THE MARK
Written by: Jillian Leff*
Directed by: Richard Costes
Fight Direction by: Hazel Monson*
About the Show
Developed through BWBTC’s Fighting Words program, The Mark centers in a dystopian, classist, society, where a young Laborer named Raina is given an unexpected chance to join The Army. As she starts to acclimate to her new position and higher standing in society, a resistance is brewing among The Laborers. An assassination attempt upends Raina’s life as she becomes caught in the middle of the war between the two classes, as well as her own battle of discovering who and what she believes in.
| WHERE | The Edge Theater 5451 N Broadway Chicago, Illinois |
| WHEN | October 15 – November 22, 2025 |
| SHOWTIMES | Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 8:00pm Sundays at 3:00pm |
| PREVIEWS | October 15th, 16th & 17th |
| PRESS OPENING | Saturday, October 18th |
| CLOSING NIGHT | Saturday, November 22nd |
| OPEN CAPTIONING | November 1st, 2nd, 6th & 7th |
| SENSORY FRIENDLY | October 26th & November 2nd |
| FULLY MASKED AUDIENCE PERFORMANCES |
October 26th & November 8th |
| STREAMING DATES | November 15th, 16th, 20th & 21st |
AUDIENCE ALERT
- This production uses realistic staged violence in the telling of the story.
RUN TIME
2 hr, 15 min (includes 10 min intermission)
Cast
The ensemble cast of 14 artists includes Babes With Blades Theatre Company Ensemble Members Jennifer L. Mickelson* (she/her; ensemble and U/S The Commander); Jennifer Mohr* (she/her; ensemble and U/S Raina); Izis Mollinedo* (they/them; ensemble and U/S Maxwell); Maureen Yasko* (she/her; Cain) with Whit Baxter Bates (he/they, Jack); Matt Chester (he/him, ensemble and U/S Peter/Jonas); Fin Coe (he/him, Peters); MJ Handsome (she/they, Raina); Tamarus Harvell (he/him, Jonas); Nicky Jasper (she/they, Maxwell); Amy Johnson (she/her, The Commander); Marck Kiselevach (he/him, U/S Jack and ensemble); Madeline Meyer (she/her, U/S ensemble) and Shane Richlen (he/him, ensemble and U/S Cain).
Production Team:
The production team includes Babes With Blades Theatre Company Ensemble Members Line Bower* (they/them, technical director); Jillian Leff* (she/her, playwright); Hazel Monson* (she/her, fight director); Payton Shearn* (she/they, production assistant); Laura J. Wiley* (she/her, lighting designer) as well as Carly Belle Cason (she/they, assistant fight director); Richard Costes (he/him, director); Hannah Foerschler (she/her, sound designer); Amy C. Gilman (she/her, scenic designer); Rose Hamill (she/her, production manager); Jester McKelvey (they/the, assistant stage manager); Grace Elizabeth Mealey (she/her, stage manager); Ab Reive (they/them, props designer); Eileen Tull (she/her, assistant director) and Kasey Wolfgang (she/her, costume designer).
Second Row: (L to R) Izis Mollinedo, Maureen Yasko, Whit Baxter Bates, Matt Chester
Third Row: (L to R) Fin Coe, MJ Handsome, Tamarus Harvell, Nicky Jasper
Fourth Row: (L to R) Amy Johnson, Marck Kiselevach, Madeline Meyer, Shane Richlen
***Ticket sales end 3 hours before curtain. Seats may still be available even if it says no longer available.***
BWBTC will be collecting charity donations for a TBA program closing week of the run.
Accessibility Information
Getting to the space
Parking:
The Edge Theatre does not have a dedicated parking lot or parking spaces for the venue. There is limited paid street parking on Broadway.
Drop off:
If you will travel by paratransit or will be dropped off, we recommend being dropped off at the corner of Catalpa and Broadway, or in the driveway of Hernandez Auto Repair at 5447 N Broadway (which is less than 10 feet from the theater’s entrance).
Public transportation:
The CTA has bus stops immediately in front of or across the street from the Edge Theatre.
- Northbound 36 (Broadway) Bus to Catalpa.
- Southbound 36 (Broadway) Bus to Catalpa.
The nearest train stop is the Bryn Mawr Red Line stop, but please note that it is not an accessible station.
The nearest accessible train stops are the Granville Red Line Stop and the Wilson Red Line stop. Both are about one mile from the theater, so we recommend transferring to the #36 bus from there if you need to reduce distance traveled.
The space itself
The Edge Theater lobby and auditorium are physically accessible. There are 4 wheelchair accessible seats as well as 2 additional ‘transfer seats’ in the auditorium. Additional space for accessible seating is available in the back if needed. The theater is equipped with accessible bathrooms, including three all-gender single-user restrooms.
The front doors are not automatic, so we will have a member of the house management team at the doors ready to open them as needed until the show starts. If you arrive after the show starts, you can contact boxoffice@babeswithblades.org. We will also have box office staff watching the doors after the start time to allow access to late seating.
Assistive listening devices are available, and can be reserved by contacting our box office directly at boxoffice@babeswithblades.org.
Please contact boxoffice@babeswithblades.org or 773- 217- 8406 with any questions about the theater space and accessibility offerings.