Windy City Playhouse to Open in March with END DAYS

Windy City Playhouse, Chicago's newest Equity theater, located at 3014 W. Irving Park Road, will officially open Monday, March 23, at 7pm. The inaugural production of the 2015 season is Deborah Zoe Laufer's End Days, a comic romp through suburban Armageddon, which begins previews March 19 and continues through April 26.

"We envision Windy City Playhouse to be a new kind of theater; a space for friends to gather, colleagues to engage and strangers to meet, all in the name of art. Our primary creative endeavor is, of course, live theater, but other contributing art forms will play a part. With the addition of visual art, auditory art and the art of mixology, we aim to entertain and engage audiences in a new and holistic way," said Windy City Playhouse Co-Founder and Artistic Director Amy Rubenstein. "I'm pleased to say that our vision for a contemporary theater showcasing relevant, accessible works has been greeted with excitement and open arms from a supportive community. Under the guidance of our esteemed, award winning directors - and equally accomplished designers - along with community leaders, we are proud to introduce a new venue to Chicago's acclaimed theater roster."

The new Windy City Playhouse is a nonprofit (501(c)(3)), professional theater company designed to entertain audiences via high quality, approachable productions in a modern, lounge-style environment. The Playhouse expands beyond the traditional theatergoing experience by offering audience members amenities including a full-service bar, small bites menu, deluxe leather lounge chair seating and post-show entertainment. An entirely flexible "black box" open floor plan encourages unique stage and seating configurations (accommodating up to 149 seats), creating new and intimate theatrical experiences with each production. Work by local artists will adorn the walls, with themes based on the production being staged.

Following a $1 million+ build-out, Windy City Playhouse is designed by renowned theater architect John Morris, celebrated for his designs of Steppenwolf, Black Ensemble Theater, Lookingglass, Raven Theatre, the Beverly Arts Center Theater and Old Town School of Folk Music's performance space. Windy City Playhouse is under the leadership of its three co-founders: Amy Rubenstein, Milan Rubenstein, and Joshua Rubenstein. Evelyn Jacoby is Managing Director.

End Days Director Henry Godinez, co-founder and former artistic director of Teatro Vista and resident artistic associate of the Goodman Theatre, directs a stellar cast featuring Stephen Cefalu, Jr. (who replaces previously announced actor Tosin Morohunfola), Tina Gluschenko, Keith Kupferer, Sari Sanchez and Steven Strafford in the unique dual role of Jesus and Stephen Hawking.

A 2008 finalist for The Harold and Mimi Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award, End Days is the story of the Steins - a typical American family working their way through tragedy, each in his or her own way. In the aftermath of 9/11, it's no wonder that Sylvia Stein (Gluschenko) thinks the end of the world is coming. It's also no wonder that teenaged Rachel (Sari Sanchez) thinks her newly Evangelical mother is a fool, and looks to physicist Stephen Hawking (Strafford) for solace. Father and husband Arthur (Kupferer) has taken an entirely different approach: never changing out of his pajamas. But, an Elvis-impersonating next-door neighbor (Cefalu, Jr.) may just be able to bring the Steins - and their disparate views on the world - together.

End Days' design team includes Brian Bembridge (set), Jeremy Floyd (costumes), Heather Gilbert (lights), Kevin O'Donnell (sound) and Cassy Schillo (properties).