The Theatre School At DePaul University Announces 09-10 Season

The Theatre School at DePaul University (John Culbert, Dean) is pleased to announce upcoming productions for its 2009-2010 Season. Throughout its 80+ year history, the school has provided Chicago audiences with affordable and meaningful theatrical experiences. Students are involved in all aspects of production - as actors, designers, dramaturges, technicians, directors and production staff; and are fully supported by the professional faculty and staff of The Theatre School. This season will feature everything from classic children's tales to a world premiere of a play written and developed in class at The Theatre School, and many worlds in between.

The Showcase Series will open the season with a bizarre and fantastic journey through the 21st century in 1001 (by Jason Grote) directed by Carlos Murillo. Celebrate the official beginning of the season on opening night, October 2. 1001 will run through October 11, 2009. A wild time-bending re-imagining of The Arabian Nights, Jason Grote's 1001 hyperlinks Scheherazade's tales to contemporary Manhattan, in an examination of East and West in the post-9/11 world. Part Monty Python, part magical realist political fantasia, this Chicago premiere by a visionary new playwright takes the audience on a rollicking journey through the precarious world of the 21st Century. For mature audiences.

The second installment of the Showcase Series will open on February 5, 2010. A Raisin in the Sun, (by Lorraine Hansberry) directed by Phyllis E. Griffin, will run through February 14, 2010. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and celebrating its 50th Anniversary, A Raisin in the Sun is the fiercely moving portrait of an African-American family in Chicago's South Side in the 1950's. This seminal American play, the first by an African-American woman ever to be produced on Broadway, is a searing and timeless drama of family, hope and inspiration.

In the spring, the Showcase Series will feature Electricdad, (by Luis Alfaro) directed by Lisa Portes. Electricidad will open on April 16 and run through April 25, 2010. Luis Alfaro transforms Sophocles' Elektra into a passionate, powerful tale of the revenge cycle in gang culture. Electricidad mourns the murder of her father, an East L.A. gang king-pin, and vows revenge. In her determination, she pulls her brother, Orestes - a young man who managed to leave "the life" - back to commit the most tragic of crimes. At once violent and vibrant, Electricidad taps into the beauty, color and ruthlessness of the abandoned desert barrio.

The Theatre School is also pleased to conclude its season with a production featuring the Class of 2010 Master of Fine Arts in Acting Candidates. This ensemble piece will be directed by a guest from the Chicago theatre community. The title and casting will be announced shortly. MFA 10 will run May 14 - 23, 2010.

Chicago Playworks will offer a highly imaginative season starting with Holes (by Louis Sachar) directed by John Jenkins. Fourteen year-old Stanley Yelnats' bad luck lands him in Camp Green Lake where every day he is forced to dig holes under the hot Texas sun. Adapted from the book, which won the National Book Award and Newbery Medal, Holes is full of Stanley's unexpected discoveries; local history, buried treasure, tall tales and true friendship. Recommended for ages 9 and up.

Next, Chicago Playworks extends a warm invitation to share a bit of The Bard with the young person in your life. Opening on January 12, and running through March 2, 2010, the second show of the series will be A Midsummer Night's Dream (by William Shakespeare) directed by Catherine Weidner. A Midsummer Night's Dream is an unforgettable tale of love, magic and mischief set in the mystical forest outside of Athens. When the forest becomes a hideout for four hopeful youths and a group of amateur performers, the fairies cast spells that mix up everyone's affections with hilarious and delightful results. This new adaptation is designed to introduce young people to the joys of Shakespeare and his language. Recommended for ages 8 and up.

Chicago Playworks will conclude the season with an adaptation of the award-winning children's novel Haroun and the Sea of Stories (by Salman Rushdie, adapted by Tim Supple and David Tushingham) directed by Damon Kiely. The production will open on March 30 and run through May 22, 2010. Based on Rushdie's award-winning children's novel, this tale depicts the epic battle between the forces of silence and freedom. As Haroun sets out to restore his father's gift of storytelling, he encounters shadow warriors, mechanical flying birds, talking fish and other celebrated friends. Recommended for ages 7 and up.

All Chicago Playworks & Showcase Series performances are held at DePaul's historic Merle Reskin Theatre, 60 E. Balbo Drive. Performances interpreted in American Sign Language are scheduled for each production. TYY (773) 325-7975. Tickets to all performances are available online at http://theatreschool.depaul.edu or by calling the Box Office at (312) 922-1999. Single tickets for the Showcase Series are $6 - $15. For Chicago Playworks, single tickets are $8. Subscribers to either series are entitled to complimentary exchanges, parking coupons and other benefits. For complete details or to purchase a subscription, call DePaul's Merle Reskin Theatre Box Office at (312) 922-1999. For more information about special events held in conjunction with these performances, including Community Partner Days and Opening Night Parties, contact Andrea Tichy at atichy@depaul.edu.

The New Directors Series will feature the work of MFA Directors Jenn BeVard and Stephen James Anderson. Launching this year's series will be BeVard's production of The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh. The show opens November 6 and runs through November 15, 2009. This award winning new dark and tragic comedy centers on Katurian's writings that become more than just disturbed imaginings. Awaiting execution with his tortured brother, Katurian's experience asks the audience to question reality, motive and the legacy of the written word.

Stephen James Anderson will direct The Three Musketeers (by Alexander Dumas, adapted by Ken Ludwig) which opens on February 12 and runs through February 21, 2010. This unhinged new version of the classic swashbuckler follows the renowned adventures of D'Artagnan and his three musketeer-mentors, as they fight with courage for king and country while distracted by spirits, sex and song. Anderson's direction of this extraordinary quest will be sure to have audiences shouting "All for one, and one for all!"

The New Directors Series productions are directed in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Fine Arts in Directing and will be held at the Greenhouse Theater Center, which is located at 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. Tickets for the New Directors and New Playwrights Series are free. Reservations are recommended.

The New Playwrights Series will feature the world premiere of a new play, written by a current Theatre School student or recent graduate. This production will open May 7 and run through May 16, 2010 at the Athenaeum Studio Three, located at 2936 N. Southport Avenue. The title and director will be announced shortly. For more information, visit http://theatreschool.depaul.edu.

Media comps, event information and interviews for the 2009-2010 Season are available upon request. Please contact Andrea Tichy at atichy@depaul.edu or (773) 325-7819 for more information.

The Theatre School at DePaul University, founded as the Goodman School of Drama in 1925, educates, trains and inspires students of theatre in a conservatory setting that is rigorous, disciplined, culturally diverse and that strives for the highest level of professional skill and artistry. A commitment to diversity and equality in education is central to our mission. As an integral part of the training, The Theatre School produces public programs and performances from a wide repertoire of classic, contemporary and original plays that challenge, entertain and stimulate the imagination. We seek to enhance the intellectual and cultural life of our university community, our city and the profession.