OPENING: World Premiere of N By David Alex at Greenhouse Theater Center October 24 – November 17, 2019

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World Premiere!

Greenhouse Theater Center and GLP Productions Present

N

By David Alex

Directed by TaRon Patton

October 24 – November 17, 2019 at Greenhouse Theater Center

I'll be ChiILin' at Chi, IL's Greenhouse Theater Center for the press opening of the world premiere of David Alex’s political drama, N, later this month. Check back soon for my full review. David's not only a prolific, Chicago based playwright with fourteen full-length and eighteen one-acts plays to his credit, but he's also a frequent fixture at theatre openings. I'm eager to finally see one of his scripts brought to life in a Chicago production.

Greenhouse Theater Center and GLP Productions are pleased to present the world premiere of David Alex’s political drama N, directed by TaRon Patton, playing October 24 – November 17, 2019 in The Greenhouse Theater Center’s Upstairs Studio, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at greenhousetheater.org, in person at the box office or by calling (773) 404-7336. The press openings are Saturday, October 26 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, October 27 at 3 pm.

The cast of Greenhouse Theater Center and GLP Productions’ world premiere of “N” includes (left to right) Stacie Doublin, Reginald Hemphill and Ryan Smetana.

Mrs. Page is a 70-year-old, African-American widow; a passionate political conservative who campaigned for Barry Goldwater and strong admirer of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Her guilt for a personal decision involving astrology led her to the decision to never leave her home again. Eddy, a liberal young white struggling actor, is her caregiver. He is cast in show that is a career maker for him. During the rehearsal process the playwright adds the N-word to the script. Eddy is repulsed by what he considers the offensive and destructive nature of the N-word and refuses to say it – ever, including on stage. Mrs. Page and Eddy learn something from each other and as well as about themselves while Eddy struggles to remain the person he hopes to be. N challenges us to look at the role society has played in shaping our personal, and thus, our national attitudes and prejudices. 

Comments Director TaRon Patton, “This story is a great way to approach this very delicate topic with a focal lens of humanity versus history.”

N was given a staged reading in one of DePaul University’s Black History Month Celebrations and was a semi-finalist in the National Arts Club Playwrights First Competition.

The production team includes Grant Sabin (scenic design), Shanesia Davis (costume design, assistant director), Richard Norwood (lighting design), Shawn Wallace (sound design), Sarah Richman (props design), Dr. Alvin Goldfarb (dramaturg), Maggie Speer (associate producer, voiceover) and Razor Wintercastle (production manager).

PRODUCTION DETAILS:

Title: N
Playwright: David Alex
Director: TaRon Patton
Cast (in alphabetical order): Stacie Doublin (Mrs. Page), Reginald Hemphill (DeShawn) and Ryan Smetana (Eddy).

Undertudies: Carolyn Nelson and Jordan Tragash.

Location: The Greenhouse Theater Center’s Upstairs Studio, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago
Dates: Previews: Thursday, October 24 at 7:30 pm, Friday, October 25 at 7:30 pm and Saturday, October 26 at 3 pm
Press Performances: Saturday, October 26 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, October 27 at 3 pm
Opening: Monday, October 28 at 7:30 pm.
Regular run: Thursday, October 31 – Sunday, November 17, 2019
Curtain times: Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 pm; Saturdays at 3 pm & 7:30 pm, Sundays at 3 pm
Understudy Performance: Friday, November 8 at 7:30 pm.
Tickets: Previews: $15. Regular run: $25. $15 students/seniors/industry. Tickets are currently available at greenhousetheater.org, in person at the box office or by calling (773) 404-7336.

About the Artists
David Alex (Playwright) has written fourteen full-length and eighteen one-acts plays. He has received three grants from the Illinois Arts Council and one from the Pilgrim Foundation, an award for plays that deal with issues of moral significance. Full-length productions include Eroica, Azusa Productions i/a/w Redtwist Theatre; Ends, an African-American Theatre Festival Award Winner (Univ. of Louisville), New Jersey Repertory Company and Bowen Park Theatre Company; Adrift, Azusa Productions; Corpus Delicti, MadKap Productions; Onto Infinity, Azusa Productions and Bowen Park Theatre Company, By the Rivers of Babylon, Chicago Playwrights Center. Dramatic Publishing has published two of his plays. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild. www.davidalex.net.

TaRon Patton (Director) is excited to expand her talents by serving as director to this production. Directing credits include Saturday Night, Sunday Morning (Steppenwolf Garage Rep) Bulrusher (Congo Square Theatre), Nativity Tribute (Congo Square Theatre). Acting credits include: Meet Vera Stark (Goodman Theater), Hot L Baltimore (Steppenwolf); the Chicago and New York adaptation of Toni Morrison's novel The Bluest Eye (Steppenwolf), St James Infirmary and King Hedley II (Congo Square Theatre Company), Black Nativity and Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (Goodman Theater). Television credits: The Chi, Empire, Chicago PD, Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, A Different World, Misty Tanner and the Emmy award winning CBS After-School special What About Your Friends. Film credits: Of Boys and Men and Stitches. TaRon received her MFA in Acting from UCLA and is very proud of her role as Executive Director of Congo Square Theatre Company.
About the Companies

The Greenhouse Theater Center (GTC) is a producing theater company, performance venue and theatre bookstore located at 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.

GTC began its producing life in 2014 with the smash hit Churchill, followed by 2016’s much-lauded Solo Celebration!, an eight month, 16 event series highlighting the breadth and depth of the solo play form. In 2017-18, the Greenhouse presented its first full subscription season, including Machinal (4 stars from Chicago Tribune's Chris Jones), a remount of the Jeff Award-winning Rose and the Chicago premiere of Birds of a Feather. 
As a performance venue, the Greenhouse complex offers two newly-remodeled 198-seat main stage spaces, two 60-seat studio theaters, a newly-built 44-seat cabaret space, two high-capacity lobbies and an in-house rehearsal room. GTC also houses Chicago’s only dedicated used theatre bookstore, located on the second floor the complex. 

The Greenhouse Theater Center’s mission is first and foremost to grow local theatre. GTC seeks local theatre companies and artists to partner on co-productions, offering partners a multitude of resources including an equitable split of production costs, production manager, full-service box office and front-of-house staff, artistic consultation, marketing and public relations support and a full-service bar with concessions. For additional information, call (773) 404-7336, ext. 13.

GLP Productions is a Chicago-based arts investment and production company that nationally produces theatrical new works and independent film. The GLP mission is to support artists in reaching their dreams through direct investments or management. Film credit: Road to Freedom and the web series Misty Tanner.