Athena Festival to Launch Idle Muse Theatre Company's 11th Season; Lineup Announced!

Idle Muse Theatre Company announces their 11th Season which will begin in November with the now annual Athena Festival, celebrating plays written and directed by women to be curated by ensemble member Sara Robinson. Idle Muse Artistic Director, Evan Jackson directs the Chicago premiere of The Scullery Maid written by playwright Joseph Zettelmaier in March 2017. The season then concludes in August 2017 with the Midwest premiere of Conor McPherson's The Veil.

Idle Muse Theatre Company will open the season with Athena Festival. The festival was devised to provide a greater voice and representation for women in Chicago theatre. Athena is the Greek goddess of reason, intelligent activity, arts and literature. Likewise, Athena Festival will feature staged readings of plays by diverse women playwrights, directed by women, and featuring women in prominent roles. Idle Muse is hoping this will be the beginning of an annual festival that will expand into full productions. Athena Festival will be curated by Idle Muse ensemble member Sara Robinson. The festival lineup will be announced at a later date. Athena Festival will run November 19 - 20, 2016 and will be presented at Jackalope Theatre's Frontier performance space located at 1106 W Thorndale Ave, Chicago, IL 60660.

The eleventh season continues in 2017 with the Chicago premiere of The Scullery Maid by Joseph Zettelmaier and directed by IMTC artistic director Evan Jackson. As King Edward celebrates an uneasy truce with France, the lowliest servant in Nottingham castle, Miriam the scullery maid, initiates a murder plot that will see him dead before the night is done - no matter the cost. Loyalties and conspiracies unravel as a raging tempest sets in, giving rise to new betrayals and unearthing long-buried secrets as Miriam approaches the point of no return. Religious, political and familial identities all clash with storm-like intensity in a medieval thriller that asks: are we defined by our prejudices or can we escape becoming what we hate? The Scullery Maid will run March 16 - April 9, 2017 with previews March 16th and March 17th and will be presented at The Edge Theater, 5451 N Broadway Ave, Chicago, IL 60640.

Idle Muse Theatre Company will close its season with the Midwest premiere of The Veil written by Conor McPherson, directed by guest artist Ann Kreitman. With her family facing financial ruin as the Irish rural way of life comes to an end, Hannah's impending marriage to a British lord will settle her mother's debts and save the estate. Catastrophe strikes, however, when a defrocked reverend pushes her to embrace the strange voices that have haunted her since birth. Against the backdrop of Ireland's troubled colonial history, The Veil is a transfixing, mystical story about the search for love and the circularity of time - and the ghosts that are woken by scarcity and the fear of dispossession. The Veil will run August 17th - September 17th, 2017 with previews August 17th and 18th and will be presented at The Edge Theater, 5451 N Broadway Ave, Chicago, IL 60640.

Athena Festival will run November 19th through November 20th, 2016 and will be presented at Jackalope Theatre's Frontier performance space located at 1106 W Thorndale Ave, Chicago, IL 60660. Performance times are Saturday and Sunday at 1PM and at 5PM. Ticket prices range from $10 - $30 with discounts for full day and weekend passes. Tickets may be purchased by visiting www.idlemuse.org or by calling 773-340-9438.

The Scullery Maid will run March 16th - April 9th, 2017 with previews March 16th and March 17th and will be presented at The Edge Theater, 5451 N Broadway Ave, Chicago, IL 60640. Ticket prices range from $10 - $20. Performance times are Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8PM and Sundays at 3PM.

The Veil will run August 17th - September 17th, 2017 with previews August 17th and 18th and will be presented at The Edge Theater, 5451 N Broadway Ave, Chicago, IL 60640. Performance times for are Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8PM and Sundays at 3PM.

Ticket prices for The Scullery Maid and The Veil are $20 for adults and $15 for students/seniors. Tickets for previews are $10. Every Thursday is Industry Night with $10 tickets. Tickets may be purchased by visiting www.idlemuse.org or by calling 773-340-9438.

Street parking is available at all venues and all venues are handicapped and CTA accessible. The Edge Theater is CTA accessible by Red Line Berwyn/Bryn Mawr stop/ 36 Broadway Bus. Jackalope's Frontier is CTA Accessible by Red Line Thorndale/ 36 Broadway, 147 Outer Drive, 136 Sheridan and 151 Sheridan Bus Routes.

Group rates for 10 or more upon request. Tickets may be purchased in advance at 773-340-9438 or by visiting www.IdleMuse.org.

Now in its eleventh season, Idle Muse Theatre Company is a 501c3 non-profit Charity organization established in 2006 dedicated to producing Theatre which is Transporting, Timely and True.

Idle Muse Theatre is partially supported and funded by generous grants from The MacArthur Funds for the Arts and Culture at The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation and The Saints.

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