Victory Gardens Theater Continues IGNITE Chicago Reading Series With EXERCISE YOUR DEMONS

Victory Gardens Theater presents the Ignite Chicago reading of exercise your demons: a play on the trauma of a gay male body written by Gage Tarlton and directed by Ryan Dobrin, with movement direction by Breon Arzell. exercise your demons: a play on the trauma of a gay male body will be presented on Saturday, February 19 at 3pm at Hardware Strength and Conditioning, 1834 W. Balmoral Ave, Chicago.

exercise your demons: a play on the trauma of a gay male body is the fourth Ignite Chicago reading this season, presented as part of The Ignition New Play Program. Tickets are FREE but very limited and must be reserved through the box office at 773.871.3000 or online at www.victorygardens.org/event/exercise-your-demons.

Max wants to be healthy. Brooks is his personal trainer. Russell is a gym rat. Wiley makes money using OnlyFans. Looming amongst them is The Demon, an amalgamation of their greatest desire and fear-and there's much more than exercise at stake when these men meet up at their local gym. In the aftermath of suicide, a group of artists must grapple with grief, sex, identity, body image, performance, and the demons that live inside all of us.

"We're excited to bring our first Ignite Chicago Reading of 2022 to Hardware Strength and Conditioning in Andersonville, whose mission to create a welcoming space for everyone aligns with our own," shares Victory Gardens Artistic Director Ken-Matt Martin. "It provides the perfect setting for the first reading of this show, and we hope theater-lovers in the neighborhood will join us for this opportunity."

Ignite Chicago is part of The Ignition New Play Program (formerly the Ignition Festival of New Plays), and is sponsored by The Pritzker Foundation and The Pritzker Pucker Family Foundation. The Ignition New Play Program consists of two events for the 2021/22 season: the Ignite Chicago reading series, offering six free readings of new works between October 2021 and July 2022, and the 20/50 Festival in June 2022, featuring three new works by playwrights over 50, staged by VG Directors Inclusion Initiative Fellows. Ignite Chicago readings will take place throughout the season, both at Victory Gardens' home in Lincoln Park, the Biograph Theater, and at partner locations throughout the city, to bring new plays into Chicago's many communities.

Additional upcoming Ignite Chicago readings include:

April 2022: Primary Trust by Eboni Booth

July 2022: Nancy by Rhiana Yazzie

All readings are free to attend, but reservations will be required, as capacity for each reading is limited. Registration for Ignition New Play Program events will be available at victorygardens.org approximately one month before each event.