Sign up for theatre classes, part of the Make/Believe festival!

This year we’re offering two days of theatre classes as part of our Make/Believe festival for young audiences. Choose from Building the Character — Literally, Building the Story or Building the World.

This year an emphasis was placed on producing pieces for Make/Believe in a way that children watching at home would be able to replicate – so they could “play” Make/Believe at home. These three stage craft classes are mean to do just that - help this next generation of theatre artists craft their own stories and shows at home.

Please note these classes are currently scheduled to run concurrently, so students will only be able to choose one per day. Classes are scheduled for June 5 & 6 only. Details on the classes are available here.

An Exploration Of Gender And Desire Takes The Digital Stage In ‘Distinguished Villa’

Elizabeth Lovelady

Ghostlight Ensemble continues its series on historically overlooked female playwrights with Distinguished Villa, a play by the Irish playwright Kate O’Brien dealing with the suffocating consequences that can come from the trappings of middle-class life.

Though written in 1926, Distinguished Villa, has a modernness to it and a feeling of relevancy that time has proved many of O’Brien’s male counterparts lack, according to director Elizabeth Lovelady.

“When I read Distinguished Villa, I was amazed with how contemporary it felt, particularly in regard to the way it challenged gender norms and represented female sexuality,” Lovelady said. “While these characters were born of another era, their interior battles are strikingly similar to those we all currently face. I think it serves as a reminder of the many commonalities humans have across time and distance.” 

Distinguished Villa portrays the desperate lives led by the commuting class. In it, Mabel Hemworth boasts she and her husband "are known round here as the model of what a married couple should be." But the arrival and then potential departure of a female lodger makes Mabel’s husband realize he is, in fact, profoundly miserable. Frances meanwhile has developed a mutually loving relationship with another man. This is not a story with a happily ever after ending, however.

In the play, we see the seeds of what later became a hallmark of O'Brien's work — groundbreaking depictions of the sexual frustrations of women and an understanding of the wide diversity of sexuality and gender expression.

The cast is: August Forman, Christian Cook, Micah Figueroa, Allison McCorkle, Jordan Ford and Kim Fukawa. Full bios of the actors, director and playwright are available on Ghostlight’s website at www.ghostlightensemble.com/distinguished-villa

The initial broadcast of Distinguished Villa takes place over Zoom at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 11, and a talkback with the director will take place immediately following. A recording of the performance will be available to stream through May 9.

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.

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 series is curated by Ensemble Member Holly Robison. 

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.

Additional upcoming readings include:

• April 18: Mine Eyes Have Seen by Alice Dunbar Nelson and War Brides by Marion Craig Wentworth, directed by Angelisa Gillyard

• April 25: Warp and Woof by Edith Lyttelton, directed by Christina Casano

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

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

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.

Seeking directors for Make/Believe short play festival for young audiences

Ghostlight Ensemble is seeking directors for its second annual Make/Believe festival for young audiences set to broadcast virtually in early June.

The festival will feature six short plays written by playwrights from around the country. A summary of the scripts is available here.

In particular we are seeking Filipino-American, Black and Latinx directors, but encourage all BIPOC, LBGTQIA+ and non-binary directors to apply.

The pieces will be pre-recorded and presented virtually. Directors will receive a $25 stipend.

Interested directors should submit a resume and a statement of interest with any additional relevant experience to Maria Burnham at maria@ghostlightensemble.com. Please use the following format in the email’s subject line: Nightlight Festival - [director’s name]

The deadline for submissions is March 25.

Plays selected for Make/Believe festival in June

A talking balloon, a girl stranded in the Sea of Lost Things, a school show and tell via Zoom. Welcome to the scripts that make up Make/Believe 2021.

Make/Believe is a theatre festival that challenges its young – and young at heart – audiences to throw out the way things have always been done and indulge their imagination.

More than 100 scripts were submitted from all over the world for consideration in 2021’s festival. The short plays had to be adaptable to both virtual and live performances. Script selection was made earlier this month. Performances are scheduled for June.

Selected scripts include:

• Best Friends, by Dallas playwright Adam Eugene Hurst, tells the story of Brooklyn, a dog that wants nothing more but to play and be best friends with Chops. But Chops, a well worn stuffed animal dog toy, wants nothing to do with that.

• A Blue Hydrangea, by Oregon playwright Eric Braman, takes place in the backyard of The Great Gardener Carole, as a hydrangea bush wakes up from its winter slumber. What has always been a fully pink hydrangea bush suddenly has a head of flowers that are blue. The flowers explore the concepts of identity, acceptance and vulnerability as they wait in fear of Carole’s judgement.

• The Friend Box and The Box Friend, by Chicago playwright Kim Z. Dale, takes place during a school show and tell when two friends both bring a very different “friend in a box” as their item and an argument ensues. But both kids come to realize that friendship — even if it comes in virtual or stuffie form — is more important than being right.

• It's Poppin' , by Georgia playwright Steven San Luis, is the story of a young girl who is afraid of moving to a new city and a blue balloon that is afraid of being let go. Together they find the courage to embrace the unknown ahead of them.

• Splash of Magic, by Chicago playwright Lori Taylor, teaches boys and girls to overcome their fears by believing in themselves. Diane is an eight-year-old black girl who is scared to go in the pool without something to keep her afloat. When she discovers her black girl magic, she realizes she can conquer any fear as long as she believes in the magic that lives inside her.

• Sunshine and the Sea of Lost Things, by California playwright Sarah Lina Sparks, follows a young mixed race Filipino girl, Sunshine, who is stranded on a ship in the Sea of Lost Things. Joining her on the ship are two heroes, Peter and Anagolay, who must navigate her home — wherever that home may be — before she is lost at sea forever.

Call for directors: Accepting submissions for virtual reading series

Ghostlight Ensemble is seeking submissions from directors for our spring virtual play reading series, For Your (Re)Consideration. Especially seeking directors who are female-identifying or non-binary, BIPOC and/or LGBTQIA+. This is open to directors in any geographic area, though directors in the greater Chicago area will receive priority.

(Re)Consideration will explore the works of historically overlooked female playwrights. Featuring a variety of distinct voices and styles from different historical periods, the virtual readings will be scheduled throughout the season and 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.

We are planning for virtual performances in March and April. Pieces will be pre-recorded and streamed on specified dates with plans for a brief, live post-show talkback on the first date each piece is streamed. Each piece will then be made available to audiences to stream for a limited time. Expectations are that each reading will be rehearsed and recorded entirely virtually. Ghostlight can assist with recording platforms, editing and casting as needed.

Please submit a brief cover letter, resume and photo to Holly Robison, Producing Director, at casting@ghostlightensemble.com. Electronic submissions only. Please use the following format in the email’s subject line: Reading Series Director Submission: [Your Name].

Ghostlight will reach out to selected directors for a short discussion on details and possible play assignments prior to finalizing participation. We have a library of identified plays that will be made available prior to the discussion but will also be open to discussion of suggested plays from directors.

Directors will be paid $50 per piece.

The deadline for submissions is February 12, 2021.

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.

Ghostlight Ensemble Goes Online For Season Four

Ghostlight Ensemble announced its Season 4 lineup, which brings back two popular offerings and introduces a new reading series of historically overlooked female playwrights. This season the company will present its offerings online, with the hopes of moving back to the stage in the summer of 2021.

“We're all diving into unknown territory with our medium moving into a digital world, but ultimately that unknown is what Ghostlight has been about since the beginning,” said Co-Artistic Director Miona Lee.

“The landscape of theatre is rapidly changing,” added Co-Artistic Director Kayla White. “I'm really looking forward to leading Ghostlight to be a force of positive change in the Chicago theatre scene, to dismantle old traditions and build an inclusive, anti-racist and SAFE place to create theatre together.”

Holiday Cabernet host Coco Sho-Nell

Ghostlight will begin its fourth season in December with a perennial winter favorite, 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 virtual setting with a host filled with holiday spirits! Taking the emcee mic this year is the glamorous Coco Sho-Nell, a Chicago-based drag performer with roots in musical theatre.

Acts range from comedians and clowns to musicians, dancers and more. Artists include: Comedy Dance Collective, Daija Nealy, Danielle Levsky, Improvised Jane Austen, Nate Perez & Anneliese Ayers, Nitty Gritty, Plucky Rosenthal and Tyler Ross.

In addition, last year’s vendor area proved so popular, that we’re bringing it back in virtual form this year. Peruse the online offerings before, during and after the show and support independent artists while scoring unique gifts that everyone will be buzzed about.

The live, but virtual, Holiday Cabernet takes place at 8 p.m. on Saturday, December 12. Additional details, including artist bios, vendor wares and how to reserve tickets are available here.

In the new year, Ghostlight will launch its new reading series, For Your (Re)Consideration, which will explore the works of historically overlooked female playwrights. Featuring a variety of distinct voices and styles from different historical periods, the virtual readings will be scheduled throughout the season and 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.

Epic Tales from the Land of Melanin from 2020’s Make/Believe festival

Rounding out the season in June, the company will once again present Make/Believe, a curated festival of short plays by playwrights from around the country geared towards children 10 and under. Last year’s performances played to sold out houses. This year, Ghostlight plans to offer both a virtual version and a live, outdoor version, as health guidelines permit.

Plays are currently being solicited and script selection will be made in early January. Playwrights interested in submitting to the festival can find more details on the Ghostlight website.

“I honestly don't know how we'll see Ghostlight evolve over the next year,” Lee said. “I can tell you that we will never stop pushing to ask the tough questions and bring our audiences thought-provoking work.”

Find out more about Ghostlight Ensemble and the entire 2020-2021 Season here.

Up Next: Holiday Cabernet 3

Ghostlight will begin its fourth season in December with a perennial winter favorite, 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 virtual setting with a host filled with holiday spirits! Taking the emcee mic this year is the glamorous Coco Sho-Nell, a Chicago-based drag performer with roots in musical theatre.

Acts range from comedians and clowns to musicians, dancers and more. Artists include:  Comedy Dance Collective, Daija Nealy, Danielle Levsky, Improvised Jane Austen, Nate Perez & Anneliese Ayers, Nitty Gritty, Plucky Rosenthal and Tyler Ross. 

In addition, last year’s vendor area proved so popular, that we’re bringing it back in virtual form this year. Peruse the online offerings before, during and after the show and support independent artists while scoring unique gifts that everyone will be buzzed about. 

The live, but virtual, Holiday Cabernet takes place at 8 p.m. on Saturday, December 12. Additional details, include artist bios, vendor wares and how to reserve tickets are available on our website.