A Red Orchid Theatre presents two experimental projects as part of its 2023 Incubator Series. Act Five, directed and devised by Dado and inspired by Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, runs February 15 – March 9, 2023 at Facility Theatre, 1138 N California Ave in Chicago. Single tickets for Act Five will go on sale February 1 at www.aredorchidtheatre.org.
What if the orchard was not destroyed, and we return years later to find our musicians still playing out there? In this exploration of an imagined Act Five of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, we finally get to meet and experience the offstage musicians in person. Act Five will be shared with our patrons via five concerts.
Reawakening Desire, directed by Shade Murray, digs into Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, and a working reading will be shared with audience members on March 5, 2023 at A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N Wells in Chicago.
Leaning into the sexy, the giddy, and the heartbreaking of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, this project aims to investigate a world where desire is ignited in the most wonderfully unexpected ways. This workshop will culminate in a free, salon-style reading.
Fact Sheet / Act Five
Title: Act Five
Directed By: Dado
Dates:
- Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023
- Wednesday, Feb. 22, 202
- Wednesday, March 1, 2023
- Wednesday, March 8, 2023
- Thursday, March 9, 2023
Schedule: Doors open at 7:00 p.m. Performances start at 7:30 p.m.
Location: Facility Theatre, 1138 N California Ave.
Tickets: $25 standard tickets, $10 access tickets
Box Office: Located at 1531 N. Wells St., Chicago, (312) 943-8722; or online at www.aredorchidtheatre.org
Fact Sheet / Reawakening Desire
Title: Reawakening Desire
Directed By: Shade Murray
Dates: Sunday, March 5, 2023
Schedule: 3:00 p.m.
Location: A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells Street
Tickets: This event is free. Reservations are strongly encouraged and will be available beginning February 15.
The Incubator at A Red Orchid
The Incubator at A Red Orchid was created to get to know emerging talent, encourage dreaming, and foster exploration in Chicago’s theatre community. Leading with curiosity, it provides artists with the space, stage, and time to incubate new work, new artistic relationships, and new artistic forms. A Red Orchid’s ensemble maintains the conviction that live theatre is the greatest sustenance for the human spirit, and that passionately committed artists will draw passionately committed audiences. The Incubator is an active manifestation of that conviction and of A Red Orchid’s mission to cultivate new audiences for the modern stage.
COVID-19 Policies
A Red Orchid will no longer check vaccination status for entry. We do follow the community masking guidelines recommended by Chicago Department of Public Health and CDC Community Risk Levels as outlined below (https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/covid-19/home/covid-dashboard.html).
- When Community Risk Level is HIGH (Red)- high quality masks required indoors and in large groups.
- When Community Risk Level is MEDIUM (yellow) - Masks are strongly recommended indoors and in large groups. If you are immunocompromised or at higher risk, consider wearing a mask at indoor public settings where vaccination status is unknown.
- When Community Risk Level is LOW (green)- masks are optional. If you are immunocompromised or at higher risk, consider wearing a mask at indoor public settings where vaccination status is unknown.
These policies are subject to change based on guidance provided by the CDC, as well as local and state public health authorities. A Red Orchid is grateful for our community’s cooperation in keeping our audiences, artists, and employees safe.
About A Red Orchid
A Red Orchid Theatre has served as an artistic focal point in the heart of the Old Town community of Chicago since 1993 and was honored with a 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. Over the past 30 years, its Resident Ensemble has welcomed into its fold an impressive array of award-winning actors, playwrights, and theatre artists with the firm belief that live theatre is the greatest sustenance for the human spirit. A Red Orchid is well known and highly acclaimed for its fearless approach to performance and design in the service of unflinchingly intimate stories.
A Red Orchid Theatre is: Karen Aldridge, Lance Baker, Kamal Angelo Bolden, Dado, Mike Durst, Myron Elliott-Cisneros, Jennifer Engstrom, Kirsten Fitzgerald, Joseph Fosco, Steve Haggard, Levi Holloway, Mierka Girten, Larry Grimm, Karen Kawa, Karen Kessler, Travis A. Knight, Danny McCarthy, Shade Murray, Brett Neveu, Sadieh Rifai, Grant Sabin, Steve Schine, Michael Shannon, Guy Van Swearingen, Doug Vickers, and Natalie West.