Theater
The Imminent Implosion of 13P
By Ben GassmanIn mid-July, 13P (13 Playwrights’ Inc.), will open its 13th and final production, Melancholy Play, written by the current artistic director, Sarah Ruhl. Then, from a perch of success—the focus of much critical attention and praise, with a cultivated audience, secure in its funding—a success that many comparatively young theater companies surely find enviable…13P will implode.
In Dialogue
Music is her Muse: Quiara Alegría Hudes and her Path to the Pulitzer
By Marcus GardleyQuiara Alegría Hudes writes from the music in her bones. Her work, which delves deeply into notions about family ties, war, love, joy, and despair are all exemplary excavations into the mind of a poet-musician-playwright whose craftsmanship is as profound as her skill for lyricism and whose passion for writing is as infectious as her radiant laughter.
Welcome to the Fearless Indie Theater Universe. Population? Not Just You
By Crystal SkillmanTouching down on the plane at Midway last Tuesday—it all hits me. While I’ve been produced in Chicago before, I realize how different this Chi-town trip is.
In Conversation
The Penitents of MAGDALEN: Erin Layton and Julie Kline with Zack Calhoon
The first time I saw Erin Layton present one of her monologues, she stood in street clothes on an empty stage speaking while very deftly creating the laundry, the sheets, and a wash tub out of thin air. Her simple and elegant physicality brought to life the experience of one struggling woman inside Ireland’s Magdalene laundries.
