July 23--Northlight Theatre is to produce a world-premiere drama by the Chicago playwright Philip Dawkins at the Steppenwolf Garage Theatre (1624 N. Halsted St.) in the fall.
Titled "Charm," the new show was commissioned by Northlight and is about an etiquette class taught by Mama Darleena Andrews, a transgender African-American woman who teaches at the Center on Halsted in Chicago.
In an interview, Northlight artistic director BJ Jones said that the play needed "an intimate space that was closer to its community." Northlight, which is located in Skokie, does not have a small space of its own. Jones will direct the play, which is slated to open at the Garage on Oct. 21 and is not part of either the Steppenwolf or the Northlight subscription series. Actor Dexter Zollicoffer has been cast as Mama.
