A Red Orchid Theatre hosts the Chicago premiere of ROAD SIGNS, created by Jon Tai and Alex Gruhin, onstage through August 31st at A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells St in Chicago. Tickets ($25 - $45) are on sale now at www.aredorchidtheatre.org or by calling the box office at 312-943-8722. Note that ROAD SIGNS is a bonus limited engagement and is not included in Season 32 subscriptions.
Get carried away by the wonder and wanderlust of ROAD SIGNS, a new, live, in-person show starring magician Jon Tai. After mesmerizing virtual audiences in MISSED CONNECTIONS (hailed as "beguiling" and "simply astonishing" by the Chicago Sun-Times) with A Red Orchid Theatre in 2020, Tai arrives at N. Wells Street to captivate Chicago in the flesh for the very first time. ROAD SIGNS takes audiences on a journey into the great American wilderness, where past and present blur and audience members’ dreams are brought to life around a campfire. Co-created and directed by Alex Gruhin, ROAD SIGNS arrives at A Red Orchid Theatre following runs at Aiden Sinclair’s Underground, part of the world-famous Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, and the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Liberty Magic, where Pittsburgh Magazine called it a “remarkable” and “moving” experience.
“During our COVID isolation, we worked with Jon and Alex to develop and present MISSED CONNECTIONS. An intimate magic experience on Zoom seemed quite impossible, but it proved both wonder-inducing and community-building when we needed it most,” said A Red Orchid Theatre’s Artistic Director Kirsten Fitzgerald. “Building on the success of that experiment, Jon and Alex have collaborated to create an entirely new in-person experience, and I cannot wait to experience ROAD SIGNS with you all in the flesh.”
About the Artists
JON TAI (Co-Creator & Performer) is a magician and storyteller, whose mission is to foster connections between people through shared moments of astonishment. He performs magic across the country and around the world, in person and virtually, and has called the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's Liberty Magic his home base since its grand opening in early 2019. He is best known for having co-created and starred in Missed Connections off-Broadway at 59E59, following its premiere at, yes indeed, the MacArthur Award-winning A Red Orchid Theatre! A graduate of Cornell University with a degree in Psychology, he lives in the Troy Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, where he can often be found drinking coffee at Scratch & Co., his favorite neighborhood cafe.
ALEX GRUHIN (Co-Creator & Director): Favorite endeavors prior to Road Signs include Missed Connections – also with Jon Tai – at AROT and off-Broadway at 59E59, and his work with the late visionary chef David Bouley. Alex is currently the Programming Director at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ. His proudest production (and light of his life) is Daphne Shel, age 2, co-created with (other light) Ariel Reid. Special thanks to Kir, team AROT, and, of course, JT for making magic happen. The universe says hello!
FACT SHEET:
ROAD SIGNS
Title: Road Signs
Starring: Jon Tai
Created By: Jon Tai & Alex Gruhin
Directed By: Alex Gruhin
Dates: August 4 - 31, 2024
Schedule: Thursdays through Mondays (Thursdays at 7 PM, Fridays at 7 PM, Saturdays at 3 PM and 7 PM, Sundays at 3 PM, Mondays at 7 PM) plus additional performance on Wednesday, August 28 at 7 PM
Thursday & Sunday performances will include a post-show talkback with the artist.
Location: A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N Wells
Tickets: Tickets range from $25-$45
Note: ROAD SIGNS is a bonus limited engagement and is not included in Season 32 subscriptions.
Box Office: (312) 943-8722 or online at www.aredorchidtheatre.org
ABOUT A RED ORCHID THEATRE
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 31 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, Esteban Andres Cruz, dado, Mike Durst, Sherman Edwards, Myron Elliott, Jennifer Engstrom, Kirsten Fitzgerald, Joseph Fosco, Steve Haggard, Levi Holloway, Mierka Girten, Lawrence Grimm, John Judd, 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.
Sponsor Information
A Red Orchid Theatre remains grateful for the support of our board, donors, and loyal audience who continue to champion our ambitious and powerful storytelling. These sponsors help to create a platform for our talented Ensemble to reach new audiences, and ensure that we remain a source for honest, compassionate, and aesthetically rigorous theatre-making.
A Red Orchid Theatre’s 31st Season is sponsored by Kamehachi, Picnic Wine & Provisions, Roost Roastery, and The Understudy. Production Sponsors for Turret are Beer Culture Center, Heidi Graham and Ellen Shannon, with additional support from The Saints Organization.
Interested in sponsoring a production? By partnering with us as a sponsor, you will help to take our work to the next level of artistic excellence, while also receiving deeper access to our artists and the creative process. To learn more, please contact Artistic Director Kirsten Fitzgerald at kirsten@aredorchidtheatre.org or 312-943-8722.