Monthly Archives: April 2023

This spring, we brought our once-in-a-generation project to a close with the opening of the Mainstage Theatre Complex, featuring Moe and Jack’s Place – The Rouse Theatre. Now, we’re looking forward to the first full season in our new home with a lineup of shows that exemplifies the best of American theatre and takes advantage of all the enhanced theatre technology our new, state-of-the art facility provides.

Our 2023-24 season promises to inspire, entertain, celebrate our differences and lift up our shared humanity. It features stories that feel familiar, that stand the test of time, and that are fresh and contemporary.

MOE AND JACK’S PLACE — THE ROUSE THEATRE SEASON
Presented by Schueler Group

RING OF FIRE: THE MUSIC OF JOHNNY CASH
Created by RICHARD MALTBY, JR.
Conceived by WILLIAM MEADE
Directed by MARCIA MILGROM DODGE
Aug. 26 – Oct. 1, 2023

The hit musical returns! Ring of Fire celebrates the iconic Johnny Cash — the Man in Black whose razor-sharp vocals and stripped-down country sound helped shape the American rock ‘n’ roll landscape in the 20th century. The musical follows Cash’s early life in the cotton fields of Arkansas and moves to Memphis as he launches his music career, hits it big and marries the love of his life, June Carter. Five actor-musicians deliver crowd-pleasing renditions of Cash’s musical catalog, including “I Walk the Line,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” “I’ve Been Everywhere” and, of course, “Ring of Fire.” Revisit this toe-tapping, soul-stirring musical biography like never before in The Rouse Theatre!

CLYDE’S
By LYNN NOTTAGE
Directed by TIMOTHY DOUGLAS
Oct. 14 – Nov. 5. 2023

Every sandwich has a story at Clyde’s, a truck-stop operated by a group of people recently released from prison. Under the no-nonsense authority of Clyde — an ex-con herself whose searing remarks can really leave a burn — the small kitchen crew finds redemption and purpose through the art of sandwich-making. These vividly drawn characters share their stories and learn to express themselves creatively as they attempt to reclaim their lives in a world that’s set up for them to fail. Can an artistic twist on a grilled cheese elicit feelings of hope? Can assembling the perfect sandwich awaken a spiritual experience? In this witty and inspiring dramedy from two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage, they absolutely can.

ALL-NEW
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
By CHARLES DICKENS
Adapted and Directed by BLAKE ROBISON
Nov. 24 – Dec. 30, 2023

The holiday story you love unfolds in spectacular fashion with a brand-new production specially designed for Moe and Jack’s Place – The Rouse Theatre! In Charles Dickens’ classic tale, Ebenezer Scrooge is a greedy curmudgeon who finds his heart changing when three spirits and the ghost of a long-lost friend show him the errors of his ways. Across one fateful Christmas Eve night, Scrooge recalls the warmth and generosity of past loved ones, learns the value of kindness through Tiny Tim and the Cratchit family and glimpses a terrifying future should his heart remain the same. Featuring dazzling new set, costume and lighting designs, A Christmas Carol promises a magical holiday experience for your family like never before!

SEASON EXTRA! Subscribers get first access to tickets before the general public!

DRACULA
A WORLD PREMIERE
By VANESSA SEVERO in collaboration with JOANIE SCHULTZ
Directed by JOANIE SCHULTZ and VANESSA SEVERO
Feb. 3 – March 3, 2024

Bram Stoker’s classic vampire tale comes back to life in this evocative world premiere where everyone has a secret…and those secrets are deadly. Lifelong friends Mina and Lucy share intimate details about the men in their lives. Dr Seward works to unlock the mystery of Renfield’s strange affliction with the help of his friend Van Helsing, who carries her own secret. Jonathan Harker returns from Transylvania with a dark disclosure. As tensions rise, temptation lures them into double lives as they unmask one man, Count Dracula. Created by Vanessa Severo (Frida…A Self Portrait) and Playhouse Associate Artistic Director Joanie Schultz, this bold, highly theatrical re-telling breathes new life and new blood into the most famous vampire story of all time and pulses with humor, humanity and blood-curdling thrills.

THE CHOSEN
By AARON POSNER and CHAIM POTOK
Directed by AARON POSNER
April 13 – May 12, 2024

How can two directly opposing ideas exist together? Chaim Potok’s classic novel intimately explores such complex and thought-provoking questions in a moving adaptation for the stage. It’s 1940s Brooklyn where two Jewish boys, Reuven and Danny, live five blocks and a world apart. One of them is Orthodox, the other is Hasidic, and they’re both immersed in the religious instruction of their fathers and the traditions of their communities. But fate plays its hand, in the strangest of ways, and forges a life-changing friendship as they grow into adulthood. This hugely popular adaptation — often selling out theatres across the U.S. — is a heartfelt exploration of Jewish culture and the human ability to reach out across differences.

ROSENTHAL SHELTERHOUSE THEATRE SEASON
Presented by The Vontz Family

SANCTUARY CITY
By MARTYNA MAJOK
Directed by KAREEM FAHMY
Sept. 16 – Oct. 22, 2023

How far would you go to help a friend, and what would you be willing to risk? In this strikingly intimate play, two young people become one another’s sanctuaries as the children of U.S. immigrants in the wake of 9/11. Through years of late-night conversations, they see each other through adolescence and fight to find their place in the world. When G becomes a naturalized citizen, she finds a way to help B stay in the country legally. But what begins as a simple choice becomes far more complicated, and G and B’s relationship teeters on the brink of falling apart. This searing new play from Pulitzer Prize-winner Martyna Majok is an unconventional love story that’s as timely as it is unforgettable.

LATE NIGHT CATECHISM
By VICKI QUADE & MARIPAT DONOVAN
Nov. 3 – Dec. 17, 2023

One of the longest running shows in Chicago and U.S. theatre history, this one-nun comedy is part catechism class, part stand-up routine. A playful and compassionate send-up of Catholic culture, the audience becomes Sister’s class in this uproarious piece of interactive theatre. Sister is filling in for Father Murphy, who doesn’t want to miss his poker night, and she’s going to teach the class the way she wants. She goes on to weave stories into a hilarious tapestry that laughs at the quirks of the church while simultaneously embracing them. The Hollywood Reporter said it’s “a laugh-filled evening for all cultures, classes and religions.”

STEW
By ZORA HOWARD
Directed by STORI AYRES
March 2 – April 7, 2024

Three generations of Black women gather in Mama’s kitchen to cook an important meal — and things are about to boil over. As they take turns preparing a stew, closely held details of their lives rise slowly to the surface. But time is running short to prepare the meal, and the truths they try to keep from one another threaten to reveal themselves. A heady combination of secrets, knowingness and even violence hangs thick in the air before the day reaches an unforgettable climax. A 2021 Pulitzer Prize finalist, Zora Howard’s Stew tells a captivating, funny and intimate story about the relationship between mothers, daughters and the realities that bind them together.

VIETGONE
By QUI NGUYEN
Directed by JOANIE SCHULTZ
April 27 – June 2, 2024

An all-American love story about two very new Americans. It’s 1975. Saigon has fallen. He’s lost his wife, she’s lost her fiancé, and home as they’ve known it will never be the same. But this isn’t a story about war: It’s a story about falling in love. Based on playwright Qui Nguyen’s family, Vietgone tells the partially true and endlessly entertaining tale of how his parents, Quang and Tong, met in a refugee relocation camp in Arkansas during the Vietnam War. They navigate their very new lives as very new Americans amidst family pressure, the challenges of migration and a culture full of motorcycles, cowboys, fast food and dreams. With irreverent humor, hip-hop and heightened theatrical storytelling, this original story reinvents the romantic comedy genre and captures your heart.

Subscribe to guarantee your seats and to get first access to our all-new A CHRISTMAS CAROL (not included in any subscription package). You’ll also enjoy exclusive benefits like the best prices, easy ticket exchanges, payment installments, discounted parking and more. Four-show packages start at $126.

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