World Premiere of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's THE YELLOW WALLPAPER Opens in Chicago on 8/24

The Mill returns to Chicago with a new theatrical adaptation of the classic Feminist short story The Yellow Wallpaper, written in the 1890s by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. This modern adaptation by Lorelei Sturm features the poetic language of the literary work brought to life using innovative movement based staging. The Yellow Wallpaper previews August 22 and 23 at 7:30pm and opens Sunday, August 24, 2014 at 3pm at The Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St. in Chicago.

Run time is approximately one hour.

To purchase tickets, visit www.brownpapertickets.com or call 773-764-8317.

A woman suffering from postpartum depression is prescribed the "rest cure" by her physician husband. Forbidden from reading or writing and forced into stillness, she soon becomes overwhelmed by loneliness and boredom. Her isolation drives her further from reality, leading to an obsession with the eerie wallpaper that lines her oppressive walls. Her descent into madness pays homage to Gothic horror stories while tackling the complexities of postpartum depression. The story, set in a time when men had complete control over women's mental and physical health, reminds us that, in light of recent court decisions, we still have a long way to go for women to gain agency over their own bodies. This new adaptation is movement based and experimental in style allowing for the heightened theatricality that blends classic storytelling with exciting visual spectacle.

Jaclyn Biskup (Director) is a director and the founding Artistic Director of The Mill (fka Experimental Theatre Chicago.) She received her MFA in Directing from Northwestern University and has a BA in Theatre from Northern Illinois University. In NYC, she recently directed Nicholas, Maeve, Marianne at the 2013 NYC Fringe Festival. She also worked with Rattlestick, Imported Talent's Fresh Produce'd, Core Ensemble, Re Group, Cellar Door, Blue Box Productions, Hearth Gods, and Horse Trade Theatre. She has directed 13 productions with The Mill, including The Private Lives of Eskimos, A Dream Play, Venus, The Madman and the Nun, Desdemona: A Play About A Handkerchief, Big Love, The Bald Soprano, Mexico, and off. She has conceived and directed: Un-American Activities, An Unenchanted Evening, The Eve Project, and Coming and Going. She has assisted on productions with Steppenwolf, The Public, and The American Musical Theatre Workshop. She is a reader in the literary department at New Georges. This summer she returns to the NYC Fringe with Hot Steams.

Lorelei Sturm (Adaptor, Performer) graduated from Wayne State University in Detroit with her MFA in Acting in 2012. Locally she has performed with Dead Writers Theatre Collective, Metropolis Theatre, TimeLine Theatre, The Artistic Home, Moving Dock Theatre Company, and Inconceivable Theatre of which she is a founding member. Regionally she has worked with Greenbrier Valley Theatre in WV, Maples Repertory Theatre in MO, Spokane Interplayers and Exchange Theatre in WA, and New American Theatre in Rockford, IL.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman (Author) was born in Hartford, CT in 1860. Throughout her life she made much of her living lecturing on women's issues and social reform. She was a prolific poet, though is probably best known for her short story The Yellow Wallpaper, which came out in the New England Magazine about 1891. The work was inspired by her own experience with postpartum depression in 1885, and subsequent treatment with "the rest cure", which brought her very "near the borderline of utter mental ruin". Other notable works include Women and Economics, The Home: Its Work and Influence, Herland, and her autobiography The Living of Charlotte Perkins Gilman. She died in Pasadena, CA in 1935 from an intentional overdose of chloroform.

Preview tickets are $10 (or $5 for industry members with resume/headshot/business card). Opening night tickets on 8/24 are $35 and cover admission to the show, and the reception following which includes food, drink, and a chance to mingle with the cast and crew.

Regular general admission tickets are $20. All students and senior tickets are $15 with ID. Groups of seven or more are $15 per ticket. Industry tickets are offered for $10 every Thursday. Tickets are available through Brown Paper Tickets www.brownpapertickets.com, and Gold Star.

The cast for The Yellow Wallpaper features Lorelei Sturm (The Woman) Ed Krystosek (John), and Daiva Bhandari (Jennie).

The production staff includes The Mill company members Jaclyn Biskup (Director), and Mary Ellen Reick (Stage Manager). Guest artists include Mike Durst (Lighting Design), Eleanor Kahn (Scenic Design), Steven Crissey (Costume Design), Alex Romberg (Sound Design), and Sarah Stec (Graphic Design).

The Mill is a 501(c)3 not for profit organization. The Mill promotes progressive performance and theatrical risk taking. It produces artistically challenging work that is progressive in content and frequently in form. The Mill's name is taken from Biskup's father's former employer US Steel or The Mill as it was known around the dinner table. After a four year hiatus, the company follows up last summer's world premiere NYC International Fringe production of Matthew Stephen Smith's Nicholas, Maeve, Marianne (Indie Theatre Now's 20 Best of NYC Fringe) with a return to Chicago.

For more information, visit www.TheMillTheatre.org.

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