FOR HER AS A PIANO Premiere to Launch Pegasus Theatre Chicago's 2015-16 Season; Lineup Announced!

Pegasus Theatre Chicago just announced its 2015-16 season, kicking off this fall with the world premiere drama FOR HER AS A PIANO by Nambi E. Kelley, playwright of the critically acclaimed 2014 hit Native Son. Infused with stirring music composed by Jaret Landon, FOR HER AS A PIANO will be directed by Producing Artistic Director Ilesa Duncan and produced in association with Goodman Theatre and Chicago Dramatists.

This winter, Pegasus' season continues with its 29th YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL, a showcase of professionally produced one-act plays written by Chicago teen authors. The season concludes next spring with a soon-to-be-announced world premiere dramatic adventure. Pegasus Theatre's full 2015-16 Season will be presented at Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at www.PegasusTheatreChicago.org or by calling Ovation Tickets at (866) 811-4111.

"We are excited to share a season that explores a wide range of topics including family legacy, mental health, identity, loyalty, life transitions and wanderlust," comments Producing Artistic Director Ilesa Duncan. "I an honored to reunite with Nambi Kelley - an extraordinary talent one of my favorite writers - and Jaret Landon - one of Chicago's most prodigious musical talents. This first full season since Pegasus' rebranding promises to thrill," adds Duncan.

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Pegasus Theatre 2015-16 season includes:

September 30 - November 1, 2015

FOR HER AS A PIANO - World Premiere!

By Nambi E. Kelley

Directed by Producing Artistic Director Ilesa Duncan

Music Composition/Direction by Jaret Landon

Featuring: Nadirah Bost, Dushon Brown, Toni Lynice Fountain, Nicole Michelle Haskins, Monette McLin, Camille Robinson and Toya Turner.

Nambi E. Kelley's new play is the story of one woman's journey to unravel a family history that she's never been told. Through music, memory and magic, FOR HER AS A PIANO traces the lives of three generations of women, and how they are interconnected across time and space.

December 30, 2015 - January 24, 2016

29th YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL

Pegasus Theatre proudly shines the spotlight on the next generation of authors through its annual playwriting competition for high-school-age authors in Chicago. Three to four one-act plays will be handpicked and showcased in full productions as part of Pegasus' main stage season. The second oldest such festival in the country, this annual tradition regularly receives over 500 submissions from students throughout the area. The winning teens join with professional artists to workshop and stage their scripts. This season's plays will be announced in September 2015.

March 19 - April 17, 2016

Spring Production To Be Announced

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Nambi E. Kelley (Playwright) has penned plays for Steppenwolf Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Court Theatre, American Blues, Lincoln Center in New York, and internationally. Most recently, her adaptation of Native Son was presented to critical acclaim at Court Theatre with American Blues Theatre (co-production) and was the highest grossing production in Court Theatre's 60-year history. Native Son is also on the Kilroy's List 2015, in the top 7% of new plays by female and trans authors nominated by literary managers, directors and other artists polled across the country. Kelley recently returned to Singapore to perform in her co-adaptation of The Book of Living and Dying, which was published in an anthology of plays in Singapore in 2014. She is working on several commissions with productions slated for 2016. Kelley is also a professional actress, most recently closing the critically acclaimed Two Trains Running at the Goodman Theatre, and has been seen on television in Person of Interest, Madam Secretary, Elementary and Chicago PD. Nambi guest lectures at Lake Forest College and University of Illinois at Chicago. She has a BFA from The Theatre School at DePaul University and an MFA in interdisciplinary arts from Goddard College. www.nambikelley.com.

Ilesa Duncan's (Director) recent directing work includes acclaimed productions of Steve Simoncic's Broken Fences at 16th Street Theater (co-directed with Ann Filmer), BTAA award-winning Blacula: Young, Black and Undead at Pegasus Theatre and The Nativity at Congo Square. Also at Pegasus: If You Split a Second, In the Continuum and the Jeff Recommended productions of The Gimmick, Shape of a Girl and Tick, Tick... Boom! Locally, Duncan has worked with Rivendell, Writers Theatre, 16th Street Theatre, Step Up Productions, Lifeline, Chicago Dramatists, Victory Gardens and The Goodman. Nationally, she has worked with The Alliance Theatre, Arena Stage, Contemporary American Theatre Company and Lincoln Center (Directors Lab) in New York. Ilesa is a member of the Lincoln Center Theatre Directors Lab and a NEA/TCG Directing Fellow. She serves as Pegasus Theatre's Producing Artistic Director and is an Associate Artist with Chicago Dramatists, where she serves as Education and Community Engagement Director).

Jaret Landon (Music Director/Composer) is a composer/arranger, vocalist, and educator. He's composed and arranged music for film, musicals and recorded albums. Theatre credits include: A Nativity Story: More than a Miracle, The Nativity and Sanctified (Congo Square Theatre), Eye of the Storm and Clara (Open Door Theatre), Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill and Ain't Misbehavin' (Porchlight Music Theatre), The Gospel of Lovingkindness (Victory Gardens Theatre) Crowns (Goodman Theatre) and Black Odyssey (Denver Theatre Center). Presently, he is working on First Wives Club: The Musical, which opens on Broadway in the fall of 2015.

Pegasus Theatre Chicago has been a mainstay in the Chicago theater community for nearly 36 years. Its recently rebranded mission is to produce boldly imaginative theatre, champion new and authentic voices and illuminate the human journey. It adheres to the core values of community engagement, social relevance, boldness, adventure and excellence.

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