SEASON 24 at American Theater Company
CHICAGO PREMIERE!
FROM THE WRITERS OF URINETOWN: THE MUSICAL
YEAST NATION: THE TRIUMPH OF LIFE
Music and Lyrics by Mark Hollmann
Book and Lyrics by Greg Kotis
The Tony Award-winning creators of the Broadway hit Urinetown
return home to Chicago to premiere the strangest story ever to be
musicalized. The year is 3,000,458,000 B.C., and the Earth's first
life forms, salt-eating yeasts (yes, yeasts), float in the brine of
the primordial soup, under the rule of a feeble but brutal tyrant. As
resources deplete and fear prevails, the faith of one single-celled
dreamer changes their society forever, and out of chaos and
destruction a new world emerges. Combining 80's rock with a touch of
disco, Yeast Nation can't help but be one of most non-political and
slightly amusing evenings of musical theater in America. Here come the
Yeasts!
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CHICAGO PREMIERE!
FROM THE WRITERS OF THE LARAMIE PROJECT
THE PEOPLE'S TEMPLE
Written by Leigh Fondakowski with Greg Pierotti, Stephen Wangh and Margo Hall
Directed by Leigh Fondakowski
1978. Jonestown, Guyana. An interracial religious group, led by their charismatic leader Jim Jones, move to the remote jungles of South America to build a utopian community. From the creators of The Laramie Project comes this premiere production combining actual interviews with survivors and family members and live gospel music to tell the untold stories of a community that dreamed of a better life, and its shocking demise. One of the largest Ensemble projects in American Theater Company history, The People’s Temple will premiere new material from recent interviews for its Chicago premiere during the 30th Anniversary of Jonestown.
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AMERICAN THEATER COMPANY and CONGO SQUARE THEATRE COMPANY
Join together for the
AMERICAN CLASSIC REPERTORY
| PULITZER PRIZE WINNER TOPDOG/UNDERDOG Written by Suzan-Lori Parks |
and |
TONY AWARD NOMINATED TRUE WEST Written by Sam Shepard |
6 actors. 4 brothers. 2 plays. In Rep. American Theater Company
and Congo Square Theatre team up to present one of Chicago's most
intriguing theatrical projects. Artistic Directors Derrick Sanders
and PJ Paparelli engage each other's Ensembles in two of America's
most visceral plays about sibling rivalry. In rotating rep on the same
set, the actors playing the brothers will alternate between the plays.
Audiences can see two versions of two plays on one set at ATC.
Round One: Sam Shepard's most produced play, True West, tells the
story about two brothers; Austin, an ambitious Hollywood screenwriter
working on a potential million-dollar deal and Lee, a vagabond thief
with a compulsion for six-packs and toasters, face off for control
while venting demons from their dysfunctional past.
Round Two: Suzan-Lori Parks' masterpiece, Topdog/Underdog explores two
brothers; Lincoln, ex-card player, now legitimate entertainer, and
Booth, a petty thief who wants to learn his brother's game, struggle to
make a new life that will finally lead them out of poverty.
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AND ONE OF FOLLOWING….
WORLD PREMIERE
FROM THE WRITER OF THE COOK
THAT NIGHT IN HIALEAH
Written by Eduardo Machado
Starring Academy-Award Winner Olympia Dukakis
and Ensemble members Carmen Roman and Kate Buddeke
1984. Hialeah. 70-year old Cuban political prisoner Rolando comes to the U.S. after spending 20 years in jail. He is forced to confront his children from two marriages, one of whom is making money selling cocaine, and another who has had a nervous breakdown during a stint with the Cuban military. A tale of betrayal, survival and the American dream, Machado cracks open the secrets plaguing a Cuban family looking for a new life in the land of opportunity. Ms. Dukakis joins Ensemble members Carmen Roman and Kate Buddeke.
or
CHICAGO PREMIERE
EXPEDITION 6
Conceived and Devised by Bill Pullman
Film and theatre actor Bill Pullman (Independence Day, While You Were Sleeping, Broadway's The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?) breaks new ground with this imaginative exploration of the Columbia Shuttle explosion and the events surrounding the three stranded astronauts' return to Earth from the International Space Station. Combining aerial staging, breathtaking visuals, actual interviews and archival materials, Expedition 6 asks us profound questions about our nation's compulsion to explore the Final Frontier.
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And, of course, we couldn't leave out
THE CHICAGO HOLIDAY TRADITION
Back for a Sixth Smash Year
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE: THE RADIO PLAY
Sponsored by Emerald Nuts from Diamond Foods Inc.
The Chicago Holiday tradition is back! The classic story based on the Frank Capra masterpiece is lovingly performed as a period radio play complete with commercial breaks and live Foley sound effects. ATC's celebrated Ensemble brings the town of Bedford Falls to life, with free milk and cookies after every performance! In addition to our mainstage production, a second company will tour the Chicago suburbs performing at schools!