American Theater Company making big plans
Fresh from huge box office successes with its past two shows — “Yeast Nation” and “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” — the American Theater Company, led by artistic director, PJ Paparelli, is making big plans.
To celebrate the company’s 25th anniversary season, Paparelli has devised The Silver Project, inviting 30 nationally known playwrights to write a short play with the following instructions: Choose a year between 1985 and 2010 and in some way, shape or form explore the company’s mission which comes in the form of a question: “What does it mean to be an American?”
These works will be directed and performed by more than 50 Chicago artists. They will be presented in five parts throughout the year, and as a complete cycle during the annual Theatre Communications Group Conference, June 16-20, 2010, to be held in Chicago. Opening each program will be a prologue play by the internationally acclaimed Cuban-born playwright Maria Irene Fornes — a world premiere piece exploring America over the last 25 years.
In addition, ATC has added three new ensemble members: Usman Ally (recently seen as the streetwise Indian immigrant in Kristoffer Diaz’s “The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity” at Victory Gardens), Patrick Andrews (who played the Emcee in Drury Lane Oakbrook’s revival of “Cabaret” and will soon appear in “The Snow Queen” at Victory Gardens) and director Jaime Castaneda. They join fellow ensemble members Kareem Bandealy, Joseph Minoso, and Sadieh Rifai. Castaneda will direct the world premiere of Diaz’s “Welcome to Arroyo’s” this spring at ATC.
The 30 playwrights selected include: Usman Ally; Stephen Belber; Kristiana Rae Colon; Kristoffer Diaz; Zayd Dohrn; Laura Eason; Maria Irene Fornes; Yussef el Guindi; Steve Harper; Andrew Hinderaker; David Henry Hwang; Naomi Iizuka; Laura Jacqmin; Kyle Jarrow; Rolin Jones; Joel Drake Johnson; Stephen Karam; Nambi E. Kelley; Greg Kotis; Joe Kraemer; Neil LaBute; Dan LeFranc; Craig Lucas; Laura Lynn MacDonald; Rohina Malik; Itamar Moses; Carlos Murillo; Justin D. M. Palmer; Joshua Rollins; Tanya Saracho; Regina Taylor; Brian Tucker; Beau Willimon, and Paparelli himself.
The Silver Project will be performed in 5 installments at American Theater Company, 1909 W. Byron, on Feb. 8, Mar. 1, May 24; June 1 and June 7. Phone: (773) 409-4125. Or visit: www.atcweb.org.
One additional note: Dramatist Maria Irene Fornes also will be the subject of a festival produced by Alcyon Theatre that will feature five of her plays including “Letters from Cuba,” “Manual for a Desperate Crossing,” “Sarita,” “Summer in Gossensass,” “Tango Palace” and “What of the Night,” all but the latter Chicago premieres. Performances will be Jan. 21-Feb. 27 at the Lincoln Square Theatre in the Barry United Methodist Church, 4754 North Leavitt. Phone: (773) 413-0453 or go to: halcyontheatre.org
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