Adventure Stage Announces New Season

Adventure Stage Chicago's eighth season features two exciting literary adaptations that explore how young people's lives are utterly transformed by the memories that matter most to them. The 2011-2012 season consists of Adventure Stage Producing Artistic Director Tom Arvetis' world premiere adaptation of Sharon Creech's WALK TWO MOONS, and Eric Coble's adaptation of Lois Lowry's THE GIVER.

November 5 - December 8, 2011
World Premiere!
WALK TWO MOONS
Adapted for the stage by Tom Arvetis (Adventure Stage Chicago's Producing Artistic Director)
Based on the novel by Sharon Creech
Directed by Matthew Reeder

"Don't judge a man until you've walked two moons in his moccasins." Thirteen-year-old Sal's mother left over a year ago. When her friend Phoebe's mom also disappears, painful memories of Sal's own abandonment come to the surface. Determined to find Phoebe's mother, the girls begin seeing murderous plots and schemes around every corner. Sal shares these conspiracy theories with her Gram and Gramps during a cross-country trip to confront her mother. But it is only through the telling of her friend's tale that Sal ultimately realizes that things-and people-are not always what they seem. Based on the Newbery Medal-winning novel by Sharon Creech, this play is recommended for ages 9 and up.

Tom Arvetis (playwright) is the founder and Producing Artistic Director of Adventure Stage Chicago, where his directing credits include And A Child Shall Lead and the world premieres of The Blue House, Katrina: The Girl Who Wanted Her Name Back and I Dream In Blues, a "blues-ical" he co-wrote with Chicago blues veteran Katherine Davis that was called "the sleeper hit of the season" by the Chicago Tribune. Other playwriting credits include a stage adaptation of poet Kenneth Patchen's radio play The City Wears A Slouch Hat.

Matthew Reeder (director) is the Artistic Director of BackStage Theater Company, where his directing credits include Aunt Dan & Lemon, The Play About The Baby, On An Average Day, and the critically acclaimed production of How I Learned To Drive. In addition to directing credits across Chicago, he has previously helmed the Adventure Stage productions of Holes, Still Life With Iris and The Shakespeare Stealer.

Sharon Creech (author) is a former high school English teacher and has written several novels for young adults, including Bloomability, Absolutely Normal Chaos, Chasing Redbird, Pleasing the Ghost, Love That Dog and Ruby Holler. Her novel The Wanderer was a Newbery Honor book in 2000, and Walk Two Moons was awarded the 1995 Newbery Medal, as well as the United Kingdom Reading Association Award, United Kingdom's Children's Book Award, Austria's Literaturhaus Award and the Young Adult Sequoyah Award.

March 24 - April 26, 2012
THE GIVER
Adapted for the stage by Eric Coble
Based on the novel by Lois Lowry
Director TBA

Jonas lives in a carefully constructed community of "sameness," where individuality is discouraged, personal choice is obsolete, and feelings like pain and fear-and love-do not exist. But when Jonas turns 12 and begins training as the new Receiver of Memory, he soon discovers the many contradictions of his own supposedly perfect world. Gently guided by The Giver, who shares bittersweet recollections of a long-forgotten way of life, Jonas grows determined to regain power over his own destiny. Based on the Newbery Medal-winning novel by Lois Lowry, this remarkable story is recommended for ages 9 and up.

Eric Coble (playwright) has written many scripts for adults, including Bright Ideas, The Dead Guy, Natural Selection, For Better and Southern Rapture, which have been produced Off-Broadway, throughout the U.S., and on several continents. Other plays for young audiences include Huck Finn, Nightfall with Edgar Allen Poe and Sacagawea. Awards include the National Theatre Conference Playwriting Award and an NEA Playwright in Residence grant. THE GIVER premiered at Oregon Children's Theatre in 2006 and has since been performed in theatres around the country.

Lois Lowry (author) has written over 30 books for children and has accumulated numerous awards and honors, including the Newbery Medal for Number the Stars in 1990 and The Giver in 1994. She made her first foray into playwriting in 2008 when she adapted her own novel Gossamer for the stage. Gossamer premiered at Oregon Children's Theatre and Milwaukee's First Stage Children's Theatre before being mounted at Adventure Stage Chicago in 2009. Her books have been translated into more than 20 languages, and The Giver, called in translation Le Passeur, was chosen by the children of Belgium and France as their favorite.

Adventure Stage Chicago creates dynamic and transformative theatre for young audiences that activates the imagination, inspires dialogue and strengthens community among families, educators and artists. We strive to become Chicago's premier destination for theatrical productions and programming designed for young people and the adults in their lives; we aim to be leaders in theatre education through professional development workshops, residencies and resources that offer innovative ways to infuse theatre into the classroom; and we seek to cultivate and create challenging new work as well as produce celebrated stories. This is Adventure Stage's eighth season.

Adventure Stage has received numerous honors since its inception in 2004, including:
· Selected participant in EmcArts' Innovation Lab for the Performing Arts, a program generously funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
· Zeta Phi Eta WiniFred Ward Award for Outstanding New Children's Theatre Company from the American Alliance for Theatre and Education
· Two-time Finalist for the Broadway In Chicago Emerging Theater Award
· Participant in the New Visions/New Voices Festival at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Washington D.C.
· Four-time Recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Access to Artistic Excellence Grant

Adventure Stage Chicago is a program of Northwestern University Settlement House, the oldest continually operating settlement house in Chicago. Throughout its 120-year history, the Settlement has remained committed to providing resources that empower our neighbors to overcome the obstacles of poverty. Adventure Stage extends this mission by presenting Chicago's young audiences, educators and families with an affordable artistic experience rooted in performance. Last season, Adventure Stage served over 5,000 students from 76 schools throughout the Chicagoland area and over 1,500 audience members for our weekend performances.

Each Adventure Stage Chicago production presents weekday matinees primarily for school groups, as well as weekend performances for the general public. Every performance includes a post-show audience talkback with the cast. Out of respect for our actors and audience members, children under age 5 are not permitted in the theatre during a performance.

All shows are performed at Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble St., in the heart of Chicago's West Town neighborhood. Street parking is available, and the theater is close to the Noble St. stop on the #56 Milwaukee bus line and the Division stop on the CTA Blue Line. The theater is wheelchair accessible.

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