The House Theatre Presents VERBÖTEN - An Online Encore Presentation

The House Theatre of Chicago will offer pay-what-you-wish remote viewing of its latest mainstage production, Verböten, the true-ish story of how punk rock saved the lives of four Evanston kids in 1983. It features music and lyrics by Chicago musician Jason Narducy and celebrates how music makes us less lonely and forges bonds that last a lifetime. In addition to remote viewing of the musical, audiences will have the opportunity to purchase a ticket to a live, online "Closing Party" hosted by Tony-award-winning actor and musician Michael Cerveris. On Saturday, May 2 at 7:30 p.m. (CST), guests will join The House's Artistic Director Nathan Allen in a two-way video event with Cerveris, his long-time friend and Verböten composer Jason Narducy and playwright Brett Neveu to talk about the blending of rock n' roll and theatre, a topic to which Cerveris brings a wealth of experience.

Remote viewing tickets for Verböten are available now through Monday, May 4. The video by HMS Media includes closed captioning for those who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing. Audiences may purchase a pay-what-you-wish ticket for one-time viewing of the production video starting at $15. Tickets for the special, limited capacity event with Michael Cerveris are $99 and include remote viewing of the production. To learn more about the event and The House Theatre of Chicago visit www.thehousetheatre.com. To directly purchase tickets visit click here. Proceeds will be shared with everyone who worked and played on the show.

Artistic director and director of Verböten Nathan Allen reflected, "Verböten was really special and enjoyed one of those rare and perfect ensembles of artists. The idea here is simply to celebrate those artists with the kind of joyful send-off their work deserved, but couldn't receive."

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?

Live performances ran January 16 - March 8, 2020 at The Chopin Theatre, and the company was about to begin a three-week extension when public health guidance prompted the early closing. The recent production is among the top-selling world premieres in the company's 18-year history producing original works.

The 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 Premiere Production Sponsor is The Poetry Foundation and the Individual Production Sponsor is Timothy Sherck.

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