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Since the beginning, BoHo Theatre has always looked to include the most contemporary plays and musicals in our seasons to complement our classics. We’ve even been lucky enough to stage a few regional and city premieres in our day (such as The Wild Party and The Glorious Ones). We were thrilled when we announced that we would be producing Annie Baker’s new translation of Uncle Vanya in our 2016 season.
BoHo is a storefront theatre. We do amazing productions given our size and budget, but we are still a relatively small fish in the pond of Chicago theatre. And sometimes that means having to get out of the way for larger fish. At the end of 2015, we were approached by a much larger theatre in Chicago that wanted to produce Uncle Vanya in their upcoming season. Given the choice between us and a large theatre, the licensing company asked that we relinquish the rights. It’s just business, nothing personal. At the same time, this theatre (who we won’t name because we want them to announce their season in their own time) was extremely gracious and supportive about the incident, a testament to how much of a family Chicago theatre is, from the largest union theatre to the smallest storefront. We wish them well on their production and can’t wait to see it ourselves.
We were then left in a position to quickly fill a hole in our season. After substantial debate amongst our company, we chose Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice. This play is a beautiful, heartbreaking work that is a playground for designers and directors. And at its core, true to our mission, it is a story about relationships. Eurydice is in love with her musician husband Orpheus, but when she dies on their wedding day, she meets her father in the Underworld, who still loves her and dotes on her. She is torn between staying with her father and returning to the world of the living with her husband—an impossible choice. It is poetic and absurd and hilarious and speaks to very real emotions. It is truly a BoHo (and bohemian) show, and we feel it is a story that our community needs to experience.
We’re already beginning preliminary work on Eurydice, but most of our focus right now is on our upcoming production of Fugitive Songs. Fugitive Songs is a moving song cycle about running away from your problems and finding your way back. The cast already sounds amazing, and we can’t wait to share rehearsal photos and videos with you next week! Memberships for our entire 2016 season are still available. Here’s to a wonderful and artistic 2016!
