U.S. Premiere of THE FROZEN ON THE SQUARE (1982) to Play Akvavit Theatre, Now thru 11/9

Akvavit Theatre, now in its fourth year producing theatrical works that explore the Nordic experience, will present the U.S. premiere of The Frozen on the Square (1982) by Lucas Svensson, translated by Akvavit's Producing Artistic Director Chad Eric Bergman. The show will open today, October 9 and will run through November 9 at The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 PM and Sundays at 3PM, with special performances on Monday, October 20 (Industry Night) and Thursday, October 30 at 7:30 PM.

The Frozen on the Square (1982) will be directed by company member Breahan Eve Pautsch (dir.: Autumn Dream), and the cast features Bergen Anderson*, Rob Cramer, Elyse Dawson, Andrew Fortman, Paulette Hicks, Jordan Scott Johnson, Mark Litwicki*, Melissa Reeves, Ben Schlotfelt, and Dan Wilson.

The design and production team includes Chad Eric Bergman* (set designer), Maggie Fullilove-Nugent (lighting designer), Christina Marcantonio (costume designer), Jeffrey Levin (sound designer), Alan Weusthoff (technical director), and Catherine Connelly (stage manager). * Denotes member, Akvavit Theatre

Ingmar Bergman returns like a force of nature to his small provincial Swedish hometown to film his masterpiece "Fanny & Alexander." Four locals, extras in the film but principals in this existential comedy, struggle to escape the long shadow their brief encounter with the cinematic master's crowning achievement casts over their lives.

"I really love the intertextuality of the story and how it flips a masterpiece upside down," Chad Eric Bergman, Akvavit's Producing Artistic Director, says, "Instead of looking through the cinematic 'male gaze' of Ingmar Bergman, we have a dark comedy about these ordinary people who experience life in the shadow of the great one - a shadow that, by extension, WE now share."

The Frozen on the Square (1982) will be part of Chicago Artists Month 2014, the 19th annual celebration of Chicago's vibrant art community presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. For more information about Chicago Artists Month, visit www.chicagoartistsmonth.org.

Tickets will be available via www.akvavittheatre.org.

Akvavit Theatre is a new voice in the Chicago theatre scene. Taking as our inspiration the striking landscapes of the five Nordic countries -- harnessing the force of the glacier, in its powerful seeming stillness, the volcano, in its sudden white-hot eruption, and the arctic silence in between -- we strive to find the universal through the voices of the Nordic world. This is our contribution to the American mosaic. And like our namesake drink, Akvavit brings a "strong spirit" to the plays, workshops and events that we produce. Skål, Skál, Kippis!

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