Michael Patrick Thornton Feature in Gift Theatre's SUICIDE, INCORPORATED, 6/10-7/25

The world premiere of Andrew Hinderaker's SUICIDE, INCORPORATED, directed by Jonathan Berry, featuring Gift Artistic Director and ABC's Private Practice's Michael Patrick Thornton, will runs June 10th-July 25th with a special COME CLOSER performance on Sunday July 18th. The Gift Theatre is located at 4802 N. Milwaukee.

It's been a tough week at work. Profits are down, lawsuits are up, and you totally forgot to bring something to the staff potluck. But none of that is even a minor concern compared to this: your boss is onto you. He's begun to suspect the truth, that you're trying to ruin the Company By keeping its clients alive. Nominated for the New Voices in American Playwriting Award and following successful staged readings at Steppenwolf and Victory Gardens Theaters, SUICIDE, INCORPORATED receives its world premiere production at the Gift.

The rest of the cast are Josh Rollins, Mike Harvey, Ed Flynn, Jay Worthington and Jim Farruggio. Previews for SUICIDE, INCORPORATED are June 11th-13th. The Press Opening is Monday, June 14th at 7:30 p.m. The production opens to the public on Thursday, June 17th at 7:30 p.m., and runs through July 25th, 2010. Show times are Thursdays and Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30pm with Sunday matinees at 2:30.

COME CLOSER will be on Sunday July, 18th at 2:30 P.M. Performance will be immediately be followed by a beer and wine reception and a post discussion with the cast, playwright Andrew Hinderaker, and director Jonathan Berry. Tickets will be $50.

For tickets, call (773) 283-7071 or buy online at www.thegifttheatre.org. Preview tickets are $15. Regular run prices are $25 (Thursdays and Sundays) and $30 (Friday and Saturday) Group rates are available for groups of 10 or more by calling the Box Office. $20 tickets are available at all Sunday performances for students, seniors, and industry with proper identification.

Andrew Hinderaker is a Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists and a nominee for the 2010 New Voices in American Playwriting Award. Additional recognitions include Finalist/Semi-Finalist status at Sundance, PlayLabs, The Princess Grace Award, the Heideman Award, and the Austin Film Festival. His plays have been produced or developed in New York , Los Angeles , and throughout his hometown of Chicago , at such theaters as Steppenwolf, Victory Gardens, American Theater Company, Stage Left, the side project, and many others. His play, Suicide, Incorporated was selected for development at the 2008 Seven Devils Playwrights Conference and will premiere at Chicago 's Gift Theatre in June 2010. Excerpts from the play are available in the Best Mens' Stage Monologues & Scenes (Smith & Kraus).

The Gift Theatre is dedicated to telling great stories on stage with honesty and simplicity. Since its 2002 debut, The Gift has consistently established itself as an actors' theatre, consistently eschewing directorial cleverness for honest, powerful connections between the actors and the audience. With the conception of The Lab-an ensemble-only forum dedicated to artistic growth and exploration-The Gift continues to deepen its commitment to the idea of ‘ensemble' by training together on an ongoing basis. Previous and future instructors in The Lab include Sheldon Patinkin, Jeff Perry, and Dr. Eric Forsythe.

The educational program of The Gift Theatre Company, giftED., continues its work at The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) by combining theatre and speech therapy to combat pediatric oral aversion in addition to its work through Chicago Public Schools, staging extant productions such as Pecos Bill as well as creating new pieces for the theatre, such as HOME / ROOM. The Gift is also beginning to secure equipment for its first feature-length project under its film component, giftFILM.

The Gift Theatre is the only professional theatre company in the working class neighborhood of Jefferson Park . As one of Chicago 's most exciting theatre companies, The Gift is marked by acting of the highest caliber with continual training in The Lab, the important educational work being done at RIC through giftED., and sold-out houses on the northwest side of Chicago . Recent generous support has been provided by the Donnelley Foundation and Driehaus Foundation as well as The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Illinois Arts Council.

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