BPBCo.'s 10th & Final Season Announcement

After 10 years, 16 venues, 6 Jeff Award recommendations, 2 Performer in a Leading Role nominations, and hundreds of actors, collaborators, designers, staff members, donors, volunteers, audience members, & friends, Brown Paper Box Co. is proud to share the bittersweet announcement of their 10th and final season.

“After heavy deliberation before the on-going developments surrounding Covid-19 and Illinois’ shelter-in-place order, Brown Paper Box Co.’s Executive Team and Board of Directors decided that 2020’s 10th anniversary season would be our last,” says artistic director Kristi Szczepanek. “With staff departures and others on the team wanting to move forward with new projects, we felt a celebratory 10th and final season would be the best option for us. And with the company dissolving on our terms, BPBCo. gets to end its fantastic run on a high note, featuring a world premiere play from one of our founders and a celebratory cabaret highlighting 10 years of stories & song.”

“We were proud to go out on our own terms after 10 wonderful seasons as BPBCo. remains extremely mindful of the safety and well-being of our audience members, actors, and creative staff regarding shelter-in-place and large gatherings,” adds company co-founder M. William Panek. “So while we know plans might change & dates may alter, Prodigy and One More Time are the two celebratory events we plan to bring to Chicago when it’s safe & smart to do so.”

Brown Paper Box Co.’s 10th season begins with Prodigy: A Modern Family Portrait by Managing Director and company co-founder Anna Schutz and featuring Artistic Director Kristi Szczepanek. This world premiere play will run July 23-August 23, 2020 at the Athenaeum Theatre’s Studio Two. And in October, BPBCo. concludes its run with One Last Time: A Celebratory Cabaret, a 2-night cabaret event at Stage 773. Hosted by Marketing Director and company co-founder M. William Panek, One Last Time: A Celebratory Cabaret comes to Lakeview on October 9 and 10, 2020 to celebrate 10 years of dedication, talent, heart, and music.

Additional information including cast, staff, designer, and on-sale date announcements coming soon.

World Premiere Play
PRODIGY: A MODERN FAMILY PORTRAIT
by Anna Schutz*
Directed by Christina Casano
July 23-August 23, 2020 at the Athenaeum, Studio 2
Danielle and Emily's 4-year-old daughter, Macie, shows a promising artistic gift, but when gallery owner Rebecca convinces the couple to start displaying and selling Macie's paintings, playtime starts to get serious. Is Macie a prodigy, or just a kid who likes to paint? Can Danielle and Emily's marriage weather Macie's newfound fame? Mothers & partners grapple with these and other complicated questions as they traverse former loves, private elementary schools, and modern art in this world premiere play by BPBCo. co-founder & Managing Director Anna Schutz*. Prodigy: A Modern Family Portrait’s production staff includes Christina Casano (Director), Michelle Benda (Lighting Designer), Grace Burns (Assistant Director/Dramaturg), Blake Cordell (Electrician), Nicholas Reinhart (Production Manager), Jeanine Fry (Costume Designer), Kaitlyn Guerrieri* (Front of House Manager), and Gin To* (Visual Artist & Casting Directing), and features Kristi Szczepanek (Emily).
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2-Night Cabaret
One Last Time: A Celebratory Cabaret
October 9 and 10, 2020 – Stage 773, The Cab
This is it, folks! 10 years of showcasing some of the finest talent in Chicago, Brown Paper Box Co. is finishing its tenure with a 2-night celebration of stories and song. Old friends and new will take to Stage 773’s Cab stage exactly 10 years after our inaugural run of Reefer Madness! the Musical back in 2010. We’re going out on a high … note! Bring the tissues – One More Time is going to be a 2-night celebratory roller coaster down memory lane with the likes of Mary Jane, Mr. Bungee, Jo March, and more! Featuring performances from [title of show], Little Women, Reefer Madness!, Godspell, A New Brain, and more, One Last Time will celebrate 10 years of music, dedication, passion, and heart. Directed by BPBCo. co-founder M. William Panek*.