MAY 1 – JUNE 7, 2026
ALWAYS…PATSY CLINE
created by Ted Swindley
band & vocal orchestrations by August Eriksmoen & Tony Migliore
directed by Harmony France
music direction by ensemble member Michael Mahler
This musical play, complete with down-home country humor and big-hearted emotion, includes hits “Crazy”, “I Fall to Pieces”, “Sweet Dreams”, “Walkin’ After Midnight” and more! Starring ensemble member Liz Chidester as Patsy Cline with guest artist Molly Hernández as her forever friend Louise.
Read our Backstage Guide and the Exec. Artistic Director’s note (coming soon).
Read our digital program (coming soon).
PERFORMANCE INFO
5627 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago 60659
Box Office: (773) 654-3103
Runs 1 hour & 50 minutes, including a 10-minute intermission
Tickets range $34.50-$64.50.
Recommended for ages 14+
Read Frequently Asked Questions (coming soon)
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE –
Wednesdays: 2:00 PM (except May 6); 7:30 PM (May 6 only)
Thursdays: 7:30 PM
Fridays: 7:30 PM (except May 8 @ 7:00 PM)
Saturdays: 3:00 PM (May 16 & May 30 only); 7:30 PM (May 2, 9, & 23, June 6)
Sundays: 2:30 PM
SPECIAL ACCESS EVENTS – $34.50 ticket – call (773) 654-3103
~American Sign Language-Interpreted performance – Friday, May 22 @ 7:30 PM
~ Touch tour – Sunday, May 31 @ 1:30 PM
~ Audio-described performance – Sunday, May 31 @ 2:30 PM
Photography by Michael Brosilow; Videos by Marty Higginbotham;
Trailer by Marty Higginbotham & Elyse Dolan. (all coming soon)
BUY TICKETS
ARTISTS
CAST: Liz Chidester* (Patsy Cline) & Molly Hernández (Louise).
BAND: Ian Paul Custer* (keys / conductor), Nilko Andreas (guitar), Marc Edelstein (upright bass), Kieran McCabe (co-drums), Lior Shragg (co-drums), & Lauren Vogel (fiddle).
PRODUCTION TEAM: Ted Swindley (creator), Harmony France (director), Michael Mahler* (music director) Tara A. Houston (scenic), Michael Trudeau* (lights & facilities manager), Lily Walls* (costumes & wardrobe supervisor), Stefanie M. Senior & Maggie Bantner (co-sound), Tyson Carter* (properties), Richard Lundy* (stage manager), Nate Walczyk* (lighting supervisor), Tom Daniel* (technical director), Chris Walls (audio supervisor), & El Valet* (asst stage manager).
*Ensemble member or artistic affiliate of American Blues Theater.
CAST & BAND BIOGRAPHIES
LIZ CHIDESTER (Patsy Cline) is a proud Ensemble Member of American Blues Theatre! American Blues credits: Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story. Other theatre credits: Lizzie, Queen of the Mist, Always, Patsy Cline (Firebrand Theatre – Company Member), The Old Man and the Old Moon, Phantom Folktales (PigPen Theatre Co./KC Rep), Así Canta Federico (Teatro La Tea NYC), Sundown, Yellow Moon (Raven Theatre), High Fidelity (Refuge Theatre Co.), Big River, Pumpboys and the Dinettes (Theatre at the Center), Frederick (Chicago Children’s Theatre) Ring of Fire (Mercury Theatre) Stupid F***ing Bird (Sideshow Theatre Co). Liz is an award winning singer/songwriter, actor, and teaching artist originally from the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. Chris Jones from the Chicago Tribune called her “one of the most truthful actors in this city.” She was a teaching artist for almost a decade at the Old Town School of Folk Music. She now resides in NYC and has performed in various cities throughout Europe and South America. She thanks everyone on the American Blues team for making it possible for her to perform in sweet home Chicago. www.lizandthelovelies.com
MOLLY HERNÁNDEZ (Louise) Buddy Holly Story* (American Blues Theater); Berlin* (World Premiere Court Theatre); The Little Mermaid (Drury Lane); Revolution(s), Lucha Teotl*, American Mariachi*, Rust, A Christmas Carol (Goodman Theatre); Buddy Holly Story (Marriott Theatre); The Scorpions’ Sting (Lyric Opera); Into the Woods* (Paramount Theatre); Alice Through the Lookingglass* (Lookingglass Theatre, PBS); Into the Woods (Writer’s Theatre); Into the Breeches (Northlight Theatre); Masterclass (TimeLine Theatre); The Most Happy Fella (Theo Ubique). Television – Power: Book IV (STARZ); Chicago Med (NBC); Chicago PD (NBC); APB (FOX). Actors Gymnasium Circus Conservatory 2019, BA Spanish Loyola University Chicago 2018. Proud member of AEA and SAG/AFTRA. @mollymhernandez *Jeff Award
IAN PAUL CUSTER (keys & conductor) – coming soon.
NILKO ANDREAS (Guitar) Since his Carnegie Hall solo debut in 2009, Colombian/American artists Nilko Andreas has established an international career as an award-winning classical guitarist, composer, music director, singer, and actor. He has performed across three continents as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral collaborator, and has spent over two decades living, producing, and performing in New York City. Mr. Andreas has appeared as soloist with orchestras including the Prague Symphony Orchestra, Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra (China), Surabaya Symphony Orchestra (Indonesia), Baja California Orchestra (Mexico), and leading ensembles in Brazil and the United States. He has been featured in major international festivals in the U.S., Europe, and Latin America, and has collaborated with prominent composers and conductors from around the world. His work has been broadcast on Univision, WQXR, Time Warner TV, RCN, Fox News, and other international media, and he has recorded with multi-platinum artists. Deeply committed to Latin American music, Andreas frequently commissions and premieres new works. At Carnegie Hall he premiered Tukanos by Alba Potes and Concierto Camaleón by Ricardo Calderoni as part of the Amazonas Series, which he founded in 2010 to promote Latin American composers and environmental awareness. As a composer, his music spans film, theater, and dance; highlights include the acclaimed score for the silent film Pancho Villa’s Revenge (Flaherty Film Seminar) and award-winning collaborations with Artificio Theater on works by Federico García Lorca. An accomplished educator, he has given master classes and lectures at institutions such as Columbia University, Manhattan School of Music, NYU, Berklee College of Music, and universities throughout Latin America, Europe, and Asia. As an actor and singer, he is a member of Actors’ Equity and has portrayed Don Quixote (Man of La Mancha) and most recently 2026 El Gallo (The Fantasticks) to critical acclaim. He holds BM and MM degrees from the Manhattan School of Music in classical guitar, composition, and orchestral conducting, and began his musical training as a cellist at age five. Nilko Andreas currently lives in New York City with his partner Liz Chidester.www.lizandthelovelies.com/lizandnilko . He is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Latin American Chamber Music Society of New York and serves as Artistic Director of The AZLO Foundation. www.nilkoandreas.com
MARC EDELSTEIN (upright bass) – coming soon
KIERAN McCABE (co-drums) – coming soon
LIOR SHRAGG (co-drums) – recent percussion/drumming work includes Waitress, Million Dollar Quartet (Paramount Theatre), The Band’s Visit (Writer’s Theatre), Brigadoon, Avenue Q (Music Theatre Works), Anthony Rapp’s Home for the Holidays (Lookingglass Theatre), It Came From Outer Space (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre), Spring Awakening, Rent (Porchlight Music Theatre), and Young Frankenstein (Mercury Theater Chicago). Proud WSU (BA), UA (MM), and OU (PHD) alum. Lior proudly endorses Omete Cymbals and ADV Pro-Audio IEMs. Instagram: @liornoteeyore and @liorratesgummies
LAUREN VOGEL (Fiddle) – …Wait, she’s… back? Yes, it would appear that Lauren Vogel is back (in baby’s arms), at the American Blues Theater, where she was once seen in the Jeff Award Winning Ensemble and Production of Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story. She has spent the last five years as a Los Felizian in Los Angeles, acting in films and trying to be on television. She currently is the producer of a Secret Radio Show, which, if you try hard enough, you might just find it. When she isn’t acting or producing, she settles for making a living at slangin’ the fiddle—something that you’ll see her do here. Thank you for coming, and remember, “If ever my life can be of any use to you, come take it.”
PRODUCTION TEAM BIOGRAPHIES
TED SWINDLEY (creator & original director)
HARMONY FRACE (Director) makes her American Blues Theater debut directing Always… Patsy Cline, her fourth production of the iconic musical. She is the founder and artistic director of Firebrand Theatre, the world’s first Equity feminist musical theatre company. With Firebrand, she has produced Lizzie the Musical, 9 to 5 the Musical (director), Caroline, or Change (Jeff Award, Best Production–Mid-Size), Queen of the Mist, and Always… Patsy Cline, and most recently produced a workshop of the new musical The Girl Who Sang With the Moon as part of the 2026 DCASE New Play Residency Grant Program. She has also served as associate director to David Cromer on Next to Normal at Writers Theatre and to Jim Corti on Groundhog Day at Paramount Theatre. As an actor, Harmony has toured internationally with the Broadway National/International tour of Sister Act. She is a three-time Jeff Award nominee for Best Actress and received a BroadwayWorld Award for her performance in the title role of Violet at Bailiwick Chicago. In 2019, she was named one of NewCity Stage’s “Fifty People Who Really Perform for Chicago,” was a featured speaker for UNWomen’s forum on the arts, and has been featured in Crain’s Chicago Business, Chicago Social, and Playbill. Harmony studied opera at Brenau University, acting at Columbia College Chicago, and Shakespeare at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. She holds a Master of Arts in Women, Gender, Spirituality, and Social Justice from the California Institute of Integral Studies.
MICHAEL MAHLER (Music Director) is a proud ensemble member of American Blues. Past Blues productions: It’s a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago!, The Last Wide Open, Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story (Jeff Award – Best Music Direction), Little Shop of Horrors (Jeff nomination musical-midsize), Hank Williams: Lost Highway (Jeff Award musical midsize), and Side Man. Other recent roles include Pianist/Ensemble in The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk (Northlight); The Baker in Into the Woods (Writers); Ewart Dunlop in The Music Man, Jim Hardy in Holiday Inn, and Jack Singer in Honeymoon in Vegas (Marriott Theatre). Michael co-wrote the songs for the Netflix movie My Little Pony: A New Generation and contributed additional lyrics to Cameron Mackintosh’s most recent Broadway production of Miss Saigon. Other works as a composer/lyricist include An American Tail, The Secret of My Success, Miracle (Jeff Award – Best New Work), Diary of a Wimpy Kid, October Sky, The Man Who Murdered Sherlock Holmes (Jeff Award – Best New Work), and Hero (Jeff Award – Best New Work). Michael is married to fellow ensemble member Dara Cameron and proud father to their son Ezra.
TARA A. HOUSTON (Scenic Design) is an educator, scenic designer, DEI specialist, and facilitator. She is the Senior Coordinator of Education and Engagement for Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Previously, she was the Assistant Professor of Scenic Design at Louisiana State University and the Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the College of Music and Dramatic Arts. She believes in sharing stories of diverse lived experiences, especially those historically excluded from the arts. Her design work has been featured at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Cara Mía Theatre, American Blues Theater, and others. Tara is a proud part of the Steering Committee for the Latinx Theatre Commons, a national movement dedicated to amplifying the work of Latine theatre makers and a founding member of La Gente: The Latine Theatre Design, Production, and Management Network.
MICHAEL TRUDEAU (Lighting Design) – coming soon
LILY WALLS (Costume Design) is a proud artistic affiliate of American Blues Theater, this being her 13th (lucky!) production with the company. Other Chicago companies she has worked with have included Haven (Science Fiction/Double Feature, Titus Andronicus), Midsummer Flight (Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Akvavit (Bad Girls, Rising Temperatures, Family Drama) and City Lit (Hound of the Baskervilles). She would like to thank her friends, family and community for the support and renewal they give, her husband Michael for everything, and August for being a continuing fount of inspiration and joy.
STEFANIE M. SENIOR (Co-Sound Design) – coming soon
MAGGIE BANTNER (Co-Sound Design) is a Chicago-based audio engineer and sound designer and the Sound, Lighting, and Video Supervisor at Loyola University Chicago. Selected design credits include RENT (Loyola University Chicago), The Tempest (Beck Center for the Arts), Cinderella Confidential (Lorain County Community College/Spark Theater for Youth), Wizard of Oz (Beck Center for the Arts), and Urinetown (Oberlin College). Additional collaborators include Marriott Theatre, Cain Park, Theater SilCo, Ogunquit Playhouse, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, among others. Maggie holds a BA in Theater from Oberlin College and Conservatory.
TYSON CARTER (Properties Design) is a proud artistic affiliate of American Blues Theater and is thrilled to be back for this third production! He recently worked props on the critically acclaimed Come Back, Little Sheba and last season’s Golden Leaf Ragtime Blues. Tyson’s connection with American Blues began in 2012 through the Arts and Business Council of Chicago, and he’s been lending his talents ever since—including the annual Blues Bash live auction. He has also written and directed for the Ripped! Festival. When he’s not in the theater, Tyson helps students find their voice as an Assistant Coach for the Cary-Grove Speech Team.
RICHARD LUNDY (Stage Manager) is pleased and proud to be an artistic affiliate of American Blues Theater; having stage managed all productions since the 2023 production of It’s a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago!. Other Chicago credits include: Raven Theatre: Night Watch. Theater Wit: The Whistleblower. Mercury Theater: Clue. Venus Cabaret: Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill, Company. Timeline Theater: Paradise Blue, The Last Wife, Sunset Baby. Levin Productions: Assassination Theater. Next Theatre:16 productions including The Adding Machine: A Chamber Musical (World Premiere). Writers’ Theatre: Oh Coward!, The Maids. Also: Famous Door, Porchlight, Hypocrites, Northlight, Remains, Victory Gardens, Organic, Halstead Theatre, Wisdom Bridge. National tours: Miss Saigon (First National Company: Cameron Mackintosh). I Love Lucy Live! (David George). Regional: Olney Theatre Center: Miss You Like Hell, Oil. Also: Trinity Rep, Cleveland Playhouse, Shakespeare & Company, Folger Shakespeare. 2026 will mark his 40th anniversary as a member of Actors’ Equity, and the 34th as the husband of the remarkable Carmel Carroll.
EL VALET (Asst Stage Manager) – coming soon
TOM DANIEL (Technical Director) – coming soon
CHRIS WALLS (Audio Supervisor) – coming soon
NATE WALCZYK (Lighting Supervisor) – coming soon
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COMMUNITY SERVICE
We raise awareness of other non-profit organizations’ great causes through creative collaborations. We’re proud to partner and amplify the non-profit She Is The Music. We also offer complimentary tickets to Chicago Public Schools educators and students.
MORE INFORMATION ON ALWAYS…PASTY CLINE
Backstage Guide for ALWAYS…PATSY CLINE
Inside look at AWAYS…PATSY CLINE – read interviews, see designs, & learn more about the production.
Exec. Artistic Director’s Note for ALWAYS…PATSY CLINE
Coming soon
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