Idle Muse Theatre Company's 10th Season to Feature THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLE, THE WOMAN WHO AMUSES HERSELF & More

Idle Muse Theatre Company announces its tenth season which features plays exploring the thin line between truth and fantasy. Idle Muse Theatre Company will open its tenth season with the Chicago premiere of The Woman Who Amuses Herself, by Victor Lodato, directed by Idle Muse ensemble member Nathan Pease and featuring a cast comprised entirely of company members from Idle Muse. In 1911, Vincenzo Peruggia, a worker at the Louvre, committed the crime of the century by walking out with the Mona Lisa hidden under his coat. Peruggia then spent two years in his Paris apartment alone with the mysteriously smiling woman as his muse. But was he an Italian patriot who believed "La Gioconda" should be returned to her native Italy or was he a not-so-common thief seeking his fortune? Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece has attracted, inspired, and perplexed millions of admirers across generations and continents but what makes the Mona Lisa so special? Was it her theft alone that brought her the world's attention? Meet Vincenzo and others affected by the smiling lady in this intriguing whydunnit. Produced by special arrangement with Playscripts, Inc. (playscripts.com). Nathan Pease directed last season's Jeff Recommended production, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for Idle Muse Theatre Company.

The Woman Who Amuses Herself will run October 24th through November 22nd, 2015 with previews October 22nd and 23rd.

Idle Muse Theatre Company closes its season with The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, adapted by Althos Low and directed by IMTC artistic director Evan Jackson. One of the most beloved Sherlock Holmes stories comes to life in a striking new reimagining from the team that adapted last season's Animal Farm for the Steppenwolf Young Adults Program. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson trade the foggy streets of London for the country wilds of Dartmoor to hunt down the truth behind the Baskerville curse and the legendary hound stalking the night with a taste for blood!

Althos Low is the pen name for Shanghai Low Theatricals (SLT), an adaptation development group based in Chicago. For the Hound of the Baskervilles collaboration, co-founder Steve Pickering serves as Adaptor and SLT House Artists Fred Baxter and Tom Kyzivat provide pre-production art and dramaturgy. Formed in 2001 as a group of theatre craftspeople adapting literary works for the stage, in 2009 the company expanded into the creation of graphics and visual development. 2014 projects included adapting Alastair Reynolds' science fiction novella Diamond Dogs for the stage and Lion Miller's 1953 story The Available Data on the Warp Reaction as a picture book and adapting George Orwell's Animal Farm at Steppenwolf for Young Adults. (www.shanghailow.org)

Evan Jackson is the Artistic Director of Idle Muse Theatre Company, a position he has had the honor of holding since the company's inception. He has directed ten previous productions for Idle Muse, including The Lion in Winter and Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure (both Jeff-Recommended. Luke Hamilton received a Jeff Awards nomination for Best Actor for his role as Sherlock Holmes). Last season, he directed Idle Muse's production The Talking Cure.

The Hound of the Baskervilles will run March 5th through April 3rd, 2016 with previews March 3rd and March 4th.

The Woman Who Amuses Herself and The Hound of the Baskervilles will be presented at Rivendell Theatre, 5779 N Ridge Ave, Chicago, IL 60660. Free parking is available at Senn High School parking lot (one block North of Rivendell). Street parking is also available.

Performance times for both productions are Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8PM and Sundays at 3PM. Ticket prices are $20 for adults and $15 for students/seniors. Tickets for previews are $10. Every Thursday is Industry Night with $10 tickets for industry members with headshot/resume. Tickets may be purchased by visiting www.idlemuse.org or by calling 773-340-9438.

Idle Muse Theatre Company presents The Woman Who Amuses Herself, running October 24 - November 24, 2015 and The Hound of the Baskervilles, running March 5 - April 3, 2016 at Rivendell Theatre, 5779 N. Ridge Ave. (free parking at Senn High School). Street parking is also available and Rivendell Theatre is handicapped and CTA accessible (Red Line Thorndale/Bryn Mawr stop/ 84 Peterson Bus). Press opening for the Chicago premiere of The Woman Who Amuses Herself is Saturday, October 24 at 8 p.m. (Previews are Friday, October 22 and October 23 at 8:00 p.m.) Press opening for the new adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles is Saturday, March 5 at 8 p.m. (Previews are Friday, March 3 and March 4 at 8:00 p.m.) Regular performance times are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Ticket prices are $20 for regular single tickets, $15 for seniors and students, and $10 for previews. Group rate for 10 or more upon request. Tickets may be purchased at 773-340-9438 or by visiting www.IdleMuse.org.

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