Chicago Launches Deaf Theatre and Arts Company CHICAGO D(ART) with David Rush's POLICE DEAF NEAR FAR

Chicago D(ART), or Deaf ART, is proud to announce the launch of its inaugural season with David Rush's Police Deaf Near Far. Loosely based on actual events - Police Deaf Near Far follows the parallel stories of a young Deaf rights activist and two police officers as their worlds tragically collide. Police Deaf Near Far is directed by Chicago D(ART)'s Executive Director, Richard Costes and runs from July 25, 2017 through August 9, 2017. This production will be hosted by Steep Theatre Company at their Edgewater theatre located at 1115 W. Berwyn Ave in Chicago. D(ART)'s vision is to be recognized as a home for art and culture for Deaf artists in the city. They will create quality works in a wide variety of mediums that reflect the underserved d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities in Chicago.

About David Rush

David Rush has had productions of his plays at Mark Taper Forum, Manhattan Theatre Club, Playwrights' Horizons, Stage Left Theater, Chicago Dramatists, Organic Theater, Center Stage, Raven Theatre and others. In addition to Prairie Lights, his credits include Cuttings (at Chicago's Stage Left Theater), Police Deaf Near Far (Stage Left, awarded a Jeff Award for Best New Work), The Prophet of Bishop Hill, (Chicago Dramatists, nominated for a Jeff Award and winner of an After Dark Award) and Dapples and Grays (Stage Left, winner of an After Dark Award). His Civil War drama, Leander Stillwell, was given a Jeff Award-winning production by Stage Left Theater; its production in Los Angeles was voted one of the Los Angeles Times' 10 Best of the Year, and the script received a Drama-Logue Award for Excellence in Writing. Rush has also written for television, serving as story editor for Chicago's Magic Door, for which he won two Emmy awards for writing. He has won three Illinois Arts Council Artists grants, is a member of Stage Left Theater ensemble and a resident writer emeritus at Chicago Dramatists. He has been a professional dramatist/educator for more than 20 years and currently heads the playwriting program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. In that capacity, he was named Playwriting Teacher of the Year (2002) and Outstanding Artist (2004). His textbook, A Student Guide to Play Analysis, is published by SIU Press. He is represented in New York by Robert A. Freedman Dramatic Agency.

About D(ART)'s Collaboration with Steep Theatre

Steep Theatre, a staple of the Chicago storefront community, is serving as a mentor for Chicago D(ART) as the new company launches their inaugural season. By hosting D(ART)'s first production at Steep's Edgewater storefront and providing administrative advice throughout the production process, Steep hopes to leverage its fifteen years of experience in support of this emerging company.

About Steep Theatre

Housed in what was once a small grocery store steps from the Berwyn CTA stop, Steep is the quintessential storefront theatre. Steep Theatre Company was founded in 2000 by three actors with little more than a shoestring budget and a desire to work in an open, ensemble atmosphere. Over the years, the company has become a dedicated, close-knit group of thirty-four actors, directors, designers, and writers driven by a shared commitment to the organization's mission: To bring out the everyday truths in the stories we tell through ensemble work and to reach out to non-traditional theatregoers by seeking out stories and creating experiences relevant to them.

Described by Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune as "a storefront theater known for the power of its acting," Steep Theatre creates powerful productions of plays by today's most exciting writers and features the work of Chicago's hottest theatre artists in an intimate space. Currently in its 16th season, Steep Theatre is known as a home for hard-hitting, finely tuned ensemble work.

BOX OFFICE:

General Admission Tickets: $15
Student Tickets: $12
www.steeptheatre.com

GENERAL INFORMATION:

Website: www.chicagodart.com
Phone: 904.703.5940
Email: Chicagodart@gmail.com
Twitter: @chicagodart
Facebook: ChicagoDART

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