The Gift Theatre Will Open its 2020 Season With THE PILLOWMAN

The Gift Theatre will launch its 2020 Season with a revival of Martin McDonagh's masterpiece The Pillowman, directed by Laura Alcalá Baker, playing February 27 - March 29, 2020 at The Gift's home at 4802 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago's Jefferson Park neighborhood. Tickets are currently available at www.thegifttheatre.org or by calling (773) 283-7071. Season subscriptions packages are currently available. The press opening is Monday, March 2 at 7:30 pm.

The all-ensemble cast includes Cyd Blakewell* as Tupolski, Gregory Fenner* as Ariel, Martel Manning* as Katurian and Jay Worthington* as Michal.

Once upon a time, there lived a writer who only wrote gruesome tales. He lived with his brother under the watchful eye of an unnamed authoritarian regime. But when a string of horrific child murders begin to mirror his frightful tales, our writer finds himself before two investigators who want more than answers. Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman doesn't shy away in this dark, twisty, and utterly unforgettable masterpiece.

Comments Director Laura Alcalá Baker, "What most interests me is unraveling the threads of survival and what survival looks like in the face of dire conditions. Every character in this piece is out to save something, but what they wish to save and the lengths to which they will go are unthinkable. The mind will go to extremes to create equilibrium in the face of traumatic events and that is our exploration in this production."

Gift Artistic Director Michael Patrick Thornton and Associate Artistic Directors Emjoy Gavino and Paul D'Addario add, "We have been excited about Laura's singular talent for years, ever since first collaborating on TEN. She is a refreshingly penetrating thinker willing to ask big questions and explore the often scary aesthetical hallways of the imagination without a flashlight. She is a giant talent and we are honored to have her working on our third McDonagh production at The Gift."

The production team includes Lauren Nichols (scenic design), Izumi Inaba (costume design), David Goodman-Edberg (lighting design), Misha Fiksel and Jeffery Levin (sound design), Jillian Gryzlak (props design), Daniel Dempsey (puppetry design), Rachel Flesher and Zack Payne (violence and intimacy directors), Isa Ramos (assistant director), Sarah Luse (production manager) and Alex Oparka (stage manager).

PRODUCTION DETAILS:

Title:

The Pillowman

Playwright:

Martin McDonagh

Director:

Laura Alcalá Baker

Cast:

Cast (in alphabetical order): Cyd Blakewell* (Tupolski), Gregory Fenner* (Ariel), Martel Manning* (Katurian) and Jay Worthington* (Michal).

Location:

The Gift Theatre, 4802 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago

Dates:

Previews: Thursday, February 27 at 7:30 pm, Friday, February 28 at 7:30 pm, Saturday, February 29 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, March 1 at 2:30 pm.

Run:

Thursday, March 4 - Sunday, March 29, 2020

Curtain Times:

Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 2:30 pm.

Tickets:

Previews $25. Regular run $40 - $50. Tickets are currently available at www.thegifttheatre.org or by calling (773) 283-7071. Season subscriptions packages are currently available.

PHOTO (left to right) The Gift ensemble members Jay Worthington and Martel Manning. Photo by Claire Demos.