Season IV
Kicking off The Story Theatre's fourth season, The (W)rites of Summer is a new play festival like you've never seen before! Featuring three elevated staged readings of world-premiere plays by local Chicago playwrights–Lena Barnard, NJ Draine and Gloria Imseih Petrelli.
Production Sponsors
The Iole Foundation
July 20, 2023
Written By
Lena Barnard
Directed By
Halena Kays
Beverly Jaw can’t get out of bed. She lives in her best friend’s basement and pines for his sister, Alice. But her best friend is dead and things with Alice are complicated. On a Monday, a strange man named Fred arrives looking for a private detective. He needs to find Sabrina, his childhood babysitter. Even though she isn’t a private detective, Beverly takes the case. Across town, Alice attempts to sell Sabrina a house. light is a queer noir about depression, loss, and facebook.
July 21, 2023
Written By
NJ Draine
Directed By
Terry Guest
Sisters Kiki and Alma know that living in a burning country owned by a technocrat trillionaire warlord is kind of a drag, but at least the internet service is reliable. And, honestly, it’s not that bad. Just a few tips: avoid the Red Zone if you can; always keep a gas mask handy; and have an active Playground© subscription for those days when you wanna leave this reality and escape into VR (which will be often). Also, steer clear of ANYONE even remotely adjacent to the Resistance.
July 22, 2023
Written By
Gloria Imseih Petrelle
Directed By
Maiya Corral
By night, Bruna works as a nanny for the dutifully progressive(ish) Ayad-Eklund household in Lincoln Park. By day, she is recording and reporting across Chicago, trying to get the Just Tax act passed, increasing taxes for the top 5% to be redistributed to…everyone else. When her two worlds collide, Bruna starts to get messages and assistance from an unlikely source…the Ayad-Eklund home itself.
Season III
Marie Antoinette
and The Magical Negroes
Written By
Terry Guest
June 30–July 24, 2022
Raven Theatre
Directed By
Terry Guest
This production of Marie Antoinette & the Magical Negroes was made possible through the support of the Michael & Mona Heath Fund.
Synopsis
This is a play about rage. Revolt. Revolution. Revenge. It is about what happens when Black people grow tired of sitting down and turning the other cheek. What are we left to do? Do we scream? Pray? Should we be peaceful? Should we riot? Can the tools we have used in the past possibly work for the future or do we need to write a new script? Using trap music, fashion shows and the backdrop of the French Revolution, Governing Ensemble member Terry Guest’s Marie Antoinette & The Magical Negroes reimagines the myth of the lost monarchy and puts it into the hands and mouths of Black people.
Cast
- Jim Crow — Keith Illidge
- Mammy — Amber Washington
- Sapphire — Danyelle Monson
- Sambo — Maya Vinice Prentiss
- Savage — Nathaniel Andrew
- Marie Antoinette — Brenna DiStasio^
- King Louis XVI — David Stobbe
- Jim Crow/Savage (u/s) — Dylan Rogers
- Sapphire (u/s) — Cat Christmas
- Sambo (u/s) — Marlene Slaughter
- Mammy (u/s) — Caitlin Dobbins
- Marie/Louis (u/s) — Jourdan Lewanda
Creative Team
- Director — Terry Guest^
- Choreographer — Ayanna Bria Bakari^
- Associate Director — Brittney Brown
- Production Stage Manager — Lucy Whipp^
- Assistant Stage Manager — Ariel Beller
- Scenic Designer — Jordan Dell Harris
- Lighting Designer — Levi Wilkins
- Sound Designer — Andrew Littleton
- Costume Designer — Isaac-Jay Pineda
- Original Composition — Willow James
- Master Electrician — Liz Gomez
- Technical Director — Stina Taylor
- Violence Designer — Thomas Russell
- Producers — Meagan Dilworth & Paul Michael Thomson^
^denotes a member of The Story Governing Ensemble
"The Story Theatre knows how to tell a story. The young company, only in its third season, has quickly matured […] into something remarkable and original."
The Virtual Season
Fires, Ohio
Written By
Beth Hyland
Staged Reading
July 25, 2021
Directed By
Governing Ensemble
Synopsis
Sonia is stuck: dreaming, wishing, wilting, thinking, cooking, and dealing with her troubled half-brother John; her ailing, tyrannical father the Professor; and her glamorous stepmother Elena. As wildfires rage closer and closer to her front door, a visit from her family friend and forever-love Erin threatens to bring every family tension to a towering inferno. FIRES, OHIO uses Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya to explore the way our country’s most toxic forces impact our everyday lives.
Cast
- Sonia — Ayanna Bria Bakari^
- John — Matt Bowdren^
- Professor — Paul Michael Thomson^
- Elena — Brenna DiStasio^
- Erin — Gaby Moldovan^
- Luke — Terry Guest^
^denotes a member of The Story Governing Ensemble
Partnering Organizations
New Play Festival
Performances
10.19.20 – 10.23.20
Chicago Playwrights
Mallory Raven-Ellen Backstrom
Lane Anthony Flores
Eli Campbell
Watch Via
Zoom
The Story Theatre's New Play Festival
The Story is committed to the next great plays to come out of Chicago, and that commitment doesn't waver even in times of uncertainty. Our New Play Festival this fall uplifts the work of three Chicago playwrights through a week-long celebration of new work, including: three Zoom readings featuring local Chicago talent; interviews with directors, designers, and writers; a panel by The Story Governing Ensemble; and a dialogue with arts advocates from around our city who are determined to keep our industry alive. Check back soon for more information on pay-what-you-can ticketing!
The New Play Festival has been made possible thanks to a generous contribution from The Heath Fund.
A Laying on of Hands
by Mallory Raven-Ellen Backstrom
October 19, 2020
Cast
- Sparrowhawk Sinclair — Maya Vinice Prentiss
- Garrett Richard Ensely — Christopher Wayland
- Beauregard Sinclair — Gregory Geffrard
- Solomon Conrad Sinclair — Michael Turrentine
- Colette-Nicole Sinclair — Shariba Rivers
- Dougrey Raymond Sinclair — Watson Swift
- Nana — Renee Lockett
- Rachel Williams — Rachel Blakes
- Death — Michael E. Martin
Creative Team
- Playwright — Mallory Raven-Ellen Backstrom
- Director — J. Nicole Brooks
- Designer — Sydney Lynne
- Dramaturg — Kai Shariq
- Producer — Brenna DiStasio^
- Producer — Terry Guest^
- Production Manager — Lucy Whipp^
^denotes a member of The Story Governing Ensemble
Hippolytos
by Lane Anthony Flores
October 21, 2020
Cast
- Hippolytos — Gaby Labotka
- Princess — Saran Baraki
- King — Michael Kingston
- Chorus 1 — Jordan Dell Harris
- Chorus 2/Ghost — Malia Hu
- Chorus 3 — Sheldon Brown
Creative Team
- Playwright — Lane Anthony Flores
- Director — Am’Ber Montgomery
- Designer — Andrew Littleton
- Dramaturg — Emma Durbin
- Producer — Ayanna Bria Bakari^
- Producer — Matt Bowdren^
- Production Manager — Lucy Whipp^
^denotes a member of The Story Governing Ensemble
Nest
by Eli Campbell
October 23, 2020
Cast
- Anne — Janice O'Neil
- Pierce — Tommy Malouf
- Trinity — Sahar Dika
- Reed — Emilie Modaff
Creative Team
- Playwright — Eli Campbell
- Director — Sophiyaa Nayar
- Costume Designer — Stefani Azores-Gococo
- Dramaturg — Maggie Mohr
- Producer — Gaby Moldovan^
- Producer — Paul Michael Thomson^
- Production Manager — Lucy Whipp^
^denotes a member of The Story Governing Ensemble
"At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen opens The Story’s second season with style... If Friday night’s enthusiastic sold-out audience is any indication, this company is doing things right."
Season II
At the Wake
of a Dead Drag Queen
Written By
Terry Guest
September 5–22, 2019
Raven Theatre
Directed By
Mikael Burke
Synopsis
Courtney Berringers (given name: Anthony Knighton) would like to welcome you to her wake! She has recently died from complications due to AIDS, you see. And by recent, we mean 2019 in rural Georgia, baby. But—make no mistake—this isn’t your grandma’s funeral. There will be no black frocks, no perfumed flowers, and definitely no crying. Probably. Tonight is a celebration.
Cast
- Courtney/Anthony — Terry Guest^
- Vickie/Hunter — Paul Michael Thomson^
- Courtney/Anthony (u/s) — Juwon Tyrel Perry
- Vickie/Hunter (u/s) — Shea Petersen
Creative Team
- Director — Mikael Burke
- Stage Manager — Lucy Whipp^
- Production Design— Racquel Postiglione
- Scenic Design — Alyssa Mohn
- Lighting Design — Kyle Cunningham
- Costume Design — Uriel Gomez
- Sound Design — Sam Clapp
^denotes a member of The Story Governing Ensemble
"Author Terry Guest stars in the one-act, two-hander play that delves deep into Blackness, queerness and the fine art of drag. It explores identity and personal narrative. The candid conversations that break the fourth wall is simply wonderful and the hopping between timelines of memories, imagination, and the unknown. Guest the 2019/20 Emerging Playwright in Residence at The Story Theatre and holds much of the budding new company’s values to heart in this production. On the back of the playbill there is the HIV/STI surveillance report in 2018. "
"Instead of a night of somber respect and lowered eyes with hands clasped in laps, it is a celebration of queerness, blackness, and identity told through traditional scenes as well as direct monologues and drag numbers and stagecraft. Directed by Mickael Burke, this fascinating, captivating, and heart-wrenching examination of the concepts organic, inorganic, and the combination of both inspires the audience to evaluate the presence of these concepts in their own lives."
Partnering Organizations
Marie Antoinette
And The Magical Negroes
Written By
Terry Guest
March 4, 2020
Raven Theatre
Directed By
Regina Victor
From the Playwright
"Marie Antionette & the Magical Negroes is a play about rage. Revolt. Revolution. It is about what happens when black people grow tired of sitting down and turning the other cheek. What are we left to do? Do we scream? Pray? Should we be peaceful? Should we riot? Can the tools we have used in the past possibly work for the future or do we need to write a new script? Using trap music, fashion shows and the backdrop of the French Revolution, I hope to explore these questions in a way that is as messy and complicated as public execution."
Cast
- Jim Crow — Breon Arzell
- King Louis XVI — Will Wilhelm*
- Mammy — Melissa DuPrey
- Marie Antoinette — Brenna DiStasio^
- Sambo — Darrionna Barnes
- Sapphire — Darian Tene
- Savage — Lewon Johns
- Stage Directions — Brittani Yawn
Creative Team
- Director — Regina Victor
- Stage Manager — Darek Mia Lane
- Lighting Design — Lucy Whipp^
^denotes a member of The Story Governing Ensemble
*denotes a member of Actors' Equity Association
Staged Reading
March 4, 2020 @ 7:00p
Big Kids
Written By
Isabel Thompson
Staged Reading
Postponed Due to COVID-19 Restrictions
Directed By
Devon de Mayo
Synopsis
To become a Bat Mitzvah is to become accountable for your adult self. But how do you stay accountable to an identity you’re constantly questioning? And what does accountability even mean to a 13 year old? As Zoe's big day rapidly approaches, she and her bestie Becca navigate the boundaries of intimacy, friendship, and faith during the private minutes they spend in Becca's bedroom, waiting for Grandma to take them to Hebrew school. Isabel Thompson's new play BIG KIDS is about two Jewish kids who are not yet big but are starting to feel the hugeness of their hearts.
Cast
- Zoe — Katherine Kupferer
- Becca — Olivia James
- Stage Directions — Gaby Moldovan*
Creative Team
- Director — Devon de Mayo
- Stage Manager — Lauren Peters
- Lighting Design — Lucy Whipp^
^denotes a member of The Story Governing Ensemble
Late, A Cowboy Song
Written By
Sarah Ruhl
Digital Pivot
Instagram @thestorytheatre
Directed By
Matt Bowdren
Synopsis
This play is for all the lady cowboys of heart and mind who ride outside the city limits of convention. Mary, always late and always married, meets a lady cowboy outside the city limits of Pittsburgh who teaches her how to ride a horse. Mary’s husband, Crick, buys a painting with the last of their savings. Mary and Crick have a baby, but they can’t decide on the baby’s name, or the baby’s gender. A story of one woman’s education and her search to find true love outside the box.
Cast
- Mary — Brenna DiStasio^
- Red — Gaby Moldovan^
- Crick — Dominic Rescigno
Understudies
- Mary — Amber Washington
- Crick — Alex Rocha
Creative Team
- Director — Matt Bowdren^
- Assistant Director — Brittney Brown
- Dramaturg — Maggie Mohr
- Stage Manager — Lucy Whipp^
- Original Composition — Jake Sorgen
- Scenic Design — Jordan Dell Harris
- Intimacy Design — Jyreika Guest
- Costume Design — Stefani Azores-Gococo
- Lighting Design — Kyle Cunningham
- Properties Design — Racquel Postiglione
^denotes a member of The Story Governing Ensemble
Performances
Cancelled Due to COVID-19 Restrictions
Partnering Organization
