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Settling in for A Red Orchid Theatre’s Heroes of the Fourth Turning, I knew next to nothing, having no familiarity with the playwright Will Arbery. Partly by design, I avoid preconceived notions and try to listen to the play itself, and watch the performers as I review. Even with so-called “canon” plays like Chekov or Miller.

With Heroes of the Fourth Turning, I soon learned why this script was a 2020 Pulitzer finalist, and won accolades on Broadway (an Obie award among others). It’s the writing. (Shout out to dramaturg Michele Uy; you can get a taste of Arbery’s style on Netflix in his 2025 film, Sacrifice, a satire with Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Evans and John Malkovich.) 

The production at A Red Orchid is smashingly good—tightly directed by the estimable dado with a first rate cast that has mastered this challenging, wonderfully wordy work. (The title refers to a fourth stage of an 80-year cycle in which American history resets itself, tears down the old order and forces a rebirth.)

Unaware of any of this, just listening to its two-plus hours of non-stop dialog set on a back porch near the campus of the small liberal arts college, I can say Abery’s script is remarkable, capturing the tenor of our social discourse in the period culminating in the first term of Donald Trump’s presidency. Arbery has delivered a public service that historians will treasure for centuries. For he has captured with precision the tenor of the conversations, debates, the arguments we currently undertake, rendering faithfully the language, the reasoning, the syntax, the syllogisms, and replete with logical fallacies that permeate so much of what we dispute.   

Magdalena Dalzell, Nate Santana and Beck Nolan (right). Photo by Evan Hanover. 

Heroes of the Fourth Turning takes place on the back porch and garden of a white clapboard house where four graduates of the small Catholic liberal arts Transfiguration College in Wyoming have gathered. All are a few years into their work and life, and a bit inebriated from a party inside, perhaps in anticipation of an imminent solar eclipse. But for these four, the more significant occasion is to celebrate the appointment of their beloved educator and mentor Gina (Kirsten Fitzgerald) to head the school. But Gina doesn’t appear for hours into the play. So the four have plenty of time to talk amongst themselves. Talk they do, as we listen in. 

We learn their paths of life have begun to form, though not solidified. To a greater extent their belief systems, and their approach to life, are firming up. The powerful performers in this show are admirably harnessed by director dado, whose excellent work was seen in A Red Orchid’s Six Men Dressed As Stalin. 

We first meet Justin (Nate Santana captures the role impeccably), who was an older student and is more mature. We’re at his house in Wyoming. In the opening scene he grabs a rifle and shoots a deer far off in the distance. Back at the porch, he attempts to slaughter his wounded quarry, but his hand trembles as he holds the knife. “I guess I had too much time alone,” Justin tells himself. 

In scenes following the rest of this excellent cast arrives: Emily (Magdalena Dalzell) escapes from the party inside to the porch. Emily is gentle, a woman of sorrow and perpetual suffering, both from the duress of counselling pregnant clients considering abortions, and emotionally from the mean-spirited war of words that puts her friends at each other's throats. 

Soon we meet Kevin (Beck Nolan) with long blonde locks and a load of longing for love, who works at a Catholic publishing firm in Oklahoma. Eventually Teresa (Isa Grofsorean perfectly carries the role) appears, also escaping the now waning festivities. Teresa is clearly different: coiffed and manicured, and wearing a designer frock with off the bias hem, while the rest are grunge and denim (costumes by Madeleine Shows). Theresa’s polished presentation foreshadows what we’ll learn about her worldview.

The playwright arranges pairings of characters, and we see the disconsolate, love-starved and quite drunk Kevin beseeching her for attention. This is where Theresa, who is engaged, lets him have it. “It’s nice to see you feel responsible to perform your self loathing,” she tells Kevin, branding him weak and not in her league. “Talk to me about adult things,” and “I want to have a normal conversation like adults.” Kevin tells her, “It’s so messed up, it will lead to a four hour conversation,” then drunkenly to Theresa, “I love your brain.” 

When Kevin is alone with Emily, he wears his neediness on his arm, but Emily is kinder in her rejection of this puppy at her feet. 

All this establishes the characters rather quickly before the serious discussions begin. Anyone who has witnessed a convo among millennials will recognize the endless “chewing of the cud” such conversations entail. Like the mesmerizing drone of “Sienfeld,” (the show about nothing) one surrenders to a miasma of discursion when folks are fired up to converse. 

But this conversation is on a topic all will find of interest, as it touches on the survival of the Republic, or of Western Civilization, depending on where you’re coming from.

By anchoring these four young adults in a Catholic college, playwright Arbery narrows the range of conversation to the spectrum of conservatism. So when they talk about topics central to the MAGA crowd, such as abortion or gender, viewpoints range from hardened doctrinaire Theresa, a fan of Steve Bannon, who recommends hanging for the reluctant mothers; through Justin, who seems more stoical than vindictive; to Emily who empathizes with suffering; to Kevin, who can hear what is compelling for pro-choice advocates. These subjects drive Theresa into a rage.

“The lepers need to be healed, not championed for their leprosy,” she says, skewering liberal identity politics. “Otherwise, what are we? A throbbing mass of genderless narcissists. There’s no ‘thisness’ in the liberal future.” Theresa sees the proper political position as bound up with her vision of Christian nationalism that will preserve Western civilization. “What’s really radical is sacrifice. Painful particularity is what we need. Otherwise we’re culturally lobotomized. We’ll be force-fed brand new oppressed identities every year and we’ll bow to the tyranny of rights.”

By excluding voices from the liberal side of the spectrum, Arbery gives us a chance to hear the conservative arguments without the dissonant clash of culture. These characters debate the Virgin Mary’s role in their spiritual life, speak freely of attending weekday mass, and live uninhibitedly Catholic lives. They are all on the same page, but interpret the text differently. Emily, for instance, while against abortion, professes to love the benighted pro-choicers regardless. 

Each character has one or more lengthy monologues and these are delivered with a skillfulness one associates with those sometimes unhinged flights in Steppenwolf shows. Early on, Justin shares with the group a children’s story he has composed, a rather lengthy “The Grateful Acre.” Both beautiful and alarming, its repetitive refrain is hypnotic, especially in its delivery in Nate Santana’s rich baritone. I searched around for the origin of this basically environmental saga of stoic indomitability of the natural world, and found that Arbery crafted it just for this play. 

When Gina finally does arrive, she sizes up her students as they test her mettle. It’s a combustible scene, and draws the play to a satisfying close. Highly recommended, Heroes of the Fourth Turning runs through December 6, 2026 at A Red Orchid Theatre on Wells St. in Chicago.

A Red Orchid Theatre is pleased open its 34^th Season, exploring the theme of "world on fire," with the Chicago premiere of Will Arbery's politically-charged drama Heroes of the Fourth Turning, directed by Ensemble member dado*, playing October 29 – December 6, 2026 at 1531 N. Wells St. in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood. Single tickets are now on sale at aredorchidtheatre.org or by calling (312) 943-8722. Season subscriptions are currently available.

Heroes of the Fourth Turning features Ensemble Member Kirsten Fitzgerald* with Magdalena Dalzell, Isa Grofsorean, Beck Nolan and Nate Santana.

About the Production:

It's nearing midnight in Wyoming, where four recent graduates have gathered to celebrate their beloved mentor and professor Gina, newly inducted as president of their tiny Catholic liberal arts college. The reunion spirals into spiritual chaos, clashing generational politics and a vicious fight to be understood. Offering grace and disarming clarity, this haunting play speaks to the torn heart of a country at war with itself.

The production team includes Ensemble Member Grant Sabin* (Scenic Designer), Madeleine Shows (Costume Designer), Josiah Croegaert (Lighting Designer), Ethan Korvne (Composer & Sound Designer), Eel Black (Props Designer), Chels Morgan (Violence & Intimacy Director), Caroline Michele Uy (Dramaturg), Omar Fernandez (Assistant Director), Kira Nutter (Production Manager), Tom Daniel (Technical Director), Mark Brown (Master Electrician), JC Widman (Stage Manager) and Faith Locke (Assistant Stage Manager).

*Denotes A Red Orchid Theatre Ensemble Member

PRODUCTION DETAILS:

Title: Heroes of the Fourth Turning

Playwright: Will Arbery
Director: Ensemble member dado*
Cast: Ensemble Member Kirsten Fitzgerald* (Gina) with Magdalena Dalzell (Emily), Isa Grofsorean (Teresa), Beck Nolan (Kevin) and Nate Santana (Justin).

Understudies: Rachel Ives (Emily & Teresa), Kyle Ringley (Justin & Kevin) and Sarafina Vecchio (Gina).

Location: A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells St., Chicago

Dates: Previews: Thursday, October 29 at 7 pm, Friday, October 30 at 7 pm, Sunday, November 1 at 3 pm, Thursday, November 5 at 7 pm and Friday, November 6 at 7 pm

Opening: Sunday, November 8 at 6 pm

Regular run: Thursday, November 12 – Sunday, December 6, 2026
Curtain Times: Thursdays and Fridays at 7 pm; Saturdays 3 pm & 7 pm; and Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will not be performances on Saturday, October 31 at 7 pm (Halloween) or Thursday, November 26 (Thanksgiving); there will be an added Industry Night performance on Monday, November 23 at 7 pm.

Tickets: Previews: $33 – $44*. Regular run: $55*. Access, student, senior, and group discounts available. Single tickets are now on sale at aredorchidtheatre.org or by calling (312) 943-8722. Season subscriptions are currently available. *Ticket prices include a processing fee.

Jojo Jones’ “Veal,” premiering at A Red Orchid Theatre in Old Town, is among the recent wave of plays set in a post-apocalyptic near future - the better to show how core social values and structures might play out for individuals placed abruptly in a clean-slate setting. The increasing frequency with which this plot line appears on stages and screens tells us much about the trending thoughts of playwrights, who likely are voicing societal angst about the state of things - and reasonably so.

Directed by dado, the apocalypse in “Veal” is loosely defined but certainly political in nature, a revolution that has reset things. We do know this much: it has resulted in the character Chelsea (well played by Alexandra Chopson) to be installed as Queen of North America. That simple fact packs loads of information: that the U.S., Mexican, and Canadian governments have fallen, their respective Constitutions trashed, and a monarch now rules.

That Queen Chelsea is likely a despotic type is suggested immediately by her regal demeanor in royal array, on a throne, and by her side a servant, Unnamed Male Concubine (Jasper Johnson) who sits silently a step below. When Chelsea descends from her throne to walk upon the floor below her, the silent Concubine unbidden gets on his hands and knees, and with infinite care wipes up the floor where Chelsea has trodden, then resumes his vigil on the step below.

Soon enough three characters arrive: Franny (Jojo Brown), Lulu (Carmia Imani) and Noa (Alice Wu), all of whom were in middle school with Chelsea 13 years ago. In fact, we learn, this setting is the very middle school they attended, a place this monarch has chosen as the site for her palace. She has resurfaced the floor with imported marble and demolished the gym.

“My advisers kept telling me to use the White House, but I’d never been there,” Chelsea lets her classmates know, and they all offer obsequities as they converse with her. Their fear and trepidation is palpable as they try to avoid taboo subjects or potentially incite Chelsea's anger.

“The Revolution was weird,” offers Franny, as Chelsea benevolently asks if they are hungry, then orders her Concubine to provide a repast for the visitors. This ends up being Lunchables that are 13 years past their expiration date, still sitting from their school days. This tips us off that Queen Chelsea harbors some resentments from those days.

Gingerly, they decline the food, except for LuLu, who having allowed that she was hungry, is now ordered to eat, and Chelsea shows her tyrannical side. After this set-to subsides, Franny reveals the reason for this visit: to petition the Queen of North America for medicine for her sister and she begins gingerly on her sibling’s behalf. “We all knew you would be successful,” Franny says of their middle school days. “But Queen of North America?!”

After that, a bit more groveling. “The revolution - huge fan - kinda messed up the supply chain,” Franny says, and lets Queen Chelsea know she cannot find insulin for her sister, a Type 1 diabetic, to which Chelsea replies, indirectly, that she is always being asked for things.

“You know, it is so hard. I keep getting people telling me I’m like Nero, or Caligula.” Though the subject of “Veal” is completely absorbing, every now and then I found myself thinking of current events and another despot who rules by whim, and loves to surround himself with sycophants.

As the action advances, Queen Chelsea dispatches the Unknown Male Concubine to look into insulin availability, but signals there will be a price to pay, and the play moves into territory somewhere between “Mean Girls” and “Carrie.” The dramatic tension hinges on whether and how much Queen Chelsea’s former classmates will debase themselves in the hopes of securing the insulin for Franny’s sister. Queen Chelsea forces them to re-enact the classroom scenes in which she suffered their bullying and ostracism. But eventually the trio reaches a limit, each on their own terms, and ultimately Queen Chelsea tires of the game.

The performances are really excellent, especially Alice Wu as Noa, and Jojo Brown, who does the lion's share of the dramatic heavy lifting as Franny. Accolades for the most intriguing character go to Jasper John as the Unknown Male Concubine, a largely silent role with huge stage presence.

“Veal” runs through November 9, 2025 at A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells in Chicago.

Ever wonder what happens behind the scenes leading up to opening night at the theater? Do you have any idea how much detail goes into a stage production? Can you imagine the funny moments that could take place while building a set or rehearsing lines? Do directors really get as frustrated as we hear? 

Theater Wit brings to the stage the latest, and possibly most innovated, work by author Anne Washburn 10 Out of 12. A headset rests on each seat in the theater for audience members to wear as they become engulfed the midst of tech rehearsals just one week prior to a production opening. We hear random chatter and instruction from the stage crew as 10 Out of 12 gives us an in-depth view of the goings on behind the scenes of mounting a show. Burns, known most recently as the playwright behind Mr. Burns, A Post Electric Play that found a successful run at Theater Wit in 2014, delves into the high stress that comes with detailing theater specifics such as lighting, cues and prop placement while also touching on actor stereotypes, tantrums and the desire in some to hold their work to a standard that demands integrity.

“No one in Chicago has ever seen anything like 10 Out of 12. Simultaneously exacting real-to-life and riotously funny, Anne Washburn’s detonation of a single technical rehearsal is promising to be a unique and thrilling viewing experience,” said Jeremy Wechsler, Artistic Director of Theater Wit and director of 10 Out of 12.

We watch as the production team fastens bolts to secure the set, samples the lighting and sound from scene to scene, place each mark to the director’s satisfaction and amuse themselves during down time. We see actors rehearsing their lines, suggesting where changes might be made (usually to the director’s chagrin). In our headsets we get a real feel for the high levels of demand that must be met along within a time crunch that increases by the minute. We also hear stage hands discussing their lunch and such, along with occasional side remarks about what is transpiring on the set. The fourth wall is often broken with actors using the aisles and theater as though an audience were not present, the director and actors often taking a seat amongst us to watch their handiwork from a patron vantage point. 

The production as a whole is a truly inimitable experience and provides an insight to theater that most may not be familiar with, adding a new appreciation for the art. Upon leaving the theater many discuss how they’ve had no idea the work and precision involved in mounting a play, making 10 Out of 12 an informative piece – perhaps also an homage to those behind the scenes.

Star Chicago theater personalities are recruited to provide pre-recorded roles such as John Mahoney, Martha Lavey, Barbara Robertson and Jeremy Wechsler, Mahoney delivering some of the play’s funniest lines. The stage cast also packs a punch with Erin Long, Adam Shalzi, Dado, and Riley McGliveen as the production team, Shane Kenyon as The Director, and Eunice Woods, Gregory Fenner, Christine Vrem-Ydstie, Kyle Gibson and Stephen Walker as the actors. Walker, taking advantage of several moments to shine in only the way he can in delivering highly-charged monologues with just the right amount of entitlement and sardonic flair as the veteran actor brought in to bring credence to the production. Walker’s character questions the truthfulness in his character, conflicted by his passion for honest art, which he feels is losing its grip in modern day theater.  

So what does the title 10 Out of 12 mean? A 10 out of 12 is a day in which, per the rules of Actors Equity, the actors are contracted to work for 12 hours with one 2-hour dinner break. It’s during that time that all the designing elements of the production are united as a whole, as costumes, sound, lighting, projections, set and acting are fine-tuned just prior to a show’s opening. 

When asked why she wrote a play about a tech rehearsal, Washburn descriptively states, “A decade ago most theaters didn’t have Wi-Fi…and no one is more useless in tech than the playwright. So, I began taking notes. I was fascinated by the strange surreal interplay of light and music. I loved the mysterious technical languages being used around me, the rhythmic drone of the calling light and sound cues. I liked watching the actors freed from their normal self-consciousness. I liked the low continual volume of play which bubbled up throughout the tech as a desperate counterpoint to the long periods of tedium and waiting. And the endless snacking, and discussion of snacking.”  

Throughout the production we hear small talk between the techs – everyday musings that are often quite humorous. We also hear the actors talking hopefully about getting their big break, but also turning down roles for the sake of integrity. At one point the leading actress asks the stage manager if she can leave early to audition for a role in a pilot. We have entered the world of theater. 

As much as this often funny and revealing play is a fantastic chance to catch the inner-workings of theater production, it misses a few opportunities that were begging for the injection of timely humor, at points drifting away only to grab the audience again just in time. It would also have been nice if the script called for a larger role from Mahoney, whose well-timed remarks were almost always met with crowd laughter. Notable was the play’s pace, perhaps running about thirty minutes too long (two and a half hours plus intermission), making the thought of a slightly condensed version somewhat appetizing. Washburn's story nicely envelopes the stresses, complications and rewards in theater production. 

Still, there is much to like in 10 Out of 12, the good outweighing the bad by significant measure. One should expect a fun lesson in Theater Production 101 that is coupled with fine acting performances and enough humor that insures an overall pleasant experience. The headsets are a nice touch, giving audience members an opportunity to feel at times as though they were part of the production team.  

10 Out of 12 is being performed at Theater Wit through April 23rd. For tickets and/or more show information click here.