World Premiere of BETH IN JULY by 'Master of Macabre' R.J. Tsarov

Beth in July is written by R.J. Tsarov, produced by the Prop Thtr and directed by Shannon Evans. What happens when two peculiar people meet via online dating? With a history of increasing violence that started with an exploding firecracker when she was just four, Beth is a walking disaster. Via the Internet she meets Jim, hunted by his flesh-eating offspring and living in hiding in a climate-controlled storage unit. Hounded by his isolation, Jim's body transmorphs with each lunar cycle. With a penetrating look at intimacy, the latest from "New Orleans' most provocative playwright" is once again having a Midwest premiere at the Prop Thtr.

R.J. Tsarov
R.J. Tsarov's work continues to creep into the Chicago theatre scene. "He's got a niché," says The Chicago Arts Journal about Tsarov. "It's a horror niché, sometimes comic, seemingly influenced by the likes of Lovecraft and Cronenberg - bumps in the night, growths on the skin, creeping dread." Most recently, Tsarov's plays Cleanse, We-el, and Mantuary 2 were given their Midwest premieres at the Prop Theatre's 27th Annual Rhinoceros Theater Festival. Earlier ChicaGo Productions include: Otherwise Harmless, Just Sleep, Clear Priorities, Tennessee Speaks in Tongues For You (Or the 3 ½ Character Play), Tsarovia!, Mantuary, Love Sauce, and Always Saturday.

"Tsarov's latest work is his first romantic comedy, yet it retains all of his signature squeamish darkness," says Shannon Evans.

"This show is perfect for our audience that values new work and enjoys a healthy dose of macabre."

Tickets are available through the Prop Thtr Box Office at 773-742-5420, at the door and at http://bethinjuly.brownpapertickets.com.

Rick Paul

Fringe director and designer Rick Paul designed his first set in 1951. Sixty years and hundreds of productions later, Paul is known for having created sets for many of Chicago's original Off-Loop theaters in the 1960's and 1970's. Paul first worked with R.J. Tsarov in New Orleans in the early 2000s and saw the playwright's work surge into a sold-out, cult-like phenomenon. Paul brought a stack of Tsarov's plays to Prop Thtr, knowing their penchant for irreverent, fearless new voices, and unleashed a decade-long relationship from which nearly a dozen full-length and short plays have been produced since 2006.

About Prop Thtr

Chicago's longest-running incubator theatre, Prop Thtr has served as a vital force for the development of new work and the nurturing of new artists for 35 years. Prop exposes audiences and artists to fresh outlooks on life through the development of new plays and playwrights and by fostering long-term artistic relationships. Prop is a charter and active member of the National New Play Network. Prop seeks to prioritize works about Chicago and increase their educational outreach to widen the array of interdisciplinary arts activities occurring at their 2-theater performance complex in Avondale.