Stage Left Theatre to Present Midwest premiere of THE BODY OF AN AMERICAN

Stage Left Theatre announces the upcoming Midwest Premiere of The Body of an American, written by Dan O'Brien and directed by Associate Artistic Director Jason A. Fleece. The Body of an American is the third production of Stage Left' s 34th season. Press opening is Wednesday, May 18th at 8:00 PM at Theater Wit, 1229 W Belmont. The show runs through June 19th.

In 1993, Canadian photojournalist Paul Watson took a Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph of a dead American soldier being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu. In 2007, writer Dan O'Brien was struggling to finish his play about ghosts. A chance encounter over the airwaves sparks an extraordinary friendship that sees the two men journey from some of the most dangerous places on earth to the depths of the human soul. Flying from Kabul to the Canadian Arctic, The Body of an American sees two actors play more than thirty roles in an exhilarating new form of documentary drama.

The Body of an American has received the 2014 Horton Foote Prize for Outstanding New American Play, the Inaugural 2013 Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired By American History, the 2013 PEN Center USA Award for Drama, and a nomination for the 2015 Evening Standard's Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright. The play received its world premiere in 2012 at Portland Center Stage and in 2014, it had its UK premiere at the Gate Theatre in London. In 2016 it was produced at Hartford Stage, a production which is currently enjoying its NY premiere by Primary Stages at Cherry Lane Theatre.

In line with our mission to inspire social and political debate, Stage Left offers patrons a Symposium Series for every production. Immediately following each Sunday matinee, we invite the audience to stay for a discussion centered on a particular question raised by the performance. Admission to the Symposium Series is free, but it is recommended that attendees have seen the production in order to fully appreciate and participate in the discussion. The Body of an American ask questions about the Western relationship to conflicts in other countries, the role of journalism in those conflicts, and the responsibility of journalists for the consequences of their reporting.

The Body of an American runs Thursdays through Saturdays at 8:00 PM, and Sundays at 3:00 PM from 5/14/16 through 6/19/16. Tickets are $20-30 and are available through the Theater Wit box office either online at www.theaterwit.org or by calling 773-975-8150. Press Opening is Wednesday, May 18th at 8:00 PM. Previews are Saturday, May 14th at 8:00pm; Sunday, May 15th at 3:00 PM; and Tuesday, May 17th at 8:00 PM. Preview tickets are $20. The Body of an American will be performed at Theater Wit at 1229 W. Belmont in Chicago. The theater is handicapped and CTA accessible via the Belmont El (Red, Brown, and Purple Lines).

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