Up Next: A Live Reading of The Big Sleep

Ghostlight Ensemble continues its monthly movie reading series in 2024 with Such a Lot of Guns and So Few Brains: A Live Reading of The Big Sleep on Thursday, February 15. 

Join us at 7 p.m. at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), as we raise our glass of brandy with champagne to this headscratcher of a detective story and try to figure out whodunnit.

The Big Sleep is a 1946 American film noir starring Humphrey Bogart as wisecracking private detective Philip Marlowe and Lauren Bacall as Vivian Rutledge in a story that begins with blackmail and through a series of complicated plot twists leads to multiple murders.

More information is available on the show page. 

Giving Tuesday: Why Theatre Matters

As your inbox and social media has surely notified you by now, today is GivingTuesday — a global generosity movement that unleashes the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and their world.

 As we approach the end of 2019, we felt Giving Tuesday was the appropriate time to look back, not just at the year that was, but way back to what made us who we are today. We, the Ensemble, want to share with you our personal stories of why theatre matters to us and, in turn, to others.

 We know this time of year you are bombarded with requests from very worthy organizations and some of them are literally saving lives on a day-to-day basis, but theatre can also sometimes make a life or death difference in a person's life. Here’s how. 

Giving Tuesday is a chance to talk about our values and why we care so much about the work that we do. Thank for listening, for caring and for Giving.

Ghostlight welcomes three new associate ensemble members

Actors Kayla White, Alina Taber and Justin Broom have joined Ghostlight as associate ensemble members. All three have been seen in Ghostlight productions this season.

Kayla was first seen in our Nightlight production of The Princess Without Pots in 2017 and most recently was in our live reading Must Eat TV 3.

Alina, who is also a film actress and musician, recently starred as Helen O’Neill in our staged reading of The Thirteenth Chair.

Justin was also in The Thirteenth Chair, taking on the role of Trent. In addition, he has lent his talents to our live readings of Reality Bites and Must Eat TV 3.

 Full bios of all our artists can be found on the About Us: The Ensemble page of our website.

Ghostlight is a finalist for Best of Chicago 2019!

Ghostlight is honored and excited to be nominated in two categories for the Reader's Best of Chicago 2019: Best established theater company and Best off-Loop theater company.

We'd love if our supporters would follow this link to vote for us. And you can ask your friends and family to do so as well, as there are no restrictions on voting. (Also you don’t have to fill out all the categories if you’re only interested in voting for a few of the categories.)

BUT while you're voting for us, please consider also these other Ghostlight affiliated folks:

Our Co-Artistic Director Maria Burnham is nominated for both Best Director and Best Playwright.

Stefanie Johnsen is nominated for Best Designer. Stefanie designed the costumes for our production of An Ideal Husband.

And Improvised Jane Austen is nominated for Best sketch/improv troupe. Ensemble Member Holly Robison is a member of IJA and the group has performed at a number of our past events.

We appreciate the continued support of the community and we’re so thrilled to be a finalist for Best of Chicago.

Up Next: A Live Reading of the original Wicker Man

Ghostlight Ensemble teams up with Terra Mysterium in October to present special installment of its ongoing live movie reading series with Don’t Keep Him Waiting: A Live Reading of the Original The Wicker Man — just in time for All Hallows' Eve.

Dig out your animal masks or costumes of any sort and join us at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 29 at Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro in North Center.

The Wicker Man is a 1973 British horror film that follows Police Sergeant Neil Howie as he travels to the isolated island of Summerisle in search of a missing girl. Howie, a devout Christian, is appalled to find that the inhabitants of the island have abandoned Christianity and now practice a form of Celtic paganism.

The reading will feature live musical performances and is directed by Matthew Ellenwood.

Ghostlight Ensemble puts women front and center in its third season

Ghostlight Ensemble announced its Season 3 lineup including a staged reading of a little-produced World War I-era play, a play festival with new works for young audiences and a Shakespearean comedy that takes place in a living room – quite literally.

The company also announced a change in leadership with Ensemble members Miona Lee and Maria Burnham taking over as co-artistic directors from Holly Robison, who has served as an artistic director since the company was founded in 2016. Robison remains with the Ensemble as a producing director.

Both Burnham and Lee are founding members of the company and veterans of the Chicago theatre scene. Lee previously served as Literary Manager for the company and Burnham as the Marketing and Communications Director. The pair most recently co-directed Ghostlight’s summer show for young audiences, The Selfish Giant.

“Holly has been an incredible Artistic Director for Ghostlight’s initial seasons. Making a mark in a city full of so many magnificent theater companies is no small feat and she’s done a fantastic job guiding us,” Lee said. “I hope to continue pushing us in the direction of creating thought-provoking works.”

“I think our leadership will be a natural progression from the foundation Holly laid for this company,” added Burnham. “We will continue to push for works that challenge the status quo, that encourage new voices, and new stories and that shine light in places where darkness has allowed ignorance to grow. And we will also continue to tell great stories in unique ways.”

Full bios for both women can be found here.

Before stepping down, Robison helped guide the new season selection, which focuses on strong, female characters.

“I am so honored to have been a Founding Member and Artistic Director for Ghostlight Ensemble,” Robison said. “It has truly been a wonderful, challenging, and rewarding few years. I’m so proud of the work Ghostlight has produced, and even more excited about the work ahead, especially in our coming season, which we like to call our year of Strong Female Leads.

“While I look forward to staying on as Producing Director and directing our immersive spring production of Much Ado About Nothing, I’m also so thrilled to be handing the reins over to Maria Burnham and Miona Lee as Co-Artistic Directors. In the season of Strong Female Leads, what could be more fitting than these two fierce females leading our company? They are both great artists and great leaders, and I can’t wait to see where they take Ghostlight in the coming years. Thanks to all the Ghostlight Company Members, Artistic Associates, collaborators, and supporters for a great few years as Artistic Director!”

Ghostlight will begin its third season in October with a staged reading of the Bayard Veiller play, The Thirteenth Chair, a turn-of-the-century thriller set during a séance. The reading will be directed by Ghostlight Managing Director Chad Wise.

The Thirteenth Chair, written in 1916, takes place at the home of the wealthy Crosby family. But the phony séance turns out to be the scene of a very real murder. All the doors and windows are locked and the murder weapon can’t be found. How will the real murderer be uncovered?

The reading takes place October 18 and 19 at 7:30 p.m. and October 20 at 2:30 p.m. at Vagabond School of the Arts (4001 N. Ravenswood Ave, Suite 503B, Chicago).

In February, the company will continue its Nightlight young audiences series with a curated festival of short plays by playwrights from around the country. The plays, geared towards children 12 and under, will all have one unifying feature – strong female characters, continuing the theme of the season. Plays are currently being solicited and script selection will be made in early November. Playwrights interested in submitting to the festival can find more details on the Ghostlight website. 

Ghostlight will round out the season in the spring of 2020 with Shakespeare’s beloved romantic comedy, Much Ado About Nothing. Audiences will be invited into Leonato’s Albany Park home to witness firsthand the merry war between Benedick and Beatrice, as well as the less merry machinations of Don John, as this immersive production brings guests, not to a theater, but to a condo on Chicago’s westside. The production will be directed by Holly Robison.

“This season is all about empowerment – from the astute Madame Rosalie La Grange to the outspoken Beatrice – these ladies are not afraid to take charge of their situations,” Lee said. “Nightlight is inspiring our younger audiences as well, with our festival of short plays chock full of strong female and non-binary characters.”

In addition, the company will once again host the Holiday Cabernet – an evening of holiday classics (or not-so-classics) by favorite G.E.T. performers, emerging artists and surprise guests in a cabaret-style setting with an M.C. who overindulges in the holiday spirits. The Cabernet takes place at 8 p.m. on December 14 at Vagabond School of the Arts.

Ghostlight also will continue its popular Live Movie Reading Series throughout the year at Carbon Arc Bar & Board, located in the Davis Theater.

Find out more about Ghostlight Ensemble and the entire 2019-2020 Season at GhostlightEnsemble.com.

Holiday Cabernet: A Call for Performers

Ghostlight Ensemble invites poets, dancers, artists, storytellers, comedians and musicians to perform at our Holiday Cabernet fundraiser on December 14. We welcome performers of diverse skills and talents at this event.

Performances should be 5-10 minutes in length and themed to any of the winter holidays. Show off your talents in spoken word, slam poetry, excerpt reading, improv, dancing, comedy, music or any medium of your choice. The Cabernet is an excellent opportunity to try out new material in front of a friendly, supportive audience.

To submit, please send us a paragraph on your proposal and what genre of performance it falls under and any relevant links to your previous work. Email Jean at casting@ghostlightensemble.com. Deadline for submissions is November 1.

If you are selected we will contact you to communicate event details and information on how you would like to be recognized.

Performers will receive one complimentary ticket to the event and food and drink will be provided. There is no pay.

The event takes place at 8 p.m. on Saturday, December 14, 2019 at Vagabond School of the Arts (4001 N Ravenswood Ave #504, Chicago, IL 60613).

Ghostlight announces change in artistic leadership

Ghostlight announced today that Ensemble members Miona Lee and Maria Burnham have taked over as co-artistic directors from Holly Robison, who has served as an artistic director since the company was founded in 2016. Robison remains with the Ensemble as a producing director.

Both Burnham and Lee are founding members of the company and veterans of the Chicago theatre scene. Lee previously served as Literary Manager for the company and Burnham as the Marketing and Communications Director. The pair most recently co-directed Ghostlight’s summer show for young audiences, The Selfish Giant.

Full bios for both women can be found in the About section on the Ghostlight website.

Before stepping down, Robison helped guide the new season selection, which focuses on strong, female characters. More about the announcement and the new Ghostlight season can be found here.

Auditions announced for a staged reading of The Thirteenth Chair

Ghostlight Ensemble is seeking actors for a staged reading of Bayard Veiller's The Thirteenth Chair.

The staged reading is part of the company's development process and those involved in the reading will receive first consideration in casting for the full production.

The Thirteenth Chair is a play written in 1916 set during a phony seance at the home of the wealthy Crosby family. But the phony seance turns out to be the scene of a very real murder. All the doors and windows are locked and the murder weapon can't be found. How will the murderer be uncovered?

The full script can be found here.

Character Descriptions
Seeking a strong, ethnically diverse cast of all genders, ages, shapes and sizes for about 14 roles (with some double casting).

Details
Auditions will be held from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 7 in Lakeview. The staged reading will take place at 7:30 p.m. on October 18 & 19 and 2:30 p.m. on October 20 at Vagabond School of the Arts. Rehearsals will be scheduled around actor availability. There is no pay.

Material To Prepare
Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script. There will be no callbacks.

Please email a resume and headshot to Jean at casting@ghostlightensemble.com.

Seeking script submission for a children's play festival

Ghostlight Ensemble is seeking short scripts (a maximum of 15 minutes) with strong female characters that are geared toward young audiences (under 12). Priority will be placed on scripts that are ethnically and culturally diverse, that do not require complicated sets or costumes and that fit our mission. This is open to playwrights in any geographic area. NO FEE.

Selected plays will be produced as part of a festival of theatre for children under our Nightlight banner in early February.

Electronic submissions only, please. Submit cover letter with full contact information, short bio, brief synopsis of script including development and production history (if applicable) and full script to Maria Burnham at scripts@ghostlightensemble.com. Please use the following format in the email’s subject line: Nightlight Script Submission: [play name] - [playwright name] The deadline for submissions is November 1, 2019.

Introduce your children to the world of The Selfish Giant

If you're looking for live entertainment that's appropriate for the entire family, The Selfish Giant, which opens this weekend, is a tale for all ages — and one of the Hot Shows to see in June.

Weaving movement and words into a highly physical form of storytelling, our intimate production tells the tale of an angry giant who builds a wall to keep children off his land, but discovers the perils of isolation and the negative consequences of selfishness.

Curious about our physical story-making process? Watch this video to learn more.

The show's weekend runs are perfect for families looking for live, daytime entertainment. The Selfish Giant runs June 8-30 on Saturdays at 1 p.m. and Sundays at 11 a.m. at Otherworld Theatre in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago (3914 N. Clark St., 60613).

Tickets are on sale now: $10 adults, $5 children 12 and under, or $25 family of four.

Ghostlight welcomes four new associate members

Actors Caitlin Jackson, Kirk Jackson, Sydney Ray and Emma Jo Schumacher have joined Ghostlight as associate ensemble members. All four have worked extensively with Ghostlight over the past few years.

Caitlin was most recently the host of our Holiday Cabernet and reprised her role as Ginger Spice in Girl Power!: A Spice World Live Reading.

Kirk could also be seen in the Spice World live reading, as well as appearing in Nutcracker Nightmare and The Mountain Giants as part of Ghostlight’s Six Authors in Search of a Character festival.

Sydney appeared as the Queen in last summer’s Nightlight production, The Princess Without Pots, as well as taking part in Must Eat TV 2: A Live Reading of Your Favorite Thanksgiving Episodes and the Holiday Cabernet.

Emma Jo has appeared in a number of our live readings, including most recently in Must Eat TV 2: A Live Reading of Your Favorite Thanksgiving Episodes and Oh My Godddddd!!: A Troll 2 Live Reading.

Full bios of all our artists can be found on the About Us: The Ensemble page of our website.

Up Next: Spice World Returns!

This month we bring back our third annual live reading of the Spice World movie. And unlike the ACTUAL Spice Girls, we’ve got more Poshes than we can handle!

Join Ginger (Caitlin Jackson), Scary (Song Marshall), Sporty (Jean E. Burr), Baby (Carrie Campana) and Posh (Emma Palizza) as they gallivant around England (with a short jaunt to Italy) in advance of their first live concert to be held at London's Royal Albert Hall. 

Spice World turned 21 this year (in America…it was first released in England 21 years ago December), so we’re taking this film out to a bar to celebrate!

Grab a gin and tonic (better make that a double) and join us for this live reading (and singing) that takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 16, at the Celtic Crown, located at the corner of Western Avenue and Cullom Avenue.  

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its current season, plus an additional donation of any amount for GirlForward, a Chicago-based non-profit with its own brand of Girl Power!

Ghostlight welcomes new associate member

Actor Christopher Paul Mueller has joined Ghostlight as associate ensemble members.

He has worked extensively with Ghostlight over the past two years, including in our inaugural production, Krampus!

Christopher has also been in every one of our live movie readings (except the most recent one, Cup of Ambition: A 9 to 5 Live (Movie) Reading).

A full bios can be found on the About Us: The Ensemble page of our website.

Ghostlight welcomes two new associate ensemble members

Norman J. Burt (left) and Song Marshall (right) have joined The Ensemble.

Actors Song Marshall and Norman J. Burt have joined Ghostlight as associate ensemble members. Both have worked extensively with Ghostlight over the past year and a half.

Song was in our inaugural live reading, Girl Power! A Spice World Live Reading, and she will reprise her role as Mel B (aka, Scary Spice) in the January remount of that reading. She was also in our Thanksgiving-themed live reading, Must Eat TV, and in our short play series celebrating Pirandello at 150, Six Authors in Search of a Character. You can also catch her as Lady Basildon in our spring production of An Ideal Husband.

Norman was in our inaugural mainstage production of Six Characters in Search of an Author as the Father. He has been a staple in our live movie reading series, participating in Something Has Survived: A Jurassic Park Live Reading, You've Got READ On You: A Shaun of The Dead Live Reading and Must Eat TV: A Live Reading of Your Favorite Thanksgiving Episodes.

Full bios of both artists can be found on the About Us: The Ensemble page of our website.

Why Theatre Matters To Us: Maria Burnham

Maria Burnham, back row left, in Ghostlight's You've Got READ on You: A Shaun of The Dead Live Reading.

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.

Maria Burnham, Marketing Director, Ensemble Member

"'So THAT's where you get it from.'

"It was a warm summer night. We were at a restaurant on the beach with my aunt's family and some friends. My mom and her sister were reminiscing about a film my mom had been in that had been playing on TV all week and...'Wait. Dad, did Thea Anna just say mom was in a film?'

"'No,' answered my dad. 'Your mother was a folk dancer that traveled the world, but I don't think she ever acted.'

"But it turned out that, in fact, my mother had been a film actress in her native Greece and in neighboring Italy — an occurrence that began as an extension of her dancing. When we finally heard the whole story that night, my dad looked at me recognition dawning on him and said, ''So THAT's where you get it from.'

"Theatre and acting had been a part of my life in some way since elementary school, becoming more so once I went to a performing arts magnet school in high school and then studied theatre (and English AND journalism) in college. My attraction to the arts was always a sense of bafflement to my working-class family that excelled in technical skills and mathematics, but had never seen a play until I came along. And now, here was the answer. I had inherited this thing with the arts.

"The revelation that acting was a hereditary trait, that there was this entire history of myself that I didn't know was unsettling. What else didn't I know about the past that made me? But it was also comforting. Theatre connects me to my family history in a way that old photos do not. That I could literally be the same person that my mother had been by taking on a role, that we both understood what it meant to create new people and new worlds, that acting had led my mother to be in Athens when my father was in Athens resulting in my actual existence? Well, now, that's something that, say, engineering could never give me."

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

Why Theatre Matters To Us: Holly Robison

Holly Robison, second from left, at a production meeting for Ghostlight's 2016 festival of new works, "Six Authors in Search of a Character."

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.
 

Holly Robison, Co-Artistic Director, Ensemble Member

"When I was in the second grade, I played a bunny who choked on a cookie.  I remember that I prepared. We didn't have to memorize our lines, but I was the only kid who did. While it seemed all that was expected was to step forward and read our lines, I thought about how to create the moment, how to choke on the cookie — how to bite the cookie like a rabbit would, the timing of the bite, when to say my line, when to start coughing, etc. I was a painfully shy kid and usually went out of my way to avoid attention  — to avoid talking to people at all, really  — but, man, was I into creating that character. All that scary stuff went away because I had to be a bunny, and I had a cookie to choke on, darn it. I loved it. (OK, full disclosure: repeated teacher-sanctioned cookie consumption may have contributed to my 8-year old joy. But really, that is still part of the joy — those silly, fun, crazy things you get to do and learn as actor. ) 

"Even though it was many, many years before I fully realized and embraced that part of myself, I know now that this was probably the first sign that I was a 'theatre person' at my core. It's my first memory of a love for performance, for crating a character, for telling a story."

Why Theatre Matters To Us: Jaclyn Jensen & Mike Wozniak

Jaclyn Jensen and Mike Wozniak at the Ghostlight Launch Party in 2016.

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.

Jaclyn Jensen, Audience Development Coordinator, Ensemble Member
Mike Wozniak, Visual Design Specialist, Ensemble Member  

"Our first date started with Mike in the audience for one of Jackie's shows. Sure, sure, there was dinner and drinks and a romantic rooftop patio, too. But it started in a theatre. That 'theatre' may have been the upstairs of a punk rock bar, but for that show, it was the perfect theatre.

"Our relationship continued with Mike seeing Jackie's shows and being her biggest fan. But seeing shows together became something that really brought us closer together. Being able to connect after sharing these experiences, seeing how shows affect each other, seeing where our perspectives align or not... we learn more about each other.

"A few years ago we took a leap and actually wrote a play together  — neither of us are playwrights. But we created something together and it was a highlight in our relationship. And we are looking forward to future projects!

"Whether on stage, back stage, or in the audience, theatre gives you an opportunity to really connect."

http://ghostlightensemble.com/get-funding-fundraiser

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: Miona Lee

Miona Lee, center, in Ghostlight's production of "Six Characters in Search of an Author."

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.

Miona Lee, Literary Manager, Ensemble Member

 
"I’ve always struggled with allowing people to know the real me. Call it social anxiety, call it trust issues stemming from childhood, whatever. That fact is, I’m not comfortable around people and don’t share much of myself with others.

"I could tell you a cute story of how when I was in fifth grade I played a Marilyn Monroe version of Mrs. Claus complete with feather boa and caught the theater bug. But really, I found performing was the perfect escape from myself. I found slipping into someone else’s skin liberating. I didn’t have to bare my soul to others.

"Through the years I’ve played my fair share of Queens, fairies, villains, misguided actresses, sisters, wives, girlfriends and the occasional warrior. Each time, I burrowed into these characters to find out what it is they might be hiding from others. Sharing these flawed characters to an audience has allowed me to open up more in my own life. It’s OK that I’m flawed, there are people out there that will accept me no matter what.

"For me, theater is much more than telling important stories that remind us we’re all connected. It’s my way of slowly learning to accept myself and trust that others will do the same. "

http://ghostlightensemble.com/get-funding-fundraiser