About Face Theatre and The Hypocrites Present THE WOYZECK PROJECT

About Face Theatre and The Hypocrites are proud to present THE WOYZECK PROJECT-a festival headlined by productions of WOYZECK by Georg Büchner, adapted and directed by Sean Graney and the world premiere of PONY by Sylvan Oswald, directed by Bonnie Metzgar. PONY/WOYZECK will run in repertory April 10 through May 22, 2011 at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St. THE WOYZECK PROJECT will also feature a number of exciting art and humanities events curated from open submissions. Tickets for PONY/WOYZECK are currently available at www.aboutfacetheatre.com or (866) 811-4111.

WOYZECK doesn't really exist-the work was left unfinished by Georg Büchner upon his death in 1837. The original manuscript is fragmented, crossed out and chemically altered. For decades, the incomplete work has fascinated avant-garde arts and scholars who have studied and adapted it. THE WOYZECK PROJECT seeks to encourage today's Chicago arts community to respond to what has been famously called the first working-class tragedy. For an updated calendar of other events featured during THE WOYZECK PROJECT please visit www.aboutfacetheatre.com.

PONY
A world premiere by Sylvan Oswald
Directed by About Face Artistic Director Bonnie Metzgar

On the other side of the woods from Woyzeck, in a poor, remote town haunted by crime and a military past, we find Pony. He's the new guy in town, and his mysterious air attracts the attention of an obsessive waitress named Marie and a youngtrans man namEd Heath. Marie seduces Pony into a dangerous and complicated romance, and Heath goes to great lengths to track him down. Desperate to evade their questions, Pony wades through a world of violence, shifting gender roles and obsessive love, and reveals more about himself than he ever intended.

The cast of PONY includes Janet Ulrich Brooks, Matthew Sherbach, Kristina Valada-Viars and AFT Artistic Associates Kelli Simpkins and Jessica Hudson.

WOYZECK
By Georg Büchner
Adapted and directed by Hypocrites Artistic Director Sean Graney

Woyzeck is an impoverished soldier struggling to provide for his family. Subject to constant bullying, bizarre medical experiments and suspecting that his wife has betrayed him, Woyzeck's increasing distrust and despair drives him to destroy the only thing he has ever loved. After 13 years, The Hypocrites' Artistic Director Sean Graney revisits Buchner's examination of suffering with a new adaptation.

The cast of WOYZECK includes Erin Barlow, Ryan Bollettino*, Ryan Bourque, Walter Briggs, Geoff Button*, Sean Patrick Fawcett, Lindsey Gavel and Zeke Sulkes.
*denotes Hypocrites company member

Tickets for PONY/WOYZECK cost $28 per play, or $48 for both plays, and are available at www.aboutfacetheatre.com or (866) 811-4111. The full performance schedule for PONY/WOYZECK is as follows:

PONY WOYZECK

Sun., April 10 at 7:30 pm Fri., April 15 at 7:30 pm
Sat., April 16 at 7:30 pm Wed., April 20 at 7:30 pm
Sun., April 17 at 4 pm Thurs., April 21 at 7:30 pm
Fri., April 22 at 7:30 pm
Sat., April 23 at 4 pm** Sat., April 23 at 8 pm**
Sun., April 24 at 4 pm** Sun., April 24 at 8 pm**
Wed. April 27 at 7:30 pm
Thurs., April 28 at 7:30 pm Fri., April 29 at 7:30 pm
Sat., April 30 at 7 pm Sat., April 30 at 10:30 pm
Sun., May 1 at 4 pm Sun., May 1 at 7:30 pm
Wed., May 4 at 7:30
Thurs., May 5 at 7:30 pm Fri., May 6 at 7:30 pm
Sat., May 7 at 7 pm Sat., May 7 at 10:30 pm
Sun., May 8 at 4 pm Sun., May 8 at 7:30 pm
Wed., May 11 at 7:30 pm
Thurs., May 12 at 7:30 pm Fri., May 13 at 7:30 pm
Sat., May 14 at 7 pm Sat., May 14 at 10:30 pm
Sun., May 15 at 4 pm Sun., May 15 at 7:30 pm
Wed., May 18 at 7:30 pm
Thurs., May 19 at 7:30 pm Fri., May 20 at 7:30 pm
Sat., May 21 at 7:30 pm Sat., May 21 at 10:30 pm
Sun., May 22 at 4 pm Sun., May 22 at 7:30 pm

**The press performances for PONY/WOYZECK are Saturday, April 23 at 4 pm (PONY) and 8 pm (WOYZECK) and Sunday, April 24 at 4 pm (PONY) and 8 pm (WOYZECK).

The PONY production team includes Tom Burch (sets), David Hyman (costumes), Lee Fiskness (lighting), Misha Fiksel (sound), Maria Defabo (props), Eric Hoff (dramaturg/assistant director), Kimberly Miller (stage manager) and Jon Paul Rainville (assistant stage manager).

The WOYZECK production team includes Tom Burch (sets), Izumi Inaba (costumes), Lee Fiskness (lighting), Misha Fiksel (sound), Kevin O'Donnell (composer), Simone Gianfrancesco (productionmanager) and Tori Jeans (stage manager).

About Face Theatre and The Hypocrites will present THE WOYZECK PROJECT in partnership with Collaboraction, The Chopin Theatre and Oracle Theatre Company. Festival events will be held from April 30 - May 10, and include readings, workshops, cabaret, short works, video and more. Also featured is a concurrent production of WOYZECK at Oracle Theatre Company.

About Face Theatre (Bonnie Metzgar, Artistic Director; Jason Held, Executive Director) is one of Chicago's most acclaimed theatre companies, and is a national leader in the development of new work exploring gender and sexual identity. Since its founding by Kyle Hall and Eric Rosen in 1995, the company has premiered more than 30 new plays by writers and directors who have been recognized with several Tony Awards, The Pulitzer Prize for Drama, The MacArthur Fellowship and dozens of Joseph Jefferson Awards.

Founded in 1997 by Artistic Director Sean Graney, The Hypocrites bring unexpected interpretations to historic plays by creating bold productions that redefine the role of the audience.

Support for the development and production of THE WOYZECK PROJECT is generously provided by The Boeing Company. Additional funding for PONY is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.

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