Mary-Arrchie's 27th Annual ABBIE FEST Set for 8/14-16

Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co. is pleased to present its 27th annual Abbie Hoffman Died for Our Sins Theater Festival, featuring three days of virtually non-stop theatrical entertainment on August 14, 15 & 16, 2015 at Angel Island, 731 W. Sheridan Rd. in Chicago. Abbie Fest, as it's affectionately called, was originally created to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in Bethesda, NY. Since then, Mary-Arrchie has concluded its past 26 seasons by inviting any and all theater groups and performers into its performance space for the annual festival.

This year's festivities begin at 3 pm on Friday, August 14 at Daley Plaza with a peaceful march to Mary-Arrchie's home at Angel Island followed by opening ceremonies at 7 pm, with Artistic Director Richard Cotovsky's portrayal of political and social activist Abbie Hoffman to bless the non-stop weekend of entertainment. Performances will continue through the wee hours of Monday, August 17.

Abbie Fest XXVII will feature more than 40 theatre groups and individual performers including comedy, drama, music, stand-up, jugglers, mimes, improvisation and more. This year's event will include many of the festival's mainstays, as well as new participants. Each performance is one-hour or less.

The Abbie Fest XXVII line-up to date includes: Blackforest, Ryan Borque, Broken Nose Theatre, City Lit Theater, Clock Theater, Cracked Pot Theatre Co., Democracy Burlesque, Dramageddon, El Bear, Famous In The Future, Freak Show and Tell, Hippohorseydonkeymonkey, Hobo Junction, Hot Shot Productions, Iguana Productions, Indie Boots Theatre, THEINTERNET.COM, Jackalope Theater Company, John Michael, Jungle Of Cities, Lisandris Productions, Little Howlin' Wolf, Lunchbox Productions, Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co., Maureen Sandiego, No Name Theatre Company, Nothing Special Productions, Nothing Without a Company, Maureen Sandiego, Otherworld Theatre Co., Rush Pearson, The Plagiarists, Poetry Is, The Real Deal, Revolution Theatre Company, Saltbox Theatre Collective, Sense of Urgency Theatre, To His Heart, Trained Monkey Productions, Eileen Tull, The Whiskey Rebellion, Shane Zimmer and others. An up-to-date list of participants can be found at www.maryarrchie.com.

Tickets for Abbie Fest XXVII are $10 for a one-day pass, which allows patrons to come and go all day and all night and $25 for a weekend pass, which allows patrons to come and go all weekend. Patrons will be provided with a wristband and will be expected to wear it for every entrance. Passes can be purchased at www.ticketweb.com or in person at the box office.

Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co. was established in 1986 and is currently in its 29th full season of theater. We are committed to producing theater as an ensemble including actors, directors, and designers who are intimately involved in the process. We approach material, published and original, dealing with the fears and passions of the human condition involving characters who are often misunderstood, societal outcasts, and victims of their own exile. We have garnered a reputation for making risky choices by embracing challenging material for both our audience and the artists involved. We are dedicated to bringing light to controversial subjects and presenting alternative viewpoints of these subjects giving our audience different information to consider as they walk away from the theater. For additional information, visit www.maryarrchie.com.