American Blues Theater to Host 'RIPPED' Play Festival for DCFS, 10/5

Producing Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside and American Blues Theater, Chicago's second oldest Equity ensemble, present a special edition of RIPPED: The Living Newspaper DCFS Stories, Sunday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. as a fundraiser for the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services (DCFS) at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. This RIPPED edition is a night of short plays, poetry and spoken word inspired by DCFS stories and headlines. Tickets are $15, with 100% of all proceeds going to DCFS. To order tickets go to http://dcfsstories.brownpapertickets.com/.

RIPPED: The Living Newspaper Festival is a fund-raising event begun by American Blues Theater in 2009. For this special edition, American Blues Theatre is providing, in addition to some writers, all production support, directors and actors for DCFS. Since their first edition, American Blues have presented 14 events using more than 375 artists. American Blues Theater's RIPPED is based on the 1930s Works Progress Administration (WPA) program, The Federal Theatre Project's the Living Newspaper, which brought Orson Welles, Arthur Miller and Clifford Odets into public attention. The Federal Theatre Project wrote and presented a number of Living Newspapers on social issues of the day during the 1930s. At RIPPED, new works are ripped from today's headlines and presented in staged readings by Chicago's leading playwrights and directors.

Performers, scheduled to attend RIPPED: The Living Newspaper DCFS Stories include Chicago notables: Manny Buckley+, Kate Buddeke+, E. Faye Butler, Will Clinger, Minita Gandhi, Suzanne Petri+ and American Blues Artistic Affiliate Richard Shavzin.* +American Blues Theater Ensemble Member *scheduled to appear at time of release

"DCFS is thrilled to be collaborating with American Blues Theater. We wanted to pull together a diverse group of people from inside and outside the child welfare system. Everyone is a stakeholder in the work we do. These DCFS stories will reflect that fact. I also know it will be a great night of theater." said Bret Angelos of DCFS.

Supporting American Blues' mission of partnering with social and service organizations, the following organizations have been supported by RIPPED events: AgrAbility, Chicago Public Schools, Greater Chicago Food Depository, Illinois Farm Bureau, Lincoln Park Community Shelter, University of Chicago's Urban Education Teachers Program and Open Books.

ABOUT AMERICAN BLUES THEATER - American Blues Theater is the premier American theater producing visceral theatrical works while engaging its audience in worthwhile missions of local service agencies. American Blues Theater illuminates the American ideas of freedom, equality, and opportunity in the plays produced and communities served.

The multi-generational and interdisciplined artists have established the second-oldest professional Equity Ensemble theater in Chicago. The 39-member Ensemble has nearly 550 combined years of collaboration on stage. As of 2014, they've individually received more than 142 Joseph Jefferson Awards and nominations that celebrate excellence in Chicago theater and over 20 Black Theatre Alliance Awards. The artists are honored with Pulitzer Prize nominations, Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Emmy Awards and numerous other accolades.

The American Blues Theater Ensemble includes all four Founders Ed Blatchford, Rick Cleveland, James Leaming, and William Payne with Dawn Bach, Matthew Brumlow, Manny Buckley, Kate Buddeke, Sarah Burnham, Dara Cameron, Casey Campbell, Brian Claggett, Dennis Cockrum, Austin Cook, Laura Coover, Lauri Dahl, Kristin DeiTos, Joe Foust, Tom Geraty, Cheryl Graeff, Marty Higginbotham, Jaclyn Holsey, Lindsay Jones, Samantha Jones, Nambi E. Kelley, Kevin R. Kelly, Steve Key, Ed Kross, Warren Levon, Michael Mahler, Kelli Marino, Heather Meyers , John Mohrlein, Jim Ortlieb, Suzanne Petri, Carmen Roman, Editha Rosario, Sarah E. Ross and Gwendolyn Whiteside.

ABOUT ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN & FAMILY SERVICES (DCFS) - DCFS receives, investigates and acts upon a report of child abuse or neglect every five minutes. Tens of thousands of children are safer thanks to those who call our Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-2873 each year. Working with the community, DCFS strives to ensure a safe, loving home and brighter future for every child. To learn more about prevention and reporting child abuse and neglect, visit DCFS.illinois.gov.

American Blues Theater, Chicago's second oldest Equity ensemble, presents a special edition of RIPPED: The Living Newspaper DCFS Stories, Sunday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. as a fundraiser for the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services (DCFS) at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. This RIPPED edition is a night of short plays, poetry and spoken word inspired by DCFS stories and headlines. Tickets are $15, with 100% of all proceeds going to DCFS. To order tickets go to dcfsstories.brownpapertickets.com.

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