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By Wesley James
The Realm brings a movingly symbolic and liberatingly high-quality execution to an increasingly familiar story. The plot follows a young woman attempting to flee an underground dystopia with her best friend as he succumbs to the ubiquitous brain-washing that dominates their society. The story deals with flight and song, mythology and collective unconscious, and above all our vital and endemic human ownership of language. The Realm skips past the idea of censorship and into something much more haunting: the very loss of speech and faculty; it’s a more tragic fight, but the small victories showcased are more beautiful by far. This conflict and the way its message transcends the setting or characters are what set this play apart – the boy searching for his mother as he forgets his words and the doctor who tracks the effectiveness of brain-washing in the youths, the immune protagonist launching a futile and anticipated resistance and the mother who almost made it out – in being vessels for the overarching plight of language, each is made greater than their role in the story. 
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Tuesday, April 26, 2016-Chicago, IL. The Jeff Awards Committee today announced 121 nominations in 24 categories for the 43rd Annual Non-Equity Jeff Awards for productions that opened between April 1, 2015, and March 31, 2016. The Non-Equity Awards honor excellence in Chicago theatres not under a union contract. Jeff judges attended opening nights of 148 productions offered by 67 Non-Equity producing organizations. The Jeff Committee recommended 65 of those shows (or 44%), making them eligible for Non-Equity Jeff Award nominations. Of the 65 Jeff Recommended productions, a record 53 (or 82%) received nominations, representing 32 theatre companies.
By Thom Walker
Julia Álvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies is an incredibly important work, detailing the Mirabal sisters from the Dominican Republic. When I heard that Teatro Vista would be presenting a staged (and fictionalized) version of the incredible story, I knew I'd be in for a treat. The company has impressed me time and time again with their subtle and beautiful work, usually led by strong casting and wonderful designs. CHICAGO – Random Acts Chicago (RA) and The Other Theatre Company (TOTC) are proud to present a one-night-only performance of Daughters of Ire, by TOTC Company Member Savanna Rae, directed by TOTC Artistic Director Carin Silkaitis, May 12 at Duffy’s Tavern & Grille, 420 W Diversey Pkway, Chicago, IL 60614. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door, and include your admission and open bar for Bud Light, Budweiser, and House Wine from 7:30pm – 10:30pm. Tickets may be purchased at
www.buzzonstage.com. For more information, please visit www.randomactschicago.com
The modern storyteller (Rae, whom the Chicago Reader describes as a 'mesmerizing dynamo') and her ancient characters navigate and negotiate worlds characterized by violence. Daughters of Ire explores what it means to be women and men living in these worlds. The Hawk Chicago says, “you don’t want to miss one second.” 
Pride Films and Plays is thrilled to present the US professional premiere of Jason Mitchell’s zesty comedy The Boys Upstairs which The Village Voice called ‘Sex in the City meets Boys in the Band.’ PFP Artistic Associate Nelson Rodriguez leads a cast including Gary Henderson as Seth, Tristien Winfree as Eric, Shaun Baer as Ashley, and PFP Company Member Luke Meierdiercks playing a variety of different roles. PFP Executive Director David Zak directs.
Steppenwolf for Young Adults (SYA) is proud to announce its 2016/17 season: The Burials, a new play by Caitlin Parrish and directed by Erica Weiss; and a world premiere adaptation of Walter Dean Myers’s critically acclaimed novel, Monster, adapted by Steppenwolf Artistic Producer Aaron Carter and directed by SYA Artistic Director Hallie Gordon. SYA’s 2016/17 season explores the question, When we stick to our guns, who pays the price?
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