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THE WHITE CITY: AN AUDIBLE EXHIBITION ON H.H. HOLMES, MURDERER
Original thriller by Rick Kinnebrew will premiere with three live online broadcasts on March 14, 15, and 16 prior to general release on March 30
The third and final audio production of A Theater in the Dark’s 2022-23 digital season will be the original audio play THE WHITE CITY: AN AUDIBLE EXHIBITION ON H.H. HOLMES, MURDERER by Evanston-based playwright Rick Kinnebrew, directed by Corey Bradberry. WHITE CITY is a theatrical thriller surrounding the notorious Chicago serial killer H. H. Holmes, who is said to have murdered more than 20 people during the World’s Columbian Exposition.in 1893. The story focuses on the victim of the only murder for which Holmes was convicted, that of his business partner Ben Pitezel. A Theater in the Dark Artistic Director Corey Bradberry is directing the original script by Kinnebrew, author of the screenplay for the Windy City Film Festival finalist FOG CITY and the play TEN DOLLAR HOUSE. The production will feature an original musical score composed and performed by Nick Montopoli and sound design created by Jake Sorgen, engineered by Bradberry. THE WHITE CITY: AN AUDIBLE EXHIBITION ON H.H. HOLMES, MURDERER will be launched with live public preview performances online at 8 pm (Central Daylight Time) on March 14, 15, and 16; and a recording of the production will be available online for an open-ended run beginning March 30, 2023.
Access to the three live performances on March 14, 15 and 16 at 8 pm (CDT) will be available on a pay-what-you-can basis, and patrons who pay $15.00 or more for a live preview will also receive a free download of a recorded version of the audio play. The recording of the production will be available on demand as a stream or download for $12.99 per stream or download.
Ethan Carlson, who recently completed a run in the ensemble of the bloody SWEENEY TODD with Kokandy Productions where he also understudied the role of the villainous Judge Turpin, will play the murderous H.H. Holmes in WHITE CITY. Holmes’ doomed business partner Ben Pitezel will be played by Keenan Odenkirk, seen last year as Nick in Invictus Theatre’s WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? Annie Beaubien, who played Josephine Strong in Surging Films and Theatrics’ Jeff-nominated ensemble of URINETOWN, has been cast as Pitezel’s long-suffering wife Carrie. Dylan Walker – a recent transplant to Chicago from Texas whose roles have ranged from Cassius in JULIUS CAESAR to Jeff in SUBURBIA, will play Hatch - a carnival barker who serves as the narrator of the audio play.
Brian Parry, a Jeff award winner who has seven Jeff nominations for roles ranging from Willy Loman to Richard Nixon, will be heard as Frank Geyer, the detective who finally stops Holmes’s murder spree. Playing others caught in Holmes’ web are Erin Lin (of A Theater in the Dark’s A MURDER IN THE COURT OF XANADU) as Holmes’ office girl Emie Cigrand; Katherine Jordan (of Red Theater’s production of VINEGAR TOM) and Robin Fertitta as Julia and Ned Connor, a couple who make the mistake of renting a space for their jewelry store from Holmes; and Taylor Wilkes (whose resume includes A.R. Gurney’s THE DINING ROOM) as Holmes’ accomplice Quinlan.
Top Row L-R: Annie Beaubien, Ethan Carlson, Robin Fertitta.
Middle Row L-R: Katharine Jordan, Erin Lin, Keenan Odenkirk.
Lower Row L-R: Brian Parry, Dylan Walker, Taylor Wilkes.
A Theater In The Dark emerged in fall 2019 with its innovative in-person production of its original noir thriller THREE STORIES UP, performed for audiences sitting in complete darkness, When the COVID pandemic shut down all live performances in 2020, the company was perfectly positioned to pivot to streaming productions of audio plays. Returning to the traditions of the golden age of radio, they received critical acclaim and popular success with their live audio play productions of A WAR OF THE WORLDS, A CHRISTMAS CAROL IN THE DARK, and A WHITE WHALE. Their previous productions of the 2022-23 season are the noir comedy-mystery A MATTER OF RED HERRINGS and the mystery A MURDER IN THE COURT OF XANADU.
The CHICAGO SUN-TIMES said A Theater in the Dark’s 2021 A WHITE WHALE (an original adaptation of Melville’s MOBY DICK) was “packed from stem-to-stern with some of the best, most evocative writing I’ve heard from a theater this year.” The production was honored with the “Critics Choice Award” of the 2021 Atlanta Audio Fringe Festival and the “Best Audio Production” at the 2021 Thornhill Theatre Festival.
Live online preview broadcasts Tuesday, March 14; Wednesday, March 15; Thursday, March 16; at 8 pm each evening. All access for previews is Pay What You Can. Those who pay $15.00 or more for preview performances will be given access to the recorded version to be released Thursday, March 30. Virtual tickets for either the previews or the recorded version can be purchased at https://atheaterinthedark.com/whitecity.
WHITE CITY is a theatrical thriller surrounding the notorious Chicago serial killer H. H. Holmes, who is said to have murdered more than 20 people during the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893. The story focuses on the victim of the only murder for which Holmes was convicted, his business partner Ben Pitezel.
BIOS
Corey Bradberry (Director, Producer)is a Chicago-based director and producer, Producing Artistic Director of A Theater in the Dark, and a Faculty Member at The Second City Training Center. Most recently, Corey directed and produced A Theater in the Dark’s fall drama A MURDER IN THE COURT OF XANADU and earlier this year, served as Production Manager for A Red Orchid Theatre’s Equity-Jeff-Award-winning production of The Moors(Best Production, Mid-Sized). In summer 2021, Corey directed SHIPWRECKED!: AN ENTERTAINMENT at Oil Lamp Theatre which won 2021 Broadway World Chicago Awards for “Best Director”, “Best Play”, and “Best Production”. Corey’s audio play A WHITE WHALE, which he wrote and directed, won top prizes at the 2021 Atlanta Audio Fringe Festival and Thornhill Theatre Festival; and also directed A Theater in the Dark’s hit original audio play A WAR OF THE WORLDS. Corey has assistant directed with major institutions including the Second City and Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre. Corey is a 2015 Kennedy Center National Directing Fellow and was awarded the 2013 Emerging Artist Award from the City of Atlanta’s Office of Cultural Affairs. Education: M.F.A. Directing; B.A. Theatre & Performance Studies. Additional Training: Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre, Second City Advanced Directing program. Instagram: @corey.bradberry. www.coreybradberry.com
Rick Kinnebrew (Playwright)
As a beloved children’s librarian, Rick tells stories, teaches storytelling, and designs play scenarios. His stage plays and radio plays have reached audiences from Chicago to New Orleans. He is the author of TEN DOLLAR HOUSE (Pride Films & Plays; Broom Street Theater; Mineral Point Opera House). The screenplay FOG CITY--a superhero story set in alt-history California--was a Windy City Film Festival finalist and a top 10% finisher for the Nicholl Fellowship. He is currently enrolled in UCLA’s Screenwriting Program.
About A Theater in the Dark
Inspired by hard-boiled paperback novels and the radio mystery plays of the ‘30s and ‘40s, A Theater in the Dark invites audience members to tune out today’s visual barrage and explore three dimensional soundscapes combining the human voice, recorded sound, and live foley effects to create a theatre experience audiences will never forget. Exceptional in engaging the audience, A Theater in the Dark creates stories through sound - producing both in-person pitch-black theatre experiences and immersive audio plays. Their online audio dramas have broadcast LIVE to listeners in 40 states, 8 Canadian provinces, and 12 countries! Their stories use compelling characters, descriptive language, and stunning soundscapes to pierce through the dark.
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