The Gift Theatre Welcomes New Casting Director

The Gift Theatre artistic director Michael Patrick Thornton has announced that Emjoy Gavino has joined the company as casting director. Gavino has been a casting consultant on several theater projects in the Chicago area since 2012; her most recent credits include work with Remy Bumppo, Pavement Group and Theatre on the Lake.

"For years, I've been a huge admirer of Emjoy's intelligence, talent, and passion for wanting our city and industry to be the best it can; more supportive, more inclusive," says Thornton. "Emjoy's honest heart and sensibilities are definitively Gift, and we're thrilled that she will be the first experience many actors have with our theatre."

Gavino was first introduced to The Gift Theatre in 2010 when she was a student of Sheldon Patinkin and Thornton while at the School at Steppenwolf.

"A lot of who I am now as a casting director stems from that summer. What draws me most to The Gift is its ability to tell stories with as much honesty and simplicity as possible, and as so beautifully put in The Gift's mission statement: revealing the joy and pain of being human," says Gavino. "Being a woman of color in this industry has only deepened my faith in the power of collaboration and its importance. Getting as many different perspectives in the room as possible can only enrich the story and the people telling it. Becoming a champion for the artists in our incredibly diverse and talented community, as well as for the stories they will get to tell on the Gift stage, is a dream come true."

The Gift's 2015 season kicked off this month with the world premiere of intriguing and touching drama The Royal Society of Antarctica by Mat Smart (Naperville) directed by Gift Ensemble member John Gawlik. Director Marti Lyons (Bethany) returns in July for The Gift's world premiere of Body & Blood, a hilarious new play from The Gift co-founder and playwright William Nedved. And in October, The Gift continues its remarkable relationship with renowned American playwright David Rabe (Hurlyburly) as Thornton directs the newly expanded full-length version of his play Good For Otto.

March 5 - April 26, 2015
THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF ANTARCTICA, written by Mat Smart, directed by Gift Ensemble member John Gawlik

Dee returns to her birthplace at the blindingly bright McMurdo Station in Antarctica to work as a janitor and seek answers to her mother's disappearance in this wonderfully weird and touching new play perfectly suited to The Gift's intimate space.

June 15 - August 9, 2015
BODY & BLOOD, written by Gift Ensemble member William Nedved, directed by Marti Lyons

Dan finally finds his calling in life - and it sends all of his loved ones spiraling into a spiritual crisis in this smart, searching and hilarious new play from The Gift co-founder and playwright of Northwest Highway.

October 5 -November 22, 2015
GOOD FOR OTTO, written by David Rabe, directed by Gift Ensemble member Michael Patrick Thornton

The Gift continues its remarkable relationship with renowned American playwright David Rabe (Hurlyburly, Streamers) in this world premiere where a therapist is bombarded for meaning and closure by patients past and present. Mythic and musical, Good For Otto celebrates the aching wounds and tiny triumphs that make up a life.

Subscriptions for the entire 2015 season are available for as little as $75. The Gift subscribers ("Gifters") receive admission to three shows, free parking at Gale Street Inn, free admission to all Wednesday night "Natural Gas" improv shows and invitations to special subscriber-only special events. Subscribe at http://thegifttheatre.org/ or call 773-283-7071.

The Gift Theatre is conveniently located at 4802 N. Milwaukee, in Chicago's Jefferson Park neighborhood, and is easily accessible by the CTA Blue Line, the Lawrence and Milwaukee Avenue buses and the Kennedy Expressway. For more information about The Gift Theatre's productions and programs, visit www.thegifttheatre.org.

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