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Showing posts with label Tony award winning playwright. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tony award winning playwright. Show all posts

Thursday, March 2, 2017

Playwright DAVID RABE Joins Chicago's GIFT THEATRE Ensemble

THE GIFT THEATRE WELCOMES 
TONY AWARD-WINNING
PLAYWRIGHT DAVID RABE INTO ITS FAMILY


The Gift Theatre’s artistic director Michael Patrick Thornton, co-founder William Nedved and associate artistic director Paul D'Addario are proud to announce Tony Award-winning playwright David Rabe has joined the ensemble. Conceived in 1997 by Michael Patrick Thornton and William Nedved, The Gift Theatre’s mission was to grow and nurture an ensemble while laying roots in an artistically underserved Chicago neighborhood. Today, The Gift Theatre thrives in Jefferson Park as Chicago’s most intimate Equity theater, home to a nationally respected ensemble and daring new plays.

Rabe received a Tony Award for Best Play in 1972 for Sticks and Bones and also received Tony Award nominations for Best Play in 1974 for In the Boom Boom Room, 1977's Streamers and 1985's Hurlyburly. His critically acclaimed play Good for Otto received its world premiere at The Gift Theatre in 2015.

“Working with The Gift on Good for Otto, holed up in a hotel, pouring over text, and forging many more rewrites than I'd anticipated, more than anything I'd ever written before on a play already in rehearsal, I went into our ongoing rehearsals every day knowing that the actors of the ensemble would be there ready to take an enthusiastic run under Mike's simpatico eye at whatever I'd come up with,” says Rabe. “And then at a recent reading of a play whose scary, elusive tone escapes many actors, the ensemble members seated at the table with Mike and me found that tone within a few pages so effectively that their performances prompted such contagious laughter in all of us that it brought things to a halt more than once. It was some time ago that Mike invited me into the ensemble, but I'm hesitant to join anything other than unions or guilds. But a few days ago, remembering the reading, I thought: David, wake up. What are you waiting for? I wrote Mike to see if the door was still open. He checked with the cocker spaniel who he said makes these decisions, and I was told he approved. I'm ready to go.”

Similarly thrilled, Thornton comments, “Today marks the culmination of over a decade of producing and collaborating with David Rabe and his stunning works of art. From the earliest days of The Gift, David’s ouevre—powerfully searching, poetic, magical, haunted, and yearning—has always felt absolutely central to the emotional and ethical heart of The Gift. He has been such an aesthetic north star for us for so long that we are humbled and vivified to call David Rabe an ensemble member of The Gift. We’re excited to get to work.”

The ensemble is composed of actors, directors, writers and improvisers. For more than 15 years, The Gift Theatre has earned and deepened its reputation as an ensemble dedicated to acting of the highest caliber and a welcome home for new plays.

The now 32-member ensemble also includes:  Danny Ahlfeld, Maggie Andersen, Cyd Blakewell, Brittany Burch, Hillary Clemens, John Kelly Connolly, Paul D’Addario, Jenny Connell Davis, Brendan Donaldson, Will Eno, James D. Farruggio, Ed Flynn, Gabriel Franken, John Gawlik, Andrew Hinderaker, Marti Lyons, Alexandra Main, Laura Marks, Kenny Mihlfried, Benjamin Montague, Darci Nalepa, Keith Neagle, William Nedved, Lynda Newton, Sheldon Patinkin (in loving memory), Maureen Payne-Hahner, Mary Ann Thebus, Michael Patrick Thornton, Erica Weiss, Jay Worthington and Kyle Zornes.


About The Gift Theatre
TEN, The Gift’s annual kickoff celebration of ten-minute plays curated by artistic director Michael Patrick Thornton and associate artistic director Paul D'Addario took place in January. The all-new season consists of three world premieres and kicks off in February with Mona Mansour’s war-torn drama Unseen, directed by ensemble member Maureen Payne-Hahner (February 10–April 9), followed by Claire Kiechel’s futuristic Pilgrims, co-directed by ensemble member Michael Patrick Thornton and guest artist Jessica Thebus (June 2-July 30). The  season closes with Janine Nabers’ time-hopping love story A Swell in the Ground, directed by guest artist Chika Ike (October 13-December 10). Season subscriptions are available for as little as $75. The Gift subscribers ("Gifters") receive admission to three shows, free parking at Gale Street Inn, free admission to all Wednesday night “Natural Gas” improv shows and invitations to special subscriber-only special events. Subscribe at http://thegifttheatre.org/ or call 773-283-7071.



Wednesday, February 15, 2017

OPENING: The Columnist at Stage 773 Via American Blues Theater

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

American Blues Theater Presents
the Chicago Premiere of
The Columnist
by David Auburn
Directed by Keira Fromm
 February 17 – April 1, 2017


We'll be ChiILin' out with American Blues Theater at the press opening February 23rd, so check back shortly after for our full review. We're elated that American Blues Theater has moved to a new home space at Stage 773 and can't wait to check out The Columnist by David Auburn, the Pulitzer and Tony award-winning author of Proof.

American Blues Theater continues its 2016-2017 Season with the Chicago Premiere of The Columnist by David Auburn and directed by Keira Fromm. The Columnist runs February 17 – April 1, 2017 at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago.  

From the Pulitzer and Tony award-winning author of Proof comes a drama about power, the press, sex and betrayal. At the height of the Cold War, Joe Alsop is the nation’s most influential journalist, beloved, feared and courted by the Washington world. But as the 60s dawn and America undergoes dizzying change, the intense political dramas Joe is embroiled in become deeply personal as well.

The cast for The Columnist includes Philip Earl Johnson (Joe Alsop), Coburn Goss (Stewart Alsop), Kymberly Mellen (Susan Mary Alsop), Ian Paul Custer* (Halberstam), Tyler Meredith (Abigail), and Christopher Sheard (Andrei/Philip).

The creative team includes Joe Schermoly (scenic), Jared Gooding (lighting), Christopher J. Neville* (costumes), Christopher Kriz (sound), Alec Long (props), Sarah E. Ross* (production manager), Eva Breneman (dialect coach), Sarah Illiatovitch-Goldman (dramaturg), and Dana Nestrick (stage manager).

*Denotes Ensemble members and Artistic Affiliates of American Blues Theater



Dates: February 17 – April 1, 2017
Previews: February 17 – 22, 2017
Press Opening: Thursday, February 23 at 7:30 p.m.
Regular Run: February 24 – April 1, 2017

Schedule: 
Thursday:  7:30 p.m.
Friday: 7:30 p.m
Saturday: 3:00 p.m. 
(except February 18 & 25 and March 4)and 7:30p.m. Sunday: 2:30 p.m.

Additional performances on Wednesday, February 22 at 7:30 p.m.
and Monday, March 6 at 7:30 p.m.

Location: Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago
Ticket prices: $19 - $49
Box Office: Buy online at AmericanBluesTheater.com or by calling 773.327.5252.


About American Blues Theater
Winner of the American Theatre Wing’s prestigious 2016 National Theatre Company Award, American Blues Theater is a premier arts organization with an intimate environment that patrons, artists, and all Chicagoans call home.  American Blues Theater explores the American identity through the plays it produces and communities it serves.

The diverse and multi-generational artists have established the second-oldest professional Equity Ensemble theater in Chicago.  The 37-member Ensemble has 530+ combined years of collaboration on stage. As of 2016, the theater and artists received 186 Joseph Jefferson Awards and nominations that celebrate excellence in Chicago theater and over 31 Black Theatre Alliance Awards. The artists are honored with Pulitzer Prize nominations, Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Emmy Awards and numerous other accolades.  


The American Blues Theater Ensemble includes all four Founders Ed Blatchford, Rick Cleveland, James Leaming, and William Payne with Dawn Bach, Matthew Brumlow, Manny Buckley, Kate Buddeke, Sarah Burnham, Dara Cameron, Casey Campbell, Darren Canady, Brian Claggett, Dennis Cockrum, Austin Cook, Laura Coover, Ian Paul Custer, Lauri Dahl, Joe Foust, Cheryl Graeff, Marty Higginbotham, Jaclyn Holsey, Lindsay Jones, Nambi E. Kelley, Kevin R. Kelly, Steve Key, Ed Kross, Warren Levon, Michael Mahler, Heather Meyers, John Mohrlein, Christopher J. Neville, Suzanne Petri, Carmen Roman, Editha Rosario, Sarah E. Ross, and Gwendolyn Whiteside.

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