LiveWire Chicago Theatre Presents VISIONFEST 5: JOHNNY IS ALIVE, Now thru 8/2

LiveWire Chicago Theatre "gets technical" at VisionFest 5: Johnny 5 Is Alive, ten short plays inspired by technology's influence on society (or what happens when things short circuit). The fifth annual festival will be presented today, July 17 - August 2, 2013 at INTUIT - The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, 756 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago. Each play will be staged in a different area of the multi-room gallery, with drinking and mingling encouraged as audiences move from play to play.

Curated by LiveWire Associate Artistic Director Chris Zdenek, VisionFest 5 will feature ten new works by widely celebrated playwrights including: Bekah Brunstetter (Oohrah!) Philip Dawkins (The Homosexuals), John Greiner-Ferris, Ike Holter (Hit the Wall), Daniel Kozuh, Amanda Petefish-Schrag, John Taflan*, Hilary Williams*, Conor Woods (So Long) and Joe Zarrow (The Pigeons). *LiveWire Collective members.

VisionFest 5 will run in two alternating programs on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 pm (five plays each) with a marathon of both programs (all ten plays) on Fridays at 7:30 pm and 9 pm. Tickets costs $15 (single programs) or $20 (Friday marathons) and are available at visionfest5.brownpapertickets.com. For additional information, visit www.livewirechicago.com.

A community-driven festival, VisionFest features new, unique guidelines each year chosen by a public vote. For the fifth annual festival, LiveWire asked the community, what "Play on 5" should VisionFest submissions be guided by? The winner of the online vote: "Johnny 5 is Alive" (the name inspired by the robot in the popular '80s film Short Circuit). The unique guideline writers followed for this year's submissions was "technology's influence on society (or what happens when things short circuit)."

"VisionFest exists to showcase current playwright's at their best, at their most pure and concise," comments VF5 curator and LiveWire Associate Artistic Director Chris Zdenek. "To champion the stories that only take ten minutes to tell, but remain with you forever - VisionFest will stand as a beacon to shine on the elegance of the short play format," adds Zdenek.

VisionFest 5 PROGRAM LINE-UP:

PROGRAM 1

Dispatches from the Uncanny Valley
Written by John Taflan (Chicago, IL), Directed by Josh Sobel
Wouldn't it be great to have a robot? To cook for you, clean, make phone calls; to do everything tedious, like falling in love.

Silence
Written by Hilary Williams (Chicago, IL), Directed by Joel Reitsma
The greatest treasures in life can be as simple as your sister's voice. Even if you are deaf.

The Appointment
Written and directed by Conor Woods (Chicago, IL)
In the near future, science can guarantee our babies be healthy and happy. But how much is too much? How do we stop ourselves from playing God?

Physics
Written by Amanda Petefish-Schrag (Maryville, MO), Directed by Chris Zdenek
Eureka! Will Isaac's new scientific breakthrough be a boon or burden on his relationship?

dtf
Written by Bekah Brunstetter (Los Angeles, CA), Directed by Julie Ritchey
Blind date at a bar. Antiquated in an age where we can find out everything about someone without even meeting them, but how much information do we need to fall in love?

PROGRAM 2

Ex Libris
Written by Philip Dawkins (Chicago, IL), Directed by Krista D'Agostino
Beck likes books. Is that a crime? Why should she turn a blind eye to the abandonment of thousand of Library books when she has plenty of space in her dorm room to keep them. No one asked her if she thought e-books are "progress," no one asked her if her life could change.

Adipocere
Written by Daniel Kozuh (Atlanta, GA), Directed by Stephen Ptacek
The loss of a loved one robs us of so much. If you could get just little of that person back, wouldn't that be worth anything?

Everythingaoke
Written by Joe Zarrow (Chicago, IL), Directed by Elly Green
If you add Everything to Karaoke, you get Everythingaoke! A great way to hang out with your friends. Just remember to watch what you say and stay PC in front of the robot.

Plank
Written by John Greiner-Ferris (Qunicy, MA), Directed by Chris Zdenek
Potpee is finally alone! Only problem is that she's stranded in the middle of the ocean. Who needs people when you have a piece of dead tree to float on!

WEIRDO
Written by Ike Holter (Chicago, IL), Directed by Gus Menary
Mistakes made in real life can be forgotten and exist in a finite time. Mistakes made online will be there forever. Hirsch has found this out the hard way; will it now ruin his relationship with Max as well?

VisionFest 5 PROGRAM SCHEDULE

Wednesday, July 17 - Program 1 at 7:30 pm
Thursday, July 18 - Program 2 at 7:30 pm
Friday, July 19 - MARATHON (Program 1 at 7:30 pm & Program 2 at 9 pm)

Wednesday, July 24 - Program 2 at 7:30 pm
Thursday, July 25 - Program 1 at 7:30 pm
Friday, July 26 - MARATHON (Program 2 at 7:30 pm & Program 1 at 9 pm)

Wednesday, July 31 - Program 1 at 7:30 pm
Thursday, August 1 - Program 2 at 7:30 pm
Friday, August 2 - MARATHON (Program 1 at 7:30 pm & Program 2 at 9 pm)

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