Blog
We’re Almost There!
We're Almost There! Next Act Theatre’s Tribute Campaign, launched in honor of Producing Artistic Director emeritus David Cecsarini and used to support us through our recent leadership transition, has reached 94 percent of its goal! We need your help to finish strong by the end of the 2023-24 season. Make...
Three Cheers for MRS. CHRISTIE!
Three Cheers for MRS. CHRISTIE! By A.J. Magoon, Marketing Director Kaylene Howard, Casey Hoekstra, Elyse Edelman, Cassandra Bissell, Joe Picchetti, Jenny Wanasek, Michael Stebbins and Heidi Armbruster in MRS. CHRISTIE. Photo by Caroline Norton. On Monday, December 4, 2023, Next Act Theatre presented a one-night-only staged reading of Heidi Armbruster’s...
Farming Is Fixing
Farming Is Fixing A Conversation with Heidi Armbruster and Bree Beelow Heidi Armbruster’s play SCARECROW has a lot to do with farming. It follows Heidi, the playwright and solo performer of the play, returning from New York to her family’s Wisconsin dairy farm after her father’s death. Next Act’s upcoming...
Announcing Our 2024-25 Season
Buy Single Tickets Buy Fixed Subscriptions Buy Flex Passes Friends, For our upcoming season, we've programmed four shows that are going to delight, entertain and invigorate you. These plays investigate some of the most urgent questions of our day with theatrical style and panache, a mixture of the beloved and...
A World of Change
A World of Change The Lasting Environmental Legacy of SPLASH HATCH In 1997, Kia Corthron’s play SPLASH HATCH ON THE E GOING DOWN had its world premiere. The play addressed issues of climate change and environmental racism at a time when these topics were only beginning to enter the public...
I Never Looked Back
I Never Looked Back An Interview with New Managing Director Libby Amato Libby Amato has a nearly 20-year history with Next Act. In 2004, she started as a House Manager at our previous venue, the Off-Broadway Theatre. Since then, she has occupied no fewer than nine roles within the organization:...
The Tribute Campaign Cascades Onwards!
The Tribute Campaign Cascades Onwards! By Tawnie Thompson, Development Manager The many new faces, and the building and technical upgrades here at Next Act Theatre are the direct result of the early success of the Tribute Campaign launched in July of last year in conjunction with Producing Artistic Director emeritus...
Another New Face!
Another New Face! The Next Act team continues to grow and change. Join us in welcoming our new Technical and Facility Manager, Katie Anderson! Katie Anderson is a technical theatre specialist who has worked on just about every type of live event you can think of. After graduating from Kalamazoo...
Still, There Is Hope
Still, There Is Hope Reflecting on SPLASH HATCH ON THE E GOING DOWN with Kia Corthron Playwright Kia Corthron wrote SPLASH HATCH ON THE E GOING DOWN in the mid-1990s - the play received its world premiere in 1997. SPLASH HATCH… tackles many current topics and issues, wrapping them up...
Answering the Call
Answering the Call by Cheryl Lynn Bruce, Director of SPLASH HATCH ON THE E GOING DOWN For our 2023-2024 season launch party, we asked for some remarks from Cheryl Lynn Bruce, the director of our first production, SPLASH HATCH ON THE E GOING DOWN. A Chicago-based director, actor and playwright,...