Raven Theatre Announces SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER

Raven Theatre is pleased to conclude its 35th anniversary season with Tennessee Williams' stark and intriguing drama SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER directed by Jason Gerace, playing May 2 - June 17, 2018 on Raven's 105-seat East Stage, 6157 N. Clark St. (at Granville) in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at www.raventheatre.com or by calling (773) 338-2177.

SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER will feature Ayanna Bria Bakari, Janyce Caraballo, Wardell Julius Clark, Grayson Heyl, Ann James, Mary K. Nigohosian and Andrew Rathgeber.

In 1930s New Orleans, wealthy socialite widow Violet Venable has summoned a brain surgeon to her home. Her niece Catherine has been crazed and traumatized since witnessing the horrifyingly violent death of Violet's son. Enraged by Catherine's claims, and unwilling to accept other facts about her son's life, Mrs. Venable pursues extraordinary measures to keep Catherine silent.

SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER originally opened on Broadway in 1958, toward the end of a 15-year period in which Williams produced his greatest and most popular works, from The Glass Menagerie (1944) to Sweet Bird of Youth (1959). The 1959 film adaptation starring Katharine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift was a box office hit and earned Academy Award nominations for Hepburn and Taylor.

The production team for SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER includes: Joanna Iwanicka (scenic design), Brittany Bodley (costume design), Claire Chrzan (lighting design), Christopher Kriz (sound design), Mary O'Dowd (props design), Kathy Logelin (dialect coach), Lynn Baber (casting), Lindsey Marsland (assistant director), Cole von Glahn (production manager), Alex Meyer (stage manager) and Hannah Siglin (assistant stage manager).

PRODUCTION DETAILS:

Title: SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER
Playwright: Tennessee Williams
Director: Jason Gerace
Cast: Ayanna Bria Bakari (Sister Felicity), Janyce Caraballo (Miss Foxhill), Wardell Julius Clark (Dr.Cukrowicz), Grayson Heyl (Catherine Holly), Ann James (Mrs. Holly), Mary K. Nigohosian (Mrs. Venable) and Andrew Rathgeber (George Holly).
Location: Raven Theatre East Stage, 6157 N. Clark St. (at Granville), Chicago
Dates: Previews: Wednesday, May 2 at 7:30 pm, Thursday, May 3 at 7:30 pm, Friday, May 4 at 7:30 pm, Saturday, May 5 at 7:30 pm, Sunday, May 6 at 3 pm and Monday, May 7 at 7:30 pm
Regular run: Friday, May 11 - Sunday, June 17, 2018
Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will not be a performance on Thursday, May 10.

Tickets: Previews $32 ($29 if purchased online). Regular run $46 ($43 if purchased online). Seniors/teachers $41 ($38 if purchased online). Students/active military and veterans $15. Every Thursday is "Under 30 Thursday," when patrons under age 30 can purchase tickets for $15. Single tickets and subscriptions for the 2018-19 Season are currently available at www.raventheatre.com or by calling (773) 338-2177.

Group tickets: Groups of 10 or more are $30 per person for Thursday and Friday performances and $35 per person for Saturday and Sunday performances. Student groups are $15 per person.

About the Director:

Jason Gerace (Director) is a freelance director in Chicago, and is so thrilled to be directing for Raven Theatre for the first time. He was the recipient of the 2014 Non-Equity Jeff Award in Outstanding Direction for Great Expectations with Strawdog Theatre Company, which broke box office records, was twice remounted, and led to the adaptation's first publication. His production of Last Train to Nibroc for Haven Theatre was hailed as "an exquisitely acted and generally gorgeous little show" by the Chicago
Tribune. Regional directing credits include the world premiere of Gabe McKinley's The Source (Route 66 Theatre), the Chicago Premiere of Yussef El Guindi's Threesome (Other Theatre), Wrecks (with John Judd; Chicago), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Opus (RedTwist Theatre, Chicago). Jason originally hails from Anchorage, Alaska and holds an MFA in Directing from The University of Oklahoma. He is an associate member of SDC, and served as Artistic Associate of American Theater Company from 2008 - 2018.

About Raven Theatre

Raven Theatre tells stories of today and the past that connect us to our cultural landscape. Through its plays as well as its educational programming, Raven is committed to serving our communities' needs through the arts.

Raven Theatre Company is funded in part by the Alphawood Foundation, Dramatists Guild Fund, Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, The MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince, Polk Bros. Foundation, The Arts Work Fund for Organizational Development, S&C Electric, The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the PAV Fund and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

PHOTO CREDIT: (left to right) Mary K. Nigohosian, Grayson Heyl and Wardell Julius Clark in a publicity image for Raven Theatre's production of SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER by Tennessee Williams, directed by Jason Gerace. Photo by Christopher Semel.

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