The Gift Theatre Announces New Play Residency 4802

The Gift Theatre's Artistic Director Michael Patrick Thornton is proud to announce that 4802-the new play research and development wing of The Gift named after its storefront address located on N Milwaukee Ave in Jefferson Park-is now accepting applicants. In 4802, Chicago-based artists and artistic teams will be given residencies in the Gift Theatre's 40-seat storefront, providing dedicated tailor-made time, space, and support for their work.

Each residency will range from 1-3 weeks long depending on the project; every project will be supported with a budget of up to $7,000. Applications for 4802 are now being accepted until January 1, 2017 at thegifttheatre.org/4802.

"4802 exists to nurture the creation of vital works of theater which pioneer what is possible in a storefront space," said 4802 Director and ensemble member Andrew Hinderaker. "The nature of the residencies will be determined by the needs of the individual projects and dictated by the artists themselves.

If applicants want to devise a piece in a company of artists; if they want to stage a movement workshop, pop-up production, table read-any approach that serves the development of their piece is welcome. The Gift is their laboratory where they can experiment, explore, and broaden the boundaries of their work."

As 4802 grows and The Gift's storefront space becomes fully utilized, fellow storefront theatres A Red Orchid, Steep, and Rivendell have offered to open their spaces to 4802.

Thornton adds, "We have examined how to do this in a true and permanent way, one which is organic to the core values of The Gift of LOVE, ENSEMBLE, and A PIONEERING SPIRIT in order to tell great stories with radical honesty and brave simplicity; stories which truly reflect our world. 4802 has been conceived, funded, and wet-wired into our DNA in order to perpetually collaborate with new voices and celebrate the storefront as a distinctly Chicago destination for some of the most daring works of theater in the country."

Since opening its storefront in 2005, The Gift has defied preconceptions of what's possible in an intimate space. Their production ofGrapes of Wrath, the world premieres of David Rabe's Good for Otto, Mat Smart's Royal Society of Antarctica, ensemble member Laura Marks' Mine, as well as Caryl Churchill's Cloud 9, Stephen Adly Guirgis' Last Days of Judas Iscariot, ensemble member Will Eno's Oh, the Humanity (and other exclamations), and Marco Ramirez's Broadsword are projects that have challenged rational storefront logic in terms of size, scope, cost, and ambition. With the development of 4802, the Gift will pioneer the boundaries of storefront theater even further.

"Working with The Gift was like coming home to a place I'd never even been before. From a personal perspective, it was immediately comfortable-and as an artist, it was immediately fulfilling," said playwright and produceR Ramirez.

For application details and additional information about 4802 please visit thegifttheatre.org/4802.

About The Gift Theatre

TEN, The Gift's annual kickoff celebration of ten-minute plays curated by artistic director Michael Patrick Thornton and associate artistic director Paul D'Addario took place in January. The season proper began March 3 with Richard III, directed by Jessica Thebus. Director and ensemble member Erica Weiss (Vigils) returned for The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, adapted by Frank Galati (June 16- August 14). The season closes with the world premiere of Melissa Ross' haunting and heartfelt mystery A Life Extra Ordinary(September 29- November 20) directed by ensemble member John Gawlik (The Royal Society of Antarctica). The Gift subscribers ("Gifters") receive admission to three shows, free parking at Gale Street Inn, free admission to all Wednesday night "Natural Gas" improv shows and invitations to special subscriber-only special events. Subscribe at http://thegifttheatre.org/ or call 773-283-7071.

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