Cast Announced For Raven Theatre's YEN

Raven Theatre is pleased to announce casting for its Chicago premiere of Anna Jordan's drama YEN directed by Elly Green.

This savage, unrelenting play about growing up, opening the windows and letting in the light will feature Jesse Aaronson, Tiffany Bedwell, Reed Lancaster and Netta Walker.

YEN will play March 21 - May 5, 2019 on Raven's intimate 55-seat West Stage, 6157 N. Clark St. (at Granville) in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at www.raventheatre.com or by calling (773) 338-2177. The press openings are Monday, March 25 and Tuesday, March 26, 2019 at 7:30 pm.

London, right now. Two practically feral teenage brothers live alone in their filthy flat with a dog named Taliban, perpetually bathed in the blue glow of their screens: playing video games, watching porn, waiting for the occasional visit from their detached mother, and surviving. But when a strange neighbor girl barges through the door, the boys' little blue world begins to change color.

Comments Artistic Director Cody Estle, "Anna Jordan's YEN has had successful productions in both London and New York. It is an intense drama of a dysfunctional family which explores the consequences to two teenage boys of being forced to grow up on their own in a childhood essentially without boundaries. I'm looking forward to introducing Jordan's writing to our audience and the overall Chicago theatre community. I think this will be a memorable production in our 2018-2019 season."

The production team for YEN includes: Joe Schermoly (scenic design), Alexis Chaney (costume design), Claire Chrzan (lighting design), Aaron Stephenson (sound design), Leah Hummel (props design) Sam Hubbard (fight choreographer), Eva Breneman (dialect coach), Lynn Baber (casting director), A.J. Roy (assistant director), Cole von Glahn (production manager), Jeremiah Barr (technical director), Jessie Howe (scenic artist), Alex Beal (master electrician), Alex Meyer (stage manager) and Alyssa Maldonado (assistant stage manager).

About the Artists:

Anna Jordan (Playwright) is a London-based playwright, director and acting coach. Awards include the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting 2013 for YEN, Shortlist of Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for YEN, Best Fringe Production for Chicken Shop at Park Theatre (West End Frame Awards) and Overall Winner / Audience Choice Award for Closer To God (Off Cut Festival). Writing credits include: We Anchor In Hope (Royal Court Theatre - Beyond the Court), A Serious Case of the Fuckits (Royal Central School of Speech and Drama), YEN (Royal Exchange / Royal Court), Chicken Shop (Park Theatre London), Freak (Assembly Studios / Theatre503), Stay Happy Keep Smiling (Soho Theatre), Bender (Old Red Lion) and Fragments (Riverside Studios). Her plays have also been performed internationally. Anna is Artistic Director of Without a Paddle Theatre. As a director she has worked at the National Theatre on NT Connections play Tomorrow I'll Be Happy, as well as directing numerous productions at new writing powerhouse Theatre503. She also directed Crystal Springs at Eureka Theatre in the San Francisco. She works frequently at London drama schools including RADA, LAMDA, Central, Arts Ed and Italia Conti. Anna is currently working with Headlong, The Royal Exchange, The Royal Court and Frantic Assembly.

Elly Green's (Director) is a Chicago-based director, originally from the UK. She recently directed In the Canyon by Calamity West for Jackalope Theatre and You for Me for You by Mia Chung for Sideshow Theatre. Other credits include: The Woyzeck Experiment (Goodman Playwrights Unit), Pillars of the Community, The Night Season, After Miss Julie (Strawdog), The Woman in Black (Wildclaw), No More Sad Things (Sideshow), The Distance (Haven), The Woman Before (Trap Door), Happy (Redtwist) and Rabbit (Stage Left), Unwilling and Hostile Instruments (Theatre Seven) and The Tomkat Project (Playground & NY Fringe). Her Assistant Director credits include: Henry V (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre), Proof (Court Theatre), Oedipus, Mrs Affleck, Her Naked Skin (Royal National Theatre, London). She is an ensemble member with Sideshow Theatre and Strawdog Theatre, and an Associate Artist with Stage Left Theatre. Elly trained in the UK at Birkbeck College, LAMDA and the National Theatre Studio. More info at www.ellygreendirector.com

About Raven Theatre

Raven Theatre tells stories of today and the past that connect us to our cultural landscape. Through its plays as well as its educational programming, Raven is committed to serving our communities' needs through the arts.

Raven Theatre Company is funded in part by the Alphawood Foundation, the Bayless Family Foundation, The MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince, Polk Bros Foundation, Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, S&C Electric Company Fund, The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

PHOTO CREDIT: The cast of Raven Theatre's Chicago premiere of YEN includes (left to right) Reed Lancaster, Jesse Aaronson, Netta Walker and Tiffany Bedwell.

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