Route 66 Theatre Company Presents A TWIST OF WATER 2/17-3/20

Route 66 Theatre Company presents the second production of its 2010-2011 season with the world premiere of A Twist of Water, by Caitlin Montanye Parrish, co-created with and directed by Erica Weiss. A Twist of Water features Route 66 Artistic Director Stef Tovar, with Falashay Pearson, Alex Hugh Brown and Lili-Anne Brown. A Twist of Water plays February 17 - March 20, 2011 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. The press opening is Monday, February 21 at 7:30 pm.

A Twist of Water features Stef Tovar as Noah, a gay, widowed history teacher, raising his adopted African-American daughter Jira (Falashay Pearson) alone in the wake of his husband's death in a car accident. When Jira decides that she wants to seek out her birth mother, Noah's already grief-stricken and strained relationship with his child is pressed to the breaking point. As he struggles to hold on to and rebuild his family, a burgeoning new romance with a younger man (Alex Hugh Brown) serves to complicate matters, but may also be a saving grace.
This world premiere introduces us to a seemingly non-traditional family, and at the heart of their story is our beloved city of Chicago, whose history and progress is the centerpiece of the play. A Twist of Water is a love letter to the Windy City, a deeply funny and profoundly touching story of fathers and daughters, and what it means to be a family.
A Twist of Water was the People's Choice Award winner for the XYZ Festival of New Work at About Face Theatre. It was also featured in the Victory Gardens Theater New Play Reading Series, and in Red Tape Theatre's Fresh Eyes Project 2009.

Caitlin Montanye Parrish (Playwright) works as a critic, playwright, essayist, and lecturer. She was a founding member of Hypatia Theatre Company. Her plays have been viewed Off-Broadway at the Cherry Lane Theater, regionally at Portland Stage in Maine, and in Chicago at Victory Gardens Theater, Red Tape Theatre, PROP THTR, Chicago Dramatists, and The Inconvenience. She has been a visiting artist at the University of North Florida, Centenary College, DePaul University, and the University of Texas at Austin. She has also created solo performance pieces for Paper Machete, The Inconvenience, and The Encyclopedia Show. Her play Fuck Tori Amos was published in Smith & Kraus' 2008: The Best 10-Minute Plays for 2 Actors. She is currently pursuing her MFA at the University of Southern California.
Erica Weiss (Co-Creator and Director) is the Literary Manager for Route 66 Theatre Company where she was the dramaturg for the world premiere of Scott Barsotti's McMeekin Finds Out. She also dramaturged Kristoffer Diaz's Jeff Award-winning play, The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Erica was the founding Artistic Director of Hypatia Theatre Company. The company dissolved in 2008 and is now The Hypatia Project, an ongoing theatrical partnership between her and playwright Caitlin Montanye Parrish, with whom she has collaborated for the past eight years. During HTC's run, Weiss directed the world premieres of Lost Love by Peter Papadopoulos, Parrish's Red Georgia Clay and Florida Styx. She freelances as new play director and dramaturg and has worked with many Chicago theatre companies, including American Theater Company, Northlight Theatre, Chicago Dramatists, Speaking Ring Theatre, The Ruckus, MPAACT, and Victory Gardens, where she recently worked as the dramaturg on Tanya Saracho's Mala Hierba for the IGNITION festival.

Stef Tovar (Noah) Stef is the Founder and Artistic Director of Route 66 Theatre Company, where he starred along with Johnny Clark in the critically acclaimed and Jeff Award-nominated On an Average Day. He most recently filmed the movie Contagion directed by Steven Soderbergh, sharing scenes with Matt Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow. Stef spent seven months last year working at Drury Lane Oakbrook, where he was Beinstock in Sugar, and Houdini as well as other roles in the multiple Jeff Award-winning Ragtime. Prior to his time at DLO, he played Billy Rose in the world premiere of Fanny Brice: The Real Funny Girl at the Maltz-Jupiter Theatre in Jupiter, Florida, created and directed by David H. Bell. In August of 2009, Stef was seen as Rob Gordon in the Chicago premiere of High Fidelity for Route 66 at Piper's Alley. Other Chicago credits include Knute Rockne in Knute Rockne: All American (Theatre at the Center); Kenneth Tally Jr. in Fifth of July (Oak Park Festival Theatre); Michael Fitzsimmons in Peggy Sue Got Married: The Musical (Marriott Theatre); Studs Terkel's The Good War (Northlight); A Stonecarver, The Threepenny Opera, Below the Belt, Half of Plenty, I DO! I DO! and It's a Wonderful Life: The Radio Play (American Theater Company) and at Apple Tree as Valentin in Kiss of the Spiderwoman and Vinal Blade to the Heat, for which he won a Jeff Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Play. Los Angeles credits include Jamie in the LA premiere of The Last Five Years, George in Sunday in the Park with George, Kip in Wonder of the World, Homer in Floyd Collins and Che in a national tour of Evita. Film credits include the multiple award-winning The Gymnast (from the creators of A Marine Story) and Employee of the Month (with Matt Dillon) which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004. Stef will direct COLD, COLD FEET this May at Stage 773 for Diamante Productions.
Falashay Pearson (Jira) makes her Route 66 debut. She hails from Orlando, Florida, where she attended the theatre magnet at Dr. Phillips High School where her roles included Lady in Green in For Colored Girls... and Adapearl in The Wiz. Falashay received her BFA in acting at DePaul University where roles included April in The Heidi Chronicles, Suzanne Roth in Hardball and Little Sally in Urinetown. After graduation, Falashay travelled to northern Africa. A Twist of Water is her first professional theatre performance.

 

Alex Hugh Brown (Liam) makes his Route 66 Theatre debut. Alex recently appeared in Noble Fool Theatricals' production of Red Herring, Dog and Pony Theatre Co.'s Auctioning the Ainsleys (understudy), Collaboraction's Sketchbook X, The Nine's subUrbia, the short film Turkish Coffee, and the feature film One Small Hitch. A Northwestern University graduate, Alex recently completed the training program at iO and is currently enrolled in the Conservatory at The Second City.

Lili-Anne Brown (Tia) makes her Route 66 Theatre debut. Lili-Anne is a native Chicagoan with local, regional and national credits. She most recently toured with The Second City for A Girl's Guide to Washington Politics at Woolly Mammoth Theatre in D.C. She has performed at Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Victory Gardens, Ravinia Festival, Writers' Theatre, Next Theatre, Drury Lane Theatre and many others. As a director, she'll be helming the Chicago premiere of Passing Strange later this spring with Bailiwick Chicago, of which she is a member.

The production team for A Twist of Water includes multiple Jeff Award-winning (including one for Route 66's The K of D: An Urban Legend) Sound Designer Lindsay Jones, Jeff Award-winning Projections Designer John Boesche, and Jeff Award-winning Lighting Designer Sean Mallary. Stephen H. Carmody is the Scenic Designer, and the Costume Designer is Alarie Hammock. A TWIST OF WATER is assistant directed by Hannah Fenlon and the Dramaturg is Aaron Carter. Route 66 Company member Rita Vreeland is the Stage Manager and Route 66 Company member Matthew Bonaccorso is the Assistant Stage Manager.
A Twist of Water runs February 17 through March 20, 2011, at Theater Wit. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings at 7:30PM, Sunday matinees at 2:30PM with an additional Sunday evening performance, March 20 at 7:00PM. Tickets are $25 ($15 for students) and may be purchased by calling the Theater Wit Box Office at 773-975-8150 or online at www.theaterwit.org/boxoffice. Press opening is Monday, February 21, 2011 at 7:30PM. A reception will follow the performance. Please RSVP by emailing Producing Director Blair Robertson at blair@route66theatre.org. Find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Route-66-Theatre-Company/48070173928?ref=ts

About Route 66

Route 66 Theatre Company produces theatre that knowingly encounters risk and embraces the American spirit of exploration. Committed to their home base in Chicago where the historic Route 66 began and collaborating with artists in Los Angeles, Route 66 connects cultural divides by giving life to the vibrant stories that link America together. Route 66, founded in 2008, has produced five Equity productions in less than three years-including five Chicago premieres, three world premieres and one production produced in two cities. They have been nominated for Los Angeles Critic's Circle Awards, L.A. Ovation Awards and three Jeff Awards, winning the Jeff Award for Best Sound Design for their production of The K of D: An Urban Legend in 2009. 2010-2011 is their first full season of work, which debuted with the Jeff Award-recommended, world premiere of McMeekin Finds Out, and now continuing with the world premiere of A Twist of Water. Their final show of the season is to be announced soon.

Route 66 is led by Artistic Director Stef Tovar, Managing Director Katie Jeep, and Producing Director Blair Robertson. Company members are Matt Bonaccorso, Brandon Dahlquist, John Mohrlein, Jacquey Rosati, Rita Vreeland and Erica Weiss. Route 66 is a member of the League of Chicago Theatres and the Producers Association of Chicago Area Theatres.

Synopsis: A seemingly non-traditional family, and at the heart of their story is the beloved city of Chicago, whose history and progress are the centerpiece of the play. A Twist of Water is a love letter to the Windy City, a deeply funny and profoundly touching story of fathers and daughters, and what it means to be a family.
Title: A TWIST OF WATER

Written by: Caitlin Montanye Parrish

Directed by: Erica Weiss

Dates: Previews: February 17 - 20, 2011

Press Opening: Monday, February 21, 2011 at 7:30pm

Regular Run: February 24 - March 20, 2011

Schedule: Thursday: 7:30pm

Friday: 7:30pm

Saturday: 7:30pm

Sunday: 2:30pm

Sunday: 7:00pm (March 20 ONLY)

Location: Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave

Tickets: $20 for Previews, $25 for Regular Run, $15 for Students

Box Office: (773) 975-8150 or www.theaterwit.org/boxoffice