Lookingglass Theatre Company Announces The Second Extension Of 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEAS

Lookingglass Theatre Company announces an extension of 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas adapted by David Kersnar and Althos Low, from the books by Jules Verne, directed by Ensemble Member David Kersnar. Due to high ticket demand, additional dates, August 30 - September 9, 2018, have been added. 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas plays at Lookingglass Theatre Company, located inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson. This marks the second and final extension of the production.

When a terrifying sea monster is spotted off the coast, renowned scientist Professor Aronnax and fellow explorers set out to investigate. They soon find themselves kidnapped and held under the command, and spell, of the mysterious Captain Nemo. As they circle the globe aboard the most advanced submarine the world has never seen, they confront giant squids, bizarre sea creatures, and the monsters that lurk below...and within.

Adapted from Jules Verne's epic adventure exploring the murky perils of the seas, Ensemble Member David Kersnar invites you to board the Nautilus and "Dive! Dive! Dive!" into this Lookingglass World Premiere.

New cast members Kylie Anderson (Brigette Conseil, beginning August 30), Chiké Johnson (Cyrus Smith/Constable Weaver/Engineer, July 31 to August 26), Madeleine Lambert (Professor Morgan Aronnax, beginning August 30) and Amro Salama (Cyrus Smith/Constable Weaver/Engineer, beginning August 30) will join Ensemble Member Kareem Bandealy (Captain Nemo), Ensemble Member Thomas J. Cox (Gideon Spillet/J.B. Hobson/Guard/Boatswain), Artistic Associate Walter Briggs (Ned Land), Artistic Associate Kasey Foster (Professor Morgan Aronnax, through August 26), Joe Dempsey (Pencroff/Farragut), Micah Figueroa (Harbert/Ensign Smith/Nicholas), Glenn-Dale Obrero (Kin-Fo/Mr. Drax/First Mate), and Lanise Antoine Shelley (Brigette Conseil, through August 26).

"This story is the same hardcore thriller it's been for over a century: Victorian submarines, sea battles, hairbreadth escapes. On a deeper level, the story really has grown into a near-parable in many ways more resonant to our world than to the world for which it was originally intended," comments writer/director David Kersnar. "At Lookingglass, we often start with a physical or visual hunch to support the mission or 'big idea' of the adaption of extant text. For 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas, all images are created and performed by human hand through intercultural puppetry, as well as chain and rope rigging. Lookingglass has a storied relationship with the Actors Gymnasium up in Evanston, and we tested many physical elements up at the gym and staged physical sequences in the show. In addition, the design team was selected to turn this adventure up to full blast, so stay tuned as we lift the largest and heaviest object ever in the 30-year history of Lookingglass!"

The creative team includes Todd Rosenthal (scenic), Sully Ratke (costumes), Artistic Associate Christine A. Binder (lighting), Artistic Associate Rick Sims (sound and composition), Artistic Associate Sylvia Hernandez-Distasi (circus choreography), Blair Thomas, Tom Lee, and Chris Wooten (puppet designers), Isaac Schoepp (rigging), Amanda Herrmann (props), Kathy Logelin (dialect), Max Fabian (fight choreography) and Mary Hungerford (stage manager, through August 26).

About the Artists

DAVID KERSNAR (Director/Playwright/Lookingglass Ensemble Member) has directed, performed, written, designed and taught for Lookingglass since 1988. David previously served as the Lookingglass Artistic Director, founded and directed Lookingglass Education & Community Programs, and served as Master Teacher. Other directing and writing credits include: premiere productions at Next Theatre Company, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lively Arts Dance Academy, and Chicago Children's Theatre. David also worked with Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Remains Theater, Brooklyn Academy Of Music, The Actors' Gang, Touchstone Theatre, and Alley Theatre of Houston. David has served as Theatre Chair for Monterey Peninsula College, as well as professor of theatre at such institutions as Northwestern University, DePaul University, Roosevelt University

and University of Illinois. He co-founded and produced over 40 films and plays nationally and internationally with Shaking the Tree Interactive Productions, which uses theatrical problem-solving techniques in business environments. Film and TV credits include: U.S. Marshals, Since You've Been Gone, Early Edition, Turks. David holds a B.S. in theatre/performance studies and a MFA in directing from Northwestern University.

Steve Pickering (ALTHOS LOW/Playwright) is a Chicago-based actor, director, and playwright. A Goodman Theatre Creative Partner and Project Manager for Shanghai Low Theatricals (SLT), he is formerly the Artistic Director of Next Theatre Company in Evanston. For SLT, he has served as the primary adaptor-in collaboration with company members-of Orwell's Animal Farm (Steppenwolf for Young Adults, 2014); Conan Doyle's The Hound Of The Baskervilles (Idle Muse Theatre Company); Alastair Reynolds' Diamond Dogs (The House Theatre of Chicago); and his own production of Alphaburn, retelling the Joan of Arc story (DePaul University, 2017). As an actor, he last appeared in Robert Falls' world premiere staging of Rogelio Martinez' Blind Date (Goodman Theatre-one of over 30 productions with the company since 1987); Sean Grennan's The Tin Woman (Theatre at the Center); and Mary Zimmerman's Treasure

Island (Lookingglass; Berkeley Repertory Theatre). In 2016, he was awarded a Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship by the Ten Chimneys Foundation.

KYLIE ANDERSON (Brigette Conseil, beginning August 30) makes her professional debut at Lookingglass. Represented by Stewart Talent, Kylie recently moved to Chicago.

Kareem Bandealy (Captain Nemo/Lookingglass Ensemble Member) has previously appeared at Lookingglass in Blood Wedding, Moby Dick, The Little Prince, Big Lake Big City, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, The Last Act of Lilka Kadison, and Peter Pan (A Play). Chicago credits: A Christmas Carol (2014-2017), Rock 'N' Roll, Gas For Less and King Lear at Goodman Theatre; The Wheel at Steppenwolf Theatre Company; Oklahoma! at Paramount Theatre; The Good Book and The Illusion at Court Theatre; Julius Caesar, Hamlet, The Caretaker and Heartbreak House at Writers Theatre; A Midsummer Night's Dream, Edward II and Romeo and Juliet at Chicago Shakespeare Theater; A Disappearing Number, Blood and Gifts at TimeLine Theatre; The Skin of Our Teeth and The Real Thing at Remy Bumppo Theatre Company; Othello (as Othello) at The Gift Theatre, and many others. Regional credits include: The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Three Musketeers and The Tempest at Illinois Shakespeare Festival; Love's Labour's Lost at Notre Dame Summer Shakespeare; Julius Caesar and Stuff Happens at Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre, and four seasons with Orlando Shakespeare Theater. He has appeared in several films including The Merry Gentleman directed by Michael Keaton, in the new web series Code-Switched, and on TV in Chicago Fire. His new play, Act(s) of God, is slated for its world premiere as part of Lookingglass' 2018-19 Season. Kareem is a recipient of the 2011 3Arts Artist Award.

Walter Briggs (Ned Land/Lookingglass Artistic Associate) returns to Lookingglass, where he is an Artistic Associate, after performing as Ishmael in last summer's production of Moby Dick. He has previously appeared at Lookingglass in Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo and The North China Lover, as well as performing as Starbuck in the touring production of Moby Dick at South Coast Repertory, Arena Stage and ALLIANCE THEATRE. Chicago credits include:

Sucker Punch (Victory Gardens Theater), Hit The Wall (The Inconvenience/Steppenwolf Theatre Company), All Our Tragic (The Hypocrites), and The Glass Menagerie (Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co.). Regionally, Walter has performed at A.R.T., Actors Theatre of Louisville, and The Getty Villa. TV/Film credits include: Chicago Med, Jessica, A Good Person,

Ballad, and Older Children. Walter is a founding member of The Inconvenience and a graduate of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University.

Thomas J. Cox (Gideon Spillet/J.B. Hobson/Guard/Boatswain/Lookingglass Ensemble Member) most recently appeared at Lookingglass in Cascabel. A founding Ensemble Member, Thom has appeared in many productions since 1988, including The Jungle, The Odyssey, West, The Arabian Nights, The Master and Margarita, The Great Fire, Nelson Algren: For Keeps and a Single Day, 1984, The Old Curiosity Shop, and Peter Pan (A Play), among others. Regionally, he has appeared at Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Northlight Theatre, Court Theatre, The House Theatre of Chicago, The Gift Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, and Milwaukee Repertory Theater. He also serves Lookingglass' Education and Community Program as Master Teacher. Most recently, Thom was seen in Blind Date (Goodman Theatre) and Book of Will (Northlight Theatre). TV/Film: Brotherhood (Showtime), Chicago Fire (NBC), Since You've Been Gone (Miramax).

Joe Dempsey (Pencroff/Farragut) returns to Lookingglass where he has appeared in Around the World in 80 Days, The Shaggs: Philosophy of the World, Summertime and My Life in Pop. More recent credits include: Faceless (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis; Northlight Theatre); The Rembrandt (Steppenwolf Theatre Company), and Ah, Wilderness! (Goodman Theatre). Around Chicago, he has also acted at Court Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Victory Gardens Theater, Paramount Theatre, Drury Lane Theatre, Theater Wit, plus many others, as well as regionally at Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Baltimore Center Stage, City Theatre Company (Pittsburgh, PA), Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and Kansas City Repertory Theatre. He is an artistic affiliate of American Blues Theater and a former member of The Second City National Touring Company and The Neo-Futurists.

Micah Figueroa (Harbert/Ensign Smith/Nicholas) returns to Lookingglass after performing in Moby Dick

in 2015 and 2017 and (once!) in Lookingglass Alice. Chicago theatre credits include: Tall Girl and the Lightning Parade (Walkabout Theater); The Winter Pageant (Redmoon Theater); Distance to the Moon (First Floor Theater). Regional theatre credits include: Moby Dick (ALLIANCE THEATRE, Arena Stage, South Coast Repertory); In the Beginning, Henry

IV (Dallas Theater Center); The Farnsworth Invention, Wild Oats (Theatre Three); Coriolanus, Cyrano de Bergerac, Macbeth (Shakespeare Dallas); Titus Andronicus (Kitchen Dog Theater). He earned a BFA from Southern Methodist University and the British American Drama Academy.

CHIKÉ JOHNSON (Cyrus Smith/Constable Weaver/Engineer, July 31 to August 26) most recently appeared as Dr. Gibbs in Milwaukee Repertory Theater's production of Our Town. Chicago credits include: Meet Vera Stark (Goodman Theatre), Sizwe Banzi is Dead (Court Theatre), and The Crucible, The Unmentionables, and Huck Finn (Steppenwolf Theatre Company). Regional credits include: A Raisin in The Sun (Co-Produced by Indiana Repertory Theatre and Syracuse Stage); Cyrano De Bergerac, Three Sisters, and A Midsummer Night's Dream (American Players Theatre); Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (Co-Produced by American Players Theatre, Indiana Repertory Theatre, and Geva Theatre Center); Ghost of Christmas Present in A Christmas Carol and Duke of Cornwall in King Lear (Milwaukee Repertory Theater); Crooks in Of Mice and Men (Co-Produced with Milwaukee Repertory Theater and Arizona Theatre Company); a revival of The Unmentionables (Yale Repertory Theatre); Lincoln in Topdog/Underdog (Renaissance Theaterworks); Cephus Miles in Home (In Tandem Theatre); Willie in Master Harold and the Boys (Milwaukee Chamber Theatre); and Martin Luther King, Jr. in Smoldering Fires (First Stage). Off-Broadway credits include: Lost in the Stars (New York City Center's Encores!) and Ruined (Co-Produced by Manhattan Theatre Club and Goodman Theatre). Broadway: A Time to Kill and Wit (Manhattan Theatre Club).

Kasey Foster (Professor Morgan Aronnax, through August 26/Lookingglass Artistic Associate) is a performer, choreographer, producer, and director. She is an Artistic Associate at Lookingglass Theatre, a member of Actors' Equity, and is represented by Gray Talent Group. Most recently, she was seen on stage in A Journey for the Sun (The Actors Gymnasium); Mementos Mori (Manual Cinema); and touring the country with Moby Dick (Lookingglass Theatre). On camera credits include: Chicago Med and IFC's Documentary Now!. Kasey sings with Chicago bands Grood, Babe-alon 5, Old Timey, This Must be the Band and a mysteriously nameless private events band. She has created over forty original works, and produces an annual series called Dance Tribute.

Madeleine Lambert (Professor Morgan Aronnax, beginning August 30) recently played Susan B. Anthony in The Agitators (Geva Theatre Center) and L'il Bit in How I Learned to Drive (Cleveland Play House and Syracuse Stage). Other credits include: Steel Magnolias, A Christmas Carol (Trinity Repertory Company); The Children's Hour, Marie Antoinette, Blackbird, Anne Boleyn (The Gamm Theatre); Cock, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater); Uncle Jack (Boston Playwrights' Theatre); Grounded, Middletown, At The Vanishing Point (Manbites Dog Theatre Company). TV credits: Empire and Chicago PD. Madeleine received her MFA in Acting from Brown University/Trinity Rep and her bachelor's degree from Duke University. Represented by Stewart Talent, Madeleine is a graduate of and an instructor at The School at Steppenwolf and an adjunct faculty member in the Theater Studies Department at Duke University. Madeleine is an award-winning audiobook narrator.

GLENN-DALE OBRERO (Kin-Fo/Mr. Drax/First Mate) is making his Lookingglass debut. Other Chicago credits include: The Beauty Queen of Leenane (Northlight Theatre, u/s); A Wrinkle in Time (Lifeline Theatre); Akeelah and the Bee (Adventure Stage Chicago); How We Got On (Haven Theatre, u/s). TV: Chicago Fire (NBC). He received his BFA in Performing Arts from Savannah College of Art and Design and is represented by Gray Talent Group.

Amro Salama (Cyrus Smith/Constable Weaver/Engineer, beginning August 30) is making his Lookingglass Theatre debut. Chicago theatrical credits include: Yasmina's Necklace (Goodman Theatre, 2017), Alias Grace (Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, 2017), Jeff Award Nominated Yasmina's Necklace (16th Street Theater, 2016) and understudying the role of Amir in Disgraced (Goodman Theatre, 2016). Other theatrical credits include: Pulitzer Prize Nominated Omnium Gatherum (Theatricum Botanicum, LA), On Caring For The Beast (Cornerstone Theater Company, LA), SubUrbia (Pacific Resident Theater, Los Angeles), Yasmina's Necklace (Mustard Seed Theatre, St. Louis), Sarah's War (The Hudson Theatre, LA), Middle East Comedy Festival (ACME Comedy, LA), and Salam Shalom (Whitmore Lindley Theatre Center, LA). TV credits include: the recurring role of Habib on Showtime's The Chi and starring roles on Chicago PD, Modern Family, Free Agents, Chicago Justice, Shameless, Children's Hospital, Law and Order, and Suite Life on Deck. Film credits include: Tariq Husseini in the Ed Zwick directed film The Siege, the Apostle Thomas in Vertical Church Film's Good Friday, and Farid in the soon to be released to film festivals What Remains.

Lanise Antoine Shelley (Brigette Conseil, through August 26) is a Lookingglass Teaching Artist and was last seen in Goodman Theatre's An Enemy of the People. Chicago credits include: Chicago Shakespeare Theater, The Back Room Shakespeare Project, and Victory Gardens Theater. Regionally: American Repertory Theater, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Book-It Repertory Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Outside the Wire, Shakespeare Santa Cruz. Favorite productions during her years as resident company member at Milwaukee Repertory Theater include: Eurydice, The Night is a Child, The Glass Menagerie, Gem of the Ocean, King Lear, Sueno, ...Young Lady From Rwanda, The Crucible, and I Just Stopped By to See The Man. International Theatre: Stratford Festival's Chicago Fellow for 2016. TV/Film: Chicago Fire (NBC), Discovery World. Training: MFA from ART/MXAT at Harvard University, BFA from Cornish College of the Arts, certificate from British American Drama Academy in Oxford, England.

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