IGNITION 2018

Victory Gardens Theater is a leader in developing and producing new theatre work and cultivating an inclusive theater community.Victory Gardens’ core strengths are nurturing and producing dynamic and inspiring new plays, reflecting the diversity of our city’s and nation’s culture through engaging diverse communities, and in partnership with Chicago Public Schools, bringing art and culture to our city’s active student population.

Victory Gardens Theater

<H2>Victory Gardens’ IGNITION Festival of New Plays is a national annual festival devoted to the development of new plays and bold voices.</H2>
We are proud to celebrate our 10th year of the IGNITION New Play Festival where once again, we turn to artists who can change our world one play at a time. Come experience a weekend of diverse new works by six of the most exciting writers in the American Theatre and see #NewWERK come to life! 
The festival is FREE and open to the public - just click the "Register" button and fill out the information about what reading(s) you plan to attend. 
Check out the lineup below - we can't wait to see you in August!
<H2>IGNITION 2018 LINEUP:</H2>
Friday, August 3rd at 7:30PM 
Prosthesis By Robert Askins
Directed by Jess McLeod
George has sewn an iPhone into his neck. Now, he can send saws spinning and turn lights on with just a thought, but his Dad doesn't like that. George's father, a real prosthetist, steps in to try to save his son. But George doesn’t want to be saved by him. He's trying to find god.
Saturday, August 4th at 11:00AM
Untitled Road Trip Play By Lauren Yee
Directed by Chay Yew
Lauren Yee’s Untitled Road Trip Play follows an immigrant couple as they drive across America in 1998. As they travel to their new home in Portland, they struggle to find common ground in everything from personal philosophy to what to put in the tape deck. Twenty years later the same man recreates the road trip with his adult daughter, with the same car, same map, and same music. A Honda Civic connects these worlds as time and space weave these two journeys together. But sometimes getting there is half the battle.
Saturday, August 4th at 3:00PM
White History By Dave Harris
Directed by Halena Kays
Bonnie and Todd, a cage-free kale-bred white couple, have just moved into a new home after accidentally burning down their last one. Soon after, an exiled KKK Member kicks in their front door with a rope and a revolver, mistaking them for the Black couple that moved in across the street. Naturally, there is a dinner party. White History contends with the violence of America's foundation and the comedy of American progress.
Saturday August 4th at 7:30PM
How to Defend Yourself By Lily Padilla
Directed by Marti Lyons
 Seven college students gather for a DIY self-defense workshop after a sorority sister is raped. They learn how to “not be a victim", how to use their bodies as weapons, how to fend off attackers. The form of self-defense becomes a channel for their rage, trauma, confusion, anxiety, and desire--lots of desire. Challenged to determine what they want and how to ask for it, the students must ultimately face the insidious ways rape culture steals one's body and sense of belonging.
Sunday, August 5th at 11:00AM
Seeing Eye By Nick Malakhow
Directed by Vanessa Stalling
Intimidated by the prospect of dating apps and online profiles, Jason, who is blind, finds himself in a whirlwind romance with a stranger after taking a chance to find love the old fashioned way: at a bar. Their one night stand ignites a week-long romance in which both men feel like they are being seen for the first time. But what happens when people finally see us for who we really are? And even worse, what happens when we finally see ourselves?
Sunday, August 5th at 3:00PM
The First Deep Breath By Lee Edward Colston II *This reading will include two brief intermissions
Directed by Ron OJ Parson
Pastor Albert Jones is planning a special church service to honor his late daughter Diane on the sixth anniversary of her death. But when his eldest son, Abdul-Malik, returns home from prison, the First family of Mother Bethel Baptist Church is forced to confront a hornet’s nest of long-buried secrets. With each member of the Jones clan desperately fighting to stay afloat, sometimes a family that stays together drowns together.

Victory Gardens Biograph Theatre

Our {communityGuidelinesLink} describe the sort of content we prohibit on Eventbrite. If you suspect an event may be in violation, you can report it to us so we can investigate.

To report other categories of prohibited or illegal content, submit {link}

IGNITION 2018

More events from Victory Gardens Theater

Discover more events from Victory Gardens Theater, from Arts to other experiences you might love.

Still looking for the right event?

Explore all events in Chicago and filter by date, category, and more to find the perfect fit.

IGNITION 2018

More events from Victory Gardens Theater

Discover more events from Victory Gardens Theater, from Arts to other experiences you might love.

You might also like...

Browse more events with different dates, prices, and formats to find your next great experience.

Still looking for the right event?

Explore all events in Chicago and filter by date, category, and more to find the perfect fit.