Red Theater to Kick Off 6th Season with THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY

Red Theater Chicago announces the start of their 6th season with their upcoming production of The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity by Kristoffer Diaz, directed by Jeremy Aluma. Performances run August 15 through September 16, 2017. Press opening is Friday, August 18, 2017 at 8:00 PM at Strawdog Theatre, 1802 W Berenice Ave, Chicago, IL 60613.

THE PLAY
How does one pursue the "American Dream" in a country that refuses to offer opportunity indiscriminately? That is the question at the heart of The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, a flashy American satire set in the professional entertainment wrestling world. We follow Macedonio Guerra, an excellent Puerto Rican wrestler, as he rises from the bottom of the pecking order. In this interactive physical comedy, Mace talks directly to the audience as fans in his arena, drawing the viewer into the struggle, joy, and heart of the story. The play dissects race, xenophobia, ego, and our moral compass - topics even more relevant now than when it premiered eight years ago. Winner of the 2011 Obie Award for Best New American Play, a 2009 Pulitzer Prize Finalist, and the 2008 National Latino Playwriting Award.

Friday, August 18 at 8pm (press opening)
Saturday, August 19 at 8pm
Sunday, August 20 at 4pm
Thursday, August 24 at 8pm

Friday, August 25 at 8pm
Saturday, August 26 at 8pm
Sunday, August 27 at 4pm (touch tour)
Monday, August 28 at 8pm (captions)
Thursday, August 31 at 8pm (captions)

Friday, September 1 at 8pm
Saturday, September 2 at 8pm
Sunday, September 3 at 4pm
Thursday, September 7 at 8pm

Friday, September 8 at 8pm
Saturday, September 9 at 8pm
Sunday, September 10 at 8pm (understudy show)

Thursday, September 14 at 8pm

Friday, September 15 at 8pm
Saturday, September 16 at 8pm (closing)

The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity runs Thursdays through Saturdays at 8:00 PM, and Sundays at 4:00 PM August 15, through September 16, 2017, with an additional Monday performance on August 28 with captions. Captions will also be provided on Thursday, August 31 at 8:00 PM. A touch tour will be offered on Sunday, August 27 at 4:00 PM. Tickets go on sale online July 24, 2017 at redtheater.org. Press Opening is Friday, August 18, 2017 at 8:00 PM. **Previews are Tuesday, August 15 through Thursday, August 17 at 8:00 PM. The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity will be performed at Strawdog Theatre's new home at 1802 W Berenice Ave, Chicago, IL 60613. The theater is fully accessible and CTA accessible via the Irving Park Brown Line train or the #11 Lincoln bus.

THE PEOPLE
Kristoffer Diaz is a New Dramatists resident playwright, speaker, and educator. His play The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama, and has gone on to more than thirty productions nationwide. Other full-length titles include Welcome to Arroyo's, #therevolution, The Upstairs Concierge, and The Unfortunates. His work has been produced, commissioned, and developed at The Public Theater, Dallas Theater Center, Geffen Playhouse, ACT, Center Theatre Group, The Goodman, Second Stage, Victory Gardens, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Actors Theatre of Louisville, American Theater Company, The Atlantic, InterAct, Mixed Blood, The Orchard Project, Hip-Hop Theater Festival, The Lark, Summer Play Festival, Donmar Warehouse, and South Coast Repertory, among many others. Awards include the Guggenheim, Jerome, Van Lier, NYFA, and Gail Merrifield Papp Fellowships; New York Times Outstanding Playwright Award; Lucille Lortel, Equity Jeff, and OBIE Awards; and the Future Aesthetics Artist Regrant, among others. As a screenwriter, he has developed original television pilots for HBO and FX, and written for Netflix. Kristoffer holds a BA from New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study, an MFA from NYU's Department of Dramatic Writing, and an MFA from Brooklyn College's Performing Arts Management program. He teaches playwriting at New York University.

Jeremy Aluma is an award-winning, Jewish-American theatre director and producer of Iraqi descent. He founded the internationally touring clown troupe, Four Clowns and served as artistic director during the first seven years. Credits include: Hamlet (American Coast Theater, CA); Abraham & Isaac (MuBe Cultural Theatre, São Paulo, Brazil); Four Clowns (La MaMa, NYC); Pinocchio and Robin Hood (South Coast Repertory); Sublimity (Theatre Row, NYC); Lunatics & Actors (Shakespeare Center, LA); Henry's Potato (REDCAT, LA); Beyond Dark (Odyssey Theater, LA); Jonah (Annenberg, Santa Monica); Crumble (SacRed Fools, LA); The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Urban Theatre Movement, LA); and In Arabia We'd All Be Kings (Alive Theatre, Long Beach). Nationally, he has directed productions at Chopin Theatre (Chicago); Gremlin Theatre (St. Paul, MN); Exit Theatre (San Francisco); Indy Fringe Theater (Indianapolis); Space 55 (Phoenix); and Insurgo Theater Movement (Las Vegas) amongst others. He is the recipient of the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, Cultural Exchange International Grant, the City of Santa Monica, Annenberg Community Beach House Residency, and the Long Beach Arts Council Community Project Grant. Since graduating Cum Laude from California State University, Long Beach with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre Directing, Aluma has attended prestigious training programs such as, the Master Conservatory program in Bali, Indonesia; Director's Lab West; and The Actor's Center in NYC. He continues to teach and take classes at The Clown School and is currently pursuing his MFA in Directing at The Theatre School at DePaul University.

The cast features Semaj Miller (CHAD DEITY), Alejandro Tey (MACE), Mickey O'Sullivan (EKO), Priyank Thakkar (VP), Will Snyder (THE BAD GUY) and Dave Honigman (REFEREE). Understudies include Alberto Mendoza, Raj Bond, Michael Morrow, Michael Stock, and Dave Honigman.

The artistic team includes Nathan Speckman (Assistant Director), Joseph Galizia (Dramaturg), Michael Lewis (Scenic & Prop Design), Hailey Rakowiecki (Costume Design), Connor Ciesil (Sound Design), Brian Lawrie (Projection Design), Charles Blunt (Lighting Design), Kyle Encinas (Fight Choreography), Liam Fitzgerald (Technical Director), Sammie Rivera (Stage Manager), Rory Jobst (Producer), ^Aaron Sawyer (Producer), ^Josh Johnson (Producer), ^Gage Wallace (Casting Director), and Rachel Paige **(Casting Coordinator).

ABOUT RED THEATER CHICAGO
Red Theater Chicago, now in its 6th Season, is committed to honoring all audiences by asking dangerous questions through accessible performances that broaden perspectives and inspire dialogue.

^Denotes Red Theatre Company Member

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