The Midwest Premiere Of THIRST Completes Strawdog Theatre Company's 32nd Season

Strawdog Theatre announces the final production of its 32nd season, the Midwest premiere of C.A. Johnson's dystopian drama THIRST, directed by Andrea J. Dymond, set for January 9 - February 15, 2020. The press opening is Monday, January 13 at 7:30 pm.

After a devastating water shortage and war, Samira and Greta have made a life for themselves and their son Kalil in a clearing in the woods. When Kalil returns home one day without their water rations, Samira and Greta find themselves in conflict with the local political leader. Set in a tense segregated society, Thirst is a complex look at family and love in wartime. C.A. Johnson explores the politics of race and redefines community in this fierce post-apocalyptic story.

Strawdog's 2019-20 season, "TRUTH," also includes the previously announced Chicago premiere of Lucy Prebble's bold drama THE EFFECT, directed by ensemble member Elly Green* (October 13 - November 23, 2019); the return of Strawdog's popular musical adaptation of the family classic HERSHEL AND THE HANUKKAH GOBLINS, based on the book by Eric Kimmel, adapted by ensemble member Michael Dailey*, with music and lyrics by Jacob Combs (December 2019); and Brian James Polak's topical drama WELCOME TO KEENE, NEW HAMPSHIRE, a co-world premiere with Charleston, South Carolina's PURE Theatre, directed by Strawdog's new Artistic Director Leda Hoffmann (April 16 - May 30, 2020).

All performance during the 32nd season will be staged at Strawdog Theatre Company, 1802 W Berenice Ave. in Chicago's North Center neighborhood. Season subscriptions and single tickets for THE EFFECT are currently available at www.strawdog.org.

THIRST Biographies

C.A. Johnson (Playwright) hails from Metairie Louisiana, but currently lives and writes in Queens, NY. Her plays include Thirst (2017 Kilroys List,The Contemporary American Theater Festival), An American Feast (NYU Playwrights Horizons Theater School), The Climb (2018 Cherry Lane Mentor Project), All The Natalie Portmans (upcoming at MCC Theater in 2020) and Mother Tongue. She is a Core Writer at the Playwrights Center. She was previously the 2018 P73 Playwriting Fellow, The Lark's 2016-17 Van Lier Fellow, a Dramatists Guild Fellow, a member of The Civilians R&D Group, a member of The Working Farm at SPACE on Ryder Farm, a Sundance/Ucross Fellow and a 2018 Sundance Theatre Lab Fellow. Her work has been developed with The Lark, PlayPenn, Luna Stage, Open Bar Theatricals, The Dennis and Victoria Ross Foundation, and The Fire This Time Festival. BA: Smith College MFA: NYU

Andrea J. Dymond (Director) is very pleased to be working at Strawdog, on this fascinating new play. A Chicago-based freelance director, specializing in developing and directing new work, she most recently directed world premieres of The Greatest Theatrical Event...EVER! at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Shepsu Aahku's Black and Blue for MPAACT. Andrea was formerly Resident Director at Victory Gardens Theater, where she directed 11 productions, including 7 world premieres, and helped to develop and launch the The Ignition Festival of New Plays. In addition to directing around Chicago and the U.S., her experience includes literary management, research and production dramaturgy, directing at new works festivals; serving as thesis play advisor for MFA playwrights at Carnegie Mellon University and directing at NNPN's MFA Playwrights Workshops at the Kennedy Center. A teacher at Columbia College Chicago, Andrea's courses have included Directing, Collaboration, African American Scene Study, Text Analysis, Dramaturgy, Acting and New Play Development. She was also facilitator of the Theodore Ward Award for African American Playwriting.

PHOTO CREDIT: (left to right) Strawdog Theatre Company's Midwest premiere of THIRST is written by C.A. Johnson's and directed by Andrea J. Dymond.

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