BoHo Theatre Announces Shift In Upcoming Programming

Beginning with our 2016 season, BoHo Theatre is excited to announce a bold new direction for the company’s artistic programming. For the past eleven seasons, BoHo has produced a strong mixture of musicals, plays, and classic works, garnering over 130 Jeff Award nominations in the process. “At this point, we feel we’ve accomplished what BoHo’s founders set out to create,” says BoHo Executive Director Kaela Altman, “which is a rich community of actors, designers, and audiences who put art and relationships first in their lives. So what’s the next logical step?”

Citing a strong demand from our online and local communities, starting with our 12th season BoHo will reposition our artistic voice by becoming Chicago’s first exclusively pet theatre. For our inaugural animal season, we will focus on casting pets from within our community of artists and audiences. “This change has been a long time coming,” muses Altman. “We’ve seen exponential growth in pet-related content online, and we’ve found that social media posts about our pets are some of our most well-received content. This was a natural evolution of the BoHo brand.”

BoHo’s 12th season will kick off with a one-animal show based on the hit movie Gravity. This musical adaptation created by Artistic Director Peter Marston Sullivan will feature Brutus, Sullivan’s 2-year old pug, as Dr. Ryan Stone, a lost astronaut who must make her way back to earth after a catastrophic accident in orbit. Gravity will open at the Heartland Studio on February 10th, 2016.

The second show of our 2016 season will be an innovative reimagining of Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida by BoHo Associate Artistic Director Peter Robel. “Troilus and Cressida is one of Shakespeare’s ‘problem plays,’” observes Artistic Director Sullivan. “Peter Robel’s unique staging will allow audiences to approach this classic work from a fresh perspective.” Performed on a multi-level set, this 6-hour uncut marathon production will feature Robel’s cat Shelley and Executive Director Altman’s cat Dwight in the title roles, with Marketing Director Charles Riffenburg’s cat NCK making a special guest appearance as Agamemnon. Troilus and Cressida opens at the Actor’s Gymnasium on May 13th, 2016.

The third and final show of our exciting 2016 season will be the Chicago storefront premiere of Kinky Boots, the hit musical by Harvey Firestein and Cyndi Lauper. The musical tells the story of a young man who inherits a shoe factory and partners with a cabaret performer and drag queen to help save the business. This production, staged in partnership with the Lincoln Park Zoo, will mark the stage debut of Bean, Casting Associate Stephanie Sullivan’s pug, in the lead role of Lola, and feature tap choreography from Managing Director Ryan Guhde. Kinky Boots will be directed by Sully, pet cat of Studio Liaison Eleanor Katz, and open at Theater Wit in late September of 2016.

Tickets and season memberships for the 2016 season go on sale June 1, 2015. Discount tickets available with the donation of pet food. Visit BoHoTheatre.com for more information.