Dog & Pony Theatre Celebrates 10th Anniversary with World Premiere of BREACH, Now thru 2/16

Dog & Pony Theatre Company kicks off its 10th anniversary with the world premiere of Breach by Egan Reich, a hyper-physical piece about five grieving women attempting to butcher a whale, at The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave. Co-artistic director and founder Krissy Vanderwarker directs.

Preview performances are Thursday-Friday, today, Jan. 16-17. Regular run is Jan. 18 - February 16. Press is invited to attend opening night Saturday, Jan. 18 at 7:30 p.m. Performances are Thursdays-Saturdays at7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 6 p.m.

Tickets are $25 general admission, $15 student/senior. All previews plus Thursday performances are pay-what-you-can. Tickets are available via Brown Paper Tickets here. Visit www.dogandponychicago.org for more information.

In Breach, five whaling widows are faced with the toughest night of their lives. On the same day the sea takes their husbands, it offers a beached whale and the possibility of financial freedom. The women set out to do their husbands' work of harvesting the whale oil to buy their way to new lives in New York City. But before daybreak, they have to figure out how to kill and cut the whale while avoiding circling sharks. This allegory of individualism versus collectivism asks the questions: what does it take to get ahead, and what is the cost?

Co-director Krissy Vanderwarker* is the co-founder and co-artistic director of Dog & Pony Theatre Company. For Dog & Pony, she directed Counterfeiters, The Dinner Party Project (in collaboration with Ada Street Restaurant), God's Ear, As Told by the Vivian Girls, Mr. Marmalade, Ape, Osama the Hero, Crumble (Lay Me Down, Justin Timberlake) and As Much As You Can. Other directing credits include Bethany (First Look Festival/Steppenwolf), As Fat As You Can (Next Theatre), CLEAR (About Face), What Once We Felt (About Face) and Harry & The Thief (Pavement Group). She has a MFA in directing from The Theatre School at DePaul University.

Playwright Egan Reich plays include General Desdemona (Edinburgh Fringe Festival); The Most Liquid Currency in the World (Pine Box Theater Company); Seven Days (Steep Theatre); and The Quiet Car. He co-wrote the film Save the Date that premiered in competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. He is a co-founder of the arts non-profit Hooverville Productions and a company member at Steep Theatre. He is a graduate of Northwestern University and the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. He currently lives in Washington, D.C., where he is a spokesman for the United States Department of Labor.

The cast features Missi Davis, Brittani Arlandis Green, Kristen Magee*, Caroline Kingsley*, and Diana Slickman.

The creative team for Breach includes dramaturgy by Devon de Mayo*; stage management by Emily Hitmar; set design by Courtney O'Neill; sound design by Stephen Ptacek*; costume design by Cathy Tantillo*; lighting design by Aaron Weissman*; and produced by Matt Kuyawa.

Founded in 2002, Dog & Pony Theatre Company is committed to producing vital works by new and emerging playwrights whose use of language and convention are daring and highly imaginative. As an eclectic collective of artists with backgrounds in theatre, public broadcasting, political activism, and religious studies, Dog & Pony is particularly drawn to work with social and cultural relevance. The company has presented 16 full productions in eight years including As Told By The Vivian Girls, recipient of three After Dark Awards, and The Twins Would Like to Say as part of Steppenwolf's inaugural Garage Rep series. The productions of Mr. Marmalade, The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabbler, God's Ear, Dead Letter Office and Auctioning the Ainsleys were all nominated for non-Equity Jeff Awards.

Dog & Pony Theatre Company is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and a proud member of the League of Chicago Theatres and Theatre Communications Group.

* denotes Dog & Pony Company Member

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