Chicago, IL —Pride Films and Plays is excited to present the World Premiere of David Valdes Greenwood's comedy Raggedy And, opening March 12, 2016 at Rivendell Theater. Delia Kropp will be the first transgender actress to portray a trans character for a major Chicago stage production.
Before gender transitioning, Delia Kropp trained in England and Chicago, and acted with a variety of Chicago companies including The Goodman, Red Twist, Griffin, Lifeline, and Pegasus Players. She won Best Supporting Actor for her work as Alan in Equus at Michigan's renowned Boarshead Theatre. She has also directed a number of productions for Chicago storefront and educational institutions. Delia's female acting career begins with Raggedy And at Pride Films and Plays in 2016.
In Raggedy And, a fast-paced ultramodern comedy of manners, the perfect poet is needed for the impending inauguration of America's first female president. When Ondi Rivers is selected, her wife hits the roof and her son is torn. Imagining the glare of the media spotlight on her family's private life, will she take the stage?
The cast includes Averis I. Anderson as Ben, Delia Kropp as Ondi, Katurah Nelson as Clem, and Manuel Ortiz as Jayden. Designs are by Rebecca Hamlin ( set ), Raquel Adorno ( costumes ), PFP Company Member Kalie Rollison ( sound ) and Cat Wilson ( lights ).
Raggedy And by David Valdes Greenwood and directed by Cecilie D. Keenan, has previews on Thursday and Friday, March 10 and 11 at 7:30 ( $15 ). Regular performances are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30pm and Sunday at 3:30pm through April 10. Tickets are $22 Thursdays, and $27 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Discounts are available for students and seniors. The performance is at Rivendell Theater, 5779 N Ridge, and tickets can be purchased at 1-800-737-0984 or online at www.pridefilmsandplays.com .
Pride Films and Plays has begun an Indiegogo campaign in support of this productions, and you can find that information here.
David Valdes Greenwood is the author of plays which have been staged across the US and in the UK. His work has been produced and workshopped by the Humana Festival, New York Theatre Workshop, Huntington Theatre Company, Portland Stage, and more. Raggedy And was workshopped in the 2014 Stage Left LeapFest, is a finalist for the Giant Cherries LGBT Playwriting Prize, and was a finalist for the ATHE Excellence in Playwriting Prize. He is a Huntington Theatre Company Playwriting Fellow, a three-time Sloan Commission recipient at Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York, and the winner of a Brother Thomas Artist Fellowship. His published plays include Brave Navigator ( Samuel French ) and the forthcoming Bully Dance ( Adirondack Press ). Upcoming work includes the world premiere of Full Code with Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company and development of Vow Keepers in the 2016 Cimientos with IATI Theater Todo Vanguardia.
Cecilie Keenan is a freelance director, producer and writer who has been active in the Chicago Theater Community for over 20 years. She has directed on many stages including The Goodman Theater with El Nogalar, and Collaboraction with the The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow. Keenan has been a frequent director at American Blues Theater, where she has directed Tobacco Road, Living Out ( co-pro with Teatro Vista ), Toys in the Attic and Bus Stop. She also served a stint as Artistic Director at Bailiwick Repertory where she started the Director's Festival, 11 Minutes Max and directed Our Town ( a deaf/hearing/movement version ), Nagasaki Dust, Shanghai Gesture, Dark of the Moon and Prometheus Bound/UnBound. Cecilie held the position of Producing Director at Chicago's Apple Tree Theater and directed Anna Christie, The Birthday Party and Private Eyes and the same post at Teatro Vista where she directed Living Out, Dreamlandia and Another Part of the House. In the past Cecilie has received many awards for directing and ensemble work, as well as a TCG Observership to Mexico and several NEA & Foundation Grants to develop or produce new plays, playwriting festivals or collaborate with theaters internationally. She has taught theater and theater creation in Chicago, Minneapolis and Oaxaca Mexico. Cecilie currently teaches at ChiArts High School. Most recently, Cecilie has been busy co-writing and directing a solo show with a young woman who is undocumented about her challenges in this country.
About Pride Films and Plays
The mission of Pride Films and Plays is to change lives through the generation of diverse new work ( or work that is new to Chicago ) with LGBTQ+ characters or themes that is essential viewing for all audiences. We accomplish this mission through fully-staged productions, writing contests and staged readings, film screenings, and special events. We foster long term relationships with artists to create programming that is as diverse, unique, and complex as the community we represent. In 2015, Huffington Post called PFP "A powerful and empowering entity."
PFP's past season included the Jeff Recommended productions of Men on the Verge of a His-Panic Breakdown at the Apollo Studio Theater, The Boy From Oz at Stage 773, and Design for Living at Rivendell Theater. The current season begins with Ten Dollar House which runs through January 31 at Piccolo Theatre. In addition, our script and screenplay development programs continue throughout the year at Center on Halsted, including Gay Play Weekend ( April 22-24 ), LezPlay ( October 7-9 ) featuring plays and screenplays written by women with lesbian characters or themes, and Gay Film Weekend ( November 11-13 ) featuring LGBTQ+ screenplays and screenings.
Other special events include Judy and Liza — Once in a Lifetime on January 31 and February 1 and Boys in Briefs: At the Beach! is February 21, March 29, and April 26 at Uptown Underground. LezPlay Film Festival is February 22 and Queer Bits AltReels is April 25 at Public House Theatre,.
Pride Films and Plays is supported by The MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at The Richard Driehaus Foundation, The Illinois Arts Council, City of Chicago's City Arts Fund, the Elliott Fredland Charitable Trust, Proud to Run, and the AmazonSmile Foundation. PFP is a member of the Smart Growth Program of the Chicago Community Trust. Pride Films and Plays is a member of the Chicago Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, The League of Chicago Theaters, and the Central Lakeview Merchants Association.
For more information, visit www.pridefilmsandplays.com or call 1-800-737-0984 .
