Photo Flash: First Look at LiveWire Chicago Theatre's VISIONFEST 5: JOHNNY IS ALIVE, Opening Tonight

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 now through 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. The press opening is tonight, July 19 at 7:30 pm and 9 pm (marathon performance). Scroll down for a first look at the shows!

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.

Featuring Sarah-Jayne Ashenhurst, Sam Bailey, Molly Bunder, Katie Cochran, Logan Conner, Nathan Drackett, David Fink, Clifton Frei, Dan Granata, Ryan Hallahan, Justin Harner, Laura Hooper, Alex Levin, Nick Lomous, Grace Martinez, Kelly Parker, Lea Pascal, Erin Myers, Meghan Reardon, Nate Ross, Blake Russel, Alex Stein, Berner Taylor, June Thiele, Brian Tochterman, Ian Tranberg, Will Von Vogt, David Weiss and Hilary Williams.

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.

VisionFest Selection Process: 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 5 PROGRAM LINE-UP:

PROGRAM 1

Dispatches from the Uncanny Valley

Written by John Taflan (Chicago, IL), Directed by Josh Sobel

Featuring Erin Myers, Nate Ross and David Weiss

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

Featuring Katie Cochran, Alex Levin and Grace Martinez

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)

Featuring Sarah-Jayne Ashenhurst, Laura Hooper and Alex Stein

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

Featuring Clifton Frei and Berner Taylor

Eureka! Will Eve and Isaac's discovery be a boon or a burden on their relationship?

dtf

Written by Bekah Brunstetter (Los Angeles, CA), Directed by Julie Ritchey

Featuring Molly Bunder and Nathan Drackett

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

Everythingaoke

Written by Joe Zarrow (Chicago, IL), Directed by Elly Green

Featuring David Fink, Dan Granata, Ryan Hallahan, Justin Harner, Kelly Parker, Lea Pascal and Meghan Reardon

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.

Ex Libris

Written by Philip Dawkins (Chicago, IL), Directed by Krista D'Agostino

Featuring Sam Bailey, Brian Tochterman and Hilary Williams

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

Featuring David Fink, Nick Lomous and June Thiele

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?

WEIRDO

Written by Ike Holter (Chicago, IL), Directed by Gus Menary

Featuring Blake Russel and Will Von Vogt

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?

Plank

Written by John Greiner-Ferris (Qunicy, MA), Directed by Chris Zdenek

Featuring Logan Conner, Clifton Frei, Berner Taylor and Ian Tranberg

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!

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)

LiveWire established VisionFest to expose new works to the community and get the community involved in new works. Last year, VisionFest 4 featured ten plays and a devised piece inspired by two original artworks: Breanne Duffy's "Rockets" and Josephine Ferorelli's "Untitled." The works were staged throughout a multi-level art gallery. In 2010, LiveWire chose the theme of "Feast" for VisionFest 3 and asked the community for suggestions of a line or phrase that all playwrights would have to incorporate into their play and "I can't remember the last time we were all together" won the vote. In 2009, the focus of VisionFest was "Environment" and the public voted for a "Street Corner" as their preferred environment. For the inaugural festival in 2008, an overarching theme of "Control" won the majority vote. At the festival, programs are provided with ample space for attendees to offer constructive feedback to the playwrights.

Photo Credit: Joshua Aaron Weinstei

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