At Wirtz Center Chicago, boundary-pushing shows about a violent history

• Link to: Northwestern Now Story

CHICAGO --- The Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Center for Performing and Media Arts in Chicago hosts two new and innovative productions exploring little-known truths about the history of slavery. Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson’s “Mexodus” will be staged April 28 and April 29. The Ars Nova Production of “Underground Railroad Game” will be presented May 18 to May 20.

Since the fall of 2021, Wirtz Center Chicago, located at 710 N. Lake Shore Drive on Northwestern’s Chicago campus, has presented new works by visiting artists and ensembles, including Atlanta-based Alliance Theater’s production of “Native Guard,” based on the Pulitzer Prize winning book of poems by Natasha Trethewey, as well as student productions and events.

Located inside Abbott Hall, Wirtz Center Chicago is a state-of-the-art facility that fosters innovation among local and visiting artists, scholars and theatremakers. Minutes from the Loop and within walking distance of several of Chicago’s most renowned cultural and performing arts spaces, Wirtz Center Chicago offers two new black box theaters, an expansive lobby space and rehearsal rooms –– all much-needed resources for artists and companies looking to create and showcase their work.  Audiences can also take advantage of free parking in the lot adjacent to the theater.

“In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, some theaters and performance spaces that supported new plays and musicals were shuttered,” said Tanya Palmer, assistant dean and executive artistic director for Northwestern’s School of Communication. “The new Wirtz Center Chicago expands Northwestern’s ability to incubate and develop new performance works and fills a growing need for venues presenting innovative work from local, national and international artists to Chicago audiences”

“Mexodus” is a new musical still in development, and “Underground Railroad Game” is an acclaimed off-Broadway production now getting its Chicago premiere thanks to Wirtz Center Chicago.

“These two works show us how our country’s tragic and violent history has created everything from the location of national borders to unspoken power dynamics and a lot in between,” Palmer said. “We’re excited to be able to offer these two new works to both our campus community and the general public. It’s a taste of the timely and boundary-pushing work that we plan to present in this exciting new space for years to come.”

“Mexodus”
Written by Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson
Directed by David Mendizábal
Sound design by Mikhail Fiksel
April 28-29 at 7:30 p.m.
Opening/Press Night is Friday, April 28

“Mexodus” is a new musical written and performed by Chicago native Brian Quijada and Chicago transplant Nygel Robinson. It was inspired by the estimated 4,000-10,000 enslaved people in the southern part of the United States who found new lives in Mexico instead of moving to the North. This lesser-known chapter of the underground railroad is an exploration of Black and brown bodies standing together against oppression. 

“Underground Railroad Game”
Created by Jennifer Kidwell and Scott R. Sheppard
Directed by Taibi Magar
May 18-19 at 7:30 p.m.
May 20 at 2 p.m.
Opening/Press Night is Thursday, May 18

“Underground Railroad Game” is a satiric, R-rated, kaleidoscopic and fearless comedy in which two middle-school teachers use games to teach uncomfortable lessons about American racial history. The play was inspired by an actual game that co-creator Scott Sheppard was forced to play in fifth grade when his school re-enacted a bizarre version of the Civil War. The students were divided into Union and Confederate soldiers and won points for their team for either capturing Black dolls that represented escaped slaves or helped them flee to Canada. “Underground Railroad Game” premiered at Arts Nova in New York in 2016 and was named one of the “25 best American plays since ‘Angels in America’” by The New York Times.

Tickets can be purchased online for “Mexodus” and “Underground Railroad Game.” Tickets for both shows are also available in-person at the Wirtz Center Box Office, located in the Barber Theater lobby at 30 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston, Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, noon to 4 p.m., or by calling (847) 491-7282. 

Members of the media who wish to cover “Mexodus” or “Underground Railroad Game” may request tickets by emailing Stephen Lewis at Stephen.j.lewis@northwestern.edu or Stephanie Kulke at stephanie.kulke@northwestern.edu