Idle Muse Announces Cast For The World Premiere Of Barbara Lhota's GIRL FOUND

Idle Muse Theatre Company proudly announces the cast and crew for the world premiere of Girl Found, written by Barbara Lhota and directed by Alison Dornheggen, May 17 - June 10, at The Edge Theater, 5451 N. Broadway St.

Performances run Thursdays - Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. with previews Saturday, May 12 at 8 p.m., Sunday, May 13 at 3 p.m. and Wednesday, May 16 at 8 p.m. Opening night is Thursday, May 17 at 8 p.m. Added performances include Wednesday, May 23 at 8 p.m. and a matinee performance Saturday, June 2 at 3 p.m. Preview Ticket prices for Girl Found are $10 and $20 for adults and $15 for students/seniors during the regular run with $10 tickets each Thursday for industry night. Tickets may be purchased at idlemuse.org or by calling 773.340.9438.

Inspired by true-life events, Girl Found explores how perceptions can be distorted in the desperate, primal pursuit of love. A seventeen-year-old girl who, six years earlier, went missing resurfaces in a youth shelter in Canada, with no memory of where she's been. Soon she begins to recall some facts including a name, "Sophie Sobin." and is desperate to get her former life back. Her troubled mother, Eva, and her Aunt Ellie welcome her home, but Sophie and her faulty memories make this transition difficult. Sophie's return restores some hope and new life to her damaged family, but chaotic past events begin to bubble beneath the surface.

The cast of Girl Found features Clara Byczkowski, "Sophie;" Katherine Swan, "Ellie;" Tricia Rogers, "Eva;" Whitney Dottery, "Yasmen/others;" Sara Robinson*, "Sam Ryan/others;" James Mercer, "Noah" and Kathrynne Wolf, "Dr. Martha Cole." Understudy roles include Nicole Lockard, "Sophie;" Taylor Wisham, "Yasmen" and Amanda Forman, "Sam Ryan/Dr. Martha Cole/others."

The production team for Girl Found includes Kyle Bricker, stage manager; Shellie DiSalvo*, production manager; Sarah Lewis, scenic design; Joshua Allard, costume design; L.J. Luthringer, sound and music design; Laura Wiley*, technical director/lighting and projections design; Jamie Karas, property design and Michael Maddox, master carpenter. *Connotes Idle Muse Theatre Company member

Barbara Lhota received her MFA from Brandeis University for dramatic writing where she also taught playwriting. She is an artistic associate with Babes With Blades Theatre Company and a network playwright with Pride Films and Plays. Recent productions include: The Invisible Scarlet O'Neil (2017) and 180 Degree Rule (co-written with M.E.H. Lewis) (2016) at Babes With Blades Theatre Company and Phantom Pain (2017) at Organic Theatre Company. Her plays have been produced in Chicago, Boston, New York and throughout the country. She has worked with Artistic Home, American Blues Theater, Bailiwick, Chicago Dramatists, Circle Theatre, Otherworld, Polarity, Pride Films and Plays, Something Marvelous, Stage Left Theatre, The Raven and Women's Theatre Alliance. Her work is published with Smith & Kraus, Meriwether Publishing, Pioneer Press and Performer's Stuff.

Alison Dornheggen, a Columbia College Chicago graduate in acting and directing, has been working in the Chicago theater community as a director, actor, fight choreographer and administrator for more than 15 years. Chicagoland credits include 20% Theatre Company, Factory Theatre, Oak Park Festival Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, A Red Orchid Theatre, Something Marvelous, Steep Theatre, Chicago Academy for the Arts and Babes With Blades Theatre Company, where she is a proud ensemble member. Regional credits include Ford's Theatre, Washington Stage Guild and American University, where she received her MA in arts management. She currently serves as the artistic director of Theatre Programming at the Wilmette Center for the Arts.

Idle Muse Theatre Company is a 501 (c3) non-profit charity organization that produces theatre that transports. Established in 2006 by theatre artists who were interested in exploring the relationship between individuals and worlds they inhabit and seeking to create production opportunities for themselves and other artists. In order to do this, Idle Muse created a "modern guild" of players, an environment where theatre artists of different experience levels and backgrounds could develop their craft and learn from each other. Visit Idle Muse virtually at IdleMuse.org and on Twitter (@IdleMuseTheatre), Facebook (/IdleMuseTheatre) and Instagram (@IdleMuseTheatre).

Idle Muse Theatre Company proudly announces the cast and crew for the world premiere of Girl Found, written by Barbara Lhota and directed by Alison Dornheggen, May 17 - June 10, at The Edge Theater, 5451 N. Broadway St. Performances run Thursdays - Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. with previews Saturday, May 12 at 8 p.m., Sunday, May 13 at 3 p.m. and Wednesday, May 16 at 8 p.m. Opening night is Thursday, May 17. Added performances include Wednesday, May 23 at 8 p.m. and a matinee performance Saturday, June 2 at 3 p.m. Preview Ticket prices for Girl Found are $10 and $20 for adults and $15 for students/seniors during the regular run with $10 tickets each Thursday for industry night. Tickets may be purchased at idlemuse.org or by calling 773.340.9438.