24th Anniversary Season PRESENTS THE MIDWEST PREMIERE OF
Directed by Matt Hawkins Assistant Directed by Elise Spoerlein Stage Managed by Krissy Larson
Featuring Alice da Cunha, Carlos Rogelio Diaz, J. SalomĂŠ Martinez, Jr., Stephenie Park, Gabriel Ruiz, Foster Williams, Jr. AFTER received its World premiere production by Partial Comfort Productions, New York City in September 2011
After
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CAST Monty...................................................................................................................J. SALOMÉ MARTINEZ, JR. Liz..........................................................................................................................................ALICE DA CUNHA Chap.............................................................................................................................FOSTER WILLIAMS, JR. Warren.................................................................................................................................... GABRIEL RUIZ** Susie...................................................................................................................................... STEPHENIE PARK Eddie........................................................................................................................ CARLOS ROGELIO DIAZ **Member of the Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States SET TING Sunnyside, Queens Current Day P R O D U C T I O N S TA F F ARTISTIC DIRECTORS.....................................................................................Joe Jahraus, Darrell W. Cox BOARD CHAIR............................................................................................................................Bruce Beatus BOARD MEMBERS..............................................................................................Matt Irvine, Marget Brue, Eric Burgher, Maryann Carlson, Greg Yeager DIRECTOR.................................................................................................................................. Matt Hawkins ASSISTANT DIRECTOR..........................................................................................................Elise Spoerlein STAGE MANAGER......................................................................................................................Krissy Larson SET DESIGN................................................................................................................................. Dan Stratton ASSISTANT SET & PROP DESIGN........................................................................................ Kelsey Melvin TECHNICAL DIRECTOR.................................................................................................................Rick Julien LIGHT DESIGN.................................................................................................................... Bekki Lambrecht COSTUME DESIGN......................................................................................................Brittany Dee Bodley SOUND DESIGN/ORIGINAL MUSIC......................................................................................Jeffrey Levin CASTING DIRECTOR....................................................................................................... Two Birds Casting UNDERSTUDIES....................................................................................... Brandon Boler, Khalil LeSaldo, Miguel Nunez, Angelica M. Roque, Aja Wiltshire LITERARY MANAGER ....................................................................................................... Michael Carnow ASSISTANT LITERARY MANAGER......................................................................................Elise Spoerlein PUBLICIST.............................................................................................Cathy Taylor Public Relations Inc. POSTER ART.........................................................................................................................Christopher Carr WEBSITE DESIGN....................................................................................................................Justin Siddons INTERNS............................... Carly Jo Geer, Grace Stratton, Joe Moore, Ben Hendren, Nate Dion Profiles Theatre is a not-for-profit equity theatre company and is partially supported by a CityArts Program One grant from the City of Chicago Dept. of Cultural Affairs, and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. General operating support is also provided by The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the Baird Brown Charitable Fund of The Chicago Community Foundation and the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation.
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Profiles Theatre
A note about program notes.
A typical note might discuss the selection of a certain play, what themes the piece explores or what feelings it might evoke that evening. In our 24 years of producing theatre at Profiles I usually avoided writing them. After all, shouldn’t the work speak for itself? I could babble on about what a certain portion of the text might symbolize or how we worked on the staging of a particular moment to create a specific atmosphere. But how it resonates for each audience member is all that really matters, not whether they get every nuance we labored over. I once read an interview with filmmaker David Lynch where the reporter kept asking about the deeper message of a particular film. What was Lynch going for? What does it all mean? And Lynch simply replied, “I don’t know. What does it mean to you?” This past season, it became increasingly important for the Profiles members to personalize the theatrical experience of our work. Not tell audiences what to feel, but express some of what drives us to do these kinds of plays. At times, it consumes our lives so fully - this drive to tell compelling stories, explore the human condition and delve into our deepest fears and passions – that we lose sleep, teeter on the financial edge and risk throwing our personal relationships into chaos. It seems to me more and more that audiences really enjoy discovering what makes an artist tick. And more importantly, share the experience with someone. Hopefully, you'll walk out of tonight's show seized with the urge to talk about what you saw with your companion, recalling certain moments that moved you or made you think. Often, an audience member stops me in the lobby because they want to open up about what they found so inspiring or disturbing in our play. I feel rewarded to hear how universal our human experiences can be and I view the program note as an opportunity to say, "Hey, I care what you think and I hope you're as passionate about the story you heard as we were with telling it." After writing a program note last season, I read a comment somewhere in the press that I was proclaiming the play to be about a certain theme, implying that I was imposing my point of view or digging for meaning in the script that wasn't there. I'm not interested in "proclaiming" anything, merely expressing what the work means to me and why I feel the passionate desire to tell the story. I loved After the moment I read it - my personal favorite play of the season. Chad Beckim tells Monty’s story with such economy and yet incredible depth in the simplest of lines. Days after reading the play, I found myself haunted by the idea of someone unfairly losing half their life during their most formative years. It made me think about the loss of home and whether that loss can ever be replaced (we explore different concepts of “home” throughout this season). It reminds me of a discussion that occurs in our season opener Sweet and Sad playing next door. What is the meaning of compensation? How do we compensate for the loss of life, the loss of confidence or the loss of security? I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Sincerely,
Joe Jahraus Artistic Director After
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CAST BIOGR APHIES ALICE DA CUNHA (Liz) is making her Profiles Theatre debut. She was recently seen in Dal Vivo at the Den Theatre and O Telefone Substituto for the Todos Festival, Lisbon. Her UK credits include This Much is True with Theatre 503, El Desierto at the CASA Festival, Aaron and Esther with Etcetera Theatre, Closing Time with Assembly Rooms at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival & Soho Theatre, Chairmania at Battersea Arts Centre, Anna in the Tropics with Hampstead Theatre, Faust with Bridewell Theatre, and Romeo & Juliet with Hazlitt Theatre. Alice’s film credits include The Iron Lady and Outpost: The Black Sun. She is a proud ensemble member of Dal Vivo and Artistic Consultant for Theater Un-Speak-Able. CARLOS ROGELIO DIAZ (Eddie) is appearing with Profiles for the first time. He is a Chicago native and has most recently worked with Halcyon Theater’s production of Freud Skating On Thin Ice directed by Henry Godinez, Adventure Stage Chicago’s The Giver and The Fine Print Theater’s At Ease. Previous collaborators have included Cock & Bull Theater, Aguijon Theater and the Bailiwick among others. Carlos is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago, a member of SAG - AFTRA and represented by Paonessa Talent Agency. J. SALOMÉ MARTINEZ, JR. (Monty) is making his Profiles and Chicago debut with After having recently moved from Los Angeles. Some of his theatre credits include As You Like It, Man of La Mancha, The Seagull and A Christmas Carol. Salome has also 4
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appeared on several television shows and films including Law & Order, Castle, the Emmy award-winning HBO mini-series Generation Kill, New York, I Love You and the Oscar Nominated film The Messenger. He received his BA in theatre from Barat College and his MFA in acting from the University of Florida. STEPHENIE PARK (Susie) is making her Profiles debut in After. Last season she was an understudy in the Silk Road Rising original production of Re-Spiced: A Silk Road Cabaret, and prior to that, she came in 4th place on the competitive cooking show America’s Next Great Restaurant. Other recent productions include Carousel and The Wild Party with Penn Players. Stephenie’s upcoming appearances include the television series Boss, the independent film It’s a Terrible Week for Singing and a staged reading of Cowboy vs. Samurai. When she is not acting, Stephenie is a musician and practicing attorney. GABRIEL RUIZ (Warren) is appearing with Profiles Theatre for the first time. He is a graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University and a company member of Teatro Vista Theater Company. Gabriel was last seen in Blood and Gifts at The Lincoln Center Theater in New York. Chicago credits include Working at the Broadway Playhouse, Richard III and SS! A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Our Lady of the Underpass with Teatro Vista, Esperanza Rising for Chicago Children’s Theater, and Why Torture is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them with Forward Theater Company in Madison, WI. He can also be seen as Dilip Singh in both seasons of Boss on Starz.
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FOSTER WILLIAMS, JR. (Chap) is making his Profiles Theatre debut with After. He has appeared in such productions as The Man Who Saved New Orleans, Bedtime Story, The Amen Corner, Jitney,
Sketch Book 2007, Life Times on the Streets, Two Trains Running, Moby Dick Rehearsed, The Haunted L, Woman From the Town, Burning Blue, Pirate Bones, The Box, Winners Losers, Infants of the Spring, A Black Man Named Joe, To Kill a Mockinbird and Let the Circle be Unbroken.
P R O D U C T I O N S TA F F CHAD BECKIM (Playwright) is a New York City based playwright whose writing credits include …a matter of choice, `nami, Lights Rise on Grace (Winner, Outstanding Play, 2007 NY Inti’l. Fringe Festival; Finalist for the 2007 Princess Grace Award; Finalist for Ojai Playwrights’ Conference), The Main(e) Play (SemiFinalist, The O’Neill Festival, Optioned by Table Ten Films in 2010), That Men Do (Member of The Lark’s 2009 “Playwright’s Week” and Naked Angels “First Mondays” Series) and Mercy. He has also authored a number of shorts and one-acts, including The Fluffer and Marvel Super Hero Squad, both produced at Ars Nova, as well as Tha Bess Shit, Alexander Pays a Visit, Blac(c)ident, and Last First Kiss, which was adapted into a Columbia Grad film and produced in July, 2008. Chad holds an MFA in Playwrighting from Mac Wellman’s Brooklyn Colleges Program, and in July of 2007 was named one of “50 Playwrights to Watch” by the Dramatists Guild. His work has been published by Samuel French, Playscripts, Smith & Krauss, Autumn House Publications and in the Plays and Playwrights 2007 collection by NYTE. He is a former member of Ars Nova’s acclaimed “Play Group,” and is a co-Founder and co-Artistic Director of Partial Comfort Productions. MATT HAWKINS (Director) has been a director/actor/fight choreographer in Chicago for the past eleven years. Favorite directing credits include Cabaret with The Hypocrites, Red Noses for Strawdog, On My
Parents’ 100th Wedding Anniversary with side project, Alice and Fear for the NeoFuturists, Cyrano and Hatfield & McCoy with The House Theatre. Other favorite projects include playing Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire at Writers’ Theatre and serving as the Movement Director for Peter Pan at Lookingglass. He has also worked with Steppenwolf, Court Theatre, The Royal Shakespeare Company, The Kennedy Center, Chicago Shakespeare, Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Redmoon, American Theatre Company, Steep, Pine Box, City Lit, Signal Ensemble, Adventure Stage, The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, Chicago Children’s Theatre and Old Town School of Folk Music. Matt has been an Adjunct Professor of Theater at Loyola and on faculty at the Conservatory at Act One Studios. He has taught at the University of Chicago, Roosevelt University, the University of Iowa and was the Guest Artist in Residency for the American Music Theatre Project at Northwestern University in 2010. Matt is a Founding Member of The House Theatre, an Artistic Associate and Resident Director with Strawdog, an Artistic Associate with 500 Clown and the recipient of five Jeff Awards. Later in the year he will direct Big Love at Strawdog and he will serve as fight director for Bengal Tiger At The Baghdad Zoo at Lookingglass. He is married to Stacy Stoltz. ELISE SPOERLEIN (Assistant Director) is delighted to be returning to Profiles after recently serving as assistant director for the American premiere of Neil After
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LaBute’s In a Forest, Dark and Deep and the Midwest premiere of Bachelorette. Elise is a graduate from Ball State University and moved back to Chicago after interning at A Red Orchid Theatre in 2010. Soon after graduation she worked alongside American Blues Theater and their production of Waiting for Lefty. Recent Chicago acting credits include In the Jungle with Wakadoo Productions, The Promise at the side project theatre company, and The Red Stuff for American Theater Company’s 10th Big Shoulders Festival. Past theatre school credits include Silence, Suicide in B Flat, Avenue A, String of Pearls, and Almost, Maine, among others. Elise is also the Assistant Literary Manager at Profiles. KRISSY LARSON (Stage Manager) is excited to be working with Profiles for the first time. Her Chicago credits include Hit The Wall (Theatre on the Lake run with The Inconvenience) and The Last Duck with Jackalope Theatre Company. She also works as a crew sub with Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. Originally from Houston, Texas, Krissy was Production Stage Manager for Winter Wonderettes, Yankee Tavern, Oh, The Humanity, the World premiere of Panto Pinocchio, Auntie Mame, The Marvelous Wonderettes and Speech and Debate with Stages Repertory Theatre. She also spent a summer in upstate New York where she was Assistant Stage Manager for Ain’t Misbehavin’, Chicago, Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, Jekyll & Hyde, The Man of La Mancha, Biloxi Blues, Shirley Valentine with Loretta Switt, and Idaho! directed by Matt Lenz. DAN STRATTON (Set Design) has an MFA in Stage Design from Northwestern University and a BFA in Sculpture from the University of Michigan. He teaches set design and production techniques at North Central College. Dan recently designed the sets for Moment at Steep Theatre and Respiced: a Silk Road Cabaret. Other scenic design credits include Love and Money, Festen and Kill the Old, Torture 6
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their Young at Steep, As You Like It for Two Pence Shakespeare, Peter Pan: A Play at Lookingglass Theatre, Suicide Inc. for Gift Theatre Company, Abigail’s Party at A Red Orchid Theatre and R.U.R. for Strawdog Theatre Company. KELSEY MELVIN (Assistant Set Design/ Prop Design) is delighted to have this opportunity to work with Profiles for the first time. She is a Chicago-based Theatre Artist with experience in acting, costume and mask design, scenic and props design, graphic design, casting, and stage management. This past year, Kelsey was part of Shattered Globe’s Protege Program, where she had the opportunity to perform in Her Naked Skin, assist the costume designer for Orpheus Descending, as well as help devise, costume design, and perform in Honest | Fair (based on Hamlet). Her work has also been seen around the city at side project, Two Pence Shakespeare, 20% Theatre, Midsommer Flight, Spartan Theatre Company, and Good Chai Productions. Kelsey is a graduate of Northwestern University and BADA’s Midsummer in Oxford program. RICK JULIEN (Technical Director) is an Artistic Associate at Profiles Theatre where he previously served as Technical Director for Sweet and Sad, In a Forest, Dark and Deep, Bachelorette, Assisted Living, A Behanding in Spokane, Fifty Words, Reasons to be Pretty, Kid Sister and Jailbait. Other recent Chicago credits include The Fisherman with Stage Left Theatre, The Improv Play with InFusion Theatre and many productions with BoHo Theatre, including I Am My Own Wife, which won the Jeff Award for Outstanding Set. Rick is also the Technical Director at the Beverly Arts Center. He has been involved in theatre and live productions for over 20 years. BEKKI LAMBRECT (Lighting Design) returns to Profiles Theatre where she previously designed lighting for Assisted Living and Bachelorette as well as Assistant Lighting Design for In a Forest, Dark
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and Deep. She is currently working as the Technical Director at Black Ensemble Theatre and recently served as the Assistant Stage Manager on their production of The Marvin Gaye Story. Bekki is a graduate of Millikin University. BRITTANY DEE BODLEY (Costume Design) is ecstatic to be working with Profiles Theatre for the first time. Her previous designs include Sherlock’s Last Case and Lost in Yonkers for Iowa Summer Repertory, nine shows for the University of Iowa including Big Love and Martha Clarke’s premiere of In the Night, six shows for Stagedoor Manor in New York including West Side Story and 42nd Street, and ten shows for Troy University in Alabama including Urinetown! The Musical and The Misanthrope. She recently earned her MFA in Theatre Arts with an emphasis in Costume Design from the University of Iowa. Brittany is an Alabama native and is excited to make Chicago her new home. JEFFREY LEVIN (Original Music and Sound Designer) is an Artistic Associate of Profiles Theatre and has worked as their resident composer and sound designer for two seasons. Past Profiles productions include Sweet and Sad, In a Forest, Dark and Deep, Bachelorette, Assisted Living,
A Behanding in Spokane, Fifty Words, Reasons to be Pretty, Kid Sister, and Jailbait. In addition to his work with Profiles, Jeffrey composes music, creates sound designs, provides musical direction, and plays piano for various Chicago venues and theatre organizations. Outside of his theatre work, Jeffrey is pursuing a Masters of Music in contemporary classical composition at DePaul University and also teaches music theory and musicianship at DePaul, the Merit School of Music, and for private students. TWO BIRDS CASTING (Casting Directors) assists theatre companies and producing entities without an in-house casting team by facilitating the casting process. Founded in 2010 by Hannah Fenlon, Erika Grammel, Jessica Lind and Erica Sartini, 2BC has served as casting directors for About Face Theatre, Collaboraction Theatre Company, New Leaf Theatre, Signal Ensemble Theatre Wit, and Immediate Theatre. CATHY TAYLOR PUBLIC RELATIONS, INC. (Publicist) was started in March 2007 to promote Chicago’s local non-profit theaters. For more about Cathy Taylor Public Relations and its clients, please visit www.information.cathytaylorpr.com.
AFTER is produced through special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, Inc.
SPECIAL THANKS Laura Williams, Neil LaBute, Matthew Miller, Elise Spoerlein, Bob Schroeder and Donna Simon Dunn at Aria Talent, Cleve Carney, David Reed and the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Benjamin Theim, Ian Streicher, Myrna Petlicki, Jessica Antes, Justin Siddons, Cherryl Marcey, Scott Stockwell, Stacy Stoltz, The Burgher Family, The Saints, Pat Corirossi, Bob Chicoine, Jake Jahraus, Greg Yaeger, Michael Carnow, Marcia Festen, Bruce Beatus, Rick Snyder, Greg and Anne Taubeneck, Kassie Davis, Alderman James Cappleman, Caitlin Fuller and everyone at FOOTLIGHTS. After
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DONOR HONOR ROLE $1000 OR MORE Alderson, John, Phyllis & Birdwatch Beatus, Bruce Brue, Marget Carney, Cleve Davis, Kassie Graeff, Cheryl Henderson, Martha & Steve Michael’s Restaurant Stasiw, Barbara and John Taubeneck, Greg and Anne $300-$999 Blaylock, Chelsea Brandstetter, Susan and Russell Catch 35 Dekker, Melody Eglit, Howard Hartzel, Bud & Peggy Invision Carpet Systems Marcus, Marshall & Stitzer, Carol Raynonich, William Jason Rudstein, David S. The Saints Torem Family $200-$299 Anderson, Douglas The Burgher Family Ellis, Jeff Finger, James Freed, Harvey M., M.D. Gray, Vicki Hersh, Stephen McCracken, Peggy Miller, Matthew Pellegrino, James Mark Quads Gym Thorpe, Andrew Yaeger, Greg Zeddies, Judy
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$100-$199 Boss Bowman’s Restaurant Carlson, Mr. & Mrs. Dann, Jeremy DiCerbo, Louis P. Eisenberg, Maureen Gertz, Gwynne Gitskin, Brett Guenther, Robert Hamilton Communications Hebert, Joy King, Reginald Katz, Daniel Krause, Arnold & Natalie Lavrik, Viktor Liebman, Winifred Livnat, Miry & Alexander Lottero, H.B Nicholson, Toby & Juanita Princess Cleaners Razzi, Christina Robinson, Neal Rousseau, T. Marsall Savitt, Jan Simon, James & Andra The Dworak Family Uscian, Paula Walker, Bradley Washlow, Robert & Roberts $99 OR LESS Anderson, Courtney Antes, Jessica Bartolo, Brad Berti, Jonathan Boart, Jason Bratschie, Ian Bringley, Maureen Burgher, Cindi Coats, Janelle Collins, Kristin Cordileone, Lisa Cudd, Jeremey Danforth, Kathryn Dann, Jeremy Emil, Glenn
Fink, David Friedman, Erik Goggin, Erin Goldin, Nancy Goldin, Robert Goodloe, David Goodman, Brian Gray, Jamielyn Gray, Linda Hake, Ryan Harris, Boyd Irving, Anna Janowitz, Marla Michele Johson, Jill Latta, Caroline Lee, Eric Lessman, Steven & Ann Liston, Maggie Luke, Scott Allen Lumena, Dani Meadows, Gwendolyn McCabe, Jack McGregor, Corey Nagel, Charene & Dan Parenti, Brian Pinson-Rose, Will Plocinski, Jenn Poillen, Dr. William & Florence Price, Susan Pries, Bob Quill, Shana Renn, Luke Rodriquez, Haydee Rogers, Patricia Rosenbloom, Mark Schmidt, Lindsay Schnell, Dennis Scmtner, Caleb Sebahar, Mary Shallow, Mark Shereck, Mike Stix, David & Arlene Torbica, Dan Torres, Nikolia Urteaga, Bryan Walker, Brad Wilson, Brian E. Young, Helen
Beckim shares the advice he received from John Patrick Shanley, why he feels modern plays don’t reflect real life, and the ripple-effect of family drama.
yet you’ve created a very resonant character. Can you tell me a little bit about how you researched the play and the emotional issues involved? Chad Beckim: I like to think I write from a place of heart. When starting ter to me?” Because it’s not about simply telling a story – it has to land on you, touch you, quite possibly change you in some way…it has to illumi-
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playwriting world John Patrick Shanley saw a play of mine and emailed me about “illuminating” my audience. When I inquired what he meant, he wrote back: at one unexpected moment, as they tell the story, they look at you and you realize YOU are in the story, the story pertains to you, a light shines on you, something about you, and you are illuminated. Quietly quietly. Not like a hammer but like a glance just a hair too long.” people. I want people to have an experience, to live vicariously through and with my characters in my world. You do the research and then toss it on the wall and see what sticks and work from there. I did a ton of research for “Afparticularly Dave Egger’s “Surviving Justice,” as well as a handful of news the system. While his experience was not exactly like Monty’s, he was experiencing a number of the same things. We spoke at length of a tremendous After
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verse actors. Did you set out to write a play for a diverse cast or was that just the natural way to tell the story? I’m really fortunate to work with a tremendous group of wildly diverse actors in my company, Partial Comfort Productions. While I don’t necessarily set out to create ethnic casts, I do tend to write for the actors that I know and like because: a) I know what I’ll get on stage; b) I tend to create work for the folks that I know and like; c) this is a reflection of the landscape of the place I live. And the great thing about “After” is that it’s set in Queens, New York, the most diverse city in the world. So it all just made sense.
“I want to be moved, and I want to move people. I want people to have an experience, to live vicariously through and with my characters in my world.” -Chad Beckim One of the more frustrating and disappointing aspects of this business is the glut of plays that purport to reflect a New York (or even urban landscapes) and then feature all white characters. It’s like “Friends” on stage ummmm, you’re in New York City - how is EVERYONE in this white?!? I don’t understand that - you have this wealth of diversity around you, this wealth of race and creed and class - how can you not take advantage of that as a writer? I’m often disappointed by what I see on stage - far too many plays about dysfunctional white, upper middle class/wealthy families and far too few plays that reflect the world we live in. It’s unsettling. MH: Monty is forced to start his life over at 34. What are you hoping that people who have had the opportunity to mature in a more typical setting 10
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might take away from the play? CB: One of the things that really struck me while researching this piece was how these folks, these exonerees, are plucked from life and locked away, think about it. where you really learn the dating dances, the social rituals, it’s where you lay the groundwork for who you are and where you hope to end up. It’s where Now imagine missing that. Imagine missing the end of high school, college, world. And couple that with the onslaught of technology: seventeen years ago, cell were not nearly as prevalent as they are now. Everything is bigger, faster, brighter, louder…take any public transportation and you’re surrounded by blips and beeps and snippets of phone conversations and a cacophony of sound. It’s overwhelming for anyone, let alone someone who’s been locked
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in a box for the last two decades. in the air for the audience to consider. How does one overcome? How does one begin again? How does one start over when they have no foundation? How does any of that work? And there’s a universal element to these questions, because it doesn’t have to be prison – it could be an unhappy marriage, an unhappy childhood, an unplanned death or move to somewhere
what Monty’s absence means not just to his life but to his family. Did you have any particular inspiration for the character Liz? CB: While writing this piece I had a pretty amazing opportunity to speak at length with a woman whose brother had done a long stretch in a maxiwhy I was bothering to talk to her, explaining that no one had ever asked her side of things – no one ever cared about her story, which I found fasciseemed to be doing okay, she packed up her things and moved across the country. To begin her life, she told me. Because my research seemed to indicate that in many cases the family does up in much the same way as their loved one (this same woman remembered the landmark occasions in her life by reciting where geographically, her brother was locked up at the time of said occasion). Which made sense. Because in addition to whatever social stigma accompanies the incarceration of one’s family member, there’s an absolute sense of loss for everyone. And in the play, Liz and Monty are all the family they she grew up, putting her entire life on hold while her brother does his time. So in a sense, she’s as stunted as he is. She’s the convict’s sister. What happened to her life? Her schooling, her prom, college and relationships and everything in between? One of the things that I hope that the audience takes with them is a sliver of consideration and understanding of that point.
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XXIV
T H E A T R E WHATEVER THE TRUTH REQUIRES
Announcing Our
2012 - 2013 SEASON BY RICHARD NELSON DIRECTED BY JOE JAHRAUS
BY WILL KERN DIRECTED BY DARRELL W. COX
THE
BREAK OF NOON
BY CHAD BECKIM DIRECTED BY MATT HAWKINS
THE
DREAM BURNING OF
THE
BOY
BY DAVID WEST READ DIRECTED BY JOE JAHRAUS
BY NEIL LABUTE DIRECTED BY RICK SNYDER
SEASON FLEX PASSES Now Available in the Lobby or Call the Box Office at 773-549-1815 Also available at profilestheatre.org
P R O F I L E S T H E AT R E P R O D U CT I ON H I S TO R Y 2012 - SWEET AND SAD (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Richard Nelson
2008 – THE THUGS (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Adam Bock
2012 - IN A FOREST, DARK AND DEEP (AMERICAN PREMIERE) by Neil LaBute
2008 – MEN OF TORTUGA by Jason Wells
2012 - BACHELORETTE (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Leslye Headkand 2011/2012 - ASSISTED LIVING (WORLD PREMIERE) by Deirdre O’Connor 2011 - A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Martin McDonagh 2011 - FIFTY WORDS (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Michael Weller 2011 – REASONS TO BE PRETTY (CHICAGO PREMIERE) by Neil LaBute 2010 – KID SISTER (WORLD PREMIERE) by Will Kern 2010 – JAILBAIT (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Deirdre O’Connor 2010 – BODY AWARENESS (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Annie Baker 2010 – KILLER JOE by Tracy Letts
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2008 – IN A DARK DARK HOUSE (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Neil LaBute 2008 – THIS IS HOW IT GOES (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Neil LaBute 2007 – THINGS WE SAID TODAY (WORLD & MIDWEST PREMIERES) by Neil LaBute 2007 – SOME GIRL(S) (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Neil LaBute 2007 – APPLE (AMERICAN PREMIERE) by Vern Thiessen 2006/2007 – FAT PIG (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Neil LaBute 2006 – AUTOBAHN (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Neil LaBute 2005/2006 – THE GLORY OF LIVING by Rebecca Gilman 2005 – THE RADIANT ABYSS (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Angus MacLachlan
2009 – THE MERCY SEAT (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Neil LaBute
2005 - REPARATION (WORLD PREMIERE) by David Schulner
2009 – GRACELAND (WORLD PREMIERE) by Ellen Fairey
2004 - BLACKBIRD (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Adam Rapp
2009 – THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISSOCIA (AMERICAN PREMIERE) by Anthony Neilson
2004 - NOISE (MIDWEST PRMIERE) by Alex Jones
2009 – GREAT FALLS (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Lee Blessing
2003 - WONDER OF THE WORLD (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by David Lindsay-Abaire
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2003 – SNAKEBIT (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by David Marshall Grant
1994 - REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Rod Serling
2002 – JUMP TO COW HEAVEN (AMERICAN PREMIERE) by Gill Adams
1994 - THE TWILIGHT ZONE: THE SERIES by Rod Serling (Remounted in 1995)
2002 – SOME VOICES (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Joe Penhall 2001/2002 – DOGS BARKING (AMERICAN PREMIERE) by Richard Zajdlic 1999/2000/2001 - POPCORN (AMERICAN PREMIERE) by Ben Elton 1999 - STRAY DOGS (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Julie Jensen 1998 - BABYLON GARDENS (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Timothy Mason 1997/1998 - EYE OF GOD (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Tim Blake Nelson 1997 - PADDYWACK (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Daniel Magee 1996/1997 - THE BABY DANCE (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Jane Anderson 1996 - GEOGRAPHY OF A HORSE DREAMER by Sam Shepard 1995 - GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS by David Mamet 1995 - DEATH KNOCKS by Woody Allen 1995 - ZARA SPOOK AND OTHER LURES (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Joan Ackerman
1994 - HITTING TOWN by Stephen Poliakoff 1994 - HOW THE OTHER HALF LOVES by Alan Ayckbourn 1993 - THE WATER ENGINE by David Mamet 1993 - MINOR DEMONS (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Bruce Graham 1992 - THE RUFFIAN ON THE STAIR by Joe Orton 1992 - ORPHANS by Lyle Kessler 1992 - CHARLIE THE CHICKEN By Jonathan Levy 1992 - CARNAL KNOWLEDGE (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Jules Feiffer 1991 - DOGG’S HAMLET by Tom Stoppard 1991 - INTERVIEW by Jean-Claude van Itallie 1991 - BATTERY (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Daniel Therriault 1990 - TRUE WEST by Sam Shepard 1990 - SEXUAL PERVERSITY IN CHICAGO by David Mamet 1989 - THE DAY ROOM (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Don DeLillo 1988 - THE FOREIGNER by Larry Shue After
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Profiles Theatre, founded in 1988 by Artistic Director Joe Jahraus, joined shortly thereafter by Artistic Director Darrell W. Cox, was formed as an actor-driven theatre ensemble dedicated to creating provocative and emotionally truthful productions. Passionate about shaping an original vision for new works, they focused on performing World, American and Midwest premieres as well as rarely performed plays. Critically acclaimed hits, such as BLACKBIRD, FAT PIG, GRACELAND and the multiple Jeff Award-winning KILLER JOE, established Profiles as a destination for challenging and edgy theatre. Their unique collaboration with playwright Neil LaBute led the ensemble to perform an entire season of his plays in 20072008. Now a Resident Artist at Profiles, LaBute remains an unequivocal artistic influence on the ensemble. After performing at 4147 North Broadway for more than two decades, Profiles acquired an adjacent theatre at 4139 North Broadway in 2012. Profiles’ new theatre, The Main Stage, with its larger seating capacity, increased performance space and higher ceilings, accommodates more ambitious and technically demanding productions. Their long-time venue, renamed The Alley Stage, continues as the home for plays strengthened by a more intimate staging. Driven by an undiminished appetite for creating honest and resonant theatre, Profiles still seeks to present work that illuminates the determination and resiliency of the human spirit. Joe Jahraus and Darrell W. Cox, Artistic Directors Neil LaBute and Rick Snyder, Resident Artists Eric Burgher and Maryann Carlson, Ensemble Members Marget Brue, Development Director Thad Hallstein, Rick Julien, Michael Carnow, Jeffrey Levin Greg Yeager, Sal V. Armano and Wayne Karl, Artistic Associates