ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar
Definition Theatre
presents the Chicago Premiere of
Fairview
the 2019 Pulitzer Prize winner by Jackie Sibblies Drury
directed by Artistic Director Tyrone Phillips
Here at ChiIL Mama, we not only cover family friendly theatre, but also productions that deal with family relationships and dynamics. We're particularly jazzed for Definition Theatre's latest, the Chicago premiere of the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama Fairview by Jackie Sibblies Drury and directed by Artistic Director Tyrone Phillips. We've been big fans of Tyrone Phillips' excellent work for years. I'll be out for opening night on May 4th, so check back soon after for my full review.
Fairview runs from April 28 - May 21, 2023 at The Revival, 1160 E 55th Street in Hyde Park. Tickets for Fairview are general admission and start at $35. Visit definitiontheatre.org to buy tickets.
The Chicago premiere features ensemble members Carley Cornelius and Martasia K. Jones with Barbara Figgins, David Goodloe, Jada Jackson, Collin Quinn Rice, Kandice Robins and Max Stewart.
At the Frasier household, preparations for Grandma’s birthday party are underway. Beverly is holding on to her sanity by a thread to make sure this party is perfect, but her sister can’t be bothered to help, her husband doesn’t seem to listen, her brother is MIA, her daughter is a teenager, and maybe nothing is what it seems in the first place. Fairview is a searing examination of families, drama, family dramas, and the insidiousness of white supremacy.
“Our ensemble is eager to share this Chicago Premiere at The Revival in Hyde Park. Fairview is a stirring family comedy that tackles complicated issues and asks big questions about identity, race, stereotypes, ownership, and the all-too-common white gaze that is applied to the lives, culture, and stories of BIPoC communities,” said Artistic Director Tyrone Phillips. “I am thrilled to direct this masterpiece by Jackie Sibblies Drury with an incredible team of artists on and off the stage who have assembled to create a theatrical experience that our audiences will not soon forget.”
The production team for Fairview includes Tiffany Renee Johnson (Assistant Director), Sydney Lynne Thomas (Scenic Design), Alexandria Richardson (Costume Design), Brenden Marble and Razor Wintercastle (Lighting Design), Willow James (Sound Design), Mariah Bennett (Props Design), Jyreika Guest (Intimacy & Fight Choreography), Kenya Hall (Dramaturg), Ellen Willett (Production Manager), Julie Jachym (Stage Manager), Octavio Montes De Oca (Assistant Stage Managers), Evan Sposato (Technical Director), Louis Lothan (Master Electrician), ensemble member Alexandra Oparka (Assistant Producer), and AJ Links (Casting).
Location: The Revival, 1160 E 55th Street in Hyde Park
Previews: Friday, April 28 at 7:30pm; Saturday, April 29 at 3:00pm and 7:30pm;
Sunday, April 30 at 3:00pm
Regular run: May 5 - 21, 2023
Ticket prices: $35
Box Office: Tickets are available online at definitiontheatre.org. Tickets will also be available to purchase in person at The Revival on the day of the performance.
ABOUT DEFINITION THEATRE
Definition Theatre is a culturally diverse theater dedicated to telling language-driven, relationship-oriented, socially relevant stories about and created with underrepresented communities in Chicago. Our ensemble is a collective of artists, art administrators, educators, and designers who prioritize working towards and representing a more equitable theatre industry.
Definition has built its reputation on work that reflects its unique voice. It shared the words of Academy Award- Winner Tarell Alvin McCraney in The Brothers Size; it grooved with Amiri Baraka’s whirlwind story of a chance meeting on a train in Dutchman. In partnership with, The New Colony staged the world premiere of Byhalia, Mississippi, which starred Academy Award nominee ensemble member Kiki Layne. In association with the Goodman Theatre, Definition staged the Chicago premiere of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ An Octoroon, a subversive take on race in America that captivated audiences. Definition sent us all to the moon with ensemble member James Ijames’s Moon Man Walk, explored the challenges of America’s public-school system through Nilaja Sun’s No Child… and highlighted the first- generation experience in the world premiere of Sam Kebede’s ETHIOPIANAMERICA. The company returned to the stage and inspected white privilege, racial politics and the fine line between appropriation and opportunity in ensemble member James Ijames’s WHITE. This Winter, they examined the dark and sweet spots of Black American identity with the choreopoem, ALAIYO.
Ensemble members include: Adia Alli, Owais Ahmed, Ariel Beller, Jared Bellot, Carley Cornelius, Ari Craven, Danielle Davis, Martasia Jones, Slick Jorgensen, Yeaji Kim, Kristy Hall, James Ijames, Kiki Layne, Kelson Michael McAuliffe, Victor Musoni, Neel McNeill, Sophiyaa Nayar, Karyn Oates, Alexandra Oparka, Julian Parker, Maya Vinice Prentiss Tyrone Phillips, Ireon Roach, Jacqueline Rosas, Christopher Sheard, and Dujon Smith. Artistic Advisory Board members include: director May Adrales, Steppenwolf ensemble member Alana Arenas, actress Shannon Cochran, Erica Daniels, actor Brandon Dirden, actor Jason Dirden, director Pam Mackinnon, Equity Quotient CEO Keryl McCord, professor JW Morrissette, director Ron OJ Parson, professor/lighting designer Kathy Perkins, Tony Award-winning actress and stage director Phylicia Rashad, and Goodman Theatre director in residence Chuck Smith. Tyrone Phillips is the Artistic Director and Neel McNeill is the Executive Director. For additional information, visit definitiontheatre.org and @definitiontheatre on Facebook and Instagram #stayinit
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