The Ruckus Presents MATAWAN World Premiere, Now thru 7/26 at the Athenaeum

On the heels of hit comedy Barbecue Apocalypse, The Ruckus continues its 2014-15 season, dubbed the "season of catastrophe," with the world premiere of MATAWAN, Dan Caffrey's thrilling physical story of terror, coming of age, and the transformative power of total disaster. The Allison Shoemaker-directed production will run tonight, June 26th-July 26th at the Athenaeum Theatre (2936 N Southport Ave) in Chicago.

Tickets are available at AthenaeumTheatre.org, by calling 773-935-6875, or in person at the Athenaeum Theatre box office. Press performances will take place on Sunday, June 28th, at 3 p.m., and Monday, June 29th, at 8 p.m.

The cast for MATAWAN includes Susan Myburgh (Brewed, The Ruckus/Tympanic Theatre), Bryan Bosque (The Grown-Up, Shattered Globe Theatre), Mike Steele (Cookie Play, Trap Door Theatre), Carrie Drapac (Stadium Devildare, Red Tape Theatre), Dennis Frymire (Angry Fags, Pride Films and Plays), Elizabeth Bagby (Shakespeare's King Phycus, Strange Tree Group), Beth Lach (Heist Play, The Ruckus), Scottie Caldwell (A Map of Virtue, Cor Theatre), Elise Mayfield (5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche, The New Colony), Johnny Kyle Cook (A New Brain, Brown Paper Box Co.), Jen Roehm (Rung, Curious Theatre Branch), Sergio Soltero (Today We Escape, Tympanic Theatre), Jillian Rea (Barbecue Apocalypse, The Ruckus), Peter Kremidas (Comedy Sportz), and Stevie Chaddock (Brewed, The Ruckus/Tympanic Theatre).

In the summer of 1916, a series of freakish and fatal shark attacks paralyzed the Jersey Shore. Further inland, a polio outbreak plagued Philadelphia, while the cloud of World War I loomed over the entire nation. As the forces of nature, disease, and war close in, people struggling to adapt must face a monster whose evolution has led to millions of years of survival-a monster who now faces some terrors of her own. Spanning several cities and the infinite depths of the ocean, MATAWAN conjures an unusual moment in American history, and examines how our internal anxieties are often just as terrifying as our national catastrophes.

"I'm utterly delighted to bring Dan Caffrey's vicious, thrilling script to the stage this summer," said Artistic Director Derek Van Barham. "We've been living with this story -- a somewhat forgotten moment of American history -- since 2012, when we had the chance to develop the play as a part of Red Tape Theatre's Fresh Eyes Project. Now, finally, we're able to open this dark underwater world up to audiences, giving them a taste of life as both predator and prey."

The production team for MATAWAN includes lighting designer Dan Gallagher (Live from Lincoln Center), properties designer Casey Bentley (The Ruckus), sound designer Matt Test (Curious Theatre Branch), scenic and costume designer Ashley Ann Woods (20% Theatre Company), stage manager Chris Chapin (Piccolo Theatre), dramaturg Jessica Reese (Actors Theatre of Louisville), movement director Derek Van Barham (Artistic Director, The Ruckus), assistant director Charlotte Long (Manual Cinema), and production manager Kristin Davis (/kor/ productions).

Dan Caffrey is a Chicago-based playwright, pop-culture critic, and a member of Tympanic Theatre Company. Full-length plays include Ozma & Harriet, Extinction Fantasies, and Orange Orbs (all produced by Tympanic), Gregor and the Squonk (Tympanic, NEIU), Little Triggers (The Ruckus), Sandalwood (Tympanic with the side project), and the Northlight Theatre children's plays Red, Red Eyes and Treehouse Beowulf, the latter of which will be remounted by Northlight this summer. MATAWAN was a Finalist for the 2013 Eugene O'Neill National Playwright's Conference, and his play The Tusk Hunters (developed by Endstation Theatre in Virginia, Infusion, and Fine Print) was a Semi-Finalist for this year's conference. He has had his short plays produced with Chicago Dramatists, Hobo Junction, The One-Minute Play Festival, Red Tape Theatre, WildClaw Theatre, and The E.M.P. Collective (Baltimore). Dan is also an Ensemble Member of The Ruckus, an Associate Artist with the side project, a Senior Staff Writer with Consequence of Sound, contributor to The A.V. Club, and vocalist and bass player with the rock band, The Elizabeth Dane.

Allison Shoemaker is a writer, director, and devising artist committed to the creation of new work. She is the former Artistic Director of The Ruckus, which she co-founded in 2006, and for which she still serves as an Ensemble Member. Directing credits include work with The Ruckus (Heist Play, 15 Minutes, Little Triggers, The Gay American), Tympanic Theatre, /kor/ productions, Red Tape Theatre, Ka-Tet Theatre, Elvisbride, and the side project, for whom she also serves as an Associate Artist. With playwright Brooke Allen, she curates the movie-commentary series REDACTED, which you can catch at Black Rock Pub & Kitchen almost every month. She is a contributor to The A.V. Club and appears regularly at live lit events across the city.

Founded on the principle that the best art comes from fearless collaborations, The Ruckus is composed of multi-disciplinary artists from across the country and around the globe. We aim to create a company without borders-a theater that blends the lines between playwright and actor, audience and ensemble member. The Ruckus Theater is led by Artistic Director Derek Van Barham, Executive Director Catherine Bullard, Associate Artistic Director Stevie Chaddock, and a company and ensemble of twenty-seven.

The Ruckus, a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) organization, is supported by the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the MacArthur Funds for Arts & Culture at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The Saints, the League of Chicago Theatres and Wolf's Lair, and our generous individual donors. This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

See how we make a ruckus all over the Internet at facebook.com/theruckustheater; view our perfectly squared photos at instagram.com/theruckustheater; and follow our tweets at twitter.com/ruckustheater. The Ruckus is a proud member of the League of Chicago Theatres.

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