Event

Johnny Theatre

From the creators of the hit 2010 play Hey! Dancin'! comes Johnny Theatre, a fast-paced comic love letter to non-union Chicago theatre. Opening April 5th at Chemically Imbalanced Comedy, Kirk Pynchon and Mike Beyer's new play Johnny Theatre is the definitive Chicago storefront theatre show. Part satire and part homage, the play is hilarious send-up of the theatrical process and the aura effect of hometown celebrities. A nod to playwright Kirk Pynchon's experience in LA, Johnny Theatre demonstrates what happens when a celebrity attempts to inject some Hollywood into a small company on the verge of obscurity and financial collapse.

Drawing inspiration from celebrity theatre companies such as The Actors Gang and Lookingglass, the story centers around Jonathan Duva, a successful movie star who got his start as a founding member at the Havoc Theatre, a fictional storefront theatre in Chicago on its last legs (its Artistic Director is working double shifts as a barista). Believing himself to be Havoc's greatest production, the film star returns to his roots to revitalize the theatre by producing the world premiere of a play he wrote and believes to be genius - dropping names and wreaking havoc in the process.

Johnny Theatre runs Thursday through Saturday evenings starting April 5 until May 19 at Chemically Imbalanced Comedy, a non-profit BYOB comedy theatre in Lakeview.

CAST:
Bryan Beckwith, Lauren Bourke, Dante Bugli, Alison Clayton, Michael Derting, Catherine Dildilian, Alexandria Frenkel, Elliot Ivins, Andy Lawfer, Casey Pilkenton, Ray Ready, Arne Saupe, and Adam Schulmerich.

Written by Kirk Pynchon and Mike Beyer
Directed by Mary O'Connor