Job Posting: Stage Manager needed for Angry Fags

Ghostlight Ensemble is seeking a Stage Manager for its fall production of Angry Fags by Topher Payne.

An out lesbian state senator is up for re-election. Her female opponent is a moderate conservative who has aligned herself with right-wing extremists. They’re locked in a tight race in which each side caters to its base and any event can become instantaneously politicized.

When a gay man is bashed with a baseball bat and left to die, his ex-boyfriend, a campaign aide for the incumbent senator, is enraged. But his boss’s unwillingness to label it a hate crime tips him over the edge. Frustration and fear eventually turn to rage and he teams up with his best friend to embark on a vendetta of sabotage and more, reasoning that if gays aren’t respected enough to win justice, fear will achieve what good intentions and politics cannot.

Stage Manager will attend all rehearsals and performances. Rehearsals in September/October 2025. In general, expect three to four rehearsals per week on weeknights or weekend days, to be scheduled according to cast availability.

Production Schedule:

Rehearsals in September and October 2025 on weeknights and/or weekend days

Tech week: Sunday, November 2 in the afternoon and Monday, November 3 through Thursday, November 6 in the evenings

Performances: Show will run Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoon matinees from Thursday, November 6 through Sunday, November 23, 2025

Strike: Sunday, November 23, 2025

Instructions to Apply: To be considered, please send resume and portfolio/website link to via Google Forms at this link.

Pay Rate: $400 stipend.

Job Posting: Production Team Positions for Angry Fags

Ghostlight Ensemble is seeking several production team roles for its fall production of Angry Fags by Topher Payne. Please review the following.

PLAY SUMMARY
An out lesbian state senator is up for re-election. Her female opponent is a moderate conservative who has aligned herself with right-wing extremists. They’re locked in a tight race in which each side caters to its base and any event can become instantaneously politicized. When a gay man is bashed with a baseball bat and left to die, his ex-boyfriend, a campaign aide for the incumbent senator, is enraged. But his boss’s unwillingness to label it a hate crime tips him over the edge. Frustration and fear eventually turn to rage and he teams up with his best friend to embark on a vendetta of sabotage and more, reasoning that if gays aren’t respected enough to win justice, fear will achieve what good intentions and politics cannot.

KEY DATES
Production team members will be available for virtual production meetings, in-person designer run, tech week, strike, and wardrobe fittings in September-October. Dates confirmed according to cast and production team availability.

PRODUCTION SCHEDULE

• Rehearsals in September and October 2025 on weeknights and/or weekend days
• Tech week: Sunday, November 2 in the afternoon and Monday, November 3 through Thursday, November 6 in the evenings
• Performances: Show will run Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoon matinees from Thursday, November 6 through Sunday, November 23, 2025
• Strike: Sunday, November 23, 2025

POSITIONS

1. Costumer
Will dress 7 actors and 2 understudies in modern dress.
Pay Rate/Range: $300 stipend

2. Sound Designer
Pay Rate/Range: $300 stipend

3. Lighting Designer
Lighting Designer will have access to the rep lighting plot for Lifeline Theatre.
Pay Rate/Range: $300 stipend

4. Projection Designer
Pay Rate/Range: $300 stipend

5. Fight & Intimacy Choreographer
Will be responsible for choreographing a brief moment of intimacy and multiple scenes of stage violence including the use of a stage firearm.

Additional Key Dates: Fight & Intimacy Choreographer will be available for anticipated 3-4 rehearsals. Dates confirmed according to cast and production team availability.

 Pay Rate/Range: $150 stipend

6. Scenic & Prop
Pay Rate/Range: $300 stipend

Instructions to Apply: To be considered, please send resume and portfolio/website link via Google Forms at this link. (Select the position you’d like to apply for on the form)

Costume Designer needed for 'Picasso at the Lapin Agile'

Ghostlight Ensemble seeks a Costume Designer for its production of Steve Martin's Picasso at the Lapin Agile. The absurdist comedy imagines a meeting between Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso just before the renowned scientist transformed physics with his theory of relativity and the celebrated painter sets the art world afire with cubism.

This production will involve sourcing costumes for 10 actors. The play takes place in a single location on a single day.

Schedule Details
Rehearsals begin September 10, 2018, with about 3 to 4 rehearsals a week on weeknights and weekends, crafted around the actors' schedules. Tech is scheduled for October 15-18 in the evenings. Load-in is scheduled for Sunday, October 14.

Performances run October 19 through November 4, 2018, on Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons at Otherworld Theatre in the Lakeview neighborhood in Chicago.

Stipend
The stipend for this position is $150.

Apply
Please send your resume, links to any relevant work/websites and a statement of interest to production manager Chad Wise at chad@ghostlightensemble.com.

More information about the production is available at http://www.ghostlightensemble.com/picasso

Ghostlight celebrates Girl Power and the power of Spanish pastries in its latest production

Ghostlight Ensemble will launch its young audience series, Nightlight, in June with the world-premiere production of The Princess Without Pots, a new tale of a warrior princess and her parents’ frustrating quest to compel her into a storybook romance.

“This is a play that celebrates just that, the wonderful capacity that children have for make-believe and play that we lose as we get older,” said Maria Burnham, the playwright and director. “With The Princess Without Pots, and with Nightlight in general, we hope to encourage future generations to keep a little bit of that with them as they grow.”

The Princess Without Pots is an empowering fairy tale about the importance of never underestimating your opponent or the power of a delicious baked good. In it, Princess Cristina’s parents have decided it’s time for their daughter to marry, so all the princes from all the lands come hoping to marry her. But, to win this princess’s heart, a prince first needs to win a battle against the fiercest warrior the age had ever seen – Princess Cristina.

“We hope we’ve built a world that encourages children of all genders to choose the path best suited to them without any of the limitations society wants to place on them,” Burnham said. “We wanted to create a world in which fighting like a girl is something everyone aspires to do.

“But we also wanted to create a production that is just a lot of fun to watch – one that inspires kids to go home and play Princess Without Pots.”

The Princess Without Pots stars: Brian Barber (Prince Brax), Norman J. Burt (The King), Jessica Casillas (Carl the Hapless Knight, Prince Harry of Strathbane, Camila the Squire, Montage Princes) Pearl Paramadilok (Princess “Sweet Pea” Cristina), Isa Ramos (Prince Miguel), Sydney Ray (The Queen), Josh Razavi (King Brawn, Prince Vlek of Ice Moutain, Phil the Long-Suffering Squire, Montage Princes), Kayla White (Advisors 1-3) and Emilio Williams as the voice of the narrator. Understudies include Sean Hendrickson (Prince Brax), Jessica Casillas (Princess “Sweet Pea” Cristina) and Jean E. Burr (Ensemble roles).

The production team is: Maria Burnham (Playwright, Director), Jean E. Burr (Assistant Director), Carrie Campana (Costume Designer), Jessie Cole (Stage Manager), Dave Gonzales (Fight Designer), Carolyn Minor (Production Manager, Set Painter) and Chad Wise (Props Designer). The poster design for The Princess Without Pots is by Addison Wise, age 8, of Aurora, IL.

 Tickets are now available for The Princess Without Pots, which runs on Saturdays at 11 a.m. and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. from June 9 to July 1 at Laugh Out Loud Theater in the North Center neighborhood of Chicago (3851 N. Lincoln Ave.) Tickets are: $10 adults, $5 children 12 and under or $25 family of four.

The cast will also be performing an abridged version of the show at the North Center Ribfest at 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 9 in the Kids Square. A complete scheduled of Kids Square activities and entertainment can be found on the Ribfest website at ribfest-chicago.com.

Production jobs listed for this summer's 'Princess Without Pots'

Ghostlight is seeking a Fight Choreographer, Scenic Painter and Stage Manager for its feminist fairy tale production of The Princess Without Pots. The production is geared toward young audiences.

To apply for any of the jobs listed below, submit resume and a brief description of what "fight like a girl" means to you to Production Manager, Carolyn Minor at carolyn.minor@gmail.com. Please put the job you are applying for in the subject line.

Fight Choreographer
While this is a fight-heavy show, it is also a show geared toward young audiences, so we're seeking an artist who can design believable fights that are, at the same time, not hyper violent. The fights are short, but range from hand-to-hand combat to a sword fight with a spoon to more traditional weapons. Help sourcing weapons will also be appreciated.

Stage Manager
In addition to the usual duties, the stage manager will be required to act as light/sound board operator for performances.

Scenic Painter
We're looking for a scenic painter to help us create the look of a fairy tale castle (inside and out) as imaged by children. More details about the director's vision for this are available upon request.

Schedule Details
Rehearsals will begin in late-April/early May.
Performances run June 9 to July 1, 2018, at 11 a.m. on Saturdays and 1:30 p.m on Sundays at LOL Theater in the North Center neighborhood in Chicago.

Stipend
Small stipends for each position to be negotiated with experience

Scenic Designer Needed for An Ideal Husband

Ghostlight Ensemble is seeking a designer to enhance the scenic dressing and practical lighting of our site-specific spring production of An Ideal Husband.

The designer may also be asked to aid in sourcing a small amount of hand props. If so, the stipend will be adjusted accordingly.

The performance space is The North Mansion/ Gunder House in Berger Park (6205 N. Sheridan Rd., Chicago, 60660), which provides the perfect backdrop for this production. As such, there will be minimal scenic elements and lighting fixtures for each setting.

Schedule Details
Load-in: April 2, during the day
Tech: Evenings April 2-5
Preview: April 6
Performances: April 7-28 Friday night and Saturday 2:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m., with an additional performance on Monday, April 9

Stipend
Small stipend to be negotiated with experience

To Apply
Please send resume and cover letter to Production Manager Janette Bauer at bauer.janette@gmail.com.

Thanks to everyone who attended Gingerbread Grindhouse!

And that's a wrap on our 2017 holiday production!

Thanks to everyone who came out to help Marie and the toys save Christmas during Gingerbread Grindhouse. We had full houses every night and for that we are so very thankful. We hope you have a happy holiday yourself with zero deaths by dolls.

We'll see you in 2018 at our 20th anniversary live reading of Spice World in January and at our spring production of An Ideal Husband in April.