The House Theatre Extends VERBÖTEN

The House Theatre of Chicago will extend Verböten, the company's second main stage production of its 18th season. Directed by The House's Artistic Director Nathan Allen, with book by Brett Neveu and music and lyrics by Jason Narducy, The House will add 13 performances of Verböten running through Sunday, March 29 at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St. The regular performance schedule through March 29 will remain with additional updates also listed below:

Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m.

Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. (Alternative times: Saturday, March 14 at

2 p.m., no performance March 14 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, March 28 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Sundays at 3 p.m. (No Performance Sunday, March 22)

IMPORTANT SCHEDULING NOTE: The extension of Verböten will change the running dates of The House's production of Henry to April 9 through May 24, 2020 with Previews April 9 - 18, and Press Opening on Sunday, April 19 at 7 p.m.

The reminder of The House Theatre of Chicago's accessible performance schedule for Verböten is as follows: Friday, Feb. 21 at 8 p.m. (Open Captioned), and Friday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. (Touch Tour at 7 p.m./Audio Described Performance at 8 p.m.). Ticket prices range from $30-60 and may be purchased by calling 773.769.3832 or by visiting www.thehousetheatre.com. Student and industry same-day discounted tickets are available at $20 for all dates, based on availability. Discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more are also available.

"I am excited that even more of the Chicago community will have the opportunity to rock out with our extraordinarily talented cast of actors and musicians. We've been blown away by the crowds every night at The Chopin Theatre, and the audience members coming back to see it more than once," said Allen. "When Brett (Neveu) and Jason (Narducy) first brought Verböten to us more than four years ago, we knew it was a special show, and not just because we are big fans of Split Single, Superchunk, Bob Mould, Hüsker Dü and Dave Grohl. Developing this world premiere at The House has been such a gratifying experience, thanks to Brett's passion for storytelling and Jason's catchy, diverse array of punk, pop and rock songs that have been ringing in our ears ever since we first got under the headphones with them."

Verböten is a new musical inspired by Narducy's 1980's Evanston-based teenage punk rock band, Verböten. It's 1983 in Chicago and it's do-or-die for Verböten-a band that is made up of outsider teens with seriously complex home lives. As they gear up for a show at The Cubby Bear that is sure to change their lives forever, can they keep their parents from destroying the fabric of their self-made punk rock family?

"We started a punk rock band in Evanston in 1982. I was 11 years old and it felt incredible to write original songs and play them with my friends. We all had our own issues at home but we found love and support in our little group. We were Verböten. Brett Neveu wrote this play depicting our scene in Evanston in 1983 and I think he captured the spirit of the band and both the humor and confusion that we possessed. I'm thrilled to be a part of this production. The cast and crew are incredible. I can't thank The House Theatre of Chicago and Brett enough for taking our story to the stage 37 years after we made punk rock songs in an Evanston basement," said musician Narducy about his collaboration with playwright Neveu and The House Theatre of Chicago.

The current cast for the Verböten features Kieran McCabe (Jason); Krystal Ortiz (Tracey); Matthew Lunt (Chris); Jeff Kurysz (Zack); Jimmy Chung (Jason's Stepdad); Ray Rehberg (Jason's Dad); Paul Fagen* (Tracy's Dad); Jenni M. Hadley (Tracy's Mom); Marika Mashburn+* (Chris' Sister); Marc A. Rogers (Zack's Dad); Timothy Remis (Germ Shepard, drums); Cari Meixner (u/s Tracey and Chris' Sister); Derek Fawcett (u/s Tracey's Dad and Zack's Dad); Steven Romero Schaeffer (u/s Jason, Chris and Zack); Nick Villalon (u/s Jason's Dad and Jason's Stepdad) and A. Nikki Greenlee (u/s Tracey's Mom).

The design team includes Lee Keenan+ (Set and Lights), Izumi Inaba+ (Costumes), Matthew Muñiz+ (Arrangements/Music Direction), Marika Mashburn+* (Casting), Grover Hollway (Sound), Kasey Foster (Choreography), Eleanor Kahn (Props), Amalie Vega* (Stage management).

*Member of Actor's Equity Association

+Company Member of The House Theatre of Chicago

The Foundation Production Sponsor for Verböten is The Poetry Foundation. The Individual Production Sponsor is Timothy Sherck.

To post a comment, you must register and login.