Jackalope Announces Cast And Creative Team For The Chicago Premiere Of THE SMUGGLER, February 16 - March 16

'The Smuggler, starring Andrew Burden Swanson, launches Jackalope's 16th season and is the first performance at its new home in Edgewater's Berger Park, 6205 N. Sheridan Rd. The running time is currently 75 minutes with no intermission.
 

The Smuggler is a thriller in rhyme. It is 2023. Tim Finnegan is a clever and enterprising Irish immigrant tending bar on the island of Amity, an affluent summer enclave off the coast of Massachusetts. When his child falls ill and he loses his job, Finnegan is drawn into the dark world that exists only in the shadows of the wealthy island. The Smuggler has been called “Terrific” by The New Yorker, “Spellbinding” by DC Metro Arts and a “Ripping Yarn” by the Boston Globe. One part “Breaking Bad,” one part Beowulf, The Smuggler is a modern tale of corruption, morality and giant rats that asks what it means to call yourself a "citizen.”

“We're thrilled to announce the first play in Jackalope's 16th season, housed at Chicago Park District's Berger Park Coach House,” said Artistic Director Kaiser Ahmed. "The Smuggler is a hypnotic and lyrical feat that's been making its way around the country in recent seasons. I know our audiences will be charmed and challenged by the questions of citizenship this one-man show explores. After a challenging and transformative year, we're building momentum in a new era for our company. By producing in Edgewater at Berger Park Coach House and operating at Loyola Park, we are strengthening connections to our community while expanding our neighborhood footprint.” 

Andrew Swanson* (he/him) stars as “Tim Finnegan” with the production team including Gus Menary* (he/him, director); Amal Salem (she/her, stage manager);  Ryan Emens* (he/him, scenic/props designer); Ben Stacy* (he/him, production manager); Claire Sangster* (she/her, lighting designer); Isaac J. Pineda (he/him, costume designer); Michael Huey (he/him, sound designer) and Sammi Grant (she/her, dialect coach).

*connotes Jackalope Theatre Company Member

Ronán Noone (he/him) believes in playing with a myriad of elements to find the right way to tell a good story; a necessary story that tells us who we are, where we have been and where we are going. He believes in stories that resonate beyond the theatre's door and that add ideas to the national conversation. He believes in the playwright as a thinker traveling in the direction of their fear. His play The Smuggler won the Best Playwright award at the 1st Irish Festival of New York in January of 2019. The Second Girl (Thirst) was the inaugural winner of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) Excellence in Playwriting Award (2015) and an Edgerton Award winner in 2014. Additional plays include The Atheist, Brendan, Scenes from an Adultery, The Lepers of Baile Baiste, The Blowin of Baile Gall, The Gigolo of Baile Breag (The Baile Trilogy), The Compass Rose, Little Black Dress and A Small Death.

Most recently, Gus Menary (he/him) directed David Greig's adaptation of Stanislaw Lem's Solaris at Book-It Repertory Theatre in Seattle, where he served as Artistic Director. While there, he oversaw the pivot to audio plays during the COVID shutdown and produced world-premiere audio adaptations of authors such as Octavia E. Butler, N.K. Jemisin, and Oscar Wilde. As part of Book-It's return to the stage, he produced world-premiere stage adaptations of Amy Tan's The Bonesetter's Daughter and Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, as well as many other modern adaptations. As director, he led the productions of Julian Glover's Beowulf and Bilal Dardai's world-premiere adaptation of Jamyang Norbu's The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes. Previously, he served as the Artistic Director of Jackalope Theatre. Under his leadership, Jackalope produced world-premieres by Ike Holter (Prowess and The Light Fantastic), Lloyd Suh (Franklinland), Idris Goodwin (The Raid), and Calamity West (In the Canyon, Rolling), among many other national and regional premieres. On stage, he directed Aaron Loeb's Ideation, Kenneth Lin's Life On Paper, Shawn Reddy's My Name is Mudd, Andrew Swanson's Lunacy! and Moonshiner, and Ike Holter's The Light Fantastic and Exit Strategy.  

Andrew Burden Swanson (he/him)  is a founding member of Jackalope, and most recently served as interim executive director.  Past Jackalope acting credits include The Last Duck (Jeff Award nomination), Rich And Famous, Prowess, The Light Fantastic and he was recently seen on stage in Jackalope's 13th Annual Living Newspaper Festival. A graduate of The School at Steppenwolf his other Chicago acting credits include A Streetcar Named Desire (Writers' Theatre), Port (Griffin Theatre) and Waiting for Lefty (American Blues). Jackalope writing credits include The Last Exodus of American Men, Moonshiner, Under Construction, The Casuals and Lunacy. He is also the founder of Edgewater Castle Football Club, a non-profit semi-pro soccer club. 

Jackalope Theatre Company expands the definition of American Identity by engaging with communities to produce works that celebrate diverse perspectives. Jackalope is a premier home for new and exciting Off-Loop Theatre based in Chicago's Edgewater and Rogers Park neighborhoods. They are committed to cultivating new voices that contribute to an expanding American culture and mythology. Each season, Jackalope produces full-length plays, new play development programming and provides free classes in partnership with the Chicago Park District.

Previews are Friday, Feb. 16 and Saturday, Feb. 17 at 7:30 p.m. with the press opening Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 7:30 p.m. The performance schedule is Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays at 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $15-25 and are on sale now at JackalopeTheatre.org or by calling the box office at 773-340-2543.

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