Broken Nose Theatre Presents PRIMER World Premiere Audio Drama Next Month

Broken Nose Theatre, one of Chicago's premier Pay-What-You-Can theatre companies, is pleased to continue its tenth season with the world premiere audio drama Primer, a deeply honest look at the prioritization of property over people, written by ensemble member Spenser Davis* and directed by Literary Manager Brittney Brown*.

Primer will stream on-demand from November 15 - December 5, 2021 at brokennosetheatre.com, so audience members may listen at their leisure. Tickets are currently available at brokennosetheatre.com. Tickets for all Broken Nose Theatre performances are "Pay-What-You-Can," allowing patrons to set their own price. Press early access will be available beginning Wednesday, November 10.

Set in the same location of Davis's hit 2018 play Plainclothes, the cast consists entirely of Broken Nose Theatre company members: Kim Boler* (Stevie), JD Caudill* (Chaddie), E.M. Davis* (Rian), Catherine Dildilian* (Brooklyn), RjW Mays* (Mary), Watson Swift* (Jai), Aria Szalai-Raymond* (Kennedy), David Weiss* (Jerrod) and Brenda Scott Wlazlo* (Nora), with several reprising their characters from Plainclothes.

When looters smash in a Michigan Avenue store's front windows, this singular act of destruction affects a host of individuals, including the store's security team, its managers, employees at one of its Cosmetics kiosks and more. Featuring a sequence of scenes that view the incident from vastly different perspectives, Primer offers a panorama of a single act of looting in the heart of the Magnificent Mile. Set in Brady's, the same fictional store that served as backdrop to Davis's much-lauded play Plainclothes (for which he received the M. Elizabeth Osborn New Play Award), and featuring the return of some notable characters, Primer examines institutions' tendencies to prioritize property over people, as well as our country's eagerness to cover up its blemishes, rather than treating the sicknesses that live just beneath the surface.

Artistic Director E.M. Davis and Managing Director Rose Hamill comment, "As we were considering plays for our tenth anniversary season, we were looking for stories that paid tribute to our past while looking towards our future. Primer is the best blend of both: a brand-new piece that sparks complex conversations, is driven by sharp language, and features a stellar cast, made up entirely of our own company members! We are excited to welcome audiences back this November into the world of Brady's, the same department store that served as backdrop for our 2018 award-winning hit Plainclothes!"

The production team includes Tony Ingram* (sound design), Jacqui Jaurena (editor), Jen Poulin* (captioning) and David Weiss* (dramaturg).

*Denotes Broken Nose Theatre company members

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