Thom Pasculli

Emma Ladji

Walkabout Theater Company, whose artistic director, Thom Pasculli, is a Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department faculty member, is teaming up with Red Tape Theatre to present the world premiere of Mother of Smoke, an original production inspired by the collision of Chuck Mee’s Trojan Women: A Love Story and Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard. Directed by Pasculli, the devised work runs March 22-April 15 at Pride Arts Center, 4139 N. Broadway, Chicago. The cast includes Columbia College Theatre Department alum Emma Ladji ’14, a graduate of the Theatre Department’s BA Program in Acting and a Red Tape Theatre company member. Ladji has also been playing Juliet in Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Short Shakespeare! Romeo and Juliet, an abridged adaptation of Romeo and Juliet for young audiences.

In a city on fire, one woman laments the destruction of her house while another refuses to acknowledge the existence of a threat at all. Created in response to the global crisis of displacement, the promise of safety and the crumbling of the American Dream, Mother of Smoke examines the conflicting forces relevant to violence and disparity present in Chicago now. For tickets to Mother of Smoke, click here.