Up Next: A live reading of But I'm a Cheerleader

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its ongoing live movie reading series in celebration of Pride Month: I Like Girls. A Lot.: A live reading of But I'm a Cheerleader.

Join us at 7 p.m. this Thursday — June 15 — at the Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), and we’ll raise a glass of something pink and fruity and not at all gay to this 1999 American satire/ teen romantic comedy/ cult classic.

But I'm a Cheerleader stars Natasha Lyonne as Megan Bloomfield, a high school cheerleader whose parents send her to a residential in-patient conversion therapy camp to "cure" her lesbianism. At camp, Megan realizes that she is indeed a lesbian and embraces her sexuality.

The cast is: Jean E. Mueller-Burr (Megan), Rachel Warnick (Graham), Justin Broom (Mike), Hannah Compton (Mary), Maria White (Hilary) with Skye Corey, Franki Levenson-Campanale, Lotus Lindez and Sebastian Summers. The reading is directed by Kayla V. White and Justin Broom.

Food and drink are available for purchase at Black Eagle Club.  

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its upcoming season. We’ll also be collecting donations for The Center on Halsted’s Senior Pantry & Youth Services. The full list of needed items can be found here. Bring an item or $$$ is always welcome.

Giving Tuesday: Why Theatre Matters

The Selfish Giant, 2019

As your inbox and social media has surely notified you by now, today is GivingTuesday — a global generosity movement that unleashes the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and their world.

As we approach the end of 2019, we felt Giving Tuesday was the appropriate time to look back, not just at the year that was, but way back to what made us who we are today. We, the Ensemble, want to share with you our personal stories of why theatre matters to us and, in turn, to others.

We know this time of year you are bombarded with requests from very worthy organizations and some of them are literally saving lives on a day-to-day basis, but theatre can also sometimes make a life or death difference in a person's life. Here’s how.

Giving Tuesday is a chance to talk about our values and why we care so much about the work that we do. Thank for listening, for caring and for Giving.

Raise a glass to help Ghostlight

District Brew Yards in West Town is hosting Ghostlight Ensemble on Wednesday, Nov. 20, from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. for its Cents for Causes.

Come drink with the Ensemble, get to know us, learn more details on what we have planned for this season and find out how you can be involved (if that’s your cup of tea)! District Brew Yards donates 10 cents per ounce of beer you buy to Ghostlight.

District Brew Yards, 417 N. Ashland Ave. in Chicago, is a pour-your-own-beer tap room. The cashless beer hall offers brews from Burnt City Brewing, Around the Bend Beer Co. and Bold Dog Beer Co., and serves barbecue, in case you’d like some smoked meats to compliment your drink.

We can’t wait to see you all!

Tickets on sale for The Selfish Giant

Actors have begun rehearsals for The Selfish Giant, which runs in June at Otherworld Theatre in Lakeview.

Tickets are on sale now for The Selfish Giant, a physical theatre production that will mesmerize audiences of all ages.

This story of a giant who builds a wall to keep children off his land runs during the month of June at Otherworld Theatre and is geared toward all ages.

Tickets are available through Brown Paper Tickets and are $5 for children, $10 for adults or $25 for a family of four.

You can also obtain tickets through our Go Fund Me Campaign. The Garden, Ogre, North Wind and Giant levels all come with tickets to the show, along with a host of other goodies. Learn more Becoming a Generous Giant for Children's Theatre here.

Based on Oscar Wilde's short story of the same name, The Selfish Giant illustrates the perils of isolation and the negative consequences of selfishness, but it also teaches us that it is never too late for redemption and for love.

Donate to children, earn a reward!

Did you know we’ve put together some very special gifts for the donors to our The Selfish Giant fundraiser? From growing your own garden to headshots and more.

Read all about the show here and then go donate here.

By donating you help keep our ticket prices affordable for all families in Chicago.

Levels include:

$25 GARDEN LEVEL: Start your own urban garden with a Grow Your Own Garden Kit and receive a ticket to the show, as well as thanks in our program.

$50 OGRE LEVEL: Join cast members and the director of The Selfish Giant after a performance for apple pie and milk and to learn more about physical storytelling. Bring your kids (or you friends’ kids) so they can learn how to turn everyday objects into props to create their own plays at home. Plus: A ticket to the show, as well thanks in the program

$75 NORTH WIND LEVEL: Get a headshot session with our company photographer who will offer you one look (a.k.a. outfit, but a variety of expressions within that one outfit) and guarantee a photo you’re happy with, or you’ll get a makeup session. You get all the photos from the session on a disc to use as you wish without watermarks. This offer is regardless of whether you’re an actor looking for fresh headshots, one of our business friends looking to spruce up your LinkedIn page or an animal lover looking for a professional photo of your pupper (did we mention, this wasn’t limited to humans!) Plus two tickets to The Selfish Giant, as well as thanks in the program

$100 or more GIANT LEVEL: A Nightlight Gift bag, featuring your choice of a Nightlight T-shirt or tote bag, among other items, plus two tickets to The Selfish Giant as well as thanks in the program.

Be a Generous Giant for The Selfish Giant, a show for young audiences

Every theatrical production involves a team of artist on the stage and behind the scenes to bring the stories you're seeing to life. Most of these people perform, design and build without ever being paid for their efforts.

At Ghostlight, we strive to provide everyone with an stipend to help offset the costs of traveling to rehearsal and performances or running all over town to gather materials for costume, set and properties construction. That's not always an easy task when trying to provide affordable family-friendly entertainment with rental rates in Chicago at all-time highs.

We hope you'll help up reach our goal by supporting theater for young audiences.

Find out more about The Selfish Giant and our campaign here.  

Support Ghostlight in March by grabbing dinner at Panera!

On Thursday, March 21, make plans for dinner with us at Panera at 501 S. State St. in Chicago.

Bring in a copy of this flyer or show an electronic version of it anytime between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Thursday, March 21, and Ghostlight will receive 20 percent of sales from your order.

You can dine in, get it to go or have it delivered. If you’re ordering online for rapid pick-up or delivery, make sure to enter "PRFUND" as your Promo Code to have a portion of your proceeds donated to Ghostlight.

Can't wait to see you there!

Let's G.E.T. Crafty! with a Ghostlight Ensemble Theatre craft beer fundraiser

Let's G.E.T. Crafty! is a Ghostlight Ensemble Theatre craft beer fundraiser at My Buddy's. Join us on Wednesday, March 7 at 7 p.m. to sample five craft beers, then have a pint of your favorite -- all for just $10. The money goes to Ghostlight, the beer goes to your belly!

Featuring the following brews:

• Metropolitan Brewing- Krankshaft Kolsch

• Temperance Brewery- Gatecrasher IPA

• Ravinia Brewing- Four Shore Witbier

• Founder's Brewing- Rubaeus (gluten free)

• Wiseacre Brewing- Gotta Get Up To Get Down Milk Stout

You can RSVP to My Buddy's via their Facebook page here to reserve your spot, or try your luck at the door. Either way, please mention Ghostlight Ensemble when you do!

Shopping Amazon? Do it with a Smile

Shopping on Amazon this month? Help Ghostlight in the process.

Go to smile.amazon.com/ch/81-3409965 between now and March 31, and Amazon will donate a portion of your sale to Ghostlight Ensemble Theatre Company. And if it's your first AmazonSmile purchase, Amazon is tripling it's usual donation amount to 1.5 percent of your total purchase price. 

Best of all, there is no added cost to you.

Thank you for an amazing 2017!

Six Authors in Search of a Character

Something Has Survived: A Jurassic Park Live Reading

As we approach the end of the year, we at Ghostlight Ensemble are not only celebrating the final days of 2017, but also the final days of our G.E.T. Fundraiser.  We are beyond grateful for the support we've received so far and we hope more of you will join the fun before our fundraiser ends December 31.

In the summer of 2016 we were 10 people gathered in a Northside apartment asking, “What do we want to do?” “What do we want to call ourselves?” and “What sort of theatre company do we want to be?” One main stage production, two holiday shows, five live movie readings, one Fight Night, one short play festival and a year and a half later, we are proud to say Ghostlight Ensemble is the kind of company brave enough and curious enough to do just about anything — to bring you the unexpected. We have accomplished so much in so little time and we couldn’t have done it without you, our audiences, donors, artists, volunteers and subscribers. Thank you!

This is only the beginning, though. As we look to the new year, we have so much more we want to do, so much more entertainment we want to bring you and we hope you’ll join us in bringing it to life.

In the spring we are producing the Oscar Wilde's classic play about political corruption and personal integrity, An Ideal Husband, directed by Co-Artistic Director Holly Robison. In the summer we inaugurate our Nightlight summer children’s series with our production of Maria Burnham’s original script, The Princess Without Pots, a story about a warrior princess trying to gain her independence and a decidedly un-warrior prince trying to save his kingdom.

Be a part of what's to come. You helped make us the Best New Theatre Company in Chicago in 2017, now help us bring the unexpected to Chicago.
 

— Holly Robison & Michael Wagman
Co-Artistic Directors

Why Theatre Matters To Us

Hello friends of Ghostlight,

As we approach the end of 2017 and the end of our fundraising drive, we wanted to share with you our personal stories of why theatre is so important to us and in turn to others. We know this is the time of year you are bombarded with requests from very worthy organizations and some of them are literally making life or death differences in people's lives.

Supporting the arts is more nebulous, we know. You look at Ghostlight and you think, "They put on theatre. That's nice." And we do that, yes. But theatre can sometimes ALSO make a life or death difference in a person's life. It empowers young people, gives them purpose, gives them friends, makes them realize there are others like them and they are not alone.

It has done that for all of us here at Ghostlight and for countless other theatre kids around this world. It may be doing it right now for someone you know and love, someone you don't realize is struggling to understand why they are here on this planet at this time and place.

That is why you should support the arts and why we hope you will support Ghostlight, as we make a place for future generations of artist to tell the stories that matter to them and to help them find their purpose, their home.

— The Ensemble

Help us combat hunger by donating to Common Pantry at Must Eat TV

Our mission at Ghostlight doesn't focus just on how we can effect change from the stage, but what we can do beyond the boards. So, while our Live Reading series is an opportunity for fun, it is also an opportunity to do more.

For this month's performance on Tuesday, November 14, we'll be collecting donations for Common Pantry.

Common Pantry, located in North Center, was founded in 1967 to combat hunger and food insecurity in specific north side neighborhoods in Chicago. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit’s mission is to meet the emergency food needs of the community through weekly food distributions, home delivery to elderly clients, its hot lunch program and its monthly distribution of fresh fruits and vegetables on Produce Day. Through the Common Community Program, it helps individuals and families address the root causes of food insecurity and poverty by assisting with benefit applications, job searches, housing issues and services to the homeless.

While the organization collects canned good and other non-perishable food items, they also have a Personal Care Wish List, which is just as important. We encourage those coming to Must Eat TV to consider bringing razors, soap, deodorant, diapers, toothpaste and feminine hygiene products. You can find the entire Wish List here.

Goodies for Ghostlight: A Potbelly Foodraiser

Fall may be here in theory, but it's still warm enough outside for milkshakes.

So join us on Wednesday October 11, 2017, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Lincoln Square Potbelly (4709 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60625) for another in our series of delicious fundraisers that will go to support our Season 1 programming.

Potbelly will donate 25 percent of net sales during that time to Ghostlight. You don't need any special paperwork or flyers or code words or secret handshakes, just come in, order and eat.

Ensemble members will be on hand to chat about our Company, the upcoming season, our favorite plays or anything that takes your fancy. So come say hello and raise a toast — or a toasted sandwich — to the arts in Chicago. 

Live music, farm fresh fruits and Potbelly: A Fun-raiser in Lincoln Square

Time to put the fun back in fundraiser.

Join us on Thursday, August 17, 2017, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Lincoln Square Potbelly (4709 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60625) for another in our series of delicious fundraisers that will go to support our Season 1 programming.

Potbelly will donate 25 percent of net sales during that time to Ghostlight. You don't need any special paperwork or flyers or code words or secret handshakes, just come in, order and eat.

But it doesn't end there. Thursdays in Lincoln Square make a great day out for the family. You can shop the extensive Farmers Market across the street from Potbelly and then stroll over to the Square proper where the annual Summer Concert Series takes place. On August 17, you can boogie to the swampy blues of Tijuana Hercules, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Back at Potbelly, Ensemble members will be on hand to chat about our Company, the upcoming season, our favorite plays or anything that takes your fancy. So come say hello and let's break bread — or better yet a Dream Bar — together. 

Save the Date for another live movie reading!

Your actors were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn't stop to think if they should...

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its ongoing live movie reading series: Something Has Survived: A Jurassic Park Live Reading.

Join us on 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 28, at the Celtic Crown (2356 W Cullom Ave, Chicago, IL 60618) in Lincoln Square, for all the dinosaurs we can jam into the backroom of a bar.

Jurassic Park (for those who have been fossilized in amber for the last 24 years) is a 1993 science-fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg based on the book of the same name by Michael Crichton about an industrialist and his bio-engineering company that created a theme park island called Jurassic Park populated with cloned dinosaurs. Unsurprisingly this doesn't go as smoothly as planned, dinosaurs being dinosaurs and all. People die, dinosaurs die, many sequels were spawned.

Join our motley cast of actors as they try to recreate a chase scene with a T-Rex and kitchen full of velociraptors. Grab a beer. Try not to get eaten.

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its upcoming season.

Do double duty while shopping for mom this Mother's Day

It's May and that means flowers, spring break and— most importantly— mom.

Mother's Day is Sunday, May 14. You can help support Ghostlight Ensemble while shopping at Amazon for your Mother's Day gifts. Just visit smile.amazon.com/ch/81-3409965, log into your Amazon account and shop as you normally would. 

There are no extra charges and the prices are the same. The only difference is that Ghostlight gets 0.5 percent of the purchase price from your eligible AmazonSmile purchase. It may seem small, but it adds up!

Feed your belly, help the arts

Join us on Thursday, March 23, 2017, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Lincoln Square Potbelly (4709 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60625) for a delicious fundraiser to support our spring show, Six Characters in Search of an Author.

Potbelly will donate 25 percent of net sales during that time to Ghostlight. You don't need any special paperwork or flyers or code words or secret handshakes, just come in, order and eat.

Ensemble and Six Characters cast members will be on hand, as well. So come say hello and let's break bread — or better yet a Dream Bar — together. 

And we're off!

The men of Ghostlight (plus one) serenade the crowd during the company's launch party.

Thanks to everyone who made it out for our Launch Party on October 1, at babyATLAS.

We had a blast getting to know you, introducing ourselves to you and also listening to the sweet, sweet sounds of the Dixie Chicks and the Backstreet Boys, as well as ALL of the showtunes.

You can check out photos from the launch over on our Facebook page.

Your generosity at the event will help support our upcoming seasons, which include new works, forgotten classics and a new take on a theatre history staple. We appreciate your faith in us and can't wait to show you what we can do.

If you weren't there and you want to know more about us (or even if you were there and perhaps spent too much time with the rum cake and forgot all about everything else in life), you can find out more on our website.

If you're interested in learning how to support us or work with us, we'd love to hear from you. Shoot us an email or learn more here.