Greasy Joan & Co. Presents 'MacBeth' @ Athenaeum Theatre

Greasy Joan & Co. continues its twelfth year of producing innovative productions of classic plays with William Shakespeare's tragedy MacBeth, directed by Artistic Director Julieanne Ehre. MacBeth will play the Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport in Chicago, for a limited engagement April 15 through May 25, 2008. 
 
Greasy Joan presents a freshly imagined version of one of Shakespeare's fastest moving plays. Paranoid of losing power, Macbeth forges a path of murder and violence that tears his country apart. How will his people emerge from his tyrannical rule and find hope to remake themselves?  Full of supernatural witches, ghosts, and "strange imaginings," Shakespeare's MacBeth remains a visceral and hair-raising classic.
 
MacBeth marks the second of two back-to-back classics on the Greasy Joan mainstage, directly following Molière's The Misanthrope (March 5 – April 5, 2008). "After last season's focus on new adaptations of classics, Greasy Joan returns to our roots of works that have endured over time in their original versions," said Artistic Director Julieanne Ehre. "Producing these plays back-to-back allows audiences to discover connections between two of the greatest writers in the Western canon and enjoy the contrast of classic comedy vs. drama," adds Ehre.
 
The cast of MacBeth includes: Karisa Bruin (Witch), Dan Cox (Lennox), Kevin Cox (Macduff), Paul Curry (Fleance/Lady Macduff's Son/Messenger), Craig Degel (Duncan), Tien Doman (Witch), Erica Elam (Lady Macduff/Gentlewoman), Sharina Martin (Lady Macbeth), Nick Mikula (Malcolm), Megan Faye Schutt (Witch), Samuel Taylor (Banquo), Dana Wall  (Macbeth) and Greg Wenz (Ross).
 

MacBeth is written by William Shakespeare and directed by Greasy Joan Artistic Director Julieanne Ehre. The production team includes:  Kevin Depinet (set), Lindsey Pate (costumes), Charlie Cooper (lights), Andy Hansen (sound/music), Kevin Asselin (fight choreographer) and Allison Goetzman (stage manager).     

Title:                        MacBeth
Written by:               William Shakespeare
Directed by:              Artistic Director Julieanne Ehre
Preview dates:          April 15 & 16, 2008 at 8:00 p.m.
Regular run:             April 17 – May 25, 2008
Press opening:          Thursday, April 17 at 8:00 p.m.
Location:                  Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport
Schedule:                 Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m.
                               Sundays at 3:00 p.m.**

Tickets:                    $10 - $20 ($10 for preview performances and students)
                               Thursday $10 industry nights.
Available by calling Ticketmaster at (312) 902-1500, at www.ticketmaster.com or at the Athenaeum Box Office. Groups of 10 or more can receive a discount by calling (312) 458-0718.
 
**A special benefit performance of MacBeth will be held on Sunday, April 20 at 3:00 p.m. Benefit tickets cost $40 and include a post-play reception with the artists at Ole Lounge, 2812 N. Lincoln Ave., with appetizers, drink specials and a silent auction.  Reservations can be made by calling (312) 458-0718 or through Ticketmaster.

Post-play discussions are held every Thursday and Sunday.
 
MacBeth is sponsored by Flourish Bakery, Lennox Lounge, the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Richard Driehaus Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, and the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs.

Greasy Joan & Co. re-imagines classic plays for the contemporary stage. Their premiere adaptations and translations present fresh, innovative stagings of the classics. With a strong commitment to symbolic design, Greasy Joan productions create visually compelling theater. They engage Chicago audiences in the greatness of the past through the imaginative interpretations of the present.  Founded in 1995 by a group of graduates from Harvard University's American Repertory Theater training program, Greasy Joan & Co. has received 13 Joseph Jefferson "Jeff" awards and nominations to date.
 
For more information on Greasy Joan & Co., call (312) 458-0718 or go to www.greasyjoan.org. 

Macbeth cover – (left to right) Dana Wall (Macbeth) and Sharina Martin (Lady Macbeth) in Greasy Joan & Co.'s production of Macbeth  Photo by Michael Brosilow.
 
Macbeth-insert – (left to right) Karisa Bruin, Megan Faye Schutt & Tien Doman (Witches) with Dana Wall (Macbeth) in Greasy Joan & Co.'s production of Macbeth.  Photo by Michael Brosilow.

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