Pine Box Theater Company Presents ElectionFest 2012, 10/22-30

Just in time for the final showdown for the White House, Pine Box Theater patriotically presents ElectionFest 2012, twelve bold, ten-minute plays exploring the issues driving the divide in today's political landscape and the upcoming election, written by some of the country's most exciting theatrical voices. The four-night festival will be presented October 22-23 & 29-30, 2012 at Theatre Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Tickets are currently available at www.theatrewit.org or by calling the Theatre Wit Box Office at (773) 975-8150. The ElectionFest 2012 line-up includes:

Cliffside
By Rachel Axler, Directed by Susan E. Bowen

12A, 12B
By Laura Eason, Directed by Julieanne Ehre

This Is Where You Lose Them
By Tony Werner, Directed by Neil Patrick Stewart

Guess Who's Not Coming To Dinner?
By Sarah Gubbins, Directed by Joanie Schultz

The One Percent
By Andrew Hinderaker, Directed by Emily Campbell

A Letter to Mama-in-Chief Obama
By Nambi E. Kelley, Directed by Jerre Dye

Sign of the Times
By Shannon Matesky, Directed by Marie Cisco

What Came After
By christopher oscar peña, Directed by Lisa Portes

Constituent
By Joshua Rollins, Directed by Gus Menary

A Moderate Threat
By Steven Simoncic, Directed by Vincent Teninty

Cheek to Cheek
By Paul Oakley Stovall, Directed by Krissy Vanderwarker

The Sleeping World
By Michael Patrick Thornton, Directed by Benjamin Hendren

ElectionFest 2012 will be performed by Pine Box Ensemble Members Karen Aldridge, Audrey Francis, Sasha Gioppo and Linsey Page Morton with Greg Anderson, Sean Bolger, Tom Hickey, Mary Hollis Inboden, Daniel Johnson, Howie Johnson, Isabel Liss, Shannon Matesky, Sean Parris, Brad Smith, Kristina Valada-Viars and more.

Everyone has a different opinion and reaction to the upcoming election and, thanks to social media, it's all out in the open. It has never been easier to post a link, express your opinion, and unfriend anyone who disagrees. In this era where human interaction is at a premium and people debate each other endlessly with the click of a button, Pine Box asked its favorite playwrights to consider the following: What are the human elements driving the division in today's political discourse? What happens when the gloves come off and you can no longer ignore other people's beliefs or hide your own?

It's time to trash the old advice to "never discuss religion or politics in polite company." Screw polite, we say. We want dialogue, however messy, hilarious or maddening it gets. In ten minutes or less. The result: ElectionFest 2012.

Pine Box Theater's ensemble seeks to inhabit complex characters that thrive on the knife's edge of moral ambiguity. We pursue the story of the sinner, the bastard, and the lost, leaving everything raw and bare and pulsing with the beauty and ugliness of our shared humanity. What better arena to do this than the upcoming presidential election? For four nights in October, Theatre Wit will become our debate stage, our pulpit, our boxing ring. It will be our street corner and our high-rise apartment. Most importantly, it will be up close and face-to-face.

Title: ElectionFest 2012
Location: Theatre Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago
Dates: October 22, 23, 29 & 30
Schedule: Monday, October 22 & Monday, October 29:
Constituent
A Letter to Mama-in-Chief Obama
Cheek to Cheek
This Is Where You Lose Them
Guess Who's Not Coming To Dinner?
A Moderate Threat
Tuesday, October 23 & Tuesday, October 30:
The One Percent
12A, 12B
What Came After
Cliffside
Sign of the Times
The Sleeping World
Curtain Times: 7:30 pm
Tickets: $13. Available at www.theatrewit.org or by calling the Theatre Wit Box Office at (773) 975-8150