Through the years, we’ve covered women in the entertainment field with news, interviews and reviews. Now, we’re offering an overview of what some of these female forces are currently up to.
Chicago’s Goodman Theatre is readying its stage for The Matchbox Magic Flute (Feb. 10-March 10) directed and adapted by Mary Zimmerman. Prior to working on this miniature version of the Mozart opera, the Tony Award-winner spoke to our magazine about reviving the Leonard Bernstein musical Wonderful Town in 2016.
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Janelle James found her way to this month’s 81st Golden Globe Awards by first touring with Chris Rock in 2017 — something she discussed with Rebellious in 2018. The funny lady is no stranger to the Red Carpet since she won a NAACP Image Award and Screen Actors Guild Award for playing inept principal Ava Coleman on Abbott Elementary (2021-present).
Megan Stalter, who can be seen on Hacks (2021-present) and heard on Tooning Out the News (2020-present), just nabbed the lead in Lena Dunham’s upcoming rom-com Too Much. Production for Netflix’s 10-part series will begin in England this year. Stalter previously honed her dry wit hosting Chicago’s FreakFest and Late Late Breakfast in 2019, right around the time our magazine interviewed her.
Thanks to the direction of executive producer Natasha Lyonne of Russian Doll (2019-2022) and Orange Is the New Black (2013-2019), Jacqueline Novak’s stand-up special Get on Your Knees can be seen on Netflix this month. But before Jan. 23’s streaming premiere, the comedian talked to us about her oral act on oral sex back in 2021.
With Golden Globe and Critics Choice wins as well as nominations for the upcoming BAFTA and SAG ceremonies, Da’Vine Joy Randolph is the clear frontrunner to pick up a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance in The Holdovers (2023) at this year’s Academy Awards (March 10). Rebellious previously pointed out her ensemble skills in a review of The Lost City (2022).
After Laurie Fanelli reviewed Bridget Everett’s 2016 live show in Chicago, the rising star landed roles in the 2017 films Fun Mom Dinner, Little Evil, and Patti Cake$. She then appeared alongside Allison Janney, Mila Kunis, Awkwafina, Regina Hall, and Wanda Sykes in the black comedy Breaking News in Yuba County (2021). Everett has since been nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for starring in the semi-autobiographical HBO dramedy Somebody Somewhere (2022–present).
Rebellious first spoke to Joyelle Nicole Johnson about her Yell Joy album and its Juneteenth release date in 2021, along with her exciting performance and conversation that year with Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show. The Rebellious favorite appeared in Fanelli’s 2022 review of TV’s Search Party, and just appeared in the Valerie Hawkins review of Michelle Buteau’s 2023 Survival of the Thickest TV series. Johnson is booked and busy; she went on to release the comedy special Love Joy, completed dates with the Just For Laughs Comedy Tour in Canada last fall, and recently left listeners laughing as a panelist on the January 13, 2024 episode of Chicago’s own Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! radio show from NPR.
Fanelli wrote about Iliza Shlesinger’s “fearless, unique and physical brand of comedy” after seeing her at the fourth annual Oddball Comedy Festival in 2016. Shlesinger has launched and appeared in a dozen or more projects since then, including her book of essays, All Things Aside: Absolutely Correct Opinions; Netflix TV series, The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show, and movie, Good on Paper; sixth solo comedy special, Hot Forever, plus last year’s three-part comedy special showcasing up-and-coming comedians, Iliza’s Locals; and continuing podcast, Ask Iliza Anything, and YouTube series, Don’t Panic Pantry, with her husband, chef & cookbook author Noah Galuten. Shlesinger will be completing her recent Hard Feelings Tour with a handful of dates in 2024, and you can catch her on the “Hold the Laughter” episode of PBS series, Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr., which premieres January 30, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. CT on WTTW in Chicago.
Before achieving a dream gig on Saturday Night Live in 2021, Sarah Sherman was performing in Helltrap Nightmare at The Hideout which she tells Rebellious readers about in a 2017 interview.
Since Janet Arvia covered world-renowned primatologist and explorer Dr. Mireya Mayor in Jan. 2019, the “female Indiana Jones” went on to star in the Travel Channel’s hit series Expedition Bigfoot (2019-present). The award-winning TV host and keynote speaker also appeared at the Chattanooga Zoo’s Banana Ball to help raise $3.9 million for its Cape of Africa expansion in 2023.
Rebellious magazine congratulates these talented women on their successes.