Hillary Clemens, Paul D'Addario, James D. Farruggio & More to Star in Gift Theatre's BETHANY

The Gift Theatre artistic director Michael Patrick Thornton announces the Chicago premiere of Bethany written by Laura Marks and directed by Marti Lyons, who previously collaborated on Mine last season at The Gift. Bethany features Gift ensemble members Hillary Clemens (Mine), Paul D'Addario (Thinner Than Water) and James D. Farruggio (Northwest Highway) with guest artists Mary Anne Bowman (last seen in Backstage Theatre's production of A Scent of Flowers), Susaan Jamshidi (Theater Wit's Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England) and Kirby O'Connell (founding member of The Gift's Natural Gas).

"The Gift is ecstatic to reunite with playwright Laura Marks and director Marti Lyons, who birthed our Chicago premiere of Mine," said Artistic Director Michael Patrick Thornton. "These two women possess a dazzling spirit of brave exploration and storytelling expertise combined with a gentle humility that's a rare, rare wonder to behold. We kind of just sit back and marvel at them. Simply put: we can't wait for Bethany."

Bethany previews run September 25 - 28 at The Gift Theatre, 4802 N. Milwaukee Avenue. Opening night is Thursday, October 2. The show runs Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. through November 23. Press performance is Monday, September 29 at 7:30 p.m. Single tickets, $20-$30, are available at http://thegifttheatre.org/ or by calling the box office at 773-283-7071.

Bethany, Laura Marks' shocking contemporary drama, follows cash-strapped Crystal (Hillary Clemens), who's caught in the middle of the Great Recession and navigating the worlds of motivational speaking, survivalism and a Saturn dealership to make a home for herself. Described by The New York Times as "rare among new American plays in the clear, compassionate attention it pays to the corrosive effects of the economic downturn on the battered middle class," Bethany is a perceptive tale told in The Gift's signature style of great ensemble acting in an intimate space.