The Understudy

PHARAOH TAROT
2024-01-29 15:00 - 18:00 (America/Chicago) | The Understudy Coffee and Books, 5531 N Clark St, Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
Pharaoh Tarot is BACK on Monday, January 29th!

Imbolc – The First Sabbat of 2024
Imbolc, A Celtic festival celebrating Brigid, the goddess of creativity, poetry, healing, and fertility. February 1st is a sabbat that recognizes new growth, and the first shoots of spring breaking through the thawing ice.
FRESH START
The Root – What is the Nature of your current condition?
The Thaw – What previously unseen gifts are being revealed?
New Growth – How can you increase growth and abundance in your life?
Bookings are 25 minutes. Individual readings are $55, but pay what you can readings are available, lowest donation $11.
Feel free to reach out to Regina via instagram or email with any questions: @officialreginav, officialreginavictor@gmail.com

CLICK HERE to reserve your spot in advance!

The Best Damn Thing by Hanna Kime
2024-01-29 19:30 - 21:30, 2024-02-01 19:30 - 21:30, 2024-02-02 19:30 - 21:30, 2024-02-03 19:30 - 21:30, 2024-02-04 19:30 - 21:30, 2024-02-05 19:30 - 21:30 | The Understudy Coffee and Books, 5531 N Clark St, Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
It’s summer of 2011, and Ellie, an awkward 16-year-old, has written what she believes to be a groundbreaking new musical inspired by the early discography of Avril Lavigne. She has invited Rachel, her much cooler ex-best friend and their theatre teacher’s favorite, to her house to pitch the show in hopes that Rachel can convince him to program it for their spring musical. Over the course of one evening of workshopping, the two girls rekindle their friendship and reopen old wounds. The Best Damn Thing is a piercing and boldly theatrical exploration of what it means to be a teenage girl in a world that refuses to take you seriously.
This premiere production of The Best Damn Thing is the first fully-staged production inside The Understudy Coffee and Books. The play transforms the bookstore into an inventive and dynamic performance space, complete with a full band performing each song live. The Best Damn Thing is a bold and exciting new piece of theatre, and also a full-blown throwback pop-punk concert. Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind theatregoing experience.
PLUS: Opening performance on 1/27 and closing performance on 2/5 feature a Post-show set by Sara Geist and the Best Damn Thing band!
RECOMMENDED FOR AGES 15+
CAST
Ellie – Elisabeth Del Toro
Rachel – Maya Hlava
Ellie U/S – Jordan Levene
Rachel U/S – Ruby Gibson
BAND
Music Director – Sara Geist
Guitar – Tariq Shihadah
Drums – Vince De Re
Bass – Steve Schaeffer
CREATIVE TEAM
Playwright – Hanna Kime
Composers – Sara Geist, Hanna Kime
Director – Grace Dolezal-Ng
Associate Director – Danny Fender
Costume Designer – Jessica Van Winkle
Lighting Designer – Katelyn Le-Thompson
Sound Designer/Audio Engineer – Hunter Leach
Intimacy Designer – Kayla Menz

(UNDERSTUDY PERFORMANCE) The Best Damn Thing by Hanna Kime
2024-01-30 19:30 - 21:30 | The Understudy Coffee and Books, 5531 N Clark St, Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
An intimate and explosive new play inspired by the early discography of Avril Lavigne. The Best Damn Thing is witty, campy, punk fun.

It’s summer of 2011, and Ellie, an awkward 16-year-old, has written what she believes to be a groundbreaking new musical inspired by the early discography of Avril Lavigne. She has invited Rachel, her much cooler ex-best friend and their theatre teacher’s favorite, to her house to pitch the show in hopes that Rachel can convince him to program it for their spring musical. Over the course of one evening of workshopping, the two girls rekindle their friendship and reopen old wounds. The Best Damn Thing is a piercing and boldly theatrical exploration of what it means to be a teenage girl in a world that refuses to take you seriously.

This premiere production of The Best Damn Thing is the first fully-staged production inside The Understudy Coffee and Books. The play transforms the bookstore into an inventive and dynamic performance space, complete with a full band performing each song live. The Best Damn Thing is a bold and exciting new piece of theatre, and also a full-blown throwback pop-punk concert. Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind theatregoing experience.
RECOMMENDED FOR AGES 15+
This is an Understudy Performance.
UNDERSTUDY CAST
Ellie – Jordan Levene
Rachel – Ruby Gibson

BAND
Music Director – Sara Geist
Guitar – Tariq Shihadah
Drums – Vince De Re
Bass – Steve Schaeffer

CREATIVE TEAM
Playwright – Hanna Kime
Composers – Sara Geist, Hanna Kime
Director – Grace Dolezal-Ng
Associate Director – Danny Fender
Costume Designer – Jessica Van Winkle
Lighting Designer – Katelyn Le-Thompson
Sound Designer/Audio Engineer – Hunter Leach
Intimacy Designer – Kayla Menz

Kokandy Book Club Presents: LOVE FOR SALE
2024-01-31 19:30 - 21:00 | The Understudy Coffee and Books, 5531 N Clark St, Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
Kokandy Productions explores the lyrics, letters, and writings of Cole porter in the latest installment of their cabaret series BOOK CLUB

Join The Understudy and our friends from Kokandy Productions for the latest installment of our series Book Club. Kokandy Book Club is an intimate salon series celebrating theatre, music and community. Each meeting will focus on a well known play (or in this case, a person)—investigating themes through musical performance. Have a sit, have a sip and honor the ritual of talking about great art and having a good ole fashion jam session.
For this meet, we explore the man, the myth, the maestro: Cole Porter. It’s giving wit, it’s giving innuendo, it’s giving quadruple entendre. We’ll use Porter’s lyrics, letters and other writings to celebrate the delightful artist and his delicious life to create an absolute de-lovely night. Curated by Kokandy Producing Artistic Director Derek Van Barham, with musical accompaniment by Nick Sula, our book club performers will be announced soon!
Doors open at 7 PM for a 7:30 PM performance.
The Understudy Cafe will be open for refreshments.

I Can't... I Have Trivia
2024-02-07 19:30 - 21:00 | The Understudy Coffee and Books, 5531 N Clark St, Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
Theatre nerds, your time has come! Join us for another round of trivia at 7:30 on February 7th, We recommend playing with a team of four. Hosted by our friend Patrick Zakem, each round will test your knowledge of a different facet of theatre history, current events, or culture. Think you’ve got what it takes to triumph? Don’t miss it!
No need to RSVP, just bring your team on the 7th!

League of Chicago Theatres Black History Month Panel
2024-02-08 19:00 - 21:30 | The Understudy Coffee and Books, 5531 N Clark St, Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
Hear from black theatre artists on the history, future, and impact of black contributions to our art form.

In honor of the return of Chicago Theatre Week alongside Black History Month, The League of Chicago Theatres is convening a panel highlighting Black History Month programming by members of the League.
This panel will be moderated by Marissa Lynn Jones, Executive Director of League of Chicago Theatres and will feature the following panelists:
Rob Wilson – Director
Black by Popular Demand: A Black Excellence Revue – The Second City
Kate Wexler – Student Dramaturg
Fairview – Loyola University
Temple Hemphill – Publicist
1619: The Journey of a People, The Musical – The Third Dimensions Performance Group
Doors open at 7PM. The Understudy Cafe will be open for refreshments.

ALL ABOUT LOVE: A Valentines Day Cabaret
2024-02-09 19:30 - 22:30 | The Understudy Coffee and Books, 5531 N Clark St, Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
Join us for an intimate evening celebrating the work and legacy of bell hooks through text and song. ALL ABOUT LOVE explores how we love each other, what we gain when we are loved well, and how love shapes our lives.
Performed by a cast of black musical theatre artists, ALL ABOUT LOVE promises to inspire and renew its audience.
Doors open at 7pm for a 7:30pm performance.
The Understudy Cafe will be open for refreshments.

FIKA Fest Coffee Crawl
2024-02-10 10:00 - 13:00 | The Understudy Coffee and Books, 5531 N Clark St, Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
The Andersonville Coffee & Hot Cocoa Crawl returns as a part of Fika Fest! Each route invites you to explore specialty offerings that may include coffee, hot cocoa, bakery items, and more! Check in begins at 9AM on February 10 at the Swedish American Museum, located at 5211 N Clark.
Folks are encouraged to drop off puzzles during the check in for the Great Andersonville Puzzle Exchange, happening at the Swedish American Museum on the following day, February 11. Stay tuned for full details!
Please note that routes are subject to change and there are no refunds.

Valentine Portrait Sketches with Joe Kraft
2024-02-10 11:00 - 15:00 | The Understudy Coffee and Books, 5531 N Clark St, Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
Join us Saturday February 10th as we host our friend (and Understudy muralist) Joe Kraft! Joe is offering live 30-minute sketches of you and your partner (or whoever you want!). Slots are limited.
Click Here to Reserve in Advance
Stop by and check out a selection of Joe’s prints and merch in addition!

Virtue and Grace by Isabella Van Houzen
2024-02-11 19:30 - 21:30 | The Understudy Coffee and Books, 5531 N Clark St, Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
The fall of 1814, Kingston upon Thames. As four best friends ready themselves to court this season, Lady Grace Quimby schemes to attend events dressed as a man in order to court other women. With the help of her friends, she dons a disguise and navigates a convoluted web of lies. It is a farcical tale of love, gender, and societal pressure.
To reserve tickets please email isabellavanhouzen@gmail.com for availability. Tickets are $10+ and donations are welcome!
TEAM:
Playwright and Director – Isabella Van Houzen
Stage Manager – Gianni Carcagno
Lady Grace Quimby – Teri Talo
Earl Theodore Paget – Max Stolte
Viscount Harry Ravensworth – Micah Mabey
Viscount Frederick Harris – Grant Carriker
Lady Virtue – Kristina Newcomb
Aunt – Maggie Smith
Isabel – Kristen Bock
Lady Elanor and Beatrice – Jenny Hinojosa
Footman 1, Seamstress, and Doctor – Zach Koptik
Footman 2 and Maria – John Drea
Ladies Maid and Katherine – Liliana Mastroianni

A Taste of RED with A Red Orchid Theatre
2024-02-13 19:30 - 21:00 | The Understudy, 5531 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640, Chicago, IL, 60613, United States
Hang out with our friends from A Red Orchid Theatre on February 13th for the latest installment of their series A Taste of Red.
A Red Orchid Theatre invites you to take a peek behind the curtain and see how their team goes about exploring a play. What gets their ensemble excited about a script? How do actors, directors, playwrights, and designers all approach the same text differently? What defines a quintessential A Red Orchid production?
This iteration features Hells Canyon written by Keiko Green and directed by Vanessa Stalling
Doors open at 7pm and the reading begins at 7:30pm.
CLICK HERE to Reserve Your Seat

Crush(ed) By Maria Arreola
2024-02-19 19:30 - 21:00 | The Understudy Coffee and Books, 5531 N Clark St, Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
A heartfelt comedy from Chicago playwright Maria Arreola about the embarrassments and excitements of the search for love.

In a desperate bid to get her love life in order, Maria enlists Dr. Love and her fabulous game show Crush(ed). After speaking to Maria’s closest friends and family members, Dr. Love has assembled a cast of past loves who must fight to win back her affection in a series of mini dates.

Maria Arreola – Playwright
Karina Patel – Director
Emma Durbin – Dramaturg
Tatiana Bustamante – Maria
Sahar El Dika – Dr Love/Renee
Casey Whisler – Crush
Rich Adrian Lazatin – Crush

About Freshly Brewed
Freshly Brewed seeks to invest in Chicago’s emerging playwrights and theatre artists in keeping with The Understudy’s commitment to Community, Collaboration, and Discovery. The series features monthly readings of new plays in various stages of development. Each artist conrtibuting– playwrights, directors, and actors– will receive a stipend underwritten by the series’ anonymous donor.
Freshly Brewed also marks the inaugural collaboration between The Understudy and its neighbor, Edgewater’s Raven Theatre, as its fiscal sponsor. Donations made to the Freshly Brewed program are tax-deductible and can be made via raventheatre.com with a note that the contribution is for The Understudy/Freshly Brewed.

For the Lovers Hosted by Georgia Rising
2024-02-23 20:00 - 22:00 | The Understudy Coffee and Books, 5531 N Clark St, Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
An exploration of the eight kinds of Greek love through the lens of Black drag performers with music by Black artists.

Presenting For the Lovers: an exploration of the 8 kinds of Greek love through the lens of Black drag performers with music by Black artists. Hosted by Georgia Rising in collaboration with Cafe Royalty, the show will present the spectrum of love’s expressions from its joyful peaks to its intense valleys. Join us at the understudy on February 23rd at 8 pm!
Doors open at 7:30pm. The Understudy cafe will be open for refreshments.
Black audience members: use code BLACKLOVE for 50% off tickets!

Working in the 21st Century: A Conversation with Mark Larson
2024-02-29 18:00 - 19:30 | Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, Residents’ Dining Hall, 800 S. Halsted Street, Chicago, IL, 60607, United States
PLEASE NOTE: This event occurs offsite at the Jane Addams Hull House Museum

Join the celebration for the release Mark Larson’s book “Working in the 21st Century” & participate in an exclusive discussion with Larson.

Why do we show up to the jobs we’ve chosen? Or why don’t we? How has the upheaval of the past few years changed our experience of work? To coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of Studs Terkel’s legendary Working, we celebrate the release of Mark Larson’s Working in the 21st Century: An Oral History of American Work in a Time of Social and Economic Transformation.
Larson will discuss his own relationship to Studs Terkel, and share a selection of intimate, honest, and illuminating recordings from the interviews he conducted for the book. Refreshments will be served and books will be on sale from The Understudy.
This event is FREE and open to the public!

Legland: An Absurd "Staged" Reading
2024-03-02 19:30 - 21:00 | The Understudy Coffee and Books, 5531 N Clark St, Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
LegLand creates absurdist, bouffon-inspired devised theatre pieces that parody everything from Greek drama to reality TV to consumer culture

We thought we had already found all the great lost works of the past. We thought wrong. LegLand is proud to present an absurd “staged” “reading” of all the newly discovered texts from their private archives, including some of the only great, classical texts to be set in a major American city. Discover a densely energetic guided descent into absurdity.
Created and performed by LegLand (Connor Konz, Danny Gadaj, and Mo Less)
“Stage Manager”: Aida Delaz
LegLand creates absurdist, bouffon-inspired devised theatre pieces that parody everything from Greek drama to reality TV to consumer culture. Their signature style melds drag, larger-than-life costumes, audience participation, burlesque, and various multimedia elements.

USITT Presents The Stage Rigging Handbook
2024-03-04 19:30 - 22:30 | The Understudy Coffee and Books, 5531 N Clark St, Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
Join us for this special event on March 4, at The Understudy in Chicago! USITT Executive Director Laura Lee Everett will sit down with co-author Shane Kelly and scenic designer Regina García to discuss the latest edition of the Stage Rigging Handbook, working in the industry, and the impact Jay O. Glerum’s work has had on the world of theatrical stage rigging over the last several decades.

Doors open at 7pm. Discussion begins at 7:30pm.
The Understudy cafe will bbe open for refreshments during the event.
PREORDER THE BOOK
ABOUT THE BOOK
First published in 1987 and revised in 1997 and 2007, Stage Rigging Handbook remains the only book in any language that covers the design, operation, and maintenance of stage rigging equipment. Though often unnoticed, these systems are critical in both easing the workload of stage technicians and creating storytelling magic for the audience. This landmark text imparts the foundations for understanding and implementing rigging systems, such that upon completion of the book, the reader is ready to begin hands-on training and practice.
Organized into four sections, the handbook combines research and practical experience to guide riggers through their work. It begins by explaining the construction and care of basic lifting media. Part two analyzes types of rigging systems; then the handbook details the forces that impact rigging, from Newtonian physics to calculating expansive modern systems. Finally, it presents day-to-day best safety practices, including brand new sections on risk assessment and fall protection.
This reorganized and greatly expanded fourth edition of Jay O. Glerum’s industry standard text updates much of the information in the previous editions with the addition of chapters on truss (the framework that supports lighting, screens, and other accessories), motorized chain hoists, hardware, and job safety, including fall protection systems. Award-winning production manager Shane Kelly preserves Glerum’s voice while bringing fresh information to a new generation of riggers, supplementing the text with updated versions of earlier photographs and drawings as well as an additional one hundred illustrations. The handbook facilitates the development of a rigging practice rooted in safety, precision, and professionalism.

THE LACY PROJECT by Alena Smith
2024-03-14 20:00 - 21:30, 2024-03-15 20:00 - 21:30, 2024-03-16 20:00 - 21:30 | The Understudy Coffee and Books, 5531 N Clark St, Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
The Lacy Project directed by Clara Zucker
A Snails on a Bike Production

Her mother’s photographs turned Lacy into an icon of childhood innocence and beauty. Now, on the night of her 22nd birthday, Lacy has to navigate between image and reality, sex and friendship, self-indulgence and responsibility. This wild tragicomedy presents a portrait of a young woman held captive by her own childhood and a vivid picture of a generation unable to grow up.

CAST

Tyra Grove
Jane Hobson
Nena Martins
Kyra McConnell
Talia Roland-Kalb
Content Warning: drug abuse, violent and derogatory language, stylized depiction of masturbation. Recommended for audience members 18+.
CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS

BRAWL! by Connor Ermir Bradshaw
2024-03-18 19:30 - 21:00 | The Understudy Coffee and Books, 5531 N Clark St, Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
Masculinity, desire, and belonging form a heady mix at the center of the boxing ring in BRAWL! Will Lucky find a way out?

Dug into the backyard of Diesel Philips’ home is The Pit: the home and training ground for young boxers in the Mowbray Mountain valley.
Here, limbs lock until a bell dings or a body drops. Here, loving looks a lot like fighting. And here, boys don’t leave; they escape.

Playwright: Connor Ermir Bradshaw
Director: Danny Fender
Movement/Intimacy Director: Magdalena Dalzell
Dramaturg: Madie Doppelt
Lead Producer: Emma Durbin
About Freshly Brewed
Freshly Brewed seeks to invest in Chicago’s emerging playwrights and theatre artists in keeping with The Understudy’s commitment to Community, Collaboration, and Discovery. The series features monthly readings of new plays in various stages of development. Each artist conrtibuting– playwrights, directors, and actors– will receive a stipend underwritten by the series’ anonymous donor.
Freshly Brewed also marks the inaugural collaboration between The Understudy and its neighbor, Edgewater’s Raven Theatre, who is thrilled to support The Understudy as their fiscal sponsor for this series. Click here to make a tax-deductible donation to Freshly Brewed.

Ball & Battle: A Drag Show and Latte Art Throwdown
2024-03-30 19:00 - 22:30 | The Understudy Coffee and Books, 5531 N Clark St, Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
Join The Understudy for an evening of fierce looks, fierce competition, and fabulous prizes.

PLEASE NOTE: This event is 21+. No underage attendees or contestants will be permitted.

It’s our birthday, and we’re celebrating in style.
In honor of our first anniversary, we’re bringing together the coffee and performance communities again for a hybrid drag show and latte ard throwdown.
First, join us in the bookstore for a set of fabulous performances from some of our favorite drag things. Then, head over to the cafe for a fierce competition, with cash prizes and incredible swag on the line.
Enjoy pastries from our friends at Brite alongside other local favorites. We can’t wait to see y’all here!
PERFORMERS, SPONSORS, AND PRIZE PACKAGES TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON.

Bramble Arts Loft Open House
2024-04-06 10:00 - 16:00 | Bramble Arts Loft, 5545 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
Join us in celebrating our neighbors at Bramble Theatre!
Their brand new, elegantly designed Arts Loft is opening to the public from 10AM to 4PM on Saturday, April 6th.
We’ll be there with books picked by the Bramble team, plus coffee!
Come hang out with us and other Andersonville neighbors as we honor this incredible new addition to our community.

Stories Beyond Bars: An Art Fundraiser & Panel for Prisoner's Rights
2024-04-10 19:30 - 21:00 | The Understudy Coffee and Books, 5531 N Clark St, Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
Join us for an unforgettable evening of advocacy and inspiration at the Stories Beyond Bars Fundraiser, hosted by Uptown People’s Law Center (UPLC). Set against the vibrant backdrop of The Understudy Coffee and Books, this event will feature creative offerings from storytellers impacted by the prison system, sharing their journeys and highlighting the vital role of legal aid in their lives. Immerse yourself in an art exhibition showcasing the creativity and resilience of our artistic contributors, while our panel discussion sheds light on the critical work of UPLC’s legal team.
Contributors to this event include passionate individuals dedicated to human rights and criminal justice reform, including UPLC’s esteemed Executive Director, Alan Mills, and several other UPLC team members, who will lead discussions and answer your questions. Attendees will have the opportunity to donate on the spot via Square and QR code, directly supporting their mission to provide critical legal aid to those in need. Join us as we strive to educate, advocate, and unite for positive change in our communities.
Content warning: Pieces may contain explicit language and triggering themes that may be distressing for some audience members.
Doors open at 7pm for a panel beginning at 7:30pm. The Understudy cafe will be open for refreshments.
Masks Strongly Encouraged

A Conversation with Jen Silverman: THERE'S GOING TO BE TROUBLE
2024-04-16 19:30 - 21:00 | The Understudy Coffee and Books, 5531 N Clark St, Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
Author Jen Silverman joins Kirsten Fitzgerald for a a discussion of their new novel THERE’S GOING TO BE TROUBLE, out 4/9 from Random House.

Playwright, novelist, and screenwriter Jen Silverman joins actor and director Kirsten Fitzgerald to discuss their new novel There’s Going to Be Trouble.

Don’t miss these remarkable artists discussing how a life in the theatre informs writing sweeping and intimate stories in other media. Learn about the development of There’s Going to Be Trouble, and what draws Silverman to each format for which they write.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jen Silverman (they/them) is a playwright, novelist, and screenwriter.
Plays include: Spain; Highway Patrol; Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties; The Moors; The Roommate; and Witch. Their plays have been produced off-Broadway (Second Stage Theatre, MCC Theater, The Playwrights Realm), across the US (Steppenwolf, The Goodman, The Humana Festival, Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Huntington, South Coast Repertory Theatre, Writers Theatre etc), and internationally in Australia, the UK, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Brazil, Spain, and elsewhere.
Books include: the debut novel We Play Ourselves (named one of the best books of the year by Buzzfeed; a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award), story collection The Island Dwellers (finalist for a PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize), poetry chapbook Bath (selected by Traci Brimhall for Driftwood Press); and new novel There’s Going to be Trouble forthcoming from Random House on April 9th 2024.
Silverman is a three-time MacDowell Fellow, a member of New Dramatists, and a Scholar of Note at the American Library in Paris. They wrote The Miranda Obsession as a narrative podcast for Audible, starring Rachel Brosnahan. They also write for TV and film, including Tales of the City (Netflix) and Tokyo Vice (Max). Honors include fellowships from the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim.

About the Book
Minnow has always tried to lead the life her single father modeled—private, quiet, hardworking, apolitical. So she is rocked when an instinctive decision to help a student makes her the notorious public face of a scandal in the small town where she teaches. As tensions rise, death threats follow, and an overwhelmed Minnow flees to a teaching position in Paris. There, she falls into an exhilarating and all-consuming relationship with Charles, a young Frenchman whose activism has placed him at odds with his powerful family. As Minnow is pulled in to the daring protest Charles and his friends are planning, she unknowingly almost repeats a secret tragedy from her family’s past. Her father wasn’t always the restrained, conservative man he appears today. There are things he has taken great pains to conceal from his family and from the world.
In 1968, Keen is avoiding the Vietnam draft by pursuing a PhD at Harvard. He lives his life in the basement chemistry lab, studiously ignoring the news. But when he unexpectedly falls in love with Olya, a fiery community organizer, he is consumed by her world and loses sight of his own. Learning that his deferment has ended and he’s been drafted, Keen agrees to participate in the latest action that Olya is leading—one with more dangerous and far-reaching consequences than he could have imagined.
Minnow’s and Keen’s intertwining stories take us through the turmoil of the late sixties student movements and into the chaos of the modern world. Exploding with suspense, heart, and intelligence, There’s Going to Be Trouble is a story about revolution, legacy, passionate love, and how we live with the consequences of our darkest secrets.

Kirsten Fitzgerald is a Chicago-based Actor and the Artistic Director at A Red Orchid Theatre. She has originated roles in the world premieres of Traitor, Pilgrim’s Progress, Weapon of Mass Impact, and 4 Murders by Brett Neveu and Grey House by Levi Holloway (at AROT), Swing State by Rebecca Gilman and I hate It Here by Ike Holter (Goodman Theatre), Lettie by Boo Kilebrew and Appropriate by Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins (Victory Gardens Theatre) as well as Tracy Letts’ Mary Page Marlow and Bruce Norris’ The Qualms (Steppenwolf Theatre) among others. Other recent Goodman Theatre credits include ROE and SWEAT. On television, Kirsten played Maria Walters in The Exorcist (FOX) and Mac in Sirens (USA), both for two seasons. In addition, she has made appearances on Shinning Girls (appleTV), The Big Leap (FOX), Proven Innocent (FOX), Chicago Med (NBC), Chicago Justice (NBC), Chicago Fire (NBC), Underemployed (FOX) and ER (NBC). Film credits include Widows (Steve McQueen), Killing Eleanor (Rich Newy & Annica Marks), and Working Man (Robert Jury).

As Artistic Director at A Red Orchid Kirsten has fostered world premiere productions by Brett Neveau (Traitor, Pilgrim’s Progress, The Opponent, Megacosm), Levi Holloway (Grey House, The Haven Place), Ike Holter (Sender), Grant Varjas (33 To Nothing), and Craig Wright (Mistakes Were Made, The Illiad) alongside numerous regional premieres and reimagining’s of rarely seen gems. In 2022, Kirsten directed A Red Orchid’s critically acclaimed production of The Moors by Jen Silverman. This production was honored with 5 Joseph Jefferson awards including one for Best Director of a play at a mid-size theatre as well as one for Best Production at a mid-size theatre.

Thank You Five: LIVE with Strawdog Theatre
2024-04-17 19:00 - 20:30 | The Understudy Coffee and Books, 5531 N Clark St, Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
From Strawdog Theatre, a weekly show bringing theatre artists from around the globe into a conversation about live theatre and digital storytelling with a spirit of gratitude and innovation.
Usually convened digitally, Thank You Five is recording LIVE at The Understudy for one night only.
In addition to viewing in-person, t he show will be streamed live online.
Doors open at 6:30pm, and the recording begins at 7:00pm.
Panelists:
dado
Brett Neveu
Ele Matelan
Carolyn Hoerdemann
With Strawdog Ensemble Host: Michael Reyes
Click here to catch up on previous episodes of Thank You Five.
