Blue in the Right Way is raising $25,000 to mount our debut work, a queer feminist adaptation of Thomas Middleton's 1621 revenge tragedy WOMEN BEWARE WOMEN, directed by Kevin V. Smith, freely adapted by Kevin V. Smith and Daiva Bhandari, with Spanish translation by Sonia Perelló, and featuring a team of over 40 artists — some of Chicago's finest. WOMEN BEWARE WOMEN will run from April 27 - May 12, 2024 at The Edge Theater in Chicago. We invite you to explore our campaign and give.

WOMEN BEWARE WOMEN tells the story of the devastating effects of the patriarchy on an entire society and features a fascinating female anti-hero. The captivating and clever widow, Livia, orchestrates the futures of two young women and sets in motion a wicked game of subversion and deceit. But when the mastermind breaks with social convention herself, she finds out how far the men around her will go to constrict her autonomy.

In this new queer feminist take, the lacerating personal narration of two surreal transfemme drag queens frames Middleton’s timeless tale, rushing it into the here and now. Our original adaptation dives deep, excavating the social frameworks of gender violence and the gender of violence, as the story hurtles towards a devastating and outrageous new ending for our modern times.

Driven by our desire to make our work more accessible to Chicago's Spanish-speaking population, we are excited to announce that this masterpiece of early modern literature has been translated into Spanish for the first time in its 400-year history. Each performance will be presented with Spanish supertitles, featuring translation by Sonia Perelló.

In 2019, Kevin V. Smith and Daiva Bhandari founded the Chicago-based theatrical production company Blue in the Right Way to make provocative, stylized theatre as visual art.

After nearly twenty years of experience working on Chicago’s stages both big and small, we are taking the reins to create our own work, bringing to life something true inside of us that has not yet been realized for Chicago’s audiences. We will make our mark by producing a thought-provoking and emotional script with a beautiful, integrated design.

Our total budget for the production is $60,000. This will account for all expenses required for the show: theater rental for performances and rehearsals, stipends for every artist and team member, and all design material costs, as well as marketing and public relations. We’ve set high goals for audience development, but, even so, ticket sales will only make up a portion of our budget. This is where you come in. We’ve outlined seven levels of giving in our campaign in seven shades of blue. We invite you to give as you are inspired and able.

No contribution is too small or too big. And every dollar of your tax-deductible donation will go into making this production the best it can be. Your gift will ensure that this meaningful work comes to fruition. Together, we will make a significant artistic contribution to the Chicago theatre scene in 2024, staging what promises to be one of the most talked-about theatrical events of the season. Let’s make it happen.

The cast includes Lynne Baker, Daiva Bhandari, Nigel Brown, Kidany Camilo, Ryan Wright Cassidy, John Zhou Duncan, Rich Adrian Lazatin, Mary Mikva, Shail Modi, Johnny Moran, Huy Nguyen, Keenan Odenkirk, Bree Perry, McGuire Price, Christin Prince, Nathe Rowbotham, Kelcy Taylor, Mia Van De Mark, Garvin Wolfe van Dernoot, Brandon Wiman & Dryden Zurawski.

The artistic and production team includes Courtney Abbott, Daiva Bhandari, Xuan Chen, Juan Contreras-Kirby, Sam Flipp, Anna Gelman, Kasia Januszewski, Emma Ladji, Claire Michalak, Catherine Miller, Leo Mock, Alaina Moore, Josh Munden, Eme Ospina-López, Keith Parham, Sonia Perelló, R & D Choreography (Rick Gilbert & Victor Bayona), Kevin V. Smith, Hayley E Wallenfeldt & Chris Wood

"At once haunting, sad and beautiful. A work of both real life and pure poetry."
— WTTW on András Visky's Juliet

"A remarkable production. As extraordinary in vision and delivery as it is provocative and captivating."
— Chicago Stage Review on Medea

"Kevin V. Smith directs deftly, unapologetically and in search of a new paradigm for what is considered acceptable theatre in America."
— Chicago Critic on The Misunderstanding

"Stylized and imaginative."
— Chicago Tribune on Exiles

Thank you for taking the time to explore our campaign. The artistic fabric of our society is enriched because of individual donors like you. We would be so grateful to have you as a supporter of this meaningful endeavor.