FREUD'S LAST SESSION Features May Post-Show Talkback Series at the Mercury Theater

FREUD'S LAST SESSION will feature a post-show talkback series in May with Chicago academics, atheists and psychologists to discuss Love, Sex, the Meaning of Life and the Existence of God at the Mercury Theater, 3745 N. Southport in Chicago. A current sold-out sensation Off-Broadway and winner of the 2011 Off Broadway Alliance Award for Best Play, the Midwest Premiere of FREUD'S LAST SESSION has received rave reviews and a Jeff Recommendation.

· The talkback discussion on Friday, May 11 at 8 p.m. will feature two academics from Wheaton College including Dr. Jerry Root, renowned C.S. Lewis scholar and Associate Director of the Institute for Strategic Evangelism at the Billy Graham Center, and Dr. Michael Mangis, Professor of Psychology and practicing clinical psychologist and with Heartland Counseling in Elburn, Illinois.

· The conversation on Wednesday, May 16 at 7:30 p.m. will feature Christian J. Brooks and Vincent Truman from the Chicago Freethought Project, a secular organization that promotes charity, giving, activism, and fundraising.

· The final talkback discussion on Sunday, May 20 at 1 p.m. will include Dr. Phil Lebovitz, Dr. Neal Spira and Dr. Virginia Barry from the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis, whose mission is to provide professional training in the theory and practice of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy and to enhance psychodynamic study through research and scholarship.

FREUD'S LAST SESSION is by Mark St. Germain under the direction of Tyler Marchant. Additional productions of FREUD'S LAST SESSION are already set to open into 2013 in major markets across the nation and around the world, including London, Madrid, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, Singapore, Los Angeles, and Mexico City. Chris Jones of THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE called FREUD'S LAST SESSION "Terrific!" and selected it as "Critic's Choice." The CHICAGO SUN-TIMES hailed it as "Compelling Theater!" THE HUFFINGTON POST exclaimed that the production "Clips Along with Wit and Charm!", WINDY CITY TIMES raved that it is "Intimate, Witty and Thought-Provoking!," and LAKE COUNTY JOURNAL called it "Fascinating, quick-witted, compelling!"

FREUD'S LAST SESSION centers on legendary psychoanalyst Dr. Sigmund Freud, who invites the rising academic star C. S. Lewis to his home in London. Lewis, expecting to be called on the carpet for satirizing Freud in a recent book, soon realizes Freud has a much more significant agenda. On the day England enters World War II, Freud and Lewis clash on the existence of God, love, sex, and the meaning of life – only two weeks before Freud chooses to take his own. Not just a powerful debate, this is a profound and deeply touching play about two men who boldly addressed the greatest questions of all time. Mark St. Germain's celebrated new play was suggested by the bestselling book The Question of God by Dr. Armand M. Nicholi, Jr., professor of psychology at Harvard University.

There have been an unusually large number of celebrity spottings at FREUD'S LAST SESSION in New York, including such luminaries as Woody Allen, Alec Baldwin, Neil Simon, Barbara Walters, Richard Gere, Jerry Stiller, Peter Bogdanovich, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, John Cleese, Patricia Heaton, Cornel West, Christiane Amanpour, Marcia Gay Harden, John Kander, Andy Rooney, Dick Cavett, Frank Oz, Dr. Ruth (5 times!), Peter Shaffer, The Amazing Kreskin, Celeste Holm, Victoria Jackson, TR Knight, Dan Lauria, Scott Adsit, and Tina Louise. Additionally, Chicago news anchor Ron Magers had a session.

Playwright Mark St. Germain has written the plays Camping with Henry and Tom (Outer Critics Circle and Lucille Lortel Awards), The Best of Enemies, Out of Gas on Lover's Leap, and Forgiving Typhoid Mary. With Randy Courts, he has written the musicals The Gifts of the Magi, Johnny Pye and the Foolkiller and Jack's Holiday. TV credits include Writer and Creative Consultant for The Cosby Show. Mark co-wrote the screenplay for the acclaimed film Duma, and he directed and co-produced the documentary My Dog: An Unconditional Love Story featuring Richard Gere, Glenn Close and Edward Albee, among many others

FREUD'S LAST SESSION is presented in Chicago and Off-Broadway by Carolyn Rossi Copeland, Robert Stillman and Jack Thomas. Scenic design is by Brian Prather, costume design by Mark Mariani, lighting design by Clifton Taylor, and sound design by Beth Lake.

The performance schedule is Wednesdays at 2pm and 7:30pm, Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 2pm and 8pm and Sundays at 1pm and 5pm. Tickets range from $55 to $45. Student tickets are $22 (with valid student ID) and a limited number of rush tickets are available at the box office beginning three hours prior to each performance. Appropriate for ages thirteen (13) and up. For tickets and information contact the Mercury Theater at 773-325-1700 or www.mercurytheaterchicago.com. For groups of ten or more, call Group Theater Tickets at 312.423.6612.

For more information, visit www.FreudsLastSession.com.

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