Citizens Play Festival Kicks Off Today, June 12

New play development is a messy business; often done by playwrights in solitude, or a group of artists behind closed doors. It's challenging work, but it's also a thrilling experience to watch a new play take shape. One the audience is usually separated from. Fine Print's new festival brings audiences inside the work of developing and choosing new plays for production, and gives them the power to decide the outcome.

"Citizens" presents the seeds of ten new full-length plays from ten Chicago playwrights. Throughout performances, audiences cast their vote for the play they think best captures a defining issue of our time, and delivers a character driven story in an intimate way. Each week, the highest voted plays will go back into rehearsal –expanding on their work and continuing to build the play. One piece will win the festival, earning extended development and full production from Fine Print.

"Citizens Play Festival" features the work of playwrights Steven Peterson ("Invasion of Skokie" @ Chicago Dramatists '10), Joe Janes (Emmy award winning writer & educator) with Pete Ficht, Lynne McMahon (Award in Literature, American Academy of Arts & Letters), David Finney (Emmy award winning writer), Erik Gernand (filmmaker & lecturer at Northwestern), both David Himmel and AJ Miller (of Fine Print's smash comedy "Christmas in Chicago"), along with writers Mark Burns, Chuck O'Connor and MT Cozzola.

Directed by Fine Print artistic director Patrick Kenney, Don Hall (producer at WBEZ & host of The Moth), Sydney Chatman (founder of The Tofu Chitlin' Circuit), Emmi Hilger (member of The State Theatre), and Cody Spellman.

Performances June 12 & 14, 20 & 21, 27 & 28, and July 1st. For tickets, click here. Prices are $10 per show, $15 per night, $25 per CPF Pass.

Round 1, Ten Plays, June 12 & 14:

Tuesday, June 12
GROUP A @ 7:30 p.m.
GROUP B @ 9 p.m.

Thursday, June 14
GROUP B @ 7:30 p.m.
GROUP A @ 9 p.m.

GROUP A
- Two Bald Guys by Steven Peterson
- To Walk Alone, In The Dark by Erik Gernand
- The Kiln by AJ Miller
- Miscarriage is Murder by Chuck O'Connor
- Senioritis by Joe Janes and Pete Ficht

GROUP B
- RUFSTUF by Mark Burns
- Boy Small by MT Cozzola
- Vigil by Lynne McMahon
- My 6-Year-Old Therapist by David Himmel
- Risk Management by David Finney

Round 2 Plays will run June 20 & 21. Round 3 is set for June 27 & 28, and the winner is set for July 1 with a talkback and party to follow.

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