Windy City Playhouse Announces Casting for APARTMENT 3A

Windy City Playhouse, Chicago's most sophisticated theater, presents the Chicago premiere of Apartment 3A by Emmy award-winning, twice Tony award-nominated actor/musician Jeff Daniels.

Ron OJ Parson directs a cast featuring Wardell Clark (Tony), Peter DeFaria (Dal), Jose Antonio Garcia (Elliot), Eleni Pappageorge (Annie) and Dan Smith (Donald). A romantic comedy, Apartment 3A follows Annie as she attempts to get her life back on track after a recent painful breakup and impulsive day at work.

Apartment 3A begins previews September 28 at Windy City Playhouse, 3014 W. Irving Park; the official opening night performances are on Thursday, October 6 at 7:30pm and Friday, October 7 at 8pm.

Apartment 3A might be the nicest apartment in the building, but it can't possibly be enough to make up for the day that Annie has had. A nasty breakup, an on-air meltdown, and a fledgling romance have left her faithless and heartbroken. So when a simple visit from an enigmatic new neighbor starts to change things for the better, Annie has to ask: Is it fate? Luck? Or divine intervention?

Apartment 3A's design team includes Jacqueline Penrod (set), Kristy Leigh Hall (costumes), Jared Gooding (lights), Eric Backus (sound) and Jamie Karas (props).

Performances run at the Windy City Playhouse, 3014 W. Irving Park, Wednesday, September 28-Wednesday, October 5; Thursday, October 6 at 7:30pm & Friday, October 7 at 8pm; Wednesdays & Thursdays at 7:30pm; Fridays & Saturdays at 8:00pm; and Sundays at 3:00pm.

Ticket prices: Wednesday, Thursday & Sunday: $25 ("House") & $45 ("Top Shelf")'; Friday & Saturday: $35 & $55; and Previews: $15 & $30. Call 773-891-8985; or visit windycityplayhouse.com.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Wardell Clark (Tony) hails from Birmingham, Alabama and is pleased to make his Windy City Playhouse debut. Chicago Acting Credits include: Gem of the Ocean (Court Theatre); A Raisin in the Sun (TimeLine Theatre); The Whipping Man (Northlight Theatre); We Are Proud to Present... and The Gospel According to James (Victory Gardens Theatre); Invisible Man (Court Theatre); The Beats (16th Street Theater); Ghosts of Atwood (MPAACT), for which he received the Black Theater Alliance Denzel Washington Award for Most Promising Actor; and Topdog/Underdog (American Theater Company/ Congo Square Theater). Regional credits include: The Whipping Man (Cardinal Stage); Cymbeline (Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival); Fences (Carver Theatre); and Big River, Much Ado About Nothing, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, The Who's Tommy and A Chorus Line (Virginia Samford Theatre). Clark is an Associate Artist with TimeLine Theatre Company, where he also serves as a Teaching Artist in the Living History Program. He holds a BFA in Acting from The Theatre School at DePaul University.

Peter DeFaria (Dal) is very happy to be returning to the Windy City Playhouse after playing Leo last fall in Chapter Two. He has worked in many Chicago area theaters including The Goodman, Steppenwolf, Northlight, A Red Orchid, Chicago Dramatists, Mary-Arrchie, Shattered Globe and TUTA. Film and television credits include: Public Enemies, The Dark Knight, The Last Rites of Joe May, Chicago PD, Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, The Chicago Code, and Betrayal.

Jose Antonio Garcia (Elliot) is thrilled to be making his Windy City Playhouse debut. Other Chicago and regional credits include: The Goodman Theatre, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Steep Theatre, Factory Theatre, Stage Left Theatre, Boho Theatre Ensemble, Adventure Stage Chicago, Collaboraction, Chicago Children's Theatre, Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival, and Illinois Shakespeare Festival. TV/Film credits include: Written Off, Win It All, Sense8, Cleveland Abduction, Consumed, Chicago Fire, Mob Doctor, Boss, and Prison Break. He holds a BFA from The University of Connecticut and an MFA from Indiana University.

Eleni Pappageorge (Annie) is thrilled to join Windy City Playhouse for Apartment 3A. Her most recent credits include: Chimerica (Timeline Theatre); As You Like It (Back Room Shakespeare Project); Weird Kids (Haven Theatre); An Issue of Blood (Victory Gardens Theater); Antigonick (Sideshow Theatre Company); A Map of Virtue (Cor Theatre) and c*ck(Profiles Theatre). She also spends much of her time in the voiceover world with work ranging from commercials and audiobooks to pinball machines and the original short fiction podcast Reading Out Loud. She is a Second City Conservatory graduate and holds a BFA in Acting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Dan Smith (Donald) makes his Windy City Playhouse debut. He most recently appeared in The New Deal by Mrinalani Kamath (Stage Left Theatre's Leapfest 2016). Other Chicago credits include: King of the Yees by Lauren Yee's (New Stages 2015); Measure for Measure and The World of Extreme Happiness by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig (New Stages 2012) all at the Goodman Theatre; Mutt by Christopher Chen (Stage Left); Purple Cloud by Jessica Huang (Asquared Theatre Company); the Chicago premiere of Fugitive Pieces by Caridad Svich (EX-Pats Theatre Company); Sarah Ruhl's translation of both The Three Sisters, and The Lady with the Dog, and Sheldon Patinkin's adaptation of Ivanov, all directed by Joyce Piven (Piven Theatre Workshop); Roadkill Confidential by Sheila Callaghan (Dog & Pony Theatre Company); and the world premiere of Space by Tina Landau (Steppenwolf Theatre Company and off-Broadway at The Public Theater). His film and television credits include: High Fidelity, Fiona's Fortune, The Ride, Crisis, Early Edition and Turks.

Ron OJ Parson (Director) is the co-founder and former Artistic Director of the Onyx Theatre Ensemble of Chicago, current Producing Artistic Director of the New Onyx Theatre Project and a Resident Artist at the Court Theatre. Chicago credits include work at Goodman Theatre, Chicago Theatre Company, Victory Gardens Theater, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago Dramatists, TimeLine Theatre, Teatro Vista, Northlight Theatre, Black Ensemble Theater, ETA Creative Arts Foundation, Congo Square Theatre Company, Urban Theatre Company and Writers Theatre. His regional credits include productions at Virginia Stage Company, Portland Stage Company, Studio Arena Theatre, Studio Theatre, Roundabout Theatre Company, Wilshire Theatre, Morris A. Mechanic Theatre, Center Stage, Actors Theatre of Louisville, South Coast Repertory, Pasadena Playhouse, Geva Theatre and Milwaukee Repertory Theatre. Parson's television and film credits include ER, Early Edition, Turks, Boss, American Playhouse, Vamping, Ali, Barbershop 2, Primal Fear and Drop Squad. He is a native of Buffalo, New York and a graduate of the University of Michigan's professional theater program.

Jeff Daniels (Playwright) has been a professional actor for more than twenty-five years and in 2013, won an Emmy award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Will McAvoy in HBO's The Newsroom; he was twice nominated for a Tony award for Best Leading Actor in a Play for his work in Blackbird (2016) and God of Carnage (2009). Daniels originally penned Apartment 3A in 2000 for The Purple Rose Theatre Company in Chelsea, Michigan, of which he is the founder. He has written nine plays for the PRTC: Shoe Man, The Tropical Pickle, Thy Kingdom's Coming, Across the Way (a 2002 finalist for the American Theatre Critics Association National Award for Best New Play), Norma & Wanda, The Vast Difference, Escanaba in da Moonlight, Apartment 3A, and Boom Town, the last four of which are published by Dramatists Play Service. He directed the PRTC productions of Boom Town and Lanford Wilson's The Hot L Baltimore. As co-founder of Purple Rose Films, he wrote, acted, and directed its Escanaba in da Moonlight and Super Sucker (awarded Best Comedy at the 2001 U.S. Comedy Film Festival in Aspen, CO).

Windy City Playhouse, Chicago's most sophisticated not-for-profit Equity theater, aims to expand beyond the traditional theatergoing experience by offering audience members a night of high-quality entertainment with a full-service bar, in a lounge-like atmosphere. Windy City Playhouse premiered in March of 2015, with the inaugural production End Days. Lauded by audiences and critics alike, Windy City Playhouse promises to rock Chicago's theater scene. For more information, visit www.windycityplayhouse.com.