Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:
Chicago Premiere!
Shattered Globe Theatre Presents
FIVE MILE LAKE
By Rachel Bonds
Directed by Cody Estle
January 11 – February 24, 2018 at Theater Wit
All Photos by Evan Hanover.
Review:
Dive on in to the depths of Shattered Globe's Five Mile Lake for an excellent exploration on failed dreams, family dynamics, and future plans. Five Mile Lake is one of the stronger offerings in a series of productions on stage in Chicago now, all exploring young adults who end up stuck in their home towns with subpar employment, and often duties caring for elderly parents.
Steve Peebles, Drew Schad, Joseph Wiens, Daniela Colucci and Aila Peck were all adept at their roles. I enjoyed the complicated relationships between the brother who stayed and the one who got away, the unhappy girlfriend, and the childhood friend and coffee shop co-worker. The post lake plunge scene is particularly endearing and revealing.
This slice of American life is comedic in dialogue, yet tragic in it's characters' wasted potential and unhappiness. The delightfully askew set is simple but effective in providing the perfect playground for lives out of balance, deception, loneliness and longing for escape. Shattered Globe does an excellent job of portraying the lasting effects of the place one's from, along with the pros and cons of growing up and away, or taking root in the soil or one's childhood environs. Lies, loyalties, responsibilities, and choices are all on the line.
When the liquor flows, hidden truths come out. When the coffee is served up with gummy worms and sympathy, future possibilities emerge, and character traits become clearer.
Though there are no earthshaking mysteries or plot twists, I enjoyed the familiarity of this small group of childhood friends, family, and strangers muddling through a seminal weekend together, in the comforts and constrictions of small town America.
Five Mile Lake is recommended and now playing through February 24, 2018 at SGT’s resident home Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave.
FIVE MILE LAKE features Shattered Globe ensemble members Steve Peebles*, Drew Schad*, Joseph Wiens* and SGT artistic associate Daniela Colucci+ with Aila Peck.
"That 'couple years' of treading water turned into like...eight." – Mary, Five Mile Lake
Five young adults approaching thirty navigate an unexpected reunion in a small Pennsylvania town: the kind of claustrophobic place that most kids grow up ready to leave. On the banks of a frozen lake, each struggles to make a new choice – the “right” choice – and comes face-to-face with the choices they have already made.
FIVE MILE LAKE is a funny, intimate portrait of unrequited love, tension among siblings, the discomfort of self-reflection, and the consequences of words left unsaid. Bonds creates a "pitch perfect evocation of small moments with life-sized repercussions." (Adrien-Alice Hansel, Studio Theatre).
Comments Director Cody Estle, “Five Mile Lake is a funny and moving portrait of small town people –both the people who stayed and the people who moved away. Sometimes everyone else’s life looks better from a distance but what really defines happiness? Coming from a small town myself and being around the age of these characters brings a special connection – it’s a story that I'm eager to tell. It’s filled with family, dreams and hope – I think it will engage, move and inspire audiences.”
Playwright Rachel Bonds adds, “I wrote this play because I was thinking a lot about the place I’m from and about the constant push-pull I feel about it. At times I think there’s nowhere I feel more at home than in that tiny, tiny mountain town – and times, walking down the whirling, vibrating, city streets, when I can’t believe I managed to spend 18 years there. I wrote this play because I was interested in that conflict in me, and because I was interested in how we look for and find home when we’ve lost our way.”
Producing Artistic Director Sandy Shinner comments, “The writing in Five Mile Lake is a gift to actors as they explore the tension between what the characters say and what they feel. In this season of all Chicago premieres, Shattered Globe is excited to welcome playwright Rachel Bonds to our theater. She’ll be joining us during the creative process and we look forward to introducing her to Chicago’s theater community and our audiences.”
The production team for FIVE MILE LAKE includes Jeffrey D. Kmiec (scenic design), Hailey Rakowiecki (costume design), JR Lederle (lighting design), Christopher Kriz+ (original music and sound design), Vivian Knouse* (props design), Eva Breneman (dialect coach), A.J. Roy (asst. director), Judy Anderson* (exec. production manager), Colin David (production manager), Denise Savas (stage manager) and Ayanna Wimberley (asst. stage manager).
Location: Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave, Chicago
Dates: Previews: Thursday, January 11 at 8 pm, Friday, January 12 at 8 pm and Saturday, January 13 at 8 pm
Regular Run: Thursday, January 18 – Saturday, February 24, 2018
Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 8 pm; Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there is an added matinee on Saturday, February 24 at 3 pm.
Touch Tour/Audio Description Performance: Friday, February 2 – 6:30 pm touch tour, 8 pm performance with audio description. $20 tickets available with code “ACCESS.”
Global Perspectives: SGT will be hosting post-show discussions immediately following 3 pm performances on Sundays.
Tickets: Previews: $20 general admission, $10 students, $10 industry tickets with code “FRIEND”. Regular Run: $35 general admission. Discounts: $15 students, $28 seniors, $20 under 30. $15 industry tickets on Thursdays with code “INDUSTRY.” Tickets go on sale Wednesday, November 15 at www.theaterwit.org, in person at the Theater Wit Box Office or by calling (773) 975-8150. Group discounts are currently available by contacting groupsales@shatteredglobe.org or by calling (773) 770-0333.
* Denotes SGT Ensemble Member
+ Denotes SGT Artistic Associate
About the Artists:
Rachel Bonds (Playwright) plays have been developed or produced by South Coast Rep, Ars Nova, Manhattan Theatre Club, McCarter Theatre, Roundabout Underground, Atlantic Theater Company, Studio Theatre, New Georges, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, SPACE on Ryder Farm, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and New York Stage & Film, among others. Her plays include: Curve of Departure (Upcoming South Coast Rep, Studio Theatre); Five Mile Lake (South Coast Rep, McCarter, Weissberger Award); The Wolfe Twins (Studio Theatre, Kilroys List 2015); Swimmers (Marin Theatre Co., Sky Cooper Prize, Kilroys List 2014); Sundown, Yellow Moon (Ars Nova/WP); Alma (Atlantic Theatre Company commission); Firecracker (Kilroys List 2016); At the Old Place (La Jolla); Michael & Edie (NY Times Critic's Pick, 2010); Winter Games (Actors Theatre of Louisville, Heideman Award); and Anniversary (EST, Sam French OOB Festival Winner). She is an Alumna of the EST’s Youngblood, Ars Nova’s Play Group and SPACE on Ryder Farm’s Working Farm Writers’ Group. She was the 2016 Tow Foundation Playwright in Residence at Ars Nova. Current commissions include The Geffen and McCarter. Bonds is a graduate of Brown University.
Cody Estle (Director) is the newly appointed Artistic Director of Raven Theatre. Directing credits include By The Water at Northlight Theatre; The Assembled Parties, A Loss of Roses, Dividing the Estate, Vieux Carré (named by Chicago Tribune as one of the Year's Best in 2014), Good Boys and True, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Boy Gets Girl and Dating Walter Dante at Raven Theatre; American Hero at First Floor Theatre; Scarcity at Redtwist Theatre; The Seagull and Watch on the Rhine at The Artistic Home; Don't Go Gentle at Haven Theatre; Uncle Bob at Mary-Arrchie Theatre Company and Hospitality Suite at Citadel Theatre. He’s had the pleasure of assistant directing at Steppenwolf Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Marriott Theatre, Goodspeed Musicals, Court Theatre, Writers Theatre, Next Theatre and Strawdog Theatre. Estle is an associate member of SDC and a graduate of Columbia College Chicago.
About Shattered Globe Theatre
Shattered Globe Theatre (Sandy Shinner, Producing Artistic Director; Doug McDade, Managing Director) was born in a storefront space on Halsted Street in 1991. Since then, SGT has produced more than 60 plays, including nine American and world premieres, and garnered an impressive 42 Jeff Awards and 106 Jeff Award nominations, as well as the acclaim of critics and audiences alike. Shattered Globe is an ensemble driven theater whose mission is to create an intimate, visceral theater experience that challenges the perspective of audience and artist alike through passionate storytelling. Shattered Globe is inspired by the diversity of our city and committed to making the theater available to all audiences. Through initiatives such as the Protégé Program, Shattered Globe creates a space which allows emerging artists to grow and share in the ensemble experience.
Shattered Globe Theatre is partially supported and funded by generous grants from The Shulman-Rochambeau Charitable Foundation, The James P. and Brenda S. Grusecki Family Foundation, Alphawood Foundation, The Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, The MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The Illinois Arts Council, a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events, The Shubert Foundation, The Blum-Kovler Family Foundation, and The Robert J. & Loretta W. Cooney Family Foundation.
For more information on Shattered Globe Theatre, please visit www.shatteredglobe.org.
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