'In a Dark Dark House' by Profiles Theatre Extends Run

Profiles Theatre announces the extension of In a Dark Dark House, the final play of the 2007-2008 Season devoted to the works of acclaimed playwright and filmmaker Neil LaBute. The Midwest Premiere of In a Dark Dark House is directed by Profiles' Artistic Director Joe Jahraus and features Profiles' Associate Artistic Director Darrell W. Cox along with Hans Fleischmann and Allison Torem.  The acclaimed production has been extended for an additional five weeks, through June 15, 2008, at Profiles Theatre, 4147 N. Broadway. 

On the grounds of a private psychiatric facility, two brothers find themselves face-to-face with each other's involvement in their traumatic past. In court-ordered rehab, Drew calls on his brother, Terry, to corroborate his story of abuse. Drew's request releases barely-hidden animosities between the two; is he using these repressed memories to save himself while smearing the name of his brother's friend and mentor? In Neil LaBute's powerful new play, these siblings must struggle to come to grips with their troubled legacy, both inside and outside of their dark family home.

In a Dark Dark House

Playwright:       Neil LaBute
Directed by:     Artistic Director Joe Jahraus
Featuring:        Associate Artistic Director Darrell W. Cox, Hans Fleischmann and Allison Torem
Dates:             Now through June 15, 2008

Schedule
Thurs, Fri, Sat:   8:00 p.m. 
Sun:                 7:00 p.m.

Location
Profiles Theatre, 4147 N. Broadway
Parking is available for $6 at 4100 N. Clarendon (One block east of the theatre at the corner of Clarendon and Belle Plaine)

Ticket prices
Fridays and Saturdays :   $30
Thursdays and Sundays:  $25
Students and Senior Citizens receive a $5 discount on all performances; Group rates are available.

Box Office 
Buy online at www.profilestheatre.org or call (773) 549-1815.
 
The Profiles production marks only the second time this play has been produced. 

Profiles' Artistic Director Joe Jahraus is the director for In a Dark Dark House. He was also the director of Profiles' highly praised Midwest premieres of Some Girl(s) and Fat Pig also by Neil LaBute as well as the American premiere of Apple by Vern Thiessen and the Midwest Premiere of Profiles' award-winning hit production of Blackbird by Adam Rapp.

The cast features Profiles' Associate Artistic Director Darrell W. Cox and Hans Fleischmann, producing director for Mary-Arrchie Theatre. Profiles introduces Allison Torem, a junior at Whitney Young Magnet High School, in her professional debut. 

The designers are Brandon Wardell (set), Ron Seeley (lights), Myron Elliott, Jr. (costumes), and Profiles' company member Eric Burgher (sound). The assistant director is company member Somer Benson and the stage manager is Maryann Carlson.

PLAYWRIGHT
Neil LaBute (playwright), writer, director and playwright, received his Master of Fine Arts degree in dramatic writing from New York University and was the recipient of a literary fellowship to study at the Royal Court Theatre. His films include: 'In the Company of Men' (New York Critics' Circle Award for Best First Feature, Filmmakers' Trophy at the Sundance Film Festival), 'Your Friends and Neighbors', 'Nurse Betty', 'Possession', and 'The Shape of Things' (a film adaptation of his play by the same title) and 'The Wicker Man'. His newest film, 'Lakeview Terrace' starring Samuel L. Jackson, will be released September 2008. Plays include: bash: latter-day plays, written by LaBute and staged in New York in 1999 and London in 2000, both directed by Joe Mantello; The Shape of Things which LaBute wrote and directed for London and New York in 2001; The Distance From Here, written by LaBute, which ran at the Almeida Theater in London in spring 2002 (directed by David Leveaux) and in New York in spring 2004 (directed by Michael Greif); and The Mercy Seat, written and directed by LaBute in New York in fall 2002. In spring 2004, the MCC Theater performed five of his one-act plays, collectively titled autobahn. MCC staged LaBute's play Fat Pig, directed by Jo Bonney, in fall 2004. Fat Pig played earlier this season at The Geffen Playhouse and a production is slated to open in May at Trafalgar Studio in London, both directed by LaBute. In spring 2005, his play This Is How It Goes premiered at New York's Public Theater, directed by George C. Wolfe. In May of that year, the play debuted at The Donmar Warehouse in London, directed by Moises Kauffman. Also in May 2005, LaBute's play Some Girl(s) premiered on London's West End, directed by David Grindley. In November 2005, he directed the premiere of his one-man, one-act play Wrecks in Cork, Ireland. In May 2006, Some Girl(s) had its New York debut at the Lucille Lortel, staged by MCC Theater and directed by Jo Bonney. In October 2006, LaBute once again directed Wrecks, this time for the New York premiere at the Public Theater. In May of 2007, MCC premiered his latest play, In a Dark Dark House, directed by Carolyn Cantor. LaBute is the author of several fictional pieces that have been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Harper's Bazaar, and Playboy among others. A collection of his short stories was published by Grove/Atlantic in October 2004.

DIRECTOR
Joe Jahraus (director) is the founder and artistic director of Profiles Theatre. Joe most recently directed Profiles' Midwest Premiere of Some Girl(s) by Neil LaBute. Prior to that, he directed the American Premiere of Apple by Vern Thiessen and the Midwest Premiere of Fat Pig by Neil LaBute, for which he received a Jeff Citation Nomination for Outstanding Director. Other directing credits for Profiles include the award-winning Midwest Premiere of Blackbird by Adam Rapp, Babylon Gardens by Timothy Mason, The Water Engine and Sexual Perversity in Chicago by David Mamet, and the award-winning Midwest Premiere of Carnal Knowledge by Jules Fieffer, among others. As an actor, Joe recently appeared in Profiles Midwest premiere of Things We Said Today by Neil LaBute and he received an After Dark Award for Outstanding Ensemble for his performance in Merge as part of Profiles' Midwest Premiere of autobahn, also by Neil LaBute. Appearances in other Profiles' productions include The Glory of Living, Reparation, Noise, Wonder of the World, Snakebit, Jump to Cow Heaven, Some Voices, Dogs Barking, Popcorn, Stray Dogs, Eye of God, Paddywack, The Baby Dance, Geography of a Horse Dreamer, Glengarry Glen Ross, How the Other Half Loves, The Water Engine, Orphans and True West.  Joe has designed numerous sets for Profiles including Stray Dogs, for which he received a 1999 Jeff Citation nomination for Set Design.

CAST
Darrell W. Cox (Terry) was most recently seen as Guy in the Midwest Premiere of Some Girl(s) by Neil LaBute. Prior to that, he was seen as Andy in the American Premiere of Apple by Vern Thiessen and as Tom in the Midwest Premiere of Neil LaBute's Fat Pig. He was seen at the Goodman as Charles in The Shawl and Robert in Home as part of the David Mamet Festival. Darrell has appeared at Steppenwolf in the World Premiere of Men of Tortuga, the Midwest Premiere of Orange Flower Water (which also traveled to the Galway Arts Festival), and the World Premiere of Wendall Greene. He has won three Joseph Jefferson Citations for Principal Actor for his work in Profiles' productions of Blackbird, Some Voices, and Eye of God. In addition, he has received two After Dark Awards for Outstanding Performance for Profiles' productions of Popcorn and Carnal Knowledge. Darrell's directing credits include Profiles' Midwest Premieres of autobahn by Neil LaBute, The Radiant Abyss by Angus MacLachlan, and Wonder of the World by David Lindsay-Abaire. Appearances in other Profiles' productions include The Glory of Living, Reparation, Snakebit, Jump to Cow Heaven, Dogs Barking, Babylon Gardens, Paddywack, The Baby Dance, Geography of a Horse Dreamer, Glengarry Glen Ross, Zara Spook and Other Lures, The Twilight Zone: The Series, How the Other Half Loves, The Water Engine, Minor Demons, Orphans, Battery and True West.

Hans Fleischmann (Drew) returns to Profiles Theatre, for the first time as an actor, having last directed Persuasion Paper 101 for Neil LaBute's Things We Said Today. Hans recently appeared in RC Sherriff's Journey's End with Griffin. He is Producing Director for Mary-Arrchie Theatre where he directed Harold Pinter's The Caretaker. Favorite acting credits from last year include Blasted with A Red Orchid Theatre and Cowboy Mouth with Mary-Arrchie. Hans has also had the pleasure of working with the Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Madison Repertory Theater, Walk About, and the Illinois Shakespeare Festival. 

Allison Torem (Jennifer) is making her professional acting debut at Profiles Theatre. She attends Whitney Young Magnet High School as a junior and most recently performed as Muriel in her school's production of Ah, Wilderness. She was in a short film at Colombia College and took classes at Prologue Theater and also The Entertainment Project, where she performed in Grease and Peter Pan.

Photo: Thad Hallstein