Factory Theater Adds Performance And Presents Additional Programming

Due to high demand, The Factory Theater is adding an additional performance Thursday, March 21 at 8 p.m. of the Jeff Recommended and critically acclaimed production of May the Road Rise Up. The play is written by Factory Theater Ensemble Member Shannon O'Neill and directed by Factory Theater Ensemble Member and Jeff Award-winning director Spenser Davis. Performance times are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. through March 30 and takes stage at Factory Theater, 1623 W. Howard St. In addition to May the Road Rise Up, the Factory Theater will present a special Factory After Dark extravaganza Saturday, March 16 at 10:30 p.m. Tickets for Factory After Dark are $10. Ticket prices for the May Road Rise Up are $18 for students and seniors and $25 for general admission. All tickets may be purchased through the Box Office by calling 866-811-4111 or by visiting TheFactoryTheater.com.

Ten years ago, the Murphys suffered a terrible tragedy. In a town this small, everyone knows what happened, even if no one (including the family) talks about it. Not Danny, the Irish ex-boxer whose sixty-fifth birthday party is steadily approaching. Not his daughter Patty, a nurse on the graveyard shift who is kindling a new romance in secret. Nor her son Michael, who mysteriously left town three years ago and has returned with little more than the clothes on his back. On the eve of what should be a momentous occasion, friends and family members come to realize that the past they buried has been festering beneath the surface... and if they don't act quickly, the wounds may never heal. Shannon O'Neill's newest play shows the consequences of a community that fails to communicate, and how refusing to grieve can lead to tragedies of its own.

This late-night extravaganza is described as part "Tonight show," part "Playboy After Dark" and all entertainment. Factory Theater ensemble member Eric Roach will host the night's festivities. Special guests include Katherine Bourne Taylor, Sydney Davis Jr. Jr., Spuds and Stouts, Wild Oscars and Howard Street Brewing Company.

For more than 25 years, the Factory has created its shows from scratch, doing exactly the kind of theater they wanted to do. From writing workshops to the closing night bash, Factory shows are a unique experience that fits its exacting standards: original, bold, and full-tilt. Its shameless ensemble are ambassadors of a good time, making certain that Chicago remains heartily entertained.