NEW SEASON TAKES CENTER COURT
Chicago’s great Court Theatre has sadly had to postpone its production of August Wilson’s Two Trains Running, but Owen McCafferty’s Titanic (Scenes from the British Wreck Commissioner’s Inquiry, 1912) and Shakespeare’s Othello are still on. If possible, Court will offer limited in-person viewership for Titanic and Othello, with digital access provided for patrons who can’t attend. Which is splendid and lucky news for those outside of the Chicagoland area.
In addition, Court will offer digital viewing of their production of An Iliad (see our rave review) by Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare, and the musical Five Guys Named Moe. Also coming is the free Chicagoland premiere of Theatre for One: Here We Are, a series of one-on-one digital microplays written, directed, and starring an array of artists. Subscriptions are on sale at Court Theatre or by calling (773) 753-4472.
The Revised 2021 Court Theatre Season
AN ILIAD (STREAMING)
by Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare, based on Homer’s The Iliad
translated by Robert Fagles, directed by Charles Newell
March 3 – March 31, 2021
Remounted three times across Court’s history, An Iliad continues to showcase the power of classic theatre to speak to our current moment. Interrogate how rage and division reverberate throughout civilization in this streaming release of our limited-engagement, site-specific production of An Iliad at the Oriental Institute. The production takes audiences on a journey through ancient societies and cultural artifacts in a thrillingly visceral performance. This professionally-captured, multi-camera stream of the play allows you to experience this one-of-a-kind production at home.
FIVE GUYS NAMED MOE (STREAMING)
A musical by Clarke Peters featuring Louis Jordan’s Greatest Hits
Directed by Ron OJ Parson
February 4 – 28, 2021
All 2020/21 season subscribers will have access to the stream at no additional charge
An eccentric celebration of songs made famous by the 1940’s alto saxophone player and band leader Louis Jordan, who, along with his group Tympany Five, is remembered for novelty songs like “Caldonia,†“Ain’t Nobody Here but Us Chickens,†and “Five Guys Named Moe.â€Â Five Guys Named Moe introduces Nomax: a broke, newly single guy singing the blues late into the night. Suddenly, five unexpected friends (Big Moe, Four-Eyed Moe, Eat Moe, No Moe, and Little Moe) emerge from his radio to help ease his broken heart. Pioneering musician Louis Jordan’s new approach to jazz paved the way for rock and roll in the 1950s.
THEATRE FOR ONE: HERE WE ARE
Creator and Artistic Director: Christine Jones
Co-Artistic Director: Jenny Koons
Feb 18, 2021 — Mar 14, 2021
free tickets available to the public beginning Thurs, February 11, at 10am CST
One actor and one audience member. A live digital theatrical experience. Eight new microplays that speak to these times we are in.  A laugh shared with a stranger, a world created by imagination, a soul nourished through storytelling: these are things only theater can accomplish. Following its critically acclaimed run in New York, Court Theatre brings these eight stories to life with Chicago actors to offer audiences a deeply personal theatrical experience. The microplays are:
♦ Thank You For Coming. Take Care.
  by Stacey Rose, Directed by Miranda Gonzalez
♦ What Are The Things I Need To Remember
  by Lynn Nottage, Directed by Chris Anthony
♦ Pandemic Fight
  by Carmelita Tropicana, Directed by Miranda Gonzalez
♦ Here We Are
  by Nikkole Salter, Directed by Monet Felton
♦ Thank You Letter
  by Jaclyn Backhaus, Directed by Lavina Jadhwani
♦ Before America Was America
  by DeLanna Studi, Directed by Chris Anthony
♦ whiterly negotiations
  by Lydia R. Diamond, Directed by Monet Felton
♦ Vote! (the black album)
  Written and Directed by Regina Taylor
TITANIC
(SCENES FROM THE BRITISH WRECK COMMISSIONER’S INQUIRY, 1912)
by Owen McCafferty
Directed by Vanessa Stalling
Apr 29, 2021 — May 30, 2021
The sinking of the RMS Titanic has long been studied for its historical significance and unmistakable hubris. A survivors’ story fraught with intrigue, this Titanic tells the story using verbatim testimonies from witnesses of the wreck. What emerges is a startling portrait of class, chaos, and moral ambiguity. Leveraging audio technology, Vanessa Stalling and her team will create an expansive soundscape that allows the testimonies of each individual to resonate with audiences through a heightened, visceral experience that pushes the boundaries of design and theatrical performance. A digital version will be available to stream for patrons who do not attend in person.
OTHELLO
by William Shakespeare
Adapted and Directed by Charles Newell
with Associate Director Gabrielle Randle-Bent
July 8, 2021 — August 8, 2021
Othello, the great Venetian general, unknowingly seals his fate when he fails to select his standard-bearer, Iago, for a military promotion. When his wife, Desdemona, is implicated in an affair, Othello is faced with a series of irreversible events that spell catastrophe for him and his country. Kelvin Roston, Jr. (Oedipus Rex, King Hedley II) returns to Court to star in this intimate new take on Shakespeare’s complex tragedy about jealousy, ego, and betrayal. Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director Charles Newell and his team will rigorously interrogate how identity is constructed along personal, racial, and political lines. A digital version will be available to stream for patrons who don’t go in person.
tickets and info at Court Theatre