LIVES OF THE PIGEONS to Open to Open June 1 and 2 in Chicago

Gus and Max spend a day in the park, like every other day, on a day that, with the arrival of a mysterious man with a cane, is like no other. Lives of the Pigeons is by renowned poet Sherod Santos and is receiving its world premiere production at the side project under the direction of artistic director Adam Webster. Santos' play is a darkly comic take on individual identity, purpose in life and the nature of absolution, if and when it exists.

Appearing in Lives of the Pigeons are Vincent Lonergan as Gus, Don Bender as Max and Matthew Lloyd as the Man with the Cane. The director is Adam Webster, costumes are by Crystal Mazur, set and prop design is by Dustin Pettigrew, lighting by Christine Grodecki, and sound design is by Stephen Gawrit.

About the Playwright:

Playwright, poet, and translator, Sherod Santos is the recipient of an Award in literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

He was a finalist for the National Book Award, The New Yorker Book Award, and the National Book Critics Circle Award. His first play Star was produced at the Algonquin Theatre in New York City. He has taught writing at several universities in the United States. For eight years he also taught at The Poet's House in Islandmagee, just outside Belfast, Northern Ireland, a school established for young writers who, for political or financial reasons, did not have access to the more conventional forms of literary training. Lives of the Pigeons is his first play produced in Chicago.

About the Director:

Adam Webster is the Artistic Director of the side project, which he founded in 2000, and for which he has produced more than 60 plays, directing 20 and writing a handful, including adaptations of Lysistrata (2001), Maggie: A Girl of the Streets (2004), and some original one-acts. Writing credits elsewhere include adaptations of Hippolytus (Hudson Guild and SlimTack) and Life Is a Dream (LiveWire), and the original one-acts Resurrecting Beauty(Tympanic), The Accountant (Second City), Tree of Knowledge and Potato Chip Eaters (Boxer Rebellion).

Directing credits at the side project include numerous world premieres, including Robert Tenges' Elsewhere (2013), People We Know (Jeff-award-nominated for best new script, 2010), and Strangers Knocking (2005); Robert Fieldsteel's Smart; Daniel Talbott's Slipping (also in Dublin; shortlisted for the 2010 Lambda Award); and Lynne McMahon's The Bird Sanctuary, among others.

Other local directing projects include stints for New Leaf, Redtwist, WBEZ, Chicago Humanities Festival, Tympanic Theatre Company, The Right Brain Project, Bruised Orange, North Lakeside Players, Rogue Theatre, Theatre-Hikes, Polarity Ensemble, Fury Productions, and Speaking Ring. Prior to moving to Chicago, Adam founded the Rodney & Myrtle Acting Troupe in Portland, Oregon, for which he produced 7 shows (directing three) and co-founded the Active Culture Theatre Group in Los Angeles, for which he produced and directed three shows in 1998. He also currently serves as the General Manager of Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre.

About the Cast:

Don Bender (Max) was last seen in Lifeline's production of The City & The City. Previously at Lifeline, he appeared in The Woman in White, Pride and Prejudice, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Mark of Zorro. Other recent credits include Frost/Nixon(TimeLine Theatre), Dancing at Lughnasa (Seanachaí Theatre Company), The Little Foxes(Shattered Globe Theatre), Our Enemies (Silk Road Theatre Project), One Fine Day (Stage Left Theatre), and The Night Season (Vitalist Theatre). He received a Joseph Jefferson Nomination for his performance in City Lit's production of Old Times. Over the course of the last 25 years he has worked with such companies as Writers Theatre, Next Theatre, American Blues Theatre, Circle Theatre, The Hypocrites, and many others.

Matthew Lloyd (Man with Cane) is making his first appearance with the side project. His past credits include: What Was Mine to Do (StrangeLoop Theatre), It Should've Been Me (ETA Creative Arts Foundation), Aida (Lyric Opera of Chicago) and Lincoln Square Theatre. His film and television credits include: The Chicago Code (Fox Television), ER (NBC Universal), VIP Music Videos (VIP Entertainment), and 9.2.5 Music (Gray/Scott Entertainment). Matthew also works with high school students in the speech and drama programs in the Chicago South Suburban area.

Vincent L. Lonergan (Gus) is thrilled to be a part of Lives of the Pigeons, his first production with the side project. Vince is a company member with Signal Ensemble Theatre. Selected Signal credits include Successors, Motion, Aces, Aftermath, The Ballad of the Sad Cafe, The Birthday Party, 1776 (Non-Equity Jeff Nomination, Best Supporting Actor), Old Wicked Songs(Non-Equity Jeff Nomination, Best Actor), Hamlet and She Stoops to Conquer. Other theatre credits include Marat/Sade with The Right Brain Project, A Memory of Mondays (Eclipse),Mother Courage and Her Children and King Lear (Vitalist), A Midsummer Night's Dream andChristmas Carol (Metropolis), Enter Love and Into the Woods (Quest), and Love and Drowning(16th Street Theatre). Mr. Lonergan would like to thank all his students for all of the support they have given him.

LISTING INFORMATION

Lives of the Pigeons
World Premiere
By Sherod Santos
Directed by Adam Webster
the side project
1439 W. Jarvis Ave.
www.thesideproject.net

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