Buffalo Theatre Ensemble Finishes Season with NAPERVILLE

Buffalo Theatre Ensemble (BTE), the professional Equity company in residence at the McAninch Arts Center (MAC), wraps up the 2021-2022 Season with "Naperville," written by Mat Smart and directed by BTE Member Kurt Naebig. New York Theatre Review calls it a "valentine to the heart and soul of the American suburbs." There will be a Preview performance 8 p.m., Thursday, April 28. Press opening is 8 p.m., Friday, April 29. Performances run through May 29.

The year, 2012; the setting, a Caribou Coffee in Naperville. Inside T.C. is captaining her first shift as the new shop manager; Anne, a customer, is working on a new project and Candice and son Howard, back from Seattle, have just sat down to enjoy a beverage at their favorite coffee shop. What follows is a day full of eccentricity, cups of coffee and affecting conversation creating a turning point that shows how community can add to your life. The New York Times says, "...everyone in this shop has a story, a loss, a regret, and Smart weaves their tales together adeptly."

"I was set and excited to direct "Naperville" as the last show in our 2019-2020 Season, but then the pandemic hit and everything was put on hold," says Naebig. "More recently, we needed to shift dates again but now, after nearly two years of delays, BTE and I are more than ready to finally bring this wonderful play to the stage as a special gift to the audience and the community that has stood with us through it all."

The cast for BTE's production includes BTE Ensemble Members Robert Jordan Bailey* (Roy), Lisa Dawn (Anne) and Kelli Walker (Candice), with Whitney Dottery (T.C.) and Ravi Kalani (Howard).

The world premiere of "Naperville" was produced by Slant Theatre Project at the June Havoc Theater in New York City in 2014. The Midwest premiere was produced at Theatre Wit in 2016. In addition to "Naperville," Mat Smart's plays include "Kill Local" (La Jolla Playhouse, nominated for Outstanding New Play by the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle), "The Agitators: The Story of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass" (Geva, Park Square, Gloucester Stage Company, Mosaic, Pure, West of Lenin, Phoenix, Theatre Horizon, Riverside, Falcon Theatre), "The Royal Society of Antarctica" (Gift Theatre [recipient of the 2015 Jeff Award for Best New Work in Chicago], Stage West), "Samuel J. and K." (Williamstown Theatre Festival, Steppenwolf, Passage Theatre, Gremlin), "The Hopper Collection" (Magic Theatre, Huntington) and "Tinker to Evers to Chance" (Geva Merrimack Rep Artistry). Smart has received two Jerome Fellowships, a McKnight Advancement Grant, to Edgerton Foundation New Play Awards, and was the recipient of the 2014 Otis Guernsey New Voices Award from the William Inge Center for the Arts.

Naebig+ (Director) has worked professionally in theater, film, television and radio for more than 30 years, and has been teaching and coaching actors since 1992. A Juilliard graduate, he has also studied at the Moscow School of the Arts in Russia. Naebig is the former Artistic Director of The Theatre of Western Springs. Acting credits include Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, Portland Stage, Milwaukee's Pabst Theatre, National Jewish Theater, Steppenwolf Theatre and Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. He also appeared in such films as "Public Enemies," "The Express," "Witless Protection," "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer," "The Relic," "Dillinger" and "Howard Beach: Making the Case for Murder," and has been in seen in the television shows, "Fargo," "A League of Their Own," "Empire," "APB," "Sense8," "Chicago Code," "Detroit 1-8-7" and multiple episodes of "Chicago PD," "Chicago Fire," "ER" and "Prison Break." Naebig recently directed another season of "VC - The Webseries." His BTE directing credits include "Defiance," "The 39 Steps," "Don't Dress for Dinner," "The Drawer Boy," "Trumbo: Red White and Blacklisted" and "Leading Ladies." He opened BTE's 2021-2022 Season with "Stove Toucher," written and performed by Naebig.

The rest of the design team includes Sarah Lewis (Scenic Design), Kimberly G. Morris+ (Costume Design), Garrett Bell (Lighting Design), Christopher Kriz+^ (Sound Design), Angela Geiss (Assistant Sound Designer) and Rachel Lambert (Properties Design). Stage Manager is Daniel Millhouse*. Assistant Stage Manager is Anthony Urso. Student Assistant Stage Managers are BTE Assistant Stage Management Scholarship recipients Elmeke Elme, Olivia Reamer. and Christopher Yee.

Tickets

Buffalo Theatre Ensemble presents "Naperville," written by Mat Smart and directed by Kurt Naebig, April 28-May 29. There will be a Preview performance, Thursday, April 28. Press opening is 8 p.m. Friday, April 29. Performances are Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets are $42. Tickets and additional information are available at AtTheMAC.org or by calling 630.942.4000. The Box Office is open Tuesday - Sunday, 12 noon - 6 p.m. and one hour prior to performance. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. For group sales information email kazmierskik@cod.edu.

Related free special events: Pre-show discussion with the designers and director 6:45-7:15 p.m. Thursday, April 28; and post-show discussion with director, actors and crew Friday, May 6.

This 90-minute work is performed without intermission. Please note: this play contains adult themes and language.

COVID-19 Protocols:

Please note: Proof of vaccination and masks are required of all audience members. For more information and protocol updates, visit AtTheMAC/Buffalo Theatre Ensemble/

About Buffalo Theatre Ensemble

The mission of Buffalo Theatre Ensemble is to provide a forum in which artists, scholars, writers, students and community members explore new ideas and provocative issues through the production of quality theater for the enjoyment of its audiences. Since 1986 BTE has staged more than 120 productions.

The Ensemble members are Aly Renee Amidei, Robert Jordan Bailey*, Amelia Barrett* (Associate Artistic Director), Bryan Burke* (Business Manager), Robyn Coffin, Rebecca Cox, Lisa Dawn, Nick DuFloth, Jon Gantt, Loretta Hauser, Connie Canaday Howard* (Managing Artistic Director), Christopher Kriz^, Michael W. Moon, Kurt Naebig*, Laura Leonardo Ownby, Galen G. Ramsey*, William "Sandy" Smillie, Kelli Walker and Norm Woodel. For more information about BTE, visit btechicago.com

*Denotes member of Actors' Equity; +Denotes member of Buffalo Theatre Ensemble; ^Denotes member of United Scenic Artists

About The MAC

The McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage is located 25 miles west of Chicago near I-88 and I-355. It houses three indoor performance spaces (the 780-seat proscenium Belushi Performance Hall; the 186-seat soft-thrust Playhouse Theatre; and the versatile black box Studio Theatre), the outdoor Lakeside Pavilion, plus the Cleve Carney Museum of Art and classrooms for the college's academic programming. The MAC has presented theater,
music, dance and visual art to more than 1.5 million people since its opening in 1986 and typically welcomes more than 100,000 patrons from the greater Chicago area to more than 230 performances each season.

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