Shattered Globe Theatre today announced it will postpone its winter production of Rasheeda Speaking due to the current surge of the Omicron variant. The revival, originally scheduled for February 25 – April 9, 2022, will now play from April 22 – June 4, 2022 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. Shattered Globe is contacting all current ticketholders. Tickets for the new dates go on sale Tuesday, February 1, 2022 available at www.sgtheatre.org, by calling (773) 975-8150 or in person at the Theater Wit Box Office. The press opening is Monday, April 25 at 7:30 pm.
Producing Artistic Director Sandy Shinner comments, “Our decision to move Rasheeda Speaking was made for the safety of our artists and audiences, hoping that by late April and May COVID infection rates will be significantly lower. The SGT ensemble is passionate about producing Rasheeda Speaking. We’re so pleased that all of the original artists involved with the production have arranged their schedules to continue working with us on the show.”
Written by Chicago writer Joel Drake Johnson and directed by SGT Associate Artistic Director AmBer D. Montgomery, the comedy-turned-social thriller about workplace racism will feature Ensemble Members Daria Harper*, Deanna Reed-Foster* and Drew Schad* with Barbara Roeder Harris.
(top, l to r) Daria Harper and Deanna Reed-Foster (bottom, l to r), Barbara Roeder Harris and Drew Schad.
Whether it’s the doctor’s inability to remember her name, or the toxic fumes radiating from the Xerox machine and lab next door, Dr. Williams’ office is not made for Jaclyn. As the only Black woman in the office, Jaclyn is determined to keep her job. But when Dr. Williams promotes her White co-worker, Ileen, and asks her to spy on their only Black co-worker, Jaclyn has her work cut out for her. Fueled by a fear of difference and looming racial uprising, how far will Jaclyn, Ileen and Dr. Williams go?
Comments SGT Producing Artistic Producer Sandy Shinner, “Shattered Globe is celebrating playwright Joel Drake Johnson with this revival of his workplace thriller Rasheeda Speaking. In the fall of 2019, shortly before Joel’s death in early 2020, I told him we would commit to producing this revival with Deanna Reed-Foster as Jaclyn, and he was thrilled. In the world premiere production at Rivendell Theater in 2013, Deanna was cast as the understudy and Joel could always hear her voice as Jaclyn. Now, almost 10 years later, the play will resonate differently, and I am thrilled that SGT’s Associate Artistic Director AmBer Montgomery is directing this new production with a powerhouse design team. Rasheeda Speaking is sure to entertain and challenge our audiences.”
The production team includes Scott Penner (scenic design), Rea Brown (costume design), Jackie Fox (lighting design), Christopher Kriz+ (sound designer), Persephone Lawrence-Wescott (props design), Judy Anderson* (executive production manager), Richie Vavrina (production manager), Johnnie Schleyler (technical director) and Tina M. Jach (production stage manager).
Please note: Theater Wit currently requires all audience members to wear masks and to provide proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test within 48 hours of curtain time. All cast and crew members are fully vaccinated. For additional information on COVID safety guidelines and Theater’s Wit’s ticket refund policy, visit www.theaterwit.org.
*Denotes SGT Ensemble Member +Denotes SGT Artistic Associate
Title: Rasheeda Speaking
Playwright: Joel Drake Johnson
Director: SGT Associate Artistic Director AmBer D. Montgomery
Cast (in alphabetical order): Daria Harper* (Ileen Van Meter), Deanna Reed-Foster* (Jaclyn Spaulding), Barbara Roeder Harris (Rose Saunders) and Drew Schad* (Dr. David Williams).
Location: Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago
Dates: Previews: Friday, April 22 at 8 pm, Saturday, April 23 at 8 pm and Sunday, April 24 at 3 pm
Press Performance: Monday, April 25 at 7:30 pm
Regular Run: Friday, April 29 – Saturday, June 4, 2022
Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 8 pm; Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will be added performances on Monday, May 16 at 8 pm and Saturday, June 4 at 2:30 pm; there will not be a performance on Thursday, May 19 at 8 pm.
Touch Tour/Audio Description Performance: Friday, May 6 – 6:45 pm touch tour, 8 pm performance with audio description. $20 tickets available with code “ACCESS20.”
Tickets: Previews: Friday: pay-what-you-can; Saturday & Sunday: $25 general admission, $10 students. Regular Run: $45 general admission. $15 students. $35 seniors. $25 under 30 years old. $15 industry tickets on Thursdays and Fridays with code “INDUSTRY.” Tickets go on sale Tuesday, February 1, 2022 at www.sgtheatre.org, by calling (773) 975-8150 or in person at the Theater Wit Box Office. Group discounts are available by contacting groupsales@shatteredglobe.org or by calling (773) 770-0333.
Shattered Globe understands that ticket prices can pose a financial burden and, at times, an obstacle for theatregoers. A number of waived tickets are available on a first-come, first-serve basis for students and community members experiencing access barriers to theatre. If you would like to be added to SGT’s Waived Ticket Waitlist, please e-mail lswanson@shatteredglobe.org. Please note: all requests must be completed by 12 pm the Friday before the performance you would like to attend. The e-mail will not be monitored at all on weekends or after 5 pm on weekdays.
About the Artists:
Joel Drake Johnson (Playwright) is an award winning, internationally-produced playwright and teacher best known for his work at Chicago’s Victory Garden's Theater, where he was a member of the company’s Playwrights Ensemble for many years. His plays include Rasheeda Speaking, Four Places, A Blue Moon, As The Beaver, The End of the Tour, The Fall To Earth, A Blameless Life and Tranquillity Woods. His work has also been produced in Chicago at Steppenwolf Theatre and globally in New York City, Los Angeles, London, and many other cities.
AmBer D. Montgomery (Director, she/her) is an emerging director, educator and multi-disciplinary artist from Detroit, Michigan. She has created a career centered around amplifying the voices of Chicago youth and creating work that stands on the legacy of black theater makers before her. Originally trained as an actor, her transition to directing in Chicago has included her associate and assistant directing credits for many major productions including School Girls or the African Mean Girls Play (Goodman Theatre), Sheepdog (Shattered Globe Theatre), LINDIWE (Steppenwolf Theatre), Too Heavy for Your Pocket (TimeLine Theatre), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Writers Theatre), Measure for Measure (American Players Theater) and First Love is the Revolution (Steep Theatre). Her other director’s credits include: Snow Queen (The House Theater), Countess Dracula (Otherworld Theater) and hippolytos (Story Theater New Play Festival). She was awarded a 2020 FAIR Assistantship at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, 2018 Fellowship at Steppenwolf Theatre in their Department of Education/SYA and an internship at Penumbra Theater’s Summer Institute: Pedagogies for Social Change. She has attended training programs at the Globe Theater in London and LISPA (Now Arthaus Berlin). Amber holds a BFA in Acting from the University of Minnesota Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training Program.
About Shattered Globe Theatre
Shattered Globe Theatre (Sandy Shinner, Producing Artistic Director) was born in a storefront space on Halsted Street in 1991. Since then, SGT has produced more than 80 plays, including nine American and world premieres, and garnered an impressive 42 Jeff Awards and 107 Jeff Award nominations, as well as the acclaim of critics and audiences alike.
Shattered Globe Theatre seeks to discover new connections between story, artist and audience by exploring drama from bold, challenging perspectives, and continuously redefining what it means to be an ensemble theater.
SGT’s values are rooted in a commitment to racial equity, respect for all artists and support for the ensemble, while creating new opportunities to amplify traditionally marginalized voices and collaborate in all aspects of our work. Through initiatives such as the Protégé Program, Shattered Globe creates a space which allows emerging artists to grow and share in the ensemble experience.
Shattered Globe Theatre is partially supported and funded by generous grants from The Shulman-Rochambeau Charitable Foundation, The James P. and Brenda S. Grusecki Family Foundation, Bayless Family Foundation, The Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, The MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The Kovler Family Foundation, the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, the Illinois Arts Council, The Shubert Foundation, the Chicago Community Foundation, and The Saints.
For more information on Shattered Globe Theatre, please visit www.sgtheatre.org.