Adventure Stage Chicago Hosts Reading Of THE CITY OF EMBER 7/18

Adventure Stage Chicago (ASC) presents the final play in this season's New Play Workshop Series: a reading of Jeanne DuPrau's The City of Ember, adapted by ASC ensemble member and Director of Education Merissa Shunk.

Lights shine in the city of Ember - but at the city limits the light ends, and darkness takes over. Out there in the Unknown Regions, the darkness goes on forever in all directions. Ember - so its people believe - is the only light in the dark world. And now...the lights are going out. Is there a way to save the people of Ember? Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow set out on a quest to try.

ASC's New Play Workshop Series is an opportunity for our audience to gain a sneak peek at and share their thoughts on new plays we are considering for full production in a future season. The audience is encouraged to remain after the reading for a talkback with the director and cast. The City of Ember reading is directed by ASC ensemble member Sarah Rose Graber.

Merissa Shunk (playwright) has been with Adventure Stage Chicago since 2007 as the Director of Education. Before moving to Chicago she lived in Chiang Mai, Thailand as a Peace Corps Volunteer. She is originally from sunny California where she studied theatre, taught theatre, and studied how to teach theatre at UCLA and Santa Clara University. She has freelanced as a curriculum writer and teaching artist for the Silk Road Theater Project, is the Fine Arts Curriculum Advisor at Rowe Elementary School, and has been a mentor (Drama Mama) in Redmoon Theater's Mentoring program, Drama Girls. In fall of 2008 she co-founded the Chicago Arts Educator Forum and also serves on the board of the Illinois Theatre Association.

The City of Ember is presented on Sunday, July 18 at 1:00pm at Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble Street, Chicago. Refreshments will be provided. Admission is free, but reservations are strongly encouraged. Call 773-342-4141 for reservations. For more information on Adventure Stage Chicago, please visit our website at www.adventurestage.org.

Adventure Stage Chicago's mission is to create dynamic and transformative theatre for young audiences that activates the imagination, inspires dialogue and strengthens community among families, educators and artists. ASC is Chicago's only professional theatre company dedicated solely to theatrical programming for young people ages 9-14 and the adults in their lives. ASC seeks to cultivate and create challenging new work, produce celebrated stories, and become a leader in theatre education through professional development workshops, residencies and resources that offer innovative ways to infuse theater into the classroom. This is ASC's sixth season. (The first three seasons were produced under the name Vittum Theater.)

ASC has received numerous honors from local and national organizations since its inception in 2004, including:
Two-time Finalist for the Broadway In Chicago Emerging Theater Award
Participant in the New Visions/New Voices Festival at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Washington D.C.
Zeta Phi Eta WiniFred Ward Award for Outstanding New Children's Theatre Company from the American Alliance for Theatre and Education
Three-time Recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Access to Artistic Excellence Grant
Adventure Stage Chicago is a program of Northwestern University Settlement House, the oldest continually operating settlement house in Chicago. Throughout its 118-year history, the Settlement has remained committed to providing resources that empower our neighbors to overcome the obstacles of poverty. ASC extends this mission by presenting Chicago's young audiences, educators and families with an affordable artistic experience rooted in performance. Last season, ASC served 9,000 students from 82 schools throughout the Chicagoland area.

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