Angels in America: Millennium Approaches and Perestroika

TONY KUSHNER Plays include A Bright Room Called Day; Angels in America, Parts One and Two; Slavs!; Homebody/Kabul; Caroline, or Change, a musical with composer Jeanine Tesori; and The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide To Capitalism And Socialism With A Key To The  Scriptures. He wrote the libretto for the opera A Blizzard on Marblehead Neck, also with Ms. Tesori. He has adapted and translated Pierre Corneille's The Illusion, S.Y. Ansky's The Dybbuk, Bertolt Brecht's The Good Person of Sezuan and Mother Courage and Her Children; and the English-language libretto for the opera Brundibár by Hans Krasa.  He wrote the screenplays for Mike Nichols' film of Angels In America, and Steven Spielberg's Munich. His books include Brundibar, with illustrations by Maurice Sendak; The Art of Maurice Sendak, 1980 to the Present; and Wrestling With Zion: Progressive Jewish-American Responses to the Palestinian/Israeli Conflict, co-edited with Alisa Solomon. Kushner is the recipient of a Pultizer Prize, two Tony Awards, three Obie Awards, two Evening Standard Awards, an Olivier Award, an Emmy Award and an Oscar nomination, among other honors.  In 2008, he was the first recipient of the Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award.  He lives in Manhattan with his husband, Mark Harris.

CHARLES NEWELL has been Artistic Director of Court Theatre since 1994, where he has directed over 30 productions. He made his Chicago directorial debut in 1993 with The Triumph of Love, which won the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Production. Directorial highlights at Court include Angels in America, An Iliad, Porgy and Bess, Three Tall Women, The Year of Magical Thinking, The Wild Duck, Caroline, Or Change, Titus Andronicus, Arcadia, Man of La Mancha, Uncle Vanya, Raisin, The Glass Menagerie, Travesties, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Hamlet, and The Invention of Love.  Charlie has also directed at the Goodman Theatre (Rock ‘n’ Roll), the Guthrie Theater (Resident Director: The History Cycle, Cymbeline), Arena Stage, John Houseman’s The Acting Company (Staff Repertory Director), the California and Alabama Shakespeare Festivals, Juilliard, and New York University. He is the recipient of the 1992 TCG Alan Schneider Director Award. He has served on the Board of Theatre Communications Group, as well as on several panels for the National Endowment for the Arts. Opera directing credits include Marc Blitzstein’s Regina at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Rigoletto at Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Charlie is a multiple Joseph Jefferson Award (Chicago’s highest theatrical honor) nominee and recipient.

JOHN CULBERT recently designed Court Theatre’s productions of Angels in America, Invisible Man, and Porgy and Bess, Writer’s Theatre’s Sweet Charity, Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Romeo and Juliet, Timeline Theatre’s The Farnsworth Invention, Northlight Theatre’s Civil War Christmas, and Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Regina. He also designed Lookingglass Theatre’s Argonautika, Goodman Theatre’s Rock ‘n’ Roll and Mirror of the Invisible World, and Long Wharf Theatre’s Hughie. He has designed productions for the Singapore Repertory, Opera National du Rhin, Berkeley Rep, McCarter Theatre, and the Shakespeare Theatre. He serves as the dean of The Theatre School at DePaul University.

Nan has designed costumes for theatre, film, television, opera and dance.  At the Court Theatre, she has designed Glass Menagerie,  The Piano, Travels with My Aunt, Celimene and the Cardinal and The Misanthrope at the Court Theatre.  At Steppenwolf Theatre  she has designed costume for Clybourne Park, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, American Buffalo, Glengarry Glen Ross, Top Dog Underdog, The Dresser, among many others  Other Chicago credits include  Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, the Goodman Theatre and Writers’ Theatre.  Regional credits include costume designs at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Seattle Repertory Theatre, McCarter Theatre, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Alliance Theatre, Hartford Stage Company, Dallas Theatre Center, the Alley in Houston, American Repertory Theatre Public Theatre, ACT Seattle, Manhattan Theatre Club, and The Kennedy Center She was the original costume designer for the American premier of Glengarry Glen Ross at the Goodman Theatre and she also did the original Broadway and tour productions of Glengarry Glen Ross and Speed the Plow.  Ms Cibula-Jenkins is a recipient of the Michael Merritt Award for Design and Collaboration, and she has also been a recipient of the Hollywood Dramalogue Critics Award and the Joseph Jefferson Award for Costume Design.  She is the head of the Costume Design program at The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago.  

KEITH PARHAM Court Theatre: An Iliad, Angels in America, and Proof. New York: Hit the Wall, Tribes, Mistakes Were Made, and Red Light Winter (Barrow Street Theatre); Through the Yellow Hour (Rattlestick Theatre); Stop the Virgens (Karen O at St. Ann’s Warehouse); Ivanov, Three Sisters (Classic Stage Company); A Minister’s Wife (Lincoln Center Theater); Adding Machine (Minetta Lane); Crime and Punishment, Sunset Limited (59E59). Chicago: The Silent Language, The Dumb Waiter, Fulton Street Sessions, Baal (TUTA Theatre, Company Member); Teddy Ferrara, Sweet Bird of Youth, Red, Mary, The Seagull (Goodman); The Birthday Party, Time Stands Still, Sunset Limited, Red Light Winter (Steppenwolf). International: Stop the Virgens (Sydney Opera House); Homebody/Kabul (National Theatre of Belgrade, Serbia). Also, Arena Stage, The Alley Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, Trinity Repertory, Shakespeare on the Sound, and Chicago Opera Theatre among others. Awards: Obie, Lortel, Afterdark, and Michael Maggio.

JOSHUA HORVATH Court credits include: James Joyce’s “The Dead,” Jitney, Angels in America, Invisible Man, Spunk, Porgy and Bess, The Illusion, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Wait Until Dark, Carolin, or Change, The First Breeze of Summer, Carousel, Titus Andronicus, Arcadia, Flyin’West, Raisin, Lettic and Lovage, Fences, Man of La Mancha, Endgame, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Guys and Dolls, and The Romance Cycle. Regional: The Kennedy Center, The Lincoln Center, Long Wharf Theatre, Hartford Stage, Centerstage, The Alliance, Milwaukee Rep, Madison Rep, Kansas City Rep, Center Theatre Group, Illinois Shakespeare, Great River Shakespeare, and California Shakespeare. Chicago: Goodman, Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare, Writer’s Theatre, Lookingglass, About Face, Northlight, Next, TimeLine, Lifeline, A Red Orchid, and The House. Mr. Horvath teaches sound design for theatre and film at Northwestern University, is an artistic associate of Lookingglass, a collaborative partner of the Goodman Theatre, and has one LA Ovation Award and four Joseph Jefferson awards.

MIKE TUTAJ has been designing multimedia for theater in Chicago since 2002. This is his first production with Court Theatre.  Previous design credits include: History Boys, Fiorello!, The House with no Walls, Guantanamo, Tesla’s Letters (Jeff Nomination), Martin Furey’s Shot (Jeff Award), and This Happy Breed with TimeLine Theatre Company; Tomorrow Morning (Jeff Award) with Hillary A Williams LLC, Jon (Jeff Nomination) with Collaboraction; Macbeth and Romeo y Julieta with Chicago Shakespeare Theater; Hana’s Suitcase and The Red Kite Project with Chicago Children’s Theatre; Pangs of the Messiah and Our Enemies (Jeff Nomination) with Silk Road Theatre Project; Love Person, and I Sailed with Magellan (Jeff Nomination) with Victory Gardens; and Death of a Salesman and Columbinus (Jeff Nomination) with Raven Theatre.  Mike is an artistic associate with TimeLine Theatre Company, and a company member of Barrel of Monkeys Productions.

DREW DIR is the Resident Dramaturg at Court Theatre, where he oversees dramaturgy and literary management. Production highlights include Orlando, The Comedy of Errors, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Illusion, Porgy and Bess, An Iliad, and Angels in America. Drew is also the cofounder of Manual Cinema, a Chicago-based shadow puppetry company, whose productions include The Ballad of Lula Del Ray, FJORDS, and Ada/Ava. Drew holds an MA in Text and Performance Studies from King’s College London and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. For the past three years, Drew has been a lecturer in Theater and Performance Studies at the University of Chicago, where he co-teaches History and Theory of Drama with Professor David Bevington.

WILLIAM COLLINS is in his seventh season with Court Theatre. Court credits include Angels in America Parts 1 and 2, An Iliad, Porgy and Bess, Three Tall Women, The Year of Magical Thinking, Uncle Vanya, Thyestes, Titus, Comedy of Errors, and Arcadia, among others. Most recently William was on the stage management team for Other Desert Cities at The Goodman Theatre. Other stage management credits include 3 seasons with Peninsula Players Theatre in Door County Wisconsin, Paramount Theatre (My Fair Lady), Drury Lane Theatre (Sugar), The Chicago Humanities Festival, Redmoon Theater, About Face Theatre, and The Guthrie Theatre.

AMBER JOHNSON is very excited to be back at Court Theatre this season. Court credits include Angels in America, Spunk, Comedy of Errors, and Three Tall Women. Other Chicago stage management credits: A Girl With Sun in Her Eyes (Pine Box Theatre), The Colored Museum (Congo Square Theatre Co.), The MLK Project (Writers’ Theatre), Jersey Boys (Sub SM, Broadway in Chicago), It’s a Wonderful Life: Live at the Biograph! (American Blues Theatre), Dreamlandia, La Posada Magica (Teatro Vista), Three Sisters (Strawdog Theatre Co.), As Much As You Can, Clouds (Dog & Pony Theatre Company), and Orange Flower Water (Steppenwolf). Regional credits include: Williamstown Theatre Festival and Antelope Valley Ballet. Amber graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a BFA in Theatre with Stage Management emphasis. As always, Boomer Sooner!  

SUSANA PELAYO is happy to be returning to Court Theatre for her third year, where she was previously floor manager. She is a graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Court Theatre credits include Porgy and Bess, Orlando, Three Tall Women, Home, Sizwe Banzi is Dead, The Comedy of Errors, The Illusion, The Year of Magical Thinking, The Mystery of Irma Vep, and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.