Ruckus' New Season Begins with ALL SAINTS DAY, 9/2

The Ruckus Theater is making some noise again with its upcoming Season 2 opener:
All Saints' Day: 44 Plays About Jeffrey Jones by Ron Riekki, directed by Brian Ruby. A trio of Ruckus newcomers-Chicago actors Elizabeth Babgy, Kevin Crispin and Matthew Humphrey-star in this new play recounting a series of Halloween encounters. On the heels of a successful first season in Chicago, and having sold out nearly every performance of Heist Play, Tell It & Speak It & Think It & Breathe It, The Gay American and Escape from the Haltsburg Boys Choir, The Ruckus doubles the number of performances for each play in the 2010/2011 season, for a total of four weekends. The Ruckus also hosts a special performance of New York City band Not Blood Paint, featuring Ruckuser Seth Miller on Sunday, September 5 following that evening's 7:30pm performance. All Saints' Day: 44 Plays About Jeffrey Jones is performed at The Side Project Theatre September 2 - 26, 2010 (opening night is September 3). All performances are at 7:30pm. Tickets are $15. For mature audiences. A complete performance schedule including dates, times and ticket prices appears at the end of this release.
 
On one side of the door, the Trick or Treater knocks. On the other, someone waits. Someone answers, or doesn't. Someone holds all the candy. Someone else takes it. All Saints' Day dissects this simplest of relationships and sends it through the American centrifuge of war, death, love, loss, sex, drugs, and rock and roll.
 
Playwright Ron Riekki received an M.F.A. in Theater Arts/Playwriting from Brandies University, an M.F.A. in Creative Writing/Fiction from the University of Virginia and a Ph.D. in Literature & Creative Writing from Western Michigan University. He has won several awards including two nominations for Illinois Press Awards for journalism (for Personality Profile and Feature Writing), four UWire Today award selections, a UVa Henry Hoynes Fellowship, a Ragdale residency, a CMU Charles F. Pfeiffer Award for Excellence in Writing, a Sewanee Writers' Series nomination from John Casey for his novel U.P., a Sewanee Tennessee Williams Scholarship, and a Meritorious Unit Commendation while serving in Diego Garcia during Operation Desert Storm. His novel U.P. has been one of its publisher's top ten bestsellers for over seventy weeks. Producers Flo Speakman and Steven Wiig are working to turn his novel U.P. into a film. Alpha Beat Press published his poetry chapbook I Wish This Feeling was Stronger than Codeine. Gypsy Daughter Press is publishing two upcoming chapbooks of his poetry, the first tentatively entitled Leave Me Alone I'm Bleeding. He also toured with the 2007 National We Can Make You Laugh Comedy Tour.
 
Director Brian Ruby has worked with a range of companies in Chicago. His work with The Ruckus includes assistant directing the world premiere of The Gay American and directing The Gods are Crazy Blind and Last Date as part of Tell It & Speak It & Think It & Breathe It. Prior to joining The Ruckus, he directed the Chicago premiere of Phenomenon Of Decline at Gorilla Tango Theater and served as assistant director for productions of Evolution and Boston Marriage. In the past, his work has also been a part of The Mill Theatre's Et Cetera VI, MOB Productions Fan Fiction Festivals, and Suzan Lori Parks' 365 Days/365 Plays. Prior to his move to Chicago, Brian received a BA in Theatre Arts from Kalamazoo College where he directed productions of Cleansed and This Is A Chair. He also founded and served as Artistic Director of the Bay City, MI based Bay Area Recreational Drama mounting productions of No Exit and The Imaginary Invalid.

All Saints' Day: 44 Plays About Jeffrey JonesA new play by Ron Riekki | Directed by Brian Ruby
September 2 - 26, 2010 at The Side Project Theatre (1439 W Jarvis Ave)
The cast of All Saints' Day includes Elizabeth Bagby as Non-Tot; Kevin Crispin as Tot; and Matthew Humphrey as Other. The creative team includes Set Designer J. Clay Barron, Costume Designer Crystal Jovae Mazu, Lighting Designer Christine Grodecki, Sound Designer Melissa Schlesinger, Props Designer Joshua Davis, Casting Director Timo Aker and Stage Manager Amber Dettmers.  
 
Tickets to All Saints' Day: 44 Plays About Jeffrey Jones are $15 and may be purchased online at RuckusTheater.org or by phone at 773.769.RCKS (7257). On Sunday, September 5, The Ruckus and the company of All Saints' Day host a special guest performance by New York City band "Not Blood Paint". For more information, visit www.ruckustheater.org.
 
 Not Blood Paint is a four-man rock ensemble giving out far-fetched leads, fetching harmonies, intricate rhythms and evocative theatrics. The band is influenced by forward-thinking acts such as Dirty Projectors and is sometimes compared to the likes of King Crimson, Gang of Four, Muse, White Denim and Frank Zappa. With a sound at once energetic and controlled, their live shows can be disorienting but are always visceral and aim to prove that more can be expected from few guys with guitars. Not Blood Paint's first self-produced EP, 'Pure Electron' is now available all over the interweb. www.notbloodpaint.com
 
The Ruckus: Season 2 is produced as part of the side project's Visiting Artist Series and is comprised of three new plays: All Saints' Day: 44 Plays About Jeffrey Jones by Ron Riekki (September 2010); Escape from the Haltsburg Boys Choir, book by Aaron Dean, music by Jason Rico, lyrics by Aaron Dean and Jason Rico (January 2011); a workshop of Su Sessiz (Calm Water) by Timo Aker (March 2011); and 15 Minutes, developed by the Company, written by Mitch Vermeersch and Aaron Dean (May/June 2011). 

Made up of an industrious group of Michigan ex-pats, The Ruckus is composed of actors, directors, playwrights, musicians, casting directors, publicity managers, grant writers, baristas, grad students, poets, computer fixers, appointment-makers and census-takers who aim to create a new kind of company-a casteless theater that blends the lines between playwright and actor, audience and company member. The Ruckus Theater is led by Artistic Director Allison Shoemaker, Associate Artistic Director Joshua Davis and Managing Director Jeffrey Fauver.

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