American Blues Theater's RIPPED: The Living Newspaper Festival Set for 5/5

Producing Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside and American Blues Theater, Chicago's second oldest Equity ensemble, present RIPPED: The Living Newspaper Festival, Monday, May 5 at 7 p.m. at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. Tickets are $10 at the door and include food and drinks. For more information or to order tickets go to americanbluestheater.com or call 312.725.4228.

American Blues Theater's RIPPED: The Living Newspaper Festival is a fund-raising event for American Blues and began in 2009. Since that first edition, they have presented12 events using more than 320 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.

Playwrights contributing short works to the night's festivities include Jonathan Baude, Manny Buckley, Darren Canady, Gloria Bond Clunie, Kristoffer Diaz, Brian Hieggelke, James Joseph, Rohina Malik, Brett Neveu, Joshua Rollins, James Sherman and Susan Soon He Stanton. Rinska Carrasco, Elyse Dolan, Andi Dymond, Reshmi Hazra, Kay Martinovich, Heather Meyers, Richard Shavzin, Arianna Soloway, Eddie Torres, Russ Tutterow and Dennis Zacek direct. Actors appearing in RIPPED include Manny Buckley, Kate Buddeke, Lance Baker, Ryan Czerwonko, Shawn Goudie, Jim Leaming, Denice Mahler, Angelica Roque, Sarah Ross, James Sherman and Randy Steinmeyer.

Supporting American Blues's 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.

American Blues Theater's RIPPED: The Living Newspaper Festival is a proud community partner of the Robert R. McCormick Foundation and their commitment to fostering communities of educated, informed and engaged citizens. Through philanthropic programs, Cantigny Park and museums, the Foundation helps develop citizen leaders and works to make life better in our communities.