Photos: First Look at THIS WIDE NIGHT at Theater Wit

Shattered Globe Theatre, in association with Interrobang Theatre Project, welcomes back audiences this fall with the Chicago premiere of Chloë Moss's drama This Wide Night, directed by ITP Artistic Director Georgette Verdin, playing October 8 - November 13, 2021 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood. Tickets are currently available at www.sgtheatre.org, by calling (773) 975-8150 or in person at the Theater Wit Box Office. The press opening is Monday, October 11 at 7:30 pm.

This Wide Night features Aila Ayilam Peck+ and Linda Reiter*.

Lorraine, released from prison after twelve years inside, treks to her former cellmate Marie's new flat. Marie, dodgy and ashamed of their shared past, hesitates to welcome Lorraine back into her life. But no one makes Marie laugh like Lorraine. Can two friends, uniquely bonded by their former circumstances, find belonging in each other once more? This gutsy story of female friendship and winner of the 2009 Susan Smith Blackburn prize is inspired by real accounts of women in a UK prison. This Wide Night holds and humanizes two formerly incarcerated women in an isolated studio that may or may not be equipped for real freedom.

Comments Director Georgette Verdin "I believe audiences will find this play even more resonant after living through a pandemic for over a year. We've been forced to reinvent our day-to-day, find new purpose and manage our anxiety as we navigate this strange new world. Much like Lorraine and Marie, we too have a whole new understanding of the devastating toll that loneliness and isolation take on one's body and soul, as well as the light and laughter that can stem from any hardship."

The production team includes Sotirios I. Livaditis (scenic design), LaVisa Angela Williams (costume design), Trey Brazeal (lighting design), Christopher Kriz+ (original music and sound design), Rae Watson (props design), Gaby Labotka (fight director and intimacy director), Elise Kauzlaric (dialect coach), Mason-Vivit Consulting Group (EDI consultants), Alexis Ward (assistant director, COVID compliance officer), Richie Vavrina (production manager), Johnnie Schleyler (technical director), Nick Chamernik (master electrician), Tina M. Jach (stage manager) and Becca Smith (assistant stage manager).

Please note: Theater Wit currently requires all audience members to wear masks and to provide proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test within 48 hours of curtain time. All cast and crew members are fully vaccinated. For additional information on COVID safety guidelines and Theater's Wit's ticket refund policy, visit www.theaterwit.org.

Additionally, one performances of This Wide Night will be available for live streaming during the run. Shattered Globe has a contingency plan to go fully virtual if the City's COVID safety guidelines are changed during the run of the production.

Photo Credit: Michael Brosilow.