Production History selected work -
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Detour Guide by Karim Nagi
SILK ROAD RISING World Premiere
"A PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION OF BEAUTY & JOY"
- Chicago Tribune
"Karim unites all of these countries through their history, language, culture and, most importantly, their music and rhythms. Seen through the eyes of ordinary people, members of the Arab working class, Mr. Nagi portrays several different characters. He shows their drive and determination to achieve their dreams"
- Chicago Theater Review
BLISS ( or Emily Post is Dead!)
Promethean Theatre Ensemble Rolling World Premiere
Promethean Theatre Ensemble Rolling World Premiere
" a stellar cast under the strong direction of Anna Bahow." Highly Recommended
– Karen Topham, ChicagoOnStage.com
"BLISS (Or Emily Post is Dead!) is uncomfortable, humorous, and incisive in all the right ways. Especially when it comes to race and gender, it makes it very clear that between Ancient Greece, Mid Century New Jersey, and America today that not as much has changed as we might hope." Critics' Picks
– Bec Willett, PerformInk
" Very pointedly, they anticipate the inequities of #Me Too, #BlackLivesMatter, and #Never Again."
– Lawrence Bommer, StageandCinema.com
– Karen Topham, ChicagoOnStage.com
"BLISS (Or Emily Post is Dead!) is uncomfortable, humorous, and incisive in all the right ways. Especially when it comes to race and gender, it makes it very clear that between Ancient Greece, Mid Century New Jersey, and America today that not as much has changed as we might hope." Critics' Picks
– Bec Willett, PerformInk
" Very pointedly, they anticipate the inequities of #Me Too, #BlackLivesMatter, and #Never Again."
– Lawrence Bommer, StageandCinema.com
Ziryab: Songbird of Andelusia by Ronnie Malley
SILK ROAD RISING World Premiere
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HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: "Chronicling the life of the refugee, exile, wanderer and idealist, “Ziryab” makes Malley a medium for cultural resolution then and now" [ ] "Malley is a one-man band of remarkable ingenuity, moving through accents and centuries with agility while tossing off riffs from Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’Mine” and Compay Segundo’s “Chan Chan.” He sings the Hafiz ode, “I see the moon in the face of my beloved,” and transforms from emir to courtier to slave"
New City Stage RECOMMENDED: "The show’s first-person accounts are stirring and Malley is a skillful musician; in addition to singing and strumming the oud, he plays percussion and the electric guitar." Chicago Reader HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: " . . . a stunning showcase where harmony is literal. Along the way he regales us with Arabic poetry, legends and songs that reprise the golden age of Islamic Iberia." Stage and Cinema. |
A Nice Indian Boy by Madhuri Shekar
RASAKA THEATRE COMPANY Midwest Premiere
RASAKA THEATRE COMPANY Midwest Premiere
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"Honest and engaging."
Chicago Tribune "For a play that touches on serious issues, it is deceptively wrapped in the casing of a light, loving comedy, and this seems the best way to break the ice on such topics. “A Nice Indian Boy” is an enjoyable, yet effective, piece of art" NewCity "the intelligence reflected in Shekar's progress on the never-smooth road to enlightenment is to be commended. The Rasaka Theatre cast members sustain the tone under the direction of Anna C. Bahow, and deliver performances mirroring honest responses to honest questions with never a hint of sitcom caricature. Audiences of all ethnicities will see reflections of their own kin in this warm-hearted portrait. " Windy City Times |
INVASION! by Jonas Hassen Khemiri
Silk Road Rising Midwest Premiere
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"Top 5 productions of the 2013"
Kerry Reid, Chicago Tribune "a clever and sometimes-wrenching kaleidoscopic journey through the looking-glass of prejudice" "RECOMMENDED" Chicago Tribune "provocative, daring and insightful" RECOMMENDED Chicago Critic "a blistering commentary on the dangerous power of stereotypes and ignorance as well as a pointed declaration of the supercharged power of language to become a force of good or destruction. " RECOMMENDED Chicago Theater Beat |
Comrades Mine by Maureen Gallagher
City Lit Theatre Company World Premiere
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JEFF Nominated - New Play Highly Recommended Windy City Highly Recommended Chicago Reader " * * * an absorbing portrait of friendships forged in the heat of war's hell and its aftermath" Chicago Tribune “Maureen Gallagher’s new Civil War drama is the straightforward, engrossing account of Emma Edmonds, who—disguised as a man—served in the Union Army as a soldier, field nurse, and spy, then deserted after being found out. Steering clear of sensationalism and political preaching, the play fluidly and imaginatively directed by Anna C. Bahow--focuses not only on Edmonds’s service but on her efforts in the 1880s to claim her military pension. The nine-person cast, including Justine C. Turner as Emma, deliver honest, grounded performances, and the atmospheric music marks sound designer Gaspard Le Dem as a significant new talent on the Chicago scene.” Albert Williams Chicago Reader |
BREWED by Scott Barsotti
Co-Presented by The Ruckus and Tympanic Theatre Company World Premiere
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Highly Recommended FOUR STARS Time Out Chicago
"Haunted by past trauma and resentment, the six sisters fight bitterly over their burden while holding their family together. Brewed creates a thoroughly twisted fantasy world, but the conflict is all in the relationships, grounding this dark and gritty take on gender roles, fairy tales and family drama." Time Out Chicago "Barsotti has a first-rate director on his side in Anna C. Bahow, who has cast this Ruckus-Tympanic Theatre co-production with an expert eye. The actresses so look as though they might share a gene pool, [ ] abrasive and acrid, with an undercurrent of deep, abiding something for one another (certainly something more complicated than love). Not for a moment do you doubt that they were raised together in the same incredibly dysfunctional home. Grounding their weird, pathological pragmatism in truth, Dana Black and Erin Myers are both giving the performances of their lives." Nina Metz Chicago Tribune |
Too Much Memory by Keith Reddin and Meg Gibson
SiNNERMAN ENSEMBLE Midwest Premiere
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NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended "Director Anna Bahow keeps the play moving at a tight pace and gets the most out of her gifted ensemble. The staged violence is explosively realistic" Chicago Stage Review "SiNNERMAN's production of Keith Reddin and Meg Gibson's "Too Much Memory" adapts and updates the tragedy of Antigone with a sharp cast and taut direction." Center Stage Review |
REWIND by Laura Eason
the side project World Premiere
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“a rock band's rise through the [90s] indie scene gets a warm and witty premiere” - Melissa Albert, Timeout Chicago “sharply directed,...wonderfully acted And very exciting ... go see it!" WBEZ - Kelly Klieman, Chicago Public Radio “[A] moving time capsule, providing a look at chances in life that are both lost and tossed away” Keri Reid, Chicago Reader |
Odin's Horse by Robert Koon
Infamous Commonwealth World Premiere
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National Eco-Drama Winner JEFF NOMINATED TOP 5 FRINGE OF SHOWS of 2008 CHICAGO TRIBUNE "Rueful and deeply humane . . . Odin's Horse, is now receiving an admirably crafted world premiere with Infamous Commonwealth Theatre under Anna C. Bahow's pointed direction." Kerry Reid Chicago Tribune "Anna C. Bahow does a great job of exploring the very large themes and technical demands of the script..." Newcity |
The Rocks by Mark Young
the side project World Premiere
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JEFF RECOMMENDED "Director Anna C. Bahow, who directed Young’s highly acclaimed New Orleans in 2007, understands his understated work and is a genius at bringing it to the stage" Chicago Critic "Under Anna C. Bahow's direction, actors Kristina Johnson and Sadie Rogers convey the intimacy of people who know each other so well they finish each other's sentences." Chicago Reader --Albert Williams "...This is a writer who is hyper-observant about the oddities of expression, and director Anna C. Bahow is confident enough to let the naturalism work its magic. Passive-aggressive insults ricochet off the rocks as these friends lounge, comparing their lives and trying on various poses as Liz Phair wails "I never said nothing" on the boom box." Nina Metz -Chicago Tribune |
Sweet Confinement By Anna Carini edited with Anna C Bahow
SiNNERMAN Theatre Company World Premiere
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Highly Recommended Chicago Reader
"Director Bahow opens with a visual grabber and doesn't let go for the entire, taut 80 minutes" Timeout Chicago FOUR STARS “Bold and provocative, glaringly intimate and urgently powerful theater. This is a must-see production” FOUR STARS Gay Chicago Magazine “Exquisitely tuned direction by Anna Bahow. It all adds up to a little show with a big heart” . CHICAGO READER AFTER DARK AWARDS 2008: NEW WORK, DIRECTION, ENSEMBLE AND SCENIC DESIGN |
St Colm's Inch by Robert Koon
Chicago Dramatists World Premiere
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Highly Recommended Heidi Weiss Chicago Sun Times Critic’s Choice, Highly Recommended The Chicago Reader “Anna C. Bahow (who staged Koon’s Vintage Red as well as the superb Timeline Theatre production of Maureen Gallagher’s play Martin Fury’s Shot) is a director of immense skill and subtlety, with an impeccable eye for casting, and a gift for finding the action in a play about the mind and the heart.” Heidi Weiss Chicago Sun Times |
Gray City by Keith Huff
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“directed with a clean finesse" Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune "An original, ambitious one act . . . with high-caliber dialogue and good performances" Chicago Reader “Gray City is required viewing . . . I can't recommend it highly enough." "strong writing by Keith Huff and remarkable performances” Chicago Maroon |
New Orleans by Mark Young
the side project World Premiere
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TOP 5 FRINGE OF LIST 2006 CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Don’t Miss Time Out Chicago Critic’s Choice, Highly Recommended Chicago Reader "That the show happens to be especially funny is almost a side note; it is the authenticity of the repartee----that draws you in. . . . As staged by director Anna Bahow, the tête-à-tête is almost dance like in its passive-aggressiveness." Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune |
Martin Furey's Shot by Maureen Gallagher
TimeLine Theatre World Premiere
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Special JEFF AWARD Use of Multi Media Highly Recommended "A nearly perfect world premiere. . . Anna C. Bahow elicits terrific performances from her five actors.” Kelly Kleiman Chicago Reader -Highly Recommended "A masterful world premiere production . . . Not a single element here has been left to chance . . . director Anna C. Bahow has done a superb job of keying into all the play's subcultures and all its characters' highs and lows." Heidi Weiss Chicago Sun Times |
Vintage Red and the Dust of the Road by Robert Koon
Visions and Voices World Premiere
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JEFF CITATION New Work
Highly Recommended Chicago Tribune Highly Recommended Chicago Sun Times Highly Recommended The Chicago Reader Steinberg Nominee “Best New Play Produced Outside of New York” American Theatre Critics Association Collaberaction “I greatly admired the work of this director, . . . Bahow is very effective with lonely quirky characters and she makes sure that her actors don’t overplay intimate moments. Vintage Red is carefully cast and beautifully performed. Some of its scenes—are nothing short of gorgeous” Chris Jones Chicago Tribune |
ONE ACTS AND FESTIVAL PLAYS
