Actor, director, playwright, screenwriter, and professor Dr. Frank Galati died on January 2, 2023, but his impact on those he worked with and loved (they were one and the same) and his legacy are imperishable. He won two Tony Awards in 1990 for adapting and directing The Grapes of Wrath, and was a nominee in […]
Tag: Dennis Začek
Will Victory Gardens ever bloom again?
Editor’s note: This story has been corrected since it was first published to reflect that Erica Daniels never served as executive artistic director for Victory Gardens. Chay Yew’s tenure was slated for the end of June 2020, and Daniels resigned before assuming the planned new role. The biggest story of the year in Chicago theater […]
Chagall’s Camelot
James Sherman began his career as an actor; he joined the Second City in the 70s, while he was still a student at Illinois State, appearing in the shows Once More With Fooling and East of Edens with the likes of George Wendt, Tim Kazurinsky, and Miriam Flynn. But starting with his 1982 backstage play, […]
A time that was wonderful
I didn’t meet the revered Chicago Tribune theater critic, Richard Christiansen, until 2016 when I started interviewing him for my book Ensemble: An Oral History of Chicago Theater. He was 84 years old and living at The Selfhelp Home, an assisted living facility for older Jewish adults where a caregiver he particularly liked would sit […]
Black Ensemble Theater scores big with MacKenzie Scott grant; Victory Gardens announces new playwrights ensemble
$5 million helps BET regain lost ground from COVID, while Ken-Matt Martin reignites a VG tradition.
Ken-Matt Martin takes over at Victory Gardens
After a tumultuous year, the theater’s new artistic director is ready to listen as well as lead.
Victory Gardens playwrights ensemble resigns
Restructuring at the top causes an exodus—again.
In a troubled time, Victory Gardens consolidates leadership and promotes from within
Erica Daniels will replace Chay Yew in the top job at Victory Gardens Theater.
Nothing happens (twice) in Waiting for Godot
Dennis Začek’s solid staging lets Samuel Beckett’s existential comedy be.
Something Rotten, The Project(s), and eight more new stage shows to see now
A touring Broadway hit and a youth revival from American Theater Company are among this week’s best bets.
Other People’s Money may be the best revenge
Other People’s Money may be the best revenge.
At Victory Gardens, a bitter uprooting
Victory Gardens Theater gets weeded out
Ersatz Absurdity
Edward Albee never managed to make The Zoo Story believably pointless.