Up Next: A Live Reading of Twilight

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its live movie readings with The Skin of a Killer: A live reading of Twilight on Wednesday, October 23, 2024.

Join us at 7 p.m. at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), as we once again turn our attention to a vampire movie…what can we say, they’re our own personal heroin.

Twilight is a 2008 romantic fantasy film based on a novel of the same name that follows the very original plot line of a normal teenage girl who falls in love with a mysterious classmate who reveals himself to be a 108-year-old vampire. But this time set in the Pacific Northwest and with 100 percent more shiny skin.

The reading is directed by Jean E. Mueller-Burr.

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

Announcing our newest museum partnership

Ghostlight is excited to be teaming up with the Chicago History Museum for their Spooky Sunday event!

The museum will celebrate the Spooky Season with a screening of the Chicago-based horror film Child’s Play (1988, dir. Tom Holland) on Sunday, October 13, 2024.

Following the film, Ghostlight will host a spooky-themed trivia game about other horror movies set in Chicago. And in between each round, actors will perform live reenactments of scenes from these movies on stage. Prizes will be awarded to trivia winners.

The fun begins at 2 p.m.

This event is included with general admission to the museum. Tickets are available on the Chicago History Museum website.

Look for even more fun events with the Chicago History Museum in the new year!

Up Next: Been There, Done That: A Live Reading of She’s All That

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its live movie readings with Been There, Done That: A Live Reading of She’s All That on Thursday, August 29, 2024.

Join us at 7 p.m. at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), as we raise a glass of that classic margarita — rum, orange juice, cranberry juice, and limeade, with a dash of cola — to celebrate this 90s teen rom-com!

She’s All That is a 1999 American film following that classic teen plot of turning an ugly duckling into a swan. When Zack's popular girlfriend cheats on him with another boy and breaks up with him, he makes a bet with his friends to turn a school “nerd” into their high school's prom queen.

The cast is:
Laney Boggs: Skylar Frishman
Zack Siler: Sam Campos
Ensemble: Lilly Apostolou, Maria Burnham, Nick Conrad, Allison Horvatin, Issa Polstein and Hope Prybylski.

The reading is directed by Olivia Sieck.

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its upcoming season. Food and drink is available for purchase at Black Eagle.

Up Next: Cinema Chaos: The Long Kiss Goodnight

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its ongoing Cinema Chaos series with the Geena Davis-Samuel L. Jackson action film The Long Kiss Goodnight on Wednesday, July 24 at Black Eagle Club in Chicago.

Cinema Chaos is our monthly unrehearsed movie reading series that partners with our ongoing monthly staged movie reading series to bring audiences two movies a month — one rehearsed and well acted and the other…complete and utter chaos. A group of actors who have never seen the movie in question show up unrehearsed and uncast to perform the script with only 5 minutes to prepare. Roles will be cast at the start of the reading.

In The Long Kiss Goodnight, schoolteacher and single mother Samantha Caine (Geena Davis) lives an average suburban life, until a car accident and a news story start to trigger her memory. She hires detective Mitch Hennessy (Samuel L. Jackson) to investigate.

Come join the chaos!

Up Next: Cinema Chaos: Birdemic: Shock and Terror

Cinema Chaos is a monthly unrehearsed movie reading series that joins our ongoing monthly staged movie reading series bringing audiences two movies a month — one rehearsed and well acted and the other…complete and utter chaos.

A group of actors who have never seen the movie in question show up unrehearsed and uncast to perform the script with only 5 minutes to prepare. Roles will be cast at the start of the reading.

In June we’ll be doing that modern classic independent romantic thriller-horror film: Birdemic: Shock and Terror. (Stay tuned for sequels Birdemic 2: The Resurrection and Birdemic 3: Sea Eagle because you can never have too much Birdemic!)

Never seen Birdemic? Neither have we! That's the point. Come have fun with us -- theatre doesn't always have to be serious! 

The Birdemic cast is: Nile Arena, Becca Argento, Jackie Baker, Billy Bronson, Jean E. Mueller-Burr and Dennis Davies.

Readings take place at the Black Eagle Club in Chicago.

Up Next: Khaaaaaaaaan: A Live Reading of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its live movie readings with Khaaaaaaaaan: A Live Reading of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan on Thursday, May 23, 2024.

Join us at 7 p.m. at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), as we raise a Romulan Ale to what is arguably the best Star Trek movie ever made!

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is a 1982 American science fiction film based on the television series Star Trek. It is the second film in the series following Star Trek: The Motion Picture and serves as  a sequel to the television episode “Space Seed” (1967). In The Wrath of Khan, Admiral James T. Kirk and the crew of the starship Enterprise facing off against the genetically engineered tyrant Khan Noonien Singh (played with unforgettable élan by Ricardo Montalbán) who has escaped from a 15-year exile to exact revenge on Kirk.

The reading is directed by Nick Conrad.

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.

Up Next: Cinema Chaos and The 'Burbs

In May, Ghostlight returns to the mayhem of live, unrehearsed theatrical interpretations of movies known as Cinema Chaos with that Tom Hanks cinematic masterpiece The ‘Burbs!

Cinema Chaos is a monthly unrehearsed movie reading series that joins our ongoing staged movie reading series bringing audiences two movies a month — one rehearsed and well-acted and the other…complete and utter chaos.

A group of actors who have never seen the movie in question show up unrehearsed and uncast to perform the script with only 5 minutes to prepare. Roles will be assigned at the start of the reading.

What’s The ‘Burbs about? An overstressed suburbanite struggles to prove his theory that the new family in town is a front for a cannibalistic cult. It’s a comedy!

Join us at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613) on Wednesday, May 15, for this experiment gone horribly…right? Performance begins at 7 p.m. but come early if you want a good seat and to watch the character selection process (which will happen around 6:45 p.m.) Food and drink available for purchase at Black Eagle as well.

Up Next: Dancing About Architecture: A Live Reading of Playing By Heart

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its live movie readings with Dancing About Architecture: A Live Reading of Playing By Heart on Thursday, April 24, 2024.

Join us at 7 p.m. at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), as we take a martini in each hand and toast to the new us!

Playing By Heart is a 1998 American comedy-drama film which tells the story of several seemingly unconnected characters in Los Angeles. Among the characters are an older couple, who are about to renew their wedding vows; a theatre director and architect navigating a new beginning; a young woman looking for a good time; a gay man dying of AIDS and his mother who had not been close; a couple having an affair and her husband who is exploring ways to break through the staleness of their marriage. It has an all-star cast of Gillian Anderson, Ellen Burstyn, Sean Connery, Anthony Edwards, Angelina Jolie, Ryan Phillippe, Dennis Quaid, Gena Rowlands, Jon Stewart and Madeleine Stowe.

The live reading is directed by Christine Marie.

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

Cinema Chaos coming in June

Announcing the newest addition to our live movie reading series: Cinema Chaos! What is Cinema Chaos, you ask?

Eight actors who have never seen the movie in question show up unrehearsed and uncast to perform the script with only 5 minutes to prepare. Roles will be cast at the start of the reading.

Readings take place on Thursdays beginning March 2024 at the Black Eagle Club in Chicago. It joins our rehearsed live reading series to bring you two movies a month. For Cinema Chaos, donations of any amount will be accepted at the door. Seating is first come, first serve. Drinks and food will be available for purchase at Black Eagle.  

First up: The Room on Thursday, March 14. Which The Room? Show up and see. (Or join our mailing list, if you haven’t already, by sending your name, email address and zip code to info@ghostlightensemble.com)

Up Next: A Live Reading of The Big Sleep

Ghostlight Ensemble continues its monthly movie reading series in 2024 with Such a Lot of Guns and So Few Brains: A Live Reading of The Big Sleep on Thursday, February 15.

Join us at 7 p.m. at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), as we raise our glass of brandy with champagne to this headscratcher of a detective story and try to figure out whodunnit.

The Big Sleep is a 1946 American film noir starring Humphrey Bogart as wisecracking private detective Philip Marlowe and Lauren Bacall as Vivian Rutledge in a story that begins with blackmail and through a series of complicated plot twists leads to multiple murders.

More information is available on the show page.

Up Next: A live reading of The Breakfast Club

Ghostlight Ensemble kicks off a new year of live movie readings with Does Barry Manilow Know That You Raid His Wardrobe?" A Live Reading of The Breakfast Club on Thursday, January 25, 2024.

Join us at 7 p.m. at Black Eagle Club (1938 W. Irving Park Rd., Chicago, IL 60613), as we sneak some cigs in the supply closet and agree that Ally Sheedy looked much better before her “makeover”.

The Breakfast Club is the era-defining, classic 1985 American teen coming-of-age film written, produced and directed by John Hughes. Five strangers, with seemingly nothing in common, end up together in Saturday detention and throughout the course of the day shed their personae and emerge into unlikely friendships.

The live reading is directed by Chad Wise.

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

Up Next: A live reading of Drop Dead Gorgeous

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its ongoing live movie reading series: The Most Smartest: A live reading of Drop Dead Gorgeous.

Join us at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 27, at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), as we toast the most beautiful woman in Mount Rose, Minnesota, who definitely, probably will not die. Maybe.

Drop Dead Gorgeous is a 1999 mockumentary that follows a small town beauty pageant and the fierce, deadly lengths the contestants will take to secure the crown. The film stars Kirsten Dunst, Ellen Barkin, Brittany Murphy, Allison Janney, Denise Richards, Kirstie Alley, and Amy Adams in her film debut.

The reading is directed by Christopher Paul Mueller.

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.

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.

Up Next: A live reading of The Lost Boys

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its ongoing live movie reading series: All The Damn Vampires: A Live Reading of The Lost Boys.

Join us at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 18, at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), and we’ll raise a Bloody Mary (heavy on the bloody) to this vamp-filled teen horror classic! You may also be forced to eat maggots — remains to be seen.

The Lost Boys is a 1987 American supernatural black comedy horror film directed by Joel Schumacher about a divorced mom and her two sons who move to a California beach town only to discover the local teenage gang is a pack of vampires.

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

More details, including cast, are available on the show page.

Up Next: A live reading of Zoolander

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its ongoing live movie reading series: Really, Really, Ridiculously Good Looking: A Live Reading of Zoolander.

Join us at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 6, at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), and we’ll raise a orange mocha frappuccino to this eugoogly classic!

Zoolander is a 2001 American comedy film directed by and starring Ben Stiller. Clueless fashion model Derek Zoolander is brainwashed to kill the Prime Minister of Malaysia, who wants to stop the fashion industry from using cheap labor in his country.

For those willing to participate, “celebrity” roles and accompanying lines will be assigned to audiences members upon arrival. Come take part in the reading with us!

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

More details are available on the Zoolander show page.

Up Next: A live reading of The Big Lebowski

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its ongoing live movie reading series: The Dude Abides: A Live Reading of The Big Lebowski.

Join us at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 23, at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), and we’ll raise a White Russian to this Coen Brothers classic!

The Big Lebowski is a 1998 crime comedy film written, produced and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. All Jeff ‘the Dude’ Lebowski wants to do is go bowling, but when he’s mistaken for L.A. millionaire — the titular Big Lebowski — and a pair of thugs pee on his rug, he’s forced to take action. And so the laziest man in Los Angeles County takes on nihilists, ferrets and empire tycoons, guzzling White Russians all the while.

Cast:

Jeff ‘the Dude’ Lebowski: Nick Conrad
Walter Sobchak: Chad Wise
Maude Lebowski: Jill Meyer
Theodore Donald 'Donny' Kerabatsos: Johnny Moran
The Big Lebowski: Kiel Walker
Ensemble: Christopher Paul Mueller, Jean E. Mueller-Burr, Shantelle Rose Robbel and Naomi Waxman

The reading is directed by John Gleason Teske.

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

Popular movie reading series returns with Clue: The Movie

After a forced hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ghostlight Ensemble is bringing back its popular live movie reading series. First up in February is Flames on the Side of My Face: A Live Reading of Clue.

Ghostlight’s movie reading series combines our love of theater and movies into one night of fun. The staged readings of our favorite films goes to support our mission and other non-profits around the city. We’ve been doing this since 2017 and we’re excited to G.E.T. back to adding a little Ghostlight flare to the films you think you know so well.

Join us at 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 9, 2023, at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), and make sure you bring your fedora and magnifying glass!

Clue: The Movie is a 1985 murder mystery/dark comedy film based on the board game of the same name. Six blackmail victims are invited to an isolated mansion by a man who knows a dark secret from each of their pasts. Each has a pseudonym and is handed a weapon, at which point the lights are switched off and the person believed to be their blackmailer is killed. Can the guests uncover the murderer before they all become victims? Note: Since this performance is only one night, we will feature all three theatrical endings à la the video release.

Cast:
Wadsworth: Ethan Carlson
Mrs. White: Jean E. Mueller-Burr
Miss Scarlet: Miona Lee
Mrs. Peacock: Katharine Jordan
Col. Mustard: Reid Henry
Prof. Plum: Sean Harklerode
Mr. Green: Nick Conrad
Mr. Boddy/Cop/Motorist: John Rohr
Yvette/Cook/Singing Telegram: Marianna Gallegos
Evangelist/Chief: Chad Wise

Learn more on the show page.

An Update on the Coronavirus and Ghostlight Ensemble

As with so many other arts organizations in the Chicago area, Ghostlight Ensemble has made the decision, after careful consideration, to postpone our spring production of Much Ado About Nothing in light of public health considerations around the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). 

In addition, we have also postponed our live reading series. Our reading, Great Scott!: It's a Live Reading of Back to the Future, originally scheduled for Monday, March 22, will be rescheduled once the pandemic has passed.

Our first priority is to honor the health and safety of all involved — both actors and audience. Ghostlight is fortunate to be in a position to survive this crisis, but not all the artists who work with us have the financial resources to weather this storm. Therefore, we are asking our supporters to consider donating to Season of Concern, a non-profit who for 30+ years has provided financial support to local Chicago theatre artists suffering from illness, injury or circumstance.

Because so many shows have been canceled or postponed, our local theatre artists are hurting financially. Please help support our peers that may be suffering these hardships and who may also have medical needs in the near future.

It is our hope to present Much Ado About Nothing at a later date, either this summer or next season. It is also our hope to continue the live movie reading series in April with our next scheduled reading of Drop Dead Gorgeous and to reschedule Back to the Future to a later date in the summer or fall. Of course, this will depend on a number of factors that are out of our control and difficult to predict at this time. We will keep everyone up-to-date as things progress.

As always, we welcome your thoughts, suggestions, and input as we navigate this completely unprecedented situation in the most compassionate and conscious way we are able.

All of us at Ghostlight can't wait to gather together again and share the stories that tie us all together as a community. Let's all take good care and stay connected, even as we are forced to physically be apart.

Auditions Announced for Live Movie Reading Series

Ghostlight Ensemble announces auditions for the second quarter of its Live Movie Reading Series. Please state which movie reading you wish to audition for in your submission. Actors may be considered for multiple readings.

The Live Movie Reading Series is a low-key and fun, staged reading of some of our favorite movies. These readings are fundraisers for local nonprofits. Past recipients have included Common Pantry, Girl Forward and New Leash on Life, among others.

There is no pay for any of these readings.

Character Descriptions
Seeking a strong ethnically diverse cast of all genders, ages, shapes and sizes that is representative of the city in which we live.

We're looking for actors who love these movies, love having fun and who can also read. Those are literally the only requirements. Please note that we prefer a greater diversity in our casts for these movies than the original directors did and that the genders of our actors do not always match those of the actors in the films.

Time Commitment
In general, the live movie reading series involves an initial gathering to watch the movie that is being performed and two rehearsals. There is no tech. All performances take place at 7:30 p.m. on Mondays at Carbon Arc Bar and Board (located at the Davis movie theater in the North Center neighborhood of Chicago).

Performance dates and movies are as follows:

• April 27, 2020: Drop Dead Gorgeous

• May 18, 2020: Legally Blonde

• June 29, 2020: The Big Lebowski (Please note, the role of Walter has been cast.)

Materials To Prepare
Actors are asked to prepare a comedic monologue from their favorite movie, no longer than 1 minute. These monologues do not need to be memorized (as the performances are read and not memorized), but must be acted and staged to the best of your ability.

The audition date is March 21 from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Mayfair branch of the Chicago Public Library.

Please submit your headshot and resume to Jean at casting@ghostlightensemble.com, and she will be in touch. Please indicate any time restrictions you have for the audition period in your email.

Up Next: A Live Reading of Charlie's Angels

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its ongoing live movie reading series with Flip Your Goddamn Hair: A Live Reading of Charlie’s Angels (2000 edition).

So get ready for all the flying muffins and flying kicks that one movie theatre bar can hold! Join us at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, February 17 at Carbon Arc Bar & Board (4614 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60625), located in the Davis Theater in North Center.

Charlie’s Angels is a 2000 American action comedy film about three women working at a private detective agency in Los Angeles for a mysterious boss they've never seen. Their client has hired them to retrieve stolen voice-ID software — which they do using martial arts, tech skills and sex appeal — only to find out the baddies are actually after something else entirely.

The live reading is directed by Emma Jo Schumacher.

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