Monday evening, June 9, the Joseph Jefferson Awards Committee will hand out its Citations
Wing honors for the 30th time, and Stage Door Jonny will be there! In fact, Jonny will be
presenting the Citations for Sound Design and Puppet Design. You can see Jonny in all his
glory (well, not ALL his glory, dear ones; for that you must arrange a private viewing, and well
worth the money it is, too), and hobnob with some of Chicago's theatrical elite, as the
ceremonies are open to the public at the Park West nightclub, 322 W. Armitage. Tickets, $30,
are available at the door (cash or check) and include a light buffet reception at 6:30 p.m. (cash
bar) followed by the awards ceremonies at 7:30 p.m., which always are a hoot-and-holler
affair.
This year's Citations Wing presentations will honor the fattest roster of nominees ever, some
100 in 22 categories. Among the most-nominated troupes are TimeLine, Lifeline, Raven,
Porchlight, Circle and Redmoon theaters, plus The Hypocrites and Pegasus Players.
Jonny must confess that the Citations Wing has a place in his heart: Jonny himself was
Chairman of the Citations Wing for three years, ages ago. In fact, Jonny designed the Citations
Wing award plaques still in use, and was first to produce the ceremonies at the Park West
(and they finished in the black, too!). If you come to see Jonny, please remember to dress
sharp.
One of the most creative of all theatrical queer boys, Quebec's Robert Lepage, makes a rare
Chicago appearance with his theater troupe, Ex Machina, June 20-22 at the Athenaeum
Theatre (a wonderful, intimate venue). Lepage and cohorts will portray the life of painter Frida
Kahlo in La Casa Azul, employing lots of high-tech visualizations of her work. The program is
presented by Performing Arts Chicago and the School of the Art Institute. Call (773) 722-5643,
or online at www.pachicago.org; $29-$35.
Chicago soon will have two new theater spaces, one rather grand and one rather gritty, as
Lookingglass Theatre Company and the Steep Theatre Company move into new homes.
The grand one is the much-ballyhooed new $4.6 million Lookingglass home within the Water
Tower Pumping Station. It opens June 14 with the world premiere of Race: How Blacks and
Whites Think and Feel About the American Obsession, adapted from the non-fiction book by
Studs Terkel, and directed by Lookingglass co-founder David Schwimmer. Following the gala
opening, Lookingglass will host a free open house for the public, Sunday, June 15, 1-4 p.m.
Show up and take a tour, which includes a gander at the big pumps that still deliver 250 million
gallons a day to thirsty Chicagoans.
The gritty new space is a typical Chicago storefront, the new home of two-year-old Steep
Theatre Company at 3902 N. Sheridan Road (at Sheffield). The little studio will seat 40-60
people. The opening show, running through June 28, is The Job, by Shem Bitterman.
On the strength of high critical praise, the Drury Lane Evergreen Park production of Singin' in
the Rain is transferring to the North Side for a June 19-July 27 run at the Chicago Center for
the Performing Arts, Green Street at Halsted. The show is directed and choreographed by
community favorite and aging whiz kid, Marc Robin, and features tall, dark and handsome Curt
Dale Clark as Don Lockwood, the role played by Gene Kelly in the famous film upon which this
show is based. Other principal cast members, mostly well-known to Chicago audiences, are
Paula Scrofano, Dale Benson, Linda Parsons, Christine Scherill and Alex Sanchez as Cosmo
Brown. (312) 327-2000; $20-$55. Don't forget your raincoats: there's real rain in the show.
One of Jonny's favorite fellas, actor, director and teacher Dale Calandra, recently underwent
emergency surgery and had a very rough go of it. Fortunately, Dale now is on the road to
recovery, with the support and prayers of scores of friends in the theater community. Jonny
joins them in wishing Dale a swift road back to good health. You may not know the name, but
you'd recognize the face: Dale has been featured in many commercials and print ads, and has
worked at top Chicago theaters from the Goodman to the Festival Theatre in Oak Park.
