The Wizards, written by Ricardo Gamboa and directed by Katrina Dion, will run at the APO Cultural Center, 1438 W. 18th St., on Oct. 14-Nov. 19.
The production follows Amado and Sam (played by Gamboa and Sean James William Parris, respectively)—a Brown and Black genderqueer couple who move back to Amado’s hometown of Chicago after surviving a hate crime in New York the day after the 2016 presidential election. In their new apartment in the city’s gentrifying Pilsen neighborhood, the two find a Ouija board that puts them in touch the ghost of four boys who were members of The Wizards, a Mexican-American Motown cover band on Chicago’s South Side during the ’70s. The Wizards is a supernatural thriller about haunting histories and people.
Concrete Content is presenting The Wizards in conjunction with APO Cultural Center, Destinos, Chicago Latino Theater Alliance, the National Museum of Mexican Art and Gertie. The production was originally commissioned by the Goodman Theater while Gamboa was a member of the Playwrights Unit. Gamboa was inspired by their parents’ stories of growing up in Pilsen during the 1970s.
To purchase tickets ($20-$60 each), visit http://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-wizards-by-ricardo-gamboa-tickets-409301902007?aff=ebdssbdestsearch. The proceeds go directly toward paying the actors and production team. Additionally, there will be 10 walk-up tickets available each night that will be pay-what-you-can.
Note: Actors will be unmasked during the performance, and audience members are required to wear masks to each performance.
Also, The Wizards is recommended for people 13 and older, and deals with content including but not limited to murder, racial slurs, sexual intimacy and ghosts.