Announcing details, cast for new site-specific work, 'Drink the Past Dry'

The cast of Drink the Past Dry. Top Row from left: Alex Albrecht, Abbie Brenner, Valerie Cambron, Catherine Councell. Second row: Stephen Dunn, Katharine Jordan, Khnemu Menu-Ra, Dianne Wawrzyniak. Bottom row: Understudies: Dani Brady, Shantelle Rose Robbel, Sandra Samargis, Olivia Sieck.

Ghostlight is pleased to announce the cast and production team of our spring production, the world premiere of a new work by Ensemble Member Maria Burnham, Drink the Past Dry.

This original piece of site-specific theatre is set in a nondescript neighborhood bar in the middle of Chicago that looks like every other bar in every other neighborhood in the city. But this bar has a secret. It can take you anywhere in time…but only once and only within the walls of the bar, so it turns out not to be as popular a place as one might think.

The stories told in this play include a young adult searching for a lost family recipe, a street fair attendee looking for an old friend and a woman facing a life and death decision. Traveling to the past is never simple and each finds more than they bargained for.

Drink the Past Dry is about the connections we have to the past and how sometimes to move forward, we have to go back.

“I’ve always been interested in how science fiction somehow allows us to more deeply explore our humanity and our past as well as our future,” Burnham said. “Though these stories are wrapped in the sci-fi staple of time travel, this play is really about human connections to ourselves, to the people we love, to the family histories we thought we knew. It’s very much about what it means to be a human being right now.”

The cast of Drink the Past Dry is: Ensemble Member Khnemu Menu-Ra as the Bartender, Alex Albrecht as the Regular, Katharine Jordan as Mica, Catherine Councell as Jamie, Dianne Wawrzyniak as Memaw, Valerie Cambron as Chris, Abbie Brenner as Bethany and Stephen Dunn as Dad. Understudies include Dani Brady, Shantelle Rose Robbel, Sandra Samargis and Olivia Sieck.

In addition to writing, Burnham also directs. The stage manager on this production is Shreya Khanna; the costume designer is Rin Menge; and the producer is Chad Wise.

Drink the Past Dry was imagined as a site-specific piece of theater and takes place in the upstairs bar at Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro (3905 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60613) on Fridays & Sundays and select Thursdays & Saturdays from May 2 to June 1, 2025. A preview performance is scheduled on Sunday, April 27. The show takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays and 3 p.m. on Sundays.

Tickets are on sale now and are pay-what-you-will, with an average donation of $25. Audience members who are financially able to donate more help offset the cost for those who can’t afford to give. A preview performance is scheduled for Sunday, April 27. Suggested donation for that performance is $10. 

Drink the Past Dry is part of Ghostlight’s season on time. Season 8 celebrates a symphony of creativity that resonates across cultures and time, reminding us that art is a universal language that binds us all.

More information about Drink the Past Dry can be found at www.ghostlightensemble.com/drink-the-past-dry.

Ghostlight Ensemble acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

See what's on tap for Happy Hour in March

Join us for a theatre happy hour where short plays by local and national playwrights are what’s on tap! On Tuesday, March 18, Ghostlight presents a staged reading of eight plays with one thing in common — they’re all set in bars.

Happy Hour: A Staged Reading of Short Plays Set in Bars will take place, naturally, in a bar. My Buddy’s is opening up on a Tuesday just for us. The show starts at 7 p.m.

The eight stories include tales of new loves, old loves, connections new and old, grief, joy and craft beer.

Selected scripts include:

• The Last Pub in Burtonsville, NY by DC Cathro. Late Christmas Eve at a shut-down bar, two people come to say goodbye to the business in very different ways. An unconventional Christmas tale. Directed by Alexis Vaselopulos.

• PS I Love You, Gerard Butler by Scott Carter Cooper. A funny story of grief and the impact Hollywood has on the process. Directed by Zoe Sjogerman.

• Mind the Gap by Rishi Chowdhary. A group of people find commonalities as they mind the generational gap at a bar one evening.  Directed by Maria Burnham.

• Swiping Right by Bruce Karp. Two friends, a gay man and a straight woman, feeling old and invisible, lament their frustrated love lives in a gay bar...on Wet Underwear Night. Directed by Justin Broom.

• The Grape Nerds Reunion by Alli Hartley-Kong. Mike and Alyssa are connected by a past he can’t remember. When they meet at a high school reunion, Alyssa confides in Mike her mental health history — and he realizes the impact an encounter from a decade ago could have. Directed by Khnemu Menu-Ra.

• LOL by Annie Hogan. Gus and Eleanor have a budding online relationship and have decided to take the leap to an in-person meeting.  Gus, afraid of disappointing Eleanor, brings Aiden, a digital communication liaison, to their date.  The couple explores what it means to connect in person versus online. Directed by Sean Harklerode.

• Jury Selection by Karissa Murrell Myers. Jesse is in Florida, defending one of the most hated men in America. When his ex, Raina, surprises him with a job offer in Chicago, will he take it? Based on the real-life events surrounding the trial of Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz. Directed by Kaeli Meno.

• Beer Culture by James Nelson. Two craft beer connoisseurs have their evening ruined by a guy with terrible taste. Directed by John Gleason Teske.

Stage Manager needed for Drink the Past Dry

Ghostlight Ensemble is seeking a Stage Manager for its March production of Drink the Past Dry written and directed by Ensemble Member Maria Burnham. Drink the Past Dry is a vignette-style, site-specific production set in a nondescript neighborhood bar in the middle of Chicago. It looks like every other bar in every other neighborhood in the city with a few regulars sipping drinks, making small talk, doing the things people always do in bars. But this bar has a secret. It can take you anywhere in time, but only once and only within the walls of the bar (so it turns out it’s not as popular a place as one might think). But there are some souls who still need to reach out to the past – or to the future – and this is where they come when they do.

Job Details:
The Stage Manager will attend all rehearsals and performances.

The Stage Manager will provide practical and organizational support to the director, actors and designers throughout the production process. They will also be the director's representative during performances, making sure that the production runs smoothly. While Ghostlight will have a company representative at each performance to manage the house, the Stage Manager will be responsible for the production elements of the performance.

Stage Manager will work side-by-side with the director during rehearsals, recording decisions about blocking and notes for the actors, keeping track of logistical and scheduling details and communicating what goes on in rehearsals to the rest of the team.

Key Dates:
Rehearsals will be 3-4 times/week on weeknight evenings and/or weekend days in April 2025. Final dates will be confirmed after review of cast conflicts.

Tech: Thursday, April 24 and rehearsals on Friday, April 25 in the evenings and Saturday, April 26 during the day.

Preview: Sunday, April 27 at 3 p.m.

Performances: 

• Friday & Saturday, May 2 &3

• Friday & Sunday, May 9 & 11

• Friday & Sunday, May 16 & 18

• Friday, Saturday & Sunday, May 23, 24 & 25

• Thursday & Friday, May 29 & 30

• Sunday, June 1

Thursday, May 29 is a designated understudy performance. There will be a put-in rehearsal for the understudies on May 27 or May 28, depending on availability. 

Performance take place at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. on Sundays. The performance will take place upstairs at Mrs. Murphy and Sons (3905 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60613)

Instructions to Apply:
To be considered, please send resume to Maria Burnham maria@ghostlightensemble.com

Pay Rate/Range:
$350 stipend

Auditions announced for Drink the Past Dry

Ghostlight Ensemble is seeking actors for its May production of Drink the Past Dry, a vignette-style, site-specific production set in a nondescript neighborhood bar in the middle of Chicago. It looks like every other bar in every other neighborhood in the city with a few regulars sipping drinks, making small talk, doing the things people always do in bars. But this bar has a secret. It can take you anywhere in time, but only once and only within the walls of the bar (so it turns out it’s not as popular a place as one might think). But there are some souls who still need to reach out to the past – or to the future – and this is where they come when they do.

Character Type:
Ghostlight will be casting for 8 actors. Roles range in age and are not restricted to gender. We are seeking a strong, ethnically diverse cast of all shapes and sizes that represent the culturally rich fabric of Chicago. In addition, we are ideally seeking an older Greek-American actor to play a mother who has just been diagnosed with dementia. A few actors will play multiple roles. We are also seeking understudies for three roles. There will be a guaranteed understudy performance.

Time Commitment:
Rehearsals will be 3-4 times/week on weeknight evenings and/or weekend days in April 2025. Final dates will be confirmed after review of cast conflicts.

Cast members and understudies MUST be available the following dates:

• Tech: Thursday, April 24 and rehearsals on Friday, April 25 in the evenings and Saturday, April 26 during the day. 

• Preview: Sunday, April 27 at 3 p.m.

• Performances:  

  • Friday & Saturday, May 2 & 3

  • Friday & Sunday, May 9 & 11

  • Friday & Sunday, May 16 & 18

  • Friday, Saturday & Sunday, May 23, 24 & 25

  • Thursday & Friday, May 29 & 30

  • Sunday, June 1

Thursday May 29 is a designated understudy performance. There will be a put-in rehearsal for the understudies on May 27 or May 28, depending on actor availability.

Performance take place at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. on Sundays. The performance will take place upstairs at Mrs. Murphy and Sons (3905 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60613). Call for preview and performance will be an hour before showtime.

Pay:
Actors and understudies will receive a $100 stipend for rehearsals, tech and preview, plus $25 per performance stipend.

Audition Time & Location:
Auditions will be held at the Lincoln Square Presbyterian Church Community Space at 4635 N. Rockwell St, Chicago, IL 60625. (Across and a few buildings down the street from the Rockwell Brown Line Station.)

Auditions will take place from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 19. Callbacks will be held from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 22.

Materials To Prepare:
Please submit your headshot and resume to Maria Burnham at casting@ghostlightensemble.com. Please clearly indicate if you have any conflicts during indicated audition times on March 19 or callbacks on March 22.  Sides will be provided.

Contact:
Maria Burnham
Email: casting@ghostlightensemble.com

G.E.T. ready for the soundtrack of our lives…live

In February, Ghostlight shakes up its live movie reading series with Ghostlight's Gone to the Movies: A live singing of our favorite movie soundtrack songs.

Ensemble members and guest artists sing their favorite songs from movie soundtracks (or Broadway shows) and our MCs will share a little movie trivia about each. You’re invited to join in the fun afterwards with your own karaoke version of YOUR favorite movie song.

It all begins at 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 20 at Black Eagle Club.  

Read more about it here.

The invasion begins this weekend: Our young audiences show opens on Saturday

Invaders of Mathmatica begins its four performance run this Saturday, February 8, at 2 p.m. This original play featuring art, math, space travel, princesses and a less than truthful ruling council is written for young audiences, but can be enjoyed by kids of all ages.

On the planet of Mathmatica, math and science are revered above all else, but their culture has advanced without artistic expression and with a fear of outsiders. The planet has shut itself off from other worlds, figuratively and literally.

But when three outsiders crash on the surface bringing with them music, art and dance, the princess of Mathmatica begins to question the logic of their isolationist tendencies and the history she’s always been taught.

Invaders of Mathmatica runs over two weekends: February 8-9 and February 15-16 at the Bughouse Theater in the NorthCenter neighborhood of Chicago. All performances begin at 2 p.m., but the doors will open early so our attendees can help us design the show’s set each performance. G.E.T. ready to dream up what the world of Mathmatica might look like.

The cast is Kendal Romero as Princess V, Peter G. Leondedis, as King Algebra, D'Angelo Smith as Digit, Sasha Vulovic as Sway, Sam Campos as Hue and Gabriella Smurawa as Aria. Sarah Beth Johnson and Julia Namm are the understudies.

General admission tickets for adults are $20; general admission tickets for students and children is $10. The show takes place during Chicago Theatre Week — an annual celebration of the rich tradition of theatre-going in Chicago. As such, there are a limited number of discounted Theatre Week tickets remaining with the code CTW25 at checkout.

Call for Scripts: Seeking short plays set in bars for readings

Ghostlight Ensemble is seeking short scripts (under 30 minutes) for a staged reading series at Black Eagle Club. The only requirement is that the scripts are set at a bar.

This is open to playwrights in any geographic area, though writers in the greater Chicago area will receive priority. There is no payment for selection, but there is also no fee to submit.

Selected plays will be presented in a series of staged readings during the spring of 2025 as part of our revamped series of live events at Black Eagle.

Pieces can be previously produced and playwrights may submit more than one play.

Electronic submissions only, please. Please submit a brief synopsis of script in the body of your email, along with contact information, and attach a copy of the full script to Maria Burnham at scripts@ghostlightensemble.com. Please use the following format in the email’s subject line: Bar Project Script Submission: [play name] - [playwright name]

The deadline for submissions is March 2, 2025.

Up Next: A Live Reading of Armageddon

Ghostlight Ensemble rings in a new year of live events with the next installment of its ongoing live movie reading series: Houston, you have a problem: A live reading of Armageddon.

Join us at 7 p.m. on Thursday, January 30, at Black Eagle Club (1938 W. Irving Park Rd., Chicago, IL 60613), as we all just try to survive the impending end of the world…

Armageddon is a 1998 American science fiction disaster film produced and directed by Michael Bay that follows a misfit team of deep-core drillers hand-picked by NASA to save Earth from an extinction-level asteroid hit. Using some questionable science, movie NASA devises a plan to drill a deep hole into the asteroid, into which they will insert and detonate a nuclear bomb to destroy it.

And stick around after the reading is done because you don’t want to miss Backstage Boogie Karaoke. Come together with the cast of Houston, You Have a Problem as we belt out our favorite Aerosmith tunes. (Non-Aerosmith song choices, also allowed.)

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door.

Ghostlight welcomes new member to its Ensemble

Actor and KJ extraordinaire Khnemu Menu-Ra has joined Ghostlight Ensemble.

Originally from Oklahoma City, Menu-Ra was most recently seen in Ghostlight Ensemble’s Holiday Spirits at the Driehaus Museum and as Joshua Moore in Alabama Story. In addition to his work on stage, he is also known around town as “Dr. K” — his karaoke emcee persona. Catch him at The Old Plank in Logan Square every other Thursday (starting January 2), and at The Double Tavern in Logan Square on Saturday nights.

To learn more about Menu-Ra, and all our Ensemble members on the About Us: The Ensemble page of our website.

Ghostlight Ensemble Announces Cast, Production Team For Invaders Of Mathmatica

The cast of Invaders of Mathmatica. Top row from left: Sam Campos, Sarah Beth Johnson, Peter Leondedis and Julia Namm. Bottom row from left: Kendal Romero, D'Angelo Smith, Gabriella Smurawa and Sasha Vulovic

Ghostlight Ensemble is pleased to announce the cast and production team of Invaders of Mathmatica written by Ensemble Member Nick Conrad – the company’s first full production for young audiences since 2019.

The new work is set on the planet of Mathmatica where math and science are revered above all else and their technology far exceeds those of the other worlds in their solar system. But their culture has advanced without artistic expression and with a fear of outsiders. The planet has shut itself off from other worlds, figuratively and literally.

When three outsiders crash on the surface bringing with them music, art and dance, the princess of Mathmatica begins to question the logic of their isolationist tendencies and the history she’s always been taught.

“I am excited to see what this exceptionally talented cast and production crew will create,” said playwright and co-director Nick Conrad. “It is my hope that the subtext of this play motivates our audience to realize that we can learn a lot from people who are different than us. When we drop our ‘shields’ and work together we can accomplish anything.”

The cast of Invaders of Mathmatica is Kendal Romero as Princess V, Peter Leondedis as King Algebra, D'Angelo Smith as Digit, Sasha Vulovic as Sway, Sam Campos as Hue and Gabriella Smurawa as Aria. Sarah Beth Johnson and Julia Namm are the understudies.

Conrad and fellow Ensemble Member Maria Burnham direct. Esau Andaleon is the stage manager; Ashley E. Benson is the costumer and Ensemble Member Chad Wise is the production manager.

The company has been producing a short play festival for young audiences since 2020, but this is its first full production in its Nightlight series in five years.

“We’re excited to bring our mission of asking questions that challenge the status quo through timeless stories, immersive environments and unconventional staging back to our youngest audience members,” Burnham said. “Mathmatica falls in line with our desire to tell compelling stories for children that do not talk down to them but help make sense of the world around them while still making theatre fun for them.”

Nightlight is Ghostlight’s young audiences series with original, adapted and forgotten plays geared toward children and the adults who love them. Ghostlight believes theatre can be a beacon for children, letting them know they aren’t alone in the world, giving them a sense of security and revealing the truth that in stories they can be anything they want to be. You’re never too young – or too old – for a nightlight.

Invaders of Mathmatica is part of Ghostlight’s season focused on time. Season 8 celebrates a symphony of creativity that resonates across cultures and time, reminding us that art is a universal language that binds us all.

Invaders of Mathmatica runs over two weekends in February 8-9 and February 15-16 at 2 p.m. at the Bughouse Theater in the NorthCenter neighborhood of Chicago. General admission tickets for adults are $20; general admission tickets for students and children is $10. The show takes place during Chicago Theatre Week.

Chicago Theatre Week is an annual celebration of the rich tradition of theatre-going in Chicago. As a program of the League of Chicago Theatres, in partnership with Choose Chicago, CTW is in its 13th year and will take place February 6 – 16th. Find more information at ChicagoTheatreWeek.com.

More information about Invaders of Mathmatica can be found at www.ghostlightensemble.com/invaders-of-mathmatica.

Ghostlight Ensemble acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

Theatre Week 2025 coming in February

Ghostlight Ensemble is proud to be participating in Chicago Theatre Week February 6 – 16 with Invaders of Mathmatica, our young audiences production.

Tickets will be on sale soon for our show!

Chicago Theatre Week is an annual celebration of the rich tradition of theatre-going in Chicago. As a program of the League of Chicago Theatres, in partnership with Choose Chicago, CTW is in its 13th year and will take place February 6 – 16th. Find more information at ChicagoTheatreWeek.com.

Stage Manager and Costumer needed for Invaders of Mathmatica

Ghostlight Ensemble is seeking a Stage Manager and a Costumer for its February production of Invaders of Mathmatica by Ensemble Member Nick Conrad. Invaders of Mathmatica is part of our Nightlight young audiences series, which produces original, adapted and forgotten plays geared toward children and the adults who love them. The play tells the story of the planet of Mathmatica where math and science are revered above all else. But their culture has advanced without artistic expression and with a fear of outsiders. The planet has shut itself off from other worlds, figurative and literally. But when three outsiders crash on the surface bringing with them music, art and dance, the princess of Mathmatica begins to question the logic of their isolationist tendencies and the history she’s always been taught.

Job Details:
The Stage Manger will attend all rehearsals and performances.

The Costumer will dress 6 actors (with three actors portraying 2 characters each) and 2 understudies. For our young audience productions we aim for our costume design to be inspired by the type of costumes a child might put together for themselves were they designing a robot or princess outfit. So, costumes do not necessarily need to be complex, but must be functional. We ask that the Costumer be available for virtual production meetings, in-person designer run, tech week and wardrobe fittings in January/February. Dates confirmed according to cast and production team availability.

Key Dates:
Production Schedule: Rehearsals in January 2025. 3-4 rehearsals/week on weeknights or weekend days, to be scheduled according to cast availability.

Tech: Saturday, February 1, 2025, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with additional rehearsals during the week of Feb. 3-7 in the evenings.

Performances: Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Feb. 8-9 and Feb. 15-16, 2025, at Bughouse Theatre in the NorthCenter neighborhood of Chicago (1910 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613).

Instructions to Apply:
To be considered, please send resume to Maria Burnham maria@ghostlightensemble.com

Pay Rate/Range:
$250 stipend for each job.

Auditions announced for Invaders of Mathmatica

Ghostlight Ensemble is casting for its February production of Invaders of Mathmatica by Ensemble Member Nick Conrad. Invaders of Mathmatica is part of our Nightlight young audiences series, which produces original, adapted and forgotten plays geared toward children and the adults who love them. The play tells the story of the planet of Mathmatica where math and science are revered above all else. But their culture has advanced without artistic expression and with a fear of outsiders. The planet has shut itself off from other worlds, figurative and literally. But when three outsiders crash on the surface bringing with them music, art and dance, the princess of Mathmatica begins to question the logic of their isolationist tendencies and the history she’s always been taught.

Please note: We will also be casting for a workshop staged reading of Drink the Past Dry with an invited audience. More information on that is available here. Please indicate in your submission if you are interested in being considered for this project as well.

Character Type:
Ghostlight will be casting for the following roles and for two understudies to split coverage of roles. Casting for the following:

King Algebra of Mathmatica: A fair and kind ruler. He trusts The Prime Council even though he doesn’t always agree with them. He loves his Daughter and his people, but is torn between her wishes and what he believes is best for his people.

Princess V: Happy, energetic longs for adventure. V wants to know what life on other planets is like. She is smart, a quick study and always looking to the sky. She only has one friend Digit, a robotic caretaker.  

Digit: The Robotic friend and assistant to V.

Sway: from Dancetopia- Comes from a culture that uses dance and body movement as their primary artistic expression. Moves fluidly and gracefully like a ballerina.  This actor also plays Vector.

Hue: from Artopolis- hails from a world that celebrates all types of art. Always drawing and painting on everything. Always getting in trouble.  This actor also plays Factor.

Aria: from Vo-cal- The planet of Vo-cal celebrates singing in all forms Mostly speaks in singsong. Sings when nervous. This actor also plays Ratio.

Vector: Leader of the Prime Council knows the secrets of Mathmatica but conceals it from everyone to remain in power. Fears outsiders and is terrified of losing power and influence.

Factor: Always falls in line with Vector. Backs up everything they say and do.

Ratio: The religious leader of the planet. Prays in Pi. “Let us Pray 3.14-159-265-3589”

Time Commitment:
Rehearsals will be 3-4 times/week on weeknight evenings and/or weekend days in January 2025. Final dates will be confirmed after review of cast conflicts.

Cast members and understudies MUST be available the following dates:

Tech: Saturday, February 1, 2025, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and rehearsals during the week of Feb. 3-7 in the evenings.

Performances: Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Feb. 8-9 and Feb. 15-16, 2025, at Bughouse Theatre in the NorthCenter neighborhood of Chicago (1910 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613).

Materials To Prepare:
Please submit your headshot and resume to Jean Mueller-Burr, Casting Director, at casting@ghostlightensemble.com. Please clearly indicate if you have any conflicts during indicated audition times on Dec 14 & Dec. 15. Please also indicate if you’d like to be considered for the staged reading of Drink the Past Dry.

Sides will be provided.

Pay:
Cast & Understudies: $100 rehearsal stipend + $25 per performance. In addition, performers will receive one comp ticket to a performance of their choosing.

Audition Time & Location:
General: Saturday, Dec. 14: 10:30 to 1:30 p.m. at City Lit Theater (1020 W Bryn Mawr Ave, Chicago, IL 60660)

Callbacks: Sunday, Dec. 15: 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at City Lit Theater.

Contact:
Jean Mueller-Burr
Email: casting@ghostlightensemble.com

Accepting actor submissions for staged reading of Drink the Past Dry

Ghostlight Ensemble is seeking actors for a workshop staged reading of Drink the Past Dry with an invited audience. This is the final step in the development process for the play, which is scheduled for production in spring 2025. Actors participating in the stage reading will receive preferential treatment in casting for the full production.

Drink the Past Dry is a vignette-style, site-specific production set in a nondescript neighborhood bar in the middle of Chicago. It looks like every other bar in every other neighborhood in the city with a few regulars sipping drinks, making small talk, doing the things people always do in bars. But this bar has a secret. It can take you anywhere in time, but only once and only within the walls of the bar (so it turns out it’s not as popular a place as one might think). But there are some souls who still need to reach out to the past – or to the future – and this is where they come when they do.

Please note: Auditions for this staged reading will be held simultaneously with auditions for our February production of Invaders of Mathmatica. Please indicate in your submission if you’d like to be considered for this production as well.  More information is available here.

Character Type:
Ghostlight will be casting for 8 actors. Roles range in age and genders, though we are particularly seeking non-binary/gender non-conforming actors to play the Bartender – an ageless figure who is present throughout the play, as well as Greek-American actors to play a mother who has just been diagnosed with dementia and her child. A few actors will play multiple roles.

Time Commitment:
There will be 1 to 2 Zoom readings/rehearsals and 1 in-person rehearsal in the evening on either January 20 or 21.

The reading will take play on Wednesday, January 22 at 7 p.m.

The reading and in-person rehearsal will take place at Black Eagle Club in the NorthCenter neighborhood of Chicago (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613).

Materials To Prepare:
Please submit your headshot and resume to Jean Mueller-Burr, Casting Director, at casting@ghostlightensemble.com. Please clearly indicate if you have any conflicts during indicated audition times on Dec 14. There will be no callbacks for this reading. Please also indicate if you’d like to be considered for the production of Invaders of Mathmatica.

Sides will be provided.

Pay:
There is no pay, but a $25 stipend will be provided to actors to help defray the cost of transportation. Actors will also be able to invite people to the staged reading, which will be free.

Audition Time & Location:
General: Saturday, Dec. 14: 10:30 to 1:30 p.m. at City Lit Theater (1020 W Bryn Mawr Ave, Chicago, IL 60660)

Video submissions will also be accepted for this reading, if you are not available for auditions.

Contact:

Jean Mueller-Burr
Email: casting@ghostlightensemble.com

Vote for Ghostlight and Alabama Story in the 2024 BroadwayWorld Chicago Awards

Voting is now open for the next round of Broadway World Chicago awards.

Ghostlight Ensemble is nominated as a Favorite Local Theatre Company and Alabama Story has multiple nominations, including Best Performer in a Play, Best Supporting Performer in a Play, Best Ensemble. Best Play and Best Direction of a Play.

We hope you'll cast a vote for us in this final round of votes. Voting will continue through December 31, 2024. You can only select one choice per category or you can opt for the “No Nominee” button at the top, if you want to skip a category. Winners will be announced in January.

To vote, visit the BroadwayWorld Chicago website here or click the button below.

Fight Night is back! Get ready to rumble...but in a very safe, theatrical way

Ghostlight is excited to be a part of the return of Fight Night — a violent cabaret celebrating the art of stage combat through original storytelling and violence design — with The House of Ideas: The Lost Scene.

Fight Night: Origins takes place on Friday, December 13, and Saturday, December 14, 2024, at 8 p.m. at the Factory Theater in Rogers Park. Six companies premiere original combat pieces in an electrifying event that will leave you on the edge of your seat.

The last Fight Night, produced under Nothing Special Productions in 2016, was the very first thing we did as a company.

The House of Ideas: The Lost Scene imagines a more violent end to the collaboration between Stan “The Man” Lee — writer, co-creator, self-positioned face of and greatest champion for Marvel Comics in the 1960’s and beyond — and Jack “The King” Kirby — his rough and tumble collaborator and arguably the greatest artist the genre has ever seen.

Tickets are on sale now via The Factory Theater.

Low ticket warning for Holiday Spirits at the Driehaus Museum

Tickets are almost sold out for our one-night only holiday event at the Driehaus Museum: Holiday Spirits: A collection of Victorian Yuletide Ghost Stories.

The show is a multi-story and multi-storied immersive, site-specific adaptations of classic Victorian ghost stories. Three distinct stories will unfold over three floors of the museum. Some seating will be provided, but be prepared to move with the actors as they uncover these otherworldly visitors.

As of this week, only 10 tickets remain. Don’t miss this one-of-kind event! Tickets are available via the Driehaus website by clicking here.

Up Next: The return of Must Eat TV!

It’s Turkey Time again! As per Ghostlight Ensemble’s nearly yearly tradition (Thanks COVID), we present Must Eat TV: A Live Reading of Your Favorite Thanksgiving Television Episodes. This is the Thanksgiving-themed installment of the company’s ongoing live reading series.

Thanksgiving is that strangest of American traditions involving stuffing ourselves silly with turkey, pie and whatever weird food that only your family serves at Thanksgiving (20 different kinds of Jello molds, anyone?), as well as ignoring that one cousin nobody likes and tiptoeing around politics while giving thanks and watching television. So join your Ghostlight family (including our weird cousin) for a celebration of the Great American Eating Holiday.

The lineup features “Giblets for Murray” from Mad About You, “Thanksgiving” from Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist and “The Last Temptation of Mac” from Night Court. at 7 p.m. at at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), in North Center.

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, AND a non-perishable good or additional cash donation to benefit North Center’s Common Pantry, which provides emergency food and social services to those in need.

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.

Audiences love ‘Alabama Story’; Final 3 performances begin Friday

Only three performances remain of Ghostlight Ensemble’s production of Alabama Story by Kenneth Jones, Oct. 18, 19 & 20.

The production has been highly recommended by critics and audiences alike.

Raves include:

“My family thoroughly enjoyed Alabama Story…I grew up in Deep South Georgia. The writing, the inflections and the hypocrisy were spot on…We simply must NOT go back!!

Please continue your good work.” — Eloise  

“It’s a really good show, highly recommend seeing this one!” — Ana

“Beautiful performance of Alabama Story!” — Ginny

“You chose a topical, engrossing story…Nuanced, powerful, visceral. I’m gushing and it’s deserved. Well done, Ghostlight!” — Carol

Check out our reviews here:
Read the full Third Coast review here.

Read the full New City Stage review here.

Read the full The Reader review here.

The remaining shows take place at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 18 and Saturday, October 19 and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 20, at Haymarket House, 800 W Buena Ave, Chicago.

Alabama Story is a fictional play based on very real events that took place in 1950s Alabama when a children’s book called The Rabbits’ Wedding by illustrator Garth Williams (known for his work on Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little and Little House on the Prairie) was released.

The play tells the story of a segregationist senator and the state librarian who clash over the content of The Rabbit’s Wedding. 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.

Tickets are pay-what-you-will, with an average donation of $25, and are available at https://ghostlightensembletheatreco.thundertix.com/. More information about the show can be found at https://www.ghostlightensemble.com/alabama-story.

And if you’ve already seen Alabama Story and loved it, consider helping nominate us for the 2024 Broadway World Chicago Awards. You can submit here through Oct. 31: https://www.broadwayworld.com/chicago/votenominations.cfm. (You do not not need to fill out all categories or blanks.)

Ghostlight Ensemble acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council Agency. Alabama Story is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists Play Service collection.