Indecent
Sep 21Nov 4, 2018
By Paula Vogel

Synopsis

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel (How I Learned to Drive) tells the explosive and deeply moving story of the controversial 1923 Broadway debut of Jewish playwright Sholem Asch’s God of Vengeance—a play about a forbidden lesbian romance that enchanted and outraged audiences. Award-winning Gary Griffin (Hand to God, Fun Home) returns to Victory Gardens to direct this 2017 Tony Award-nominated play.

Video

[lgc_column grid=”33″ tablet_grid=”50″ mobile_grid=”100″ last=”false”]

YouTube video

[/lgc_column]

[lgc_column grid=”33″ tablet_grid=”50″ mobile_grid=”100″ last=”false”]

 

YouTube video

[/lgc_column]

[lgc_column grid=”33″ tablet_grid=”50″ mobile_grid=”100″ last=”false”]

YouTube video

[/lgc_column]

[lgc_column grid=”33″ tablet_grid=”50″ mobile_grid=”100″ last=”false”]

YouTube video

[/lgc_column]

[lgc_column grid=”33″ tablet_grid=”50″ mobile_grid=”100″ last=”false”]

YouTube video

[/lgc_column]

[lgc_column grid=”33″ tablet_grid=”50″ mobile_grid=”100″ last=”false”]

Artists

[lgc_column grid=”50″ tablet_grid=”50″ mobile_grid=”100″ last=”false”]

Gary Griffin, Director

Paula Vogel, Playwright

Cast

David Darlow, The Elder / Otto
Matt Deitchman, Moriz Godowsky: Accordion
Elleon Dobias, Nelly Friedman: Violin
Cindy Gold, The Elder / Vera
Noah LaPook, The Ingenue / Avram
Catherine LeFrere, The Middle / Halina
Benjamin Magnuson, The Stage Manager / Lemml
Kiah Stern, The Ingenue / Chana
Andrew White, The Middle / Mendel

Production Team

Rebecca Taichman, Original Broadway Production Conception and Direction
Lisa Gutkin, Score and Original Music
Aaron Halva, Score and Original Music
Matt Deitchman, Music Director
Katie Spelman, Choreography
Jeffrey D. Kmiec, Scenic Design
Mara Blumenfeld, Costume Design
Alice Broughton, Asst. Costume Design
Keith Parham, Lighting Design
Chris LaPorte, Sound Design
Stephan Mazurek, Projection Design
Eleanor Kahn, Props Design
Kristina Fluty, Intimacy Coach
Skyler Gray, Dramaturgy / Line Producer
Lauren Katz, Asst. Director / Directors Inclusion Initiate
Alvin Goldfarb, Yiddish Coach
Laura Alcalá Baker, Casting Direction
Katie Klemme, Production Stage Management
Kate Darby, Floor Management
Majel Cuza, Production Manager
Andrew Glasenhardt, Technical Director
Dean Gnadinger, Asst. Technical Director
Ben Zeman, Production Engineer
Elly Hunt, Wardrobe Supervisor
Scott Gerwitz, Charge Scenic Artist
Raphael Grimes, Associate Master Electrician
Keegan Bradac, A1
Sadie Tremblay, A2

 

Press

“Powerful… very worthwhile
Chicago Tribune

★★★★
“Stunningly good

Chicago Sun-Times

  • ★★★★ “Touches on the Sublime
    Time Out Chicago
  • “Rife with genuine, powerful human emotion”
    Broadway World Chicago
  • “An epic story told on a very personal level”
    Third Coast Review
  • ★★★1/2“A provocative and powerful play”
    ChicagoOnStage.com
  • “Celebrates the power of theatre”
    Chicago Theatre Reviews
  • “This is the show for you ”
    Picture This Post 

 

Gallery

Public Programs

Post-Show Conversation
After every performance of Cambodian Rock Band (unless otherwise noted)

Join us for one of our intimate post-show conversations led by members from the Victory Gardens community, reflect on what you’ve seen, and share your response.

Staged Reading in the Victory Gardens Rehearsal Room
September 6 | Thursday | 7:30 p.m.
Before Indecent, there was God of Vengeance. Join us for a free staged reading of the play that started it all, directed by David Chack, Producing Artistic Director of ShPIeL Performing Identity and on faculty at The Theatre School at DePaul University.

Post-Show Conversation
September 23 | Sunday | 4:30 p.m.
Indecent follows a company of Jewish actors as they perform Sholem Asch’s daring play God of Vengeance. Playwright Paula Vogel wanted to bring these actor’s stories to life in a new play that explores their journey and celebrates the power of theatre. But how did that idea evolve into the Tony Award-nominated play Indecent? Join us as Pulitzer Prize-winner Paula Vogel discusses her work and process with dramaturg Skyler Gray.

Post-Show Reception
September 27 | Thursday | 9:00 p.m.
Jewish culture from Eastern Europe (Ashkenazic) is known for its particular appetizing foods such as knishes, kugels, pickles and more. And wouldn’t it be more freilich (joyous) to nosh (eat) with music and short shpiln (plays)? So come – nosh, shpil, and schmooze (enjoyably converse) with us!

Readings of Excerpts, Discussion with Author and Book Signing
October 1 | Monday | 7:00 p.m.
When Tony Kushner’s Angels in America hit Broadway in 1993, it won the Pulitzer Prize, swept the Tonys, launched a score of major careers, and changed the way gay lives were represented in popular culture. Now, on the 25th anniversary of that Broadway premiere, Isaac Butler and Dan Kois offer the definitive account of Angels in America in the most fitting way possible: through oral history, the vibrant conversation and debate of actors, directors, producers, crew, and Kushner himself. Join author Dan Kois and hear excerpts from the book read by Chicago actors and writers, many of whom have performed Angels around the country. Book signing to follow. The Book Cellar will provide copies of “The World Only Spins Forward” for purchase night-of.

Post-Show Conversation
October 6 | Saturday | 4:30 p.m.
Made possible by the support of The David Rockefeller Fund
A recent Claims Conference survey showed that 22% of millennials have never heard of the Holocaust. Even fewer know that the Khmer Rouge killed 21% of the Cambodian population or that 800,000 people were killed in just 100 days in the Rwandan genocide. With so many people still uninformed about such atrocities, how can we use the past to save us from its repetition in the future? And perhaps more importantly, what makes people turn on one another in the first place? Join us for a conversation with scholars and Indecent Consultant Dr. Alvin Goldfarb as they discuss the lasting impact of genocide in our society and how we can work towards a less hateful world.

Post-Show Conversation
October 11 | Thursday | 9:00 p.m.
The Yiddish Theater was one of America’s most vibrant ethnic theaters, from plays about immigrant Jewish life and culture, to Yiddish-language versions of Shakespeare, Ibsen, Chekhov, and more. It also produced a treasure trove of actors, producers, designers, playwrights, and filmmakers who made major contributions to American popular entertainment and theater today. This panel will discuss the uniqueness of the Yiddish Theater and its continued reverberations.

Post-Show Conversation
October 16 | Tuesday | 9:00 p.m.
Made possible by the support of The David Rockefeller Fund
Discrimination against queer bodies has plagued society for generations. Indecent shows us some of what this discrimination looked like in 1924 New York, but how has it evolved since then? Join us for a conversation with LGBTQ community leaders and the Center on Halsted to talk about how queer communities have changed, the challenges that queer people face still, and how queerness functions in America today.

Post-Show Conversation
October 24 | Wednesday | 9:00 p.m.
Made possible by the support of The David Rockefeller Fund
Today, so many volatile political conversations center around immigration. But what does it take to actually thrive in this country? The actors in God of Vengeance came to America seeking artistic success, but were faced with anti-Semitism, misogyny, homophobia, and censorship. How do artists make their way in America in 2018? How do you create art that speaks truth to our time? Are censorship, the threat of being blacklisted, and even jail time worth the risk to create meaningful work? Join us for a conversation with local artists as they discuss how their art allows them to express themselves in an oppressive political climate.

Post-Show Performance
November 1 | Thursday | 9:00 p.m.
Indecent tells the story of a people steeped in a world of legacy and tradition, all of which they feel to be essential to their identity. In a country profoundly comprised of people from other places, how do we carry on those traditions from our past? Is it a food? A name? A song? As our world evolves, how do we decide what to keep and what to let go of? How do those long-standing traditions inform who we are today? Join us in the lobby after the show as three Chicago poets explore the impact of tradition in their own lives.