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.

Up Next: A Live Reading of Reality Bites

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its ongoing live movie reading series with You And Me And Five Bucks: A Live Reading of Reality Bites.

So dig out your best Gen X ennui and join us at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, August 26 at Carbon Arc Bar & Board (4614 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60625), located in the Davis Theater in North Center. 

Reality Bites is a 1994 romantic comedy/drama that follows the lives of recently graduation Gen Xers as they navigate the pitfalls of life, love and the search for gainful employment. The plot centers on Lelaina (played by Winona Ryder), an aspiring videographer, who is working on a documentary called Reality Bites about the disenfranchised lives of her friends and roommates.

The live reading is directed by Maria Burnham.

 There is a suggested donation of Five Bucks at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its upcoming season. We’re also raising funds for Blue Sky Bakery & Cafe, a nonprofit cafe in North Center that provides transitional job skills to at-risk youth and also provides an excellent place to grab a cup of coffee and a little bit of conversation.

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.

Tickets on sale for The Selfish Giant

Actors have begun rehearsals for The Selfish Giant, which runs in June at Otherworld Theatre in Lakeview.

Tickets are on sale now for The Selfish Giant, a physical theatre production that will mesmerize audiences of all ages.

This story of a giant who builds a wall to keep children off his land runs during the month of June at Otherworld Theatre and is geared toward all ages.

Tickets are available through Brown Paper Tickets and are $5 for children, $10 for adults or $25 for a family of four.

You can also obtain tickets through our Go Fund Me Campaign. The Garden, Ogre, North Wind and Giant levels all come with tickets to the show, along with a host of other goodies. Learn more Becoming a Generous Giant for Children's Theatre here.

Based on Oscar Wilde's short story of the same name, The Selfish Giant illustrates the perils of isolation and the negative consequences of selfishness, but it also teaches us that it is never too late for redemption and for love.

Donate to children, earn a reward!

Did you know we’ve put together some very special gifts for the donors to our The Selfish Giant fundraiser? From growing your own garden to headshots and more.

Read all about the show here and then go donate here.

By donating you help keep our ticket prices affordable for all families in Chicago.

Levels include:

$25 GARDEN LEVEL: Start your own urban garden with a Grow Your Own Garden Kit and receive a ticket to the show, as well as thanks in our program.

$50 OGRE LEVEL: Join cast members and the director of The Selfish Giant after a performance for apple pie and milk and to learn more about physical storytelling. Bring your kids (or you friends’ kids) so they can learn how to turn everyday objects into props to create their own plays at home. Plus: A ticket to the show, as well thanks in the program

$75 NORTH WIND LEVEL: Get a headshot session with our company photographer who will offer you one look (a.k.a. outfit, but a variety of expressions within that one outfit) and guarantee a photo you’re happy with, or you’ll get a makeup session. You get all the photos from the session on a disc to use as you wish without watermarks. This offer is regardless of whether you’re an actor looking for fresh headshots, one of our business friends looking to spruce up your LinkedIn page or an animal lover looking for a professional photo of your pupper (did we mention, this wasn’t limited to humans!) Plus two tickets to The Selfish Giant, as well as thanks in the program

$100 or more GIANT LEVEL: A Nightlight Gift bag, featuring your choice of a Nightlight T-shirt or tote bag, among other items, plus two tickets to The Selfish Giant as well as thanks in the program.