Something Marvelous

a Chicago festival of magical realism

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WhatIsCircus.org

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Another type of magic making!

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Our fourth season has come to a close!  Can’t wait to see you again soon!

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Something Marvelous is a Chicago-based theatre festival that celebrates magical realism. We cultivate new works and curate a reflective dialogue with the community to examine, broaden, and embolden the genre. Our work uses theatricality to awaken imagination and inspire empathy for new perspectives.

An essay by Dramaturg Sean Douglass to accompany our production of DON’T LOOK by Gina Doherty!

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PHOTO RECAP: The cast of DON’T LOOK and the Something Marvelous staff celebrate opening night!  Our first world premiere production, and we couldn’t be more excited!

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PHOTO RECAP: Allyce Torres, Zachery Alexander, and Rebecca Flores perform DON’T LOOK by Gina Doherty, directed by Emmi Hilger.

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PHOTO RECAP: Directors competed with magical realism scenes in the annual Direct-Off event with Strawdog Theatre Company.  Directors Ben Kaye and Cecilia Adams were the finalists, with Ben Kaye taking home the title!

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PROCESS PICS: Inspiration images from Lighting Designer Kara Grimm. We can’t wait to see the magic she creates for DON’T LOOK by Gina Doherty.  Grab tickets to the show here!

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PROCESS PICS: Inspiration images and the final scale model created by innovative Scenic Designer Nick Schwartz!  Join us at DON’T LOOK by Gina Doherty, opening June 17...

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PROCESS PICS: Meet Eurydice, Orpheus, and Persephone/Nurse, the characters of DON’T LOOK by Gina Doherty!  These costume renderings created by designer Emily Swanson.  Join us next week for the opening...

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Our 2016 poster, created by Associate Artistic Director Laura Nash!  We are so grateful to feature the work of artist Paul Bond each season.

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PHOTO RECAP: The cast performs a staged reading of ALL OTHER NIGHTS by Nicole Cox; featured as part of our Special Event series, the reading was our collaboration with The Fine Print Theatre Company, directed by Patrick Kenney.

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The cast of Kin & Kind by Shannon Pritchard read the play last night for an invited industry audience, directed by Patrick Kenney.  Next, the team will take the audience feedback and press on with development.  Their final staged reading will take place on July 6.

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We had a blast last week joining Boho Theatre Company for a discussion after their production of EURYDICE by Sarah Ruhl!

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Meet playwright Monica Trausch.  Her play Border Crossing is in development as part of our workshop series this season!  Be sure to catch the public staged reading on July 10.

Monica Trausch is a New York City based writer whose work includes The ABCs; Border Crossing (semi-finalist, O’Neill National Playwrights Conference); Emily the Artist; and Trans-Siberian Railway. Her plays have been developed with Exquisite Corpse Company, The Pantry, Rule of 7x7, UglyRhino, the Bechdel Group, Primary Stages Detention Series, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, the UCSB Studio Theatre, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and more. Monica is affiliated with Theatre Without Borders and has interned with New Dramatists, Women’s Project, and New Georges. BA: UC Santa Barbara.

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Associate Artistic Director Laura Nash has completed the poster art for Don’t Look by Gina Doherty!  We open in less than a month, can’t wait to see you there!

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Meet playwright Shannon Pritchard.  Her play Kin & Kind is in development as part of our workshop series this season!  Be sure to catch the public staged reading on July 6.

Shannon Pritchard has written several plays, including Traces, Practice Babies, The County Hell, Get Lucky and Bonny Anne. They’ve been produced and developed by Jackalope Theatre, TimeLine, The Second City, Chicago Dramatists and Playwrights Horizons Theater School. She is a two-time Eugene O’Neil Playwrighting Conference semi-finalist (2014 & 2015), a Humanitas Drama nominee, and has received commissions from Next Theatre and the DePaul Theatre School. Shannon was seen in February writing live at the Water Works Building as part of Chicago Theatre Week’s Playwrights at Work Project. This June her short play Psychodramatic will premiere in Sick by Seven, part of A Red Orchid Theatre's Incubator series. Shannon is a founding member of the Accidental Shakespeare Company in NYC and holds a BFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and an MFA from Northwestern University’s Writing for the Screen + Stage program.

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ORIGINS photo highlight: Toya Turner performs Paloma by Isaac Gomez, directed by Monty Cole.

Playwright Isaac says…

"With so much racial and political tension in our world - violence and irrational rhetoric intentionally targeted to hurt people and communities - I was struck by how so suddenly it was all happening. I mean, it's been happening for forever. But something about Trump rallies, for example, has unleashed something within our communities. And it felt as if Pandora's box had been opened somewhere in the world, unleashing today's modern horrors (from my point of view, anyway.) So I was drawn to that myth and what that means/looks like coming from two women of color who are just trying to do the best they can in a world consumed with media and Facebook and Hulu but can't seem the get it right. And then - a mysterious package arrives."