Theatre Building Celebrates Its 30th Anniversary

Theatre Building Chicago celebrates its 30th anniversary season with the world premiere of Black, White and Gray, a new musical with book by Luther Goins, lyrics by Myrna Petlicki, and music by Craig Wilson. Black, White and Gray will open on Tuesday, March 20 at 7PM, Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont Avenue. Press/Opening Night ($50*) includes post-show champagne & dessert reception with the cast and creators of Black, White and Gray.

Previews ($25) are March 16-18, 7:30PM Friday & Saturday and 3PM Saturday & Sunday. Regular performances ($30) are March 20* - April 22, 7:30PM, Friday & Saturday and 3PM Saturday & Sunday. Groups of 10 or more pay only $25 (for information, call: 847.891.8916). Specially added group sales performances ($15-$20) are 10:30AM, Wednesdays - March 28, April 11, April 18.

With a sharp comedic honesty and a pop musical score, Black, White and Gray dares to suggest black and white Americans have more in common than either will admit. The day-to-day struggles and concerns we experience are less about color and all about being human. Taking place both on heaven & earth, the story is grounded in the reality of today's urban truth. Black, White and Gray is a dramatic musical with comedic highlights and a catchy musical score.

Luther Goins' (Book) first play (Love Child), received a Jeff Citation for "Best New Work"; two Chicago After Dark Awards ("Best New Work" and "Best Ensemble"); the Chicago African-American Arts Alliance Award for "Best New Play"; and the "Cincinnati Best New Play for 2001." Luther is well known in Chicago as a producer & director (Chicago Theatre Company; Northlight Theatre; Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Theatre), and is currently working as a regional Business Representative with Actors' Equity Association. Myrna Petlicki (Lyrics) is a full-time arts writer and editor whose byline appears weekly in Pioneer Press. She is also a feature writer for Footlights program publication and was editor of Chicagoplays program publication for four years. Myrna has written about the arts for the Chicago Tribune and Vital Times and creates the bimonthly Chicagoplays Theater Guide for the League of Chicago Theatres. Craig Wilson (Music) is a prolific composer, writer & successful businessman, (President/Owner - American Recruiters, a management recruiting firm). His credits include songs written for the 1976 film The Young Immigrant (starring Patrick Wayne); book, lyrics, and music for Rio and the music for The Great American Dream Scene. Authors Petlicki and Wilson are members of the nationally recognized musical theatre writers workshop at Theatre Building Chicago.

Award-winning Stage Director Ilesa Duncan helms the cast of Black, White and Gray. She directed Luther Goins' Jeff award-winning comedy Love Child at Chicago Theatre Co., Theater on the Lake and Live Bait Theater. A well-known director in Chicago, she has worked with Victory Gardens Theater, The Goodman Theatre, Pegasus Players, Chicago Theatre Company, and Theater on the Lake. She has also worked at Lincoln Center Theatre/HERE in New York, Arena Stage, Washington D.C., the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta and Contemporary American Theatre in Columbus, OH. Duncan is a NEA/TCG Directing Fellow. The cast includes Breon Bliss, Sheridia Shelby Brown, Ashley Bush, Robert Hines III, Aaron Holland, Marquecia Jordan, Alcolu Lymon, Chuck Patella, Geoffrey Plitt and Emily Lowder Wootten. The creative team includes Julian Pike, (Lighting Designer), Sharlet Webb (Wardrobe/Props Mistress), Rebekah Johnson (Stage Manager) and Dan Tucci (Assistant Stage Manager).

Black, White and Gray is a Theatre Building Chicago studio presentation that focuses on the writing and the performance to give audiences the essence of this new musical. Theatre Building Chicago continues to be an incubator to develop original musical works and to support both acclaimed and emerging theatre companies and artists. Theatre Building Chicago is also devoted to the cultivation of musical theatre writers, lyricists and composers through a special writers' workshop and presentation program. Each season we present about 20 new musicals in a variety of styles and development formats. Over the last two decades we have premiered 251 new musicals in Chicago and seen several of them soar into other productions on Broadway and across the country.

Theatre Building Chicago will officially celebrate its 30th Anniversary with a gala benefit on May 14, 2007. Since opening its doors on March 15, 1977, Theatre Building Chicago has hosted over 800 plays, 9,000 events, 500 theatre companies, 1,078,000 audience members, with more than 29,375 actors, designers, directors and other theatre artists appearing in over 25,000 performances. -- www.theatrebuildingchicago.org