If you enjoyed Six Characters in Search of an Author, don't miss its companion piece, Six Authors in Search of a Character on May 25.
In this festival of new works celebrating the 150th anniversary of Pirandello's birth, we asked six playwrights to write 10-minute plays around the "missing" character in The Mountain Giants, Luigi Pirandello's final, unfinished play.
Get your tickets now for this one-night event.
Learn more about the festival here.
This weekend Ghostlight Ensemble opens its inaugural mainstage production, Luigi Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author, not on a stage at all, but in the rehearsal room.
Join the actors and crew of a small, but scrappy Chicago storefront theatre as they begin rehearsals for The Mountain Giants — Pirandello's final, unfinished work — only to see their work halted by six strangers who show up with a fantastic tale of their own.
Six Characters in Search of an Author opens this Friday, April 14, at Voice of the City studio in Logan Square, with additional opening weekend performances on Saturday, April 15, and Monday, April 17. The show continues on on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. through May 7.
Reserve your tickets now for this classic metatheatrical play that finds new relevance while addressing the problems of modern theater. Ghostlight Ensemble's production examines the institutional racism and biases found in theatre and leaves the audience wondering if they were watching a show, or were they, in fact, the show.
Six Character in Search of an Author is supported by the L’Istituto Italiano di Cultura Chicago and is being produced in conjunction with Voice of the City.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, Ghostlight Ensemble will push back the opening of Six Characters in Search of an Author, in order to fully execute the creative team's vision.
The first three performances, originally scheduled for April 7-9, will now be used as preview weekend. Opening night will be Friday, April 14.
Previews are a set of public performances that precede an official opening. The purpose of previews is to allow the director and crew to identify problems and opportunities for improvement that weren't found during rehearsals and to make adjustments before critics are invited to attend.
Previews are performed in front of an audience and the public is welcome to attend. However, please note that because previews are technically the last stage of a rehearsal process, the show attendees see during previews may not be the finished product. Changes can, and are often made between preview and opening.
We deeply regret any inconvenience this causes. Individuals who have already reserved tickets will be contacted by our box office to arrange another date for attending. Any questions can also be directed to the box office at (773) 377-5342 or to info@ghostlightensemble.com.
Six Characters in Search of an Author runs April 14 to May 7 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at Voice of the City in Logan Square. Preview performances are April 7-9.
In Luigi Pirandello's classic metatheatrical play, six characters come looking for life and find the theatre world acutely unable to make them real. Ghostlight Ensemble's production will examine the institutional racism and biases found in modern theatre and leaves the audience wondering if they were watching a show, or were they, in fact, the show.
Patrons may reserve their tickets in advance. There is no charge to reserve a seat, however there is a suggested donation of $15 for regular performance and $5 for preview performance, which can be paid in advance or at the door via cash or credit. This helps us cover the cost of rehearsal and performance spaces, as well as costumes, props and set construction.
Cast and crew bios are now available online.
Luigi Pirandello
Ghostlight Ensemble announces casting for its spring show, Luigi Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author.
The cast is: Joshua Arroyo, Jean E. Burr*, Ana Dragovich, Nellsyn Hill, Heather L. Jencks, Miona Lee*, Matthew Lloyd, Emma Palizza, Jason Pereira, Chuck Quinn IV, Andy Ricci, Kara Rivera and Alejandra Vivanco.
The production team includes: Maria Burnham* (Director), Chad Wise* (Producer), Lisa Uhlig* (Stage Manager), Katy Vest (Costume Designer), Tim Lee (Set Designer) and Carolyn Minor (Props Designer).
In Pirandello's classic metatheatrical play, six characters come looking for life and find the theatre world acutely unable to make them real. Ghostlight Ensemble's production will examine the institutional racism and biases found in modern theatre and leaves the audience wondering if they were watching a show, or were they, in fact, the show.
Six Characters in Search of an Author — which looks at the relationship between authors, characters, actors, directors and audience — takes on new relevance in this age of reality television when fiction is often realer than reality.
"Pirandello said theatre should not be archeology, it should be adapted to contemporary ideas," said director Maria Burnham. "He wanted his work to remain relevant. With Six Characters we have this unique opportunity to use a play that has been performed for more than 90 years to examine what is happening in Chicago theatre today without any significant changes to the text."
Six Characters in Search of an Author is being produced in conjunction with Voice of the City.
This year marks the 150th anniversary of Pirandello's birth and Ghostlight will commemorate the milestone with a short play festival in May, Six Authors in Search of a Character, in which six Chicago authors pen 10-minute plays around the “missing” character in The Mountain Giants, Luigi Pirandello’s final, unfinished play.
"Pirandello continues to inspire artists 150 years after his birth, and this play festival will be an ideal opportunity for people to see that inspiration made reality," Burnham added.
The festival is curated by Ghostlight Ensemble Member Miona Lee.
Tickets are now available for Six Characters in Search of an Author, which runs April 7 through May 7 at Voice of the City in Logan Square.
Please note: Voice of the City is not handicap accessible. The performance venue is on the second floor and there is no elevator access. Ample street parking is available, and Voice of the City studio is only blocks away from the Logan Square Blue Line stop, as well as the Milwaukee, Kimball and Diversey bus lines.
Patrons are encouraged to reserve their tickets in advance. There is no charge to reserve a seat, however there is a suggested donation of $15, which can be paid at the door via cash or credit. This helps us cover the cost of rehearsal and performance spaces, as well as costumes, props and set construction.
*Denotes a Ghostlight Ensemble Member.