SIGNAL ENSEMBLE THEATRE MEDIA RELEASE
Shepard's 'Fool for Love' Launches Signal's 5th Season
Lovers duke it out Aug. 3 – Sept. 2, 2007 in Chopin Studio
CHICAGO, July 13, 2007 — A love-hate relationship between lovers explodes when Sam Shepard's Fool for Love launches Signal Ensemble Theatre's (Ronan Marra, Christopher Prentice and Joseph Stearns, artistic directors) fifth season, comprised of 20th-century American works. Shepard's award-winning musings on love, abandonment and the American West, directed by Ronan Marra, runs August 3 – September 2, 2007 in the studio at the Chopin Theatre (1543 W. Division, Chicago). Opening night is Sunday, August 5, 2007 at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at signalensemble.com or reserved at 773-347-1350.
Set in a stark motel room at the edge of the Mojave Desert, Fool for Love tells the story of troubled lovers Eddie and May. Caught in a vicious cycle of yearning and abandonment, they long to be together but find no real solace in each other's arms. Vicious, erotic and funny, Fool for Love won the Obie award for Best Play and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.
Ensemble member Aaron Snook, last seen as Laertes in Hamlet and nominated for a Jeff Citation for Seascape, plays Eddie. Simone Roos returns to Signal after appearing in Hamlet to play May. She was last seen as Shen Te and Shui Ta in The Good Person of Setzuan with Big Picture Group and was nominated for a Jeff Citation for Design for Living at Circle Theatre. Making their Signal debuts are Ehren Fournier as Martin and Tom Lally as The Old Man.
Fool for Love features scenic design by Melania Lancy (Jeff nomination, The Weir), costume design by Laura M. Dana (Jeff Citation and After Dark awards, Seascape), lighting design by Julie E. Ballard, sound design by ensemble member Anthony Ingram, violence design by Kevin Asselin and props design by Devon MacGregor. Ensemble member Stephanie Ehemann is the stage manager.
(For complete cast and production profiles, please visit signalensemble.com.)
Sam Shepard is one of America's most acclaimed playwrights. The author of 45 plays, 11 have won Obie Awards including Chicago, Icarus's Mother, Red Cross, La Turista, Forensic and the Navigators, Melodrama Play, The Tooth of Crime, Action and Curse of the Starving Class. Shepard was awarded a Pulitzer Prize as well as an Obie Award for his play Buried Child. The critically acclaimed Steppenwolf production of True West, starring John Malkovich and Gary Sinise, opened in New York in 1984. Fool for Love received the Obie for Best Play. A Lie of the Mind won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Play. A revived Buried Child, under the direction of Gary Sinise, opened on Broadway in April 1996 and won a Tony Award nomination. Shepard's screenplays include Zabriskie Point; Wim Wender’s Paris, Texas; Robert Altman’s Fool for Love, a film version of his play of the same title. As an actor he has appeared in the films Days of Heaven, Resurrection, Raggedy Man, The Right Stuff, Frances, Country, Fool for Love, Crimes of the Heart, Baby Boom, Steel Magnolias, Bright Angel, Defenseless, Voyager, Thunderheart, The Pelican Brief, Hamlet and Safe Passage. In 1986, Shepard was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 1992, he received the Gold Medal for Drama from the Academy and in 1994 he was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame.
Ensemble member Ronan Marra (Director) is co-founder and General Artistic Director of Signal. Directing credits with the company include Jeff-recommended productions of Seascape (Jeff Citation winner, Best Costume Design), Waiting for Godot and his own Landslide (Jeff Citation nomination, New Work), as well as Hamlet, Closer, The Zoo Story, She Stoops to Conquer, Much Ado About Nothing and his own Learning to Fly. He has also directed for Sansculottes Theatre Company and The Gallery Players (New York) as well as several productions at his alma mater, Kent State University. As a playwright, Marra’s plays have been produced in Chicago and abroad, and he has received awards for New Work at ITN Theatre and Neverland Productions in New York. Marra is a recipient of the 2006 Illinois Arts Council Finalist Award in Scriptworks.
Fool for Love will play in the studio at the Chopin Theatre (1543 W. Division, Chicago) August 3 – September 2, 2007. Previews are Aug. 3 and 4 at 8 p.m. Opening is Sunday, Aug. 5 at 7 p.m. The regular run will continue through Sept. 2 as follows: Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. NOTE: There will be an additional performance Monday, Aug. 27 at 8 p.m. Preview tickets are $10. General admission tickets are $15-$20. Student and senior tickets are $10. Tickets may be purchased at signalensemble.com or reserved at 773-347-1350. The Chopin Theatre is accessible by the CTA Blue Line train (Division) and buses (70-Division, 56-Milwaukee, 18-Ashland).
About Signal Ensemble Theatre
Known for its ensemble acting and producing a diverse slate of plays that
range from classics to new works, Signal Ensemble Theatre uses the actor
as focal point to clearly execute the playwright's vision. Founded by
its three artistic directors (Ronan Marra, Christopher Prentice, Joseph
Stearns), the company began producing in 2003.
The Season Continues
Old Wicked Songs
by Jon Marans
directed by ensemble member Christopher Prentice
in the Studio
November 16 – December 16, 2007
Press opening: November 18, 2007
Old Wicked Songs depicts a clash of cultures and attitudes as a brash American piano prodigy travels to Vienna to combat an artistic block that threatens his career. A technically brilliant performer, he studies with a passionate master teacher. The music of Robert Schumann binds these men together, melting the stubbornness and denial that surrounds them. Old Wicked Songs was a finalist for the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
1776
Music and Lyrics by Sherman Edwards, Book by Peter
Stone based upon a concept by Sherman Edwards
directed by ensemble member Ronan Marra
on the Mainstage
January 25 – March 1, 2008
Press opening: January 27, 2008
Set during a "hot as hell" summer in Philadelphia, 1776 is the Tony Award-winning musical about the seminal act in American history: the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Sectional differences, pride and fear threaten the Declaration and the fledgling nation. The score features hits such as "Sit Down, John," "He Plays the Violin" and "Momma Look Sharp."
FOOL FOR LOVE
FACT SHEET
| WHAT: | Signal Ensemble Theatre presents Fool for Love by Sam Shepard | |
| LOCATION: | Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division Ave., Chicago, in the Studio | |
| DATES/TIMES: | THURSDAY, AUGUST
3 – SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2007 PREVIEWS: 8/3 & 8/4 PRESS OPENING: SUNDAY, AUGUST 5 Thursday, Friday & Saturday eves Sunday mats Special added perf.: 8/27 |
8:00 pm 7:00 pm 8:00 pm 3:00 pm 8:00 pm |
| DESCRIPTION: | Set in a stark motel room at the edge of the Mojave Desert, Fool for Love tells the story of troubled lovers Eddie and May. Caught in a vicious cycle of yearning and abandonment, they long to be together but find no real solace in each other's arms. Vicious, erotic and funny, Fool for Love won the Obie award for for Best Play and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. | |
| WHO: | Written by Sam Shepard Directed by Ronan Marra Cast: Ehren Fournier (Martin), Tom Lally (The Old Man), Simone Roos (May) and Aaron Snook (Eddie) Production: Melania Lancy (setting), Laura M. Dana (costumes), Julie E. Ballard (lighting), Anthony Ingram (sound), Kevin Asselin (violence), Devon MacGregor (props) and Stephanie Ehemann (stage manager) |
|
| PRICES: | $10-$20 | |
| TICKET INFORMATION/ RESERVATIONS: | (773) 347-1350 or online at SignalEnsemble.com | |
 |
||
# # #
Contact:
Christopher Prentice
773.347.1350
chris@signalensemble.com