Oracle Announces Strindberg's THE GHOST SONATA 5/8

Concluding an unprecedented 2009-10 season, Oracle Productions is proud to announce the opening of August Strindberg's THE GHOST SONATA on May 8, 2010, at Oracle Theatre, 3809 N. Broadway in Chicago. A bizarre invention by one of the most progressive playwrights in history, Oracle resurrects Strindberg's symbolic masterpiece to illustrate the power of truth in a world of perpetual corruption. THE GHOST SONATA previews May 7; runs May 8-June 19, Fridays and Saturdays at 8PM, and Sundays at 7PM. Tickets are donation only: $20 suggested at the door, $10 on Sundays. Press are invited to the preview or any performance opening weekend.

max truax directs at oracle again
Following his Oracle and Chicago debut (2008's stunning conceptual TERMEN VOX MACHINA) Company Member Max Truax directs this elegant, haunting interpretation of Strindberg's classic chamber play. In three complex, often contradictory movements, Strindberg's narrative portrays a world where two families, imprisoned in their legacy of greed, duplicity and manipulation, seduce a truth-seeking student into a web of lies. His devotion to piety and honesty lifts the shroud on these families' erroneous histories, and audiences are left to wonder: were they living in somber denial, or were they apparitions of their former selves chained to their mortality, condemned to live in their regret for eternity?

As precocious as Strindberg's abstract text was in 1907, Oracle emulates this spirit by mixing visual and puppet media, deviant physicality, and surreal video projections to bring Chicago a one-of-a-kind theatrical event. The play balances at the convergence of dreams and reality, and Strindberg's ability to push sanity to the brink of nightmare will fuel Truax's aggressive staging. It is a dark criticism of class structures amidst a world consumed with the innovations of the Industrial Revolution. Strindberg likened his invention (and his personal life) to Hell on Earth, and he revels in uncovering the rotting flesh.

The Players and designers
Featured in the cast are company members Sean Ewert as The Colonel, Stephanie Polt as The Daughter, and Justin Warren as Johansson. Oracle also welcomes back Lily Emerson (Butoh workshop instructor) as The Maid. The ensemble also includes Ann Sonneville as The Mummy, Jack Lewis as Bengtsson, Federico Rodriguez as The Student, and Rich Logan as Hummel, The Old Man with the darkest secrets of them all.

Joining Truax on the design team are Company Members Joan Pritchard (Costumes) and Eric Van Tassell (Lights). Oracle is excited to collaborate with Sound Designer Jonathan Guillen, Scenic Artist Brieanne Hauger, and Video Designer Michal Janicki, who will also design graphics and marketing materials. Truax and Hauger co-design the set. Artistic Director Ben Fuchsen is production manager, and Executive Director Brad Jayhan-Little produces.

about oracle
Oracle inspires progressive vision by uniting artists and audiences in fearless theatrical experiences. We envision programming that reshapes American performance, bringing that theatre into the community so people from every segment of society can participate in the revitalization of American culture. Oracle is theatre reborn.

THE GHOST SONATA previews May 7, 2010; runs May 8-June 19, Fridays and Saturdays at 8PM, and Sundays at 7PM. Tickets are donation only: $20 suggested at the door, $10 on Sundays. Press are invited to preview or any performance opening weekend. 

Visit oracletheatre.org.