First Folio Theatre Stages World Premiere of SALVAGE, Now thru 4/27

First Folio Theatre (Mayslake Peabody Estate, 31st St. & Rt. 83) presents the World Premiere of the new drama SALVAGE by Joseph Zettelmaier. SALVAGE previews today, March 26, opens March 29 and runs through April 27, 2014. The highly anticipated production is directed by Jeff Award nominee and First Folio Theatre favorite Alison C. Vesely.

SALVAGE tells the tender story of a shy owner of a collectables store in Detroit who finds his staid existence turned topsy-turvy when a mysterious women enters his life with valuable items she is trying to sell. But as their business relationship grows, so does their personal relationship...and so does the mystery of where she keeps finding these items. Zettelmaiser is a four-time nominee for the Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association Award for Best New Play. His play It Came from Mars was the recipient of 2009's Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award, and won Best New Script 2010 from the Lansing State Journal. "Zettelmaier's plays are infused with an idiosyncratic sense of humor, but he never shies away from darker emotions," said American Theatre Magazine.

SALVAGE stars First Folio Theatre Artistic Associate Melanie Keller as "Sarah"(Twelfth Night and Jeeves in Bloom at First Folio Theatre and Romeo and Juliet and Caesar and Cleopatra at The Stratford Shakespeare Festival of Canada) and Tyler Rich as "Jason" (Cymbeline at First Folio Theatre, Cyrano de Bergerac at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and The Tempest and The Taming of the Shrew at American Players Theatre).

Costume Design is by Elsa Hiltner, Sound Design is by Chris Kriz, Lighting Design is by Shelley Holland, Scenic Design is by Angie Weber Miller, and Props Design is by Cassandra Schillo.

This summer, the brilliant Shakespearean comedy THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR will appear on First Folio Theatre's outdoor main stage, situated on the scenic slopes of the historic Mayslake Peabody Estate. Guests are encouraged to bring a picnic and enjoy First Folio Theatre's annual "Shakespeare Under the Stars" production, directed by Jeff Award nominee Nick Sandys. Shakespeare's greatest (and largest) comic character, Sir John Falstaff, was too huge to be contained by his original appearance in Henry IV. Short on money, the rotund Falstaff sets out on a quest to seduce not just one, but two wealthy married women, who then decide to turn the tables on Falstaff and teach him a lesson in fidelity and honesty. The New York Times raves that this classic tale is "Sparkling! Brims with joy!" THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR previews July 9, opens July 12, and runs through August 10, 2014.

First Folio Theatre is in the midst of its 18th season of bringing high-quality performances of Shakespeare and other classics to the stage. During that time, the theater has expanded from an annual summer production to a year-round operation with three separate and distinct stages at the historic Mayslake Peabody Estate. The Shakespeare Book of Lists names First Folio Theatre one of the "150 Great Places to See a Shakespeare Play." The Chicago Tribune raved that their "Shakespeare Under the Stars" summer series "offers something Navy Pier can't...plenty of greenery, gentle breezes and the chance to stretch out on a blanket with family and friends while being transported to Shakespeare's otherworldly romance."?

SAVAGE runs from March 26 through April 27, 2014. All performances take place at the Mayslake Peabody Estate, located at 1717 W 31st St., off Rt. 83, in Oak Brook. First Folio is easy to get to from via the East-West Tollway (I-88) or the Stevenson Expressway (I-55). Free parking is available on the grounds. Preview tickets are $22. Regular priced tickets are $30 on Wednesdays and Thursdays (seniors and students are $26), and $37 on Fridays through Sundays (seniors and students are $32). Season subscriptions and individual tickets may be purchased by calling the box office at 630.986.8067 or online at www.firstfolio.org.