A special message from Artistic Director Kirsten Fitzgerald

Dear friend,

I hope you are well and staying cozy as we head into the winter months. Our 33rd Season is well underway as we recently closed the extended run of our season opener: VEAL by Jojo Jones, directed by Ensemble Member dado. This hit world premiere questioned who we are in the face of who we once were, serving as a particularly invigorating launching point for the year. This week, we began rehearsals for our upcoming Chicago Premiere of BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA featuring Ensemble Member John Judd. I am so delighted to be back in the director’s seat for this intimate story about a father and daughter who just can’t seem to see eye to eye, despite needing each other the most. 

As I reflect upon VEAL, work on the early stages of BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA, and prepare for the holidays, I am reminded of how lucky I am to be a part of this community. This 33rd Season asks each of us to interrogate the complexity of what it is to be human and how we can be more empathetic in a world that grows colder. It is a profound joy to experience these moments at the theater together and feels more essential than ever. I am proud of the challenging questions and artistic risks on stage at A Red Orchid and even more proud of how our community leans in, responds, and holds each other up. Coming together and sharing space matters. 

This holiday season, we’re celebrating the many ways we’ve formed community at A Red Orchid with some of our favorite past and present artistic duos through our “Birds of a Feather” campaign. It’s a lovely reminder of how we have each other’s backs and I hope you’ll join in the holiday spirit by supporting us with a gift. We’ve set a goal to raise $33,000 in honor of our 33rd year by December 31 and we’re already 60% to our goal. Whether it’s $33, $330, or $3,300, no gift is too big or too small and will go towards our one-of-a-kind programming in the new year.

Lastly, I wanted to share a special update about the final show of our season: THE TARGETED. Due to upcoming renovations in our rented building in Old Town, we are excited to bring this production to our home away from home: The Chopin Theatre in Wicker Park. We had the pleasure of exploring that space two years ago for TURRET and look forward to dreaming up new possibilities for this highly anticipated world premiere. I am thrilled to return to the stage for this production alongside Ensemble Members Lawrence Grimm, Sadieh Rifai, and Natalie West. We can’t wait to see you at The Chopin this spring! 

Kirsten Fitzgerald
Artistic Director 

P.S. Tickets for BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA are now on sale. We’ll see you at our theater in Old Town starting January 15!