Infamous Commonwealth Theatre's 'Nature' Performances

The award-winning Infamous Commonwealth Theatre (ICT) proudly announces two exciting productions for their 2008-2009 season, which is dedicated to the season topic of NATURE.

World Premiere!
ODIN'S HORSE
by Robert Koon
Directed by Anna C. Bahow

September 20 - October 19, 2008
Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 8:30pm & Sundays at 3:30pm
West Stage of the Raven Theatre Complex, 6157 N. Clark St.
Press Opening: Saturday, September 20 at 8pm

NA·TURE (noun): the sum total of the forces at work throughout the universe

Arman, a writer blocked by the pressures of unexpected success, follows his girlfriend to the redwood forests of northern California. In this isolated landscape, he develops a friendship with an enigmatic treesitter and is soon caught in the struggle between those who make their living cutting timber and those who risk their lives to preserve nature.Torn between conflicting information and expectations, Arman must reach into his past for the key that will allow him to determine exactly where–and with whom–he stands. Odin's Horse was the winner of the national EcoDrama Playwrights Festival and makes its professional World Premiere in this Infamous Commonwealth Theatre production. 

Robert Koon is a Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists, and for the past seven years he has served as the director of their affiliated writers program, The Playwrights Network. His play Vintage Red and The Dust of the Road received a Joseph Jefferson Citation for New Work and a nomination for the American Theatre Critics Association's Steinberg Award. Mr. Koon's other work includes St. Colm's Inch, Inpainting, The Leverage of Affection, Changing Attire, The Point of Honor, Looking West from Firá and Menorca. His work has been presented at venues as diverse as Chicago Dramatists, the Ashland New Plays Festival in Oregon, the Lark Theatre in New York, the Dayton Playhouse, Mirror Stage in Seattle, and Estrogen Fest in Chicago. Mr. Koon also teaches playwriting through the Chicago Dramatists Playwrights Studio and was a Fall 2007 Playwright Resident at the William Inge Center for the Arts in Independence, Kansas. He has been a featured presenter for the Indiana Theatre Association and the William Inge Theatre Festival, guest resident instructor for the Timber Lake Playhouse Writers Colony, and host playwright for the Ashland New Plays Festival in Ashland, Oregon. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America.

Director Anna C. Bahow is an Associate Artist at Chicago Dramatists, Premiere Theatre and Performance and the side project. Directing credits include the critically acclaimed production of New Orleans for the side project, Jeff Recommended –Martin Furey's Shot at Timeline Theatre, Gray City at Premiere Theatre and Performance, Vintage Red and the Dust of the Road (Jeff Citation Best New Play, American Theatre Critics nominee Best New Play produced outside of NY) at Visions and Voices, St. Colm's Inch for Chicago Dramatists, and Chameleon with a Stigmata and Drive for Rhinoceros Fest. Committed to the development of new plays, Ms. Bahow has worked with Victory Gardens, Silk Road, Stage Left, ATC (an Affiliated Artist), and is a past director of WTA New Play Development Workshop.

THE GRAPES OF WRATH
Based on the novel by John Steinbeck
Adapted by Frank Galati
Directed by ICT Artistic Director Genevieve Thompson

April 25 - May 24, 2009
Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 8:30pm & Sundays at 3:30pm
West Stage of the Raven Theatre Complex, 6157 N. Clark St.
Press Opening: Saturday, April 25 at 8pm

NA·TURE (noun): native or inherent character: human nature; the instincts or inherent tendencies directing conduct: a man of good nature

The tale of the Joad family embodies the hardships suffered during the Great Depression and the transcendent generosity of human nature in the face of adversity. The natural world sets the events in motion during the Dust Bowl in Oklahoma and brings the journey to a hopeful end in California with massive floods. The Grapes of Wrath is the story of a rising collective consciousness, a story of "we" instead of "I".

Based on the 1939 John Steinbeck novel and adapted for the stage by Frank Galati, The Grapes of Wrath premiered at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre in 1989, where it won Jeff Awards for Best Play, Best Director, Best New Adaptation and Best Sound Design. The production later transferred to London's West End and eventually Broadway, where it won Tony Awards for Best Direction and Best Play. Mr. Galati is a member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company and an associate director at Chicago's Goodman Theatre. In 1989 he was nominated for an Academy Award for his screenplay (with Lawrence Kasdan) of 'The Accidental Tourist'. Mr. Galati is an emeritus professor of performance studies at Northwestern University. In 2001, he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. 

Director Genevieve Thompson is a founding member and Artistic Director of Infamous Commonwealth Theatre. Ms. Thompson received both the Jeff Citation & After Dark Award for Outstanding Direction as co-director of ICT's The Kentucky Cycle. Other ICT directing credits include Tetherball: A Song in Three Acts, TreeGirl, The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window, Credo, My Thing of Love, and the Jeff-nominated and After Dark Award-winning Cloud 9.

ICT also plans to produce its 4th Annual 24 HOUR PROJECT in Winter 2009. The 24 Hour Project is comprised of several World Premiere one-acts exploring various perspectives on the season topic of NATURE. Exact dates and further information will be provided in a future release.

Tickets for all performances in ICT's 2008-2009 season are $20 per person. $15 senior/student/industry tickets are available for every performance (subject to availability) with proper ID. To reserve tickets, please call 312-458-9780 or email info@infamouscommonwealth.org.

Founded in 2001, ICT's unique mission is to illuminate diverse perspectives around one centralized topic per season. ICT has received six After Dark Awards and four Joseph Jefferson Citations since its inception. For more information on ICT, please visit www.infamouscommonwealth.org.

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