JULIE GARNYÉ - From The Heart

August 14, 2019 / Ed Tracy

To hear Julie Garnyé tell the story of just how influential Seth Rudetsky was in her career, you might think it is one of those cases of being in the right place at the right time.

And it could have been except that the two first met nearly twenty years ago—quite by chance—which led to an invitation by Rudetsky to hear her sing. It was during that initial session that he urged her to consider the songs of Liz Callaway and everything that Jason Robert Brown ever wrote.

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categories / Theater, Music, New Media
tags / Julie Garnyé, Seth Rudetsky, Liz Callaway, Ann Hampton Callaway, Liesl Tommy, Clint Ramos, Disney's FROZEN: Live, Come From Away, Cadillac Palace Theatre, Jason Robert Brown

DANN GIRE - Critically Speaking

July 25, 2019 / Ed Tracy

The first reel of the two-reeler that tells the story of Dann Gire’s cinematic life, is spent largely in the dark confines of screening rooms and flickering images with a subplot emerging that has placed the opinions of the affable, knowledgeable and articulate film critic in the pages of the Daily Herald for over four decades, with students in college classrooms, at film seminars, lectures and screenings, on broadcast television and at the forefront of a movement to establish the Chicago Film Critics Association, a professional association that began in 1988.

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categories / Theater, Music, New Media
tags / Dann Gire, Sue Kiner, Brian Tallerico, Roger Ebert, Gene Siskel, Chicago Film Critics Association

RON KELLUM - VOLTA Cirque du Soleil

June 22, 2019 / Ed Tracy

Cirque du Soleil is back in Chicago with VOLTA, a fascinating story with all of the thrills and excitement we have come to expect from the internationally renowned entertainment juggernaut. Heading up the Volta team is Artistic Director Ron Kellum, an accomplished director, actor and choreographer whose extensive professional career spans Broadway and national touring companies, broadcast television, sports entertainment and film. Kellum joined Cirque’s KOOZA four years ago and took on his duties for VOLTA in late 2018.

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categories / Theater, Music, New Media
tags / Cirque du Soleil, VOLTA, Ron Kellum, Soldier Field

WILLIAM A. MAROVITZ - MIRACLE: The Musical

May 06, 2019 / Ed Tracy

If you were anywhere in or near Chicago, or grew up here and now live somewhere else, the out-of-this-world excitement of the 2016 Chicago Cubs World Series run is a bright and brilliant memory. It was, in a few words, a dream come true for generations of Cubs fans. For one of those fans—former State Senator William A. ‘Billy’ Marovitz–the only word necessary is “MIRACLE,” which happens to be the name of his new musical premiering at the Royal George Theatre later this month.

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categories / Theater, Music, New Media
tags / William A. Marovitz, Julian Frazin, Arny Granat, Jason Brett, Michael Mahler, Damon Kiely, Brandon Dahlquist, Gene Weygandt, Allison Sill, Amaris Sanchez, Elise Wolf, Jonathan Butler-Duplessis, Veronica Garza, Michael Kingston, Dina DiCostanzo, Kory Danielson, Collette Pollard, Izumi Inaba, Christine Binder, Ray Nardelli, Mike Tutaj, Angela Mcllvain

ALFREDA BURKE AND RODRICK DIXON - Too Hot To Handel

January 08, 2019 / Ed Tracy

Renowned soloists Alfreda Burke and Rodrick Dixon join with Karen Marie Richardson, the legendary Detroit pianist Alvin Waddles and over 100 musicians and vocalists to present Too Hot To Handel, the blues, jazz, gospel, and rock-infused treatment of Handel’s Messiah in celebration of the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. The 14th annual Chicago concerts will be held on January 19 and 20 at the Auditorium Theatre and will be live-streamed to inmates in a unique partnership between the Auditorium and the Christian Reform Church.

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categories / Theater, Music, New Media

GREG CAMERON – RESOURCING THE ARTISTRY AT THE JOFFREY BALLET

October 10, 2018 / Ed Tracy

An exciting new season is around the corner for Joffrey Ballet and it includes a double dose of the phenomenal Christopher Wheeldon. First up, Swan Lake returns to the Auditorium Theatre beginning October 17th. The Nutcracker, Wheeldon's reimagined holiday classic, set during the construction of the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, opens December 1st and runs through December 30th, aligning with exhibits and other events capping a year-long celebration of the Exposition’s 125th anniversary.

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categories / Business, Dance, Music, New Media

ROB LINDLEY - SMALL TOWN VALUES. BIG TIME TALENT.

July 09, 2018 / Ed Tracy

If it is true that you can take the boy out of the small town but you can’t take the small-town out of the boy, then we have a lot to be thankful for in Chicago when it comes to the artistic achievements of Rob Lindley over the last few decades. That small-town nature is embodied in his brilliant performances, whether he is acting in a mainstage production, vocalizing in a cabaret show or directing, Lindley has a unique style that elevates the performance of everyone around him.

2 Likes

categories / Theater, New Media, Musical Theater, Music, Directing

RISHI SHARMA: Preserving World War II Combat Stories, One Veteran at a Time

May 23, 2018 / Ed Tracy

Rishi Sharma has logged a lot of hours on the road in recent years, connecting, meeting and filming interviews with combat veterans who served in World War II. To date, he has amassed a comprehensive archive of over 850 interviews – easily over 4,500 total hours and counting — all part of his ambitious plan to honor America’s World War II heroes and preserve their stories for generations to come.

12 Likes

categories / History, Military Themes, Commentary, Film/TV, New Media, Interviews

PLAYING IN 'THE YARD' - Chicago Shakespeare Theater

April 12, 2018 / Ed Tracy

Few things are more rewarding than spending time with students who are discovering something for the first time. On a brisk day in March, the topic was Shakespeare: a crisp, shortened version of Midsummer Night’s Dream, in fact, with formidable Chicago talent presented by Chicago Shakespeare Theater in the glorious new versatile performance space known as 'The Yard.'

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categories / Architecture, Commentary, Theater, New Media
tags / Chicago Shakespeare Theater, The Yard, Macbeth, Teller, Aaron Posner

DR. HAL M. LEWIS - CRITICAL CONVERSATIONS AT SPERTUS INSTITUTE

March 13, 2018 / Ed Tracy

The genesis of the idea for Critical Conversations, the spirited new Spertus Institute series debuting March 18th, was framed by another series of critical conversations between President & CEO Dr. Hal M. Lewis and former trustee, the late Eric Joss. They envisioned a series that would bring together strongly divergent perspectives on hot-button issues of the day under the Spertus philosophy that, above all, the conversations strive not to change opinions, but to enhance understanding of individual viewpoints with civility and respect for one another.

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categories / Business, New Media, Commentary
tags / Dr. Hal Lewis, Jennifer Granholm, Mike Huckabee, Frank Sesno, Spertus Institute

MICHAEL BROSILOW - 32 YEARS OF CHICAGO THEATER PHOTOGRAPHY

March 05, 2018 / Ed Tracy

On any given day in the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun Times or countless other publications in print or online, you will see powerful images by photographer Michael Brosilow. These are not breaking news photos, but they are breaking stories in a theatrical world that Brosilow has been a part of for over 32 years, capturing the rich textures, brilliant colors and the extraordinary personalities who create the work that appears on Chicago stages, and many others, across the country. He sees it before we do and his images last long after the play has drifted out of our memory.

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categories / Theater, Business, New Media
tags / Michael Brosilow, Michael Shannon, Steppenwolf

BOB DOEPEL & CHICAGO SCENIC STUDIOS - 40 Years Of Making It All Come Together

December 13, 2017 / Ed Tracy

To hear Bob Doepel reflect on Chicago Scenic Studios, the company he founded almost 40 years ago, you might think that it just happened to come together. In truth, Doepel has elevated the process of making things come together, often under impossible deadlines, on projects that materialize overnight, to an art form.

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categories / Theater, Business, New Media

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