Chi, IL Live Shows On Our Radar
AstonRep Theatre Company
Concludes 15th Anniversary Season with
THE LANGUAGE ARCHIVE
By Julia Cho
Directed by Dana Anderson
April 28 – May 28, 2023 at The Edge Off Broadway Theatre
Pictured (left to right) Aja Alcazar, Génesis Sánchez, Erin O’Brien, Jorge Salas and Sean William Kelly. AstonRep Theatre Company’s production of The Language Archive. Photo by Derek Bertelsen.
AstonRep Theatre Company is pleased to conclude it 15th and final season with The Language Archive, Julia Cho’s insightful play about language and love, directed by Company Member Dana Anderson*, playing April 28 – May 28, 2023 at The Edge Off-Broadway Theatre, 1133 W. Catalpa Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are now on sale at www.astonrep.com or by calling (773) 828-9129.
The cast includes Company Members Aja Alcazar*, Sean William Kelly* and Erin O'Brien* with Jorge Salas and Génesis Sánchez. Understudies include and Kelley Holcomb and James Reilly.
A quirky, comic drama about communication – its potential and its limits – this romantic parable for our times features a linguist at a loss for words, especially the vocabulary of the heart. Balanced delightfully between affection and adversity, it is the whimsical, life-affirming chronicle of a brilliant scientist who fights to preserve the dying languages of far-flung cultures, only to neglect the promise and passion of his own. Winner of the 2010 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for Playwrighting.
Comments Director Dana Anderson, “As AstonRep’s last production, this play is a special send-off about connecting with others on a level that goes beyond just words. It is my hope that the themes of this show amplify and reflect the legacy of our company, built on lasting friendships and the desire to express our truest selves.
The production team includes Jeremiah Barr* (Scenic and Props Designer Technical Director), Andrés Mota (Costume Designer), Becca Venable (Lighting Designer), Robert Tobin* (Sound Designer, Producer), Bethany Hart (Dialect and Vocal Coach), Kelley Holcomb (Assistant Dialect and Vocal Coach), Derek Bertelsen* (Producer), Samantha Barr* (Production Manager), Anna Vu (Production Stage Manager) and Miguel Salgado, Jr. (Assistant Production Manager, Stage Manager).
COVID safety: While in the theater, masks are highly recommended and encouraged, but not required. Disposable masks will be available to patrons who request one. If you are immunocompromised or at higher risk, please consider wearing a mask at indoor public settings where vaccination status is unknown.
*Denotes AstonRep Company Members.
Cast (in alphabetical order) Aja Alcazar* (Emma), Sean William Kelly* (George), Erin O'Brien* (Mary) with Jorge Salas (Resten, Ensemble) and Génesis Sánchez (Alta, Ensemble)
Understudies: Kelley Holcomb (u/s Mary, Emma) and James Reilly (u/s George).
Location: The Edge Off-Broadway Theatre, 1133 W. Catalpa Ave., Chicago
Dates: Preview: Friday, April 28 at 7:30 pm
Press performance: Saturday, April 29 at 7:30 pm
Regular run: Sunday, April 30 – Sunday, May 29, 2023
Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm.
Tickets: Previews: $10; Regular run: $20. Student/seniors discounts available. Tickets are now on sale at www.astonrep.com or by calling (773) 828-9129.
About the Artists
Julia Cho’s (Playwright) plays include Durango, The Winchester House, The Architecture of Loss and 99 Histories. Her work has been produced at The Vineyard Theatre, The Public Theater, Long Wharf Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, South Coast Repertory, New York Theatre Workshop, East West Players, The Theatre@Boston Court, Theater Mu and Silk Road Theatre Project, among others. Honors include the 2005 Barrie Stavis Award, the 2005 Claire Tow Award for Emerging Artists and the 2004 L. Arnold Weissberger Award. She was also a two-time finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Award. An alumna of the Juilliard School and NYU’s Graduate Dramatic Writing Program, Julia also served as a resident playwright at New Dramatists.
Dana Anderson (Director) is an educator, director and actor based in Chicago. With AstonRep, she has worked on The Lonesome West, Laramie Project and 1984. Other directing credits include Wife Material (Underscore), Belle of Austin (Rhinofest) and Little Miss (Davenport’s). She has worked with Theo Ubique, Kokandy, The New Colony, Shawnee Summer Theatre, Stage Door Fine Arts and Chicago Dramatists. She is currently the drama teacher at Chiaravalle Montessori School, program manager at Storycatchers Theatre and the Associate Artistic Director of Shakespeare Corrected.
About AstonRep Theatre Company
AstonRep Theatre Company was formed in the summer of 2008. Since then, the company has produced numerous full-length productions, along with their annual Writer’s Series. They are currently in residence at The Edge Theater. AstonRep Theatre Company is an ensemble of artists committed to creating exciting, intimate theatrical experiences that go beyond the front door to challenge audiences and spark discussion where the show is not the end of the experience: it is just the beginning.
