Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Park District General Superintendent Michael P. Kelly today announced the schedule for the 64th season of Theater on the Lake. This summer, performances will hit the road again while the historic lakefront venue is being prepared for renovation, featuring shows at Berger Cultural Center, Washington Park and Smith Park. The season will run June 15 through August 14.

“Theater on the Lake is a community treasure that has entertained Chicago residents and visitors for more than six decades,” Mayor Emanuel said. “These performances provide access to Chicago’s rich cultural scene at a fraction of the cost.”

Artistically diverse Chicago theater companies will stage five plays at three park locations across the city for eight weeks. Performances are held Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m.

In an effort to accommodate the demand for tickets, each production will be given a two-week run in order to best fulfill the Festival’s mission of maximizing exposure for participating storefront theater companies.

Performance locations were carefully selected to fit the needs of each production and to introduce the Festival to new neighborhoods citywide. In keeping with Theater on the Lake’s tradition of producing plays lakeside, the Festival will be anchored at Berger Park Cultural Center. The traveling show of the season, which runs concurrently with show number three, will be traveling to Washington Park for one week and to Smith Park for its second week of performances.

Theater on the Lake: The Chicago Summer Theater Festival is presented as part of Mayor Emanuel's Night Out in the Parks, a series of cultural events and activities at parks across the city; most events offer free admission.

Talented playwright Ike Holter, a nationally celebrated playwright named Chicagoan of the Year in Theater by the Chicago Tribune, returns as Theater On The Lake's 2016 Artistic Curator. Holter's work has been produced at The Steppenwolf Garage, A Red Orchid, LiveWire Chicago, Theater Seven, The New Colony, and The Inconvenience, where he is a founding member and resident writer. His show "Sender" is currently playing at A Red Orchid and his new play "Prowess" opens this summer.

Yesterday, the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners approved a concession permit agreement with Lakefront Hospitality Group for the renovation and year-round operation of the restaurant, theater and event space at Theater on the Lake at its June monthly meeting. The renovated Theater on the Lake is expected to open by summer 2017.

The 2016 Theater on the Lake Festival season:
All tickets are $10, with the exception of Oracle Production’s The Hairy Ape, which will be performed for FREE at Berger Park Cultural Center. The Hypocrites’ Midsummer Dream at Washington Park and Smith Park will also offer a series of free presentations.
For ticket information, call 312.742.7994 or visit www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/events/theater-on-the-lake

The Yard presents I & YOU
June 16-19 & June 22-26
Berger Park Cultural Center, 6205 N. Sheridan Rd.
Admission is $10
Produced in artistic alliance with Jackalope Theatre Company, Written by Lauren Gunderson and Directed by Dana Murphy
One afternoon, Anthony arrives unexpectedly at classmate Caroline's door bearing a beat-up copy of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass and an urgent assignment from their English teacher. Homebound due to illness, Caroline hasn't been to school in months, but she is as quick and sardonic as Anthony is athletic, sensitive, and popular. As these two let down their guards and share their secrets, this seemingly mundane poetry project unlocks a much deeper mystery that has brought them together. I & You is an ode to youth, life, love, and the strange beauty of human connectedness.

Oracle Productions presents THE HAIRY APE
July 6-10 & July 13-17
Berger Park Cultural Center, 6205 N. Sheridan Rd.
Admission is FREE [Advance reservations are strongly encouraged.]
Written by Eugene O’Neill and Directed by Monty Cole
Six African-American actors portray multiple roles in O’Neill’s harrowing critique of class stratification. Yank is the master of his world, shoveling coal on an ocean liner. But when a wealthy woman descends to see life on the lower decks, their encounter propels Yank onto the streets of New York City, where he seeks validation, belonging and revenge. Monty Cole’s charged staging captures the caged mind of a young black man yearning to belong. Oracle’s production of The Hairy Ape examines O’Neill’s work through the lens of America’s ugly legacy of racism and oppression.

First Floor Theater presents THE AWAKE
July 20-24 & July 27-31
Berger Park Cultural Center, 6205 N. Sheridan Rd.
Admission is $10
Written by Ken Urban and Directed by Josh Altman
Malcolm floats on a bed with his mother on an endless sea, as Gabrielle, an Eastern European actress, awakes to a new life in America. Meanwhile, Nate is on the run from a faceless interrogator. These three strangers discover that a mysterious corporation bonds them together. Moving between dreams and waking life, Ken Urban’s award-winning play The Awake explores the unspoken culture of fear that is the new normal of American life. Josh Altman returns to direct this surreal and moving show after a popular Winter 2016 run, which was hailed as “electrifying” and “intense” with a “powerhouse cast”.

The Hypocrites present MIDSUMMER DREAM
July 20-23 at Washington Park, 5531 S. Martin Luther King Dr.
July 27-30 at Smith Park, 2526 W. Grand Ave.
Admission is FREE [Advance reservations are strongly encouraged.]
Adapted by Tien Doman and Sean Graney from William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Directed by Tien Doman
Midsummer Dream is a re-imagining of Shakespeare’s popular romantic adventure story. In similar economic style to The Hypocrites’ 12 Nights and Romeo Juliet, four actors serve as the production designers and inhabit all characters. Roles are reversed in this fresh take on slumber’d dreams, honest fairies and offending shadows.

Stage Left Theatre presents THE FIRESTORM
August 3-7 & August 10-14
Berger Park Cultural Center, 6205 N. Sheridan Rd.
Admission is $10
Written by Meridith Friedman and Directed by Drew Martin
Gaby and Patrick, an interracial political power couple hot on the campaign trail, are thrust into the center of a media frenzy when a racially charged incident from Patrick’s past surfaces. As the pressure intensifies in The Firestorm, the political becomes explosively personal and the foundation of their seemingly picture-perfect marriage begins to fracture.

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More about Ike Holter
Holter’s monologues have been published in The New Yorker and several editions of Applause Books. He was recently named one of Victory Gardens’ newest ensemble playwrights; and is the recipient of fellowships and commissions from The Goodman Theater, The Kennedy Center, Writers Theater, Teatro Vista, and The Playwrights Center. His show Hit the Wall played at Steppenwolf Garage, Off-Broadway at The Barrow Street Theater in New York, and at the Lily Tomlin Center in L.A. Jackalope premiered his new play Exit Strategy which played to sold-out houses across the country.

About Theater on the Lake
Constructed in 1920, the Theater on the Lake building was originally a recuperation ward for babies suffering from tuberculosis and other diseases. During World War II, the structure was then used as a USO Center. After the war, the Chicago Park District used the lakefront venue for then-popular barn dances. In 1952, it was converted into the Theater on the Lake performance venue and showcased productions staged by the Chicago Park District’s many community theater organizations. In 1996, the programming evolved into its current format, and the Chicago Park District began inviting professional theater companies to remount their best works. Theater on the Lake’s Fullerton Street location is currently closed as it prepares for renovation to a year round theater with larger capacity, restaurant, event space, outdoor seating and patio.
The Joseph Jefferson Awards Committee honored Theater on the Lake with the 2011-12 Special Award for developing new audiences of non-equity theaters and artists, and in celebration of 60 years dedicated to expanding theater opportunities throughout the Chicago community.

Night Out in the Parks
Launched in 2013, Night Out in the Parks is part of Mayor Emanuel’s citywide vision for art and culture. It is also a key component of the Chicago Cultural Plan, which was launched by Mayor Emanuel and DCASE in 2012 and is the first plan of its kind in more than 25 years. Through the Cultural Plan, the City is making investments in public art, music festivals, films, concerts, exhibitions and performances.

The Chicago Park District is the 2014 Gold Medal Award winner, recognized for excellence in park and recreation management across the nation. For more information about the Chicago Park District’s more than 8,300 acres of parkland, more than 585 parks, 26 miles of lakefront, 12 museums, two world-class conservatories, 16 historic lagoons, nearly 50 nature areas, thousands of special events, sports and entertaining programs, please visit www.chicagoparkdistrict.com or contact the Chicago Park District at 312/742.PLAY or 312/747.2001 (TTY). Want to share your talent? Volunteer in the parks by calling, 312/742.PLAY.