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.

Alabama Story featured in The Total Scene

Eric Schelkopf from The Total Scene (presenting the best of arts and entertainment in the Chicago area) recently sat down with Alabama Story director Holly Robison to discuss the play, Ghostlight’s return to mainstage productions, book bans and more.

“Part of our mission is to do timeless stories and to ask questions. And I think a story like this, even though it's set in the 1950s, shows that there's still sort of nothing new. It's still happening. It looks a little bit different, but in a lot of ways, it's the same.” - Holly Robison

Read the entire interview here.

‘It’s About Time’: Ghostlight marks return to full productions post-pandemic with its 8th Season beginning in September

Justin Brook and Holly Robison tapped to lead Ghostlight Ensemble ahead of the company's eighth season.

Ghostlight Ensemble announces its Season 8 lineup, marking the company’s return to a full production season with two mainstage shows, as well as a Nightlight play for young audiences, staged readings and ongoing collaborations with Chicago area museums. 

The company also announces a change in leadership with Ensemble Member and Chicago actor Justin Broom promoted to co-artistic director, along with Ensemble Member Holly Robison. Broom has been with Ghostlight since 2019 and Robison, who was acting as an interim co-artistic director, is a founding member of the company and previously served as artistic director from 2016 to 2019.

“It is a very full-circle moment for me, in a way, to join a company right before we had to move inside (due to the COVID-19 pandemic) to then come out the other end as a leader to help bring Ghostlight back to in-person stages and locations,” Broom said.

 “Ghostlight’s mission has always been to ask questions that challenge the status quo through timeless stories via immersive environments and unconventional staging, which very much aligns with my values to making theater,” he continued. “As Co-Artistic Director, I'm excited to offer my perspective and experiences as a Queer theater artist to fulfill our mission in new ways, expand our ensemble and bring Ghostlight back into the Chicago scene.”

 Broom first appeared with Ghostlight in 2019 in a reading of The Thirteenth Chair and has been active in the company and the Chicago theatre scene ever since. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theater as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Radio, Television and Digital Media from Southern Illinois University.

 “I care so much about this company, having been with it from the beginning, and am so happy to continue in this leadership role as Ghostlight emerges from our scaled-back programming during COVID with one of our busiest and exciting seasons yet,” Robison said. “I’m also particularly looking forward to leading with Justin, who has come to be one of the most active and insightful voices within the company.”

 Robison is a Chicago-based director, actor and improvisor who has directed An Ideal Husband and Picasso at the Lapin Agile for Ghostlight Ensemble, as well as conceiving the For Your (Re)Consideration series. She has studied directing with various organizations, including the summer program, A Practical Approach to Directing at Yale School of Drama and is a member of Lincoln Center Directors Lab. She is also a cast member and producer with Improvised Jane Austen.

 Full bios for both artistic directors are available on our website’s The Ensemble page. 

The new management team led the selection process for the upcoming season, which celebrates a symphony of creativity that resonates across cultures and time, reminding us that art is a universal language that binds us all.

 “We have some amazing projects and collaborations this season, and I can’t wait for audiences to experience them,” Robison said.

 Ghostlight will begin its Eighth Season with Alabama Story by Kenneth Jones, a drama about censorship, book banning and Civil Rights set within the framework of 1950s racial tensions. Robison will direct.

 Inspired by true events, Alabama Story is a drama about a segregationist senator and the state librarian who clash over the content of a children’s book about bunny rabbits against the backdrop of the Civil Rights movement in Montgomery, Alabama. Political foes, childhood friends and one feisty children’s author inhabit a Deep South of the imagination that brims with humor, heartbreak and hope.

 Alabama Story will take place Sept. 27-29 and Oct. 4-6, 2024, at After-Words Bookstore (23 E. Illinois St., Chicago) and Oct. 11-13 and Oct. 18-20, 2024, at Haymarket Books at Haymarket House (800 W Buena Ave, Chicago).

 In December, the company expands on its partnership with the Richard H. Driehaus Museum to present Holiday Spirits: A Collection of Victorian Yuletide Ghost Stories, a multi-story and multi-storied immersive, site-specific adaptation of classic Victorian ghost stories at the museum.

In February, the Nightlight series returns with a full-length production for young audiences, Invaders of Mathmatica, written by Ensemble Member Nick Conrad. The original play is a celebration of the arts that argues true riches come from collaboration, not isolation.

And Ghostlight will close out the season in spring 2025 with the world premiere of Drink the Past Dry written by Ensemble Member Maria Burnham. The site-specific piece is set and will take place at a nondescript neighborhood bar in the middle of Chicago that looks like every other bar in every other neighborhood. But this bar has a secret. It can take you anywhere in time. All you have to do is take a drink.

In addition, the For Your (Re)Consideration staged reading series will return in 2025, with its ongoing mission to explore the works of historically overlooked female writers. And Ghostlight will continue its popular Live Movie Reading Series throughout the year. Plus, the company has several other surprises brewing.

To celebrate its return to full productions (and a full season) after the COVID-19 pandemic, Ghostlight is hosting a Season Kickoff event at My Buddy’s (4416 N Clark St, Chicago) on Saturday, August 10. Join us for an insider look at all our shows, exciting news of new partnerships and performance opportunities and a chance to chat with the new artistic team and Ensemble members, as well as karaoke, raffle/auction items, free drinks and more. 

Look for details about the Season Kickoff event, the entire 2024-2025 season and Ghostlight Ensemble at GhostlightEnsemble.com.

Stage Manager Needed for 'Alabama Story'

Ghostlight Ensemble is seeking a Stage Manager for its fall production of Alabama Story by Kenneth Jones. Alabama Story is based on the true story in the 1950s about an Alabama State Librarian facing an effort to ban a children’s book about a white bunny and a black bunny who get married. This is a timely and moving story that weaves together historical occurrences with fictional characters to drive home the real-world implications of censorship and book-banning that we still face today.

Stage Manager will attend all rehearsals and performances. There is an opportunity to combine this role with Production Manager for an increased stipend.

Key Dates
Production Schedule:

Rehearsals in September 2024. 3-4 rehearsals/week on weeknights or weekend days, to be scheduled according to cast availability.

Tech week: Sunday,  September 22 in the afternoon and Monday, September 23 through Thursday September 26 in the evenings.

Performances: show will run Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoon matinees from Friday, September 27 through Sunday, October 20, 2024.

Please note that performances will be held at two site specific locations: After-Words Bookstore Event Space, 23 E. Illinois, Chicago, IL 60611 (6 performances) September 27-29 and October 4-6 (6 performances) and Haymarket House, 800 W. Buena, Chicago, IL 60613 October 11-13 and October 18-20 (6 performances).

Instructions to Apply:

To be considered, please send resume to Holly Robison, holly@ghostlightensemble.com

Pay Rate/Range*: $300 stipend

Organization Contact Name: Holly Robison

Organization Email Contact: holly@ghostlightensemble.com

Audition Notice: Seeking actors for 'Alabama Story'

Ghostlight Ensemble is casting for its fall production of Alabama Story by Kenneth Jones. Alabama Story is based on the true story in the 1950s about an Alabama state librarian facing an effort to ban a children’s book about a white bunny and a black bunny who get married. This is a timely and moving story that weaves together historical occurrences with fictional characters to drive home the real-world implications of censorship and book-banning that we still face today.

Character Type:
Ghostlight will be casting for the following roles and understudies. Please note that some understudies may cover more than one role. Casting for the following:

• Emily Wheelock Reed: 50ish, white female, State Librarian of Alabama, born in North Carolina, raised in Indiana

• Thomas Franklin: 28, white male reference librarian, Emily’s assistant, from Montgomery, Alabama

• Senator E.W. Higgins: 50ish+, white Alabama state senator

• Joshua Moore: 32, upwardly mobile middle class African American man who left Alabama years ago*

• Lilly Whitfield: 32, a white woman from small-town Alabama privilege*

• Garth Williams/Others: 50ish+. A white writer and illustrator from the East Coast. This role will act as narrator, as well as embodying multiple other roles including aged state representative Bobby Crone, segregationist columnist Henry Branch, radio announcer, and passersby.

*Please note that that characters Joshua and Lilly have one brief scripted kiss. An intimacy choreographer will be available to stage this scene.

Time Commitment:
Rehearsals will be 3-4 times/week on weeknight evenings and/or weekend days in September 2024. A table read and/or table work may be scheduled for a few dates in August. Final dates will be confirmed after review of cast conflicts.

Cast members and understudies MUST be available the following dates:

• Tech week: Sunday, September 22 in the afternoon and Monday, September 23 through Thursday, September 26 in the evenings.

• Performances: show will run Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoon matinees from Friday, September 27 through Sunday, October 20, 2024.

Please note that performances will be held at two site specific locations: After-Words Bookstore Event Space, 23 E. Illinois, Chicago, IL 60611, September 27-29 and October 4-6 (6 performances); and Haymarket House, 800 W. Buena, Chicago, IL 60613 October 11-13 and October 18-20 (6 performances).

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 July 13 or callbacks on July 20. Sides will be provided.

Pay:
Main cast: $300 stipend for production. Understudies: $150 stipend + $25/show performed.

Audition Time & Location:
General: July 13: 1–4:30 p.m. at Merlo Branch, Chicago Public Library, 644 W Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL 60657. 

Callbacks: July 20: 1–4 p.m. Location will be provided as needed.

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

Suffrage Takes Center Stage in Ghostlight's Plays For Women! This Wednesday

Rehearsals for Lady Geraldine’s Speech by Beatrice Harraden.

Ghostlight Ensemble returns to the Richard H. Driehaus Museum this week with Plays for Women!: A collection of overlooked suffrage plays.

Though once a vital part of the suffrage movement, these four short works are rarely performed in modern day. Plays for Women! is a co-production with the Driehaus Museum that coincides with March as Women’s History Month and is part of Ghostlight's For Your (Re)Consideration series.

“These little-known American and British suffrage plays are excellent examples of thought-provoking and entertaining plays that are still shockingly relevant to our current environment. Encountering these plays – written in the early 20th century – more than a 100 years later, illuminates the issues we are still fighting for, the barriers that still exist and the arguments still used to justify oppression,” said director Holly Robison.

Suffrage theatre was a form of dramatic literature which emerged during the suffrage movement in the early 20th century, particularly in Great Britain, but here at home organizations such as the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) also viewed theater as an effective way to highlight women’s issues and spread pro-suffrage sentiment.

Pro-suffrage plays often featured strong female characters who were intelligent and well-informed voters who spent the majority of their time on stage dispelling stereotypes perpetuated by the anti-suffrage movement. The plays themselves were written so as to be more widely performed with no set and few props.  

The works which are part of Plays for Women! vary widely in tone, from an incisive social problem play to a farce-like comedy. They are:

• Something to Vote For by Charlotte Perkins Gilman: A short play by the famed American feminist author that follows a women’s club meeting whose members must face real-world implications and consequences when women are denied a voice in policy making and government. The play touches on issues of feminism, as well as classism, capitalism and consumerism that are still relevant today. Cast: Maria Burnham as Dr. Strong, Sera Young as Mrs. Carroll, Juliana Zepeda as Mrs. Reedway, Sydney Ray as Mrs. O’Shane, Jessye Mueller as Mr. Arnold, Christine Marie as Mr. Billings and Squeek Rangel as Miss Carrie Turner and Holly Robison as narrator and additional voices.

• An Anti-Suffragist, or, The Other Side by H.M. Paull: A humous satirical monologue from a privileged young lady who looks to be active in the anti-suffrage movement. She attempts to persuade the audience to her side but in actuality, makes a deeply comical and revealing argument against herself. Cast: Maria Burnham as Chairwoman and Holly Robison as Miss De Lacey.

• The Mother’s Meeting by Mrs. Harlow Phibbs: Another comic monologue, but this one is delivered from a working-class character who pokes holes in the anti-suffrage arguments made by upper and middle-class women of privilege. The woman inadvertently attends an anti-suffrage meeting and recounts how she ultimately makes a resounding speech in favor of suffrage and women’s rights. Cast: Squeek Rangel as Mrs. Puckle.

• Lady Geraldine’s Speech by Beatrice Harraden: A comic short play about the troubles of Lady Geraldine, who agrees to give an anti-suffrage speech despite never having contemplated the issue seriously. She seeks out the help of her friend. At the home of this friend Lady Geraldine encounters women of multiple professions that she admires who convince her of the merits of the suffragist movement. Cast: Juliana Zepeda as Lady Geraldine, Jessye Mueller as Dr. Alice, Maria Burnham as Gertrude Silberthwaite, Sydney Ray as Nora Baillie, Christine Marie as Hilda Crowninshield and Sera Young as Nellie Grant.

 “These plays are overlooked historical gems that modern audiences will find surprisingly familiar,” Robison said.

 Plays for Women!: A collection of overlooked suffrage plays is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, March 6, at 6:30 p.m. in the Nickerson Ballroom at the Richard H. Driehaus Museum (40 East Erie St., Chicago, IL 60611). Doors will open at 6:15 p.m. The reading runs about 90 minutes with an intermission. A brief talkback will follow. Tickets are available through the Driehaus Museum at https://driehausmuseum.org/programs/detail/plays-for-women. Please note that due to ongoing renovations, there is no elevator available to the Nickerson Ballroom.

Plays for Women! Is part of Ghostlight’s For Your (Re)Consideration series, which explores the works of historically overlooked female writers. Featuring a variety of distinct voices and styles from different historical periods, the readings seek to bring attention to these remarkable women who have been sidelined by history for reasons that had nothing to do with their talent and everything to do with their gender and, in many cases, their race.

Ghostlight honored to perform 'Miss Elizabeth Bennet' as part of JASNA's annual meeting

The Jane Austen Society of North American held its General Meeting in Chicago this year and as part of its celebration of Jane Austen in the Arts, Ghostlight Ensemble was asked to perform a staged reading of Miss Elizabeth Bennet, a little-known play by children’s author and playwright A.A. Milne.

Before Milne became famous for his children’s books about Winnie-the-Pooh, he was known as a playwright, and even after his stories from the Hundred Acre Wood he continued to write plays and content for adults. In the 1930s, Milne set out to write a play about Austen, but found instead found that “it was just Miss Elizabeth Bennet speaking.” Bennet is the central female character in Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. His play instead became an adaptation of the novel — one that preserved the wit and language of Austen, but colored with his own perspective.

Ghostlight’s staged reading of Miss Elizabeth Bennet was directed by Holly Robison and starred Song Marshall and Aaron Wertheim as Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. It was presented as part of the General Meeting on Friday, October 15, 2021. More information on cast can be found here.

Ghostlight closes out For Your (Re)Consideration series with dissection of the cruel dynamics of love

Holly Robison

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the final play in its series on historically overlooked female playwrights, The Enchantment. The play by the Swedish writer Victoria Benedictsson is a fascinating examination of a woman's capacity for love and yearning for a sense of her own self.

Director Holly Robison is excited to finally be able to share this play she’s loved for years with an audience. The Enchantment tackles issues that are deeply personal to those in the theatre — the importance of a professional or artistic purpose in life, and how it can affect self-worth, relationships and power dynamics.

“What is the cost of worshipping the great artist? Who gets to be a great artist? We are still dealing with that idea now...what do we excuse, what do we let slide when it comes to the notion of the great genius?” Robison said. “How are women personally and professionally lessened, shut out or disempowered by this notion?”

As part of her preparations for this performance, Robinson said she’s been considering what the play means to audiences now.

“How do we continue to look at the classics — the ‘canon’, or historical pieces — when we mine them to speak to us today, to help us understand where we came from and where we are?” she said. “In particular, when we consider how they examine or rethink the roles of women and gender and different kinds of relationships, we’re still usually looking at plays by men.” 

During the time The Enchantment was written, a new school of writing was emerging that focused on realism. It examined radical or scandalous new takes on gender, sex, marriage, etc., and created some of the most iconic female characters in theatre – Nora, Hedda Gabler, Miss Julie. But these characters and ideas are continually filtered through the male perspective, Robison said.

“We keep revisiting them but we’re ignoring a female voice that was writing then, the woman that was the inspiration for these new perspectives,” she said.

Victoria Benedictsson's play, written shortly before her suicide in 1888 and inspired by her own life, is about an obsessive, tragic love affair that asks questions about a woman's agency, independence and passion in the balance of a relationship and its aftermath. One sunny day in Paris, Gustave Alland, famous artist and philanderer, visits Louise Strandberg, who is convalescing in her brother's studio, and casts her effortlessly under his spell. In a vain attempt to escape, she exiles herself to her provincial hometown in Sweden. But a letter propels her back to Paris and into his arms. And for a brief moment, ecstasy is hers.

The cast is: Andrew Bosworth, Rebecca Flores, Madeline Pell, Nina Romeo, Janice Rumschluag, Daniel Stewart and Robert Von. 

Robison curated the For Your (Re)Consideration reading series and serves as Producing Director with Ghostlight Ensemble. For Ghostlight, she also directed An Ideal Husband, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, as well as wearing a variety of hats in other productions. Holly is a Chicago-based director, actor and improvisor. 

Full bios of the actors, director and playwright will be available on Ghostlight’s website at http://www.ghostlightensemble.com/the-enchantment.

The initial broadcast of The Enchantment takes place over Zoom at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 2, and a talkback with the director will take place immediately following. A recording of the performance will be available to stream through May 7.

Tickets are pay what you will, with a minimum of $5 per reading and the average donation for such virtual offerings at $15. Tickets are available on our website at GhostlightEnsemble.com/For-Your-Reconsideration. Please make sure to select the production and performance you are interested in receiving a link to view.

The Enchantment by Victoria Benedictsson, translated by Clare Bayley, is available by arrangement with Nick Hern Books for an amateur reading. (Please note: This is a professional quality staged reading. This language was dictated by the British publisher for our non-Equity reading.)

Featuring a variety of distinct voices and styles from different historical periods, For Your (Re)Consideration seeks to bring attention to remarkable women who have been sidelined by history for reasons that had nothing to do with their talent and everything to do with their gender and, in many cases, their race.

The initial play in the series, The Convent of Pleasure, written by Margaret Cavendish and directed by Andrew Coopman, premiered on April 2 and is now streaming on-demand, as is Distinguished Villa, written by Kate O’Brien and directed by Elizabeth Lovelady, which premiered on April 11; Mine Eyes Have Seen by Alice Dunbar Nelson and War Brides by Marion Craig Wentworth, both directed by Angelisa Gillyard, which premiered on April 18; and Warp and Woof written by Edith Lyttelton and directed by Christina Casano, which premiered on April 25.

Find out more about For Your (Re)Consideration and the entire 2020-2021 Season at GhostlightEnsemble.com.

Ghostlight Ensemble is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit theatre whose mission it is to ask questions that challenge the status quo through timeless stories, immersive environments and unconventional staging.

Exploration of Queerness and romance takes the digital stage as part of For Your (Re)Consideration series

Andrew Coopman

Ghostlight Ensemble launches its new reading series, For Your (Re)Consideration, which explores the works of historically overlooked female playwrights, with The Convent of Pleasure by Margaret Cavendish at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 4.

Written in 1688, The Convent of Pleasure tells the story of a group of unmarried women, initiated by Lady Happy, who choose to avoid the pains or displeasures that exist in a male-dominated world and instead create their own community, or convent, of pleasure to create their own perfect, self-functioning society. This virtual reading is directed by Seattle-based Storytelling Interdisciplinary Artist Andrew Coopman. 

What drew Coopman to the piece is it is one of the earliest examples of not just queer narrative, but non-binary narrative as well.

“The Convent of Pleasure is a story of two women falling in love and fighting against the cultural expectations placed upon them,” they explained. “And the REALLY wild part is that one of the two primary characters changes gender with no explanation during that last act, which her husband wrote. What could be overlooked or simply labeled a cross-dressing character is, I believe, something much more complex and beautiful and kick-ass and resilient.

“The Convent of Pleasure is a great example of how history has erased and suppressed LGBTQ+ identity for comfort and ease, making it seem like a revolutionary or rebel idea of the last century or so,” Coopman continued. “But this beautiful romantic comedy is also a great example of the Queer community’s resilience and determination throughout history. We are Queer, we have been Queer, we have always been here, and it’s time to recognize and celebrate our story… and that’s why audiences should come watch our play.”

The cast of The Convent of Pleasure includes: Ensemble Member Song Marshall with Lotus Lindez, Cynthia Becker, Sagen Berry, Sebastian Summers, Aria Caldwell, Ira McIntosh and KJ Snyder.

As a director, choreographer, devisor, performer, playwright and teaching artist, Coopman has worked in a variety of theaters around the country including Seattle, New York City, Milwaukee and the Chicagoland area. Directing credits include: RE: Social/Divide (Cooperative Performance), Into The Woods (Studio East), Wilde Tales (Seattle Opera), James & The Giant Peach (Village Theater), Little Women The Musical (Seattle Musical Theatre) and the premier of The Sunflower Sisters (Eclectic Theater).

The initial broadcast of The Convent of Pleasure takes place over Zoom at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 4, and a talkback with the director will take place immediately following. A recording of the performance will be available afterward to stream through the end of April.

Tickets are pay what you will, with a minimum of $5 per reading and the average donation for such virtual offerings at $15. By donating more, if you are able, you help offset the cost for those who can’t afford to give. Tickets are available on the For Your (Re)Consideration page. Please make sure to select the production and performance you are interested in receiving a link to view.

Featuring a variety of distinct voices and styles from different historical periods, the virtual readings that make up For Your (Re)Consideration seek to bring attention to remarkable women who have been sidelined by history for reasons that had nothing to do with their talent and everything to do with their gender and, in many cases, their race. 

Sometimes referred to as the Other Canon, the work of these early female playwrights dates from Hrotsvitha in the 10th Century to Dorothy C. Guinn in the 1920s. Their plays are as much the building blocks of modern theatre as those of their male counterparts. Some good, some great, some successful in their time, some way ahead of their time, these women have found themselves all but erased from history and rarely, if ever, produced today.

The series is curated by Ensemble Member Holly Robison, who said she struck on the idea for the series a few years ago when she came across The Enchantment by Victoria Benedictsson, who was said to be an inspiration for Hedda Gabler and Miss Julie. 

“I thought it was absurd that those plays are heralded as classics and performed all the time, but I had never even heard of Benedictsson or her play,” Robison said. “I started thinking — what else was missed because the author was a woman? Or what plays and playwrights were never cultivated?”

Additional upcoming readings include:

• April 11: Distinguished Villa by Kate O’Brien, directed by Elizabeth Lovelady

• April 18: Mine Eyes Have Seen by Alice Dunbar Nelson, directed by Angelisa Gillyard

• May 2:  The Enchantment by Victoria Benedictsson, adapted by Clare Bayley, directed by Holly Robison

Additional scripts are being finalized.

Find out more about For Your (Re)Consideration and the entire 2020-2021 Season at GhostlightEnsemble.com.

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.

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.

Ghostlight announces change in artistic leadership

Maria Burnham

Miona Lee

Ghostlight announced today that Ensemble members Miona Lee and Maria Burnham have taken over as co-artistic directors from Holly Robison, who has served as an artistic director since the company was founded in 2016. Robison remains with the Ensemble as a producing director.  

Both Burnham and Lee are founding members of the company and veterans of the Chicago theatre scene. Lee previously served as Literary Manager for the company and Burnham as the Marketing and Communications Director. The pair most recently co-directed Ghostlight’s summer show for young audiences, The Selfish Giant.

Full bios for both women can be found in the About section on the Ghostlight website.

Before stepping down, Robison helped guide the new season selection, which focuses on strong, female characters. 

More about the announcement and the new Ghostlight season can be found here.

Ghostlight Ensemble puts women front and center in its third season

Ghostlight Ensemble announced its Season 3 lineup, including a staged reading of a little-produced World War I-era play, a play festival with new works for young audiences and a Shakespearean comedy that takes place in a living room – quite literally.

The company also announced a change in leadership with Ensemble members Miona Lee and Maria Burnham taking over as co-artistic directors from Holly Robison, who has served as an artistic director since the company was founded in 2016. Robison remains with the Ensemble as a producing director.  

Both Burnham and Lee are founding members of the company and veterans of the Chicago theatre scene. Lee previously served as Literary Manager for the company and Burnham as the Marketing and Communications Director. The pair most recently co-directed Ghostlight’s summer show for young audiences, The Selfish Giant.

“Holly has been an incredible Artistic Director for Ghostlight’s initial seasons. Making a mark in a city full of so many magnificent theater companies is no small feat and she’s done a fantastic job guiding us,” Lee said. “I hope to continue pushing us in the direction of creating thought-provoking works.”

“I think our leadership will be a natural progression from the foundation Holly laid for this company,” added Burnham. “We will continue to push for works that challenge the status quo, that encourage new voices, and new stories and that shine light in places where darkness has allowed ignorance to grow. And we will also continue to tell great stories in unique ways.”

Full bios for both women can be found here.

Before stepping down, Robison helped guide the new season selection, which focuses on strong, female characters. 

“I am so honored to have been a Founding Member and Artistic Director for Ghostlight Ensemble,” Robison said. “It has truly been a wonderful, challenging, and rewarding few years. I’m so proud of the work Ghostlight has produced, and even more excited about the work ahead, especially in our coming season, which we like to call our year of Strong Female Leads. 

“While I look forward to staying on as Producing Director and directing our immersive spring production of Much Ado About Nothing, I’m also so thrilled to be handing the reins over to Maria Burnham and Miona Lee as Co-Artistic Directors. In the season of Strong Female Leads, what could be more fitting than these two fierce females leading our company? They are both great artists and great leaders, and I can’t wait to see where they take Ghostlight in the coming years. Thanks to all the Ghostlight Company Members, Artistic Associates, collaborators, and supporters for a great few years as Artistic Director!”

Ghostlight will begin its third season in October with a staged reading of the Bayard Veiller play, The Thirteenth Chair, a turn-of-the-century thriller set during a séance. The reading will be directed by Ghostlight Managing Director Chad Wise.  

The Thirteenth Chair, written in 1916, takes place at the home of the wealthy Crosby family. But the phony séance turns out to be the scene of a very real murder. All the doors and windows are locked and the murder weapon can’t be found. How will the real murderer be uncovered?

The reading takes place October 18 and 19 at 7:30 p.m. and October 20 at 2:30 p.m. at Vagabond School of the Arts (4001 N. Ravenswood Ave, Suite 503B, Chicago).    

In February, the company will continue its Nightlight young audiences series with a curated festival of short plays by playwrights from around the country. The plays, geared towards children 12 and under, will all have one unifying feature – strong female characters, continuing the theme of the season. Plays are currently being solicited and script selection will be made in early November. Playwrights interested in submitting to the festival can find more details on the Ghostlight website.

Ghostlight will round out the season in the spring of 2020 with Shakespeare’s beloved romantic comedy, Much Ado About Nothing. Audiences will be invited into Leonato’s Albany Park home to witness firsthand the merry war between Benedick and Beatrice, as well as the less merry machinations of Don John, as this immersive production brings guests, not to a theater, but to a condo on Chicago’s westside. The production will be directed by Holly Robison.

“This season is all about empowerment – from the astute Madame Rosalie La Grange to the outspoken Beatrice – these ladies are not afraid to take charge of their situations,” Lee said. “Nightlight is inspiring our younger audiences as well, with our festival of short plays chock full of strong female and non-binary characters.”

In addition, the company will once again host the Holiday Cabernet – an evening of holiday classics (or not-so-classics) by favorite G.E.T. performers, emerging artists and surprise guests in a cabaret-style setting with an M.C. who overindulges in the holiday spirits. The Cabernet takes place at 8 p.m. on December 14 at Vagabond School of the Arts.

Ghostlight also will continue its popular Live Movie Reading Series throughout the year at Carbon Arc Bar & Board, located in the Davis Theater. Next up in the series is: You and Me and Five Bucks: A Live Reading of Reality Bites. The reading, celebrating the 25th anniversary of this quintessential Gen X film, takes place at 7:30 p.m. Monday, August 28, at Carbon Arc (4614 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago).

Find out more about Ghostlight Ensemble and the entire 2019-2020 Season at GhostlightEnsemble.com.

Ghostlight Ensemble is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit theatre whose mission it is to ask questions that challenge the status quo through timeless stories, immersive environments and unconventional staging.

Cast announced for 'An Ideal Husband'

Ghostlight Ensemble announces casting for its spring show, Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband.

The cast is: Alex Ireys as Lord Goring, Aaron Wertheim as Robert Chiltern, Maddie Pell as Lady Chiltern, Sam Bianchini as Mrs. Cheveley, Halie Merrill as Mabel Chiltern, Richard Engling as Lord Caversham, Michael Wagman as Phipps/Mason, Song Marshall as Lady Basildon, Allison McCorkle as Mrs. Marchmont, Stephanie Monday as Lady Markby and Sebastian Summers as Nanjac.

The show is directed by Ghostlight Co-Artistic Director Holly Robison. Janette Bauer is the production manager.

An Ideal Husband is Oscar Wilde's comedic masterpiece of blackmail and political corruption. Sir Robert Chiltern, a government minister who built his fortune on a single dishonest act, is blackmailed by Mrs. Cheveley, who wants his assistance in another dishonest scheme. Chiltern asks Lord Goring, the ne'er-do-well son of the Earl of Caversham, for advice, and Lord Goring, familiar (in several ways) with Mrs. Cheveley, ultimately saves Chiltern's marriage and social position. By doing so, he ironically ends up married.

The show takes place Fridays and Saturdays, April 7-28, 2018, at The North Mansion in Berger Park/ Gunder House (6205 N. Sheridan Rd., Chicago, 60660).

Ghostlight featured on Chicago on Stage

Ghostlight was recently lucky enough to sits down with Karen Topham (aka chicagodramagirl) of Chicago on Stage and talk about our origin and what made us think we could make it in the crowded Chicago theatre scene.

According to the League of Chicago Theatres, there are about 200 theatre companies in the city of Chicago. Wikipedia also lists about this many, as well as thirty long-standing companies that are now defunct. And that doesn’t even begin to include the multitudes of companies that have appeared for a show or three only to vanish into the competitive haze of the Chicago theatre community, which is, without doubt, one of the most incredible live theatre markets in the country, but also one of the most unforgiving.

Amid this whirl of dramatic achievement and failure, it must take a certain kind of people with a specific kind of audacity to start a whole new company from the ground up, yet that is precisely what Holly Robison and Maria Burnham, late of Strangeloop Theatre, and Chad Wise, founding member of New Millennium Theatre, and seven other founding members including co-artistic director Michael Wagman, are doing with Ghostlight Ensemble Theatre.

Read the entire article here.