Patrick Thornton News

London. One month after World War II has ended. An important election on the horizon...Welcome to the members-only club 'La Vie En Rose' and its colorful cast of bohemian lovers, losers, soldiers, and dreamers who prepare to repair both country & self. Big, bold, and haunting, Absolute Hell was nearly lost forever until a rediscovery led to a revival & inclusion in The Royal National Theatre's 'Top 100 Plays of The Twentieth Century.' The U.S. premiere comes to The Gift in an ensemble-packed production.

London. One month after World War II has ended. An important election on the horizon...Welcome to the members-only club 'La Vie En Rose' and its colorful cast of bohemian lovers, losers, soldiers, and dreamers who prepare to repair both country & self. Big, bold, and haunting, Absolute Hell was nearly lost forever until a rediscovery led to a revival & inclusion in The Royal National Theatre's 'Top 100 Plays of The Twentieth Century.' The U.S. premiere comes to The Gift in an ensemble-packed production.

The Chicago Theater Beat (formerly the Chicago Theater Blog) today announced the nominees for the 1st Annual Chicago Theater Critics' Beat Awards. The Beat Awards provide an opportunity for Chicago's critics to give recognition to outstanding achievements in Chicago's theatre community and the artists involved.

Victory Gardens Theater presents a night of improv with Natural Gas, featuring Michael Patrick Thornton as part of Crip Slam, a component of Victory Gardens Access Project. The performance is Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 7:30PMin the Richard Christiansen Theater at the Victory Gardens Biograph, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue in Lincoln Park.

Victory Gardens Theater presents a night of improv with Natural Gas, featuring Michael Patrick Thornton as part of Crip Slam, a component of Victory Gardens Access Project. The performance is Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 7:30PMin the Richard Christiansen Theater at the Victory Gardens Biograph, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue in Lincoln Park.

The Gift will produce a festival of short pieces written specifically for The Gift by artists whose work they have produced over the past ten years--ten World Premieres by Ensemble Members Maggie Andersen, Jenny Connell, Andrew Hinderaker, William Nedved, Natural Gas and guest playwrights Eric Bogosian, Caitlin Montanye Parrish, David Rabe, JT Rogers and Craig Wright. We are ecstatic about kicking off our 10th Anniversary season in such a monumental fashion.

The Gift will produce a festival of short pieces written specifically for The Gift by artists whose work they have produced over the past ten years--ten World Premieres by Ensemble Members Maggie Andersen, Jenny Connell, Andrew Hinderaker, William Nedved, Natural Gas and guest playwrights Eric Bogosian, Caitlin Montanye Parrish, David Rabe, JT Rogers and Craig Wright. We are ecstatic about kicking off our 10th Anniversary season in such a monumental fashion.

Celebrating its tenth anniversary, The Gift Theatre announces a season of thrilling new work including two world premieres, one American premiere, and one Chicago premiere.

The Gift Theatre presents Cloud 9 by Caryl Churchill. The show is directed by Gift ensemble members Maureen Payne-Hahner and Michael Patrick Thornton.

The Gift Theayre is set to presnt Cloud 9 by Caryl Churchill. The show is directed by Gift ensemble members Maureen Payne-Hahner and Michael Patrick Thornton, and featuring ensemble members Hillary Clemens, Alexandra Main, Kenny Mihlfried, Jay Worthington and guest artists Kurt Conroyd, Jessie Fisher and Dylan Stuckey.

Jam-packed with comedy, musical performances and commentary, CHICAGO LIVE! returns this fall with its fifth season of headline making interviews and performances.

Jam-packed with comedy, musical performances and commentary, CHICAGO LIVE! returns this fall with its fifth season of headline making interviews and performances.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company concludes its 2010/11 season with Middletown by Will Eno, directed by Les Waters, playing June 16 - August 14, 2011 in Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St. The production features ensemble members Alana Arenas, Tim Hopper, Ora Jones, Martha Lavey and Tracy Letts with Brenda Barrie, Molly Glynn, Keith Kupferer, Danny McCarthy and Michael Patrick Thornton.

Night and Her Stars, directed by Michael Patrick Thornton and starring Raymond Shoemaker as Herb Stempel and Jay Worthington as Charles Van Doren

The Gift Theatre will tackle Richard Greenberg's Night and Her Stars in a new production directed by Michael Patrick Thornton beginning this March. This elegant play is about the quiz show scandals of the 1950's, reacquainting themselves and their audience with the cautionary tale of Charles Van Doren, the young academic who made and destroyed his name on the question-and-answer show '21.' Thornton says, "As Gift marches towards our ten year milestone, we look to a play we fell in love with long ago and has stayed with us ever since. Night & Her Stars is big and messy and smart and beautiful and it is a joy to bring it to The Gift. Enjoy."

Nominated for Tony Award for Best Play, The Lonesome West is the third play in Martin McDonagh's Connemara trilogy which includes The Skull of Connemara and The Beauty Queen of Leenane. Ensemble member Sheldon Patinkin, who directed The Gift's critically acclaimed, Jeff Nominated production of Beauty Queen, returns to direct the hilariously violent examination of brotherly love.

The Gift Theatre presents Martin McDonagh's The Lonesome West directed by Gift ensemble member Sheldon Patinkin and featuring Gift ensemble members John Connolly, Paul D'Addario and John Gawlik, with guest artist Brittany Burch. 'The Lonesome West' opens November 1st to the press and November 4th to the public; previews October 28-31. The Lonesome West plans to run from November 4 to December 19. Showtimes are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 P.M., Sundays at 2:30 PM.