Raven Theatre Presents YEN Beginning March 21

Raven Theatre continues its 2018-19 season with the Chicago premiere of Anna Jordan's dramaYEN directed by Elly Green. This savage, unrelenting play about growing up, opening the windows and letting in the light will play March 21 - May 5, 2019 on Raven's intimate 55-seat West Stage, 6157 N. Clark St. (at Granville) in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at www.raventheatre.com or by calling (773) 338-2177. The press openings are Monday, March 25 and Tuesday, March 26, 2019 at 7:30 pm.

YEN will feature Jesse Aaronson, Tiffany Bedwell, Reed Lancaster and Netta Walker.

London, right now. Two practically feral teenage brothers live alone in their filthy flat with a dog named Taliban, perpetually bathed in the blue glow of their screens: playing video games, watching porn, waiting for the occasional visit from their detached mother, and surviving. But when a strange neighbor girl barges through the door, the boys' little blue world begins to change color.

Comments Artistic Director Cody Estle, "Anna Jordan's YEN has had successful productions in both London and New York. It is an intense drama of a dysfunctional family which explores the consequences of two teenage boys being forced to grow up on their own in a childhood essentially without boundaries. I'm looking forward to introducing Jordan's writing to our audience and the overall Chicago theatre community. I think this will be a memorable production in our 2018-2019 season."

The production team for YEN includes: Joe Schermoly (scenic design), Alexis Chaney (costume design), Claire Chrzan (lighting design), Aaron Stephenson (sound design), Leah Hummel (props design) Sam Hubbard (fight choreographer), Eva Breneman (dialect coach), Giulianna Marchese (dramaturg), Lynn Baber (casting director), A.J. Roy (assistant director), Cole von Glahn (production manager), Jeremiah Barr(technical director), Jessie Howe (scenic artist), Alex Beal (master electrician), Alex Meyer (stage manager) and Alyssa Maldonado (assistant stage manager).

About the Artists:

Anna Jordan (Playwright) is a London-based playwright, director and acting coach. Awards include the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting 2013 for YEN, Shortlist of Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for YEN, Best Fringe Production for Chicken Shop at Park Theatre (West End Frame Awards) and Overall Winner / Audience Choice Award for Closer To God (Off Cut Festival). Writing credits include: We Anchor In Hope (Royal Court Theatre - Beyond the Court), A Serious Case of the Fuckits (Royal Central School of Speech and Drama), YEN (Royal Exchange / Royal Court), Chicken Shop (Park Theatre London), Freak (Assembly Studios / Theatre503), Stay Happy Keep Smiling (Soho Theatre), Bender (Old Red Lion) and Fragments (Riverside Studios). Her plays have also been performed internationally. Anna is Artistic Director of Without a Paddle Theatre. As a director she has worked at the National Theatre on NT Connections play Tomorrow I'll Be Happy, as well as directing numerous productions at new writing powerhouse Theatre503. She also directed Crystal Springs at Eureka Theatre in San Francisco. She works frequently at London drama schools including RADA, LAMDA, Central, Arts Ed and Italia Conti. Anna is currently working with Headlong, The Royal Exchange, The Royal Court and Frantic Assembly.

Elly Green's (Director) is a Chicago-based director, originally from the UK. She recently directed In the Canyon by Calamity West for Jackalope Theatre and You for Me for You by Mia Chung for Sideshow Theatre. Other credits include: The Woyzeck Experiment (Goodman Playwrights Unit), Pillars of the Community, The Night Season, After Miss Julie (Strawdog), The Woman in Black (Wildclaw), No More Sad Things (Sideshow), The Distance (Haven), The Woman Before (Trap Door), Happy (Redtwist) and Rabbit (Stage Left), Unwilling and Hostile Instruments (Theatre Seven) and The Tomkat Project (Playground & NY Fringe). Her Assistant Director credits include: Henry V (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre), Proof (Court Theatre), Oedipus, Mrs Affleck, Her Naked Skin (Royal National Theatre, London). She is an ensemble member with Sideshow Theatre and Strawdog Theatre, and an Associate Artist with Stage Left Theatre. Elly trained in the UK at Birkbeck College, LAMDA and the National Theatre Studio. More info at www.ellygreendirector.com

Artwork by Jake Fruend

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