A Red Orchid Theatre announces its 29th Season, kicking off the with the Chicago Premiere of The Moors by Jen Silverman, directed by Artistic Director and Ensemble Member Kirsten Fitzgerald (January 6 – February 27, 2022) and followed by the world premiere of Last Hermanos by Exal Iraheta (April 21 – June 12, 2022). Subscriptions to the 29th Season are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting www.aredorchidtheatre.org.
Artistic Director Kirsten Fitzgerald says, “Isolation is a tricky thing; simultaneously distorting and clarifying priorities for many. I find myself in a moment where I am actively working to reorder what is my responsibility to interrogate and how I will or will not make it the same moving forward. I know I am not alone in this investigation, and I cannot think of two better plays with which to come together and dig in. Whether the wickedly funny and terrifying anthem to boundlessness that is The Moors or the heart-wrenching pull between reconciliation and revolution of Last Hermanos, both make me insatiably curious about how priorities accumulate and where we are all headed.”
A Red Orchid Theatre’s 2021-2022 Season includes:
The Chicago Premiere of
The Moors
- By Jen Silverman
- Directed by Artistic Director & Ensemble Member Kirsten Fitzgerald
- Featuring the work of Ensemble Members Karen Aldridge, Dado, Myron Elliott-Cisneros, Jennifer Engstrom & Guy Van Swearingen
- January 6 – February 27, 2022
- Press Performances: January 15, 2022
On the wind-blown desolate moors two sisters and their mastiff scheme to wrest their destinies from the systems and savage land around them. A governess is summoned and a moor-hen drops in, forcing all to ask what price they might pay for autonomy and for love. Inspired (perhaps) by certain 19th-century gothic romances, and the sisters who wrote them, this savage comedy disrupts the conventions of status and visibility.
The World Premiere of
Last Hermanos
- By Exal Iraheta
- April 21 – June 12, 2022
- Press Performances; April 30, 2022
Reunited and on the run; Miguel and Julio are fleeing an America where being Latinx is a life sentence. Sequestered in a Texas state park, the arrival of a sympathetic deserter, Shepherd, brings the conflict between Julio’s desire for revolution and Miguel’s longing for normalcy into sharp focus. Recorded last season as an audio play and now in its theatrical world premiere, LAST HERMANOS is a story of tenacious brotherhood and love in a not-so-distant future that asks which path promises the better future?
Also this season: A Red Orchid's Incubator was imagined and has recommitted to providing space and time for artists to explore new work, collaborative relationships, and artistic forms. This fall, the incubator will host a workshop production of Tom and Eliza, by Celine Song directed by A Red Orchid’s Casting & Communications Assistant, Kyle Stoffers. Tom and Eliza will have public performances October 24 – November 12, 2021 and tickets will go on sale October 4.
Director Kyle Stoffers shares: “As we emerge from the pandemic into a vaccinated world of in-person activities, the aggressively “always-on” digital work world has certainly not stopped and with this coexistence, I find myself asking where the day/week/month/year went. Tom & Eliza is a play performed in “one long breath” notes playwright Celine Song; “There are no moments of silence or breaks from the beginning till the end of the play.” Exploring live performance again is thrilling, but most notably for this play, I am excited about the interrogation of time; what is found and lost in marching relentlessly from a first-ish date to the end of the world. And discovering this breath playing out in real time, in front of our faces, in person.”
Ticket Information
Become a FLASHPASS subscriber today. FLASHPASS subscribers enjoy ticket flexibility and exchanges, additional ticket discounts, and reserved seating. The Two-show FLASHPASS is $60 and includes one ticket to each of the 2 shows in our 29th Season, excluding Opening Night. The Preview FLASHPASS is $40 and includes one ticket to a preview performance of each of the 2 shows in our 29th season.
FLASHPASSES may be purchased online at www.aredorchidtheatre.org. Individual tickets will go on sale at a later date.
A Red Orchid Theatre remains grateful for the support of our board, donors, and loyal audience who continue to champion our ambitious and powerful storytelling. And we welcome you to join our Red League, Founders Circle, or Orchid Visionary members. These philanthropic leaders foster the development of raw and relevant work—creating a platform for our talented Ensemble to reach new audiences, and ensuring that we remain a source for honest, compassionate, and aesthetically rigorous theatre. To learn more, please contact Director of Development, Dana Treglia at dana@aredorchidtheatre.org or 312-943-8722.
Returning Safely
A Red Orchid is part of a growing coalition of more than 70 performing arts venues and producers across Chicagoland who have agreed upon Covid-19 Vaccination and Mask Requirements for audiences. This unified COVID-19 protection protocol will be in effect by September 1, 2021, for indoor productions, requiring audience members to provide proof of vaccination or negative test certification upon entry and to wear masks.
These venues and their performers, backstage crew and staff will comply with vaccination requirements and testing protocols to further ensure the safety of all guests and company members. The current protocols were developed by the coalition in consultation with public health officials. They will be reviewed regularly and may include an extension or relaxation of certain provisions if the science dictates.
All patrons will need to be masked and fully vaccinated with an FDA authorized vaccine in order to attend a performance at A Red Orchid Theatre and must show proof of vaccination and identification at their time of entry into the venue with their valid ticket. “Fully vaccinated” means the performance date must be at least 14 days after the second dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine, or at least 14 days after a single-dose vaccine. Where negative tests are accepted, guests may provide proof of a COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of the performance start time, or a negative COVID-19 antigen test taken within 6 hours of the performance start time. This includes accommodations for children under 12 and people with a medical condition or closely held religious belief that prevents vaccination. All patrons will have to wear a mask throughout the performance and during their time in the theatre. Refreshments and all concessions will not be served this season at A Red Orchid.
About A Red Orchid
A Red Orchid Theatre has served as an artistic focal point in the heart of the Old Town community of Chicago since 1993 and was honored with a 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. Over the past 29 years, its Resident Ensemble has welcomed into its fold an impressive array of award-winning actors, playwrights and theatre artists with the firm belief that live theatre is the greatest sustenance for the human spirit. A Red Orchid is well known and highly acclaimed for its fearless approach to performance and design in the service of unflinchingly intimate stories.
A Red Orchid Theatre is: Karen Aldridge, Lance Baker, Kamal Angelo Bolden, Dado, Mike Durst, Myron Elliott-Cisneros, Jennifer Engstrom, Kirsten Fitzgerald, Joseph Fosco, Steve Haggard, Levi Holloway, Mierka Girten, Larry Grimm, Karen Kawa, Karen Kessler, Travis A. Knight, Danny McCarthy, Shade Murray, Brett Neveu, Sadieh Rifai, Grant Sabin, Steve Schine, Michael Shannon, Guy Van Swearingen, Doug Vickers and Natalie West. .