OPENING: COMEDY HIT “NOISES OFF” AT WINDY CITY PLAYHOUSE'S IRVING PARK SPACE THROUGH MARCH 31, 2019

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WINDY CITY PLAYHOUSE BRINGS COMEDY HIT

“NOISES OFF” 

TO IRVING PARK VENUE JANUARY 2019

I'll be out for the press opening, January 16th, so check back soon for my full review. I thoroughly enjoyed the script, back in the day, when I read it for a college theater course, but I've never seen it performed. In Windy City Playhouse's capable creative hands, this is sure to be a delight.

Windy City Playhouse brings the premiere of Michael Frayn’s “Noises Off,” the side-splitting play-within-a-play set behind-the-scenes as a ragtag touring company rehearses and performs - or attempts to perform - a bawdy farce. Opening Wednesday, January 16, 2019, this comedic classic will be told through a unique multi-stage layout that puts audiences in the center of the action. The cast of “Noises Off” includes Erica Bitner as Poppy Norton-Taylor, Amy Carle as Dotty Otley, Will Casey as Selsdon Mowbray, Scott Duff as Frederick Fellowes, Ryan McBride as Garry Lejune, Amy Rubenstein as Belinda Blair, Mike Tepeli as Lloyd Dallas, Rochelle Thieren as Brooke Ashton. The creative team for “Noises Off” includes Scott Weinstein (Director) and Jeffrey D. Kmiec (Scenic Design), Jessica Keuhnua (Costume Design), Mike Durst (Lighting Design), Brandon Reed (Sound Design), Andrew Hatcher (Properties Design) and Helen Lattyak (Production Stage Manager).

“Presented in three acts, ‘Noises Off’ typically features a revolving stage that rotates to show audiences the front and back of a theater,” said Rubenstein. “For our production, to mix things up and get our guests closer to the humor onstage (and off), we’ll be asking the audience to move. For acts I and III they will be seated in assigned seats, but during act II, the audience will be brought backstage to observe all the antics and comedy that make this piece so special.”

The performance schedule for “Noises Off” is as follows: Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets ($45 - $85) are now on sale through March 31.

About the artists in “Noises Off:”

Scott Weinstein (Director) – Scott Weinstein is a Jeff Award winning Director currently based in Chicago. He returns to the Playhouse after his 2017 hit, the dark comedy “Becky Shaw.”  Favorite directing credits include “Rent” at Theo Ubique (Jeff Award - Best Director, Best Musical); “Bat Boy,” “Titanic” (Jeff Nominated - Best Director, Best Musical) and “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” (Griffin Theatre); “She Kills Monsters” (Steppenwolf Theatre); “Seussical” (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); “Princess & The Pea” (Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre); “The Little Mermaid” (Drury Lane Theatre) the world premieres of “Baristas” (New York International Fringe Festival) and “Ampersand” (Bloomington Playwrights Project); as well as the first full productions of “Murder For Two” (Adirondack Theatre Festival, Hangar Theatre, 42nd Street Moon). Weinstein is the recipient of a Berkshire Theatre Festival Directing Fellowship and a Stage Directors and Choreographers Observership. He is currently the Associate director for the National Tour, Las Vegas, Chicago and Norwegian Cruise Line productions of “Million Dollar Quartet” and directed the first regional production currently running at the Lawrence Welk Theatre. He has assistant or associate directed at The Goodman Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse, Cleveland Playhouse and many more.

Erica Bittner (POPPY NORTON-TAYLOR) - Erica Bittner is thrilled to make her Windy City Playhouse debut with “Noises Off.” Selected credits include: King Charles III (Cardinal Stage); Bad Jews (Theatre Wit/North Shore/Royal George); You Can’t Take It With You, A Dickens Carol, Pygmalion, and Love’s Labour's Lost (Oak Park Festival); The Madness Of Edgar Allen Poe (First Folio); A Christmas Carol (Drury Lane) and Richard III: No Beast So Fierce (Oracle Theatre). Bittner has worked with Piven Theatre, Music Theatre Works, The Music Theatre Company, Redmoon, One Year Chekhov, GreatWorks, Chicago Dramatists, Victory Gardens, and Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

Amy Carle (DOTTY OTLEY) Amy Carle previously worked with Windy City Playhouse in “Chapter Two.” Selected Chicago credits include “Hard Times,” “North China Lover,” “Bengal Tiger At The Baghdad Zoo,” “Peter Pan” and “Trust” (Lookingglass); “Harvey,” “Orlando” (Court Theatre); “The Book Of Joseph” (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); “Wonderful Town,” “The Sins Of Sor Juana,” “Rock ‘N’ Roll,” “Desire Under The Elms” (Goodman Theatre); “The Book Thief,” “The Internationalist,” “Animals Out Of Paper,” “Sex With Strangers,” “Hedda Gabler” (Steppenwolf), and the Off-Broadway National Tour of “The Vagina Monologues.”

Will Casey (SELSDON MOWBRAY) - Will is delighted to be working at Windy City Playhouse for the second time, having understudied in “King Liz.” Will most recently appeared in “A Comedical Tragedy for Mr. Punch” (House Theatre Chicago). Other Chicago credits include: “Vieuz Carre” (Joseph Jefferson nominator - Support Actor), “The Old Friends,” “Boy Gets Girl” (Raven); “Macbeth” (Artistic Home); “Hospitality Suite” (Citadel); “The Rise and Fall of Little Voice” (No Stakes); and “The Father” (Rendition).

Scott Duff (FREDERICK FELLOWES) - Scott is an Artistic Associate of About Face Theatre, having appeared in over 15 productions at About Face Theater, and has performed in theaters across the city, including the Goodman, Steppenwolf, Theater Wit, Lookingglass, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, iO and American Theatre Company. Duff is the host/producer of “Out Chicago,” a live weekly talk show for the LGBT community. He is a Chicago-based actor, comic, and radio host. He is a graduate of Northwestern University.

Ryan McBride (GARRY LEJUNE)
Ryan McBride is making his Windy City Playhouse debut with “Noises Off.” Selected Chicago credits include “Continuity (Goodman Theatre, New Stages); Shakespeare In Love and Julius Caesar (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); West Side Story and Mamma Mia! (Paramount Theatre); Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream (Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Linda, Brilliant Adventures, and Fallow (Steep Theatre); Sita Ram (Lookingglass Theatre Company and Chicago Children’s Choir); Letter’s Home and Ghosts of War (Griffin Theatre Company), and the national tour of “Evil Dead: The Musical!”

Amy Rubenstein (BELINDA BLAIR) – Amy Rubenstein is the Artistic Director and co-founder of Windy City Playhouse. Since the theater's premiere in March 2015, she has overseen 11 mainstage productions, including the recent smash hit, world premiere SOUTHERN GOTHIC, of which she was also a co-creator. During her tenure, the Playhouse has been lauded for its uniquely contemporary approach that focuses on audience experience and has received numerous industry accolades, including 7 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations, 11 Chicago Theater Awards including the 2018 Trailblazer Award, and 3 International Centre for Women Playwrights' 50/50 Awards. Prior to her current role at the Playhouse, Ms. Rubenstein's credits include performing with Long Beach Playhouse, Human Race Theatre, and Center Stage Theater, among others. She is a proud graduate of Brandeis University.

Mike Tepeli (LLOYD DALLAS) – Mike Tepeli is excited to make his Windy City Playhouse Debut with “Noises Off.” Selected Chicago Credits include “Frost/Nixon” (RedTwist Theatre); “Naperville” (Theatre Wit); “Last Train to Nibroc” (Haven Theatre; 2016 Non-Equity Jeff Nomination Best Principal Actor-Play); “Cocked” (Victory Gardens); “Great Expectations” (Strawdog Theatre); “The Original Grease” (2011 Equity Jeff Award: Best Mid-Size Musical), “It’s A Wonderful Life: The Radio Play” (American Theatre Company) and “Burnt Part Boys” (Griffin Theatre).

Rochelle Therrien (BROOKE ASHTON) – Rochelle Therrien is thrilled to be making her Windy City Playhouse debut with “Noises Off.” Selected Chicago credits include: “Linda” (Steep Theatre Company); “In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play)” and “The Last Wife” (TimeLine Theatre); “Ah, Wilderness!” (Goodman Theatre); “London Wall” and “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” (Griffin Theatre Company); “Heathers: The Musical” (Kokandy Productions); “Aspects of Love” (Joseph Jefferson nomination - Best Supporting Actress) (Theo Ubique Cabaret); and “Carrie” (Bailiwick Chicago).



About Windy City Playhouse
Windy City Playhouse is a professional theater and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, located on Chicago's northwest side. Premiering in March of 2015 with a mission to present contemporary, relevant, and approach art, the Playhouse has quickly become a mainstay of the Chicago theater scene. In 2018, its runaway hit, the immersive SOUTHERN GOTHIC, solidified the Playhouse as the first choice in Chicago theater for one-of-a-kind audience experience. "Experience driven. Audience first."

For more information, visit WindyCityPlayhouse.com and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  



This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.