The New Colony to Premiere THE LIGHT This Winter at The Den Theatre

The New Colony will conclude its ninth season with the world premiere of Loy Webb's gripping romantic drama THE LIGHT, directed by Toma Langston, playing January 5 - February 4, 2018 at The New Colony's resident home, The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood. Tickets are currently available at www.thenewcolony.org. The press opening is Monday, January 8 at 7:30 pm.

THE LIGHT will feature TNC Ensemble Member Jeffery Owen Freelon Jr. (Byhalia, Mississippi - TNC, A Wonder in My Soul - Victory Gardens) and Tiffany Oglesby (An Octaroon - Definition Theatre Company, Significant Other - About Face & Theater Wit).

A surprise proposal takes an unexpected turn that upends the world of Genesis and Rashad, forcing them to confront a devastating secret from the past and putting the future of their relationship at risk. Featuring two of Chicago's most dynamic actors, THE LIGHT is a 70-minute, real-time rollercoaster journey of laughter, romance and despair that uncovers how the power of radical love can be a healing beacon of light.

The LIGHT is the 30th world premiere presented by The New Colony since 2008 and marks the final production under the tenure of founding co-artistic directors Andrew Hobgood and Evan Linder, who are stepping down at the conclusion of the company's ninth season

The production team for THE LIGHT includes: John Wilson (scenic design), Cassandra Kendall (lighting design), Regina Victor (dramaturg), Noelle Simone (assistant director) and Daryl Ritchie (stage manager).

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Loy Webb (Playwright) is a Chicago born theatre journalist and playwright, who is an inaugural Tutterow Fellow at Chicago Dramatists. Her work has been featured at Black Ensemble Theater as a part of their Black Playwrights Initiative Program, American Theater Company (Big Shoulders Festival 2014), 20 Percent Theatre Company Chicago (Snapshots Festival 2014, 2015, 2017), GI60 International One Minute Play Festival (2015), Modern-Day Griot Theatre Company New York, The New Colony's Writer's Room 4.0 and the Black Lives, Black Words International Project, in which she is an artistic associate. As a theatre journalist she is a member of the Association of Women Journalist-Chicago, a mentor with the AWJ-Chicago/Goodman Theatre's Cindy Bandle Young Critics Program and a contributing theater critic for Newcity, an independent Chicago arts magazine. Her short play, I Am A Woman is featured in Wish to Live: The Hip-hop Feminism Pedagogy Reader and the Black Lives, Black Words Selected Plays Anthology. Her play Saving Inge is featured in One Minute Plays: A Practical Guide To Tiny Theatre. Loy holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and J.D. from The John Marshall Law School.

Toma Langston (Director) is a freelance theater director. Credits include Victory Gardens: Directors Inclusion Initiative Director 2015. (Assistant Director) Sucker Punch. Jackalope Theatre: 1980 (or Why I'm Voting for J.H. Anderson). Sideshow Theatre: (Assistant Director) Truth and Reconciliation and Give It All Back. Toma is a proud steering committee member of DirectorsLab Chicago and an associate artist with Black Lives, Black Words International Project. Directorial credits include: The Last Five Years, The Shadow Box, For Colored Girls Who Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf. Toma has worked with Chicago Dramatists, Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre and Prologue Theatre.

Jeffery Owen Freelon Jr. (Rashad) is a proud Southside Chicagoan and excited to work on a play by black people and for black people. He is also extremely proud to see it produced by The New Colony where he is an ensemble member. He has worked with an array of theatre companies such as Theatre Unspeakable, Definition Theatre and Victory Gardens, and has appeared on Chicago PD. He is represented by Paonessa Talent Agency.

Tiffany Oglesby (Genesis) is originally from Atlanta, GA. and is happy to return to New Colony where she was an understudy for Byhalia, Mississippi. She recently appeared as "Grace" in Definition Theatre's production of An Octoroon and can currently be seen as "Vanessa" in About Face Theatre and Theater Wit's Significant Other. Other theatre credits include truth and reconciliation (Sideshow), East Texas Hot Links (u/s Writers) and A Small Oak Tree Runs Red (u/s Congo Square). She also had the pleasure of working with other theatre companies including Raven and Lifeline. TV credits include recurring roles on NBC's Chicago Med and Showtime's The Chi. She received her BFA in Performing Arts from Savannah College of Art and Design and her MFA in Acting from The Theatre School at DePaul University. Happily exclusive with Grossman and Jack Talent.

The New Colony develops NEW ART and NEW ARTISTS in order to educate and build NEW AUDIENCES. Founded in 2008, The New Colony has established itself as "one of Chicago's essential off-Loop companies" (Chicago Tribune) having developed and produced over 25 world-premiere plays and musicals garnering four Joseph Jefferson Awards, the 2011 Broadway in Chicago Emerging Theatre Award, and Best Overall Production at the 2012 New York International Fringe Festival. The New Colony is a resident company of The Den Theatre located in Wicker Park.

Pictured: Tiffany Oglesby and Jeffery Owen Freelon Jr. in a publicity image for The New Colony's world premiere of THE LIGHT. Photo by Alexus McLane.