World Premieres & More Set for Jackalope's 2015-16 Season

Jackalope Theatre Company, under the leadership of Interim Artistic Director Gus Menary and Managing Director Nate Silver, announces its 2015/16 season. The company's 8th season features three world premiere productions. The season begins with The Raid by Idris Goodwin, directed by Associate Artistic Director Kaiser Ahmed, continues with Rolling by Company Member Calamity West, directed by Nate Silver, and concludes with Prowess by Ike Holter, directed by Marti Lyons.

All three of Jackalope's main productions will take place in the recently renovated and fully heated and air-conditioned theatre space within Broadway Armory Park, 5917 N Broadway. In addition to these three shows, Jackalope will present a fully curated season of work in The Frontier, 1106 W Thorndale. Slated for The Frontier during the 2015/16 Season is a new artistic alliance with Senn Arts and The Yard, a workshop production of a new musical, Amelia, the launch of the Pioneer Series, the monthly Good Evening with Pat Whalen, and The 7th Annual Living Newspapers Festival.

"I wanted Jackalope's 8th season to reaffirm our commitment to new work by collaborating with some of the most exciting playwrights working today," says Interim Artistic Director Gus Menary. "Each of these plays has an immediacy - an urgency - that asks our audience tough questions, with the exhilaration and creativity they've come to expect from a Jackalope show. We're also thrilled to announce new Jackalope programming in The Frontier. Community engagement, collaboration, and mentorship have been central to our work of the past couple years, and now The Frontier is finally ready to be the home in which we continue to develop that work. Welcome to Jackalope's 8th season."

For the first time, Jackalope is offering a Season Pass, which gives patrons access to the three world premiere shows in Broadway Armory Park, discounted access to the lineup of programming in The Frontier, and invitations to opening nights and special events. The 2015/16 Season Pass is available for purchase via www.jackalopetheatre.org.

THE RAID
World Premiere
By Idris Goodwin
Directed by Kaiser Ahmed
November 4 - December 12, 2015 | Broadway Armory Park, 5917 N. Broadway
Press Night: Tuesday, November 10 at 7:30pm

Unlike other prominent abolitionists, John Brown is convinced only bloodshed will dismantle American Slavery. After fighting alongside his sons in Kansas, Brown plots to make real his vision: To free and arm black slaves across the south. With Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman conflicted, Brown heads to Harpers Ferry. A tragedy of dissenting heroes, The Raid investigates the line between civic disobedience and civic duty, ultimately asking whether or not there's such a thing as justifiable violence.

ROLLING
World Premiere
By Calamity West
Directed by Nate Silver
February 24 - April 2, 2016 | Broadway Armory Park, 5917 N. Broadway
Press Night: Tuesday, March 1 at 8:00pm

When her groundbreaking story about a sexual assault at a prestigious university is revealed to be a possible fraud, a young journalist hides from the spotlight by returning to her childhood home. In an exploration of storytelling versus journalism, Calamity West's world premiere play, Rolling, asks how much one is willing to compromise for the sake of a story.

PROWESS
World Premiere
By Ike Holter
Directed by Marti Lyons
May 18 - June 25, 2016 | Broadway Armory Park, 5917 N. Broadway
Press Night: Tuesday, May 24 at 7:30pm

Summer in Chicago approaches: Temperatures flare, shootings spike and the city is stuck in the status quo. Enter a mixed bag of underdogs ready to save whatever's left of the day. Pumped sky-high on passion, but completely powerless, they join forces, overcoming challenging pasts and dehumanizing day-jobs in a quest to save the city from itself. But as broken bones multiply and alliances splinter, the team is forced to reckon with the reality of being a superhero.

In The Frontier

SENN ARTS and THE YARD ARTISTIC ALLIANCE
I & You
by Lauren Gunderson
February 19 - March 6, 2016 | The Frontier, 1106 W. Thorndale

Jackalope Theatre is proud to announce a new Artistic Alliance with Senn Arts and The Yard. In exchange for technical support for Jackalope's performing arts venues, Senn Arts and The Yard will receive free performance space throughout the 2015/2016 season. Theatre relevant to young people; performed by young people, The Yard is a collective of Senn Arts theatre students who have formed artistic alliances with professional theatre companies throughout Chicago. Through these partnerships, the theatrical institutions will provide a professional environment and mentorship to the developing theatre artists. The Yard will remount the 2015 Senn Arts production of I & You by Lauren Gunderson. Jackalope will also host several one-night-only performances for Senn Arts and The Yard at The Frontier throughout the 2015/2016 season.

THE PIONEER SERIES
March 17 - April 9, 2016 | The Frontier, 1106 W. Thorndale

The Pioneer Series is Jackalope's continuous initiative to cultivate bold new theatre in Chicago. Through an application process, Jackalope will select a guest theatre company and offer them a free primetime four-week run in The Frontier. Jackalope is currently seeking proposals for plays that are Chicago premieres, with flexible technical requirements, and with a focus on intimate storytelling. In addition to free performance space, the selected company will receive artistic and administrative support from Jackalope.

AMELIA
Book by Elana Boulos and Stephen Ptacek
Music & Lyrics by Stephen Ptacek
Directed by Elana Boulos
April 15 - 16, 2016 | The Frontier, 1106 W. Thorndale

Part biographical drama, part speculative fantasy, the project aims to use arresting new music to describe the inner life of Amelia Earhart, a woman who worked tirelessly for gender equality in science & engineering. In April of 2015, Jackalope housed an initial workshop, where Elana Boulos and Stephen Ptacek worked with an ensemble of actors to help devise and perform the show. The resulting text and music is being shaped into a more complete project, with its first public in-development presentation scheduled for April 2016.

GOOD EVENING with PAT WHALEN
The First Friday of Every Month at 11:00pm | The Frontier, 1106 W. Thorndale

Good Evening with Pat Whalen is Chicago's only late-night talk-show news-alternative. On the first Friday of every month in front of a live studio audience, Pat is joined by a variety of guests as they explore what's happening in Chicago news, politics and culture. Through interviews, live performances, music - and plenty of laughs - Good Evening With Pat Whalen tries to make sense of all the hard-hitting truth Chicagoans need to hear, in hopes of one day having the best evening ever.

THE 7th ANNUAL LIVINGNEWSPAPERS FESTIVAL
6 new short plays based on current American Newspaper Articles
August 24 - 28, 2016 | The Frontier, 1106 W. Thorndale

In homage to the 1930's Living Newspapers of the Federal Theatre Project, Jackalope assembles an exciting group of Chicago playwrights, directors, and actors to dramatize stories ripped from recent newspaper headlines.

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