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DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260811T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260811T213000
DTSTAMP:20260913T082853
CREATED:20260714T024059Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260811T032548Z
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SUMMARY:Instrumental Theatre Presents: Chicago Theatre Composers Club
DESCRIPTION:A cabaret featuring short pieces from composers\, lyricists and other Chicago musical artists. Hosted by Instrumental Theatre.\n\n\nInstrumental Theatre\, in collaboration with The Understudy\, is proud to introduce the Chicago Theatre Composers Club or CTCC! \nThis cabaret show will feature short pieces from composers\, lyricists\, and other musical artists\, to shine a spotlight and rock out to their tremendous work. Tickets are $10 or PWYC. You can purchase a PWYC Ticket through the donation page~ \nInterested in showing new work? Submissions for composers are now open🎶 \nLine-up to be announced!
URL:https://www.theunderstudy.com/event/instrumental-theatre-presents-chicago-theatre-composers-club/
LOCATION:The Understudy Coffee and Books\, 5531 N Clark St\, Chicago\, IL\, 60640\, United States
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260817T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260817T210000
DTSTAMP:20260913T082853
CREATED:20260726T025551Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260817T032553Z
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SUMMARY:The Understudy Dares You To Produce This Play: The House Party
DESCRIPTION:Amonthly reading series highlighting plays that have not received a Chicago production\n\n\nThe Understudy Dares You to Produce This Play is a monthly reading series highlighting plays that have not received a Chicago production. Produced by The Understudy’s bookstore team\, this series works to expand the variety of playwrights and titles in our vibrant community. \n \nThis month\, we’re reading The House Party by Laura Lomas \n \nJulie: Magdalena Dalzell \nChristine: Isabella Maria Valdes \nJon: Diego Rivera-Rodriguez \n \nAbout the Play \nA wild party. A friendship. A cherished pet. And a night that changes everything. It’s Julie’s eighteenth birthday\, and she’s throwing a party in her father’s extravagant townhouse. Her boyfriend has just dumped her and her longsuffering best friend Christine is trying to pick up the pieces. As the revellers pile into the booze\, down in the kitchen Christine and her boyfriend Jon – son of Julie’s cleaner – clear up and dare to dream of the future. But as the volume goes up and the shots go down\, Julie concocts a twisted cocktail of privilege\, desire and destruction.  \nThe House Party spins Strindberg’s classic play Miss Julie into intense\, fizzing life for today’s generation. Laura Lomas’s play was first performed at the Minerva Theatre\, Chichester\, in 2024\, and then toured the UK in 2025\, co-produced with Headlong in association with Frantic Assembly.
URL:https://www.theunderstudy.com/event/the-understudy-dares-you-to-produce-this-play-the-house-party/
LOCATION:The Understudy Coffee and Books\, 5531 N Clark St\, Chicago\, IL\, 60640\, United States
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260824T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260824T210000
DTSTAMP:20260913T082853
CREATED:20260813T032546Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260824T034054Z
UID:10000274-1787599800-1787605200@www.theunderstudy.com
SUMMARY:BURY THE SNOWCATS by Gracie Everett
DESCRIPTION:Join us for the reading of a new play by Gracie Everett\n\n\nPowerHouse Cheer Elite is an underdog in the world of All-Star Cheer\, boasting only one team worth their salt: the Snowcats\, who can’t seem to shake this losing streak. After an embarrassing failure and serious injury on the mat\, their best chance at a trip to Nationals is gone\, and no one is happy. Then\, on their already-tense van ride home\, a severe blizzard traps the Snowcats in the middle of nowhere with only each other for company. \nEntirely set within the confines of the Waffle House across the street from their motel\, Bury the Snowcats chronicles the week following the team’s worst failure to date. With their teammate’s prognosis still unclear\, everyone searches for someone to blame. \nHostility forms\, rumors fly\, and secrets come to light that make disbandment a real possibility. Unable to escape the storm\, or each other\, the Snowcats are forced to decide whether they should fight for something that’s supposedly doomed\, or let their circumstances bury them alive. \n \nPlaywright: Gracie EverettDirector: Nadya NaumaanDramaturg: Kate SchuertStage Directions: Joel Willison \nAggie: Gracie HallAlex: Ines ManuelBriana: Campbell SmithClaire: Eva StrazekMegan: Andreas WoodsNicole: Kandace MackBob: Mari JoySara: Olivia PryorWaffle House Mike: Jo Tannous \n \nFreshly Brewed Team: \nNadya Naumaan – Co-Artistic Producer \nJoel Willison – Co-Artistic Producer \nDanny Fender – The Understudy Co-Owner \nAdam Crawford – The Understudy Co-Owner \n \nAbout Freshly Brewed \nFreshly 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. \nFreshly Brewed is a collaboration between The Understudy Coffee and Books and Pocket Theatrics
URL:https://www.theunderstudy.com/event/bury-the-snowcats-by-gracie-everett/
LOCATION:The Understudy Coffee and Books\, 5531 N Clark St\, Chicago\, IL\, 60640\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.theunderstudy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/2949e50a82bbc37c3ce54569e9f3be82-kjQ2n1.tmp_.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260825T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260825T210000
DTSTAMP:20260913T082853
CREATED:20260803T031046Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260825T034107Z
UID:10000271-1787686200-1787691600@www.theunderstudy.com
SUMMARY:A Conversation with Nicole Brewer: The Antiracist Theatre
DESCRIPTION:Author Nicole Brewer is Joined by Mica Cole\, Alexis Green\, and Miranda Gonzalez to discuss working beyond white supremacy in theatre\n\n\nABOUT THE BOOK\nA how-to guide for theatermakers who want freedom from white supremacy in their creative practices \nThe Antiracist Theatre offers readers the tools and foundational philosophy to create their own antiracist theatre ethos and delve into its three core principles: harm reduction\, harm prevention\, and relationship repair.  \nNicole Brewer\, faculty at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale and the originator of the Antiracist Theatre model\, guides readers through self-reflection exercises designed to strengthen awareness of their own position\, power\, and privilege and uproot their racist practices. Brewer provides definitions of oft-used\, but rarely defined terms like “accountability\,” “racism\,” and “abuse.” She welcomes BIPOC readers and lovingly and playfully calls in white theatermakers as she outlines methods to interrupt patterns of abuse.  \nAll who believe the way forward for theatre is antiracist and anti-oppressive are welcome. We each have a role to play. Join us in liberating the stage\, the classroom\, and the performing arts.  \n \n \nABOUT THE AUTHOR\nNicole Brewer is a theater director whose work has been seen at theaters such as Long Wharf Theatre\, Baltimore Center Stage\, and Folger Theatre. She is an educator with more than 18 years of teaching experience. Brewer is notably known as the originator of the internationally recognized Antiracist Theatre (ART) model. A leading voice in the movement to transform theater culture through accountability\, care\, and liberation-centered practices\, Brewer serves as acting faculty at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale. \nIn her debut book\, The Antiracist Theatre\, Nicole Brewer invites readers to consider the cost of business as usual and reclaim their power to challenge and shift extractive\, exclusionary\, and exploitative processes. Brewer creates space for readers to reimagine how creative spaces can function in healthier\, more humane\, and accountable ways. The book offers practical tools for building healthier creative environments where everyone can thrive. \nFor more than sixteen years\, Brewer has developed and facilitated anti-racist and anti-oppressive training methodologies that challenge harmful industry norms and reimagine what collaborative artistic processes can be. Her work has been featured at conferences and institutions across the United States\, Canada\, and the UK\, including workshops with Shakespeare’s Globe and the University of Cambridge. \nA dynamic speaker known for blending rigor\, humor\, honesty\, and deep compassion\, Brewer has taught at Howard University\, her alma mater\, the National Theater Institute\, and the Duke Ellington School of the Arts\, among others. \n \n\n\n\nAbout the Facilitators\nMica Cole\, a Chicago native raised on the South Side\, has been an arts administrator\, producer and changemaker for nearly two decades. She is the Executive Director of TimeLine Theatre\, a non-profit theater company that presents stories inspired by history that connect with today’s social and political issues. As a consultant with artEquity\, she has co-led its BIPOC Surviving Predominantly White Institutions Series and the BIPOC Leadership Circle—both aimed at providing resources and mentorship to leaders of color. \nMica served eight seasons as the Repertory Producer at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival\, playing a key role in guiding the company’s equity\, diversity\, and inclusion initiatives\, many of which now serve as foundational organizational models for institutions around the world. Mica has produced more than 80 shows\, including a dozen transfers and national co-productions of new plays with theatres such as American Repertory\, Seattle Repertory\, South Coast Rep\, Arena Stage\, Portland Center Stage\, and Berkeley Repertory. Mica has served on the advisory committee for the Latinx Theatre Commons and is a founding member of the Black Theatre Commons. \nInstagram: @micacole33 \n \nMiranda Gonzalez\, born and raised in the city of Chicago\, is a writer\, director\, producer\, facilitator\, and organizational strategist with a Bachelor of Science from DePaul University\, and has co-created curricula addressing anti-blackness in the Latiné community. Currently the Producing Artistic Director for UrbanTheater Company (UTC) in Chicago\, she has curated and led numerous interdisciplinary projects that blend theater\, music\, dance\, and oral history to tell the stories of Chicago’s history that mirror her identity and lived experience.  Also a collective member of Culture Change Lab\, she helps support arts organizations\, funders\, and lobbyists in reimagining collective structures through operational management. Concurrently\, she serves on the National Latinx Theater Initiative Steering Committee advocating for the advancement of Latinx artists and organizations\, influencing policy.  In 2020 she was invited to record a TEDx talk  “The Fear of Decolonization”. With a deeply rooted history in ensemble practice\, she was a founding member of Teatro Luna and has produced\, devised and developed plays since 2000. Selected to participate in Disney’s Live Entertainment 2024 Creative Intensive\, Miranda was able to collaboratively present new storytelling concepts world-wide. Her play Back In The Day: an Immersive 80’s House Music Dancesical had its World Premier at UrbanTheater Company.  Her most recent critically acclaimed play Mascogos\, commissioned by the  Los Angeles Latino Theater Company’s Imaginistas\, discussing the history of the underground railroad to Mexico\, had it’s world premiere in October 2025. The summer of 2025 she was a playwright in residence at the University of Chicago’s Reva & David Logan Center for the Arts\, where she began developing her current play Fina (fee-nah) a time-bending afro-peruvian musical. Directing\, writing\, and script development credits include; Evolution of a Sonero by Flaco Navaja\, Remote Learning Curve by Albany Park Theater Ensemble\, Thank You for Coming. Take Care by Stacey Rose at Court Theatre\, Ashes of Light by Marco Antonio Rodriguez\, La Gringa by Carmen Rivera; Teatro Luna Productions S-E-X-Oh!\, Lunaticas\, Crossed\, GL 2010\, The North/South Plays a workshop at DCASE; F.O.P and Crime Scene Chicago with Collaboraction; and Melissa DuPrey’s Sushi-Frito at Free Street Theater. She is also an Executive Producer for the web series 50 Blind Dates with Melissa DuPrey and has written for web series Ruby’s World Yo created by Marilyn Camacho. Recipient of the Diane Rodriguez Teatrista Award\, Leaders for a New Chicago Award\,  3Arts Award \,  International Centre for Women Playwrights 50/50 Award. Visit https://linktr.ee/chiblaxican to learn more!  \n \nAlexis Green (she/her) is a theatre artist\, producer\, and community connector in Chicago (but still tied to her desert girl roots of Phoenix\, Arizona). She is an alumnus of Arizona State University\, where she received her BA in Theatre Arts with a minor in Communication. Alexis also holds an MFA in Acting from Brown University/Trinity Rep. \nAlexis has performed and directed at theatres all around the country\, including Next Act Theatre\, Raven Theatre\, Bread Loaf School of English\, Portland Stage\, The Feast (formerly The Williams Project)\, The Black Theatre Troupe\, and UNC Chapel Hill. \nAlongside performing\, Alexis served for five years as the Director of Programs for artEquity\, where\, as part of the leadership team until 2025\, she provided guidance and supervision for artEquity’s national programs centering antiracism and resources for Black\, Indigenous\, and People of Color in the arts and culture sector\, and also managed artEquity’s consulting relationships. \nAlexis is also the Founder and Director of (X) Collective\, a group of theatre artists in Chicago whose mission is to be in conversation and collaboration with our communities through service\, reciprocal relationship-building\, and community experiences.
URL:https://www.theunderstudy.com/event/a-conversation-with-nicole-brewer-the-antiracist-theatre/
LOCATION:The Understudy Coffee and Books\, 5531 N Clark St\, Chicago\, IL\, 60640\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.theunderstudy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/c906b2c6fed3461aafb55a241cd1d7ab-oY59WA.tmp_.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260828T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260828T220000
DTSTAMP:20260913T082853
CREATED:20260828T201120Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260828T201120Z
UID:10000276-1787945400-1787954400@www.theunderstudy.com
SUMMARY:BlkOut Theatre Project Presents: Blood Red Salon
DESCRIPTION:
URL:https://www.theunderstudy.com/event/blkout-theatre-project-presents-blood-red-salon/
LOCATION:The Understudy Coffee and Books\, 5531 N Clark St\, Chicago\, IL\, 60640\, United States
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260831T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260831T213000
DTSTAMP:20260913T082853
CREATED:20260806T031104Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260831T041108Z
UID:10000272-1788204600-1788211800@www.theunderstudy.com
SUMMARY:THE OUTSIDER by Paul Slade Smith
DESCRIPTION:A play reading of THE OUTSIDER by Paul Slade Smith produced by Exit\, Pursued by a Play Reading.\n\n\nNed Newley doesn’t even want to be governor. He’s terrified of public speaking; his poll numbers are impressively bad. To his ever-supportive Chief of Staff\, Ned seems destined to fail. But political consultant Arthur Vance sees things differently: Ned might be the worst candidate to ever run for office. Unless the public is looking for the worst candidate to ever run for office…. A timely and hilarious comedy that skewers politics and celebrates democracy. \n \n** CAST TO BE ANNOUNCED **
URL:https://www.theunderstudy.com/event/the-outsider-by-paul-slade-smith/
LOCATION:The Understudy Coffee and Books\, 5531 N Clark St\, Chicago\, IL\, 60640\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.theunderstudy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/5e3e5cf0b880f92a47f8f99de3bda375-KbbmY8.tmp_.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260909T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260909T210000
DTSTAMP:20260913T082853
CREATED:20260903T072312Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260903T072312Z
UID:10000284-1788982200-1788987600@www.theunderstudy.com
SUMMARY:Workshop: a love story and poetry event with Hot Potato Hearts
DESCRIPTION:Calling all poets and writers who wanna write and possibly *find* love. Join us for an evening of reading and writing poetry with our friends Leah and Katie.
URL:https://www.theunderstudy.com/event/workshop-a-love-story-and-poetry-event-with-hot-potato-hearts/
LOCATION:The Understudy Coffee and Books\, 5531 N Clark St\, Chicago\, IL\, 60640\, United States
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260910T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260910T213000
DTSTAMP:20260913T082853
CREATED:20260902T161143Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260902T161146Z
UID:10000280-1789068600-1789075800@www.theunderstudy.com
SUMMARY:Re:working - Culture of Care\, a Toolkit
DESCRIPTION:Hear Nicole\, Sheryl\, Kiaran\, and Chels dream up more updated\, common standards for care with Gabriela.\n\n\nSince Not in Our House and the Chicago Theatre Standards\, our city has been considered an epicenter of caring innovation. It’s time\, after We See You White American Theater and the pandemic’s gap in knowledge transmission\, to reexamine our best practices and share a more common vocabulary. In this roundtable\, a cultural consultant\, an intimacy choreographer\, an access specialist\, and the founder of Anti-Racist Theatre walk into a coffee shop to collaborate on a non-exhaustive\, step-by-step guide to their ideal process — built around intentionality and the speed of trust — from show selection\, to harm prevention and repair\, to possibilities for transcendent belonging\, to the final bow. \nRe:working Chicago Theatre is a new roundtable series to follow up on long-standing challenges faced by local creatives and forge ahead with renewed perspectives and solutions. This partnership between Pocket Theatre\, The Understudy Coffee + Books\, and American Theatre magazine aims to serve an ecosystem which finds itself at a crossroads and foster connections across specializations and companies. Each month\, Gabriela Furtado Coutinho welcomes four theatre folks to The Understudy in Andersonville to confront distinct issues in a warm\, community-driven setting. These guests are selected from a public nomination form\, linked here. \nNicole Brewer \nNICOLE BREWER is a passionate advocate for anti-racist theatre. She has spent the last sixteen years refining and practicing an inclusive method of theatre training and practices which she initially called Conscientious Theatre Training (CTT) and is now known as Anti-Racist Theatre. She has authored several articles about the need for the theatre industry to shift from racist and oppressive models to anti-racist and anti-oppressive. \nNicole has been invited all over the US to teach and speak about CTT and facilitate anti-racist theatre (ART) workshops. She’s also facilitated ART workshops in Canada and the UK providing workshops for The Globe and Cambridge University. \nNicole is a board member of Parent Artist Advocacy League (PAAL) where she works to shift how the industry can become more proactive to the needs of caregivers. She is a proud single mother of three\, inclusive of her bonus (step) child. \nNicole was one of the four producers of the COVID19 freelance artist resource website\, freelanceartistresource.com. The producing collective also partnered with HowlRound to produce six weekly webinars that centered the needs of freelance artists impacted by the pandemic. \nMs. Brewer is on faculty in the acting department at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale. She has worked at Duke Ellington School of the Arts\, a premier performing arts high school in Washington D.C. as visiting faculty (acting). Nicole was visiting faculty at the National Theater Institute (NTI) for several years. She was faculty in the theatre department of Howard University for seven and a half years and has also worked at Northern Virginia Community College and Montgomery College teaching acting and introduction to communications courses. \nNicole is frequently invited to share her work on CTT and ART at conferences such as ATHE\, SETC\, TCG\, The Black Theatre Festival in Winston Salem\, North Carolina\, and in the UK at Goldsmith’s University. \nNicole Brewer earned her M.F.A. in Acting from Northern Illinois University and her B.F.A. from Howard University. She’s worked professionally as director\, facilitator\, speaker\, educator\, and writer. \nSheryl WilliamsSince 2017\, Sheryl Williams has been providing Intimacy Choreography and Coordination support to the Chicagoland area\, with her work being seen on the stages such as: The Regional Tony Awarding Court Theatre\, The Goodman\, Steppenwolf and The Lyric Opera of Chicago\, as well as several festival submissions from Indie films she has worked on. \nShe has been Court Theatre’s Resident Intimacy and Fight Choreographer from 2023 to 2026\, and as well as their Culture and Consent Coordinator. She was consulted on quality-of-life improvements to the institution and implementing workshop practices to support their “Culture of Care” process. She is also on IPEC’s Certification Board and an Assistant Faculty member with T.I.E. She also finds joy in supporting young artists\, holding resident choreography and consulting connections with Roosevelt University CCPA\, Depaul’s Theatre School\, and North Central College. \nHer B.A in Musical Theatre and Minor in Stage combat provided her a foundation for choreography and an enhanced awareness of audience visuals and spatial awareness. Through her workshops and consent-based practices\, she actively tries to create space for the performer’s impulses to still be honored\, while being boundary-informed and collaborative with the use of de-loaded language. She is thorough in her search for clarity when speaking to productions about what they wish to achieve and what may be needed to achieve it. She has participated in building casting calls\, policy considerations\, community agreements\, and has been invited to institutions as a guest artist and speaker for Theater and Film. \nShe has been published as a contributor for staging violence and intimacy in Intimacy Directing for Theatre; interviewed for her work at Court Theatre and The Lyric Opera of Chicago in the Chicago Sun-Times. \nKiaran HartnettKiaran has been a teaching artist with A.B.L.E (Artists Breaking Limits and Expectations) in Chicago since 2020. \nShe enjoys teaching Shakespeare\, movement\, and devising with the A.B.L.E. ensembles. Kiaran has an undergraduate degree in Psychology and Theater from the University of Minnesota and a Graduate degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from DePaul University. \nIn addition to working with A.B.L.E.\, she is a Licensed Professional Counselor and working as a pre-registered Dance Movement Therapist. \n \nChels Morgan \nChels Morgan (they/them) is a Queer\, Black and Dominican Intimacy\, Movement and Fight Director as well as a Cultural Sensitivity Specialist for stage and screen. Their work lives at the nexus of physical storytelling\, mental health and cultural competency\, as they recognize that authentic storytelling is only possible when the artists telling the story are cared for. They are also an AASECT Certified Sexuality Educator and the Director of Accessibility and Inclusion at the Intimacy Professionals Education Collective (IPEC). \nNotable credits include Paranormal Activity (Broadway / North American Tour)\, How to Defend Yourself (New York Theater Workshop)\, ICEBOY! (Goodman Theatre)\, safronia (Lyric Opera of Chicago)\, Kowalski (Lookingglass) and THE CHI (Showtime). Their intimacy\, violence and cultural competency work has also been seen at the Old Globe Theatre\, The Lucile Lortel Theater\, Milwaukee Rep\, the American Conservatory Theatre\, Indiana Repertory Theater\, Syracuse Stage\, and Chicago Shakespeare Theater\, among others. \nFacilitated by: \nGabriela Furtado Coutinho \nGabriela Furtado Coutinho is a writer\, actor\, cultural strategist\, and proud graduate of Northwestern University (Theatre/English Creative Writing BA). For the past three years\, she has guest lectured at Northwestern in the theatre and English departments and served as an editor of TCG’s American Theatre magazine. Grateful for previous work with the Emmy’s/Television Academy\, The Kennedy Center\, and various Chicago collectives\, she holds experience in developing both new work and tangible care practices. \nProjects include Goodman Theatre’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (understudy actor); Blood Wedding (lead actor); The Bloody Bricks and Blows of American Dream High (playwright); Much Ado About Nothing: A Miami Party to Joy\, featured in the Latinx Shakespeares archive (director); and Lookingglass’s Circus Quixote (dramaturg). Gabriela is a past fellow of the Fornés Playwriting Workshop and O’Neill National Critics Institute. She was also a 2026 semifinalist for the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference. \nAT  bylines include creative nonfiction piece “How to Survive a Dictatorship\, the Theatre Artist’s Way\,” personal cover story “Tomorrow’s Tamoras and Titanias\,” and poem “in your hands\, american theatres” (the editor’s letter for AT‘s Immigrant Imaginations issue). She feels deeply honored that many of her stories have been featured in syllabi around the country\, from high schools in Florida\, to undergraduate programs in the Midwest and West Coast\, to Yale’s David Geffen School of Drama. \nHer latest endeavors include contributing to a new Routledge companion on Latine and Caribbean musical theatre and leading the new monthly series Re:working Chicago Theatre at The Understudy Coffee + Books. \nShe loves to reimagine classics\, embody power roles\, take lyrical creative risks\, empower youth\, and dream up kinder futurisms with friends whose language is laughter. She brings warm Brazilian sensibilities to her work\, creating across three native languages. \nPlease feel free to contact her at gabriela.furtado.coutinho.us@gmail.com. As an actor\, Gabriela Furtado Coutinho is represented by Talent X Alexander (lsmith@talentxalexander.com). \nNominate someone for the next roundtable here.
URL:https://www.theunderstudy.com/event/reworking-culture-of-care-a-toolkit/
LOCATION:The Understudy Coffee and Books\, 5531 N Clark St\, Chicago\, IL\, 60640\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.theunderstudy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/fb269a40f7d07e821ae1f8be722ecadf-85pqKu.tmp_.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260911T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260911T210000
DTSTAMP:20260913T082853
CREATED:20260903T041049Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260903T041049Z
UID:10000283-1789155000-1789160400@www.theunderstudy.com
SUMMARY:Steppenwolf Learner Chats: Topdog/Underdog
DESCRIPTION:Steppenwolf Theatres' Learner Chat series invites our community to learn from expert guests through engaging conversations.\n\n\nSteppenwolf Theatres’ Learner Chat series invites our community to learn from expert guests through engaging conversations that explore the major themes of each play. Participants are guided on a journey that dives deeper into motifs\, design elements\, and dramaturgy\, offering new perspectives\, insights\, and opportunities for discovery beyond the stage. \n \nThe event will start at 7:30p and will include a facilitated conversation between Steppenwolf Education + Engagement staff and other guest artists to dive deeper into the themes of Topdog/ Underdog and why Steppenwolf is excited to produce this classic today!  \n \nGuest artists will be announced soon. All registrants receive a discount code for tickets through previews.
URL:https://www.theunderstudy.com/event/steppenwolf-learner-chats-topdog-underdog/
LOCATION:The Understudy Coffee and Books\, 5531 N Clark St\, Chicago\, IL\, 60640\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.theunderstudy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/648059062ee80edc9c24884b1026f51f-c28wm3.tmp_.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260911T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260911T210000
DTSTAMP:20260913T082853
CREATED:20260903T041049Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260911T042600Z
UID:10000281-1789155000-1789160400@www.theunderstudy.com
SUMMARY:Steppenwolf Learner Chats: Topdog/Underdog
DESCRIPTION:Steppenwolf Theatres' Learner Chat series invites our community to learn from expert guests through engaging conversations.\n\n\nSteppenwolf Theatres’ Learner Chat series invites our community to learn from expert guests through engaging conversations that explore the major themes of each play. Participants are guided on a journey that dives deeper into motifs\, design elements\, and dramaturgy\, offering new perspectives\, insights\, and opportunities for discovery beyond the stage. \n \nThe event will start at 7:30p and will include a facilitated conversation between Steppenwolf Education + Engagement staff and other guest artists to dive deeper into the themes of Topdog/ Underdog and why Steppenwolf is excited to produce this classic today! \nWe’ll be joined in conversation by Reva Stover\, Asst. Director for Topdog Underdog. \nReva Stover (she/they) is a director\, writer\, and world-builder who creates theatre for the digital age. Her productions are immersive experiences\, where lights\, blocking\, and transitions blur the line between audience and story. Drawing on deep dramaturgical analysis and lore creation\, she crafts stories that feel lived-in\, urgent\, and unforgettable.
URL:https://www.theunderstudy.com/event/steppenwolf-learner-chats-topdog-underdog-2/
LOCATION:The Understudy Coffee and Books\, 5531 N Clark St\, Chicago\, IL\, 60640\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.theunderstudy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/648059062ee80edc9c24884b1026f51f-c28wm3.tmp_.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260914T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260914T220000
DTSTAMP:20260913T082853
CREATED:20260811T032552Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260913T044109Z
UID:10000273-1789414200-1789423200@www.theunderstudy.com
SUMMARY:Midsommer Flight presents: Adelinda by Hannah Brand
DESCRIPTION:A reading of Adelinda – a comedy that offers audiences a witty and entertaining exploration of love\, intrigue\, and mistaken identities.\n\n\nAdelinda by Hannah Brand \nDirected by Joshua Pennington \n\nCast\nAdelinda D’Olstain – Ahlora Victoria \nMarquis D’Olstain – Barry Irving \nCount D’Olstain – Alexander Garza \nMarchioness D’Olstain – Hannah Mary Simpson \nStrasbourg – Brandon Beach \nZella – Koshie Mills \nDorcas – Brynley Halverson \nFlora – Siyi Wang \n\nSynopsis\nThe willful and rebellious Adelinda is set to marry the wealthy Count D’Olstain – much to her weary parents’ relief. The only problem – Adelinda is already secretly married to a servant! Schemes and mistaken identities abound\, lost children are returned\, and some snooty parents get a rightful scolding in this comical and quippy caper about the lengths we go to for a happily ever after. \n\nAbout the Playwright\nHannah Brand (1754-1821) was an English actress\, playwright\, and poet. She began her career running a prestigious girls’ school with her sister\, but by her late 30s\, had decided to leave teaching and pursue a life in the theater. She published a book of poetry and plays in 1798\, including Adelinda\, which seems not to have been performed in her lifetime. In 1794\, Brand retired from the stage and returned to the world of education\, working as governess. Though her work was tragically overlooked in her time\, she is considered by many modern historians to be a pioneering figure in eighteenth-century drama. \n \nTickets are pay-what-you-can! You can buy a ticket through the donation section.
URL:https://www.theunderstudy.com/event/midsommer-flight-presents-adelinda-by-hannah-brand/
LOCATION:The Understudy Coffee and Books\, 5531 N Clark St\, Chicago\, IL\, 60640\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.theunderstudy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/acbf6945be914e1590a171b1fe4287c4-mnP0Xp.tmp_.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260923T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260923T220000
DTSTAMP:20260913T082853
CREATED:20260904T041058Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260913T044111Z
UID:10000286-1790191800-1790200800@www.theunderstudy.com
SUMMARY:FEM/THEM Comedy Open Mic at The Understudy
DESCRIPTION:If you identify as funny and not-a-dude-onstage\, this is your night diva! Hosted by Preeti Thaker\n\n\nPreeti & Jordan present: A Comedy Open Mic for Women + Non-Binary Comics!\nIf you identify as funny and not-a-dude-onstage\, this is your night diva! \n  \nWHAT’S THE PLAN?\n• 7:30 PM — arrive responsibly early\, wonder what the vibe is gonna be like. Support the space by buying a drink! \n• 8:00 PM — the mic starts\, the chaos begins \n• Sign-ups close at 9 PM because of boundaries \n  \nSET DETAILS\n• 4 minutes of pure lightning \n• 5 minutes if you buy a drink — please support and tip our bartenders ♥️ \n  \nCAN MEN ATTEND?\nOf course! \nMen can sit\, watch\, hydrate\, clap\, and support women (a skill we’d love to see more of) \nWe kindly ask that you practice not-mansplaining \nIf you feel a mansplanation rising in your throat\, please swallow it \n  \nANYTHING ELSE?\nBring the vibes baby! This is our first time doing a comedy open mic and we’d love to make it a tradition. Come through! \n  \nxx \nPreeti & Jordan
URL:https://www.theunderstudy.com/event/fem-them-comedy-open-mic-at-the-understudy-9/
LOCATION:The Understudy Coffee and Books\, 5531 N Clark St\, Chicago\, IL\, 60640\, United States
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260928T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260928T210000
DTSTAMP:20260913T082853
CREATED:20260817T032557Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260913T044112Z
UID:10000275-1790623800-1790629200@www.theunderstudy.com
SUMMARY:The Understudy Dares You to Produce This Play: Poor Clare
DESCRIPTION:A monthly reading series highlighting plays that have not yet been produced in Chicago\n\n\nThe Understudy Dares You to Produce This Play is a monthly reading series highlighting plays that have not received a Chicago production. Produced by The Understudy’s bookstore team\, this series works to expand the variety of playwrights and titles in our vibrant community. \n \nThis month\, we’re reading Poor Clare by Chiara Atik \nClare: Felicia Oduh  \nBeatrice: John-Payne \nFrancis: Andrew Shipman \nAlma: Jordan Levene \nPeppa: Preeti Thaker \nOrtolana: Mari De La Rua \nThe Poor/Beggar: Izzy Valdes \n \nAbout the Play \nIt’s 1211 in Assisi\, Italy\, and Clare’s got beauty\, wealth and a rich suitor who showers her with expensive presents. So why is she so drawn to this guy Francis who gave up all his possessions just because poor people are suffering? Everyone in town says he’s crazy. And yet… she starts seeing everything in her life differently. This hilarious\, anachronistic telling of the real story of St. Clare considers the cost of doing good – and how little has changed for the haves and the have-nots in almost a millennium.
URL:https://www.theunderstudy.com/event/the-understudy-dares-you-to-produce-this-play-poor-clare/
LOCATION:The Understudy Coffee and Books\, 5531 N Clark St\, Chicago\, IL\, 60640\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.theunderstudy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/0bf3fde215661c504ff1998019148afe-u0zxDi.tmp_.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261005T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261005T213000
DTSTAMP:20260913T082853
CREATED:20260904T041101Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260913T044114Z
UID:10000287-1791228600-1791235800@www.theunderstudy.com
SUMMARY:ARSENIC AND OLD LACE by by Joseph Kesselring
DESCRIPTION:A play reading of THE OUTSIDER by Paul Slade Smith produced by Exit\, Pursued by a Play Reading.\n\n\nDrama critic Mortimer Brewster’s engagement announcement is upended when he discovers a corpse in his elderly aunts’ window seat. Mortimer rushes to tell Abby and Martha before they stumble upon the body themselves\, only to learn that the two old women aren’t just aware of the dead man in their parlor\, they killed him! Between his aunts’ penchant for poisoning wine\, a brother who thinks he’s Teddy Roosevelt\, and another brother using plastic surgery to hide from the police – not to mention Mortimer’s own hesitancy about marriage – it’ll be a miracle if Mortimer makes it to his wedding. Arsenic and Old Lace is a classic dark comedy about the only thing more deadly than poison: family. \n \n** CAST TO BE ANNOUNCED **
URL:https://www.theunderstudy.com/event/arsenic-and-old-lace-by-by-joseph-kesselring/
LOCATION:The Understudy Coffee and Books\, 5531 N Clark St\, Chicago\, IL\, 60640\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.theunderstudy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/e3fcd457c5ff565f00ea9266e808f023-ZiXI6R.tmp_.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261008T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261008T210000
DTSTAMP:20260913T082853
CREATED:20260903T041052Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260913T044115Z
UID:10000282-1791487800-1791493200@www.theunderstudy.com
SUMMARY:Mia Schachter: How to Do Consent (without Sounding Like a Robot)
DESCRIPTION:a modern guide for moving sex and boundaries past rigid rules and toward real connection\, personal fulfillment\, and self-discovery.\n\n\nABOUT THE BOOK\nEssential\, up-to-date guidance on consent and sex for anyone who’s having it—and everyone who wants to do it better. \nEmpowered practices\, embodied skills\, and frame-changing advice for navigating consent\, pursuing pleasure\, and building connection in the real world. \nPart practical guide\, part cultural critique\, this book offers braver\, more creative\, and more empowered visions of what sex can (and should) be. Essential reading for anyone having sex in the 21st century\, How to Do Consent moves the conversation past stale and rigid assumptions toward one rooted in connection\, fulfillment\, and self-discovery. \nTimely\, provocative\, real-world\, and affirming\, Schachter’s work dispels misconceptions like: \n\n“Consent can be done perfectly”: When in practice\, it’s relative\, subjective\, fluid\, and interpersonal—there’s no one right way to do it.\n“If you can’t talk about sex\, you shouldn’t be having it”: Abstinence lite is unrealistic; talking about sex requires experience\, trial\, and error.\n“Consent will save us”: Consent is a harm-reduction strategy\, not a panacea.\n“Enthusiasm is a requirement for consensual sex”: Utterly unenthusiastic but totally consensual sex happens all the time. It’s fine!\n“Consent is something that men do for women”: It’s a shared\, communal responsibility—and anyone of any gender can violate another’s’ boundaries.\n“Sexuality is always innate and unchangeable”: While honoring the reality that many are “born this way\,” Schachter shares how their own desires and sexuality have been both fluid and actively sculpted.\n\nGrounded in Schachter’s work as an intimacy coordinator and consent educator—and informed by insights from sex workers\, therapists\, kink practitioners\, and community leaders—How to Do Consent (Without Sounding Like a Robot) offers a provocative and bitingly funny alternative to the myths and practices that keep us silent\, confused\, anxious\, and disconnected—and that hold us back from asking for (and discovering) what we really want. \n \nABOUT THE AUTHOR\nMia Schachter is a writer\, multi-media artist and musician\, and the creator of Consent Wizardry\, an online consent school serving over a thousand students seeking more easeful relationships\, clearer boundaries\, and authentic self-expression. Mia also works as an intimacy coordinator for TV\, film\, and theater. They’ve taught and spoken for organizations including Planned Parenthood\, XBiz\, and the Directors Guild’s Women’s Steering Committee. Drawing on a background in philosophy\, gender studies\, ethics\, and neuroscience—as well as their lived experience with chronic illness—Schachter explores consent as a creative\, anti-carceral practice that links body\, desire\, and imagination.
URL:https://www.theunderstudy.com/event/mia-schachter-how-to-do-consent-without-sounding-like-a-robot/
LOCATION:The Understudy Coffee and Books\, 5531 N Clark St\, Chicago\, IL\, 60640\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.theunderstudy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/a130fafa6a19bd32b5caa74eed8a89d4-xoP6bT.tmp_.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261013T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261013T193000
DTSTAMP:20260913T082853
CREATED:20260829T041050Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260913T044117Z
UID:10000277-1791914400-1791919800@www.theunderstudy.com
SUMMARY:Century Cycle Book Club Event 1
DESCRIPTION:Part 1: Intro
URL:https://www.theunderstudy.com/event/century-cycle-book-club-event-1/
LOCATION:Goodman Theatre\, 170 North Dearborn Street\, Chicago\, IL\, 60601\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261013T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261013T193000
DTSTAMP:20260913T082853
CREATED:20260829T041051Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260829T041051Z
UID:10000279-1791914400-1791919800@www.theunderstudy.com
SUMMARY:Century Cycle Book Club Event 1
DESCRIPTION:Part 1: Intro
URL:https://www.theunderstudy.com/event/century-cycle-book-club-event-1-2/
LOCATION:Goodman Theatre\, 170 North Dearborn Street\, Chicago\, IL\, 60601\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261109T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261109T203000
DTSTAMP:20260913T082853
CREATED:20260829T041051Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260913T044118Z
UID:10000278-1794250800-1794256200@www.theunderstudy.com
SUMMARY:Century Cycle Play Club 2
DESCRIPTION:Edition 2
URL:https://www.theunderstudy.com/event/century-cycle-play-club-2/
LOCATION:The Understudy Coffee and Books\, 5531 N Clark St\, Chicago\, IL\, 60640\, United States
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR