Writers' Theatre Announces Casting For Upcoming Porductions and Celebrates A Successful 2008/09 Season

Artistic Director Michael Halberstam and Executive Director Kathryn Lipuma lead the staff, board and artists in celebration as the theatre closes its 2008/09 Season and enters its highly anticipated 2009/10 Season. Significant achievements were met both artistically and fiscally, including increasing national recognition for the theatre and its productions and ending an unprecedented 17th consecutive season in the black. The company is now looking forward, with great anticipation, to another exciting year.

WRITERS' THEATRE ANNOUNCES CASTING FOR THE 2009/10 SEASON PRODUCTIONS
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead features Laura Coover (Ophelia), Brandon Ford (Tragedian), Sean Fortunato (Rosencrantz), Allen Gilmore (The Player), Dane Halvorson (Tragedian), Terry Hamilton (Claudius), John Hoogenakker (Hamlet), Gregory Isaac (Tragedian), Timothy Edward Kane (Guildenstern), Joey Steakley (Alfred), Frecric Stone (Polonius), Jeff Trainor (Tragedian) and Karen Janes Woditsch (Gertrude).

Oh Coward! features Kate Fry, Rob Lindley and John Sanders.

The Old Settler features Cheryl Lynn Bruce (Elizabeth), Alexis J. Rogers (Lou Bessie), Kelvin Roston, Jr. (Husband) and Wandachristine (Quilly).

Streetcar Named Desire features Natasha Lowe (Blanche) and additional casting will be announced at a later date.

2008/09 SEASON ENDS WITH IMPRESIVE ATTENDANCE RECORDS
Each production ran at 90% of audience capacity or higher and season highlights include:

· Tickets to the revival of Nixon's Nixon sold-out for regular run performances during the Subscriber/Member ticket pre-sale before going on sale to the general public, and extended by popular demand for two weeks. Overall, the production ran at a remarkable 98% capacity.

· Picnic, directed by David Cromer, sold to 98% capacity, almost doubled its anticipated revenue and is one of Writers' all-time most Popular Productions.

· Jean Genet's The Maids played to 90% capacity for an extraordinary 18 weeks in Writers' intimate Books on Vernon venue.

· Old Glory, which played to 90% of audience capacity, brought together first-time collaborators director William Brown and playwright Brett Neveu for a highly-acclaimed and successful world premiere production.

· Writers' world premiere and first-ever musical, A Minister's Wife, played to consistently sold out houses, received significant national acclaim and due to considerable audience demand, extended for a remarkable four weeks.

2008/09 SEASON MARKED BY TWO SUCCESSFUL WORLD PREMIERE PRODUCTIONS CREATED AND DEVELOPED BY WRITERS' LITERARY DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE
In the 2004/05 Season, thanks to the generosity of David & Mary Winton Green, Writers' Theatre launched its formalized Literary Development Initiative, establishing a dialogue between the theatre and noted playwrights from across the United States in order to commission, develop and produce new and adapted works.

During the 2008/09 Season, Writers' Theatre produced two world premieres commissioned and developed through the program: Old Glory by Brett Neveu and A Minister's Wife, adapted from George Bernard Shaw's Candida, conceived and directed by Michael Halberstam, adapted by Austin Pendleton with music by Joshua Schmidt and lyrics by Jan Tranen. A Minister's Wife was Writers' first musical, and a major theatrical project developed through workshops over the course of four years.

Current projects commissioned by Writers' through the Literary Development Initiative include:
· Josh Schmidt, in collaboration with New York-based director Steven Fried, is adapting Nikolai Gogol's The Overcoat into an original musical.

· Brett Neveu has been commissioned for a second time, and is currently working on a new play, Do The Hustle.

· Writers' Theatre co-founder Marilyn Campbell is re-imagining Mary Shelley's classic novel Frankenstein under the Working Title The Monster's Lullaby.

· Randall Colburn, an emerging talent whose work has been produced across the country, is working on an original play currently titled There's a Body in the Water.

WRITERS' THEATRE PLANS FOR THE FUTURE
Writers' Theatre has spent the last year and a half determining its needs for the future. With further growth anticipated, the limitations of the current venues, including seating capacity, visibility and amenities, to name a few, seriously constrain any future growth in audience, earned revenue and contributed support. With the assistance of a team of consultants, Writers' Theatre undertook an analysis of its current and potential future audiences, a fundraising feasibility study and space planning and cost estimates for a potential new facility. At the conclusion of this work in June 2009, the Writers' Theatre Board of Trustees voted to further discussions with the Village of Glencoe and the Woman's Library Club, where the current Tudor Court venue is housed, to continue to explore the feasibility of a new home for the theatre in Glencoe.

WORDPLAY 2009 GALA MOST SUCCESSFUL IN WRITERS' THEATRE HISTORY
The Writers' Theatre Board of Trustees and Gala Host Committee presented WordPlay 2009, the Writers' Theatre 17th Anniversary Gala, celebrating the artistic excellence of Writers' Theatre. WordPlay 2009 was held on Friday, April 24, 2009, in the elegant Grand Ballroom of the Peninsula Chicago, 108 E. Superior St., Chicago. The event raised over $390,000 to support Writers' Theatre. Tickets to the event were sold out and more than 350 guests attended.

The event featured cocktails on the lovely outdoor terrace, dinner and a Live Auction with packages unique to Writers' Theatre. Guests were treated to a special musical performance of selections from next season's production of Oh, Coward!, with musical direction by Doug Peck, featuring Heidi Kettenring, Rob Lindley and John Sanders.

The Writers' Theatre Gala was chaired by Amalia Mahoney (Winnetka) and Christine Pompizzi (Glencoe). Corporate sponsorship was provided by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois and Knauz Autopark. Harris Bank was the Gala Video Sponsor.

WordPlay 2010 is scheduled for Friday, April 16 at the Peninsula Chicago.

WRITERS' THEATRE EXPANDED EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH PROGRAMS AND REACHED THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS DURING THE 2008/09 SEASON
Write On! is an artist-in-residence program where professional teaching artists work with classroom teachers using the arts to explore academic subjects. This season, the Write On! Residencies served a dozen schools in Chicago and on the North Shore.

The MLK Project: The Fight for Civil Rights, the Writers' Theatre touring show about the Civil Rights Movement reached 25 schools and more than 6,000 students this year. In the last three years of touring, Writers' Theatre has reached more than 80 schools and 20,000 students.

The Novel Series Study Plan, a new residency program that Writers' Theatre piloted with Chicago Public School Literature and Writing Magnet Cluster Schools, focuses on curriculum designed to give students multiple ways to connect to a novel. Through discussion exercises, writing assignments and vocabulary lessons, students work on self-directed tasks to study literature, giving them new ways to explore the novel using their bodies and voices. The Novel Series, supported by generous grants from Bank of America and The Polk Foundation, served approximately 100 students in the pilot year.

More than 90% of the schools participating in Writers' educational outreach programs are located in underserved communities.

WRITERS' THEATRE CONTINUES SUCCESSFUL "FROM PAGE TO STAGE" SERIES IN CONJUNCTION WITH NORTH SHORE LIBRARIES
Writers' Theatre and six North Shore libraries presented the fourth annual From Page to Stage series in conjunction with the World Premiere musical A Minister's Wife. Highlights included an in-depth discussion with the A Minister's Wife creative team, guest lectures by University of Chicago professor Raymond Ciacci and staged readings of some of George Bernard Shaw's best known works.

The next installment of From Page to Stage will be held in conjunction with the 2009/10 Season opener, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, September 15 - October 20, 2009. Seven North Shore libraries will host special events, lectures, readings and performances to enhance and enrich your understanding of the world of the play.

All events are free of charge and open to the public. For event listings and more information visit writerstheatre.org/FPTS.

THE 2009/10 SEASON SCHEDULE, INCLUDING PRESS PERFORMANCES, FOLLOWS:
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead Press Opening: October 8, 2009
By Tom Stoppard
Directed by Artistic Director Michael Halberstam
Performed at 325 Tudor Court
Run dates: September 29 - December 6, 2009

Oh Coward! Press Openings: December 2 & 3, 2009
A Musical Comedy Revue
Words and Music by Noël Coward
Devised by Roderick Cook
Directed by Jim Corti
Musical Direction by Doug Peck
Performed at 664 Vernon Avenue
Run dates: November 17, 2009 - March 21, 2010

The Old Settler Press Opening: February 11, 2010
By John Henry Redwood
Directed by Ron OJ Parson
Performed at 325 Tudor Court
Run dates: February 2 - March 28, 2010

A Streetcar Named Desire Press Opening: May 13, 2010
By Tennessee Williams
Directed by David Cromer
Performed at 325 Tudor Court
Run dates: May 4 - July 11, 2010
Cast to be announced.

About Writers' Theatre
Writers' Theatre is a professional company focusing on the Word and the Artist. Remaining true to the intention of the playwright and nurturing the artist stand at the center of the mission. Now in its 18th season, the company both revives classic scripts and cultivates new works and adaptations while invigorating them with fresh energy in the intimacy of its venues. Founded in 1992, Writers' Theatre performed exclusively at Books on Vernon, 664 Vernon Avenue for the first 12 years. In the fall of 2003, the organization opened a new 108 seat performance venue at 325 Tudor Court. Today, Writers' Theatre continues to produce in both spaces, maintaining an intimate theatrical experience for audiences. Since 2000, the subscriber base has grown almost 250%, from 1,500 to more than 5,400 today. With an operating budget of $3.3 million, Writers' Theatre is supported by a staff of 18 full-time employees and a 31-member Board of Trustees.

You can find Writers' Theatre on Facebook or follow Writers' Theatre on Twitter at Twitter.com/WritersTheatre. For more information, visit www.writerstheatre.org.

 

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