by Wendy A. Schmidt
directed by Eileen Tull
Orville and Wilbur Wright, the Wright Brothers, have arrived in present-day Ostrich, Indiana, to build an airstrip. The people are overjoyed! Can technological progress finally get Ostrich off the ground?
featuring
Jorge Salas, Shellie DiSalvo, Ellen Adalaide, and Jonathan Crabtree
with Pete Wood and Donaldson Cardenas as Orville and Wilbur Wright
Rush Seats
Our scheduled run is sold out! But we’ve added a few rush seats for folks who arrive by 6:30 in person the day of the show. Everyone who arrives in person without a ticket will also be added to a waitlist in case of no shows that day.
Get on the wait list for a specific date in case someone cancels ahead of time. (One person at a time. We can’t wait list groups. First come, first served. We’ll contact you by email if a spot opens up. This includes only people who cancel or release their ticket ahead of time, not day-of no shows. To take advantage of the day-of wait list, you must arrive in person.)
Apologies, but we cannot issue refunds.
Join us for this site-specific, immersive production inside the historic North Mansion at Berger Park, where the rooms of the first floor will be transformed into a tacky bed and breakfast called The Ostrich Feather, and other auspicious locales. The audience will sit in close proximity with the actors and move with them to different settings. See our accessibility note below.
Chuck, a farmer, and his sister, the proprietor of The Ostrich Feather, must grapple with tradeoffs in the effort to do what’s best for the place they love in this dark comedy about the human cost of invention hitched to capitalism.
All performance times are 7 pm. Opening Night is Friday, May 2, and Press Opening is Saturday, May 3. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, with one industry performance on Monday, May 12.
Understudies: Paul Kaufmann (Chuck and Orville), Debra FitzGerald (Incandescence and Gidgitomy, etc.), and Ted Dayton (Wilbur and Hasty, etc.)
Props and Set Decoration: Mary Aurora Moore
Costumes: Annie A.
Assistant Director and Performance Stage Manager: Taz Stahlnecker
Assistant Stage Manager: Lou McNaughton
Rehearsal Stage Manager: Sallie Anne Young
Graphic Design: Wendy Schmidt
Photography: Steven Townshend – Distant Era
Videography: Josh Sparks and Kirsten Byers – microbird productions
Publicity: SHOUT Marketing and Media Relations
What to Expect
We will meet in the lobby of the Berger Park Cultural Center, 6205 N. Sheridan Rd, Chicago, the building on the corner of Granville and Sheridan. You will be assigned a guide and will follow them to the North Mansion. During the play you will sit in close proximity with the actors and move with your guide to different settings.
The start time is 7 pm. Because of the immersive nature of this show there is no late seating. Your spot may be given to a person on the wait list if you haven’t arrived by 7:05 pm.
Accessibility Note
The only entrance is via one set of stairs. The audience will move six to ten times throughout the performance. Chairs will be provided in each setting, with the exception of three five-minute scenes. Our friendly guides will take care of you every step of the way!
Getting Here
We recommend public transportation. The Red Line Granville stop is two blocks away. Sheridan buses stop in front.
Parking is difficult in this lakeside neighborhood. Please allow extra time. You should be able to find meter parking on Granville or Broadway. There may be free parking within walking distance on Kenmore, Winthrop or west of Broadway.
co-produced by
The Terror Cottas
Chicago Park District
Help us get this production off the ground by donating to the cause!