Stage Left Theatre Presents LeapFest 7 6/15-7/3

Stage Left Theatre is proud to present LeapFest 7, Stage Left's annual new-play festival, running June 15 - July 3, 2010. LeapFest is an annual event featuring five new plays with socio-political themes, presented as workshop productions in rotating repertory. The festival is the culmination of Downstage Left, Stage Left's new-play development program, which has the goal of cultivating and supporting both emerging and established voices and of inspiring playwrights to address the political and social issues of our day. This year's festival includes new works from Dan Aibel, Jayme McGhan, Steve Spencer, Scott Woldman, and SLT emeritus ensemble member Mia McCullough.

The festival name stems from the Downstage Left logo, which features a frog about to "take the leap." The three-week event is designed to help playwrights and their plays bridge the gap between development and full production. To further this objective, the festival features an extensive rehearsal process for each play, multiple workshop performances before the public, and post-show audience discussions after each performance. In addition to our general audiences, regional theater producers and artistic directors are invited to attend the festival in order to get an advance look at some of the best new plays in the country.

LeapFest graduates from the first six years of the festival have gone on to earn numerous awards and honors, including three that have received the Jeff Award for Best New Work. Eleven of the plays have gone on to world premieres in Chicago and around the country. Join us again this year to see what's next in Chicago theatre!

Tickets, LeapPASS & General Information

Tickets and information for all events are available by calling the Stage Left box office at 773.883.8830 or online at www.stagelefttheatre.com. Single tickets for LeapFest performances are $12 each. Individual patrons can save by purchasing a LeapPASS for $25, which grants unlimited admission to all five workshop productions. Detailed performance schedules and information on the plays are provided below. Stage Left Theatre is located at 3408 N. Sheffield Ave. in Chicago. Street, metered and paid lot parking is available. The theatre is handicapped and CTA accessible via the Belmont El (Red & Brown) & Addison El (Red) stops. Information on neighborhood restaurants, bars and other pre- and post-show venues is available at http://mylakeview.com/directory.

Although Stage Left was initially planning to produce LeapFest 7 in its new home at the Theater Wit building at 1229 W. Belmont, uncertainties regarding final licensing decisions made it necessary to stay in its current location (3408 N Sheffield) for this spring. We are eagerly anticipating opening our 29th Season at Theater Wit in the fall.

While the workshop productions and plays are still in development and therefore not open for critical review, press coverage of this unique festival program and its significant history of success in refining, showcasing and placing new plays is welcome. Please contact Laura Blegen at 773.883.8830 ext. 2 (office), 312.371.6471 (cell) or laura@stagelefttheatre.com to arrange interviews and receive additional background material. This release and archived releases will be available at www.stagelefttheatre.com/press.html.

First Night

Stage Left will kick off LeapFest 7 with its First Night celebration on Tuesday, June 15 at T's Bar (5025 NortH Clark Street in Chicago). The event begins at 7:00, with a preview of the five plays to begin at 7:30. Join the playwrights, directors, cast, designers, members of the Stage Left ensemble, and our friends and supporters for a meet-and-greet event at this Andersonville restaurant renowned for its support of local artists and arts organizations. A portion of all food and drink purchases will help support LeapFest 7.

The LeapFest 7 Plays and Performance Schedule

BEATEN

by Scott Woldman
dir. by Drew Martin, ensemble member
Performances: Sat. 6/19 @ 7:30 p.m., Sun. 6/27 @ 2:00 p.m., Thu. 7/1 @ 7:30 p.m.
The poignant, disturbing, and shockingly funny story of a young woman's efforts to survive the best intentions of a family who has gone off the rails, Beaten was first written and developed as part of a special Deadline Workshop at Chicago Dramatists co-sponsored by Stage Left.

THE FACE OF A RUINED WOMAN

by Mia McCullough, emeritus ensemble member
dir. by Greg Werstler, ensemble member
Performances: Fri. 6/18 @ 7:30 p.m., Sun. 6/27 @ 7:30 p.m., Sat. 7/3 @ 2:00 p.m.
In a well-to-do Northshore suburb, a local spa causes outrage with a billboard ad featuring a gorgeous woman in a bikini, superimposed with arrows suggesting how she could be cosmetically enhanced. Some of the key players discuss their involvement in the image being protested, vandalized and ultimately taKen Down. This piece is being developed through a series of workshops as part of a playwright residency this Winter and Spring.

THE MEANING OF LUNCH

by Dan Aibel
dir. by Jason Fleece, ensemble member
Performances: Sun. 6/20 @ 7:30 p.m., Sat. 6/26 @ 7:30 p.m., Wed. 6/30 @ 7:30 p.m.
As their family business hits a dry spell, a father and son receive an intriguing offer that forces them to grapple with globalization and each other.

MOTHER BEAR

by Jayme McGhan
dir. by Vance Smith, Artistic Director
Performances: Sun. 6/20 @ 2:00 p.m., Fri. 6/26 @ 7:30 p.m., Fri. 7/2 @ 7:30 p.m.
A union organizer attempts to recruit a gang of truckers and their notorious leader in the Utah Desert. Mother Bear is a hard-hitting, plot-twisting, pedal-to-the-floor haul down the darkest parts of America's highways.

OUR KIND OF VIOLENCE

by Steve Spencer
dir. by Rachel Edwards Harvith
Performances: Thu. 6/17 @ 7:30 p.m., Thu. 6/24 @ 7:30 p.m., Sat. 7/3 @ 7:30 p.m.
Some people get to limp through life. No amount of therapy or Paxil can reach them. If you're one of these unlucky souls, sometimes you just have to kill somebody.

The LeapFest 7 Staff and Production Team

The LeapFest 7 production team includes includes ensemble members John Kohn III (lighting design), and Christopher Thompson (stage management), as well as Erin Gallagher (costume design) and Heather Ho (sets and props design).

ABOUT STAGE LEFT

Founded in 1982, Stage Left Theatre is committed to nurturing voices for the American theatre by developing and producing plays that raise debate and challenge perspectives on political and social issues. Through a full subscription season and Downstage Left, one of Chicago's most prolific new play development programs, Stage Left strives to bring high-quality new work and world premieres to the Chicago stage.