Theater Unspeakable Presents THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
Theater Unspeakable, a devised, physical theater company based in Chicago that has received tremendous critical acclaim across the U.S., presents THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, a whirlwind re-telling of the American fight for independence at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N Lincoln Avenue, for a limited engagement October 17 through November 11, with a press opening at 2 p.m. on October 20. Prior to its Chicago run, THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION will play in Washington D.C at the Kennedy Center, and following Chicago in Washington at the Edmonds Center for the Arts and California at the Performing Arts Center San Luis Obispo.
Combining tongue-in-cheek humor with a dash of derring-do, THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION brings to life George and Martha Washington, King George III, Sam Adams, Paul Revere, John and Abigail Adams, Thomas Paine, and Thomas Jefferson, amongst others, to bring the audience the original story of the greatest democratic experiment in world history.
In this 50-minute play, seven actors, all performing two feet off the ground, share 21 square feet of space to recreate the entire American fight for independence from Lexington to Yorktown. Using only the actors' bodies, voices, and (pantomimed) cannons, the show evokes an epic time-period in American history.
The physical theater practiced by the company draws upon the heavy influence of Theater Unspeakable Founder and Director Marc Frost's, time at the London International School of Performing Arts (LISPA). This two-year theater program based on the teachings of Jacques Lecoq exposed him to many different styles of theater. Since returning and founding the company, Marc has set a goal for himself and his collaborators to continue experimenting with these styles until they have broken ground on new forms of their own.
"Theater Unspeakable loves to create big stories in small spaces. The story of the American Revolution appealed to us because of its epic scale. We were excited by the challenge of bringing it to life in less than an hour all upon a tiny stage," said Marc Frost, founder and director of Theater Unspeakable. "I am originally from Chicago, and we founded Theater Unspeakable and THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION here in the city, so it is an honor to be able to bring the production back to our hometown."
The production was originally devised by the following members of Theater Unspeakable: Brittany Anderson, Parker Arnold, Zachary Baker-Salmon, Marc Frost, Patrice Foster, Jeffery Freelon, Kyle Geissler, Jason Hammond, Trey Hobbs, Kathleen Hoil, Quenna Lené, Katie Mancuso, Aaron Rustebakke, Lyn Scott, Vanessa Valliere, Ryan Westwood and Thomas Wynne.
The production team includes Sara Beaman (Stage Manager), Jennifer Gonsalves (Additional Costume Design), Rachel K. Levy (Lighting Designer), and Jacob Watson (Additional Set Designer) and stars Devin Sanclemente (King George), Sonja Lynn Mata (Sam Adams), Alex Small (John Adams), Caroline M. Watson (Governor Dinwiddie), Lexi DeSollar (Martha Washington), Jeffery Owen Freelon, Jr. (George Washington), Carolyn Moore (Abigail Adams), Jamia Taylor, and Renata Camara Loader.
From October 17 - November 11, THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION will run Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., Saturdays at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., and Sundays at 11 a.m. The running time is 50 minutes with no intermission. There will be a Q&A with the artists immediately following each performance. Ticket prices are $30 or $20 for students, industry, seniors, and military and can be purchased at https://www.greenhousetheater.org/theamericanrevolution-tickets.
About Theater Unspeakable
Founded by Marc Frost in 2010, the Chicago-based Theater Unspeakable draws upon the heavy influence of Jacques Lecoq and Marc's two years spent at the London International School of Performing Arts (LISPA). The American Revolution is Theater Unspeakable's third production, following Superman 2050 and Murder on the Midwest Express. Their work has been presented at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, The Chicago Humanities Festival, and at Lincoln Center Education in New York. They continue to tour nationally.
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