Profiles Theatre Extends JERUSALEM Through May 22

Profiles Theatre announces an extension for its hit production of JERUSALEM by Jez Butterworth, directed by Artistic Director Joe Jahraus. The critically-acclaimed Midwest premiere opened at Profiles on March 10, 2016 and will extend for an additional four weeks through May 22, 2016.

Original cast members will continue in their roles including ensemble member Darrell W. Cox as Rooster along with guest artists David Cady, Jr., Braden Crothers, Cody Davis, Duane Deering, Artistic Associate Jeff Gamlin, Lyssie Garrison, Alison Hixon, Christian Isely, Theo Moss, Erika Napoletano, Annie Pfohl, Eric Salas, Jake Szczepaniak, Samantha Tennant, Patrick Thornton and Scott Wolf. Performances are held at The Main Stage, 4139 N. Broadway.

On St Georges Day, the morning of the local county fair, Johnny "Rooster" Byron is a wanted man. The council officials want to serve him an eviction notice, his son wants his dad to take him to the fair, and a motley crew of locals want his ample supply of drugs and alcohol. A comic, contemporary vision of rural England, Jez Butterworth's wildly original epic play JERUSALEM is both a lament about the erosion of country life as well as a rebuff to the antiseptic modern world.

Following successful runs at London's Royal Court Theatre and transfer to London's West End, JERUSALEM opened on Broadway in 2011 receiving a Tony Award nomination for Best Play and the award for Best Actor in a Play for Mark Rylance.

To allow for the extension of JERUSALEM, Profiles will move the dates for the next production, The Village Bike by Penelope Skinner, with performances now scheduled to begin August 26, 2016.

Tickets for JERUSALEM are $35 for Thursdays, $40 for Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are available by phone, (773) 549-1815, or online, www.profilestheatre.org. Performances are Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 4:00 and 8:00 pm, Sundays at 7:00 p.m.

JEZ BUTTERWORTH (Playwright) is an English playwright born in March, 1969. His writing credits include stage, film, and television. He attended university at St. John's College, Cambridge. Butterworth was inspired to study English after watching one of his brothers in a play at Cambridge. He co-wrote his first plays with his brother, Tom, and other friends. His first play, Mojo, premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in London in 1995. It garnered the Olivier Award, as well as Evening Standard and George Devine awards. In 2001, Jez and Tom Butterworth wrote the film Birthday Girl starring Nicole Kidman. In May 2007, Jez Butterworth was honored with the E. M. Forster Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In March 2008, his play Parlour Song opened to critical acclaim at the Atlantic Theatre Company in New York City. The play received its European premiere at the Almeida Theatre in London in March, 2009. JERUSALEM, Butterworth's fourth play at the Royal Court Theatre, was a box-office and critical success. The play won an Evening Standard and Critics' Circle Theatre Award. The production transferred to Broadway and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play. On October 26, 2012, Butterworth's recent play, The River, opened on Broadway.

JOE JAHRAUS (Director) is an Artistic Director and founder of Profiles Theatre and most recently directed Profiles' Midwest premiere of "Lovely Head" as part of Vices and Virtues, The Jacksonian, Our New Girl and The Other Place. His other directing credits with Profiles include The Cryptogram, Gidion's Knot, In God's Hat, The Dream of the Burning Boy, Sweet and Sad, the American premiere of In a Forest, Dark and Deep by Neil LaBute, the World premiere of Assisted Living by Deirdre O'Connor and the Midwest premieres of Fifty Words, Jailbait, The Mercy Seat, Great Falls, The Thugs and the World premiere of Kid Sister by Will Kern. Joe directed the long-running hit Fat Pig by Neil LaBute for which he received a Jeff Award Nomination for Outstanding Director. He also directed the Jeff Award-winning Blackbird and the Jeff Award-nominated Carnal Knowledge.

Profiles Theatre, founded in 1988 by Artistic Director Joe Jahraus, joined shortly thereafter by Artistic Director Darrell W. Cox, was formed as an actor-driven theatre ensemble dedicated to creating provocative and emotionally truthful productions. Passionate about shaping an original vision for new works, they focused on performing World, American and Midwest premieres as well as rarely performed plays. Critically acclaimed hits, such as BLACKBIRD, FAT PIG, GRACELAND and the multiple Jeff Award-winning KILLER JOE, established Profiles as a destination for challenging and edgy theatre. Their unique collaboration with playwright Neil LaBute led the ensemble to perform an entire season of his plays in 2007-2008. Now a Resident Artist at Profiles, LaBute remains an unequivocal artistic influence on the ensemble.

After performing at 4147 North Broadway for more than two decades, Profiles acquired an adjacent theatre at 4139 North Broadway in 2012. Profiles' new theatre, The Main Stage, with its larger seating capacity, increased performance space and higher ceilings, accommodates more ambitious and technically demanding productions. Their long-time venue, renamed The Alley Stage, continues as the home for plays strengthened by a more intimate staging. Driven by an undiminished appetite for creating honest and resonant theatre, Profiles still seeks to present work that illuminates the determination and resiliency of the human spirit.

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