Ian Patrick Williams won the Chicago Emmy award for acting in and co-authoring the teleplay Bleacher Bums for PBS-TV; the script was later produced as a TV movie by Showtime. His one-act play Provenance was produced last year at Ensemble Studio Theater in L.A. Here, he talks about his 2nd Act Players’ festival award-winning play, Normal Shnormal, and his expectations […]
Read MoreMark Contorno (playwright, composer and lyricist) is a native of Chicago, who has also lived in New York and Los Angeles. He has written numerous plays and musicals some of which were produced in Chicago as well as New York and Charleston, South Carolina. Come see us perform Mark’s play, Egil Foss and His Left Hand, […]
Read MoreCraig Gustafson has been writing 10-minute plays for the past two years. His Lending a Hand has been published in Best Ten Minute Plays of 2019 and Save Me, Myron Glick! will be published in The Best Ten-Minute Plays 2021. Here. Craig shares with us his thoughts on his festival play, Spot the Camel, and on the future of theater during and after […]
Read MoreSteven Korbar’s full-length and one-act plays have been produced throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. His short plays, Table for Four, Mrs. Jansen Isn’t Here Now and What are You Going to Be? have all been published in Smith and Kraus’ Best Short Plays series. Come see us perform Steven’s play, In […]
Read MoreKen Preuss is a Florida-based playwright, performer and teacher. His one-acts for teens and assorted short plays have been produced in Australia, Canada, England, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, and 48 of 50 States. Come see us perform Ken’s play, The Elusive Pursuit of Maximum Bliss, along with seven other […]
Read MoreJohn Mabey started his career as a mental health counselor and infuses everything he’s learned about relationships and emotions into his characters. His work has been produced in Los Angeles and New York as well as overseas in Amsterdam. Here, he gives an overview of his play and looks ahead to theater in the post-covid […]
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We wanted to do more than just issue another statement after the death of George Floyd and subsequent demonstrations across America, we wanted to do something tangible to help.
Read MoreWe’ve told you how you could support Chicago actors by buying a T-shirt, now here’s a way to support the 2nd Act Players by buying a special limited-edition 2nd Act Players’ shirt for only $20! We get $10 for every shirt sold between now and June 15, so hurry, click here to order yours today. […]
Read MoreSee veteran 2nd Act Players’ alum Ryan Hall acting this Sunday in a nationally streamed production of the classic play Our Town with such Hollywood notables as Annie Potts (Ghostbusters), Amy Brenneman (NYPD Blue) and many more. Watchable on Youtube, the performance will benefit the Frostig Center in Pasadena, Calif., which works with disabled children. […]
Read More2nd Act Players’ 2019 sponsor First Northern Credit Union, which has an office in downtown Evanston, is open for business during these difficult times. ” Yes, we are open and continue to serve those members that need to visit us in the branch though we strongly encourage use of remote channels like online and mobile […]
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