A Red Orchid Presents THE BUTCHER OF BARABOO, 4/5-5/20

A Red Orchid Theatre presents the world premiere of The Butcher of Baraboo, written by Marisa Wegrzyn and directed by Artistic Associate Shade Murray. The production will run April 5 – May 20, 2012 at A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells. Press Opening is Tuesday, April 10, 2012 at 7:00PM.

Skewed family values and the deep and dark secrets they create become a life force for Valerie, the infamous butcher of Baraboo, Wisconsin. Once her husband has gone missing everyone suspects she played a hand, especially her nosy sister-in-law who just happens to be the town sheriff. Enter the drug-pushing pharmacist daughter who just might hold the key to the ultimate unanswered questions.

"A Red Orchid has long admired Marisa's work and The Butcher of Baraboo is the perfect first collaboration for us," says Artistic Director Kirsten Fitzgerald. "I am so excited, both as an actor and as Artistic Director, to be back in the room with a couple of myAbigail's Party cohorts, Shade Murray and Natalie West, old AROT friend Lara Phillips, and new AROT collaborators Missi Davis and HB Ward.  We are all over-the-moon to share this amazing play with Chicago audiences."  

The Butcher of Baraboo features A Red Orchid Ensemble Members Kristen Fitzgerald (Valerie) and Natalie West (Gail); with Missi Davis (Midge), Lara Phillips (Sevenly), and HB Ward (Donal). 

The creative team includes Grant Sabin (Set Design), Melissa Torchia (Costume Design), Lee Fiskness (Light Design), Joe Court(Sound Design), and Linda Laake (Properties). Stephanie G. Heller is the Stage Manager and Skye Robinson-Hillis is the Assistant Director.      

 

About The Artists:

Marisa Wegrzyn (Playwright) productions include Diversey Harbor, Killing Women, The Chicago Landmark Project: State & Madison: The Grid (Theatre Seven), Hickorydickory and Ten Cent Night (Chicago Dramatists), Psalms of a Questionable Nature (Rivendell Theatre), The Butcher of Baraboo (Steppenwolf Theatre's First Look Rep). Her plays have been produced Off Broadway at Second Stage, at Actors Theatre of Louisville's Humana Festival, and most recently at Moxie Theatre (San Diego) and The Road Theatre (Los Angeles). She's been commissioned by Yale Repertory Theatre and Steppenwolf Theatre, and her new play Mud Blue Sky will premier next season at Baltimore Centerstage. Chicago Reader named her Best Playwright in the 2008 "Best of Chicago" issue, and she received the 2009 Wendy Wasserstein Playwriting Prize. Marisa is a staff writer for The Paper Machete, a resident playwright at Chicago Dramatists, and a founding company member of Theatre Seven of Chicago.

 

Shade Murray (Director) directing credits include Abigail's Party at A Red Orchid (Jeff Nomination, Director), End Days at Next Theatre; The Chosen (Jeff Nomination, Director), The Subject Was Roses at Writers' Theatre, Fatty Arbuckle... at Second City; The Petrified Forest, The Good Soul of Szechuan, R.U.R., Marathon '33 (Jeff and After Dark Awards, ensemble), Detective Story (Jeff Award, Production, Director, Ensemble), WRLS #5, and Our Country's Good at Strawdog Theatre; Stupid Kids (Jeff Nomination, Director), Some Explicit Polaroids, Santaland Diaries, Never Swim Alone at Roadworks; as well as productions at the MCA, Shattered Globe, About Face, Colbalt, Shakespeare's Motley Crew, Timberlake Playhouse, and dance theatre in collaboration with MK and Birgitta Victorson. Shade is an MFA candidate in directing at Northwestern University, an associate artist with A Red Orchid and Strawdog Theatre Companies and has taught at Northwestern University, DePaul University, Act One Studios, National Louis University, National High School Institute, Piven Workshop and the Actor's Gym

 

Missi Davis (Midge) is the Producer of The Inconvenience Artistic Syndicate, as well as an actress, director, curator and production manager. Most recently she produced and production managed Hit the Wall, by Ike Holter at the Steppenwolf Garage with The Inconvenience. Acting credits include The Cabinet (Redmoon Theater), which also toured Brazil; As Told by the Vivian Girls (Dog & Pony Theatre); and Strapped (The Inconvenience).

 

Kristen Fitzgerald (Valerie) is the Artistic Director and a proud Ensemble Member of A Red Orchid.  Most recently Kirsten was seen on stage in Clybourne Park at Steppenwolf Theatre. At A Red Orchid, Kirsten has been seen in The New Electric Ballroom, Pumpgirl(Jeff Nomination), Abigail's Party (Jeff Nomination), Weapon of Mass Impact,The Removalists, and more. She was honored with a Jeff Award for her performance in The Sea Horse at A Red Orchid and with an After Dark Award for her performance in A Moon for the Misbegotten at Circle Theatre.  Kirsten also teaches acting at Columbia College and at Actors Training Center in Wilmette.

 

Lara Phillips (Sevenly) is thrilled to be back in Chicago and at A Red Orchid again after 13 years. She was last seen there in the The Physicists, The Removalists and The Treatment. She has worked at The Goodman Theatre, The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, Received a Jeff Award for work in Never Come Morning with the Prop Theatre, and started her own company, The Help in Los Angeles. Some television credits include "Boss," "GH," "Grey's Anatomy," "The West Wing," and "Drew Cary."  Film credits include The Road to Perdition, Fragments, The Ice Harvest, and the critically acclaimed Independent Film Kwik Stop.

 

HB Ward (Donal) is a proud member of Curious Theatre Branch. With that company, he has appeared in ten productions, including Samuel Beckett's Texts for Nothing and Waiting for Godot. He has acted with many Chicago companies, including Prop Thtr, Collaboraction, DOG – a Theater Company, The Magpies, Teatro Vista, WNEP, Theater Oobleck, Tympanic Theater, 16th Street Theater, Wildclaw Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, Goodman Theatre, and Trap Door Theatre, and in films, including Stephen Cone'sIn Memoriam, and Deborah Stratman's O'er the Land.

 

Natalie West (Gail) was last seen at A Red Orchid in Abigail's Party.  She is now a member of the illustrious ensemble at A Red Orchid.  Natalie can be seen in the soon to be released film Nate and Margaret.  She is a former cast member of the TV sitcomRoseanne and a former member of The Remains Theatre Ensemble.

 

About A Red Orchid

Since 1993 A Red Orchid Theatre has been an artistic mainstay of the Chicago theatre community; known and praised for its powerful ensemble, creative design and its gripping, intimate productions and named Best Theatre of 2010 by Chicago Magazine.  The resident Ensemble maintains the conviction that passionately committed theatre will draw passionately committed audiences, and the 2011-2012 subscription season promises to bring Ensemble and audience even closer together.

A Red Orchid Theatre is: Lance Baker, Dado, Jennifer Engstrom, Kirsten Fitzgerald, Joseph Fosco, Steve Haggard, Mierka Girten, Larry Grimm, Karen Kawa, Karen Kessler, Danny McCarthy, Brett Neveu, Michael Shannon, Guy Van Swearingen, Doug Vickers, Natalie West and Craig Wright.

Title:               The Butcher of Baraboo

Written by:        Marisa Wegrzyn

Directed by:      Shade Murray

Dates:                Previews:                   April 5 – 7 and April 9, 2012

(No performance Sunday April 8)

                                    Press opening:            Tuesday, April 10, 2012 at 7PM

Regular Run:               April 13 – May 20, 2012 (No performance Thur April 12)      

Schedule:         Thursdays:                  8:00 p.m.

                        Fridays:                       8:00 p.m.

                        Saturdays:                   8:00 p.m.         

Sundays:                     3:00 p.m.

Location:          A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells Ave.

Tickets:            $15 previews, $25-$30 regular run.  ($25 Thurs, $30 Fri-Sun)

Box Office:       Located at 1531 N. Wells Ave, Chicago, (312) 943-8722; or online www.aredorchidtheatre.org

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