Signal Ensemble Theatre Sets Final Production

Signal Ensemble Theatre presents the Chicago premiere of The Consultant by Heidi Schreck and directed by Signal Ensemble Theater Co-Artistic Director Ronan Marra at Signal Ensemble Theatre, 1802 W. Berenice Ave., January 21 - February 20, 2016. After 13 seasons of presenting, The Consultant marks the final production for Signal Ensemble Theatre. There will be one preview Thursday, Jan. 21 at 8 p.m. Opening/Press night is Friday, Jan. 22 at 8 p.m. Regular performances are Thursday - Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. (No performance Sunday, Feb. 7) Ticket prices are $23 for single tickets, $15 for industry/students/seniors/groups and $12 for previews. Tickets may be purchased by calling 773.698.7389 or by visiting www.signalensemble.com. NOTE: There is no Sunday, February 7 performance and there will be an industry Night performance Monday, Feb. 8 at 7:30pm.

After a series of brutal layoffs at Sutton, Feingold and McGrath, a precocious young consultant is brought in to save a middle-aged ad man's job, and maybe his life. Following the world premiere at Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, The Consultant is an incisive, hilarious and dark look at contemporary corporate culture.

Signal Ensemble Theatre announced September 16 that this, their 13th Season, would be their final season. In a joint statement, company Co-Artistic Directors and Co-Founders stated: "Signal Ensemble Theatre is immensely proud to be a part of the Chicago theatre story. It has been a privilege to be able to operate in the supportive and rich environment that this city has afforded us. After 13 exciting seasons, Signal Ensemble Theatre will be closing following its production of The Consultant this coming February. This decision has come after some hard looks at the logistics of our operations, the growth of individual careers and the changing state of our ensemble. It's important for us to maintain the commitment to the artistry and quality of production that marks our stage, and we feel it's best to end our run while we still feel we are capable of providing this to our audience. Simply put, it's time to move on for us, and we're putting every bit of passion and craftsmanship into this, our final season."

In its 13-season history, Signal Ensemble has produced 40 productions including world, United States and Chicago premieres. The productions have garnered awards, critical acclaim and represented drama, comedy and musical theatre including 1776 (2008), Aftermath (2010, 2011), Aces (2011), East of Berlin & The Russian Play (2011), Lascivious Something (2013), This is War (2013) and The Drowning Girls (2015).

The cast and production team for The Consultant includes:

CAST: Ariel Begley* (Amelia), Maggie Cain (Barbara), Ben Chang (Jun Suk), Courtney Jones* (Tania) and Joe McCauley* (Mark). *Indicates Signal Ensemble Theatre Member

CREW: Julie Ballard^ (lighting design), Elsa Hiltner^ (costume design), Anthony Ingram* (sound design), Ronan Marra* (director), Christopher Neville (props), Michelle Sellers* (stage manager) and Ian Zywica (set design). *Indicates Signal Ensemble Theatre Member, ^Indicates Signal Ensemble Artistic Associate