Center on Halsted to Host Free Reading of Raven Theatre Company's SYCAMORE

The Center on Halsted will host a reading of Raven Theatre Company's world premiere production of Sycamore in the Hoover - Leppen Theatre on Friday, February 17 at 7:00 pm.

In this new drama by Brooklyn-based playwright Sarah Sander, Celia and Henry are teenaged siblings living in an unnamed Midwestern suburb. Celia is 18, a high school senior who is involved in cheerleading and the drama club. Henry is 16 and active in mathletics. Both Celia and Henry become romantically interested in their new next-door neighbor, John, who recently moved to their town from Los Angeles with his single mom Jocelyn. This is not the first-time Celia and Henry have been romantic rivals - their first competition over a boy resulted in incidents which had damaging and lasting impacts on each of them. Will trouble strike again as the two vie for John's affections? Meanwhile, Celia and Henry's parents, David and Louise, face stress in their marriage due to David's reduction in hours as a college professor and need to take on a job as a short order cook in an all-night diner.

This event will offer Center on Halsted visitors an advance look at the play while it is still in rehearsal, with the cast reading from scripts on the Hoover-Leppen stage.

Leading the cast as Celia, a high school senior competing with her gay younger brother for the attentions of the new boy next door, is Selina Fillinger, an actress and playwright whose play Faceless will receive its world premiere production at Northlight Theatre from January 26 - March 4. Fillinger graduated from Northwestern University last Spring. Her brother Henry will be played by Northwestern University sophomore and San Francisco native Julian Larach. Appearing as John, the sensitive new boy next door with a talent for photography, will be Johnathan Nieves. Nieves' recent credits include The Compass at Steppenwolf, Carlo in Balm in Gilead with Griffin Theatre Company and Angel in Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train for Eclipse Theatre Company. John's mother Jocelyn will be played by Jaslene Gonzalez, a Chicago native who won top honors as "America's Next Top Model" in season 8 of the hit TV show.

Celia and Henry's parents will be played by Robyn Coffin and Tom Hickey. Coffin, a regular on NBC's Chicago Fire, in which she plays Cindy Herrmann, recently appeared in Don't Go Gentle for Haven Theatre Company. Hickey has recently had roles in Chimerica at TimeLine Theatre and You Can't Take It with You at Northlight Theatre.

Making her Raven Theatre debut as director will be Devon de Mayo. Ms. de Mayo has won plaudits for her direction of Lost in Yonkers and You Can't Take It with You at Northlight Theatre, as well as Animals Out of Paper for Shattered Globe Theatre. In 2015, she served as Resident Director on the Broadway production of The Audience, starring Helen Mirren. Her designers will include Jeff Award winner Jeffrey D. Kmiec (set design), kClare McKellaston (costume design), Brian Healy (lighting design), Stephen Gawrit (sound design), Jimmy Jagos (properties design) and Eileen Rozycki (scenic artist). Also on the production team are Kelli N. Kovach (stage manager), Sarah Slight (dramaturg), Katrinka L. Smith (assistant stage manager), Conor Clark (technical director) and Diane D. Fairchild and Marissa Geocaris (master electricians).

Sycamore was developed during Sander's tenure with The Public Theater's Emerging Writers group (run, at the time, by Jesse Alick, Jack Moore and Liz Frankel). It received a spotlight series reading (April, 2015) directed by Lucie Tiberghien. It was further developed in a workshop setting at Bay Area Playwrights Conference (July, 2016) with Mame Hunt (dramaturge) and Jessica Holt (director) Amy Mueller (artistic director). The play also received a roundtable reading at the LARK New Play Development Center, NYC (November, 2015) directed by Kareem Fahmy. It further received two developmental readings at Raven Theatre in 2016, as part of Raven's [Working Title] Program of New Play Development.

IF YOU GO:

Sycamore
by Sarah Sander

WORLD PREMIERE
Directed by Devon de Mayo

At Hoover-Leppen Theatre in the Center on Halsted
3656 N. Halsted St., Chicago

Friday, February 17, 2017
Reception at 6:30, Performance at 7:00 PM

Free reading
Reservations recommended - community.centeronhalsted.org/Intimate

Full production at Raven Theatre (West Stage) - March 8 - April 29
Previews: March 8 - 11, 2017 at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, March 12, 2017 at 3:30 p.m.
Opening Nights: Monday, March 13 and Tuesday, March 14, 2017 at 7:30 pm

Performances continue through April 29, 2017: Thursdays through Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 3:30 p.m.beginning Friday, March 17 (no show Thursday, March 16, 2017). Saturdaymatinees at 3:30 pm from March 25 through April 29, 2017.

Tickets: $46.00 ($43.00 if purchased online), Seniors $41.00 ($38.00 if purchased online), Teachers $41.00 ($38.00 if purchased online), students/active military and veterans $22.00 ($21.00 if purchased online). Groups of 10 or more are $29 per person for Thursday and Fridayperformances and $33 per person for Saturday and Sunday performances. Student groups are $15.00 per person for groups of 10 or more for Thursday and Friday performances. Tickets may be purchased online at www.raventheatre.com or by phone at 773-338-2177.

Subscriptions for the remaining three shows in the 2016-17 are now on sale. "Preview Plus" subscriptions good for previews and the first weekend of regular performances are $54.00 and "Anytime" packages good at any performance are $84.00. Subscriptions may be purchased online at www.raventheatre.com or by telephone at 773-338-2177.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Sarah Sander has seen her work developed/produced by Columbia University, |the claque|, DC Arts Center, Florida Studio Theatre, Inkwell Theatre, Kennedy Center, Lark, NYSF, Page 73 Productions, Public Theater, Project Y and Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Festival. She's a member of The Public Theater's 2015 Emerging Writers Group, New Georges Affiliated Artist, alumni of the Dramatist Guild Fellowship and P73's Interstate 73. Residencies: MacDowell, Millay and SPACE at Ryder Farm. Finalist: ATL's Heideman Award, Clubbed Thumb's Biennial Commission, Playwrights Center's Jerome Fellowship, Juilliard's Lila Acheson Fellowship, Leah Ryan FEWW Prize, P73's Playwriting Fellowship, Playwrights Realm Fellowship, Trustus Theatre Festival, Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab and Source Theater Festival. Nominations: Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, NTC's Stavis Award and Williamstown's Weissberger Award. For the 2009-2010 season she served as a National New Play Network Playwright-in-Residence (Florida Studio Theatre). MFA: University of Iowa.

Devon de Mayo most recently directed You On the Moors Now for The Hypocrites, Animals Out of Paper for Shattered Globe Theatre and You Can't Take It with You for Northlight Theatre, where she will direct Harveylater this season. Last year, Devon worked as the Resident Director under Stephen Daldry on the Broadway production of The Audience. Other directing credits: Lost in Yonkers (Northlight), Compulsion and Everything is Illuminated (Next); Jet Black Chevrolet (the side project); An Actor Prepares (Logan Center); Roadkill Confidential, The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabler, Clouds (Dog & Pony); Infiltrating Bounce (Luminaria, San Antonio); and 52 (Canal Café, London). Directing & devising credits: Guerra: A Clown Play (performances in Chicago, New York, Albuquerque, Madrid, Bogota, and Mexico City); The Whole World is Watching, As Told by the Vivian Girls (Dog & Pony), and The Twins Would Like to Say (Dog & Pony, Steppenwolf Garage Rep). She is the co-artistic director of Dog & Pony Theatre and received her MFA from Middlesex University in London.

Raven Theatre Company is committed to presenting a range of modern drama that illuminates the human experience. Through a vigorous program of full productions and new play development, as well as a first-class theatre education series, Raven creates a powerful and welcoming environment in which artists hone and showcase their skills, young students gain valuable insights into theatre arts, and patrons experience high quality programming that is easily accessible to all.