Oracle Stages THE PRESIDENT, Now thru 5/31

Oracle Productions has announced the Midwest premiere of Morwyn Brebner's adaptation of THE PRESIDENT by Ferenc Molnár. Artistic Director Max Truax directs this classic farce about the corruptive powers of capitalism. THE PRESIDENT opens tonight, April 12, 2014, and runs through May 31, 2014 at Oracle Theatre (3809 N. Broadway in Chicago). Performances are Friday, Saturday and Monday nights at 8PM; Sundays at 7PM. Press are invited to attend on April 12 - or any night during the run.

Admission to THE PRESIDENT is free in Oracle's Public Access Theatre. Seats are sponsored by The Forty 4, a growing population of individuals and local businesses committed to making free art for all. Major donors include: the Law Offices of Salvi, Shostock & Pritchard, The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation, Ronald A. Greene Memorial Fund at The Chicago Community Trust, The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The Lawrence E. Glick Family Foundation. Oracle is also grateful for the generosity of over 250 donors through their recent Kickstarter campaign.

Reservations are highly recommended, and can be made at publicaccesstheatre.org.

Originally titled "1, 2, 3" when it was written in 1929, THE PRESIDENT is a farcical Pygmalion story set entirely in the New York office of Mr. Norrison, a powerful business executive, just prior to The Great Crash. The stability of Norrison's business rests on the potential financial investment of one man, whose daughter Lydia has been staying with Norrison under his care. Just as Norrison is about to finalize the deal with his investor - and leave on a much needed vacation - Lydia announces that she's eloped with a communist taxi driver, a marriage of which her parents will most assuredly not approve. Norrison has one hour to transform Lydia's new husband into a successful capitalist, and he must use the well-oiled machinery of his enterprise to enact the transformation. The clock is ticking! Translated from Hungarian with pitch-perfect comedic timing, Morwyn Brebner's adaptation has audiences rooting for capitalism even while a display of its corruptive powers unfolds before them. This will be Max Truax's first comedy.

THE PRESIDENT is produced in special arrangement with Pam Winter, Gary Goddard Agency.

Company Member John Arthur Lewis plays the President, Mr. Norrison. Previous credits include Claire in THE MAIDS (2012) and he recently directed THE LARK for Promethean Theatre. The cast features Oracle Company Members Eli Branson, Brian Hurst, and DeChantel Kosmatka. The ensemble also features Sabrina Conti, Joan McGrath, Michelle M. Oliver, Steven Ratcliff, Susan Wingerter, Travis Delgado, Spenser Davis, and Alex Levin.

The creative team for THE PRESIDENT includes Costume Design by company member Joan Pritchard. The creative team also features Eric Van Tassell (Lighting Design), Joanna Iwanicka (Scenic Design), Steve Labedz (Sound Design), Michal Janicki (Video Design) and Evelyn DeHais (Graphic Design). Joe Mazza (Brave Lux) is Oracle's Resident Photographer. Harold Jaffe is Stage Manager. Taylor Bibat is Producer, and Justin Snyder is Technical Director. Lyndsay Kane is Casting Director for Oracle Productions. Max Truax is Artistic Director of Oracle Theatre. Ben Fuchsen is Executive Producer of Oracle Productions.

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