Macbeth, Misanthrope incl. Greasy Joan & Co. 2007-08 Season

Greasy Joan & Co., Chicago's theater company dedicated to producing classic plays with a contemporary edge, announces the appointment of Ailene Cantelmi as Managing Director, as well as its 2007-2008.

Greasy Joan & Co.'s 2007-2008 Season includes:

Wake Up, Apocalypse (Awake!)
Part of the Rhinoceros Theatre Festival
By Konstantin G. Treplev; Directed by Julieanne Ehre
September 9 – October 14, 2007
The Athenaeum Theater (2936 N. Southport)

"Greasy Joan produces this play by Konstantin G. Treplev, a character from Anton Chekhov's Seagull, who committed suicide leaving his work incomplete.  First performed in 1895 at the author's uncle's estate, the Rhino Fest will be the professional premiere of Treplev's play. Wake Up, Apocalypse (Awake!) explores new forms for the theater while reflecting on themes from Seagull. The production is co-created and performed by Kate Cares, Kathleen Powers and Kay Schmidt.

Performed Sundays at 7PM. Tickets are $15 (or pay-what-you-can). For reservations, call 773-267-6660. Additional information, including the complete Rhino Theatre Festival schedule, can be found at www.curioustheatrebranch.com

The Misanthrope
By Molière; Directed by Libby Ford
March 7 - April 5, 2008 (previews begin March 5, 2008)
The Athenaeum Theater (2936 N. Southport)

"The Misanthrope is the first of two back-to-back classics comprising Greasy Joan's main stage performances. Molière sacrificed family and position in order to live for the theatre – in The Misanthrope he mocks the aristocratic life that he rejected. Greasy Joan's production examines the hypocrisy of our media-obsessed culture. While Molière uses comedy to point to the ridiculous fashions of the upper class, the play packs a punch when characters lose control as their deep-seated fears are realized."

Macbeth
By William Shakespeare; Directed by Julieanne Ehre
April 17 – May 25, 2008 (previews begin April 15, 2008)
The Athenaeum Theater (2936 N. Southport)

"One of Shakespeare's most dramatic and supernatural plays, Macbeth is full of witches, ghosts and 'strange imaginings.' Greasy Joan creates a mystical world simultaneously 'foul and fair,' as Macbeth forges a path of ambition and violence that eventually tears his country apart. How will his people emerge from his tyrannical rule and find hope to remake themselves?

Group discounts for The Misanthrope and Macbeth are currently available. For information call 312-458-0718 or go to www.greasyjoan.org. Single tickets will be on sale later through Ticketmaster at 312-902-1500 or the Athenaeum Box Office.

Reading Series: Premiere Adaptations of Classics
Dates and locations to be announced

Greasy Joan has premiered classic adaptations by writers such as Nilo Cruz, Pam Gems and Jose Rivera. The inaugural Greasy Joan & Co. Reading Series offers audiences an opportunity to experience classic plays as seen through the lens of contemporary writers. Three readings held throughout the 2007-2008 season will focus on literary adaptation of classic plays and stories. First up: new adaptations of classic scary stories, just in time for Halloween 2007.

For more information on Greasy Joan & Co., call 312-458-0718 or go to www.greasyjoan.org.

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