TimeLine Theatre Sets Cast for Chicago Debut of Complicite's A DISAPPEARING NUMBER

TimeLine Theatre Company continues its 20th Anniversary season with a daring new production of A DISAPPEARING NUMBER, the exquisite 2007 play by Complicité about love, math and how the past and future connect. Winner of the 2007 Critics' Circle Theatre, Evening Standard, and Laurence Olivier awards for Best New Play, it was originally conceived and directed by Simon McBurney and devised by the original company. TimeLine's new production of A DISAPPEARING NUMBER will be directed by Associate Artistic Director Nick Bowling.

Performances run January 19 - April 9, 2017 (previews January 11 - 18) at TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington Ave., Chicago. Press Night is Wednesday, January 18 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $22 - $51. For tickets and information, visit timelinetheatre.com or call (773) 281-TIME (8463).

Told in a whirlwind of vignettes spanning history and time, A DISAPPEARING NUMBER is a love letter to numbers, blending the beauty of everyday relationships with the mysticism of the cosmos. The play is based on the true story of Srinivasa Ramanujan, a self-taught mathematician in rural India who, in 1913, sent a letter to famed mathematician G.H. Hardy filled with astonishing mathematical theorems. Meanwhile, in the present, a math professor and a businessman fall in love. As these two pairs wind their way through the course of their lives in different eras, they grapple with the beautiful mysteries of mathematics and the patterns found within the universe and themselves.

TimeLine's production of A DISAPPEARING NUMBER marks only the fourth time the play has been seen in the United States. The Chicago Tribune raved that the play "explodes with so much intellectual stimulus it makes you giddy, thrilled, intoxicated, ready to talk." Live music, choreographed movement and dazzling multimedia will all be part of TimeLine's equation for exploring the mystery of love, mathematics, and the connections between the biggest and smallest elements of our universe.

"We have been utterly entranced by this play since first reading it in 2010," said TimeLine Artistic Director PJ Powers. "While it wasn't available for a new Chicago production at that time, our strong desire to do it at TimeLine has kept us persistently committed for more than six years. We couldn't be more excited to finally bring this play to Chicago as part of TimeLine' 20th Anniversary Season."

TimeLine's cast for A DISAPPEARING NUMBER includes Kareem Bandealy (Al Cooper), Anish Jethmalani (Aninda), Anu Bhatt (Surita), Arya Daire (Ramanujan's mother), TimeLine Associate Artist Dennis William Grimes (Hardy), TimeLine Company Juliet Hart (Ruth) and Siddhartha Rajan (Ramanujan), with musicians Ronnie Malley and Bob Garrett.

Winner of seven Jeff Awards for Outstanding Direction, TimeLine Associate Artistic Director Nick Bowling is the creative force behind many of TimeLine's most popular shows, including THE LAST WIFE, THE HISTORY BOYS, THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION, FIORELLO! and more. Elsewhere, he also staged recent hit productions MAN OF LA MANCHA, THE KING AND I and CITY OF ANGELS at the Marriott Lincolnshire, SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM at Porchlight Music Theatre and A CHRISTMAS STORY at Paramount Theatre.

The production team for A DISAPPEARING NUMBER includes Alka Nayyar (Associate Director), William Carlos Angulo (Choreography), William Boles (Scenic Design), Rachel Levy (Lighting Design), Sally Dolembo (Costume Design), Mikhail Fiksel (Sound Design), Davonte Johnson (Projections Design), Vivian Knouse (Properties Design), Maren Robinson (Dramaturgy) and Alex Dearmin (Stage Management).

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE / EVENTS:

PREVIEWS: Wednesday 1/11 through Saturday 1/14 at 8 p.m.; Sunday 1/15 at 2 pm.; Tuesday 1/17 at 8 p.m. and Wednesday 1/18 at 7:30 p.m.

PRESS NIGHT: Wednesday 1/18 at 7:30 p.m.

OPENING NIGHT: Thursday 1/19 at 7:30 p.m.

REGULAR RUN, through April 9: Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. EXCEPTIONS: Additional performances Tuesday 3/7 and 3/28 at 7:30 p.m. Show time on Wednesday 3/1 is 8:30 p.m. No 4 p.m. show on Saturday 1/21. No show on Friday 3/10. No 8 p.m. show on Saturday 4/1.

DISCUSSION & ACCESSIBILITY EVENTS:

Post-Show Discussions: A brief, informal post-show discussion hosted by a TimeLine Company Member and featuring the production dramaturg and members of the cast on Wednesday 1/25, Sunday 1/29, Thursday 2/2, Thursday 2/16, Thursday 3/23 and Sunday 3/26.

Pre-Show Discussions: Starting one hour before these performances, a 30-minute introductory conversation hosted by a TimeLine Company Member and the production dramaturg with members of the production team on Wednesday 2/8 and Sunday 2/19.

Captioned Performance: An open-captioned performance with a text display of words and sounds heard during the performance on Saturday 2/11 at 4 p.m. Partial support of open captioning is provided by Theatre Development Fund.

Sunday Scholars Panel Discussion: A one-hour post-show discussion featuring experts on the themes and issues of the play on Sunday 2/12.

Company Member Discussion: A post-show discussion with the collaborative team of artists who choose TimeLine's programming and guide the company's mission on Sunday 3/19.

All discussions are free and open to the public. For further details about all planned discussions and events, visit timelinetheatre.com/a-disappearing-number.

TICKETS:

Only TimeLine FlexPass Subscribers enjoy priority access to tickets to A DISAPPEARING NUMBER. 4-Admission, 3-Admission and 2-Admission FlexPass Subscriptions for TimeLine's 2016-17 season are now on sale, priced from $40 to $204. For more information and to purchase FlexPass Subscriptions, call (773) 281-TIME (8463) or visit timelinetheatre.com.

Single ticket prices are $38 (Wednesday through Friday), $46 (Saturday evenings) and $51 (Saturday and Sunday matinees). Preview tickets are $22. Student discount is $10 off regular price with valid ID. Military Service Discount is $5 off regular price with valid military/veteran ID. Discounted rates for groups of 10 or more are available. Ticket buyers age 18-35 may join TimeLine's free MyLine program to obtain access to discounted tickets, special events and more. Visit timelinetheatre.com/myline for details.

Advance purchase is recommended as performances may sell out. For tickets and information, visit timelinetheatre.com or call the Box Office at (773) 281-8463.

LOCATION / TRANSPORTATION / PARKING:

A DISAPPEARING NUMBER will take place at TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington Ave., Chicago. TimeLine Theatre is located near the corner of Wellington and Broadway, inside the Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ building, in Chicago's Lakeview East neighborhood.

The location is served by multiple CTA trains and buses. TimeLine offers discounted parking at the Standard Parking garages at Broadway Center ($8 with validation; 2846 N. Broadway, at Surf) or the Century Mall ($9 with validation; 2836 N. Clark), with other paid parking options nearby, plus limited free and metered street parking.

ACCESSIBILITY:

TimeLine Theatre is accessible to people with disabilities. Two wheelchair lifts provide access from street level to the theatre space and to lower-level restrooms. Audience members using wheelchairs or who need to avoid stairs, and others with special seating or accessibility needs should contact the TimeLine Box Office in advance to confirm arrangements. See DISCUSSION & ACCESSIBILITY EVENTS above for information about the open-captioned performance for patrons who are deaf or hard of hearing.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Nick Bowling (Director) was the founding Artistic Director and is now Associate Artistic Director and a Company Member of TimeLine Theatre. He is the recipient of seven Jeff Awards for Outstanding Direction (THE HISTORY BOYS, THE NORMAL HEART, FIORELLO!, THIS HAPPY BREED and THE CRUCIBLE at TimeLine, SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM at Porchlight Music Theatre, and ANOTHER PART OF THE FOREST at Eclipse Theatre) and also received Jeff Award nominations for BLOOD AND GIFTS, THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION, HAUPTMANN and THE LION IN WINTER at TimeLine; CLOSER THAN EVER at Porchlight Music Theatre; CITY OF ANGELS, THE KING AND I and MAN OF LA MANCHA at Marriott Theatre. Other recent credits at TimeLine include THE LAST WIFE, DANNY CASOLARO DIED FOR YOU, JUNO, 33 VARIATIONS and MY KIND OF TOWN. Other Chicago credits include Paramount's A CHRISTMAS STORY, Northwestern University's CABARET, Porchlight's A CATERED AFFAIR, Writers Theatre's BACH AT LEIPZIG and Shattered Globe Theatre's TIME OF THE CUCKOO and FROZEN ASSETS.

Founded in 1983, Complicité is one of the most respected theatre companies in the world and has been called "the most influential and consistently interesting theatre company working in Britain" by The Times. Led by Artistic Director Simon McBurney, OBE, and Producer Judith Dimant, MBE, the company is based in London, touring internationally and across the United Kingdom. Now in its 33rd year, Complicite has not only won many awards, but has broadened the concept of theatre in ways that have touched thousands of people around the globe. For more information, visit complicite.org.

TimeLine Theatre Company, recipient of the prestigious 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, was founded in April 1997 with a mission to present stories inspired by history that connect with today's social and political issues. To date over 19 seasons, TimeLine has presented 67 productions, including nine world premieres and 27 Chicago premieres, and launched the Living History Education Program, now in its 10th year of bringing the company's mission to life for students in Chicago Public Schools. Recipient of the Alford-Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence and the Richard Goodman Strategic Planning Award from the Association for Strategic Planning, TimeLine has received 53 Jeff Awards, including an award for Outstanding Production 11 times.

TimeLine is led by Artistic Director PJ Powers, Managing Director Elizabeth K. Auman and Board President John M. Sirek. Company members are Nick Bowling, Janet Ulrich Brooks, Behzad Dabu, Lara Goetsch, Juliet Hart, Mildred Marie Langford, Mechelle Moe, David Parkes, Ron OJ Parson, PJ Powers, Maren Robinson and Benjamin Thiem.

Major corporate, government and foundation supporters of TimeLine Theatre include Alphawood Foundation, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Crown Family, Forum Fund, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, Illinois Arts Council Agency, Laughing Acres Family Foundation, MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince, The Pauls Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation and The Shubert Foundation.

TimeLine is a member of the League of Chicago Theatres, Theatre Communications Group, Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce and Chicago's Belmont Theater District.

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