Strawdog Presents THE CONQUEST OF THE SOUTH POLE, April 1-May 28

Strawdog Theatre Company concludes their 23rd anniversary season with Manfred Karge's The Conquest of the South Pole, directed by Kimberly Senior, April 21 - May 28, at the Strawdog Theatre, 3829 N Broadway. Opening/press night is Sunday, April 24 at 4 p.m. with a reception immediately following the production. Previews are Apr. 21 and 22 at 8 p.m. The performance schedule is Thursdays at 8 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. Tickets are $20 with group, senior and student discounts available. Preview tickets are $10. There is a special gala benefit performance Saturday, April 23 at 7 p.m. ($40/ticket). Thursday, April 28 at 8 p.m. is an industry performance where available tickets are $10 for people presenting resume and headshots. The production runs approximately 75 minutes with no intermission. Tickets may be ordered online at strawdog.org or by calling OvationTix toll-free: 866-811-4111.

German playwright Manfred Karge's dark comedy The Conquest of the South Pole follows Braukmann (Strawdog Company member Tom Hickey) and his friends as they fight off the crushing desperation of long-term unemployment by re-enacting Roald Amundsen's first successful trek to the South Pole in 1910, while never leaving Braukmann's attic. As some of the men slowly regain their lives on the other side of the dole, others keep journeying on into the new Antarctica. Calvin McLean, Caron Cadle and Ralf Remshardt adapt Karge's 1986 script. Strawdog is proud to welcome back company member Kimberly Senior, who directed their critically- acclaimed productions of Uncle Vanya, Cherry Orchard and Three Sisters as well as Next Theatre Company's Madagascar and The Overwhelming, Timeline Theatre Company's All My Sons and Redtwist Theatre's The Pillowman.

The Conquest of the South Pole's cast includes Strawdog Company members Jennifer Avery (Braukmann's Wife), Michael Dailey (Seiffert), John Ferrick (Buscher), Anderson Lawfer (Rudi), Justine C. Turner (Rosi) and Jamie Vann (Slupianek) with guest artist Joel Ewing (Frankieboy).
The production team features Strawdog Company members Cortney Hurley (production manager) with guest artists: Justin Haywood (dramaturg), Toni Kendrick (props design), Jordan Kardasz (lighting design), Chris Kriz (sound design), Jack Magaw (set design), Lindsey Miller (stage manager), Joanna Melville (costume designer), Mike Mroch (assistant set designer), Michael Osinski (assistant director), Tyler Wilsey (assistant production manager) and David Woolley (fight choreographer).

Strawdog Theatre Company is committed to ensemble acting and an immersive design approach, offering Chicago the premiere storefront theatre experience. The Company develops new work, re-imagines classic plays, explores new fusions of music and theatre, asks provocative questions, and delivers their audience the unexpected. Strawdog provides a home for their celebrated ensemble to work and play with the most sought after artists in Chicago theatre along with the best new talents in the city. Founded in 1988, the Strawdog ensemble has consistently produced shows built on authentic human connections, and the comfortable 70-seat theater in Lakeview is perfect for offering their audience a quintessential Chicago storefront theatre experience. "The whole wide world in a little black box." Strawdog is a proud member of the NortHalsted Area Merchant Association, The Theatre Communications Group and the League of Chicago Theatres.
Strawdog Theatre Company was formed in 1988 by a group of actors who had performed together in a production of Euripides's Helen at a (now defunct) theatre on the west side. The group took their name from Sam Peckinpah's movie "Straw Dogs" (Theatresaurus Rex was, thankfully, the runner-up), and they produced their first show, Len Jenkin's Five of Us at a (now defunct) space in Bucktown. At the time, the Chicago Reader said "Strawdog Theatre Company's inaugural production brings ... truth home with a vengeance," and Skyline Chicago added, "The Strawdog troupe shows us what an ensemble can do." Twenty-three years later, Strawdog Theatre Company has survived the ups and downs of Chicago theatre, and is still dedicated to bringing the truth to audiences through the committed work of an award-winning ensemble of actors and designers.

Tickets for The Conquest of the South Pole, April 21 - May 28, at the Strawdog Theatre, 3829 N. Broadway Street, are now on sale. There is no performance Sunday, May 29. The performance schedule is Thursdays at 8 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 4 p.m. Opening night is Sunday, Apr. 24 at 4 p.m. with a reception immediately following the production. Previews are Apr. 21 and 22 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 with group, senior and student discounts available. Preview tickets are $10. There is a special gala benefit performance Saturday, Apr. 23 at 7 p.m. ($40/ticket). Thursday, April 28 at 8 p.m. is an Industry performance where available tickets are $10 for people presenting resume and headshots. Tickets may be ordered online at strawdog.org or by calling OvationTix toll-free: 866-811-4111.

Strawdog Theatre, 3829 N Broadway Street, has limited paid street parking and easily accessible on public transportation via the train: Red Line Sheridan stop or bus: 36-Broadway, 80-Irving Park and 151-Sheridan routes.

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