Theatre Mir Presents BEAUTIFUL CITY at DCA Storefront Theater 3/4-4/3

Theater Mir, in association with Chicago DCA Theater, presents the Chicago professional premiere of Beautiful City. The production, written George F. Walker, comes to Chicago DCA Theater's Storefront Theater at 66 E. Randolph Street, from March 4 to April 3, 2010.

"This is the future" begins this darkly comic fable about architects, urban developers, crime families, law enforcement, and even a witch, all fighting for the soul and vision of a city. Set in an urban landscape ripe for redevelopment, the parable blends off-kilter characters, fast-paced storytelling, and stinging social satire in a tale of greed, corruption, and civic responsibility.

Performances are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings at 7:30 pm and Sunday afternoons at 3 pm. There is an additional performance on Monday, March 15. Post-show discussions will follow the performances on March 11, 20, and 26. See the related events below for more information on these.

Tickets for Beautiful City are $25 for general admission, $20 for seniors, and $15 for students. For those in the theater industry, tickets to the Monday, March 15, performance are $5. Discounts are available for Chicago Cultural Center Mosaic Members, theater industry affiliates, military personnel, ADA companions, and large groups. All tickets are available by calling 312.742.TIXS (8497), visiting www.dcatheater.org, or stopping by the box office, open Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 6 pm; Sundays, noon to 4 pm; and one hour prior to each performance.

Beautiful City Centers around Tony Raft, a developer from an organized crime family, and his vision for the city - one that includes a hermetically sealed live/shop/work mall connected by exclusive underground tunnels to shield the well-heeled from the truth of poverty and despair. The only problem is not everyone shares his vision. His prized architect Paul contracts a mysterious illness and is missing in action. His mother, Mary, the head of the mob family considers his vision a distracting waste of energy and money. Low-level street thug Rolly is stealing from him. Gina Mae, a witch, vows to fight against the corruption of her city. And detective Dian tries to maintain a semblance of order and control in the city.

Written by George F. Walker, one of Canada's most prolific and celebrated playwrights, the play premiered at the Factory Theatre in Toronto in 1987 and is part of a trilogy of Walker plays about the changing urban landscape.

Cast and Production Team
Beautiful City features Kurt Brocker, Yosh Hayashi, Jeremy Kahn, Megan Kohl, Stephen Loch, C. Sean Piereman, Kristen Secrist, Rachel Slavick, and Mira Vasiljevic.

Directed by Theatre Mir artistic director Rob Chambers, the show's set design is by Marianna Csaszar, with lighting by Brandon Wardell, sound by Steve Dawson, and costumes by Whitney McBride. The Assistant Director is Jason C. Adams, and Production Stage Manager is Jen Poulin.Chicago DCA Theater offers downtown audiences the best off-Loop theater experience. Each season, we accept proposals from the city's emerging and developing theater companies who wish to bring their innovative productions downtown to the Storefront Theater. Presenting companies benefit from our space and resources, while theater-goers get an exciting glimpse into Chicago's world-renowned theater scene.

In addition to fully staged productions, we present many other theater programs that showcase the Chicago theater community. Special limited-run and one-night-only events include staged readings, radio plays, directing workshops, and festivals. We also host several site-specific performance art events such as Site Unseen and IN>TIME which incorporate theater, dance, music, and visual art by artists of both local and international acclaim.

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