Chicago Commercial Collective to Launch 'The Off-Loop Tour Throughout the Midwest in 2014-15

Chicago Commercial Collective is thrilled to announce The Off-Loop Tour, aiming to export the best of Chicago theatre to the rest of the region and beyond.

The productions on the tour include: There Is A Happiness That Morning Is by Mickle Maher (originally produced by Theater Oobleck), A Steady Rain by Keith Huff (originally produced by Chicago Dramatists), Unveiled by Rohina Malik, Honeybuns by Dean Evans and Crime Scene: A Chicago Anthology by Anthony Moseley (both originally produced by Collaboraction).

Tour booking will begin immediately and the circuit will begin in Fall 2014 and run through Spring 2015. Chicago Commercial Collective will be booking and producing this tour out of Chicago.

"The Collective carefully selected these shows because they exemplify the spirit, ingenuity, and authenticity that defines the theatrical landscape of the Windy City," said Aurélia Cohen, Founder and Producer, Chicago Commercial Collective. "By pairing each production with talkbacks, workshops, and other educational opportunities, The Off-Loop Tour is a wonderful chance for artists, students, teachers, and community members at colleges and universities across the Midwest to engage with some of the best that Chicago has to offer."

Chicago Commercial Collective is proud to produce these great Chicago-born plays, as part of its ongoing aim to garner continued support of Chicago theatre, thereby raising the reputation and vitality of the entire community.

About the Shows:

There Is A Happiness That Morning Is by Mickle Maher
Originally produced by Theater Oobleck
Tour dates: September 28-December 21, 2014

Playwright Mickle Maher debuts this comedy in rhymed verse told via two lectures on the poetry of William Blake: one given in the morning by Bernard, a middle-aged, barely published poet of scant scholarship, on the Songs of Innocence, and the other in the afternoon by his lover, Ellen, a reputable Ph.D., on the Songs of Experience. Having engaged the evening before in a highly inappropriate display of public affection on the main lawn of their rural New England campus, the two undergraduate lecturers must now, in class, either apologize for their behavior or effectively justify it if they want to keep their jobs. Featuring Diana Slickman, Colm O'Reilly, and Kirk Anderson.

A Steady Rain by Keith Huff
Originally produced by Chicago Dramatists
Tour dates: October 12, 2014 - January 11, 2015

A Steady Rain is the story of two seasoned police officers, Denny (RAndy Steinmeyer) and Joey (Peter DeFaria) who find themselves caught up in a conflict between family and duty when a seemingly routine domestic disturbance call results in the death of a boy. When the horrific truth of the situation is made public, one of the two must take the blame for the fatal mistake. Their life-long friendship is put to the test, as both men struggle with issues of honor, love and loyalty in the face of adversity.

Unveiled by Rohina Malik
Tour dates: August 31 - November 30, 2104

Racism. Hate crimes. Love. Islam. Culture. Language. Life. In Unveiled, five Muslim women in a post-9/11 world serve tea and uncover what lies beneath the veil.

This compelling one-woman show, written and performed by Rohina Malik, had its World Premiere in May 2009 at the 16th Street Theater, directed by Ann Filmer, where it received critical acclaim, and the entire run and extension was sold out. Unveiled received a second production at the Tony Award-winning Victory Gardens Theater in April 2010, a third production at Next Theater in Evanston, in September 2010 and its fourth production at Brava Theater, San Francisco in September 2011. Rohina is regularly invited to perform Unveiled at universities, churches, mosques, synagogues and theaters, including most recently at Baltimore Theatre Project.

Crime Scene: A Chicago Anthology by Anthony Moseley
Originally produced by Collaboraction Tour dates: August 31 - November 30, 2014
Crime Scene: A Chicago Anthology is a timely new theatrical reaction to Chicago's history of violent crime and a call to discover what it might take to create lasting change in our city. The show, a Collaboraction world premiere conceived and directed by Anthony Moseley, couples nonfiction source material such as interviews, articles, and online comments with three true Chicago crimes to raise critical questions surrounding segregation, poverty, the news media, popular culture, and our numbness to it all.

Honeybuns by Dean Evans
Originally produced by Collaboraction
Tour dates: September 14 - December 14, 2014

Honeybuns, billed as "The World's Greatest Mime," is a visceral and hilarious theatrical event. To share the room with the gigantic creature known simply as Honeybuns is to experience a highly physical, interactive piece of performance art that has impressions of mime, improv, and electro shock treatment. Honeybuns has performed at IO Chicago, Theater On The Lake, The Wild Party Variety Hour, Salanathon, the CFANN, The Chi-Town Clown Revue, Collaboraction and many other venues.

For more information or to book a date for any of the shows on The Off Loop Tour, contact Associate Producer Benjamin Brownson at (312) 724-7604 or ben@chicagocommercialcollective.com. Videos, photos and additional information are available at www.chicagocommercialcollective.com/off-loop-tour.

About the Chicago Commercial Collective: Chicago Commercial Collective is a commercial theatre company focused on producing Chicago theatre of incredible quality and commercial appeal thereby supporting Chicago's vital non-profit theatre scene. The goal is to manifest a thriving small and mid-sized commercial theatre scene. Our community has a multitude of available venues, and more are being built every day. The Collective focuses on producing theatre with proven popularity, and builds upon the interest already generated from their original production runs. For our investors, we will provide opportunities to partner on exciting projects with reasonable returns on their investments. Chicago Commercial Collective wants to help Chicagoans discover the best of its city's vibrant theatre scene by showcasing the biggest hits in town. The Collective allows non-profit theatre companies to enjoy the benefits from their original successful productions that may end prematurely. Finally, artists who doubt Chicago's job market will provide consistency with fair wages can rely on the Collective to change the scene with the development of midsized commercial theatre.

Chicago Commercial Collective is located in the historic Fine Arts Building, 410 S. Michigan Ave, Suite 525, Chicago, IL 60605. For more information call (312) 724-7604 or visit chicagocommercialcollective.com.

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