The Gift Theatre Announces OPEN SEASON

The Gift Theatre is proud to announce Adithi Chandrashekar's Open Season as the first play chosen to pilot 4802-the new play research and development wing of The Gift named after its storefront address located on N Milwaukee Ave in Jefferson Park. Director Mara Stern and Chandrashekar will be given residency in the Gift Theatre's 40-seat storefront and provided with dedicated tailor-made time, space, and support for their work. The residency will take place over a span of 6 weeks and will be supported with a budget of $7,000. Performances for Open Season are free and open to the public from September 15-17.

Open Season has been in development since December 2015 and explores the abuses of power and the universal nature of loneliness in all creatures, large and small. In 4802, The Gift will serve as the artists laboratory where they can experiment, explore, and broaden the boundaries of their work.

A young deer is struck and badly injured on a dark, suburban road one winter night. The sheriff-a new mother, only recently back to work after her maternity leave-arrives on scene. After some assessment, the sheriff decides she must put the deer down and shoots it in the head. Whether the shooting was just, we're not quite sure. One thing is for certain, deer, in general, have become a problem in society. They are reckless, bread constantly and threaten human safety. But when the humans design laws to regulate "population control," nature's course is disrupted.

"The 4802 residency is an exciting opportunity to bring the strange story of a deer and a sheriff to life," says Chandrashekar. "We're experimenting with a few different storytelling devices-from live performances to video and sound elements-and we know some of our ideas will work, and some may not. We're so grateful to have support and encouragement from The Gift to tell this story, test ideas, learn from mistakes and hopefully, innovate."

Stern adds, "The Gift has given us this amazing opportunity to collaborate on this non-traditional piece that focuses on creation by the ensemble. They have given us the room to try what none of us has done before in a safe and incredibly supportive environment. This is a rare jewel in theatre that makes the folks at The Gift so special."

Since opening its storefront in 2005, The Gift has defied preconceptions of what's possible in an intimate space. Their production of Grapes 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.

"The vision and challenge of 4802 is to invest in artists we believe in, and to provide them with the opportunity to stage the impossible in a storefront space. We're thrilled to work with Mara and Adithi, and to have Open Season launch our 4802 program. This is a highly ambitious piece, innovative in storytelling and form - and we're deeply inspired by Adithi and Mara's passion. We're thrilled to provide them a lab space where they can experiment, innovate, and challenge the constraints of the storefront theater," said 4802 Producer Monty Cole.

Performance schedule

Friday, September 15 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, September 16 at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, September 17 at 2:30 p.m.

Tickets for Open Season are FREE And are available by calling the Gift's box office at 773-283-7071 or visiting thegifttheatre.org.

About The Gift Theatre

The Gift's 16th season consists of three world premieres and kicked off in February with Mona Mansour's war-torn drama Unseen, directed by ensemble member Maureen Payne-Hahner, followed by Claire Kiechel's Pilgrims, co-directed by ensemble member Michael Patrick Thornton and guest artist Jessica Thebus (June 2-July 30). The season closes with Janine Nabers' time-hopping love story A Swell in the Ground, directed by guest artist Chika Ike (October 13-December 10). Season subscriptions are available for as little as $75. 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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