Signal Ensemble Theatre Launches 2014 – 2015 Season With World Premiere of Jon Steinhagen's DEVIL'S DAY OFF

Signal Ensemble Theatre presents the world premiere and 2014 - 2015 season opening production of Devil's Day Off at Signal Ensemble Theatre, 1802 W. Berenice Ave., October 16 - November 22. The production is directed by Signal Ensemble Member and Co-Artistic Director Ronan Marra and written by Signal Ensemble Member Jon Steinhagen. Preview performances at Thursday, October 16 and Friday, October 17 at 8 p.m. Opening night is Saturday, October 18 at 8 p.m. Performances will run Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. (There will be no performance Sunday, Oct. 19). Ticket prices are $23 for single tickets, $15 for industry/students/seniors/groups and $12 for previews. Tickets may be purchased by calling 773.698.7389 or by visiting www.signalensemble.com.

Street parking available on Ravenswood and Berenice (runs one way going west) CTA Brown line EL stops Irving Park and Addison. CTA busses #80-Irving Park, #152-Addison, #50-Damen, #11-Lincoln. The theatre is handicapped accessible.

A city is battling a record-breaking heat wave for several days when the power goes out for twelve hours. What follows is a mosaic of deprivation, fear, humor, survival, and reflection in over 50 mini-plays featuring 100 characters, from the author ofSuccessors, the Aces Trilogy, Blizzard '67, and the music and lyrics of The Next Thing and The Teapot Scandals. Devils' Day Off was a finalist award winner in the 2013 Clubbed Thumb Biennial Commission.

The cast and production team for Devil's Day Off includes:

CAST: Colby Sellers*, Ben Veatch, Danny Mulae, Tyler Rich, Eleanor Katz, Nelson Rodriguez, Steven Stinson, Laila Abdo, Izis Mollinedo, Aily Roper, Matthew J. Lloyd, Mary Jo Bolduc and Craig Winston (Composer/Musician)

*Indicates Signal Ensemble Theatre Member, ^Indicates Signal Ensemble Artistic Associate

CREW: Ronan Marra* (director), Jon Steinhagen* (playwright), Courtney Jones* (assistant director), Michelle Sellers* (stage manager), Buck Blue* (set designer), Michael C. Smith* (lighting designer), Elsa Hiltner^ (costume designer), Christopher Neville (props designer/assistant costume designer) and Anthony Ingram* (sound designer)
*Indicates Signal Ensemble Theatre Member, ^Indicates Signal Ensemble Artistic Associate

Jon Steinhagen (playwright) has been a Signal Ensemble member since 2009 and has appeared as John Dickinson in 1776, Flan in Six Degrees of Separation, Birdboot in The Real Inspector Hound, and Jack in ACES; recently, he wrote the music and lyrics to The Next Thing, where he also served as musical director, was the musical director of Hostage Song and also authored ACES. He wrote Successors and played the role of Lou Tedesco. Furthermore, Steinhagen has written ACES Wild, a sequel to ACES.

Steinhagen is also a Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists, a past winner of the Julie Harris Playwriting Award, a finalist for the first Noël Coward Award, member of the Dramatists Guild, and has received four Jeff Awards and six nominations (AEA and non-AEA), recently for Blizzard '67 (Best Play - Equity). Recent productions of his plays and musicals includeBlizzard '67 (Chicago Dramatists), Dating Walter Dante (Raven Theatre), The Analytical Engine (Circle Theatre), Something More Comfortable (Syracuse University), and The Teapot Scandals (Porchlight). Other plays include Ponzi on Sunday, Deb and Debra, The Hundred Acres, and The Acceleration of Addison Crouch. Current projects include Neptune's Pool (play) andGreat Lover (musical).