Oracle Productions in collaboration with
Kristiana Rae Colón and Tara Branham presents

good friday

a world premiere play by Kristiana Rae Colón
directed by Tara Branham

Admission is FREE in Public Access Theatre™

August 13 – September 17, 2016
Friday, Saturday, and Monday nights at 8PM
Thursday nights at 8PM
Sunday nights at 7PM

All performances will take place at our new home, located at 1802 W. Berenice, Chicago, IL 60613.

In academia’s hallowed halls, five women debate millennial feminism when gunshots shatter the safety of their discourse. As tweets stream across the campus feed, the body count grows. And then the shooter enters the classroom. At the intersection of gun violence, sexual violence, and slacktivism, in a #yesallwomen world, what is the real cost of revolution?

The all female cast features Oracle Company Member DeChantel Kosmatka, who is joined by Bella Bahhs, Melissa Duprey, Karen Rodriguez, Aurora Adachi-Winter, Isa Arciniegas, Heather Chrisler, and understudies Quenna Lené, Deanalís Resto, and Adia Alli (recent credit: THE HAIRY APE).

Production photos by Oracle Resident Photographer, Joe Mazza, Brave Lux, Inc.

The design team features lighting design by Steve Sorenson, set design by Shaun Renfro, props design by Sophie Blood, sound design by Jeffrey Levin (recent credit: THE HAIRY APE), costume design by Samantha C Jones, projection design by Cat Wilson, gore design by Mary Williamson, and graphic design by Jennifer Pagán and Angela Davis Fegan.

Oracle Associate Artistic Director Tony Santiago, along with Keaton Wooden, Nicole Murray, and Kacie Smith are Producers. Adam Greye is Rehearsal Stage Manager. Jay Epps is Performance Stage Manager. Andrea Enger is Assistant Stage Manager. Isaac Gomez (recent credit: THE HAIRY APE) is Dramaturg.  Alicia Hynes is Production Manager. Lexi Saunders, Will Green, and Caitlin McManus are Assistant Directors.

Vanessa Stalling is Artistic Director. Tony Santiago is Associate Artistic Director. Lauren Yarbrough is Managing Director. Havalah Grace is Director of Accessibility. Stephanie Polt is Communications Director. Brad Jayhan-Little is Executive Director, and Ben Fuchsen is Executive Producer of Oracle Productions.

About the Playwright

Kristiana Rae Colón is a poet, playwright, actor, educator, Cave Canem Fellow, and co-director of the #LetUsBreathe Collective. Her play but i cd only whisper had its American premiere at The Flea in New York. Her play OCTAGON, winner of Arizona Theater Company’s 2014 National Latino Playwriting Award and Polarity Ensemble Theater’s Dionysos Festival of New Work, had its world premiere at the Arcola Theater in London in September 2015. Her work was featured in Victory Gardens’ 2014 Ignition Festival, and in 2013 she toured the UK with her collection of poems promised instruments published by Northwestern University Press. In autumn 2012, Kristiana opened her one-woman show CRY WOLF at Teatro Luna in Chicago while her play but i cd only whisper had its world premiere at the Arcola Theater in London. Kristiana is apart of the Goodman Theater’s Playwrights Unit, a resident playwright at Chicago Dramatists and one half of the brother/sister hip-hop duo April Fools. She appeared on the fifth season of HBO’s Def Poetry Jam.

About the Director

Tara Branham is a Chicago based freelance director and casting director. Upcoming credits include: TWISTED KNOTS by Dale Danner with Chicago Commercial Collective, BARS and MEASURES by Idris Goodwin at Prop Thtr, and good friday by Kristiana Rae Colón at Oracle Theatre. Tara has worked previously with Step Up Productions, Pride Films & Plays, Prologue Theatre Company, Babes with Blades and Halcyon Theatre. Tara has assistant directed for Tina Landau, Andreas Mitisek, Kip Fagan, Amy Morton, Kimberly Senior, Sean Graney, Lisa Portes, and Meghan Beals-McCarthy at various theatres including Steppenwolf Theatre Company and Chicago Opera Theater. She is the Director of Casting for Step Up Productions and Pegasus Theatre Chicago.  www.tarabranham.com

Content warnings for this production:

This show contains both gun and sexual violence.
This show is not suitable for children.
There will be the use of theatrical firearms and gunshots in the show.
There will be washable blood used in the show.
There will be some use of strobe lighting.

This production includes a number of potential triggers, including, but not limited to:

• The use of racial slurs and language that may be particularly harmful to Black people
• Strong language that may be interpreted as racist, sizeist, sexist, and bullying
• Simulated violence, sexual violence, and the graphic discussion of violence
• Depiction of hostage situation

Your safety and well-being is our foremost concern. We urge you to take care of yourself by using the nearest exit at any time you feel the need to do so. Please speak to our Front of House Staff if you would like to secure a seat near an exit.

We have partnered with Rape Victim Advocates (RVA) and Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health (ICAH) to provide support materials and resources in our lobby area.

Additional resources:

National Sexual Assault Hotline. Free. Confidential. 24/7.

• Visit rainn.org
• Call 800.656.HOPE(4673)

Rape VIctim Advocates (RVA)

• Visit rapevictimadvocates.org
• Chicago Rape Crisis Hotline: 888.293.2080
  

Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health (ICAH)

• Visit icah.org

 

When Oracle co-produces, they are dedicated to giving artists the opportunity to produce their work in Public Access Theatre. Groups of artists submit project proposals for consideration. Once accepted, Oracle provides space, production and fundraising mentorship, and technical resources at no cost to the visiting artists – on one condition: the piece is offered to the community for free through Public Access Theatre.

More free art by more artists for more people. 

Recent co-productions include the critically acclaimed R+J: THE VINEYARD, an ASL/bilingual adaptation of Romeo & Juliet with Red Theater Chicago, and the Jeff Nominated PINK MILK with White Elephant Group.