Mercy Street Theatre to Present MERRY CHRISTMAS, MULCH PILE! This December

Mercy Street Theatre kicks off its second season with the world premiere of MERRY CHRISTMAS, MULCH PILE!, written by resident playwright Dakota Parobek. The show runs December 3 - 6, 2015 at Hairpin Arts Center, 2810 N Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago. The press performance is Thursday, December 3 at 7:30 pm. The performance schedule is Thursday and Friday at 7:30 pm Saturday at 5 pm and 8 pm and Sunday at 5 pm. Tickets are $15 and are on sale now at brownpapertickets.org.

Santa Claus is done with Christmas. No more gifts, no more carols, no more cheer. While on his final sweep of the globe, Saint Nick befriends Laura, a young trans woman just coming to terms with her identity. Santa hides while Laura struggles to be seen as they search for the thing between selfish and selfless.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, MULCH PILE! will be produced in partnership with Chicago House, an organization dedicated to serving disenfranchised individuals and families in the LGBTQ community. "At the heart of Dakota Parobek's yule-tide masterpiece is Laura, a young trans woman working to assert herself in an unwelcoming community," comments director Jake Fruend. "This struggle is an all-too-familiar one for trans and gender nonconforming individuals everywhere. By joining with Chicago House, we are looking to confront the central issues of this play in a meaningful way"

Directed by Jake Fruend*, the production will feature Natalia Nicholson (Laura), Michael Ryczek (Santa), Annelise Dickinson (Mom), Stephen Dunn (Dad), Stephanie Murray (Mrs. Claus), Nellsyn Hill (Tree 1), Nicholas Caesar (Tree 2), Zoe Agapinan (Nurse), Christopher Sylvie (Comet), Juliana Brecher (Elf), and Charlie Davis (Snowman).

The creative team includes Becky Cagney (Stage Manager), Jerico Bleu (Dramaturg), Elyse Balogh (Scenic and Props Design), Slick Jorgensen (Lighting Design), Eli Van Sickle (Sound Design), Alaina Moore (Costume Design), Michael Evans (Music Director) and Danielle Stack* (Production Manager).

*Denotes Mercy Street Theatre Company Member

IF YOU GO:

MERRY CHRISTMAS, MULCH PILE!

Location: Hairpin Arts Center, 2810 N. Milwaukee Ave.

Dates: Press performance/Opening: Thursday, December 3 at 7:30pm

Regular run: Thursday, December 3 - Sunday, December 6, 2015

Curtain Times: Thursday and Friday at 7:30 pm. Saturday at 5:00pm and 8:00pm. Sunday at 5:00 pm.

Tickets: Regular Run: $15. Discounts: students $10 and industry $10. Tickets on sale now at www.brownpapertickets.com.

Resident Playwright DAKOTA PAROBEK is currently pursuing a BA in Playwriting from Columbia College Chicago. Originally from Louisville, KY, they have had work produced by Actors Theatre of Louisville and the Walden Theatre Alumni Company. They are also an active poet and musician, performing in Chicago and throughout the Midwest.

Associate Artistic Director JAKE FRUEND is a director and native of St. Louis. Credits include Liz Ellison's Point & Shoot, John Patrick Bray's Green Sound (Cold Basement Dramatics), Ike Holter's Dosvedanya, Noreen Cashman's Extinct (Nothing Without a Company), Cassandra Rose's The Dictionary Project (Abbie Fest 25), Mark Campbell's Songs from an Unmade Bed, Max Frisch's The Arsonists, Herman Melville's Moby Dick, Craig Lucas' Prayer for My Enemy (Columbia College Chicago). He has assisted director William Brown on his productions of Tom Jones (Northlight Theatre), and Port Authority (Writers Theatre). Dramaturgy credits include Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo (Lookingglass Theatre, director Heidi Stillman), and 4000 Miles (Northlight Theatre, director Kimberly Senior). He is an Artistic Associate with Nothing Without a Company. He also freelances as a graphic designer and art director and is Mercy Street's webmaster. He has a BA in Stage Directing from Columbia College Chicago.

Mercy Street Theatre (Julia Rohed, Artistic Director; Danielle Stack, Producing Director; Jake Fruend, Associate Artistic Director) is an ensemble driven theatre dedicated to telling stories that examine the modern myth; stories of everyday interaction with the epic, iconic and divine. Mercy Street seeks to produce work that transcends the familiar by bringing the spectacular to life on stage, and scrutinizes the orthodox by putting key ideas and events of our world on display. By providing stories from unfamiliar places, cultures and times, MSTC aims to cultivate unity. Finally, MSTC strives to bring the house down by presenting an entertaining theatrical experience. For more information, visit www.mercystreettheatre.org.