Behind the ‘Line

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The path to Uptown

Every Chicago theatre company seems to have a neighborhood bar. In TimeLine’s early days, that bar was the Green Mill in Uptown.  A young Nick Bowling during his competitive ballroom dancing days. When I was much younger, I was a competitive ballroom dancer.  So as TimeLine was beginning, I had to introduce the other five founders to Big Band Night. We’d go almost every Thursday.   Fresh out of The Theatre School at DePaul University, ...
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Ted DeLong named Managing Director

Ted DeLong We’re thrilled to share that TimeLine has named Ted DeLong as the company’s new Managing Director! Ted comes to TimeLine following a decade at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) as General Manager and Associate Producer, and more recently, serving as Woolly Mammoth Theatre’s ...
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In conversation with Nick Bowling and Vanessa Stalling

Right before the start of performances for The Lehman Trilogy, co-directors Nick Bowling (NB) and Vanessa Stalling (VS) sat down with dramaturgs Carol Ann Tan (CAT) and DeRon S. Williams (DSW) to unpack the play, this all-new Chicago production, and how they’ve been working as ...
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Explore & Learn: Our 2023-24 Season

TimeLine is back in the fall with a 4-play subscription season that brims with humor, poignance, outrage, and passion. Our 27th season spans centuries—from the 19th century all the way up to 2023—and reflects everyone’s history. What connects these four premieres is TimeLine’s mission to ...
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In Conversation with WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME

Before rehearsals for What the Constitution Means to Me began, dramaturg Maren Robinson (MR) sat down with our two experts, Northwestern University history professors Joanna Grisinger (JG) and Kate Masur (KM), to talk a bit more about the Constitution. Read their conversation below. I appreciate the creativity of what Heidi Schreck was able to do with the play itself by dramatizing the relationship of one woman to the Constitution. It offers a perspective that’s really ...
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In Conversation with BOULEVARD OF BOLD DREAMS

Early in the rehearsal process of Boulevard of Bold Dreams, director Malkia Stampley (MS) sat down with playwright LaDarrion Williams (LW) to discuss the inspiration for writing the play, what has made this process so exciting, and the play’s ongoing relevance to our world today. ...
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Happy Birthday, Alice Childress!

Today we’re celebrating Alice Childress’ birthday and her legacy as the only Black woman to have written, produced, and published plays across four decades. Production still from the original off-Broadway production of “Trouble in Mind,” 1955. Playwright Alice Childress. Alice Childress was born on October ...
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In Conversation with CAMPAIGNS, INC.

During early performances of Campaigns, Inc., director Nick Bowling (NB) took some time with playwright Will Allan (WA) to learn more about his inspirations for writing the play, what has made this process so exciting, and the all too real connections to our world today. ...
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The Limits of Humanity

A History of the American Freak Show This was a marvelous diversion. I’ve always adored carnivals and freak shows. – Atung as Andrew Jackson, The Chinese Lady While Afong Moy may have been the first Asian woman to immigrate to the United States, she was far from ...
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