Signal Ensemble Theatre Opens Eighth Season with The Real Inspector Hound, 8/16-9/18

WHAT: Signal Ensemble Theatre presents the first show of its eighth season, Tom Stoppard's comedy "The Real Inspector Hound," the ensemble's inaugural presentation in their permanent theater space at 1802 W. Berenice Ave., a 50-seat venue in Chicago's North Center neighborhood. Theatre critics Moon and Birdboot attend the premiere of a new murder mystery and are swept into the whodunit they are viewing. As Moon laments his status as a second-string reviewer, and Birdboot considers adultery with one of the shows actresses, they soon find themselves inside the play-within-a-play, implicated in the lethal activities of an escaped madman. In a hilarious send-up of Agatha Christie-style melodrama, Stoppard's 1968 work is just as rooted in absurdism as it is in satire. Kicking off Signal's "Season of Comedy," this play set in the theater will appropriately open Signal's new performance space. The show will run about 65 minutes with no intermission.

WHERE: The Signal Ensemble Theater, 1802 West Berenice Ave., Chicago, IL 60613-2720
Street parking available on Ravenswood and Berenice (runs one way going west) CTA Brown line EL stops Irving Park and Addison
CTA busses #80-Irving Park, #152-Addison, #50-Damen, #11-Lincoln
Handicapped accessible; air-conditioned

WHEN: Opens Monday, August 16, 2010, at 7 p.m.
Closes Saturday, September 18 (Yom Kippur)
Runs Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 3 p.m.
Season Concern benefit on September 11 ($5 from each ticket goes to the charity)
Previews August 14 at 8 p.m., and August 15 at 7 p.m.
2-for-1 tickets on Labor Day weekend, Saturday and Sunday, September 5 and 6

TICKETS: Publish this number: 773-347-1350; www.signalensemble.com; www.Goldstar.com
$20 for regular single tickets
$10 for both previews
$15 for industry members at all shows with resume/headshot/card
$15 for students/seniors (with ID); also for groups of 15 or more

STAFF: Ensemble members Ronan Marra (Director), Stephanie Ehemann (Stage
Manager), Anthony Ingram (Sound Design), and Melania Lancy (Scenic Design); with artistic associate Julie Ballard (Lighting Design) and guest artists Elsa Hiltner (Costume Design) and Mary O'Dowd (Property Design);

CAST: Ensemble members MerEdith Bell Alvarez (Cynthia), Joseph Stearns (Inspector
Hound), Jon Steinhagen (Birdboot), and Philip Winston (Moon); with guest artists John Blick (Simon), Katie Genualdi (Felicity), Mary O'Dowd (Mrs. Drudge), Charles Schoenherr (Voice), and Colby Sellers (Magnus).

FUNDER: Productions Plus is the exclusive sponsor of Signal Ensemble Theatre's
2010-2011 season.

NEXT: "Aftermath," November 6-12, 2010
"Accidental Death of An Anarchist," February 14-March 19
"Aces," May 16-June 18
Signal's 2010-2011 season release available on request

MISSION: Founded in 2003 by Ronan Marra, Christopher Prentice and Joseph Stearns, award-winning Signal Ensemble Theatre is known for its ensemble acting and producing a diverse slate of plays that range from classics to new works.

INFO: Signal Ensemble Theatre, 773-347-1350, info@signalensemble.com
www.signalensemble.com