|
Event
The Paranoid Style in American Politics by Emmett Rensin (First Floor Theater)
First Floor Theater presents the world premiere of
The Paranoid Style in American Politics
by Emmett Rensin*
directed by Will Bishop*
Six young, ultra-conservative campaign staffers set out to win an Illinois Senate seat, when leaks from inside the campaign threaten to unravel their mission completely. Toeing the line between personal and political, this thrilling new work challenges audiences to see both sides of the characters, and confront their own prejudices in the process. Paranoid Style is a fast-paced, unrelenting political thriller-- as secrets and ideologies bump up against one another, the hunt for the leak in the campaign becomes increasingly heated and the whole campaign lurches towards political ruin. Inspired by a seminal political essay of the same name, this new play simultaneously explores the spectrum of conservative ideologies and psychologies while tensions rise and relationships are sacrificed for beliefs.
Featuring: Featuring: Kate Cornelius-Schecter*, Andrew Cutler*, Amanda Fink*, Eric Gerard, Luke Michael Grimes*, Mitch Salm*
Pat Whalen (dramaturg), John Holt (set design), Amanda Cantlin (lighting design), Jake Smith (sound design), Lizzy Lewis (costume design), Laura Kinter (video design), Caroline Brown (production manager), Helen Behnke-Hanson (stage manager).
*denotes First Floor Theater company member
Collaboraction's Pentagon Theater at The Flat Iron Arts Building, 1579 N Milwaukee Ave, 3rd Floor, Chicago, IL 60622
Previews: Friday, April 17 & Saturday, April 18 at 8:00 p.m.
Press Opening: Sunday, April 19 at 4:00 p.m.
Regular Run: Thursday, April 23 Saturday, May 9, 2015.
Show Times: Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 8:00 p.m.
Please note: There are two Monday night performances at 8pm: April 27 and May 4, 2015.
About the Playwright
Emmett Rensin is an essayist originally from Los Angeles, California. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, New Republic, The Los Angeles Times, Vox, The Los Angeles Review of Books (where he is a contributing editor), and elsewhere. As a playwright and dramaturg, he has worked with Red Tape Theatre, American Theater Company, Tympanic Theatre, and First Floor Theater, where he is a founding member. He graduated from The University of Chicago. He currently lives in Chicago. His work can be found at http://emmettrensin.com/.
About the Director
Will Bishop (Artistic Producer) co-founded FFT and served as Artistic Director for its first two seasons. With the company, he has directed Tollbooth: A Clown Show, and Sexual Perversity in Chicago, in addition to smaller pieces for literary festivals. He also co-created and wrote The Distance To The Moon, a puppet adaptation of Calvino's short story, developed in residence with the University of Chicago and presented through Collaboraction's Sketchbook Festival. Outside of FFT, he is the Associate Producer for Redmoon, where he directs, writes, produces, and co-creates a range of spectacle experiences from intimate puppet shows to massive parties and public, community-based events. Additional projects include original puppet
and physical theater pieces performed in art galleries, on street corners, in boutiques, and a range of unexpected locations from Chicago to Japan and China. His core interest is in creating original narrative performance that engage multiple artistic aesthetics, visions, and practices and rely on highly collaborative and inventive processes of creation.
About First Floor Theater
First Floor Theater stages stories of individuals facing moments of radical change. By combining visceral acting, immersive design, and collaborative dramaturgy, FFT expands these stories to ask urgent social questions. FFT was named the "Best New Theater Company" in the Chicago Reader's Best of 2013 Reader's Pick edition.
For more information on First Floor Theater, visit http://firstfloortheater.com/
|
|
 |
LocationCollaboraction's Pentagon Theater in the Flat Iron Arts Building (View)
1579 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60622
United States
Categories
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
|
Contact
|
