Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:
"Bloodshot" at Solo Celebration
8/10-9/10
“Bloodshot” makes its U.S. debut at the Greenhouse Theater Center (2257 N. Lincoln Ave.) Aug. 10 – Sept. 10 as part of Greenhouse’s “Solo Celebration!” series. Starring acclaimed international actor, the multi-talented Simon Slater, written by award winning Chicago playwright Douglas Post and directed by Patrick Sandford, “Bloodshot,” is a one-man murder mystery following the character Derek Eveleigh, a photographer in 1957 London. The thriller is co-produced by Ingenious Purpose Ltd.
“In curating the Solo Celebration series, we were searching for plays that not only celebrated the form but redefined what it could do. Douglas Post has done all of that and more with his one-man thriller,” says Jacob Harvey, Artistic Director. “We are honored to host the premiere of the international efforts of a local playwright, and are thrilled that it brings acclaimed artists Simon Slater and Patrick Sandford to our city.”
The one-man murder mystery “Bloodshot” tells the story of Derek Eveleigh as he is hired by an anonymous client to follow a mysterious showgirl in the streets of London. After witnessing the woman’s murder by an unknown assailant, he begins an investigation through the bowels and backstreets of London where he finds himself falling in love with a dead woman he’s never even met.
Post was commissioned by Slater to write a play to showcase his diverse talents as a singer, actor, magician and musician (equally adept on multiple instruments,) and the product of their partnership was “Bloodshot,” one of the only solo thriller plays written. Charles Spencer of the The Telegraph praised the play, saying “the ingenious writing of Douglas Post … has so cleverly reinvented the possibilities of the stage thriller.” Spencer called the show “a thriller that genuinely holds the spectator in its thrall.” Touring in England and throughout Europe, “Bloodshot” has amazed, thrilled and rattled audiences since 2011.
Simon Slater is an award-winning composer of more than 200 original scores for theater, film, television and radio. As an actor he is a familiar face on British television, as well as having appeared in films and many critically-acclaimed theater productions in London and abroad. Recently, Slater’s theater credits include “Chariots Of Fire,” “Wonderland,” “Bloodshot” (St James' Theatre London, Vertigo Theatre Calgary), “Viva Forever,” and “Mamma Mia!” Slater was nominated for a Betty award in the category of “best performance in a drama” for his role in “Bloodshot.” Slater’s film appearances include “The Iron Lady,” “Dealers,” “The Fool,” and the award winning short film “Detour.” Most recently he was nominated for an Olivier Award for his music for “Constellations,” “Great Expectations,” “Raving,” “The Lady and the Van” and “Romeo and Juliet.”
Doulas Post is a Chicago-based award winning playwright. Post has written works including “Cynical Weathers,” “Blissfield,” “Drowning Sorrows,” “Earth and Sky” and “Murder in Green Meadows.” Post has also written several musicals, which include “God and Country,” “The Real Life Story of Johnny de Facto” and “The Wind in the Willows.” His work have been produced in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Canada, England, Wales, Germany, Austria, Russia and China. He has also been commissioned to write screenplays for Warner Bros. and NBC, teleplays for WMAQTV, and several radio adaptations of his scripts. On three occasions, he has been selected to develop his work at the O'Neill National Playwrights Conference and once at the O'Neill National Music Theater Conference. He has received the L. Arnold Weissberger Playwriting Award, the Midwestern Playwrights Festival Award, the Cunningham Commission Award, the Blue Ink Playwriting Award and three Playwriting Fellowship Awards from the Illinois Arts Council, and has been nominated for a Jeff Award and an Emmy Award.
Patrick Sandford is a British producer, director and artistic director. Sandford won the UK Theatre Managers Association award for Best Director for “The Winter Wife,” a play by Claire Tomalin, and for Shakespeare's “Much Ado About Nothing.” He has worked extensively across the UK and in London, both in the West End and on the Fringe. His recent work includes “Bully Boy,” a new play by Sandi Toksvig. His production of Chekov's “Three Sisters” was nominated Best Touring Production. He directed A “Midsummer Night's Dream” in Capetown shortly after the ending of Apartheid, “Oedipus Rex” in the ancient outdoor amphitheater in Paphos, Cyprus, and “Twelfth Night,” in French at the Theatre des 2 Rives in Rouen, France.
About Solo Celebration!
“Bloodshot” is one of 12 plays featured in Greenhouse’s “Solo Celebration!,” which includes ten full productions, two limited engagements and other special events running June 2016 through February 2017. Among the other directors connected to solo series are Goodman Theatre Producer and Artistic Collective Member Steve Scott, Writer’s Theatre Resident Director Kimberly Senior, Directors Lab Chicago Artistic Director Elizabeth Margolius and Remy Bumppo Artistic Associate Linda Gillum. Some of the performers confirmed to star in solo works include Jeff Award-winners Kate Buddeke, Gene Weygandt, Linda Reiter acclaimed British actor Simon Slater, Will Allan and Carin Silkaitis. Most productions will be produced in their entirety by Greenhouse, while other plays will be stated with co-producers including Sideshow Theatre Company and The Other Theatre Company. Greenhouse’s “Solo Celebration!” is co-produced by Forum Productions and underwritten by the Wendy and William Spatz Charitable Foundation.
About the Greenhouse Theater Center.
The Greenhouse Theater Center is a nonprofit performance venue located at 2257 N Lincoln Ave, in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. Our complex offers two newly remodeled 190-seat main stage spaces, two 60-seat studio theaters, an in-house rehearsal room, and Chicago’s only dedicated used theatre book store.
Our mission at the Greenhouse is first and foremost to grow local theatre. We strive to cultivate a fertile environment for local artists, from individual renters to our bevy of resident companies, to develop and produce their work. In 2014 alone, The Greenhouse Theater Center provided space for almost 1,000 ticketed performances, serving more than 54,000 patrons. Among these events were at least 30 productions by our resident companies, including the celebrated American Blues Theater and Remy Bumpo Theatre Company. Through our Trellis Program, we offer the community affordable access to our work by housing Chicago’s only dedicated used theatre bookstore, located on the second floor of our complex, as well as offering a free reading series each Tuesday night where local artists workshop their latest scripts. Additionally, we also continue to play an active role in cultivating and nurturing our community through continued partnerships with the League of Chicago Theaters and local Chambers of Commerce.
As of 2016, the Greenhouse Theater Center embraced the true spirit of growth and launched its producing entity. With the announcement of our 8 month long Solo Celebration Series, helmed by Artistic Director Jacob Harvey, we will produce 12 solo plays from June 2016 to February 2017. Through this inaugural effort, we hope to expand the solo play cannon while also cultivating a larger conversation about the possibilities of the one-person play.
With new ideas always incubating, the Greenhouse Theater Center is flourishing.
Come grow with us!
