City Colleges of Chicago Stages Chad Beckim's AFTER., 3/26-4/5

Chicago--Loop Players of Harold Washington College, which is part of the City Colleges of Chicago, the largest community college system in Illinois, will present New York-based playwright Chad Beckim's critically acclaimed drama AFTER. from tomorrow, March 26 to Saturday, April 5, at Room 103, Washington Hall, Harold Washington College (30 E Lake Street).

Stage director Rachel Iannantuoni will direct professional actors Jay Espano, who plays the role of Monty, and Mike Pusateri, who plays the role of Chap. The cast will also include theater students Jacquelyn Hass as Liz, Vijay Arora as Warren, Anastacia Narrajos as Susie, and Robert Moss as Eddie.

The Loop Players hires cast and crew members, which are a mix of Harold Washington College students, community members, and professional actors. The campus-based theater organization aims to provide real world training among its student members.

AFTER., which was first staged by the Partial Comforts Productions in New York in 2011, tells the story of wrongly convicted man named Monty, who was released after 17 years. He faces fear, frustration, and anger as he assimilates a new world of dog daycare, mobile gadgets, and unexpected life's challenges.

The New York Times calls AFTER., "A compassionate portrait of a man struggling with the challenges of socializing . . . and the anger he still feels for having his youth unjustly destroyed."

"[AFTER. is a] human-scale social drama, approached quietly, one foot in front of the other, with compassion and courage," says New York Magazine.

Beckim was declared by the Dramatists Guild as among the 50 Playwrights to Watch in 2007. His works "Lights Rise on Grace," "That Men Do," and AFTER., among others, have been published by Samuel French, Playscripts, and Smith & Krauss.

For tickets ($5-10) to Loop Players' production of AFTER., call 312-553-5616 or email riannantuoni@ccc.edu.