Photo Flash: First Look at Sideshow Theatre's STUPID F***ING BIRD, Opening Tonight

Sideshow Theatre Company launches its 2014/15 season with the Midwest premiere of STUPID f-ing BIRD, Aaron Posner''s comic spin on Chekhov''s The Seagull, directed by Artistic Director Jonathan L. Green, playing through September 21, 2014 at Victory Gardens Richard Christiansen Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are available at www.victorygardens.org, by calling (773) 871-3000 or in person at the Victory Gardens Box Office. The press opening is tonight, Thursday, August 21 at 7:30 pm.

STUPID f-ing BIRD features company members Matt Fletcher, Nina O''Keefe and Nate Whelden with Katy Carolina Collins, Cody Proctor, Stacy Stoltz and Norm Woodel.

On the grounds of a country estate, two generations worth of Russians mope and love and hate and make a lot of bird-based metaphors. Sound familiar? It's Anton f-ing Chekhov versus the modern world in Aaron Posner's ballsy Midwest premiere. A smash-hit on the east coast and a finalist for the 2014 ACTA Award, this heartbreakingly hilarious sort-of-adaptation of The Seagull takes a baseball bat to one of theatre''s most famous works and staunchly refuses to pick up the pieces. Sideshow's signature energy and wit are on full display in this very funny examination of what drives us to make art and find love.

The production team for STUPID f-ing BIRD includes: Joe Schermoly (scenic designer), Kimberly G. Morris (costume designer), William Kirkham (lighting designer), Christopher M. LaPorte* (sound designer/composer), Cassy Schillo (properties designer), James Sugg (original music), Alex Benjamin (music coordinator), Ryan Milosevich (technical director), Aaron Shapiro (production manager), Cypress Staelin (master electrician), Jessica Martens (asst. director), Steven Besic (stage manager) and Gabriella Welsh (asst. stage manager). *Sideshow Artistic Associate

Photos by Jonathan L. Green