Collaboraction Presents 15th and Final Sketchbook Festival

After 15 years, 240 world premiere theater pieces, and being hailed "the premiere short play festival in the Midwest" by the Chicago Reader, Collaboraction will stage its 15th and final SKETCHBOOK Festival at the place where it all started, the Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St., Chicago, today, January 14, through January 24, 2016.

For SKETCHBOOK'S epic finale, Collaboraction Festival Director Anthony Moseley has reunited with Wesley Kimler, the accomplished painter and original SKETCHBOOKcollaborating artist, to create a cross-genre festival. Get set for two explosive weeks in January, when Collaboraction will present 16 world premiere theater pieces of seven minutes or less, created by an eclectic line-up of Chicago veterans and emerging artists.

David Dastmalchian, a DePaul Theatre School alum who performed in SKETCHBOOK 6 as a young actor before launching a career with roles in films including Ant-Man and The Dark Night, returns to Chicago to perform in Blink byAnthony Moseley and video designer Liviu Pasare. Dastmalchian will star oppositeSandra Delgado in the story of a couple that relives their lives over and over again.

Beth Henley, writer of the film Crimes of the Heart and the play The Jacksonian, will unveil a new work titled Seven Minutes. Former Chicagoan and SKETCHBOOKco-creator John Cabrera, notable as a recurring character on The Gilmore Girls for six seasons and as a Hollywood screenwriter, is coming from L.A. to direct Henley's piece.

More than 50 women star in Spanx You Very Much, a simple dance piece featuring women commenting on beauty standards using "spanx," devised by Dani Bryant, directed by Erica Barnes.

Trump International Tower, inspired by an actual promo video for Chicago's Trump International Tower, is adapted by Benno Nelson and Ethan Dubin. Many recall Dubin's performance in Collaboraction's Sixty Miles to Silver Lake in 2012.

Chicago's very own masters of Hip Hop Shakespeare, The Q Brothers, and collaborator Jackson Doran will share their take on R and J in I <3 Juliet.

Nationally acclaimed playwright Anne Washburn, author of last spring's smash hit Mr. Burns, a post-electric play, has penned When the Bachelors Come out of the Brush, about a rural man who works his way up to become a successful lawyer.Jeremy Wechsler, who staged Theater Wit's Chicago debut of Mr. Burns, directs.

Drew Dir of Chicago's Manual Cinema will debut Menagerie, a puppet show peek into zoological life of a young girl, directed by Lee Stark.

All told, the 16 short plays are split into two programs of 8 works - Death and Life - each packed with creativity, experimentation and celebration. Each program runs under two hours, and will be paired for same-day double headers on Saturdays and for the Closing Marathon on Sunday, January 24.

Performances times in chronological order are:

Thursday, January 14 at 8 p.m. Life
Friday, January 15 at 8 p.m. Death
Saturday, January 16 at 7 p.m. Life/Opening
Saturday, January 16 at 9 p.m. Death/Opening
Sunday, January 17 at 7 p.m. Life
Monday, January 18 at 8 p.m. Death
Thursday, January 21 at 8 p.m. Death
Friday, January 22 at 8 p.m. Life
Saturday, January 23 at 7 p.m. Death
Saturday, January 23 at 9 p.m. Life
Sunday, January 24 at 3 p.m. Life
Sunday, January 24 at 5 p.m. Death

Every night will also feature a live musical guest, there will be numerous SKETCHBOOK-related after parties and special events, and a robust online presence at collaboraction.org will allow audience submissions and real-time interaction throughout the festival.

Single tickets to each program are $30; $15 for students, educators and industry. All-Access festival silk wristbands offer passes to both programs and all related events for $55; $30 for students and industry. Collaboraction is also offering a limited quantity of 20 "Exclusive VIP Passes" for $150, which includes a special collector's edition painting by Wesley Kimler. Purchase tickets or passes online at collaboraction.org or call 312.226.9633.

Leading up to SKETCHBOOK are two Open Studio Sessions at Wesley Kimler's 6,000-sq. ft. studio at 2046 W. Carroll Ave. Go behind-the scenes at these two pop-up events, featuring performances, poetry, art and music showcasing SKETCHBOOK artists on Saturday, November 14 at 8 p.m. and "designer runs" of the SKETCHBOOK plays on Saturday, December 12 at 8 p.m. Parties with live music follow both events. Tickets are $10 at the door or free with a festival pass.

According to SKETCHBOOK co-curator and Collaboraction Artistic Director Anthony Moseley, "Having created 15 SKETCHBOOK Festivals, and producing over 240 world premiere pieces of theater that have launched numerous careers and collaborations, it is time to bring the most progressive short play festival in Chicago to a glorious conclusion. I am overwhelmed by the support of the Chicago theatre community's artists and audiences, particularly in the last three years as Collaboraction has refocused our mission on exploring critical social issues. SKETCHBOOK could never have been created in another city. It is only due to the credit of the Chicago theater community that we were able to keep it going for 15 years and it is in honor of that community that we gather and share one last time."

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