Photo Flash: SiNNERMAN Ensemble Presents World Premiere of DAYS OF LATE

SiNNERMAN Ensemble presents the world premiere "Days of Late," written and directed by Braden LuBell. The show plays the Viaduct Theatre from April 15 to May 22, 2010.

SiNNERMAN Ensemble's "Days of Late" is written and directed by Braden LuBell. This romantic comedic drama is a hybrid of raw, naturalistic, fast-paced dialogue and poetic sections of ensemble movement, following a savage, hilarious and heartbreaking journey of eight young professionals and aspiring artists. They attempt to navigate the minefields of love, sex and career goals in this current moment of sexual liberation, including anonymous sex, on-line dating and the growing acceptance of bisexuality and homosexuality. "Days of Late" explores if these characters should settle down and have children as their parents did at their age; or continue striving for their own unique version of happiness. Living far away from their families (and being completely independent, fighting to avoid frantic and isolated lives), they illuminate the contemporary struggle of twenty- and thirty-somethings to find meaning, purpose and direction in a society so seemingly different than generations before. "Days of Late" runs about two hours with one intermission, and is not recommended for children for adult language and sexual content. SiNNERMAN, formed out of the Steppenwolf Theatre summer program, is spelled with all caps except for the "i", and is named after the Nina Simone song.

WHERE: Viaduct Theater, 3111 N. Western Ave., Chicago, IL 60618
Parking lot at southwest corner of Belmont and Western
CTA buses #49 Belmont and #77 Western

WHEN: Opens Thursday, April 15, 2010, 7:30 p.m.
Closes Saturday, May 22, 2010
Runs Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 3 p.m.
Preview on April 14 at 7:30 p.m. (media also invited to preview)

TICKETS: Publish this number: 773-296-6024
Also at www.viaducttheatre.com, www.goldstar.com and www.hottix.org
$20 general admission - please note that the Viaduct Box Office and Ticket Web add a $1 phone and $4 on-line service charge to the below listed prices
$30 on Saturday, April 17 for Wine, Cheese and Chat Opening Celebration
$15 student/industry Thursdays and Sundays (with ID, door purchase only)
$15 special tickets (door purchase only) for this special show:
"If My Mother Only Knew" Mothers Day Special on Sunday, April 9, 3 p.m.
Pay-what-you-can for 4/14 preview; group rates for 8+ at 773-296-6024

CREATIVE TEAM: Braden LuBell (Playwright, Director), William Anderson (Set Design), Jess Harpenau (Lighting Design), Matt Cummings (Props Design), Tara Malpass (Stage Manager), Bill Paton (Technical Director), nk [sic] Mooneyham (Photography, Graphic Design), with SiNNERMAN ensemble members Stefin Steberle (Costume Design, Co-Production Manager), Cyd Blakewell (Co-Production Manager), Anna Carini (Script Consultant), Levi Petree (Program Design), Dominica Fisher, Jeremy Fisher, Howie Johnson, Ryan Martin and Calliope Porter (Creative Consultants).

CAST: SiNNERMAN ensemble members Sue Redman (Avery) and Ebony Wimbs (Nina), with guest artists Rebecca Buller (Miyoko), Arianne Ellison (Chrissy), Brian Kavanaugh (Dale), Shane Kenyon (Arthur), and Brett Lee (Sascha).

Braden LuBell (Director/Playwright) was reared in New York and educated in acting and directing at Emerson College. Previous Chicago directing credits include Diamante's "Lucid" and their Jeff-nominated "All My Love" at Theatre Building Chicago, his own plays "Open" (Bailiwick) and "Quick and Dirty" (Apple Tree's Orchard Series), and a staged reading of his play "Noble/Birth" (The Gift). Regional credits include "Closer" and The American Plan (Bckseet [sic] Productions, Philadelphia), Boston productions of "One Flea Spare" and "The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek," and Sue Redman's "Here To There" (San Francisco Fringe Festival). He also created a stage adaptation of the James Baldwin novel "Giovanni's Room," and his own deconstruction of "The Glass Menagerie." The L.A.-based "Racket Collective" recently produced his play "(Jack &) Penny" and has slated "Quick and Dirty" as their spring 2010 production, and in January New York's Sticky Festival in premiered one of his ten minute plays. He is the author of a new adaptation of "Hedda Gabler," and has been named "Poet Laureate" for Cabaret Vagabond, where he reads his poetry every other month.

ENSEMBLE: SiNNERMAN is an ensemble of 12 artists who support and challenge each
other. Working with a sense of play, a love for the collaborative process, and a belief in the power and importance of community, they create compelling and evocative theatre. Their inaugural production was "The Incredibly Famous Willy Rivers" in 2007, and received critical notice including "there is no question about their acting skills" (Chicago Tribune) and "impressive" (Time Out Chicago). Subsequently, their world-premiere production of "Sweet Confinement" in 2008 was lauded as "bold and provocative, glaringly intimate and urgently powerful theater" (Gay Chicago Magazine), and received four After Dark Awards (for New Work, Ensemble, Set and Direction). Their production of Chekhov's "Ivanov," directed by Sheldon Patinkin, again garnered them critical praise, such as "SiNNERMAN Ensemble...instantly joins the big league, turning Anton Chekhov's stylistically tricky first play into a riveting exploration of the tragic and farcical flounderings of the human heart. The inquisitive, passionate, disarmingly young cast are so in tune with Chekhov's nuanced style ..." (Chicago Reader) Ambitious graduates of the School at Steppenwolf, the members have worked at such Chicago theaters as Steppenwolf, Lookingglass, Court, The House, Collaboraction, Remy Bumppo, Chicago Dramatists, Uma Productions, Signal, The Gift, The Second City, and numerous others. At Steppenwolf, the group did an exercise to the Nina Simone song Sinnerman, and were inspired by the singer's music, passion and strength, and by the beautiful moment shared, to choose their name. 

Photos by nk Mooneyham.