PrideArts today announced its two casts for the company’s same-sex approach to the thought-provoking CONSTELLATIONS, by British playwright Nick Payne, playing November 13 – December 13. While CONSTELLATIONS was originally written with its characters being a man and a woman, a London revival in 2021 performed it with a cast of two men, alternating with three different casts of a man and a woman. For this production, PrideArts will take this concept a step further, not only by performing it with a female-female cast as well as with a male-male cast, but also by having the two casts co-directed by a male-female team of two directors – PrideArts’ Artistic Director Jay Españo and Managing Director Amber Mandley. The two casts will alternate performances per the schedule listed below. The male cast will open to the press on Monday, November 16 and the female cast will open to the press on Thursday, November 19. There will be a preview on Friday, November 13 (male cast) and another preview (female cast) on Sunday, November 16.
The male cast will feature Españo as Manuel and Skyler Tipton as Roland. In addition to Españo’s many directing credits with PrideArts, most recently A NEW BRAIN and [TITLE OF SHOW], his acting credits include the King in THE KING AND I and Felicia in PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT and a three-week run in Lonnie Carter’s THE ROMANCE OF MAGNO RUBIO for Theater Alaska in Juneau, AK. Tipton’s 2026 credits include playing Peter Bell in CHANGING CHANNELS for City Lit Theater and Conor in ADVANCE MAN with Strawdog Theatre Company.
Mandley’s cast will include Shannon Bachelder as Marianne and Hannah Green as Rona. Bachelder has been seen on Chicago stages in POTUS, OR BEHIND EVERY GREAT DUMBASS ARE SEVEN WOMEN TRYING TO KEEP HIM ALIVE with Towle Theatre, and A BRIGHT ROOM CALLED DAY with Blank Theatre Company. Green’s recent credits include FIVE WOMEN WEARING THE SAME DRESS for St Sebastian Players.
Understudies for the male cast are Myles Mathews (Manuel U/S) and Brenden Zwiebel (Roland U/S). There will be an understudy performance for this cast on Friday, December 4 at 7 pm. Understudies for the female cast are Maren Rosenberg (Rona U/S), and Elyssa Treviño (Marianne U/S). The female cast will have an understudy performance on Sunday, December 6 at 7 pm.
Top Row L-R: Jay Españo, Skyler Tipton, Shannon Bachelder, Hannah Green.
Lower Row L-R: Maren Rosenberg, Elyssa Treviño, Myles Mathews, Brenden Zwiebel.
The production team for CONSTELLATIONS is Devin Meseke (Scenic Designer), Molly Marie McBride (Costume Designer), Emma Berry (Lighting Designer), Ian Zempel (Sound Designer), Jason Woodworth-Hou (Projections Designer), Paulina Martz (Intimacy Coordinator), Hailey Blakckstone (Technical Director), Nilufar Zaifi (Dialect Coach), Abigail Vogeler (ASL Consultant), Jay Sanders (Lead Electrician), and Claire McLewin (Stage Manager).
CONSTELLATIONS, which premiered in London in 2012 and was presented on Broadway in 2015, explores the relationship between a physicist and a beekeeper through a series of fragmented, nonlinear scenes that reflect the concept of the multiverse—the idea that multiple versions of reality exist simultaneously. It presents different variations of their interactions, showing how small choices can lead to vastly different outcomes. Some versions of their relationship are filled with love and happiness, while others are marked by heartbreak and tragedy.
Performances will be in the Hoover-Leppen Theatre at Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted, Chicago. Tickets are $35 for regular performances, $25 for previews. Seniors and students receive a $5 discount off all performance prices. Tickets and more information at www.pridearts.org. 773-661-0770.
LISTING INFORMATION
CONSTELLATIONS
By Nick Payne
Directed by Jay Españo (Male Cast) and Amber Mandley (Female Cast)
November 13 – December 13, 2026
Previews Friday, November 13 at 7:00 pm and Sunday, November 15 at 3:00 pm
Press Openings Monday, November 16 at 7:00 pm (Male Cast) and Thursday, November 19 at 7:00 pm (Female Cast)
Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:00 pm, Sundays at 3 pm
Additional Saturday matinees at 3:00 pm on November 28 and December 5 and 12
Additional Sunday evenings at 7:00 pm on December 6 and 13
Understudy performances on Friday, December 4 at 7 pm (male cast) and Sunday, December 6 at 7 pm (female cast)
No performances Thursday, November 26 or Sunday, November 29
Hoover-Leppen Theatre in Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted, Chicago 60613
Tickets $35 for regular performances, $25 for previews. Seniors and students receive a $5 discount off all performance prices. Tickets and more information at www.pridearts.org. 773-661-0770
One relationship. Infinite possibilities. In how many universes would you love someone? Nick Payne’s Olivier award-winning CONSTELLATIONS is a play about free will and friendship; it’s about quantum multiverse theory, love and honey. Roland is a beekeeper. Marianne is a quantum physicist. What are their odds of falling in love? With infinite moments that can change the trajectory of a life, it’s anyone’s guess how cosmic collision is possible. This play moves from the question of “what if,” to a poignant picture of “what is.”
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Friday, November 13 – 7:00 pm (PREVIEW - Jay Españo, Skyler Tipton)
Sunday, November 15 – 3:00 pm (PREVIEW – Shannon Bachelder, Hannah Green)
Monday, November 16 – 7:00 pm (OPENING - Jay Españo, Skyler Tipton)
Thursday, November 19 – 7:00 pm (OPENING - Shannon Bachelder, Hannah Green)
Friday, November 20 – 7:00 pm (Jay Españo, Skyler Tipton)
Saturday, November 21 – 7:00 pm (Shannon Bachelder, Hannah Green)
Sunday, November 22 – 3:00 pm (Jay Españo, Skyler Tipton)
Friday, November 27 – 7:00 pm (Shannon Bachelder, Hannah Green)
Saturday, November 28 – 3:00 pm (Shannon Bachelder, Hannah Green)
Saturday, November 28 – 7:00 pm (Jay Españo, Skyler Tipton)
Thursday, December 3 – 7:00 pm (Shannon Bachelder, Hannah Green)
Friday, December 4 – 7:00 pm (UNDERSTUDY PERFORMANCE – Myles Mathews, Brenden Zwiebel)
Saturday, December 5 – 3:00 pm (Shannon Bachelder, Hannah Green)
Saturday, December 5– 7:00 pm (Jay Españo, Skyler Tipton)
Sunday, December 6 – 3:00 pm (Jay Españo, Skyler Tipton)
Sunday, December 6 – 7:00 pm (UNDERSTUDY PERFORMANCE - Maren Rosenberg, Elyssa Treviño)
Thursday, December 10 – 7:00 pm (Jay Españo, Skyler Tipton)
Friday, December 11 – 7:00 pm (Shannon Bachelder, Hannah Green)
Saturday, December 12 – 3:00 pm (Shannon Bachelder, Hannah Green)
Saturday, December 12 – 7:00 pm (Jay Españo, Skyler Tipton)
Sunday, December 13 – 3:00 pm (Jay Españo, Skyler Tipton)
Sunday, December 13 – 7:00 pm (Shannon Bachelder, Hannah Green)
BIOS
Nick Payne (Playwright, CONSTELLATIONS) Nick Payne’s plays include IF THERE IS I HAVEN’T FOUND IT YET (Bush Theatre and Roundabout Theatre Company, New York), WANDERLUST (Royal Court Theatre), Sophocles’ ELECTRA (Gate Theatre), ONE DAY WHEN WE WERE YOUNG (Paines Plough/Sheffield Theatres and Shoreditch Town Hall), LAY DOWN YOUR CROSS (Hampstead Theatre), CONSTELLATIONS (Royal Court Theatre and Duke of York’s) and THE SAME DEEP WATER AS ME (Donmar Warehouse). He is the recipient of the 2009 George Devine Award for Most Promising Playwright, the 2012 Harold Pinter Playwright’s Award, and the 2012 London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Play, for CONSTELLATIONS.
Jay Españo (Artistic Director, Director CONSTELLATIONS Male Cast). Born in Manila, The Philippines, he joined the prestigious Tanghalang Pilipino’s Actors Company in 1998, where he trained with acclaimed Filipino director Nonon Padilla. He acted in several commercials, television series and films. Since moving to the Chicago area, Jay has worked with storefront theater companies such as Silk Road Rising, Prologue, Ghostlight, Halcyon, and PrideArts, where he has directed A NEW BRAIN, [TITLE OF SHOW], GIRLFRIEND, GAY CARD, TOMMY ON TOP and the THINGS I NEVER COULD TELL STEVEN. At City Lit Theater, he directed the world premiere musical AZTEC HUMAN SACRIFICE. He has played the role of the King in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s THE KING AND I with various theater companies in the US and in Canada.
Amber Mandley (PrideArts Managing Director, Director CONSTELLATIONS Female Cast) Amber joined PrideArts in 2022 as the Managing Director. She has a master’s degree in Nonprofit Management and extensive experience in development. Her recent directing credits include SHAKESPEARE'S R&J for PrideArts and WELLS AND WELLES for Lucid Theatre Company. Amber has also produced SAPPHIC SHOWCASE for PrideArts.
ABOUT PRIDEARTS
PrideArts tells queer stories on a variety of platforms, including both live and virtual performances. Since its founding in 2010, PrideArts has had several chapters, including operating as an itinerant theater for their first six seasons, the developer and primary tenant in the Pride Arts Center from 2016 to 2024, and its current residency in the Hoover-Leppen Theatre in Center on Halsted.
The company produces full seasons of plays and musicals, as well as events including cabaret, and more. The company has earned 50 Jeff Awards and nominations, and six nominations in the 2019 ALTA Awards from the Alliance of Latinx Theater Artists of Chicago. Programming has reflected the diversity of queer communities by including work made by and illuminating the experiences of women, gay men, transgender people, and BIPOC.
PrideArts is supported by Illinois Arts Council, a State Agency; City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), Alphawood Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Arts Work Fund, Driehaus Foundation, The Saints.
PrideArts is a member of Northalsted Merchants Association, League of Chicago Theaters, Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce of Illinois, Lakeview East Merchants Association. For more information and to donate, visitwww.pridearts.org or call 773-667-0770.