Pride Films and Plays Sets Cast for SOME MEN, Running 8/14-9/13

Pride Films and Plays has announced an exciting cast for the Chicago premiere of Some Men by Terrence McNally. The cast includes PFP Artistic Associates Patrick Rybarczyk and Nelson Rodriguez, and Artistic Ensemble Members David Besky, Sam Button-Harrison, Tom Chiola, Edward Fraim, and Jude Hansen. They are joined by Ben Burke, Jeremy Sonkin, and Robert Ayres to become an ensemble of 10 playing over three dozen characters.

Alternately hilarious, painful, and sexy, Some Men presents a kaleidoscope of characters set within some of the events that bent the arc of gay history in America. Scenes are set in 1969 during Stonewall, in St. Vincent's at the height of AIDS, and on a beach in the Hamptons in the 1920s and again 70 years later. There is also a scene set in an AOL chat room, another in a bathhouse, and many other locations which provide the texture to our lives. The play begins and ends with a contemporary gay wedding, relating interconnecting stories of generations of gay men.

David Zak and Derek Van Barham co-direct. Designs for the production are by Ensemble Member Raquel Adorno (costumes), Ellie Humphrys (lights), Tianyu Qu (set) and Kallie Rolison (sound). Original Music is by Robert Ayres. Production Stage Manager is Ryan Pollard.

Some Men will be performed at Rivendell Theatre, 5779 North Ridge.

• There are two preview performances on August 14 and 15 at 7:30.
• Opening Night is Saturday, August 16 at 7:30.
• Regular performances are Thursday through Saturday at 7:30.
• Sunday performances are at 6:00 on August 17 and 24, and 4:00 pm on August 31 and September 7.
• There is a special Wednesday night performance on September 10th at 7:30.
• Closing is Saturday, September 13.
• Tickets are $15 for previews, $25 for Thursdays and the one Wednesday performance, and $30 for Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
• Tickets may be purchased at www.brownpapertickets.com.
• Seniors and students can save $5 for any performances.
• Pride Films and Plays is offering subscriptions and memberships for 2014-15 for even greater savings.

Pride Films and Plays will soon announce a season of full productions that runs parallel to our developmental programs of LGBT works for the stage and screen. Our recent Gay Play Weekend set box office records at Center on Halsted. Women's Words Weekend (September 19 to 21) features plays and screenplays written by women with lesbian characters or themes, and Gay Film Weekend (November 14 to 16) features GLBT screenplays and screenings, and will be in the Center on Halsted's Hoover-Leppen Theater.

Our summer fun and fundraising activities include:

• Queer Bits Film Festival, a screening of LGBT shorts - many by local film makers - make their Chicago debut June 30 at The Public House Theater, 3914 N Clark.
• LezFest: A One Night Fling our fund raiser for our Women's Words program, is July 28 at Mary's Attic, 5400 N. Clark
• Marty's Community Day is our fall fundraiser at Marty's Martini Bar on September 24.

Founded in 2010, PFP is a script and screenplay development company that works with an international network of writers to develop work with LGBT characters or themes. PFP won 2 Jeff Awards in 2013 for Best Musical and Best New Work for Leo Schwartz's Under A Rainbow Flag, and one for Nora Lise Ulrey's performance in The Children's Hour this season. PFP's At The Flash performed at the Dublin International Gay Fest recently, and David Leeper was nominated for Best Male Performer, and authors Sean Chandler and David Leeper were nominated for Best New Writing.

For more information and tickets, visit www.pridefilmsandplays.com or call 1 800 838 3006, or the PFP voicemail at 1 773 250 3112.

Pictured, clockwise starting from top left: Robert Ayres, David Besky, Ben Burke, Sam Button-Harrison, Tom Chiola, Jeremy Sonkin, Patrick Rybarczyk, Nelson Rodriguez, Jude Hansen, and Edward Fraim.

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