held virtually this year.

After two preliminary rounds, twenty finalists in the monologue category will be invited to compete by live stream from the Goodman Theatre on March 22, 2021 at 6pm, provided there are no COVID 19 restrictions are in place to prevent a live stream.

The League of Chicago Theatres has awarded the first Samuel G. Roberson Jr. Resident Fellowship to playwright Kristiana Rae Colón and Congo Square Theatre to fund a one-year residency for Colón at the theatre.

Twenty-one Chicago high school students will compete in the finals of the 11th Annual August Wilson Monologue Competition for a chance to represent Chicago in the National Competition at the August Wilson Theatre in New York City. Hundreds of students competed across the city in preliminary rounds. The finals will be held at the Goodman Theatre, 170 N Dearborn on Monday, March 9, 2020 at 6:00 pm. The August Wilson Monologue Competition is free and open to the public.

Congo Square Theatre Company, well known for its powerful portrayal of African American classics and gripping new works, commemorates its 20th Anniversary season with a rare production of the 1965 satirical fantasy Day of Absence at the Richard Christiansen Theatre (housed inside Victory Gardens Biograph Theatre, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave.), February 27-March 22, 2020. The official opening night is Monday, March 2 at 7:30 p.m.

Congo Square Theatre Company, well known for its powerful portrayal of African American classics and gripping new works, commemorates its 20th Anniversary season with a rare production of the 1965 satirical fantasy, Day of Absence, at the Richard Christiansen Theatre (housed inside Victory Gardens Biograph Theatre, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave.), February 27-March 22, 2020. Its official opening night is Monday, March 2, 2020, at 7:30pm.

First Stage, one of the nation's leading theaters for young people and families, will share with Milwaukee audiences ELF - The Musical this holiday season. Based on the beloved 2003 New Line Cinema film written by David Berenbaum, which featured Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf, with Book by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin, Music by Matthew Sklar, Lyrics by Chad Baguelin and Directed and Music Direction by Jeff Schaetzke, this hit Broadway musical features catchy tunes, high-energy dance numbers and plenty of holiday joy.

There's a transcendent moment in 'Twisted Melodies,' the one-man Donny Hathaway show by Kelvin Roston Jr. at Mosaic Theater Company, in which the audience and performer are one, singing and clapping to 'The Ghetto,' under his direction, and getting a groove on.

The Apollo Theater will bring the New York premiere of TWISTED MELODIES, an intimate one-man production inspired by the life, artistry, and struggles of 1970s soul singer and composer Donny Hathaway, to its iconic stage, 45 years after Hathaway himself last performed on it.

The League of Chicago Theatres, now celebrating its 40th Anniversary, announces Interrobang Theatre Project as the recipient of the 2019 Broadway In Chicago Emerging Theatre Award. Interrobang will be honored at the League of Chicago Theatres Annual Gala on Monday, May 20, 2019 at the Palmer House Hilton, 17 E. Monroe St. in Chicago.

The League of Chicago Theatres, now celebrating its 40th Anniversary, announces the 2019 Annual Gala, an elegant event that brings together friends of Chicago theatre to raise funds for programs to support Chicagoland's more than 250 member theatre companies. The event will be held Monday, May 20, 2019 at the Palmer House Hilton, 17 E. Monroe St. in Chicago.  Cocktails will begin at 5:30pm with an elegant dinner, entertainment and awards at 6:30pm.