Williams Street Repertory Brings Dark Comedy to the Stage with Chicago Premiere of George Brant's ANY OTHER NAME

WSR is excited to bring the work of award-winning playwright George Brant to the stage with the Chicago Premiere of "Any Other Name." WSR's production of the dark comedy opens March 17, 2017 at Raue Center For The Arts and runs through April 2, 2017. WSR will then transfer the show to Chicago's Theater Wit, where "Any Other Name" will run from April 21, 2017 through April 30, 2017.

"Any Other Name" appeared as a WSR LAB Series selection during the 2015 season of the play reading series dedicated to showcasing new work. "Any Other Name" is a darkly funny psychological thriller about poetry, madness, and identity theft set in Victorian England. Edward Ballard, a poetry critic, and his formerly well-to-do American wife, Margaret, are on the brink of poverty, surviving on Edward's aspirations of becoming a famous poet. Lofty dreams soon give way to reality and Edward hatches a plan to satisfy his ambition and save them from ruin by enlisting the aid of celebrated poet turned madman, John Clark. Desire, envy, and deception build to the play's surprising conclusion in this Chicago premiere by WSRep, McHenry County's only professional regional theatre company.

"Any Other Name" was originally workshopped at WordBRIDGE Playwrights Lab in 2008, under Managing Director Mike Vandercook, who is now Producing Director at WSR. At WordBRIDGE, the script was explored with a full cast, including WSR ensemble member Michele Vazquez in the role of Margaret.

On the return of "Any Other Name" to Crystal Lake, Brant explains "as I got my start in Chicago, I couldn't be more thrilled to have WSR bring the play to my hometown - and even more so that Michele [Vazquez] will finally be playing the role that she helped to originate."

WSR is equally thrilled to bring the work of an exciting award-winning playwright to the stage with the Chicago Premiere of "Any Other Name." Brant's work has been produced internationally and has received numerous accolades including the Lucille Lortel Award, the Smith Prize, the Fringe First Award and the Keene Prize for Literature, among others.

Brant recently garnered national attention for his award-winning play, "Grounded." The celebrated play has been produced nationwide, including a very high-profile production starring Anne Hathaway directed by Julie Taymor at NYC's Public Theater. In May 2016, Hathaway announced she had secured the film rights to Brant's one-woman drama. The Oscar-winning actress will star in and produce a film adaptation of "Grounded" with Entertainment 360 and Sidney Kimmel Entertainment.

An Affiliate Writer at the Playwrights' Center, Brant's other plays include "Elephant's Graveyard," "Marie and Rosetta," "The Mourners' Bench," "Grizzly Mama," "Salvage," and "Three Voyages of the Lobotomobile." Brant received his BFA in Writing from the Michener Center at UT-Austin and is a member of the Dramatists Guild. He is published by Samuel French, Oberon Books and Smith & Kraus.

Tickets to WSR's production of "Any Other Name" at Raue Center may be purchased online at rauecenter.org or via the Box Office at 815.356.9212 or 26 N. Williams Street in downtown Crystal Lake. Tickets for Theater Wit may be purchased via the Box Office at 773.975.8150. Theater Wit is located at 1229 West Belmont Avenue, Chicago, IL 60657. For more information, please visit wsrep.org.

WSR is a member of Theatre Communications Group, the national organization for the American theatre. TCG has existed to strengthen, nurture and promote the professional not-for-profit American theatre for over 50 years.

Founding Artistic Director: Richard Kuranda, SDC

Production Stage Manager: Caitlin I. Quinn

Producing Director: Mike Vandercook

Company Manager: Kate Wilford

Marketing Manager: Miriam Naponelli

Marketing Manager: Michele V. Knight

Raue Center offers special seating arrangements and hearing devices for patrons with disabilities. Please call the box office at 815.356.9212 to make arrangements prior to the performance.

Raue Center Box Office | 815.356.9212 | 12 to 4p | Mon-Sat | Open Sundays on performance days 1 hour prior to performance.
www.rauecenter.org

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