Paramount Theatre to present second Inception Project play

Aurora’s Paramount Theatre will present another free virtual reading at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28, the second of two January offerings.

Earlier this month, “Pretended” by Lanise Antoine Shelley was the first fresh work to be developed via Paramount’s Inception Project, a new works development initiative designed to support and amplify BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and marginalized voices while creating artist-driven, courageous, thought-provoking new work in a radically inclusive environment, a news release stated.

In addition to “Pretended,” Healing Illinois is supporting the rehearsals, recording and Inception Project presentation of “Bull: a love story,” Chicago playwright Nancy García Loza’s very personal work about a young Mexican American man’s path to self-actualization. The reading is directed by Laura Alcalá Baker.

Tickets are free, but reservations are required. Reserve at ParamountAurora.com/Inception-Project.

More about The Inception Project

Long known for its blockbuster stagings of popular Broadway musicals, Paramount Theatre also has begun to develop new works through its Broadway Series, including the world premiere musicals “August Rush” in 2019, and “The Secret of My Success” in 2020, the latter Jeff-nominated for Best New Work. Earlier this fall, Paramount School of the Arts also received a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) to commission and develop a new play for young audiences by a BIPOC writer to tour area high schools.

Paramount’s new Inception Project, supported by a $40,000 Healing Illinois grant from the Illinois Department of Human Services in partnership with The Chicago Community Trust, is part of a bold statewide initiative to address and heal harms caused by racism.

The Inception Project is led by Amber Mak, Paramount New Works Development Director since 2016, and Paul-Jordan Jansen, Artistic Associate for The Inception Project. Jansen is familiar to Chicago theater audiences as the Jeff Award-winning actor in the title role of “Sweeney Todd,” as the Cowardly Lion in “The Wizard of Oz,” and most recently as The Beast in “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast,” all at the Paramount.

“As an organization that has been on pause from producing in-person shows, we have had a lot of time to reflect on our past and look toward the future as we focus on how to be a vehicle of change within the theater community to create more equitable, diverse and inclusive spaces,” Mak stated in the release. “We know this is just the beginning of work that will change the landscape of the American theater canon in an exciting and long overdue way and we are honored and thrilled for this opportunity.”

“The Healing Illinois Grant speaks of seeding connection, and that’s exactly what The Inception Project will do,” Jansen stated in the release. “It’s about opening our doors to voices we haven’t heard from yet, welcoming them to grow roots within our organization. With The Inception Project, we are making the commitment to foster and showcase stories written by BIPOC artists and other marginalized voices so that they continue to be written and produced. We are building relationships with the voices who will be the future of this industry, and we’re tremendously excited for this endeavor.”

Paramount intends to make The Inception Project an annual launch pad for future productions of new plays and musicals developed through the program, including potentially full, world-premiere stagings as part of the new BOLD Series that Paramount intends to launch in the 165-seat Copley Theatre, its newly renovated sister stage set along the Fox River in downtown Aurora.