Tympanic Theatre Company Announces 10th Tenth Season, New Leadership & Branding

Tympanic Theatre Company announces its tenth season of programming, along with a new executive team, and new branding designed by Tympanic Artistic Associate, Joshua Mikel.

Tympanic's tenth anniversary season will feature a World Premiere, a classic play, and the third iteration of Tympanic's acclaimed album festival.

The season begins on October 24th with the World Premiere play , Sweet Analytics, by Hayes Borkowski, directed by Tympanic Literary Manager, Joshua Ellison. Sweet Analytics, inspired by Christopher Marlowe's The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, will explore the intersection of liberation, damnation and feminism in the 21st century.

Following in February 2017, Tympanic will present Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett, directed by Aaron Mays (Court Theatre. The production will feature an all-Latino cast, dissecting the similarities between Godot and the Latinx experience in trying to attain the "American Dream."

The season will conclude in June 2017 with Where Nothing is Real: A Night of Performance and Plays inspired by The Beatles (The White Album). This production will weave together multi-disciplinary performances, installations and plays - each inspired by tracks on The Beatles' monumental album.

Tympanic Theatre Company will also be launching a pay-what-you-can ticket initiative in the spirit of making its tenth anniversary season accessible to all. Each show will take place at Berry United Methodist Church (4754 N Leavitt St).

Tympanic is also proud to welcome Caroline Ruark as Managing Director, Kelsey Chigas as Director of Development, and Leigh Barnholt as Executive Coordinator, to work alongside the newly appointed Artistic Director, Christopher Acevedo. Acevedo said, "I am so thrilled to have this wonderful team lead Tympanic. They've already brought wonderful ideas to the table on how to increase the company's fundraising and development goals, and have been hard at work to get Tympanic prepared for its tenth anniversary season, including throwing an incredible Tenth Birthday Party for the company in July. I am confident that Tympanic will be in good hands as we grow into our future!"

Ruark said, "I am happy to join Christopher, along with the incredible executive team, company and board at Tympanic. I look forward to expanding the impact of the work in the Chicago community as well as developing successful long-term strategies that will continue to provoke, inspire and entertain our audiences." As Managing Director, Ruark will direct daily administrative activities for the theatre, including finance, fundraising, marketing, operations, and audience services.

Acevedo added, "The leadership and marketing expertise that Caroline brings to the company is extraordinary! She's been a joy to work with and brings a level of professionalism that will only make us stronger as a company. New Director of Development, Kelsey Chigas, also brings a vast knowledge of fundraising and development strategies that we will greatly benefit from. Leigh Barnholt, our new Executive Coordinator, brings a wonderful energy and new ideas that will help Tympanic grow in exciting ways. The future is very bright, with these three at the helm."

Tympanic also welcomes Celeste Burns and Raymond Hutchison, who are joining the company as ensemble members.

Caroline Ruark is originally from Louisville, Kentucky and upon completion of her Bachelor of Science degree in Theatre and Public Relations from Murray State University (KY) in May 2014, worked in marketing and PR for Actors Theatre of Louisville and Kentucky Shakespeare. She moved to Chicago in June 2015 and served as the Marketing Manager for the 6th Annual Chicago Fringe Festival.

A proud Chicago native, Kelsey Chigas has worked creatively and administratively with theatres across the city including Steppenwolf, Northlight Theatre, American Theater Company, Mudlark Theater Company, Genesis and the side project. She currently serves as Writers Theatre's Education Outreach Coordinator, where she assists in the execution of arts education programming that reaches 10,000 students and community members each year. Kelsey graduated from Cornell College in 2012 with degrees in Theatre and English & Creative Writing.

Born and raised in Denver, Colorado, Leigh Barnholt traded her mountains for skyscrapers and moved to Chicago in January 2015. She started as the Marketing and PR intern at Windy City Playhouse transitioning to the position of Audience Services Manager last April. Leigh has a Bachelor of Arts in Theater and a minor in Business from the University of Colorado in Boulder. She also works full-time as a travel consultant for Liberty Travel.

Now in its tenth season, Tympanic Theatre Company was founded in 2007 by alumni of Florida State University. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Christopher Acevedo and Managing Director Caroline Ruark, Tympanic is dedicated to producing new and developed work with fantastical, frightening, or absurd subject matter that provokes, inspires, and entertains.

Tympanic was nationally recognized by American Theatre Magazine for their short play festival Today We Escape - a collection of short plays each inspired by a track from Radiohead's album OK Computer. Tympanic has also participated in the Department of Cultural Affairs' Incubator Series, extensively workshopping Randall Colburn's Verse Chorus Verse, before mounting the full world premiere, as well as Mary-Arrchie's Abbie Hoffman Festival and Curious Theatre Branch's Rhino Fest. Recent productions include Blueberry Toast, Today We Escape, The Midwest Premiere of Jackie Sibblies Drury's Social Creatures, Deliver Us From Nowhere - a collection of short plays each based on a song from Bruce Springsteen's album Nebraska, the World Premiere of Dan Caffrey's Sandalwood (co-produced with the side project), the world premiere of Scott T. Barsotti's Brewed, (directed by Anna C. Bahow and co-produced with The Ruckus), and the Midwest Premiere of Shaun Prendergast's The True History Of The Tragic Life And Triumphant Death Of Julia Pastrana, The Ugliest Woman In The World, which was performed entirely in the dark.

Through the use of vibrant storytelling, dynamic language, and colorful characters, Tympanic Theatre Company invites audiences to plunge headfirst into theatrical worlds that are fresh, energetic, and visceral. For more, go to www.tympanictheatre.org.

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