Rivendell Theatre Ensemble

Thank you for joining us for the first public sharing of FOLDED MAP at Rivendell Theatre! We are excited to see what's next in our groundbreaking collaboration
with Tonika Lewis Johnson, and look forward to more devising with incredible artists! Stay tuned for more! 🎊

❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️
CORE ARTISTS

Quenna Lené Barrett
Jerre Dye +
Andres Fiz
LaKecia Harris
Tonika Lewis Johnson
Christopher Wayland
Keith Kupferer +
Krystel McNeil +
Alyssa Vera Ramos
Brit Cooper Robinson
Rebecca Spence +
Risha Tenae
Tanya Ward +

PRODUCTION TEAM
STAGE MANAGER: Steph Niro
LIGHTING: Chase Barron
ASSISTANT: Ema Kester

+= Rivendell Theatre Ensemble Member
*= Member, AEA

Thank you to our sponsors! 💐
FOLDED MAP at Rivendell is being developed with support from Terra Foundation for American Art, National Endowment for the Arts, League of Chicago Theatres & Comed.

2 Weeks until our sweet little gala!
Do you have your tickets?

JOIN US FOR A COOL LITTLE BASH!
Benefit Bash (formerly Blue Jean Ball)
rivendelltheatre.org/benefitbash

September 25, 2024
6pm-9pm (5pm VIP hour)
at Bridge 410
410 N. Paulina Street, Chicago

Tickets on sale August 11th!
The Benefit Bash raises critical funds to support RTE's mission of elevating
the lives of women through the power of theater that centers on their voices.
Rivendell's annual signature event also honors an individual with the WREN Award for their extraordinary work that illuminates and advocates on behalf of the arts in Chicago.

This year's WREN Award Honoree is Cathy Taylor of Cathy Taylor Public Relations, for her tireless efforts to uplift the work of Chicago theatres and increase the visibility of the exceptional talent in our community.

Benefit Chair
Stephanie A. Frei
Honorary Co-Chairs
Erica Daniels, Jan Kallish, Kate Lipuma,
Rachel Kraft, and Deb Clapp

Please join us in wishing our wonderful and energetic Founding Artistic Director, Tara Mallen a very Happy Birthday! You're the wind beneath these wings, woman! ❣️🎂💯

The countdown to our annual gala - Benefit Bash (formerly Blue Jean Ball)! The good times kick off on September 25th with a 5pm VIP cocktail hour, then we go until 9pm! We are thrilled this year to have sounds provided by DJ Lady D (Chicago)!

Tickets on sale now - rivendelltheatre.org/benefitbash

We are closing out the 2024 Fresh Produce festival on a big high!
LIMITED tickets available at the door for the reading of:

NINA/VIOLETTA by Monica West
Directed by RTE Member Devon de Mayo
Featuring RTE member Rebecca Spence and Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel

Sunday September 1
Reading at 730PM

It’s been ten years since Nina left opera to raise her family. At forty-five, and against all odds, her dazzling comeback appears: a debut at The Met in La Traviata, performing the coveted leading role: Violetta. The opportunity dangles before Nina, and she dives into a dark fairytale where she’s forced to choose between her deepest passions: her family and her artistry.

PRODUCTION TEAM
PLAYWRIGHT: Monica West
DIRECTOR: Devon de Mayo+
DRAMATURG: Tanya Palmer
MUSICIAN: Emma Rothfield

Join us for a cool little bash!
Benefit Bash 2024 is Wednesday, September 25th at Bridge 410!
rivendelltheatre.org/benefitbash
It’s a night of celebration as we announce the 2024-2025 performance season, honor and advocate in the theater community and raise funds critical to supporting our mission to advance the lives of women through the power of theatre.

This year we are honored to present the 2024 WREN Award to Cathy Taylor or Cathy Taylor Public Relations!

Join us for a reading of� The Live In(n) by Gloria Imseih Petrelli
Directed by Azar Kazemi (director of Motherhouse)
Tickets and info rivendelltheatre.org/freshproduce

Sunday, August 25 at 7:30pm
at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble
5779 N. Ridge Avenue, Chicago

The Ayad-Eklunds have the best domestic team ever: Bruna the nanny (by day, freelance reporter by night), and Chimalli the cook (by night, photojournalist by day). When Bruna starts reporting on The Just Tax, which would increase taxes for the top 5% and redistribute to everyone else, it hits a bit close to home.
It seems though, the Ayad-Ecklund home may hit back…

Cast:
Will Burdin
Eduardo Curley-Carrillo*
Dana Omar*
Shadee Vossoughi*

*Member of AEA

Join us September 25th for Benefit Bash 2024!

The Benefit Bash raises critical funds to support RTE's mission of elevating the lives of women through the power of theater that centers on their voices.

This annual signature event, formerly
the Blue Jean Ball, also honors an individual with the WREN Award for their extraordinary work that illuminates and advocates on behalf of the arts in Chicago.

This year we honor Cathy Taylor with the 2024 WREN Award for her contributions to Chicago's theatre landscape!

ON SALE NOW
Wednesday, September 25, 2024

Bridge 410
410 N. Paulina Street, Chicago

Event Time
5:00 PM–6:00 PM VIP Donor Reception
6:00 PM–9:00 PM Benefit Bash

Cocktails, Lite Bites, Silent Auction, Raffle, WREN Award, Dancing and MORE!



Tickets on sale NOW
rivendelltheatre.org/benefitbash

$175 VIP Donor
$125 General Admission

​

​

Sponsorship Opportunities Available!
Aligning your brand with Rivendell Theatre Ensemble is an opportunity to showcase your commitment to the arts and community!


To learn more about these opportunities, please contact SIlvino da Silva at [email protected]

ℹ️ rivendelltheatre.org/freshproduce or 🔗 in bio

Public Reading
Friday August 16th at 730pm

Gorgeous by Keiko Green
Directed by Helen Young

Featuring:
RTE Artistic Director Tara Mallen
Mi Kang
Anna Joy Yee

*Special appearance by KiKi the rehearsal 🐕

Set in an open garage in suburban Georgia, a young Japanese-American woman named Jenny goes head-to-head with Bernie, who seems more like
a tornado than a woman, in an all-out brawl after the death of Bill, an old, miserable, asshole-turned-Saint. The item in question? Bill's English bulldog, Gorgeous. This dramedy set in the not-so-romanticized South asks: who gets
to change their story?

Fresh Produce Festival is back!
August 11-September 1
Join us for our public readings of new works by and about women+!
Tickets and Info: rivendelltheatre.org/freshproduce

Very Blue Light by Daphne Silbiger
READING: Sunday 8/11 at 7:30PM

Marfa, TX, 2022--Magna was likely abducted by aliens, but her friends don't believe her. She seeks out the fabled Marfa Mystery Lights hoping for answers, and discovers that the secrets of the cosmos are both monumentally far-reaching and disarmingly mundane. VERY BLUE LIGHT uses centuries-old West Texas lore to draw connections between isolation and doubt in trans* experiences, the work of revisiting relationships, and cultural narratives around extraterrestrial encounters.

​

CAST:
Magna - Jeff Kurzys
Angela - Andi Muriel +
Coleman - Jack Seijo
Michigan - Collin Quinn Rice

PRODUCTION TEAM:
PLAYWRIGHT: Daphne Silbiger
DIRECTOR: Kristen Osborn+
DRAMATURG: Jonathan L. Green
PROJECTIONS DESIGNER/CONSULTANT: Andres Fiz

​
*= member of Actor's Equity Association
+= Rivendell Theatre Ensemble Member

Fresh Produce Festival of New Plays is BACK!
RivendellTheatre.org/freshproduce

A Celebration of New Plays ABOUT Women
August 11- September 1, 2024

We are thrilled to announce the 2024 return of Rivendell Theatre Ensemble’s annual Fresh Produce: New Plays with Women+ at the Core. Originally launched in 2004, Rivendell has long cultivated the notion that thoughtfully planting new artistic seeds wields the richest harvest. Our Fresh Produce series is known for risky, innovative, and compelling new work. During each series, our staff curates an exciting slate of new projects to be nurtured through an intensive, developmental workshop process.

Each project culminates in a public sharing with the opportunity for a moderated dialogue between artists and audience. We hope you will join us as we sow the seeds of original new work about women+ once again!

Very Blue Light
By Daphne Silbiger
Director: Ensemble member Kristen Osborn
Public Reading: Sunday, August 11

Gorgeous
By Keiko Green
Director: Helen Young
Public Reading: Friday, August 16

the live in(n)
By Gloria Imseih Petrelli
Director: Azar Kazemi
Public Reading: Sunday, August 25

Nina/Violetta
By Monica West
Director: Ensemble member Devon de Mayo
Public Reading: Sunday, September 1

All readings are at 7:30pm

Location: Rivendell Theatre Ensemble
5779 N. Ridge, Chicago

JOIN US FOR A COOL LITTLE BASH!
Benefit Bash (formerly Blue Jean Ball)
rivendelltheatre.org/benefitbash

September 25, 2024
6pm-9pm (5pm VIP hour)
at Bridge 410
410 N. Paulina Street, Chicago

Tickets on sale August 11th!
The Benefit Bash raises critical funds to support RTE's mission of elevating
the lives of women through the power of theater that centers on their voices.
Rivendell's annual signature event also honors an individual with the WREN Award for their extraordinary work that illuminates and advocates on behalf of the arts in Chicago.

This year's WREN Award Honoree is Cathy Taylor of Cathy Taylor Public Relations, for her tireless efforts to uplift the work of Chicago theatres and increase the visibility of the exceptional talent in our community.

Benefit Chair
Stephanie A. Frei
Honorary Co-Chairs
Erica Daniels, Jan Kallish, Kate Lipuma,
Rachel Kraft, and Deb Clapp

Great read and a great perspective!
Let's push into the cosmos!

https://deadline.com/2024/07/oscar-predictions-contenders-2024-first-six-months-1235998884/