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. And the previews for the production will benefit two non-profit organizations — Illinois Safe School Alliance on Thursday, March 10, and the Legacy Walk on Friday, March 11 — with $5 from each ticket sold for those performances benefiting the organization.
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, a trans woman, 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 ), Keith Dukavicius ( original music and 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. There is a special industry night performance on Monday, March 21, 7:30 with tickets $22. 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.
Pride Films and Plays has begun an Indiegogo campaign in support of this productions, and you can find that information here.
About the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance
The mission of the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance is to promote safety, support and healthy development for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning ( LGBTQ ) youth, in Illinois schools and communities, through advocacy, education, youth organizing and research. The Illinois Safe Schools Alliance envisions a world in which youth develop to their fullest potential, learning in safe and nurturing schools, living in communities that accept and honor differences, where everyone has the freedom to express their sexual orientation and gender identity. http://www.illinoissafeschools.org/
About The Legacy Project
The Legacy Project combats anti-gay bullying by promoting the contributions Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender ( LGBT ) people have made to world history and culture. Its central tools are "The Legacy Walk" — a half-mile outdoor streetscape featuring bronze memorial markers affixed to the "Rainbow Pylons" on North Halsted Street; "The Legacy Wall" — a traveling installation that explores the power of LGBT history to transform school climates; and the Legacy Project Education Initiative — "LPEI" — which creates education resources and multimedia to inspire and teach young people about all that LGBT people have contributed to the world we share. To learn more visit www.legacyprojectchicago.org .
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 Boys in Briefs: At the Beach! which is March 29 and April 26 at Uptown Underground 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, and The League of Chicago Theaters.
For more information, visit www.pridefilmsandplays.com or call 1 800 737 0984 .
