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Friday, September 16, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. (PREVIEW)
Saturday, September 17, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. (OPENING NIGHT)
Sunday, September 18, 2022 at 2 p.m.
Saturday, September 24, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, September 25, 2022 at 2 p.m.
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A modern musical crafted by MPAACT co-founders Shepsu Aakhu and Shawn Wallace, along with Andrew White, a co-founder of Lookingglass Theatre Company… Red Summer is a large canvas upon which is painted an epic moment in Chicago History.
Set during riots of 1919, our story centers on two soldiers—one black, one white—who return from the battlefields of Europe only to find themselves caught in the violence of a city that is struggling to accommodate the Great Migration, a global pandemic, the return of war veterans, a downturn in the economy, and long-standing ethnic tensions. Having fought on the same side in “The Great War,” they are now pitted against each other as their friends, family, and neighbors wage block-by-block warfare, and the city’s ethnic enclaves rage and burn.
Support for the development of Red Summer was provided, in part, by Chicago Performance Lab through Theater and Performance Studies in the Logan Center at the University of Chicago. Chicago Performance Lab demonstrates the boldness of Chicago’s artistic output and reflects the University’s commitment to enriching the arts in the surrounding communities and across the city.
Educational Resources and Links
- Red Summer Curriculum Connection Guide and Dramaturgical Packet
- Beyond Conversation: Red Summer - a panel and conversation with Red Summer playwrights Shepsu Aakhu and Andrew White, composer Shawn Wallace, Chicago History Museum's Erica Griffin, and Governors State University's Social Justice Initiative Director Dr. Phyllis West. Moderated by Sylvia Ewing (1 hour watch)
- Chicago History Museum Resources:
- PBS WTTW The Future of America's Past: Red Chicago (27 minute watch)
- Mapping Chicago's 1919 Race Riots
- WBEZ: Red Summer in Chicago: 100 Years After the Race Riots (4 minute listen)
- The DuSable Museum: Troubled Waters: Chicago 1919 Race Riots
- Chicago Reader: A Tale of Two Soldiers
- Time Magazine: African-American Veterans Hoped Their Service in World War I Would Secure Their Rights at Home. It Didn't
Further Reading
Frequently Asked Questions
For more information regarding ticketing information, please visit our dedicated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page.