STANLEY IN THE NAME OF LOVE and THE TERRIBLE Join The New Colony's 2014-15 Season

The New Colony is pleased to announce its full 2014-15 main stage season at its new permanent home -- The Den Theatre's, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood. Joining the previously announced world premiere musical PLASTIC REVOLUTION, The New Colony will present two additional world premieres: the musical comedy STANLEY IN THE NAME OF LOVE written and directed by Mr. Margaret Svetlove and the dark comedy THE TERRIBLE by Morgan McNaught, directed by Jesse Roth. Tickets for the season opener, PLASTIC REVOLUTION, are currently available at www.thenewcolony.org.

"This is an exciting year for us -- as it not only marks the first season to include two original musicals, but also the first play to originate from our Associate Company education program," comments Co-Artistic Director Andrew Hobgood. "Creating and producing original musicals has always been one of TNC's passions -- but also one of our greatest challenges. The fact that we now have the infrastructure and resources to increase our new musical output -- The Den Theatre being one of the most critical new resources -- is an incredible win for us. The Terrible is a particularly proud milestone for us, since we never imagined our Associate Company program would grow so quickly, let alone be an incubator for main stage world premieres," adds Hobgood.

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The New Colony's 2014-15 Season includes:

January 16 - February 22, 2015

PLASTIC REVOLUTION - World Premiere!

Book: Will Cavedo and Co-Artistic Director Andrew Hobgood
Lyrics: Co-Artistic Director Andrew Hobgood

Composer: Julie Nichols

Director: Co-Artistic Director Evan Linder

Musical Director: Charlotte Rivard-Hoster

Choreographer: Steve Love

Featuring Joshua R. Bartlett, Daeshawna Cook, Nikki Klix, Elise Mayfield, Sasha Smith, Danny Taylor and Cassie Thompson.

When recently widowed Delores Clarke meets Tupperware pioneer Brownie Wise, a new phenomenon sweeps through their picturesque 1950s Kissimee, Florida neighborhood. Selling a few hours of independence to local women with a revolutionary plastic craze, they tackle social norms, small-town politics and change the face of the American dinner table forever.

July/August 2015

STANLEY IN THE NAME OF LOVE - World Premiere!

Written and directed by Mr. Margaret Svetlove

Casting to be announced.

A trailer park fairy decides to become a pornstar because he wants to fall in love. Stanley, his hag, and a chorus of gay angels take off on the Road to Love. Along the way, they find Rod Fullalove, a beguiling pornstar, a man with a deep hole to fill. The powers of love and meaninglessness collide in this absurdist gay porn dance pop musical.

October/November 2015

THE TERRIBLE - World Premiere!

By Morgan McNaught

Directed by Jesse Roth

Casting to be announced.

Controversial performance artist Woolfe wakes up dead in a weird room with a therapist, a magician and a grifter. Together, they must come to terms with the terrible or else.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

PLASTIC REVOLUTION:

Will Cavedo (Book) is an actor, playwright and Ensemble Member with The New Colony. He first appeared in TNC's original production of Evan Linder's FRAT, later reprising his role in Hatmaker Theatrical Productions' remount of the play. He also appeared in Psychonaut Librarians, TNC's devised piece for Collaboraction's Sketchbook 12. He was most recently seen as Adam in TNC's reWILDing Genius as part of Steppenwolf's Garage Rep. Will co-wrote TNC plays Tupperware: An American Musical Fable (with Andrew Hobgood and James Asmus) and That Sordid Little Story (with Andrew Hobgood and Benno Nelson), the latter of which won a Non-Equity Jeff Award for Best Original Music. Will has contributed in various ways to TNC's 2012 mainstage production, Down & Derby; original films, So Many Days and Script Comes Last; and TNC's contribution to the 2011 "Mash Flob" project at The Museum of Contemporary Art. Will holds a BA in Theatre from The College of Charleston in Charleston, SC

Andrew Hobgood (Book and Lyrics) is the Founding Artistic Director of The New Colony, the Business Strategist for Vosges Chocolate, and an Adjunct Professor of Theater at the University of Chicago. His play, 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche, won Outstanding Production at the 2012 New York International Fringe Festival before opening as an Off-Broadway production that Ben Brantley of the New York Times called "raw and magnetic dementia...destined to attract a cult following." 5 Lesbians is now published with Samuel French. Hobgood's other work with The New Colony includes writing and directing the new musicals Tupperware: An American Musical Fable, That Sordid Little Story and Rise of The Numberless. His directing credits for The New Colony include Amelia Earhart: Jungle Princess, the original and commercial productions of FRAT, Hearts Full of Blood, which won Outstanding Script at the 2010 New York International Fringe Festival, B-Side Studio, produced in collaboration with The Inconvenience and the University of Chicago TAPS program, reWILDing Genius and most recently, Orville and Wilbur Did It! In 2010, Newcity named him one of the 50 People Who Really Perform for Chicago; in 2011, he and The New Colony were honored with the Broadway in Chicago Emerging Theater Award; and in 2013 he and Co-Artistic Director Evan Linder were two of six people on Chicago Magazine's Cultural Power List of Theater Scene Stealers. His recent play reWILDing Genius was commissioned by the University of Chicago and was produced as part of Steppenwolf's Garage Rep 2014. When not directing, writing or acting, he can be found working in the Innovation Lab of Vosges Haut-Chocolat, or guest speaking and writing on the topics of Devised/Collaborative Theater, the future of playwrighting and theater, and the Art of Business/Business of Art.

Julie Nichols (Composer) is a Chicago based composer, musical director and sound designer. She recently finished a four-year run as the Musical Director for The Second City Mainstage, composing for and sound designing four revues. Prior to life on the Mainstage, Julie was the Associate Musical Director at Boom Chicago in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. While at Boom, she learned production skills for the highly technical, multi-media theater, while composing and sound designing three of their mainstage revues. Julie currently plays keyboards in The Dead River Revival, composes for commercials and freelances for Second City. She has composed music for corporate videos and events, independent films, TV pilots, musicals, plays and everything in between.

Evan Linder (Director) is a founding member and the Co-Artistic Director of The New Colony. In Chicago, Evan has also had the pleasure of working with Victory Gardens, The Inconvenience, Collaboraction, Bailiwick Chicago, the side project and Bohemian Theater Ensemble. Favorite TNC roles include Kirk in Hearts Full of Blood, Zack in Orville and Wilbur Did It!, Jonathan in reWILDing Genius, Tasty in Down & Derby and Randy in Pancake Breakfast. Also a playwright, Evan's first play produced in Chicago, FRAT, was named as one of the Best of 2009 in the Chicago Tribune, Windy City Times and Newcity. Other works include 11:11, The Warriors, The Bear Suit of Happiness, B-Side Studio and 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche, which was named Best Overall Production at the 2012 NYC International Fringe Festival and is published by Samuel French. 5 Lesbians also enjoyed an Off-Broadway run as part of the Soho Playhouse's 2012-2013 season. His play The Bear Suit of Happiness and his hybrid stageplay/sitcom/webseries B-Side Studio (co-written with Hit the Wall playwright Ike Holter) both received their world premieres in Chicago in 2013. He was recently listed on Chicago Magazine's 2013 Power List of Theater Scene Stealers.

Charlotte Rivard-Hoster (Musical Director) is a music director, pianist and educator based in Chicago. Favorite music direction and performance credits include Methtacular! (About Face Theatre), The Last Five Years (Metropolis Performing Art Center), Songs For a New World (NightBlue Theater), I Can Get It For You Wholesale (Lost Note Theatre), The Light in the Piazza (Berklee) and Carousel (Boston Conservatory). Charlotte has taught with Chicago's Beverly Arts Center, Studio BE, Theatre of Western Springs, Youth Company Chicago, Metropolis SOPA, Roosevelt's CCPA and is a teaching artist and accompanist for Merit School of Music's Bridges Program and Foundations of Music.

STANLEY IN THE NAME OF LOVE:

Mr. Margaret Svetlove aka Sean Kelly (Playwright/Director) Sean Kelly is the Creative Director of The New Colony. He is a Chicago-born writer and director. He has directed at Porchlight Music Theatre, Victory Gardens, Collaboraction, The Old Town School of Folk Music and his home - The New Colony, among others. Of his work he says: I work in fabulous pseudonyms. I am more plagiarist than playwright. More curator than writer. I claim these stories are no more mine than anyone else's. Whereas others borrow, I merely steal. I stole that too. It's Stravinsky.

THE TERRIBLE:

Morgan McNaught (Playwright) is a writer, artist and actor whose short pieces have been featured at Victory Garden's One Minute Play Festival, and First Floor's Twain's World. Her interview of Zac Hanson can be found at the AV Club. She is a company member of The New Colony, and was last seen in Orville and Willbur Did It!, reWilding Genius and Down and Derby. She was a co-writer of The Terrible Magic of Gertie Lazarus, the first iteration of The Terrible, which is her first full-length production. Morgan has had the privilege to work with the fine people at Steppenwolf Garage, Pavement Group, About Face, Chicago Dramatists, Colloboraction, Victory Gardens, The Guild Literary Complex, Red Tape, Everything is Terrible, and Clickhole. She hails from Massillion, OH and Eugene, OR and currently lives and works in Chicago.

Jesse Roth (Director) Jesse Roth is a director whose recent work includes The Distance to the Moon at Collaboraction's Sketchbook Festival and Little Bessie at First Floor Theatre. Her past work with The New Colony includes dramaturging reWILDing Genius and The Bear Suit of Happiness (remount). She is a company member at First Floor Theatre and a member of the 2013 New Colony Associate Company. She has also worked at The House Theatre of Chicago, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Court Theatre, A Red Orchid Theatre, Red Tape Theatre, Polarity Ensemble Theatre, The Den Theatre, The Young American's Theatre Company, and Seattle Shakespeare Company. She graduated from the University of Chicago's Theatre and Performance Studies program.

About The New Colony - The New Colony, the 2011 recipient of the Broadway In Chicago Emerging Theater Award, strives to contribute original material to the American artistic canon and develop a new kind of theater going audience. Through collaboration with emerging artists of all disciplines, The New Colony continually develops new work and fresh perspectives. With the goal of exploring enticing subject matter and the common language of experience, The New Colony will cultivate the next generation of arts supporters.

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