Photos: First Look at the Chicago Premiere of AT THE VANISHING POINT at The Gift Theatre
How do we remember a part of our history at the moment that it's slipping away? How do we give voice to the ghosts that haunt us as individuals and as a community?
The Gift Theatre is welcoming back live audiences with the Chicago premiere of Naomi Iizuka's drama At the Vanishing Point, directed by Lavina Jadhwani, playing April 28 - May 22, 2022 at Filament Theatre, 4041 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at www.thegifttheatre.org or by calling (773) 283-7071. Season subscriptions packages are also available. The press opening is Sunday, May 1 at 3 pm.
Get a first look at photos below!
The cast includes Ensemble Members Paul D'Addario*, Jennifer Glasse* and Kenny Mihlfried* with guest artists Nico Fernandez, Paula Hlava, Kieran Jethmalani, Tricia Rodriguez, Dwight Sora, Watson Swift and Raquel Torre. Understudies: Al Hermann, Huy Nguyen, Sierra Phan and Risha Tenae.
How do we remember a part of our history at the moment that it's slipping away? How do we give voice to the ghosts that haunt us as individuals and as a community? This stunning portrait of a community weaves together historical fact, myth and memory to give voice to people who would otherwise exist only as faded images in an old photo album.
The Gift's new Co-Artistic Directors Brittany Burch*, Emjoy Gavino* and Jennifer Glasse* comment, "Naomi Iizuka's At the Vanishing Point is equal parts celebration and requiem. It canonizes the ordinary while searching for answers amongst its rich stories and familiar storytellers. It asks 'How do we remember a part of our history at the moment that it's slipping away? How do we give voice to the ghosts that haunt us as individuals and as a community?' This is a stunning portrait of a community, weaving together historical fact, myth and memory to give voice to people who would otherwise exist only as faded images in an old photo album. In a moment where our own time feels indeterminate, this play feels more relevant to us than when we first read it as a company."
Director Lavina Jadhwani adds, I've had the gift of sitting with this play for over two years now, and one of the things that struck me when I first read it in 2019 was how much it speaks to the idea of how people can be connected across great distances, especially across time and generations. For me today, it's also a piece about how community can be connected in isolation. I'm really excited to be diving into rehearsals with this acting company and at Filament's beautiful space, still engaging with the Jefferson Park community and a space that has a special history with The Gift Theatre."
The production team includes Linsday Mummert (scenic design), Izumi Inaba (costume design), Becca Jeffords (lighting design), Daniel Etti-Williams (sound design), Camille Toshiko (props design), Parker Molacek (projections design), David Preis (technical director) and Sarah Luse* (production manager, stage manager).
Tickets are currently available at www.thegifttheatre.org
*Denotes The Gift Theatre Ensemble Member
Photo credit: Claire Demos
Paul D'Addario and Tricia Rodriguez
Raquel Torre, Paul D'Addario, Tricia Rodriguez and Kenny Mihlfried
Kenny Mihlfried
Paul D'Addario
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