Step Up Productions to Present HOLIDAZE One-Acts Series, 11/30-12/22

Tis the season! Step Up Productions presents HoliDAZE, a gift-wrapped line-up of original one-acts showcasing the dysfunctional chaos and joyous celebration the holidays bring - featuring works by Lisa Dillman, Tate Geborkoff, Nambi E. Kelley, Joshua Rollins and Steve Simoncic. HoliDAZE plays November 30 - December 22, 2013 at The Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are available online at www.stepupproductions.org and www.athenaeumtheatre.org or by calling The Athenaeum Box Office at (773) 935-6875. The press performance is Tuesday, December 3 at 8 pm.

Five talented playwrights explore the holiday season and the experiences of love, happiness, craziness, sadness, magic, anger, loss and disappointment. Join a fool and wench for a light hearted Christmas in a royal palace; an engaged couple wanting to have the best Christmas ever; a family's experience of loss and larger-than-life love; a first date over coffee with a special gift; and an unexpected visitor on Christmas Eve for this festive line-up that truly reveals the difficulties and joys of relationships during the holiday season.

Step Up Productions will be collecting donations and non-perishable goods for Lakeview Pantry at each performance. Proceeds from HoliDAZE will also benefit LINDEN OAKS @ Edward Hospital, which treats Seasonal Affective Disorder. As part of its mission, Step Up Productions donates a portion of its proceeds to organizations in and around Chicago that support issues often highlighted in its productions.

The full HoliDAZE line-Up includes:

Christmas is Made for Fools by Lisa Dillman
Directed by Adrianne Cury
A depressed court jester, tasked with creating a holiday pageant for the king, gets a lesson in love and the art of merrymaking from a quick-witted palace wench.

And The Snow Came Down by Tate Geborkoff
Directed by Tara Branham
Recently engaged, Stuart and Phillip are busy trying to unite their families during "the best Christmas ever." In a moment's reprieve, Stuart and his future mother-in-law, Karen, escape the party and their slow-burning hostility comes to blows over love, marriage, family and Phillip. And the Snow Came Down reflects on how families can lovingly be at each other's throats with charming rancor and razor wit.

For My Brothers Whenever I May Find Them by Nambi E. Kelley
Directed by Daniel Bryant
What happens to a family when it loses its matriarch just before the holidays? Will they come together in love or allow their loss to separate them? For My Brothers Whenever I May Find Them tells the story of family and asks the question: will love triumph over fear in the face of loss?

The Intruder by Joshua Rollins
Directed by Laura Hooper
Featuring Elizabeth Antonucci and Connor McNamara
The holidays are a time for family to come together - but what happens when all flights are cancelled and a couple is left to spend the time together - whether their relationship is ready for it or not? Oh, and there's a squirrel loose in the apartment. And he's hungry. And evil.

The Space Behind Your Heart by Steve Simoncic
Directed by Vincent Teninty
The story of Connor and Sloan, two 40-somethings on a first date brokered by the online dating service, Christian Mingle. A gift is exchanged, an understanding is achieved, and there is a moment of possibility for people simply trying to find a moment of dignity and genuine human connection after life has convinced them that might not be possible.

The production team for HoliDAZE includes: Raquel Adorno (costume design), Becca Jefford (lighting design), Steve Baldwin (sound design), Haley Borodine (props design), Dorthea Walstrom (makeup design), Adrienne Bader (production stage manager) and Catherine Allen (production manager).

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