Sideshow Theatre Stages THE BURDEN OF NOT HAVING A TAIL, Now thru 8/4

Sideshow Theatre Company concludes its 2012/13 season with the world premiere of THE BURDEN OF NOT HAVING A TAIL, by Carrie Barrett, directed by ensemble member Megan A. Smith, playing tonight, June 29 - August 4, 2013 at Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago. This darkly comical, one-woman tour-de-force features ensemble member Karie Miller in an interactive experience with the audience. Tickets are available at www.sideshowtheatre.org. The press performance is Tuesday, July 2 at 8 pm.

The end of the world is coming and Sideshow wants you to be ready. Join ensemble member Karie Miller in her cozy, fully-equipped and completely secure underground bunker as she walks you through how to survive the inevitable apocalypse. From rice appreciation to the dangers of scented shampoos, you'll get a complete and thorough primer on the ins-and-outs of being prepared for the all worst-case scenarios, from an undisputed expert in the field. But what exactly brought her down here in the first place, and what's the price of complete safety? The answers are revealed in the world premiere of Carrie Barrett's hilarious, surprising and joyfully morbid new play.

"Burden physically and vocally asks the audience to explore the story with us, which is exciting and refreshing-but also nerve-wracking in its unpredictability," comments Director Megan A. Smith. "This is a play where each evening's audience will uniquely inform the performance."

The production team for THE BURDEN OF NOT HAVING A TAIL includes: Eleanor Kahn (set designer), Kristin DeiTos (costume designer), Jordan Kardasz (lighting designer), Chris LaPorte and Michael Huey (sound designers), Arianna Soloway (props coordinator), Gina Di Salvo and Jeff Tinley (dramaturgs), Ben Dawson (production manager), Ellie Wasserman (assistant director),Shelby Glasgow (stage manager) and Alison McLeod (assistant stage manager)

THE BURDEN OF NOT HAVING A TAIL plays previews on Sat., June 29 at 8 pm, Sunday, June 30 at 6 pm & Monday, July 1 at 8 pm. Press Performance: Tuesday, July 2 at 8 pm. Gala opening and reception: Wednesday, July 3 at 8 pm. Regular run: Wednesday, July 3 - Sunday, August 4, 2013. Curtain Times: Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm; Sundays at 3 pm. Note: there will be no performance onThurs., July 4.

Tickets: Previews: $15, or pay-what-you-can at the door. Regular run: $20-25; $15 student, senior and industry tickets available for select Thursday and Sunday performances. Tickets are available at www.sideshowtheatre.org. Group tickets are available for $15 for groups of 10 or more, and can be reserved by emailing tickets@sideshowtheatre.org.

Carrie Barrett's plays have been produced, workshopped or developed at The National Playwrights Conference at The Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center, Katselas Theatre Company (Los Angeles), Gotham Stage Company (New York), Steep Theatre, Chicago Dramatists, American Theatre Company, Northwestern University and through Remy Bumppo Theatre Company. Her improv and sketch comedy has been produced at i.O Theatres (Chicago & Los Angeles), Second City Unhinged and various festivals such as Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Piccolo Spoletto Fringe, Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival, Chicago Improv Festival and Los Angeles Improv Festival. She is a graduate of Northwestern's MFA in Writing for the Screen and Stage program where she studied under playwrights Rebecca Gilman and Laura Schellhardt. She currently lives in Los Angeles where she is a member of The Playwrights Union.

Development of THE BURDEN OF NOT HAVING A TAIL was supported by the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center during a residency at the National Playwrights Conference of 2010. Preston Whitway, Executive Director; Wendy C. Goldberg, Artistic Director.

Founded in 2007, Sideshow Theatre Company's mission is to mine The Collective Unconscious of the world we live in with limitless curiosity, drawing inspiration from the familiar stories, memories and images we all share to spark new conversation and bring our audiences together as adventurers in a communal experience of exploration. From its first production, 2008's "vivid, intimate and visually arresting" (The Daily Herald) Dante Dies!! (and then things get weird), through its most recent staging of Roland Schimmelpfennig's Idomeneus, which was praised by Hedy Weiss of the Sun-Times as "highly recommended... a marvelous production," Sideshow has consistently brought a sense of excitement and wonder to Chicago's stages.

In the Spring 2011, Sideshow produced the runaway robotic hit Heddatron by Elizabeth Meriwether, as part of Steppenwolf Theatre's 2nd Annual GARAGE REP. The production ran to packed houses and rave reviews, and its innovative and quirky robotics designs won Sideshow its first Non-Equity Joseph Jefferson Award, for Artistic Specialization. Later that same year, Marius von Mayenburg's The Ugly One garnered Jeff Award nominations for director Seth Bockley and lighting designer Mac Vaughey. In the summer of 2012, Sideshow produced two plays in the span of three months: the world premiere of Calamity West's The Gacy Play, developed with the playwright over the course of two years, and Idomeneus, performed at the DCASE Storefront Theatre. The current season included the Chicago premiere of Maria/Stuart at Theater Wit. Next season, Sideshow will begin a residency at Chicago's Victory Gardens Theater.

Sideshow also produces the Chicago League of Lady Arm Wrestlers (CLLAW), a popular interactive fundraising event that benefits Sideshow Theatre Company and local charities and has been featured in The Washington Post, Time Out Chicago, Penthouse Magazine, Chicago Magazine, Chicago Sun-Times and on WGN Morning News and ABC's Windy City Live. The next match is set for Friday, June 7, 2013 at the Logan Square Auditorium For more information about CLLAW, visit www.cllaw.org.

For additional information on Sideshow Theatre Company, visit www.sideshowtheatre.org, www.facebook.com/SideshowTheatre or www.twitter.com/SideshowTheatre.

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