LiveWire Chicago Theatre Presents the World Premiere of LOWER DEBT

LiveWire Chicago Theatre proudly presents the world premiere production of "Lower Debt" developed by the LiveWire Collective and written by Executive Director Joshua Aaron Weinstein. Set in the uncertain economic climate at the beginning of the 21st century, "Lower Debt" tells the story of an everyman who leaves his white-collar existence, and ends up in a tent city among residents who are all looking for another way to live. This ensemble-based multimedia play explores the themes of community, ownership, loss and hope while asking the question, "How did we end up here?"

LiveWire presents "Lower Debt" at the Viaduct, 3111 N. Western Ave., March 5 - April 4, Thu-Sat at 7:30 p.m., Sun at 3:00 p.m. Press night is Friday, March 5. For more info, visit www.livewirechicago.com. Tickets are $10-15, and go on sale in February.

LiveWire's 2009/2010 season has been dedicated to the development of "Lower Debt." The original work was workshopped as part of the Department of Cultural Affairs' (DCA) INCUBATOR Series this fall. Over the course of three weeks, the LiveWire Collective collaborated on the script, along with invited guest artists, and then presented a captivating showcase of "Lower Debt" to the public October 19. Incorporating feedback from this audience and the artists involved, Weinstein has continued to shape the play for its fully mounted world premiere production at the Viaduct this spring. Interviews can be arranged in advance.

Read more about the workshop at the DCA Theater Blog:
http://www.dcatheater.org/blog/category/incubator_series_livewire_chicago_theatre/

About Livewire Chicago Theatre
LiveWire has produced three seasons of new and established work scaling all genres. The 2006-07 season presented Jean-Paul Sartre's mind-bending "No Exit," Resident Playwright Joshua Aaron Weinstein's mysterious new love story "A/other Lover" and the epic tragedy "Love of the Nightingale" by Timberlake Wertenbaker. LiveWire's 2007-08 Season took off with the "thoroughly commanding" (Chicago Reader) production of "The Collector" by Mark Healy, adapted from the novel by John Fowles, which gained Matt Kelly his first Jeff nomination for ‘Outstanding Actor in a Principal Role.' In the spring, the company presented the premiere of "Soldiers: The Desert Stand," an original absurdist dark comedy by Weinstein. Aptly described by the Chicago Reader as a "nihilist lampoon," Newcity Chicago shared, "the play's comic sensibility is impressive and in perfect balance with the chilling moments," and Madeline Long received an After Dark Award for ‘Outstanding Performance in a Play' for her portrayal of Toma Singerson in "Soldiers."

LiveWire began its 2008-09 season with the launch of "VisionFest," a short play festival emphasizing audience feedback and conversation by presenting original works based on a theme chosen through an online poll. "Control" won the public vote and we presented nine plays surrounding this theme during our "forward-looking theater festival" (Newcity Chicago) in August of 2008 at the Chemically Imbalanced Theater. In the Fall, LiveWire's Jeff Recommended production of "Red Angel" by Eric Bogosian received such rave reviews as "a hell of a lot of fun to watch" (Time Out Chicago), "This LiveWire Chicago Theatre production has it nailed" (Chicago Tribune), and "Weinstein's thoughtful and calibrated production in the tiny Side [Project] space (made to feel much more expansive by Anders Jacobson's terrific book-lined set) teases out the tensions with wit and intelligence" (Chicago Reader). Scenic Designer Anders Jacobson received a Jeff Nomination for his incredible "Angel" set. The season concluded with another Jeff Recommended show, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Playwright David Lindsay-Abaire's "Wonder of the World," which Venus Zarris of Steadstyle Chicago proclaimed, "the entire cast is charming with some profoundly incredible acting that shines through by Madeline Long, Joel Ewing and Deborah Craft. LiveWire Chicago Theatre is an extremely gifted company on the verge of a real hit."

Most recently, Livewire presented the second annual "VisionFest 2009: Six Worlds on One Street Corner." Playwrights from across the country submitted their original work, all with the shared location of a Street Corner, which was voted on by the public through an online poll. "The street corner is a perfect setting for six short performances because the audience is already relating to it. Anything can and does happen on a street corner and each audience member has her own stories that start with ‘I was at the corner of...'" (Gapers Block). LiveWire is currently accepting visual art submissions for their "VisionFest 2010" poll. More on "VisionFest" at www.livewirechicago.com/vision.

Livewire Chicago Theatre is a collective company of artists with a common drive to develop theatre that provokes thought, enlightens the spirit and entertains a community. Our mission is to expose honesty in the modern theatre of both new and established playwrights. Learn more at www.livewirechicago.com. General inquires can be sent to P.O. Box 11226, Chicago, Ill., 60611-0226 or email info@livewirechicago.com.

LiveWire Collective Members
Sebastian Aguirre, Erin Barlow, SuzAnne Bracken, Eric Branson, Cory Conrad,
Joel Ewing (Managing Director), Erin Fast, Amber Hilgenkamp, Anders Jacobson, Becca Lasser, Madeline Long, Allison McNeela, Deborah Proud, Glenn Proud (Artistic Director),
Joshua Aaron Weinstein (Executive Director) and Chris Zdenek.

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