Strawdog Theatre Company, under the leadership of Interim Artistic Director Kamille Dawkins*, is pleased to welcome back audiences for its 34th season, “Aftermath,” featuring two live productions and an online treat just in time for Halloween.
The season kicks off this fall with Monster, a Halloween comedy horror series written and performed by the Strawdog ensemble. New episodes stream each week on YouTube throughout the month of October.
This winter, Strawdog returns to live performances with its annual holiday family favorite Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblin. Based on the award-winning book by Eric Kimmel, Hershel is adapted by ensemble member Michael Dailey*, with music and lyrics by Jacob Combs and direction by Hannah Todd. Hershel will be performed at Rivendell Theatre, 5779 N. Ridge Ave. in Chicago.
The season concludes next spring with Karissa Murrell Myers’* world premiere On The Greenbelt. Jonathan Berry directs this serio-comic play that jumps between the past and the present, exploring family, love, memory and the question of “How do we process loss and grief?” On The Greenbelt will be performed live at Filament Theatre, 4041 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago.
Strawdog Theatre Company’s 34th season includes the world premiere of On The Greenbelt by playwright Karissa Murrell Myers (left) and the annual holiday family favorite Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblin directed by Hannah Todd (right).
Comments Interim Artistic Director Kamille Dawkins, “It is a true pleasure to be back this year with shows available both in person and online. This season we sit at the ground floor and revel at the human spirit. We have a world premiere, a new rendition of a holiday favorite and online content for all to enjoy both near and far. Our shows will explore the journey of those who must wrestle with the past and take on the responsibility of building a better future –a fate we all face. We hope audiences will find joy and catharsis in our season.”
Tickets for Strawdog Theatre’s 2021-22 season will go on sale at a later date at www.strawdog.org.
*Denotes Strawdog ensemble/company members.
October 2 – October 31, 2021
Monster
- Written & Performed by the Strawdog Ensemble
- New episodes stream every Tuesday in October and on Hallows Eve and Halloween
A few weeks before Halloween, a man is reunited with the monster that used to live under his bed when he was a child. Their new living situation is not ideal but it is… eventful. Created and performed by the talented ensemble at Strawdog Theatre, this comedy horror series proves that you can’t judge a book by its cover no matter how ghastly it looks.
November 20 – December 12, 2021
Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins
- Based on book by Erik Kimmel
- Adapted by Michael Dailey*
- Music & Lyrics by Jacob Combs
- Directed by Hannah Todd
at Rivendell Theatre, 5779 N. Ridge Ave., Chicago
Press openings: Saturday, November 20 at 1 pm & 4 pm and Sunday November 21 at 1 pm & 4 pm
A traveling troupe of actors comes to town to find no one celebrating Hanukkah. They must put on a show to save the holiday! Will they bring back the spirit of Hanukkah to the town? Will Hershel of Ostropol outsmart the goblins who haunt the old synagogue? In this adaptation of the Caldecott Honor-winning book, the story comes to life with music, puppets and a little bit of magic for families of all ages to enjoy.
April 22 – May 28, 2022
On The Greenbelt – World Premiere!
- Written by Karissa Murrell Myers*
- Directed by Jonathan Berry
at Filament Theatre, 4041 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago
Press opening: Monday, April 25, 2022 at 7:30 pm
A serio-comic play that jumps between the past and the present, On The Greenbelt is an exploration of family, love, memory and the question of “How do we process loss and grief?” Jules saw something terrible in the Idaho hospital the night her mom died, but she’ll never say what it was. Not to her ex, Olivia, and especially not to her brother, Jake, who keeps trying to convince her to go with him to the Greenbelt to spread their mom’s ashes with their father, Alan. But try as she might, Jules can’t shake the memories of the past that haunt her like a gin-soaked hangover, and as the day unravels the past events surrounding her mother’s death come to light. A semi-finalist for the 2021 Blue Ink Playwright Awards.
About the Artists:
Eric Kimmel (Book, Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins) is the author of over 130 books for children, including Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock and the classic Hanukkah tale, Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins. He is a five-time winner of the National Jewish Book Award and the Sydney Taylor Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Michael Dailey (Adapter, Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins) has been a Strawdog company member since 1997. He has appeared as an actor in 24 Strawdog productions. Writing credits include three radio plays presented as part of Radio Theatre 7, co-writer on the late-night series The Adventures of Picklebot and Lawfer and script editor for Strawdog’s productions of 1001 Afternoons in Chicago, Julius Caesar and Measure for Measure.
Jacob Combs (Music & Lyrics, Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins) is a writer, composer and director based in Los Angeles. Jacob wrote the music and lyrics for Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins (based on the beloved children’s book by Eric Kimmel), which has been produced annually since 2018 by Chicago’s Strawdog Theatre. Previous theater projects include Selling Out (Strawdog Theatre), Legends & Lore (New York Theatre Barn, Musical Theatre Workshop) and Palin! The Musical. A lifelong film nerd, Jacob recently worked in the writers' rooms of two top-secret projects at Pixar, and wrote several episodes of the Disney+ documentary series Inside Pixar. Jacob also wrote the short film Messrs., which is beginning its festival run, and his first short film as writer/director, Without, showed at several festivals in 2019 and 2020.
Hannah Todd (Director, Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins) is a director based in Chicago by way of Washington, D.C. Directing work includes Thrones! A Musical Parody at the Apollo Theater, Cambodian Rock Band at Victory Gardens/Merrimack Repertory Theater (Associate Director) and work at Theater Alliance, Lean & Hungry Theatre and We Happy Few (co-founder) in D.C. Assistant directing includes Northlight, Lookingglass, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Folger Theater, Studio Theater and Shakespeare Theater Company. Hannah received her MFA in Directing from Northwestern University.
Karissa Murrell Myers (Playwright, On the Greenbelt) (she/her) is a hapa Filipino American theatre artist originally from Boise, Idaho and is currently based in Chicago, where she works professionally as a playwright, actor, casting director and producer. She has a MFA in Performance from University of Hawaii at Manoa, a BA in Theatre Arts from Boise State University and is a graduate of The School at Steppenwolf. Her autobiographical play Fragmented was filmed and released through Our Perspective: Asian American Plays. Her most recently produced play, How Do We Navigate Space?, was filmed and released through Strawdog Theatre Company, where she is the current Casting Director and ensemble member. Proud member of SAG-AFTRA, represented by Gray Talent Group. www.kmurrellmyers.com
Jonathan Berry (Director, On the Greenbelt) is a director and teacher in Chicago, a proud ensemble member of both Steep Theatre and Griffin Theatre and a former Artistic Producer at Steppenwolf Theatre Company. He directed the Steppenwolf productions of Lindiwe, The Children, You Got Older, Constellations and the SYA productions of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, The Crucible and A Separate Peace. Steep Theatre Company: Red Rex, Earthquakes in London, Posh, The Life and Sort of Death of Eric Argyle, If There Is I Haven’t Found it Yet, The Knowledge, Festen, Moment, The Hollow Lands and The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. At Griffin, productions include: The North American premieres of Simon Stephens Punk Rock (Jeff award Director, Lead Actor and Ensemble), Port and On the Shore of the Wide World, as well as The Harvest, Winterset, Pocatello, Balm in Gilead, Golden Boy, The Burnt Part Boys, Spring Awakening, Company, Picnic, Time and the Conways, Dead End, The Hostage and Journey’s End.
He was the Assistant Director for Anna D. Shapiro’s Broadway productions of Of Mice and Men and This is our Youth. Gift Theatre: the world premieres of both Dirty and Suicide, Incorporated, as well as Othello. Goodman Theatre: The Solid Sand Below and The World of Extreme Happiness for their New Stages Festival. Other work includes: American Theatre Company: Kill Floor, American Blues: Little Shop of Horrors and Sideman; Redtwist: Look Back in Anger and Reverb, Chicago Dramatists: I am Going to Change the World, Jackalope Theatre: The Casuals, Strawdog: Conversations on a Homecoming, Remy Bumpo: The Marriage of Figaro, Theatre Mir: The Sea and Caucasian Chalk Circle, Lifeline Theater: The Piano Tuner (After Dark Award – Best Production). He pursued his MFA in directing from Northwestern University. He has taught acting, directing and viewpoints at University of Michigan, Northwestern University, University of Chicago, Act One Studios, Columbia College and served as the director for the ensemble training program The School at Steppenwolf.
About Strawdog Theatre Company
Since its founding in 1988, Strawdog Theatre Company has offered Chicagoland the premiere storefront theatre experience and garnered numerous Non-Equity Jeff Awards with its commitment to ensemble acting and an immersive design approach. The celebrated Company develops new work, re-imagines the classics, melds music with theatre, asks provocative questions and delivers their audience the unexpected.
Strawdog Theatre Company is supported in part by The MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation and the Illinois Arts Council Agency.