Results tagged “tracyletts”

Last week was a big week for Chicago plays on Broadway. Steppenwolf’s Superior Donuts opened at The Music Box Theatre, the same venue where August: Osage County recently closed. Keith Huff’s A Steady Rain, which ran at Chicago Dramatists last year, opened at Gerald Shoenfeld Theater, and Brighton Beach Memoirs, helmed by Chicago director-of-the-moment David Cromer, began previews Friday.

Steppenwolf and Tracy Letts received their millionth award together - not really but it feels that way - for Superior Donuts, which takes August: Osage County’s place on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre in October. Superior Donuts won a citation, i.e. “runner up,” for the Harold and Mimi Steinberg New Play Award, administered by the American Theatre Critics Association. The award comes with $7,500, which isn’t a hefty sum considering Broadway tickets cost about half that. Lynn Nottage’s Ruined, which premiered at the Goodman last fall and won this year’s Pulitzer, was also named one of the 2008-2009 Best Plays by The Best Plays Theater Yearbook, an annual publication celebrating American theater.

Tracy Letts’ epic August: Osage County will close its doors on Broadway this Sunday after 648 performances, making it one of the longest running plays in Broadway history. And while you might think we’re finally going to stop hearing about it now, you’re wrong.

The Theatre Office at Chicagoist Towers almost can't handle the amount of news we’ve heard this week. Here’s everything we’re talking about:

Chicago theater has done it again. After the international success of Tracy Lett’s Pulitzer Prize-winning August: Osage County, Lynn Nottage won the 2009 Pulitzer for her play Ruined, which premiered at the Goodman Theatre last fall. We don’t like to brag, but two Pulitzers in two years is a pretty good record.

We've been so preoccupied lately with Blago and Huberman that we forgot to get excited about the Oscar nominations. Frankly, compared to last year, this year's crop holds a lot less excitement for us, although there are some notable exceptions. It's pretty awesome to see Richard Jenkins and Werner Herzog (!) up for awards, but coolest of all is the Best Supporting Actor nomination for long-time Chicago actor Michael Shannon in Revolutionary Road.

Between now and Wednesday, we're counting down the top 8 local stories that captivated us in 2008.

Pulitzer and Tony-winner (August: Osage County) and Steppenwolf scribe Tracy Letts has a new play, Superior Donuts, opening tonight. Set in an old donut shop in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood, the comedy focuses on the relationship between owner Arthur Pryzbyszewski and his only employee, a black teenager named Franco Wicks who wants to improve the shop. The production features Steppenwolf ensemble members Jon Michael Hill, James Vincent Meredith, and Yasen Peyankov and also features Jane Alderman, Kate Buddeke, Cliff Chamberlain, Michael Garvey, Robert Maffia, and Michael McKean. Besides August, Letts has also written Man From Nebraska (a Pulitzer finalist), Killer Joe, and the acclaimed Bug. The production is directed by ensemble member Tina Landau.

The Sox and Cubs sit atop their respective divisions, Chicago resident and Illinois Senator Barack Obama is set to be named the Democratic Presidential candidate, and Chicago made the short-list to host the 2016 Olympics. Some have suggested that the summer of '08 is Chicago's "moment", to which we say, "Really? Just now?" Yes, Chicago has seen some great success stories so far this year: Tracy Letts' August: Osage County has a Pulitzer and is expected to add a Tony while Alinea's Grant Achatz has made headlines for his fight with cancer and for being a pretty damn good chef. And with all the other things about our great city that we love, we can understand why there's a swell of civic pride. We just think expectations should be tempered a bit. The Cubs are due any day now for their annual collapse, this year's election will be one of the most hotly contested in recent history, and we have a long road to travel before we secure the 2016 games.

People could not get enough Tracy Letts this summer. But lo, we have discovered the ultimate praise of the local playwright: a "99 Problems" spoof from comedy duo Southern Mothers (Russ Armstrong and John Dixon). Lines like "99 problems, high reference ain't one," and "his dick is so hard it survived 9/11" are hilarious, but we're really geeked about the shout-outs to all the Steppenwolf ensemble members....

When Gary Huswit's documentary Helvetica screened earlier this year at the Siskel, it certainly brought all the typeheads out of the woodwork — it broke box-office records at the Siskel and is now the theater's highest-grossing film. Now you get another chance to see it if you missed it the first time around, but tonight and tomorrow is your your last chance. It's a fascinating examination of what it means to be modern (and post-modern),...

We're used to the Reader throwing out a curve ball now and then and rubbing some people the wrong way, but nevertheless we raised our eyebrows after reading its four-star review of Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters. If nothing else, it takes a certain amount of chutzpah to put a Cartoon Network-derived feature right up there with A Woman Under the Influence or even A History of Violence. Despite the controversy...

Note: “Behind the Scenes” is a new series exploring the arts as a business and a craft. For every playwright enjoying a production on a Chicago stage during this busy theater season, many more are waiting their turn. Rebecca Gilman knows both sensations well. Ms. Gilman is one of Chicago’s most acclaimed playwrights, her work has been produced at the Goodman Theatre, London’s Royal Court Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club and regional theaters across the country....

It’s that time of year -- leaves are falling, radiators are clunking, and the Chicago Humanities Festival is raring to go. We love the fest, we really do. Chicagoist even worked for them for a few years. We don't want to look in gift horses' mouths, but we can't help wishing they would un-stuffy it up a little bit. Maybe book some more fun guests and authors. (Neil Gaiman sold out in minutes a few...

Like movies? Like comedy? Have an attention span so short that shiny objects distract you? Then the Chicago Short Comedy Video and Film Festival might be for you. The Chicago Short Comedy Video and Film Festival is currently in its eighth year. Featuring up-and-coming local independent filmmakers like Jim Zulevic, D.P. Carlson, Tracy Letts, and former Project Greenlight finalist Scott Smith (no relation), the fest features 37 films under ten minutes with some as short...