Profiles Theatre to Present REASONS TO BE HAPPY, 8/22-10/12

Profiles Theatre opens its 26th Season with the Midwest Premiere of Reasons to Be Happy by Resident Artist Neil LaBute, directed by Artistic Director Darrell W. Cox. The production runs August 22 - October 12, 2014 at Profiles Theatre's The Main Stage, 4139 N. Broadway. The press opening is August 28, 2014 at 8pm.

Directed by Profiles Artistic Director Darrell W. Cox, the cast of Reasons to Be Happy features ensemble member Eric Burgher as Greg with guest artists Dennis Bisto, Domenica Cameron-Scorsese and Sarah Loveland.

Reasons to Be Happy is the companion piece to Neil LaBute's widely praised, 2009 Tony-nominated reasons to be pretty, a long running hit at Profiles in 2011. Three years after a contentious break-up, Steph and Greg wonder if they can make a fresh go of it. Trouble is, she's married to someone else and he's just embarked on a relationship with Steph's best friend, Carly -a single mom whose jealous ex-husband, Kent, has trouble articulating his feelings. Navigating the rocky landscape of conflicting agendas and exploding emotions isn't going to be easy for any of them. Reasons to Be Happy, a funny, surprising, and poignant new comedy, explores the choices and sacrifices we make in the pursuit of that often elusive ideal - happiness.

Reasons to Be Happy, produced by MCC Theater and directed by LaBute, premiered off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theater in June 2013. The critically acclaimed production, starring Jenna Fisher, received an extended run along with a Lucille Lortel Award Nomination for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play for Fred Weller. This marks Profiles Theatre's eleventh premiere by Resident Artist Neil LaBute. Previous productions include the American premiere of In a Forest, Dark and Deep and acclaimed Midwest premieres of Wrecks, The Mercy Seat and Fat Pig as well as the World premiere of his revised stage version of In the Company of Men, recipient of a Joseph Jefferson Nomination for Best New Adaptation.

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"I'm very excited to have Profiles be one of the first companies in the country to take on the second chapter in the Reasons saga," says playwright Neil LaBute. "They have been such great collaborators over the years and if feels like home to have Darrell and Joe spearheading this effort to bring another of my stories to their stage. Chicago is such an important and vital part of the American theater and I have my own roots deeply planted in that world. I can't wait to have all the artists involved with Reasons to Be Happy tell this story. I am a lucky man indeed."

The designers for Reasons to Be Happy are Shaun Renfro (set), Claire Chrzan (lights), Jeffrey Levin (sound and original music), and Raquel Adorno (costumes).

Profiles' second show of the season, the 20th annivserary production of The Cyrptogram by David Mamet begins previews on September 26, 2014 at The Alley Stage, 4147 N. Broadway. The 2014-15 season also includes the Midwest premiere of the award-winning play The Other Place by Sharr White, the World premiere of Genius by Kate Walbert, a new premiere production for spring 2015 to be announced and Profiles season return of their long-running hit Hellcab by Will Kern.

Tickets for Reasons to be Happy 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 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 5:00 and 8:00 pm, Sundays at 7:00 p.m.

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