Cast Announced for City Lit's THE HOUSE OF IDEAS, Beginning In August

City Lit has announced full casting and production team for THE HOUSE OF IDEAS, the opening production of City Lit Theater's 2024-25 season. THE HOUSE OF IDEAS is the third installment of Mark Pracht's “Four Color Trilogy” of plays about significant moments in the development of comic books as an art form and an industry.

The play recounts Marvel Comics' emergence as an industry powerhouse, as writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby struggle with sharing the credit for this newfound success. Terry McCabe, who on July 1 retired as City Lit's Producer and Artistic Director,  will return to City Lit to direct this final installment of the trilogy which began under his leadership in 2022 with Pracht's THE MARK OF KANE and continued in 2023 with THE INNOCENCE OF SEDUCTION. THE HOUSE OF IDEAS will open on Sunday, September 1 at 3 pm following previews from August 23, and play through October 6.
 
Leading McCabe's cast will be Bryan Breau as Stan Lee and Brian Plocharczyk as Jack Kirby. Breau was seen last fall at City Lit as the villainous Preacher in THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER and is currently playing Vershínin in THREE SISTERS with Invictus Theatre. Plocharczyk returns to City Lit, where he last worked under McCabe as Hyde in THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE. Most recently, he's made numerous appearances on television, in such series as CHICAGO FIRE, THE CHI, and EMPIRE. Martin Goodman, the founder and publisher of Marvel Comics, will be played by Brian Parry, known for his performances at Redtwist Theatre in such iconic roles as Richard Nixon (FROST/NIXON), the title role of Shakespeare's KING LEAR, and Willy Loman in DEATH OF A SALESMAN.
 
 Stan Lee's wife Joan will be played by Kate Black-Spence, whose recent credits include Marlene in RASTUS AND HATTIE with 16th Street Theatre and Captain Hook in NEVERLAND with Prop Thtr. Carrie Hardin (the Duchess in THE DUCHESS OF MALFI for Babes with Blades) has been cast as Jack Kirby's wife Roz. Ben Veatch (THE RISE AND FALL OF LITTLE VOICE and TEN 2023: TAKE A TEN, both with The Gift Theatre) will play The Observer.

Completing the cast and playing multiple roles are Megan Clarke (Janice Valleau in City Lit's THE INNOCENCE OF SEDUCTION) as Flo Steinberg, Greer Grant, and Suzy Sutton; Sean Harklerode (William Gaines in THE INNOCENCE OF SEDUCTION and First Tempter in MURDER IN THE CATHEDRAL, both at City Lit) as Carmine Infantino, Cpl. Pinkerton, Robert Knight, Jim Mooney; Jimmy Hogan (City Lit's TWO HOURS IN A BAR and Princeton in AVENUE Q for Music Theater Works) as Joe Simon, Nat Freedland, Jim Shooter, and Stan Goldberg; and Chad Wise (Founder and Artistic Director of The New Millenium Theatre Company) as Jack Liebowitz, Menahem Golan, Pvt. Dugan, and Jack Schiff.

The production team will include G. "Max" Maxin IV  (Scenic, Lighting and Projection Design), Beth Laske-Miller  (Costume Design), Petter Wahlbäck (Composer and Sound Design), Jeff Brain (Props Design), Rachel Lee Flesher (Intimacy Coordinator), and Hazel Marie Flowers-McCabe (Stage Manager).
 
City Lit Season 44 subscriptions are available at $99.00, good for all performances, or $77.00 for preview performances. Subscriptions may be ordered online at www.citylit.org or purchased over the phone by calling 773-293-3682. Single tickets for the Season 44 are priced at $30 for previews and $35 for regular performances and will be on sale soon. Senior prices are $25 for previews and $30 for regular performances. Students and military are $12.00 for all performances.

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