Babes With Blades Theatre Company Sets 2015-16 Season

Babes With Blades Theatre Company is proud to announce its 18th anniversary season, featuring two world premieres, written and directed by women. First up will be Patchwork Drifter by BWBTC Ensemble member Jennifer L. Mickelson, directed by BWBTC Artistic Director Leigh Barrett, followed by 180 Degree Rule by MEH Lewis and BWBTC Ensemble Member Barbara Lhota, directed by Chicago Dramatists Associate Artistic Director Rachel Edwards Harvith.

Patchwork Drifter by Jennifer L. Mickelson
August 8 - September 19, 2015
Leigh Barrett, Director
JKChoreography, Violence Designers
Previews: Saturday, Aug 8 at 8:00pm; Sunday, Aug 9 at 3:00pm; Thursday, Aug 13th at 8:00pm and Friday, Aug 14 at 8:00pm
Press Opening: Saturday, Aug 15 at 8:00pm
Closing Night: Saturday, Sept 19 at 8:00pm
Performance Times:
Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8:00pm, Sundays at 3:00pm

Written by BWBTC ensemble member Jennifer L. Mickelson (The Last Daughter of Oedipus and Rites and Sacrifices), and work-shopped through the 2013 Fighting Words program, this play was inspired by classic Western films.

California-bound and down on her luck, Emmy Fox finds refuge working for shopkeeper Harriet Cooper and her two daughters. But they soon discover that the past can follow you over miles and years, and secrets can be as dangerous as any hazard of the Wyoming frontier.

This world premiere will feature BWBTC ensemble members Delia Ford (BWBTC's all-female Cast Romeo & Juliet) and Elyse Dawson (BWBTC's L'Imbecile and the company's all-female Cast Titus Andronicus).

About the Director: Leigh Barrett has worked in Chicago since her graduation from Bradley University in 1989. Credits include Bailiwick Repertory, Shattered Globe, Zebra Crossing, and Next Theatre (where she served as resident Stage Manager). Affiliations include emeritus company membership at both Stage Left Theatre and Plasticene. Leigh directed BWBTC's world premieres of The Double and Bo Thomas and the Case of the Sky Pirates, and (in addition to the positions above) currently serves as a Board Member Ex Officio and Artistic Director of BWBTC.

180 Degree Rule by MEH Lewis and Barbara Lhota
April 16 - May 21, 2016
Rachel Edwards Harvith, Director
Libby Beyreis, Violence Designer
Previews: Saturday, April 16 at 8:00pm; Sunday April 17 at 3:00pm; Friday April 22 at 8:00pm; Saturday April 23 at 8:00pm; Sunday, April 24 at 3:00pm
Press Opening: Monday, April 25 at 8:00pm
Industry Nights: Wednesday, May 11 at 8:00pm and Wednesday, May 18 at 8:00pm
Closing Night: Saturday, May 21 at 8:00pm
Performance Times:
Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8:00pm, Sundays at 3:00pm

Co-Written by BWBTC ensemble member Barbara Lhota (Shakespeare's Sister Semi Finalist; Dionysus Cup Finalist; Strange Sun Greenhouse Project Semi-Finalist) and MEH Lewis (two-time Illinois Arts Council Fellow; Jeff Award Outstanding New Work; Julie Harris Award and winner of Dayton Playhouse FutureFest playwriting competition), this play was also work-shopped through BWBTC's Fighting Words program in 2013.

A 1960s film professor searches for the missing film masterpiece of an obscure lesbian director, killed pre-World War II at the height of her talent. The lecturer speculates she was murdered because she defied movie studio heads by flaunting her sexuality with their "it" girl. But once the director's former lover, an aging, reclusive German movie star, is involved in the search, a more disturbing narrative unravels.

This world premiere will feature ensemble members Lisa Herceg (Angry Fags with Pride Films and Plays at Steppenwolf Garage Rep, Warped and Pygmalion with Stage Left Theatre Ensemble), Amy E. Harmon (all-female Cast Titus Andronicus with BWBTC, All Girl Moby Dick and All Girl Frankenstein with The Chicago Mammals), Kimberly Logan (all-female Cast Titus Andronicus with BWBTC, All's Well That Ends Well with Stage Left Theatre Ensemble), and Kelly Yacono (Susan Swayne & the Bewildered Bride and Bo Thomas and the Case of the Sky Pirates with BWBTC).

About the Director: Rachel Edwards Harvith has worked as a director, actor, literary manager, and dramaturg. A founding company member of Mortar Theatre and an associate artist at Chicago Dramatists, Rachel has also worked with such Chicago-area companies as Kokandy Productions, American Theatre Company, American Blues Theatre, Stage Left, Teatro Luna, Pegasus Players, City Lit Theater Company, and Bailiwick Chicago. Her most recent directing credits include Assassins (Kokandy Productions; Jeff Recommended); The Invasion of Skokie (ShPIeL- Performing Identity); Bombs, Babes and Bingo (Mortar Theatre); and Cabaret (Artists of Concordia Theatre). Outside of Chicago, Rachel has directed for Iowa Summer Rep, Syracuse Stage, Riverfront Theatre, Hedgerow Theatre, and Dreamwell Theatre, among others. She has also served as dramatic literary manager for Bailiwick Chicago and interim literary manager for Long Wharf Theatre and Syracuse Stage. Rachel has a BA in Theatre from Grinnell College and an MFA in Directing from the University of Iowa.

Both productions will be presented at City Lit Theater's performance space in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood, 1020 W Bryn Mawr Ave.