Ghostlight Ensemble Goes Online For Season Four

Ghostlight Ensemble announced its Season 4 lineup, which brings back two popular offerings and introduces a new reading series of historically overlooked female playwrights. This season the company will present its offerings online, with the hopes of moving back to the stage in the summer of 2021.

“We're all diving into unknown territory with our medium moving into a digital world, but ultimately that unknown is what Ghostlight has been about since the beginning,” said Co-Artistic Director Miona Lee.

“The landscape of theatre is rapidly changing,” added Co-Artistic Director Kayla White. “I'm really looking forward to leading Ghostlight to be a force of positive change in the Chicago theatre scene, to dismantle old traditions and build an inclusive, anti-racist and SAFE place to create theatre together.”

Holiday Cabernet host Coco Sho-Nell

Ghostlight will begin its fourth season in December with a perennial winter favorite, the Holiday Cabernet – an evening of holiday classics (or not-so-classics) by favorite G.E.T. performers, emerging artists and surprise guests in a virtual setting with a host filled with holiday spirits! Taking the emcee mic this year is the glamorous Coco Sho-Nell, a Chicago-based drag performer with roots in musical theatre.

Acts range from comedians and clowns to musicians, dancers and more. Artists include: Comedy Dance Collective, Daija Nealy, Danielle Levsky, Improvised Jane Austen, Nate Perez & Anneliese Ayers, Nitty Gritty, Plucky Rosenthal and Tyler Ross.

In addition, last year’s vendor area proved so popular, that we’re bringing it back in virtual form this year. Peruse the online offerings before, during and after the show and support independent artists while scoring unique gifts that everyone will be buzzed about.

The live, but virtual, Holiday Cabernet takes place at 8 p.m. on Saturday, December 12. Additional details, including artist bios, vendor wares and how to reserve tickets are available here.

In the new year, Ghostlight will launch its new reading series, For Your (Re)Consideration, which will explore the works of historically overlooked female playwrights. Featuring a variety of distinct voices and styles from different historical periods, the virtual readings will be scheduled throughout the season and seek to bring attention to these remarkable women who have been sidelined by history for reasons that had nothing to do with their talent and everything to do with their gender and, in many cases, their race.

Epic Tales from the Land of Melanin from 2020’s Make/Believe festival

Rounding out the season in June, the company will once again present Make/Believe, a curated festival of short plays by playwrights from around the country geared towards children 10 and under. Last year’s performances played to sold out houses. This year, Ghostlight plans to offer both a virtual version and a live, outdoor version, as health guidelines permit.

Plays are currently being solicited and script selection will be made in early January. Playwrights interested in submitting to the festival can find more details on the Ghostlight website.

“I honestly don't know how we'll see Ghostlight evolve over the next year,” Lee said. “I can tell you that we will never stop pushing to ask the tough questions and bring our audiences thought-provoking work.”

Find out more about Ghostlight Ensemble and the entire 2020-2021 Season here.

Up Next: Holiday Cabernet 3

Ghostlight will begin its fourth season in December with a perennial winter favorite, the Holiday Cabernet – an evening of holiday classics (or not-so-classics) by favorite G.E.T. performers, emerging artists and surprise guests in a virtual setting with a host filled with holiday spirits! Taking the emcee mic this year is the glamorous Coco Sho-Nell, a Chicago-based drag performer with roots in musical theatre.

Acts range from comedians and clowns to musicians, dancers and more. Artists include:  Comedy Dance Collective, Daija Nealy, Danielle Levsky, Improvised Jane Austen, Nate Perez & Anneliese Ayers, Nitty Gritty, Plucky Rosenthal and Tyler Ross. 

In addition, last year’s vendor area proved so popular, that we’re bringing it back in virtual form this year. Peruse the online offerings before, during and after the show and support independent artists while scoring unique gifts that everyone will be buzzed about. 

The live, but virtual, Holiday Cabernet takes place at 8 p.m. on Saturday, December 12. Additional details, include artist bios, vendor wares and how to reserve tickets are available on our website.

Holiday Cabernet 3: A Call for Performers

Ghostlight Ensemble invites poets, dancers, artists, storytellers, comedians and musicians to perform at our third annual Holiday Cabernet fundraiser on December 12. We welcome performers of diverse skills and talents at this virtual event.

Filmed performances should be 5-10 minutes in length and themed to any of the winter holidays. Show off your talents in spoken word, slam poetry, improv, dancing, comedy, music or any medium of your choice. The Cabernet is an excellent opportunity to try out new material in front of a friendly, supportive audience.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s Cabernet will take place virtually. Acts will be pre-recorded, but the event will feature a live emcee to introduce the pieces.

Please submit acts, along with an artistic bio and statement (if applicable), to Jean at casting@ghostlightensemble.com. Deadline for submissions is November 9

Proceeds from the event will be divided evenly between performers and Ghostlight Ensemble.

The event takes place on Saturday, December 12.

Read about our past Cabernets here and here.

Call for scripts: Seeking short children's plays for 2nd annual Make/Believe festival

Ghostlight Ensemble is seeking short scripts (a maximum of 15 minutes) that are geared toward young audiences. Priority will be placed on scripts that are ethnically and culturally diverse, and written by writers of color and/or LGBTQ writers. This is open to playwrights in any geographic area, though writers in the greater Chicago area will receive priority. NO FEE.

Playwrights will receive $25 per selected script.

Selected plays will be produced in June 2021 as part of the second annual Make/Believe festival of theatre for children under our Nightlight banner. (Learn more about the 2020 festival here.) We are planning for a virtual performance, which means the pieces will be filmed and made available to audiences in any geographic area, but only for a limited time; and tentatively for live performances. A note on virtual performances: After the performance dates, the pieces will not be shown in full again without the playwright’s permission, although Ghostlight reserves the right to use excerpts of the performances in future promotional and marketing videos.

Please pay close attention to the script requirements. Scripts that do not meet the following criteria will not be considered. 

Requirements

• A maximum of 3 actors per script. There are no restrictions, however, on the number of characters. Please note, that while some directors have chosen to use child actors in past pieces, the intent of this festival is to perform for children, not with children.

• Plays must be adaptable to virtual and live performances.

• Must fit our mission.

• Geared toward children 10 and under. Please, NO scripts about high school students.

• All props, set pieces and costumes must be easily made at home by actors (and children watching who want to stage their own productions at home).

• Pieces can be previously produced, but cannot have a production running concurrently with Make/Believe. 

Electronic submissions only, please. Submit cover letter with full contact information, short bio, brief synopsis of script including development and production history (if applicable) and full script to Maria Burnham at scripts@ghostlightensemble.com. Please use the following format in the email’s subject line: Nightlight Script Submission: [play name] - [playwright name]

The deadline for submissions is December 31, 2020.

Read more: Ghostlight 'Aims To Bring Voices Of Black Women, People Of Color To The Forefront'

Princess Without Pots, 2018

Block Club Chicago recently covered our leadership change and plans for the upcoming season.

Learn more about our new Co-Artistic Director Kayla V. White and the company’s plans for the future in that piece.

“I’m really excited about centering newer Black and Brown playwrights, particularly Chicago-based ones, for the upcoming season and helping them shape their piece and create something new,” White said. “That’s so exciting to me.”

White said the company also will have a reading series highlighting “lost plays” from female writers of color, with an emphasis on works from Black women.

“A lot of people tend to do the same shows. Chicago does mix it up but often it’s a retelling the same types of stories,” White said. “So this series will have a special emphasis on people of color to go back and explore a lot of different plays that are available to us. They exist, but people just aren’t really using them.”

Ghostlight announces change in leadership: Kayla V. White takes over as co-artistic director

Kayla V. White

Ghostlight Ensemble Member Kayla V. White has been promoted to co-artistic director as the storefront theatre company looks ahead to its next season with a focus on lifting up disenfranchised voices and navigating the unprecedented arts landscape that has resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

White joins Miona Lee as co-artistic leader of the company, taking over from Maria Burnham, who voluntarily stepped down to open a leadership position for an artist of color. Burnham remains with the company.

“As a Black, queer woman, being the new co-artistic director for Ghostlight Ensemble Theatre is a particularly exciting opportunity for me,” White said. “I’m so grateful to my theatre family for being ready and willing to learn and grow by centering marginalized voices like mine in our community. 

“One thing I’m really looking forward to in this role is working with Ghostlight to be a force of positive change in the Chicago theatre scene. The landscape of theatre is rapidly changing and we can (and will!) dismantle old traditions and build an inclusive, anti-racist and SAFE place to create theatre together.”

White joined Ghostlight Ensemble last year after working as an actress with the company on several productions and readings. She holds a BFA in Music Theatre from Illinois Wesleyan University and in Chicago has worked with Strawdog Theatre Company, Clock Productions and Hairpin Arts, among others. Her full bio can be found here. 

“As a performer, Kayla has a passion and energy about her that makes you want to watch. The more I have gotten to know her, I’ve learned that she brings the same drive and passion to everything she does,” Lee said. “With our constant drive to bring new voices, perspectives and stories to the light, Kayla is a natural fit as an artistic director. I cannot be more excited to be working with her.” 

Added Burnham, “Part of Ghostlight’s mission has been to challenge the status quo, but how can we effectively do that when we look like the structures that have been put in place to establish and uphold that dynamic? That is why I’m excited to follow Kayla as she leads this company into its next chapter. In addition to being extraordinarily talented and passionate, Kayla has a great vision for what theater can be and Ghostlight’s part in it.”

The company is currently developing its plan for the 2020-2021 season, which will largely take place in the digital realm, after cutting its 2019-2020 season short due to safety concerns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. An announcement is expected soon.

An Update on the Coronavirus and Ghostlight Ensemble

As with so many other arts organizations in the Chicago area, Ghostlight Ensemble has made the decision, after careful consideration, to postpone our spring production of Much Ado About Nothing in light of public health considerations around the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). 

In addition, we have also postponed our live reading series. Our reading, Great Scott!: It's a Live Reading of Back to the Future, originally scheduled for Monday, March 22, will be rescheduled once the pandemic has passed.

Our first priority is to honor the health and safety of all involved — both actors and audience. Ghostlight is fortunate to be in a position to survive this crisis, but not all the artists who work with us have the financial resources to weather this storm. Therefore, we are asking our supporters to consider donating to Season of Concern, a non-profit who for 30+ years has provided financial support to local Chicago theatre artists suffering from illness, injury or circumstance.

Because so many shows have been canceled or postponed, our local theatre artists are hurting financially. Please help support our peers that may be suffering these hardships and who may also have medical needs in the near future.

It is our hope to present Much Ado About Nothing at a later date, either this summer or next season. It is also our hope to continue the live movie reading series in April with our next scheduled reading of Drop Dead Gorgeous and to reschedule Back to the Future to a later date in the summer or fall. Of course, this will depend on a number of factors that are out of our control and difficult to predict at this time. We will keep everyone up-to-date as things progress.

As always, we welcome your thoughts, suggestions, and input as we navigate this completely unprecedented situation in the most compassionate and conscious way we are able.

All of us at Ghostlight can't wait to gather together again and share the stories that tie us all together as a community. Let's all take good care and stay connected, even as we are forced to physically be apart.

Auditions Announced for Live Movie Reading Series

Ghostlight Ensemble announces auditions for the second quarter of its Live Movie Reading Series. Please state which movie reading you wish to audition for in your submission. Actors may be considered for multiple readings.

The Live Movie Reading Series is a low-key and fun, staged reading of some of our favorite movies. These readings are fundraisers for local nonprofits. Past recipients have included Common Pantry, Girl Forward and New Leash on Life, among others.

There is no pay for any of these readings.

Character Descriptions
Seeking a strong ethnically diverse cast of all genders, ages, shapes and sizes that is representative of the city in which we live.

We're looking for actors who love these movies, love having fun and who can also read. Those are literally the only requirements. Please note that we prefer a greater diversity in our casts for these movies than the original directors did and that the genders of our actors do not always match those of the actors in the films.

Time Commitment
In general, the live movie reading series involves an initial gathering to watch the movie that is being performed and two rehearsals. There is no tech. All performances take place at 7:30 p.m. on Mondays at Carbon Arc Bar and Board (located at the Davis movie theater in the North Center neighborhood of Chicago).

Performance dates and movies are as follows:

• April 27, 2020: Drop Dead Gorgeous

• May 18, 2020: Legally Blonde

• June 29, 2020: The Big Lebowski (Please note, the role of Walter has been cast.)

Materials To Prepare
Actors are asked to prepare a comedic monologue from their favorite movie, no longer than 1 minute. These monologues do not need to be memorized (as the performances are read and not memorized), but must be acted and staged to the best of your ability.

The audition date is March 21 from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Mayfair branch of the Chicago Public Library.

Please submit your headshot and resume to Jean at casting@ghostlightensemble.com, and she will be in touch. Please indicate any time restrictions you have for the audition period in your email.

Up Next: A Live Reading of Charlie's Angels

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its ongoing live movie reading series with Flip Your Goddamn Hair: A Live Reading of Charlie’s Angels (2000 edition).

So get ready for all the flying muffins and flying kicks that one movie theatre bar can hold! Join us at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, February 17 at Carbon Arc Bar & Board (4614 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60625), located in the Davis Theater in North Center.

Charlie’s Angels is a 2000 American action comedy film about three women working at a private detective agency in Los Angeles for a mysterious boss they've never seen. Their client has hired them to retrieve stolen voice-ID software — which they do using martial arts, tech skills and sex appeal — only to find out the baddies are actually after something else entirely.

The live reading is directed by Emma Jo Schumacher.

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its current season.

The power of imagination takes center stage in Ghostlight’s festival of new works for young audiences

Cereal royalty, a monster that eats words, the source of all black girl magic, a unique bird that tastes bad. Welcome to Make/Believe, a theatre festival that challenges its young – and young at heart – audiences to throw out the way things have always been done and indulge their imagination.

The production features a mix of short plays by local and out-of-state playwrights that were written for audiences 12 and under, but which are also meant to be enjoyed by all ages.

“Make/Believe is an expansion of our Nightlight young audiences series, which has always sought to tell compelling stories for children that do not talk down to them, but help make sense of the world around them while also letting them know that it is still OK to play,” said Maria Burnham, Ghostlight’s co-artistic director.  

The eight stories that make up this year’s Make/Believe festival are filled with young women who turn convention on its head. From the young heroines in Epic Tales from the Land of Melanin who reclaim their own stories – and the power that comes along with them – to that classic victim of folklore, Little Red Riding Hood, who decides a feminist fairy tale is more her style, the heroines of these plays face the types of figurative monsters modern children will recognize from their own lives.

Selected scripts include:

• Asherella, by Chicago playwright Lori Taylor, is a take on Cinderella where the heroines are African-American females and the person rescued is a young white male. Asher lives at home with his cruel stepmother and cruel stepbrothers. With the help of The One, an African-American magical being who is the source of all black girl magic, Asher is able to escape his cruel family and live in the castle with the ruler of the queendom. Asherella is directed by Laila Rodriques.

• In Ava’s First Escape Room, by Chicago playwright Kim Z. Dale, Ava, Jack and Gus are locked together in an escape room as an optional add on to a school field trip. The strange thing about this escape room is there is nothing in it: No puzzles or clues to solve. To make matters worse, Ava and the boys are not friends. As the boys loudly and ineffectually try to bust out of the room, Ava gets tired of dealing with them, and takes matters into her own hands. Ava’s First Escape Room is directed by Jill Olson Stuck.

• Based on histories of real-life women of color and non-Eurocentric fairytales, Epic Tales from the Land of Melanin tells a hilarious, imaginative adventure tale of three girl warrior-explorers taking on the world. Along the journey, our fierce young heroes must attempt to reclaim the power that was stolen from them and their people. Epic Tales From the Land of Melanin was originally devised by Chicago artists Guadalís Del Carmen, Mariana Green, Brandi Lee, Maya Mackrandilal, Enid Muñoz, Alyssa Vera Ramos, Deanalís Resto, Ana Velazquez and Teresa Zoríc with FEMelanin; and is directed by Deanalís Resto.

• Little Red Reboot, by New York playwright Sonya Sobieski, is a modern mash-up of the Little Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks tales, in which two rebellious females we think we already know break the rules of storytelling and theatre to get to a happy ending. Little Red Reboot is directed by Kristin Schoenback.

• The Queen of Cocoa Puffs and the Cap’n Crunch King, by Brooklyn playwright Corey Pajka, is the story of what happens when a pair of sovereign siblings sit down for breakfast with two hearty appetites and one cereal box between them. A battle cry is heard across the kingdom of New Brunswick. There will be blood—and perhaps orange juice. The Queen of Cocoa Puffs and the Cap’n Crunch King is directed by John Gleason Teske.

• Scaredy Friends is the story of a small girl and a monster that eats her words when she screams. But it turns out the monster isn’t evil — like the little girl, it is scared. This discovery, told through words and physical theatre, changes the course of their relationship forever. Scaredy Friends is written and directed by Chicago performing artist Carolyn Minor.

• Snow White, Who Is Also Called Becky, No Rebecca...and the Frog Prince, by Oak Park-based playwrights Jack Helbig and Margaret Helbig, is the story of a father and a daughter who collaborate on the writing of an original fairy tale. Unfortunately, they have different ideas of what makes a good fairy tale. Fortunately, they keep writing. Snow White, Who Is Also Called Becky, No Rebecca...and the Frog Prince is directed by Lizzy May.

• Stinky Bird, by Los Angeles playwright Seth Freeman, is the story of a young bird who is forced to come to terms with her unique and challenging background. Stinky Bird is directed by Jackie Bowes.

All eight plays will be produced on both days of the festival. The festival is curated by Ghostlight Ensemble Co-Artistic Director Maria Burnham.

Ghostlight put out a call for scripts for young audiences that featured strong female characters and collected submissions from around the world during the fall of 2019. Over 350 short plays were submitted. Final selections were made in late November.

The festival was crafted to appeal to all ages and its weekend run is perfect for families looking for live, daytime entertainment during a time of year when family-friendly activities are not as plentiful. Make/Believe takes place Saturday, February 22 and Sunday, February 23, 2020, at 2 p.m. at Laugh Out Loud Theater Chicago in the North Center neighborhood (3851 N. Lincoln Ave.). Tickets are on sale now via Brown Paper Tickets: $15 adults, $5 children 12 and under, or $25 family of four.

Nightlight is Ghostlight’s young audience series with original, adapted and forgotten plays geared toward children and the adults who love them. Ghostlight believes theatre can be a beacon for children, letting them know they aren’t alone in the world, giving them a sense of security and revealing the truth that in stories they can be anything they want to be. You’re never too young – or too old – for a nightlight.

Up Next: A Live Reading of 10 Things I Hate About You

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its ongoing live movie reading series with Hell is Just a Sauna: A Live Reading of 10 Things I Hate About You.

So dig out all that late 90s feminist poetry you wrote and your crop tops and join us at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, January 27 at Carbon Arc Bar & Board (4614 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60625), located in the Davis Theater in North Center.

10 Things I Hate About You is a 1999 American romantic comedy retelling of William Shakespeare's comedy The Taming of the Shrew set in a late-1990s high school. New student Cameron is smitten with Bianca and, in order to get around her father's strict rules on dating, attempts to get bad boy Patrick to date Bianca's ill-tempered sister, Kat.

The live reading is directed by John Gleason Teske.

Auditions Announced for Much Ado About Nothing

We are now accepting submissions to audition for Ghostlight Ensemble’s upcoming immersive production of Much Ado About Nothing to be performed in an Albany Park home, where audience members may move amongst the action as all the drama and comedy unfolds around them. The production will be directed by Producing Director Holly Robison.

Audition Dates:
Auditions: Wednesday January 15 and and Thursday, January 16, 2020: 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Callbacks: Saturday, January 18, 2020: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Chicago’s north side.

Location will be provided when audition slot is assigned.

What to Prepare:
Sides will be forwarded with audition slot.

Tech/Performance Dates:
Performance Dates will be Friday and Saturn evenings and Sunday matinees, April 24 to May 17, 2020, with a possible extension. Tech will be April 18–23, 2020. Rehearsals will begin early-mid March on weekday evenings and weekend days. Rehearsals will be scheduled according to cast availability.

Stipend:
Small stipend.

Character Description:
Looking to cast all roles, ages ranging from early 20s to 70s. Seeking a strong ethnically diverse cast of all genders, ages, shapes and sizes. Some roles may be double cast and/or considered for gender fluid casting. Please see character breakdown below.

• BEATRICE, pleasant spirited lady

• HERO, Beatrice’s younger cousin

• LEONATO, Governor of Messina – Hero’s father and Beatrice’s uncle

• MARGARET, waiting gentlewoman to Hero

• URSULA, waiting gentlewoman to Hero

• BENEDICK, a gentleman from Padua

• DON PEDRO, Prince of Aragon

• CLAUDIO, a young lord from Florence

• BALTHASAR, servant/singer

• DON JOHN, Don Pedro’s brother

• BORACHIO, Don John’s comrade

• CONRADE, Don John’s comrade

• DOGBERRY, Master Constable in Messina

• VERGES, Dogberry’s deputy

• GEORGE SEACOAL, leader of the Watch

• FIRST WATCHMAN

• SECOND WATCHMAN

• FRIAR FRANCIS

• MESSENGER(s)

Please submit your headshot and resume to Jean at casting@ghostlightensemble.com, and she will be in touch with sides and an audition appointment if we’d like to see you. Please indicate any time restrictions you have for the audition period in your email.

Plays announced for Make/Believe festival in February

Ghostlight has announced the scripts that will be performed as part of the Make/Believe, a short play festival for young audiences, scheduled for February 22 and 23, 2020, at Laugh Out Loud Theater in the North Center neighborhood of Chicago. 

The plays, geared towards children 12 and under, all have one unifying feature – strong female characters.

Selected scripts are:

• Asherella by Lori Taylor

• Ava's First Escape Room by Kim Z. Dale

• Epic Tales From the Land of Melanin originally devised by Guadalís Del Carmen, Mariana Green, Brandi Lee, Maya Mackrandilal, Enid Muñoz, Alyssa Vera Ramos, Deanalís Resto, Ana Velazquez and Teresa Zoríc with FEMelanin

• Little Red Reboot by Sonya Sobieski

• The Queen of Cocoa Puffs and the Cap'n Crunch King by Corey Pajka

• Scaredy Friends by Carolyn Minor

• Snow White, Who Is Also Called Becky, No Rebecca...and the Frog Prince by Jack Helbig and Margaret Helbig

• Stinky Bird by Seth Freeman

Auditions for Make/Believe take place in January. Find out more here.

Thanks to everyone who attended the Holiday Cabernet

Terra Mysterium performed songs from their upcoming show, A Midwinter Mummers Tale, at the Holiday Cabernet on December 14, 2019.

Poet Jae Green performed her spoken word piece, Vulgar: A Queer Catholic Poem, as part of the Holiday Cabernet on December 14, 2019.

The second annual Holiday Cabernet was an amazing night of festive fun and holiday spirits! We were blown away by the talent on display in the performances and in our vendor area, and by the reception from the standing-room only crowd that attended. Thank you to all of our wonderful performers, vendors, donors and patrons. You really filled us with holiday cheer(s)!

We’re already looking forward to next year. You can find out more about all the acts you saw, including how to book them for your events, here.

Special thanks to all our generous donors including, Revolution Brewing, Trader Joe’s, Spacca Napoli, Dovetail Brewery, Himmels Chicago, Twisted Hippo and Jerry’s Sandwiches.

Auditions Announced for Live Movie Reading Series and Make/Believe short play festival

Ghostlight Ensemble announces joint auditions for the first quarter of its Live Movie Reading Series and for its young audiences play festival, Make/Believe. Actors may audition for one of both of the programs. Please state which program you wish to audition for in your submission. Actors may be considered for multiple short plays and multiple movies.

The Live Movie Reading Series is a low-key and fun, staged reading of some of our favorite movies. These readings are fundraisers for local nonprofits. Past recipients have included Common Pantry, Girl Forward and New Leash on Life, among others.

Make/Believe is part of our Nightlight young audiences series and is a curated festival of short plays by playwrights from around the country. The plays, geared towards children 12 and under, all have one unifying feature – strong female characters.

There is no pay for any of these shows.

Character Descriptions
Seeking a strong ethnically diverse cast of all genders, ages, shapes and sizes that is representative of the city in which we live.

For the Live Movie Reading series, we're looking for actors who love these movies and who can also read. Those are literally the only requirements. Please note that we prefer a greater diversity in our casts for these movies than the original directors did and that the genders of our actors do not always match those of the actors in the films.

For Make/Believe, actors with previous experience working with children will receive preference in scheduling. All actors must have a love of good stories, a sense of fun and an imagination to rival any 5-year-old. Most of the pieces in this festival involve some level of interaction with the audience, so actors must be comfortable interacting with children and their guardians.

Time Commitment
Live Movie Reading Series:
In general, the live movie reading series involves an initial gathering to watch the movie that is being performed and two rehearsals. There is no tech. All performances take place at 7:30 p.m. on Mondays at Carbon Arc Bar and Board (located at the Davis movie theater in the North Center neighborhood of Chicago).

Performance dates and movies are as follows:

• January 27, 2020: 10 Things I Hate About You

• February 17, 2020: Charlie's Angels (2000 version)

• March 23, 2020: Back To The Future

Make/Believe Festival:
Directors will set rehearsal dates and times around actor availability. These are 15-minute (or less) pieces and should require a minimal number of rehearsals.

Tech is scheduled from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, February 15, 2020. Specific time slots will be scheduled for each piece and actors are not expected to be there all day.

Performance times are:

• Saturday, February 22, 2020

• Sunday, February 23, 2020

All pieces will be performed both days. Performances start at 2 p.m. and will be held at Laugh Out Loud Theater in the North Center neighborhood of Chicago.

Materials To Prepare
Actors auditioning for the Live Movie Reading series are asked to prepare a monologue from their favorite movie, no longer than 1 minute. These monologues do not need to be memorized (as the performances are read and not memorized), but must be acted and staged to the best of your ability.

Actors auditioning for Make/Believe will be given sides to read. Please note that you will be in consideration for all the scripts in the festival, even if you are only reading sides for one particular piece.

The audition date is January 11, 2020, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago.

Please submit your headshot and resume to Jean at casting@ghostlightensemble.com, and she will be in touch with sides and an audition appointment. Please indicate any time restrictions you have for the audition period in your email.

Make every Tuesday a Giving Tuesday

Thanks to everyone who donated to Ghostlight on Giving Tuesday. But there's no need to limit your support to one day. You can help support Ghostlight's mission any day of the year via the PayPal Giving Fund. Learn more about what your donations can do for us.

But that's not all. Relying on Amazon for those last minute holiday purchases? Make us your designated charity on AmazonSmile and a percentage of your sales will go to us! Shop AmazonSmile »

Ghostlight welcomes another new associate

Ghostlight is excited to announce the addition of a fourth Artistic Associate this month. Emma Baker joins the company after her turn as Mary Eastwood in The Thirteenth Chair.

Emma, a native of Wisconsin, moved to Chicago in 2013 after graduating from Trinity University with a degree in neuroscience.

Learn more about Emma and all our Ensemble members here.

Ghostlight announces acts for Second Annual Holiday Cabernet

Terra Mysterium

Ghostlight Ensemble announced today its lineup for the second annual Holiday Cabernet, schedule to take place on Saturday, Dec. 14.

The company's non-traditional, sometimes irreverent, always tipsy holiday cabaret features stand-up comedians, musical performers, dancers, magicians, storytellers, drag performers, improvisers and poets, as well as a holiday market area and raffle.

This year's host is the fabulous Ann Marie Carrothers, an award-winning singer, comedian, digital educator and filmmaker.

Performers include: Chris Petty, Hugh Dis, Improvised Jane Austen, J. Rohr, Jacob Mayfield, Jae Green, Miss Alley Cat & Labyrinth Arts, Terra Mysterium and The Holidudes, with more to be added. Read more about the performers here.

The evening begins at 8 p.m. at Vagabond School of the Arts (4001 N Ravenswood Ave #504, Chicago, IL 60613). Tickets are $20 and include heavy appetizers, as well as beer, wine and non-alcoholic drinks. Tickets are available in advance via Brown Paper Tickets or at the door.

Giving Tuesday: Why Theatre Matters

The Selfish Giant, 2019

As your inbox and social media has surely notified you by now, today is GivingTuesday — a global generosity movement that unleashes the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and their world.

As we approach the end of 2019, we felt Giving Tuesday was the appropriate time to look back, not just at the year that was, but way back to what made us who we are today. We, the Ensemble, want to share with you our personal stories of why theatre matters to us and, in turn, to others.

We know this time of year you are bombarded with requests from very worthy organizations and some of them are literally saving lives on a day-to-day basis, but theatre can also sometimes make a life or death difference in a person's life. Here’s how.

Giving Tuesday is a chance to talk about our values and why we care so much about the work that we do. Thank for listening, for caring and for Giving.

Ghostlight welcomes three new associate ensemble members

Actors Kayla White, Alina Taber and Justin Broom have joined Ghostlight as associate ensemble members. All three have been seen in Ghostlight productions this season.

Kayla was first seen in our Nightlight production of The Princess Without Pots in 2017 and most recently was in our live reading Must Eat TV 3.

Alina, who is also a film actress and musician, recently starred as Helen O’Neill in our staged reading of The Thirteenth Chair.

Justin was also in The Thirteenth Chair, taking on the role of Trent. In addition, he has lent his talents to our live readings of Reality Bites and Must Eat TV 3.

Full bios of all our artists can be found on the About Us: The Ensemble page of our website.