Eos Theatre Company, a new women-led group in Chicago, is focusing on bringing attention to stories by and about women. The company was founded by Rachel Sledd, Ashway Lawver, Morgan Lavenstein, and Morgan Burkey after they worked together on a production of “The Trojan Women” by Caroline Bird with the Loop Players.
Rachel Sledd, a Chicago native who also teaches theater at Harold Washington College, explained the inspiration behind the company’s name: “It was said that her tears created the morning dew. That’s really the heart of our mission” to shine a light on marginalized artists and stories.
The founders formed Eos Theatre Company in response to what they see as challenges facing women and marginalized groups in society today. “Then we started thinking about and talking about this moment in our world that can feel very dark,” Sledd said. “The sense of progress that’s been made for women and marginalized groups, being threatened, being rolled back. This increasing lack of funding and support for the arts and a general sense of anxiety around that. We decided we wanted to not … hide away from that, but jump in it and say, ‘Well, we want to shine light as artists into this darkness.’”
Eos Theatre Company will debut with Bird’s adaptation of “The Trojan Women,” which sets Euripides’ classical tragedy in a modern prison’s mother-and-baby unit. The play examines how patriarchy and elitism contribute to violence against women during wartime. Sledd noted that this production “epitomizes the kind of work we want to do,” adding, “It just feels shockingly relevant to our world.” She also mentioned that Bird’s adaptation has rarely been performed in the United States.
The show will run April 4-19 at Bramble Arts Loft in Andersonville (5545 N. Clark St.), with preview night on April 2 and press night on April 3. All four founders will star in the production under Sledd’s direction.
Tickets are priced at $45 for general admission, $20 for industry workers, and $15 for students; group discounts are available for parties of ten or more. Tickets can be purchased through the Eos Theatre Company website.
Heidi Henning, spokesperson and board member for Eos Theatre Company, said that alongside productions, Eos plans to host workshops and mentorship programs aimed at building an inclusive community within Chicago theater while supporting younger generations of women artists.
For its first production, Eos has brought interns from Harold Washington College into both understudy roles and backstage positions. The company is seeking additional funding so it can offer free tickets to student audiences.
“We’re beginning with kind of an internship program … and that’s something we just want to continue to grow,” Sledd said. “We really believe in the power of live theater to create community and empathy and connection in a way that nothing else can in a sense. So we want to make sure that we’re bringing folks who may not have had access to that in the past into that experience with Eos.”
