HIDEOUS PROGENY Plays Chicago LiveWire, 8/26-9/26

LiveWire Chicago Theatre, in association with Chicago DCA Theater, presents the world premiere of Hideous Progeny. The production, directed by Jessica Hutchinson, comes to Chicago DCA's Storefront Theater at 66 E. Randolph Street, from August 26 to September 26, 2010. Members of the press are invited to the opening performance on Thursday, August 26, at 7:30 pm.

It was a dark and stormy night in a house by the lake, when Mary Shelley famously took up her host Lord Byron's challenge to write a terrifying story and created Frankenstein, one of the most famous novels in the Western canon. Witty, salacious, and often melodramatic, Emily Dendinger's play depicts the larger than life Romantic figures as the normal teenagers they were - overeducated, egotistical, and ready to change the world.

Lord Bryon, Mary Shelley, Percy Shelley...these are names familiar to literature enthusiasts, but there is another side to the mythic creation of their work. As he challenged his guests to create something original, Byron argues that there are two ways that a man can live forever - create a child or a work of immortal art. Already famous and possessed of a daughter, Byron has achieved his place in history, but it comes at the price of exile. Percy Shelley has dotted the British coast with his offspring, yet struggles to write something truly great. Meanwhile, Mary suddenly finds herself coming to terms with herself as a creator of both children and words and an unlikely flirtation with Byron. She strives to find a balance in motherhood, career and personal identity in ways all too familiar to a 21st century woman.

Performances of Hideous Progeny are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings at 7:30 pm. and Sunday afternoons at 3 pm. A post-show discussion will follow the performance on Thursday, September 2.

Tickets are $20 for general admission and $15 for students and seniors. Discounts are available for Chicago Cultural Center Mosaic Members, theater industry affiliates, military personnel, ADA companions, and large groups. All tickets are available by calling 312.742.TIXS (8497), visiting www.dcatheater.org, or stopping by the DCA Box Office in the Chicago Cultural Center at 78 E. Washington Street, open Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 6 pm and Sundays, noon to 4 pm. When available, tickets go on sale one hour before each performance at the Storefront Theater.

Cast and Production Team

The cast features John Taflan as Byron, Hilary Williams as Mary, Tom McGrath as Shelley, Danielle O'Farrell as Claire, Pat King as Polidori, and Madeline Long* as Elise.

Jessica Hutchinson directs the performance with Benno Nelson as Dramaturg. The show's set design is by Anders Jacobson* and Judy Radovsky*, with lighting by Eric Branson*, sound by Sarah Ramos, props by Maria DeFabo, and costumes by Laura Kollar. Production Manager is Cory Conrad*, and Stage Manager is Dianna Driscoll.

Director Jessica Hutchinson makes her LiveWire Chicago Theatre debut with Hideous Progeny. Since June 2007, she has served as Artistic Director for New Leaf Theatre (The Man Who Was Thursday, Touch, Six Years, The Dining Room, Vox Pandora). Other credits include BackStage Theatre Company (Orange Flower Water), Mary Arrchie (Abbie Hoffman Died for our Sins XX and XXI), Caffeine Theatre (Antigone Coffeehouse) and Goodman Theatre (assistant to the director - The Crowd You're In With). Jessica is an associate member of SDC, the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.

Playwright Emily Dendinger has had plays produced around the country including Massachusetts, North Dakota, Florida, and Virginia. Most recently her ten minute play The Kiss was seen in 20% Theater's Snapshoot 2009 this past summer in Chicago. Her play Swimming After Dark was selected for performance at the 2006 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Regional Festival after being named one of the two winners in the 1X2 One Act Playwriting Competition the previous winter. Recently, it won the 2008 Women Playwrights' Initiative's Playwriting Competition and was produced in Orlando, FL. Emily is a recipient of the 2005 National Selection Team Kennedy Center Fellowship for Outstanding Achievements, and she is a twice participant in the KCACTF Summer Intensive Playwriting program. Her one-act play Family Tree was named the Senior Theatre League of America's Best Play 2004, and is currently published by Dramatic Publishing. Emily is a Chicago Dramatists Network Playwright and just completed her Masters in Humanities with a focus on Literature and Playwriting from the University of Chicago. Hideous Progeny began as Dendinger's Masters thesis, inspired by historical events and culled from letters and diary excerpts.

Founded in 2006, LiveWire Chicago Theatre is now in its fifth season. LiveWire Chicago Theatre is a collective company of artists with a common drive to develop theatre that provokes thought, enlightens the spirit, and entertains a community. Past productions include Lower Debt, developed at the DCA Studio Theater Incubator Program, the Chicago premiere of Red Angel, and the world premiere of Soldiers: The Desert Stand.

The Storefront Theater and the Studio Theater, its companion theater located in the Chicago Cultural Center at 78 E. Washington Street, comprise Chicago DCA Theater, an anchor of the downtown theater district. Chicago DCA Theater offers downtown audiences an off-Loop theater experience with an exciting look at the vibrant emerging theater companies that call Chicago home. Proposals for creative and innovative productions for the July to December 2011 season are now being accepted October 15, 2010.

Discounted parking is available at Wabash Randolph Self Park at 20 E. Randolph. Patrons can receive the $10 rate by validating their ticket at the Storefront Theater box office.

For more information about LiveWire Chicago Theatre's Hideous Progeny and Chicago DCA Theater, call 312.742.TIXS (8497) or visit www.dcatheater.org. The enhanced website features more about DCA Theater performances and programs, including a blog, photo galleries, and visitor information. More information on LiveWire Chicago Theatre is available at www.livewirechicago.com.