Congo Square Theatre announces lineup for 2014-2015 season

Congo Square Theatre has lined up three productions for its 15th anniversary season, with themes being described as “focusing on 
the fragility of the mind, and how extreme circumstances drive people.”

In this season thatwill mark the debut of Samuel G. Roberson, Jr. as artistic director of the company, the award-winning ensemble “will explore the delicate state of the human mind, and how people often find solutions to extreme circumstances via extreme measures.”

Kicking off the 2014-2015 season is a world premiere that puts a new twist on a holiday tradition. “A Nativity Story: More Than a Miracle” (Dec. 13-28 at the Ruth Page Theatre, 1016 N. Dearborn), will be written and co-directed by ensemble member Alexis J. Rogers (the actress who was so memorable in “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill”), and Rueben Echoles, the gifted director-choreographer from the Black Ensemble Theatre. Tickets: $40 (plus fees).

Spring 2015 brings the world premiere of “Twisted Melodies” (April 30-June 14, 2015 at the Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport, with a special performance April 11, 2015 at Governor’s State University): Tickets: $30. This piece, created by artistic associate Kelvin Roston Jr., with Roberson as director, will “take a look into the final day of life for music legend Donny Hathaway through the lens of paranoid schizophrenia.”

The 2014-2015 season also features a series of free or low-cost events presented as part of Congo Square’s signature Jambalaya Jumpoff Series, held at multiple venues in Chicago. The event series was created to encourage under-served community engagement in the arts. The first Jambalaya event, “Sketch Comedy: Tales from the Black Side” (Sept. 8-21 at the Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport), will be written and directed by ensemble member Anthony Irons
, and will feature Ronald Conner, Ann Joseph-Douglas, Ericka Ratcliff
 and Seth Williams. Tickets: http://www.athenaeumtheatre.org.

To conclude the season, Congo Square will conduct a nationwide conversation entitled “Owning our Worth” which will culminate in a conference during the American Arts Festival in June 2015. The goal is to discuss sustainability for theaters of color. This event will include several key players from theater groups across the country. Dates and venues for these events will be announced later in the year.

In a step toward the future, Congo Square has created the “I AM CONGO SQUARE” membership program designed to expose Congo’s brand of theater to new audiences. This campaign for longevity has three tiers of giving, with an array of offerings that include invites to exclusive events, ticket giveaways and more.

For more information visit http://www.congosquaretheatre.org. For group sales call (773) 296-1108.