Cast announced for 'An Ideal Husband'

Ghostlight Ensemble announces casting for its spring show, Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband.

The cast is: Alex Ireys as Lord Goring, Aaron Wertheim as Robert Chiltern, Maddie Pell as Lady Chiltern, Sam Bianchini as Mrs. Cheveley, Halie Merrill as Mabel Chiltern, Richard Engling as Lord Caversham, Michael Wagman as Phipps/Mason, Song Marshall as Lady Basildon, Allison McCorkle as Mrs. Marchmont, Stephanie Monday as Lady Markby and Sebastian Summers as Nanjac.

The show is directed by Ghostlight Co-Artistic Director Holly Robison. Janette Bauer is the production manager.

An Ideal Husband is Oscar Wilde's comedic masterpiece of blackmail and political corruption. Sir Robert Chiltern, a government minister who built his fortune on a single dishonest act, is blackmailed by Mrs. Cheveley, who wants his assistance in another dishonest scheme. Chiltern asks Lord Goring, the ne'er-do-well son of the Earl of Caversham, for advice, and Lord Goring, familiar (in several ways) with Mrs. Cheveley, ultimately saves Chiltern's marriage and social position. By doing so, he ironically ends up married.

The show takes place Fridays and Saturdays, April 7-28, 2018, at The North Mansion in Berger Park/ Gunder House (6205 N. Sheridan Rd., Chicago, 60660).

From our Artistic Directors: Thank you for an amazing 2017!

Six Authors in Search of a Character

As we approach the end of the year, we at Ghostlight Ensemble are not only celebrating the final days of 2017, but also the final days of our G.E.T. Fundraiser.  We are beyond grateful for the support we've received so far and we hope more of you will join the fun before our fundraiser ends December 31.

In the summer of 2016 we were 10 people gathered in a Northside apartment asking, “What do we want to do?” “What do we want to call ourselves?” and “What sort of theatre company do we want to be?” One main stage production, two holiday shows, five live movie readings, one Fight Night, one short play festival and a year and a half later, we are proud to say Ghostlight Ensemble is the kind of company brave enough and curious enough to do just about anything — to bring you the unexpected. We have accomplished so much in so little time and we couldn’t have done it without you, our audiences, donors, artists, volunteers and subscribers. Thank you!

Nutcracker Nightmare

This is only the beginning, though. As we look to the new year, we have so much more we want to do, so much more entertainment we want to bring you and we hope you’ll join us in bringing it to life.

In the spring we are producing the Oscar Wilde's classic play about political corruption and personal integrity, An Ideal Husband, directed by Co-Artistic Director Holly Robison. In the summer we inaugurate our Nightlight summer children’s series with our production of Maria Burnham’s original script, The Princess Without Pots, a story about a warrior princess trying to gain her independence and a decidedly un-warrior prince trying to save his kingdom.

Be a part of what's to come. You helped make us the Best New Theatre Company in Chicago in 2017, now help us bring the unexpected to Chicago.

— Holly Robison & Michael Wagman
Co-Artistic Directors

Why Theatre Matters To Us: Michael Wagman

Michael Wagman, center, in Ghostlight's 2016 production of "Krampus!"

Ghostlight is sharing our personal stories of why theatre is so important to us and, in turn, to others. We hope you'll feel inspired to support the arts now and forever more.

Michael Wagman, Co-Artistic Director, Ensemble Member

"All throughout my childhood I was the shy kid in the corner. I just assumed most people didn’t care what I thought or how I felt. In the broad scheme of grade school life I simply didn’t matter. My greatest joys came when I was by myself. Reading a book, watching a movie or working on a project. The greatest validation I found was from the joy I got doing these often lonely activities. Getting into my early and mid-teens I began a string of artistic endeavors. First it was tap dancing, then poetry, then short story writing, songwriting and oil painting (my parents’ favorite). All the while from seventh to ninth grade I also played on the golf team, but the validation I got from these activities never gave me a sense of community. I still didn’t fit in. I enjoyed the activities but rarely did I feel a close bond with the people.

"Then in eighth grade, on a total whim, I auditioned for and got cast in my school’s middle school/high school production of Pippin. After that I acted in the middle school production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I had a great time doing both and according to parents, teachers and students alike I seemed to be pretty good at it. 

"In ninth grade my golf game hit a slump and I was demoted to caddy duty until my game picked back up. Even though I wasn’t the biggest fan of all my teammates, I loved playing the game and was frustrated beyond measure that outlet was being taken away from me. Then one day at morning assembly Mrs. Haulmark, the theatre director, announced that someone had dropped out of the production of Dracula and they needed a replacement. She said if anyone was interested they should speak to her. 

"The stars seemed to have aligned. I’d had fun doing theatre the previous year and I’d liked Mrs. Haulmark and all the actors and techies. As an eighth-grader in Pippin I’d gotten to work with freshman and seniors alike, and our ages had never seemed to matter. We were all treated with respect as long as we did our part to make the production the best we could. And most importantly I had fun.  Instead of doing my art behind closed doors there was something freeing and intimate about sharing my interpretation of a character in front of people onstage. 

"All my life I’d been hiding from people, assuming what I thought and felt didn’t matter. In theatre I could be onstage and what I thought and felt could be the only thing that mattered. If I did it well, what I thought and felt could keep an audience at the edge of their seats. I could feel important."

https://www.ghostlightensemble.com/get-funding-fundraiser