In The Blood by Suzan-Lori Parks

 

Following our sold out and critically acclaimed production of The Shipment by Young Jean Lee, Red Tape Theatre will proudly present In The Blood, written by Pulitzer Prize Winner Suzan-Lori Parks and directed by Chika Ike. In the Blood is the story of the impoverished Hester La Negrita’s mission for redemption. She tries to make a way for her and her five children but is instead constantly used, abused, and condemned by everyone around her. Pulitzer Prize winner Suzan-Lori Park’s provocative riff on The Scarlet Letter is an unflinching look at how we judge each other, how we separate from each other and  how we determine what is “otherness.”

TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW
All tickets are FREE as part of the Free Theatre Movement. To guarantee a seat to sold-out performances, become a member.

OPENING JANUARY 25th and running through FEBRUARY 23rd.
Fridays at 8:00
Saturdays at 8:00
Sundays at 7:00
Mondays (Industry Night) at 8:00​
All performances at THE READY, 4546 N Western Ave

Cast & Creative Team

Cast: Casey Chapman*, Richard Costes, Jyreika Guest, Emilie Modaff, Kiayla Ryann*, Max Thomas
Producer: Aaron Arbiter*
Artistic Director: Max Truax*
Stage Manager: Alex Oparka
Scenic Designer: Nick Schwartz
Costume Design:  Rachel Sypniewski
Lighting Designer: Eric Watkins
Violence & Intimacy Director: Gaby Labotka
Sound Design: Steve Labedz*
Casting Director: Catherine Miller
 Poster Design: Bridget Schultz*
Still Photos: Austin Oie*

* indicates Red Tape Theatre Company member

Meet the Artists

Chike Ike (DIRECTOR) is a Chicago-based freelance director. Recent productions: No Child (Definition Theatre Company), A Swell in the Ground (The Gift Theatre), Franklinland (Jackalope Theatre Company), Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea (First Floor Theatre), Don’t Smoke in Bed (Chimera Ensemble). She has also worked with Berkeley Repertory Theatre,The Public Theatre, Victory Gardens, About Face Theatre Company, American Blues Theatre, Eclipse Theatre Company, and Prologue Theatre Company.  Fellowships: SDCF Gielgud Directing Fellowship, the Bret C. Harte Directing Fellowship, and Victory Garden’s Directors Initiative. She is an ensemble member with the Gift Theatre Company and is the Director of the 4802 Play Development Residency.

Suzan-Lori Parks (PLAYWRIGHT) Named one of Time magazine’s “100 Innovators for the Next New Wave,” in 2002, Ms. Parks was the first African American woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize in Drama for her Broadway hit Topdog/Underdog. A MacArthur “Genius” Award and Gish Prize recipient, she has also been awarded grants by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York Foundation for the Arts. Her play Father Comes Home From The Wars (Parts 1, 2, & 3) made its world premiere at The Public Theater in New York, followed by a run at American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, MA, and Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles. The play was named a finalist for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and was awarded the 2015 Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History, as well as the 2014 Horton Foote Prize. Ms. Parks’ work on The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess was honored with the 2012 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. Her numerous plays include The Book of Grace, In the Blood (2000 Pulitzer Prize finalist), Venus (1996 Obie Award), 365 Days/365 Plays and The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World, among others.

Casey Chapman (DOCTOR/TROUBLE) Casey is a proud company member of Red Tape Theatre where he also serves as Marketing Director. He was last seen in Round Heads and Pointed Heads at Red Tape. He is also a company member with Trap Door Theatre where he was last seen in The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Jeff Nomination – best ensemble). Casey is also an award-winning film actor as well, appearing in the feature films Mother’s Milk (Best Actor – New York City Independent Film Festival, Best Actor – International Film Awards Berlin), Canvas, Hell Town, and the upcoming Asymptotes and Not My Brother.

Richard Costes (REVERAND/BULLY) Bio coming soon!

Jyreika Guest (HESTER) Bio coming soon!

Emilie Modaff (AMIGA GRINGA) Bio coming soon!

Kiayla Ryann (WELFARE/BULLY) Bio coming soon!

Max Thomas (CHILLI/JABBER) Bio coming soon!

 

RED TAPE THEATER / THE FREE THEATRE MOVEMENT

“The public interest is best served by the free exchange of ideas.” – John Kane

Red Tape believes that access to the arts is essential for our community’s ability to engage in a free exchange of ideas. As an art form, the immediacy of theatre provides a powerful platform for this exchange. We strive to remove the barriers that exist between our community and an increasingly commodified culture. Starting in January of 2018, we will offer all of our quality theatrical productions to the public free of charge.

Red Tape will be able to offer our work free of charge thanks to the generous support of our Members, each of whom make an automated monthly donation in an amount of their choose (or a onetime donation). Each donation enables Red Tape to share our work with more people and to engage a growing community in discourse through the arts.

Simply put, we believe everyone should be able to see theatre without the financial stress of ticket price.

We are a theatre of free ideas. We are a theatre of free access. We are a free theatre.

TO GUARANTEE A SEAT TO SOLD-OUT PERFORMANCES, BECOME A MEMBER OF THE FREE THEATRE MOVEMENT NOW!