Monday evening, June 9, the Joseph Jefferson Awards Committee will hand out its Citations Wing honors for the 30th time, and Stage Door Jonny will be there! In fact, Jonny will be presenting the Citations for Sound Design and Puppet Design. You can see Jonny in all his glory (well, not ALL his glory, dear ones; for that you must arrange a private viewing, and well worth the money it is, too), and hobnob with some of Chicago’s theatrical elite, as the ceremonies are open to the public at the Park West nightclub, 322 W. Armitage. Tickets, $30, are available at the door (cash or check) and include a light buffet reception at 6:30 p.m. (cash bar) followed by the awards ceremonies at 7:30 p.m., which always are a hoot-and-holler affair.
This year’s Citations Wing presentations will honor the fattest roster of nominees ever, some 100 in 22 categories. Among the most-nominated troupes are TimeLine, Lifeline, Raven, Porchlight, Circle and Redmoon theaters, plus The Hypocrites and Pegasus Players.
Jonny must confess that the Citations Wing has a place in his heart: Jonny himself was Chairman of the Citations Wing for three years, ages ago. In fact, Jonny designed the Citations Wing award plaques still in use, and was first to produce the ceremonies at the Park West (and they finished in the black, too!). If you come to see Jonny, please remember to dress sharp.
One of the most creative of all theatrical queer boys, Quebec’s Robert Lepage, makes a rare Chicago appearance with his theater troupe, Ex Machina, June 20-22 at the Athenaeum Theatre (a wonderful, intimate venue). Lepage and cohorts will portray the life of painter Frida Kahlo in La Casa Azul, employing lots of high-tech visualizations of her work. The program is presented by Performing Arts Chicago and the School of the Art Institute. Call (773) 722-5643, or online at www.pachicago.org; $29-$35.
Chicago soon will have two new theater spaces, one rather grand and one rather gritty, as Lookingglass Theatre Company and the Steep Theatre Company move into new homes.
The grand one is the much-ballyhooed new $4.6 million Lookingglass home within the Water Tower Pumping Station. It opens June 14 with the world premiere of Race: How Blacks and Whites Think and Feel About the American Obsession, adapted from the non-fiction book by Studs Terkel, and directed by Lookingglass co-founder David Schwimmer. Following the gala opening, Lookingglass will host a free open house for the public, Sunday, June 15, 1-4 p.m. Show up and take a tour, which includes a gander at the big pumps that still deliver 250 million gallons a day to thirsty Chicagoans.
The gritty new space is a typical Chicago storefront, the new home of two-year-old Steep Theatre Company at 3902 N. Sheridan Road (at Sheffield). The little studio will seat 40-60 people. The opening show, running through June 28, is The Job, by Shem Bitterman.
On the strength of high critical praise, the Drury Lane Evergreen Park production of Singin’ in the Rain is transferring to the North Side for a June 19-July 27 run at the Chicago Center for the Performing Arts, Green Street at Halsted. The show is directed and choreographed by community favorite and aging whiz kid, Marc Robin, and features tall, dark and handsome Curt Dale Clark as Don Lockwood, the role played by Gene Kelly in the famous film upon which this show is based. Other principal cast members, mostly well-known to Chicago audiences, are Paula Scrofano, Dale Benson, Linda Parsons, Christine Scherill and Alex Sanchez as Cosmo Brown. (312) 327-2000; $20-$55. Don’t forget your raincoats: there’s real rain in the show.
One of Jonny’s favorite fellas, actor, director and teacher Dale Calandra, recently underwent emergency surgery and had a very rough go of it. Fortunately, Dale now is on the road to recovery, with the support and prayers of scores of friends in the theater community. Jonny joins them in wishing Dale a swift road back to good health. You may not know the name, but you’d recognize the face: Dale has been featured in many commercials and print ads, and has worked at top Chicago theaters from the Goodman to the Festival Theatre in Oak Park.