PRESENTS THE AMERICAN PREMIERE OF
Directed by Joe Jahraus Assistant Directed by Elise Spoerlein
Stage Managed by Jordan Muller Assistant Stage Managed by Elisabeth Jackson
Featuring
Darrell W. Cox and Natasha Lowe “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: it is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
IN A FOREST, DARK AND DEEP premiered at the Vaudeville Theatre, London in March 2011, produced by Anna Waterhouse, Nica Burn, Max Weitzenhoffer, Jay Harris and Josephine Genetay.
In a Forest Dark and Deep 1
CAST Betty................................................................................................................Natasha Lowe** Bobby................................................................................................................Darrell W. Cox* *Denotes Profiles Ensemble Member **Member of the Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
SETTING A cabin in the Midwest. IN A FOREST, DARK AND DEEP is performed without intermission.
PRODUCTION STAFF ARTISTIC DIRECTORS............................................................Joe Jahraus, Darrell W. Cox DIRECTOR...............................................................................................................Joe Jahraus ASSISTANT DIRECTOR..................................................................................Elise Spoerlein STAGE MANAGER............................................................................................Jordan Muller ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER.............................................................Elisabeth Jackson SET DESIGN......................................................................................................Thad Hallstein TECHNICAL DIRECTOR.........................................................................................Rick Julien LIGHTING DESIGN............................................................................................John Kohn III ASSISTANT LIGHTING DESIGN..............................................................Bekki Lambrecht COSTUME DESIGN.......................................................................................Shawn Quinlan SOUND DESIGN/ORIGINAL MUSIC..............................................................Jeffrey Levin PROP MASTER.................................................................................................Eileen Rozycki CASTING DIRECTOR....................................................................................Matthew Miller CARPENTERS......................................Russ Consdorf, Chad Bianchi, Scott Stockwell UNDERSTUDIES..............................................................Jeff Dolecek, Suzanne Scanlon PUBLIC.........................................................................Cathy Taylor Public Relations, Inc. WEBSITE DESIGN/POSTER ART.................................................................Justin Siddons ADDITIONAL GRAPHIC DESIGN.........................................................................Chris Carr INTERNS........................................................Carly Jo Geer, Grace Stratton, Joe Moore, Ben Hendren, Nate Dion IN A FOREST, DARK AND DEEP is produced by special arrangement with THE GERSH AGENCY, 41 Madison Ave. 33rd Floor, New York, NY 10010. Profiles Theatre is a not-for-profit professional 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.
2 Profiles Theatre
W
hen a new Neil LaBute play arrives at our door, I find myself grinning like a kid opening the latest highly anticipated action figure at Christmas. Just as my son imagined when he was younger playing with his superheroes, I envision all the exciting, dangerous, challenging adventures awaiting me with these new characters. In my version there’s no Spiderman defeating the villain, saving the world from chaos and wining the girl. Instead, my protagonist might end up dumping the girl, lying to his closest friend, cheating on his wife, abandoning his family or worse, while trying to figure out how to live with these terrible deeds. When I was a child, the bible story of Job fascinated and perplexed me. Job - an extremely righteous man - lives prosperously with his large family, but will he hold onto his morality and faith when all of his possessions and home are destroyed, all of his children killed and his body covered in horrible boils? In the end Job endures and God rewards him, but obviously not everyone fares so well when it comes to adversity. If I were challenged like that, would I have the strength to pass that test and still remain “a good guy”? Neil takes ordinary people and puts them in extraordinary circumstances and then stands back to see how they’ll hold up. Quite often, they don’t fare so well. I try to understand their struggle and how they ended up at this point in their lives. I want them to rise above it, especially when the odds seem stacked against them. Still, it’s the way they grapple with their own morality that makes for the most compelling, engrossing theatre. I don’t believe people are just “born evil” and enjoy inflicting misery on those around them -except for maybe my sixth grade teacher who seemed to enjoy the concept of corporal punishment a little too much. While Neil’s characters certainly haven’t suffered as much as Job, something horrible probably happened to them somewhere on life’s journey to screw them up. It’s finding those moments where their morality is reinvented that intrigues me. There’s a little line they draw in the sand and they say “This is right and that’s wrong and here’s the line I will not cross.” Then circumstances test and tempt them to redraw the line every so often and proclaim “Well, the old line doesn’t really work for me anymore, but I still have my principles!” Most of Labute’s characters redraw that line more than a few times. And if we’re honest with ourselves, we know we’ve done it once or twice as well. So come along with Profiles on this journey into the woods, on this dark and stormy night, with these new heroes, Bobby and Betty. Let’s see how they fare with Neil’s challenges. I truly hope they pass the test. Sincerely,
Joe Jahraus Artistic Director In a Forest Dark and Deep 3
CAST BIOGRAPHIES DARRELL W. COX (Bobby) most recently appeared in Profiles Theatre’s Midwest premiere of A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE by Martin McDonagh, as well as Profiles’ Midwest premiere of FIFTY WORDS by Michael Weller. Darrell received his fourth Joseph Jefferson Award for Actor in a Principal Role for his performance as Joe Cooper in Profiles’ production of KILLER JOE by Tracy Letts. Darrell has appeared at Steppenwolf in the World premiere of MEN OF TORTUGA (where he originated the role of Taggart), the Midwest premiere of ORANGE FLOWER WATER (which traveled to the Galway Arts Festival), and the World premiere of WENDALL GREENE. He has also been seen at the Goodman in THE SHAWL and HOME as part of the David Mamet Festival, American Theatre Company’s SPEED THE PLOW and OLEANNA as part of the Mamet Repertory, as well as Jim Jones in the Midwest premiere of THE PEOPLE’S TEMPLE, and the World premiere of MARTIN FUREY’S SHOT at TimeLine Theatre, among others. He has won four Joseph Jefferson Awards for Principal Actor for his work in Profiles’ productions of KILLER JOE, BLACKBIRD, SOME VOICES, and EYE OF GOD. In addition, he has received two After Dark
Awards for Outstanding Performance in Profiles’ productions of POPCORN, and CARNAL KNOWLEDGE. NATASHA LOWE (Betty) is making her Profiles Theatre debut with IN A FOREST, DARK AND DEEP. She last appeared in THE REAL THING at Writers’ Theatre. Other recent Chicago area credits include THE OLD MASTERS at Steppenwolf First Look and A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE at Writers’ Theatre, for which she received a Joseph Jefferson Award for Leading Actress. She also appeared in PICNIC, and BENEFACTORS at Writers’ Theatre, ANGELS IN AMERICA, PARTS I AND II for Journeymen Theater, 1,001 AFTERNOONS IN CHICAGO for which she received a Joseph Jefferson Nomination for Best Supporting Actress at Prop Theatre and Live Bait, BETTY’S SUMMER VACATION at Roadworks Theatre, THE FRONT PAGE and THE BOARDING HOUSE at Next Theatre, and GOLDEN BOY at Steppenwolf for Young Adults. Natasha also received a Joseph Jefferson Citation for Best Supporting Actress in MERIDIAN at City Lit Theater.
PPRODUCTION STAFF NEIL LABUTE (Playwright) is a Resident Artist at Profiles Theatre and has been working with them since their 2006 production of AUTOBAHN. He received his Master of Fine Arts degree in dramatic writing from New York University and was the recipient of a literary fellowship to study at the Royal Court Theatre, London and also attended the Sundance Institute’s 4 Profiles Theatre
Playwrights Lab. His films include: IN THE COMPANY OF MEN (New York Critics’ Circle Award for Best First Feature and the Filmmakers’ Trophy at the Sundance Film Festival), YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS, NURSE BETTY, POSSESSION, THE SHAPE OF THINGS (a film adaptation of his play by the same title), THE WICKER MAN, LAKEVIEW TERRACE and DEATH AT
PRODUCTION STAFF (cont.) A FUNERAL. His plays include BASH: LATTER-DAY PLAYS, THE SHAPE OF THINGS, THE MERCY SEAT, THE DISTANCE FROM HERE, AUTOBAHN, FAT PIG, WRECKS, SOME GIRL(S), THIS IS HOW IT GOES and IN A DARK DARK HOUSE. REASONS TO BE PRETTY premiered off-Broadway in 2008, receiving three Drama Desk Award nominations including Outstanding Play. It became Neil LaBute’s first play ever to be staged on Broadway when it opened in 2009 and was nominated for three 2009 Tony Awards, including Best Play. His recent play THE BREAK OF NOON, premiered at MCC in 2010 and IN A FOREST, DARK AND DEEP premiered in London’s West End in March 2011. LaBute is also the author of several fictional pieces that have been published in “The New York Times,” “The New York Times Magazine,” “Harper’s Bazaar,” and “Playboy” among others. “Seconds of Pleasure,” a collection of his short stories, was published by Grove Atlantic. JOE JAHRAUS (Director) is the founder and Co-Artistic Director of Profiles Theatre. He most recently directed Profiles’ World premiere of ASSISTED LIVING by Deirdre O’Connor. Previously, he directed the Midwest premiere of FIFTY WORDS by Michael Weller, the World premiere of KID SISTER by Will Kern, and the Midwest premieres of JAILBAIT by Deirdre O’Connor, THE MERCY SEAT by Neil LaBute, GREAT FALLS by Lee Blessing and THE THUGS by Adam Bock. Joe also directed the Midwest premieres of Neil LaBute’s IN A DARK DARK HOUSE, SOME GIRL(S) and FAT PIG, for which he received a Jeff Award Nomination for Outstanding Director. Other Profiles’ directing credits include the American premiere of APPLE by Vern Thiessen, the award-winning Midwest premiere of
BLACKBIRD by Adam Rapp, BABYLON GARDENS by Timothy Mason, THE WATER ENGINE and SEXUAL PERVERSITY IN CHICAGO by David Mamet, and the award-winning Midwest premiere of CARNAL KNOWLEDGE by Jules Fieffer, among others. ELISE SPOERLEIN (Assistant Director) returns to Profiles Theatre where she recently assistant directed BACHELORETTE. Elise is Profiles’ Assistant Literary Manager. She has also has been involved with A Red Orchid Theatre and American Blues Theater. As an actress, she was last seen as Jane in IN THE JUNGLE with Wakadoo Productions in support of the Howard Brown Health Center. Past theatre school credits include SILENCE, SUICIDE IN B FLAT, AVENUE A, STRING OF PEARLS, and ALMOST, MAINE. Elise will next be seen in THE PROMISE at The Side Project Theatre Company. She is a graduate of Ball State University. JORDAN MULLER (Stage Manager) returns to Profiles Theatre where his stage managing credits include A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE and FIFTY WORDS. Other Chicago credits include THE PETRIFIED FOREST at Strawdog Theatre. While working towards his BFA at Sam Houston State University in Texas, Jordan held multiple theatre management and technical positions. Elisabeth Jackson (Assistant Stage Manager) returns to Profiles Theatre, where she was Assistant Stage Manager for the Midwest premiere of A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE. Other Chicago credits include A BEAUTIFUL SPELL with Rare Terra Theatre and RESIDUE with Buzz22 Chicago.
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PRODUCTION STAFF (cont.) THAD HALLSTEIN (Set Design) is an Artistic Associate at Profiles Theatre where he previously designed sets for BODY AWARENESS, THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISSOCIA, APPLE, THIS IS HOW IT GOES, FIFTY WORDS and A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE. Other recent set designs include SAVED, and SEA MARKS for Mary Arrchie Theatre, THE BUTLER DIDN’T for Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, THE FULL MONTY, RENT, and CHESS for Brookhaven College in Dallas Texas, and EDUCATING RITA and SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK LIVE! for the Laboratory Theatre in Madison, Wisconsin. He is the full-time Resident Designer and Technical Director for The Theatre of Western Springs, where he is also on the faculty of the Children’s Theatre. His recent set designs there included SLY FOX, DINNER WITH FRIENDS, and LADY WINDEREMERE’S FAN. He also worked as a scenic painter for several Chicago area theatres and for Chicago Scenic Studios Inc. Thad has worked in varying capacities for the Illinois High School Theatre Festival, The Illinois Shakespeare Festivals, The Utah Shakespearean Festival and Opera Illinois. Thad holds degrees in Scenic Design and Graphic Arts from Illinois State University.
Darrell W. Cox and Natasha Lowe 6 Profiles Theatre
RICK JULIEN (Technical Director) is an Artistic Associate at Profiles Theatre where he previously served as Technical Director for JAILBAIT, KID SISTER, REASONS TO BE PRETTY, FIFTY WORDS, A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE, ASSISTED LIVING, and BACHELORETTE. Other recent Chicago credits include THE FISHERMAN with Stage Left Theatre, THE IMPROV PLAY with InFusion Theatre and many production 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 theater and live productions for over 20 years. JOHN KOHN III (Lighting Design) is a graduate of Northwestern University. His most recent Chicago credits include THE FISHERMAN and AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE with Stage Left Theatre, where John is a member of the artistic ensemble. His work will be next seen in Stage Left’s LeapFest New Play Festival. BEKKI LAMBRECHT (Assistant Lighting Design) returns to Profiles Theatre where she previously designed lighting for BACHELORETTE
PRODUCTION STAFF (cont.) and ASSISTED LIVING. Recent credits include CAROUSEL at Starlight Theatre. As a student at Millikin University, she created lighting designs for several productions including CHEATED and GAY CABARET with Pipe Dreams Studio Theatre, and THE LIGHT OF MAN and THE TWILIGHT ZONE with Last Chance Theater. SHAWN QUINLAN (Costume Design) is thrilled to be working with Profiles Theatre. Most recently he designed and built costumes for St. Francis High School’s production of LEGALLY BLONDE, THE MUSICAL and assisted Jeff Award-winner Jesus Perez with THE RITZ for Circle Theatre. Other credits include THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ERNEST, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, ALICE IN WONDERLAND, HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 1 AND 2 all with Circle Theatre, where he is a company member. Shawn is also a company member with Hubris Productions. JEFFREY LEVIN (Sound and Music) is an Artistic Associate at Profiles Theatre where his credits include 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 theater organizations. Jeffrey’s current projects include music
direction, sound design, and live piano performance for FUCKING A at Urban Theater Company and sound design and original music composition for VORTEX at Dead Writers Theatre. Outside of his theatre work, Jeffrey is pursuing a Masters of Music in contemporary classical composition at DePaul University and he teaches music theory and musicianship at DePaul, the Merit School of Music, and for private students. EILEEN ROZYCKI (Prop Master) returns to Profiles Theatre where she previously worked on BACHELORETTE. Originally from Michigan, she graduated from Oakland University with a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree. Other design and paint credits include GIRL IN THE YELLOW DRESS as charge artist, MAPLE AND VINE as scenic artist/run crew at Next Theatre, WAITING FOR LEFTY as scenic artist for American Blues Theater, props assistant for FESTEN with Steep Theatre, scenic design for A CLASS ACT! at St. Athanasius School and YOUTH SPECTACLE as emerging artist intern with Red Moon Theater. 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.
SPECIAL THANKS Laura Williams, Neil LaBute, Matthew Miller, 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, The Burgher Family, The Saints, Pat Corirossi, Bob Chicoine, Jake Jahraus, Greg Yaeger, Theatre of Western Springs, Michael Carnow, Julie Smith, Marcia Festen, Bruce Beatus, Rick Snyder, Greg and Anne Taubeneck, Kassie Davis, Mike Shereck, Alderman James Cappleman, Robert Breuler, Caitlin Fuller and everyone at FOOTLIGHTS. In a Forest Dark and Deep 7
8 Profiles Theatre
Announcing Our
2012 - 2013 SEASON
In a Forest Dark and Deep 9
O
n Lying, Being Lied to and Writing ‘A Good Old-Fasioned Night of Wind and Rain’ In conversation with playwright Neil LaBute and Profiles’ Artistic Directors Joe Jahraus and Darrell W. Cox Joe Jahraus: What did you learn from the London production? Neil LaBute: It was really an interesting process. You know, I hadn’t done anything in real time since The Mercy Seat (world premiere 2002; Profiles’ premiere 2009). For you guys that wouldn’t be such a long distance to travel, but for me it felt like a long time ago. In a play you always want to be ‘in the moment’ and I think it’s harder to be in that moment when a play has 7 or 10 or 25 scenes. It becomes these little bursts of ‘moments’ that can be very effective but it’s a different kind of involvement than when you submerge an audience in real time (a 90 minute play being both the time the audience is watching the play and the time in the characters’ lives). In this play Bobby is the audience’s ‘concierge’ as it were; he is their eyes and ears and discovers things as they happen and at the same time that the audience does. IN A FOREST, DARK AND DEEP a family drama that becomes a kind of suspense story wrapped around a mystery, and it’s wonderful to try and create a situation where people in the audience slowly start to choose sides with characters (and perhaps even switch sides as events unfold). Darrell W. Cox: For you, is there anything different about how this story would play in London as opposed to how it will play in this country?
10 Profiles Theatre
NL: Lots of writers tend to write specifically in hopes that their work will resonate generally. I don’t think Chekhov ever wondered ‘how is this going to play in New York?’ He was writing about universal experiences that happened to be played out in a specific time and place. I’m trying to do the same thing. That said, I can’t imagine that this piece won’t play more clearly and more directly for audiences who are from America or, more specifically, from the Midwest. However, I do hope an audience in Australia could see a production and think, “Yeah, I get it, I get what’s going on between these siblings and they didn’t need to transport this to some farmhouse in the outback.” When I see a play in London (by a local writer) there might be a dialect that is really hard for me to understand but overall I come out thinking, ‘Yes, that was great and it was moving because it connected with me as a person, not as an American but as a human being.’
JJ: What inspired you to want to write this play?
“I don’t think Chekhov ever wondered ‘how is this going to play in New York?’” -Neil LaBute
NL: Initially, the play was going to be about a couple of friends. There would be two guys and one guy helps the other move out of an apartment. And then I thought--to make the mechanics of the play work and to have the psychology of it make the most sense--the roots of this friendship would have to be so deep that it made even more sense to have the two characters be connected through family, by blood. That’s when I decided they should be a brother and a sister. That’s usually how these things happen for me. I don’t spend a lot of time overanalyzing. As soon as I saw them as siblings, I saw a ‘Hansel and Gretel’ motif and then this sort of ‘dark and stormy night’ in a cabin, fairy tale sort of thing. All of those additional elements came about because
In a Forest Dark and Deep 11
I had stumbled upon the idea of them as brother and sister. Even though I hadn’t started out to create a sibling story (as I had with IN A DARK DARK HOUSE), I very quickly latched on to it as a viable idea once I began writing. DWC: How has writing changed for you over time? NL: I have always felt like writing is very much a ‘job.’ It’s a pleasurable one, but it is something that I go and do and understand and I keep getting better at it. I love to read and write but it’s important to go and watch plays, because plays ultimately live or die on stage. It’s great to read them as literature, but I believe plays are mainly blueprints for production. The more chances that I’ve had to hear them out loud and to see them performed, the better I’ve gotten at understanding what needs to be cut out and how quickly I can get to the point of something—this wasn’t always the case with me but I’ve learned to embrace the idea of workshops. I do think writers tend to overwrite, so I have gotten better at being tough on myself and clearer in a shorter amount of space. DWC: Do you have to discipline yourself to do it? NL: Yes, I do. The hard plays--the ones that take a long time or are difficult to write because of content--you have to finally talk yourself into sitting down and writing. Force yourself, sometimes. As much as I enjoy doing it, it’s still a solitary pursuit where you have to say, ‘Look, take out some paper and see what you’ve got and keep doing that until some pages pile up. Come on now, get to work.’ Some days it’s hard to be both the laborer and the foreman. JJ: In this play you come back over and over again to the idea of truth and how it hurts. Do you feel like that is a theme you explore a lot: perceptions of truth and honesty? NL: I think that is definitely a theme I write about. We all have the ability to lie, and therefore it becomes a simple but profound moral choice that is always at the ready--to lie or to tell the truth. Also, it is a theatrical conceit. How many times can a character ‘cry wolf’ to an audience and still get them back? It’s also part of the fun for me as a writer--can I win the audience back? How far can I push them and still have them go on the journey with me? 12 Profiles Theatre
PROFILES’ HISTORY WITH NEIL LABUTE
"There is no playwright on the planet these days who is writing better than Neil LaBute." -The New Yorker
2012
APRIL 2012
American Premiere of IN A FOREST, DARK AND DEEP
MARCH 2012
JANUARY 2011
LaBute Becomes a Profiles' Resident Artist
Midwest Premiere of REASONS TO BE PRETTY
JANUARY 2011 Profiles's Hosts Second ‘An Evening with Neil LaBute’
OCTOBER 2009
Midwest Premiere of THE MERCY SEAT “THE MERCY SEAT is a raw play, an intense play, a very well-written play. No living American dramatist writes fights better than Neil LaBute."
JANUARY 2009
-CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Profiles' Hosts First ‘An Evening with Neil LaBute’
Midwest Premiere of IN A DARK DARK HOUSE
Midwest Premiere of THIS IS HOW IT GOES
"Profiles Theatre has perfect pitch with playwright Neil LaBute. This is a really superior and riveting production." -WBEZ
NOVEMBER 2007
SEPTEMBER 2007
Midwest Premiere of SOME GIRL(S)
Midwest Premiere of THINGS WE SAID TODAY
SEASON OF LABUTE
MARCH 2008
JANUARY 2008
SEPTEMBER 2006 Midwest Premiere of FAT PIG
MARCH 2006
"A splendidly acted, pitch-perfect Chicago Premiere at Profiles Theatre!" -CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
Midwest Premiere of AUTOBAHN
"Profiles' production is in the best Chicago storefront tradition!" -CHICAGO TRIBUNE
2006 In a Forest Dark and Deep 13
DWC: That’s such a human thing. My experience is that each time someone promises to tell the truth I want to believe them. I want to say okay, that is the truth. NL: Yeah, people want to know the truth and they want to believe in things; they want to believe in people, in institutions and things that they can’t put their hands on, like faith. You want to believe your next-door neighbor when they say, “We’re cool. We aren’t going to have any more problems with this fence line.” Three weeks later, there you are, fighting about it again. It’s fascinating to write about characters who are unreliable narrators because the truth is ultimately so subjective. It makes me think of that wonderful Picasso quote that says, “Art is a lie that helps us understand the truth.” We are constantly lying while we are doing theatre, and in that lie we want people to see both what’s happening as real and theatrical simultaneously. It’s these lies within lies that fascinate me: the audience wants to go on that ride with you, they want to believe and they want to see if they can understand these people. It’s a fascinating journey to go on--to make these lies become some kind of truth. DWC: Is there anything you want us to think about in terms of the audience experience? NL: I always want there to be a mix of humor and drama in my work and I try to create a pretty healthy celebration of the cerebral and the emotional. In this play, though, I think I was really trying to do something a bit more genredriven, more of a visceral experience than is usually the case. I was thinking much more about providing a good old fashioned night of wind and rain and lightning along with the verbal fireworks. JJ: The idea of doing something filled with thunder and lightning sounds really fun and it is different for us too. NL: Yeah, It’s fun to play with this sort of thing—to make the sound effects as big a part of the evening as the dialogue and the acting. DWC: It’s going to be great in our new space too. We’ve got really good sound in the space, so it’s a really great way to open the new space to the public. Thank you Neil, we’re thrilled to be doing this. 14 Profiles Theatre
PROFILES THEATRE WHATEVER THE TRUTH REQUIRES
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, Greg Yeager, Sal V. Armano and Wayne Karl, Associate Artists
In a Forest Dark and Deep 15
Ticket sales only fund only a portion of our expenses. Please consider making a gift to Profiles.
Your Donations Directly Fund the Art on Our Stage OPERATING EXPENSE Production Expense 89.6%
Administrative Expense 10.4%
Ways to Give Online: www.profilestheatre.org/support Call: (773) 549-1815 Mail: Profiles Theatre 4147 N. Broadway Chicago, IL
60613 16 Profiles Theatre
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In a Forest Dark and Deep 17
P R O F I L E S T H E AT R E P R O D U C T I O N H I S TO R Y 2012 - BACHELORETTE (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Leslye Headland 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 2009 – THE MERCY SEAT (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Neil LaBute 2009 – GRACELAND (WORLD PREMIERE) by Ellen Fairey 2009 – THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISSOCIA (AMERICAN PREMIERE) by Anthony Neilson 2009 – GREAT FALLS (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Lee Blessing 2008 – THE THUGS (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Adam Bock
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2008 – MEN OF TORTUGA by Jason Wells 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 2005 - REPARATION (WORLD PREMIERE) by David Schulner 2004 - BLACKBIRD (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Adam Rapp 2004 - NOISE (MIDWEST PRMIERE) by Alex Jones 2003 - WONDER OF THE WORLD (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by David Lindsay-Abaire 2003 – SNAKEBIT (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by David Marshall Grant
P R O F I L E S T H E AT R E P R O D U C T I O N H I S TO R Y ( cont .) 2002 – JUMP TO COW HEAVEN (AMERICAN PREMIERE) by Gill Adams 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 - REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT (MIDWEST PREMIERE) by Rod Serling
1994 - THE TWILIGHT ZONE: THE SERIES by Rod Serling (Remounted in 1995) 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
In a Forest Dark and Deep 19
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