Chicago theater history is filled as much with the stories of legendary teachers as it is performers and playwrights: Viola Spolin, Martin de Maat, Frank Galatiand Sheldon Patinkin (chair of the theater department at Columbia College Chicago for many years, including my time there in the 1980s), all come immediately to mind when I think of the legacy of great mentors. It’s arguable the presence of so many respected training centers and talented teachers, whether located in academic theater departments or professional theaters (Second City, the School at Steppenwolf), are a major reason the Chicago theater scene blossomed in the last decades of the 20th century and continues to be vibrant today.
Jonathan Wilson, who died suddenly June 23 at age 74, certainly earned his place in the pantheon of influential mentors. Wilson was a professor of theater at Loyola University Chicago from 1976 to 2023, where he taught acting and directing, as well as running the Black Theatre Workshop, a seminar program. He was named Loyola’s Faculty Member of the Year in 2008. He was also a very busy freelance director in town, and was nominated for two Non-Equity Jeff Awards in directing (winning in 2006 for his production of August Wilson’s Two Trains Running with Pegasus Theatre) and two Equity Jeff Awards (winning in 2019 for his direction of Jonathan Caren’s The Recommendation at Windy City Playhouse).
Wilson also directed locally for many other theaters, including ETA, Raven, and TimeLine. His 1990 production of Dr. Endesha Mae Holland’s From the Mississippi Delta transferred from Northlight to the Goodman (I remember being mesmerized by that production in the old Goodman Studio Theatre), and then nationally to Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., Hartford Stage, and finally off-Broadway to Circle in the Square, where it was named one of the top ten productions of the year by Time magazine. He also staged work at Dallas Theater Center and Portland Center Stage in Oregon.
Lee Keenan, a designer and director of theater at Loyola, noted in an email, “Jonathan held a deep love of characters and investigating what made them tick. His curiosity about characters was boundless and daily he asked students to find new ways of unraveling them to get to their core desires. He drew great delight and awe from seeing excellence in students, and their talent brought him great joy. As a peer Jonathan was a generous and warm collaborator. He always saw the best in those around him and made space and time for us to thrive.”
Mark Lococo, chair of the theater department at Loyola, said in an email, “Jonathan’s long tenure at Loyola corresponded to a golden age in Chicago theatre, and he seamlessly worked in both worlds. As a departmental colleague, I am most grateful for his guidance and wisdom, and will miss his genial, affable demeanor. I couldn’t even begin to speak for the many, many students and theatre professionals who have much tribute to offer—as witnessed by the outpourings of fond memories we’ve seen over the past weeks.”
Among those tributes was a valedictory Facebook post from Chicago actor Angela Alise, who wrote, “The most epic human is now an ancestor. He taught me and so many actors. He was special not just because he was a talented director and tough ass professor. But because he held space for the black theatre students at Loyola to learn, grow, and thrive. I learned August Wilson from this man. I wouldn’t be the actor I am today without this man. There just aren’t enough words to describe what he means to me and so many others.”
Cody Estle, former artistic director at Raven, who met Wilson when the latter directed Todd Bauer’s The Bird Feeder Doesn’t Know at Raven in 2015, wrote on Facebook, “We quickly became friends, supporting each other by attending our respective plays. Living close by, he would often spot me walking on the north side of Chicago, rolling down his car window with a deep voice to greet me by name and offer a kind smile. Jonathan frequently visited my office for impromptu chats about our favorite playwrights and scripts. He shared fascinating stories from his directing career, which spanned notable venues like Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Arena Stage, Hartford Stage, Seattle Repertory Theatre, and many others. Last fall, he called me to check in and see how I was doing in my position in Milwaukee. [Estle is now the artistic director for Next Act Theatre.] I assured him I was content and doing well. The American Theatre has lost a compassionate and gentle spirit.”
Longtime Chicago actor Anish Jethmalani, who also studied with Wilson at Loyola, wrote “The program was intimate and catered to learning all aspects of the theatre but also how life and the world around us informed us to be better artists. He reinforced those lessons. He was a brilliant director, but a teacher first and foremost and took great care in shaping how his students understood the craft of acting and overall the appreciation of creating theatre. For me, he was also a trail blazer who showed that opportunities existed for POC, even though the path could be difficult. He paved that path for many young artists, including myself, breaking down barriers.”
Former Chicago actor Michael A. Shepperd recalled in another Facebook post how Wilson’s support for him came early on in an unexpected way. They met “in 1988 during a casting session for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (at Pegasus). My audition was okay, but I knew I could do better. I didn’t get a callback. Five days later, I got a call saying I was cast in the show. I accepted the offer. First day of rehearsal I walked in, and Jonathan looked at me and said, ‘Who the hell are you?’ I told him my name was Michael and said I was cast as Ma’s nephew Sylvester. He said, ‘I cast a Michael, but I have no idea who you are cuz I’m pretty sure I didn’t cast you. But since you here, you might as well do the role.’ And I did the role and developed lifelong friendships and skills I had no idea I had. Thank you always for giving me that moment. I will always treasure you and the knowledge and joy you passed on to me. And to that other actor named Michael, I’m sorry boo.”
Wilson’s wife, Nan Withers-Wilson, who also taught theater at Loyola, preceded him in death in 2016. The university plans to host a memorial later in the fall.
Chicago Theater Bike Ride hosts benefit
Wilson will surely be among those remembered in the annual Chicago Theater Bike Ride, scheduled for Saturday, September 7. Established in 2015 in the aftermath of a historically awful year in Chicago for losing beloved theater artists (including Sheldon Patinkin) as a way to honor the memories of those who died, the Theater Bike Ride also raises funds to support theater artists facing financial emergencies. It’s hosting a benefit on Sunday, July 21 at Four Moon Tavern (1847 W. Roscoe), 5-8 PM.
If you can’t make the benefit, there’s an online auction and a raffle, with items ranging from time in a vacation home in Narbonne, France, to bike helmets custom painted by local actors, including Joe Foust. (Foust’s wife, Molly Glynn, died after being struck by a falling tree during a bike ride in 2014, and he has been one of the key organizers for the Theater Bike Ride since.) You can sign up to ride or participate in the raffle or auction at lovehardbikeride.org; suggested registration donation for the ride is $25.
A Knight in Space
Richard Knight Jr. has had a pretty varied career in Chicago as a singer, musician, performer, and writer, including several years as the film critic for Windy City Times; interviewer for the Questions of Character column in the Tribune; and as the curator of the Readerʼs Night Spies column in the early aughts, among many other pieces of cultural criticism and journalism. (He published a book in 2022 entitled Haunted Houses, Porn Stars and Toy Collectors: My Encounters with Remarkable Places, People and Thingswhich gives a sense of the breadth of his interests.)
Knight’s alter ego, Dick O’Day, has appeared on television, at the Annoyance (Dick O’Day’s Big, Lovely Bingo), and as part of the comic singing duo The Show Biz Kids From Hell!with Becca Kaufman.
On Monday, July 15, Knight makes a long overdue return to performing his songs onstage as himself at Space in Evanston. (I asked him in a phone conversation earlier this week how long it’s been, and he said, almost with disbelief, “1989!”) Splitting the bill with Chicago-based musician and singer Gerald Dowd (who has long been a member of Knight’s Latine band, Samba Bamba), Knight noted in an email that his set will include “a multitude of same-sex love songs (oh, those tricky relationships . . .), many from my December 2023 solo album, Love Is Possible.”
Dowd will join Knight’s band for the evening, which also includes Jen Zias, Randy Henry, Tom Walta, Steve Dollinger, and Mark MacLean. In a March interview for the Ark of MusicKnight paid tribute to his enduring muse, Laura Nyro. “She was the songwriter’s songwriter as far as I’m concerned and is my greatest influence overall. The artist who broke all the boundaries without breaking a sweat. She was a piano-based singer-songwriter whose records sound as fresh today as they did decades ago when they were released.”
“I never really thought I would do my own music live again,” said Knight when we talked earlier this week. “I walked away from performing because other things took the place of it, including writing. I got an email from David Bash, the founder of the International Pop Overthrow festival. He went to my Bandcamp site and asked me to do this festival. I asked him, ‘How much do I have to pay you?’”
As it turns out, Knight had a conflict and wasn’t able to participate in the festival. But at Dowd’s urging, Knight started thinking about getting back onstage. “We go back a long time, and he said, ‘Let’s do a gig together. A night of singer-songwriters.’ We’re completely different as far as the kind of music we do.” Knight, who is turning 67 this year, adds with a laugh, “I told him, ‘Let’s do it on a weeknight, so it’s less pressure. Make me go early, so my people can get to the buffet.ʼˮ
Knight says, “As I’ve gotten older, I’m just aware of the ticking clock. There’s a limited shelf life for all of us. If I want to write that book or work on that music thing, I need to do it now.”
The all-ages show is at 7:30 PM (doors 6:30 PM), and tickets are $15-$22.
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