Recommended: Don’t miss our ‘timely reflection on censorship and moral awakening’

From left: Haley Basil as Lilly, Justin Broom as Thomas, Maria Burnham as Emily and Khnemu Menu-Ra as Joshua in Ghostlight Ensemble’s production of Alabama Story by Kenneth Jones. (Photo by Pete Guither)

“The production’s commitment to historical storytelling, combined with the bookstore setting, makes Alabama Story a compelling and evocative piece of theater.” — The Reader

Ghostlight Ensemble’s Alabama Story by Kenneth Jones is Reader AND audience recommended. The drama about censorship, book banning and Civil Rights has struck a chord with patrons who, in only one weekend, have returned to see it multiple times. Join us this weekend at After-Words Bookstore for this “daring production,” directed by Holly Robison. (Read the full Reader review here.)

The play, set in 1959 Montgomery, Alabama, is the story of a segregationist senator (the fictional-characterization-based-on-a-real-person, Sen. E.W. Higgins) and the state librarian (based on a very real Emily Wheelock Reed) who clash over the content of a children’s book about bunny rabbits. The play contrasts that story with a reunion of childhood friends — a Black man and a woman of white privilege — providing a private counterpoint to the public events swirling in the state capital.

Alabama Story is taking place at two site-specific, book-centric locations: After-Words Bookstore (23 E. Illinois St., Chicago) and Haymarket Books at Haymarket House (800 W. Buena Ave, Chicago). There is one more weekend of performances at After-Words Bookstore, Oct. 4-6; followed by two weekends at Haymarket Books, Oct. 11-13 and Oct. 18-20. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and at 2:30 p.m. on Sundays.

For Your (Re)Consideration in The Chicago Reader

Ghostlight’s For Your (Re)Consideration is featured in this week’s The Chicago Reader.

As a whole, the (Re)Consideration series is about challenging the idea that anything outside the heteronormative, white male creative realm is in any way "revolutionary" or a product of recent culture.

Check out the entire article here.

Ghostlight is a finalists for Best of Chicago 2020!

Ghostlight is honored and excited to once again be nominated in two categories for the Reader's Best of Chicago 2020: Best established theater company and Best off-Loop theater company.

In addition, our children’s short play festival Make/Believe is nominated for Best Performing Arts Festival and our Holiday Cabernet is nominated for Best Digital Content (theatre).

We'd love if our supporters would follow this link to vote for us. Our categories are under the Arts & Culture tab. And you can ask your friends and family to do so as well, as there are no restrictions on voting.

Please note: You don’t have to fill out all the categories if you’re only interested in voting for a few of them. The deadline to vote is noon on Monday, February 8.

While you're voting for us, please also consider these Ghostlight affiliated folks:

• Ensemble Member Norman J. Burt is nominated for Best Stage Performer.

• Ensemble Member Maria Burnham is nominated again this year for Best Playwright.

• Ensemble Member Holly Robison is nominated for Best Director.

• Our friend and frequent collaborator Coco Sho-Nell is nominated for Best Drag Performer. (Coco recently hosted our Holiday Cabernet.)

We appreciate the continued support of the community and we’re so thrilled to be a finalist for Best of Chicago.

Best of Chicago awards announced

The Chicago Reader has announced its Best of Chicago 2019: ARTS & CULTURE winners and Ghostlight was awarded runner up for Best Off Loop company.

This is an amazing honor, especially considering we are only three years old, there are over 200 theatre companies in the Chicago area and from all those choices, Chicago readers voted us second only to the storied Steppenwolf Theatre — a company that was founded in 1974, has a multi-million dollar budget, owns its own theater complex and regularly sends plays on to Broadway.

Thank you to everyone who voted for us.

We're also thrilled to announced that our Co-Artistic Director Maria Burnham was named Best Director and Best Playwright.

In addition, Stefanie Johnsen, one of our regular guest artists (who worked with us on Krampus and An Ideal Husband), was named Best Designer and Improvised Jane Austen (who worked with us on Gingerbread Grindhouse and will be featuring in our upcoming Holiday Cabernet) was named Best Improv Group.

Congratulations to all the winners!

Only 5 Days left to vote Ghostlight as one of the Best of Chicago

Voting ends at noon on Monday, October 21, for the Chicago Reader’s Best of Chicago 2019 poll. Ghostlight is excited to be nominated in two categories: Best Established Theater Company and Best Off-Loop Theater Company.

We'd be honored if you would follow this link to vote for us. And you can ask your friends and family to do so as well, as there are no restrictions on voting.

Please note: You don’t have to fill out all the categories if you’re only interested in voting for a few of them, however you DO have to go to the final page (About You) and hit the Finish button for your vote to count.

In addition, a number of our collaborators and Ensemble members are nominated as well.

Our Co-Artistic Director Maria Burnham is nominated for both Best Director and Best Playwright.

Stefanie Johnsen is nominated for Best Designer. Stefanie designed the costumes for our production of An Ideal Husband.

And Improvised Jane Austen is nominated for Best sketch/improv troupe. Ensemble Member Holly Robison is a member of IJA and the group has performed at a number of our past events.

In addition, Carbon Arc Bar, which hosts our Live Movie Reading Series is up for Best Cinema Bar.

Thanks so much for your vote! You are what’s truly Best about Chicago!

Ghostlight is a finalist for Best of Chicago 2019!

Ghostlight is honored and excited to be nominated in two categories for the Reader's Best of Chicago 2019: Best established theater company and Best off-Loop theater company.

We'd love if our supporters would follow this link to vote for us. And you can ask your friends and family to do so as well, as there are no restrictions on voting.

Please note: You don’t have to fill out all the categories if you’re only interested in voting for a few of them, however you DO have to go to the final page (About You) and hit the Finish button for your vote to count.

While you're voting for us, please consider also these other Ghostlight affiliated folks: 

Our Co-Artistic Director Maria Burnham is nominated for both Best Director and Best Playwright.

Stefanie Johnsen is nominated for Best Designer. Stefanie designed the costumes for our production of An Ideal Husband.

And Improvised Jane Austen is nominated for Best sketch/improv troupe. Ensemble Member Holly Robison is a member of IJA and the group has performed at a number of our past events.

In addition, Carbon Arc Bar, which hosts our Live Movie Reading Series is up for Best Cinema Bar.

We appreciate the continued support of the community and we’re so thrilled to be a finalist for Best of Chicago.

An Ideal Husband is a hit!

From left: Alex Ireys (Lord Goring) and Richard Engling (Lord Caversham) in An Ideal Husband. (Photo by Maria Burnham/Ghostlight Ensemble)

Rave reviews from audience members and critics alike are piling up for Ghostlight Ensemble's production of Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband, which has sold out every production (including previews) so far.

Splash Magazine says "it is a delightful show and highly recommended." While the Chicago Reader also recommends this "savvy" production calling it,  "remarkable: a compelling examination of acute moral dilemmas faced by recognizable people with rich inner lives." And Chicago On Stage says of the cast, "the acting is uniformly excellent" and adding this "a first-rate production."

Meanwhile audience members have said, "Perfectly staged in the Berger Park Cultural Center mansion, elegantly costumed, and finely acted, this is a show to see."

It definitely IS a show to see. But you'll need to get your tickets in advance for An Ideal Husband, which runs through April 28, because we've been turning people away at the door. Tickets are available now through Brown Paper Tickets.

Thanks for helping make Ghostlight the Best New Theater Company in Chicago

Ghostlight is honored to have been named the Best New Theater Company in Chicago by The Chicago Reader readers. Thank you for welcoming us to the Chicago theatre community. We had an amazing first half season and are so excited for the season ahead and cannot wait to share some exciting new and re-imagined productions with you.

Help make Ghostlight one of the Best of 2017

Ghostlight is thrilled to be a finalist in The Chicago Reader's Best of 2017, as Best New Theatre Company. We have some stiff competition because there is so much great theatre in Chicago, but we hope you'll help vote us into the top spot.

Cast your vote here!

And make sure while you're on the site, that you vote in the numerous other categories from Best Neighborhood to Best Magician and everything in between (though there is no requirement to complete your ballot).

You have until noon on Monday, June 12, 2017, to cast your vote. Winners will be announced with The Reader issue of June 22, 2017 — online and in print.