About Face Theatre to Kick Off LGBTQ Pride Month with THE PRIDE, 6/6-7/13

About Face Theatre will kick off LGBTQ Pride Month with the Chicago premiere of the Oliver Award-winning drama THE PRIDE by Alexi Kaye Campbell, directed by Artistic Director Bonnie Metzgar, playing June 6 - July 13, 2013 at Victory Gardens Richard Christiansen Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago. Tickets for THE PRIDE are available at www.aboutfacetheatre.com or by calling the Victory Gardens Box Office at (773) 871-3000. The press opening is Thursday, June 13 at 7:30 pm.

THE PRIDE features AFT Artistic Associates Patrick Andrews, John Francisco and Benjamin Sprunger with Jessie Fisher.

Two story lines, fifty years apart. Set in London, Alexi Kaye Campbell's time-shifting play THE PRIDE maps the progression of the gay rights movement from the repression of the fifties to the freedom of today through the fate of two twisted love triangles. In 1958, Philip is married to Sylvia but in love with Oliver. In 2008, Oliver is addicted to public sex with strangers, so Philip leaves him. Sylvia has to pick up the pieces. THE PRIDE is a sharp, witty portrait of urban gay couples and the punishing consequences of liberation.

The production team for THE PRIDE includes: William Boles (set design), Mieka van der Ploeg (costume design), Becca Jeffords (lighting design), Stephen Ptacek (sound design), Jamie Karas (props design), John Tovar (fight choreography), Rupert Priniski (production coordinator) Hutch Pimentel (assistant director), Katie Klemme (stage manager) and Claire Reinhart (asst. stage manager).

The production will run at Victory Gardens Richard Christiansen Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago. Previews: Thursday, June 6 - Wednesday, June 12, 2013. Press Opening: Thursday, June 13 at 7:30 pm. Regular Run: Friday, June 14 - Saturday, July 13, 2013. Show Times: Thursdays & Fridays at 7:30 pm; Saturdays at 5 pm & 9 pm; Sundays at 5 pm.

Tickets: Previews: $20. Regular run: $30. $15 students. Group rates available. Tickets for THE PRIDE are available at www.aboutfacetheatre.com or by calling the Victory Gardens Box Office at (773) 871-3000.

The Pride is Alexi Kaye Campbell's first play. It premiered at The Royal Court Theatre in November 2008 and was awarded the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement, The Critic's Circle Award for Most Promising Playwright and The John Whiting Award for Best New Play. The play was produced at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in New York in January 2010 and was nominated for Best Play by the Outer Critics Circle. His second play, Apologia, was produced at The Bush Theatre in London in June 2009 and was nominated Best Play at the Writer's Guild Awards. As an actor Alexi Kaye Campbell has worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal Court, Chichester Festival Theatre, Oxford Stage Company and Shared Experience.

At About Face, Bonnie Metzgar has directed Philip Dawkin's The Homosexuals, Sylvan Oswald's Pony, a reimagining of Stupid Kids by John C. Russell and Taylor Mac's The Young Ladies Of. Prior to AFT, Metzgar was best known for producing a radical new grassroots model for theatrical production with Suzan Lori-Parks' epic 365 Days/365 Plays. Metzgar served for nine years as an Associate Producer at The Public Theater under George C. Wolfe and was the founding producer of the world famous entertainment venue, Joe's Pub.

About Face Theatre 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 45 world premieres 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.

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