Signal
presents Marber's searing 'Closer'
Brutal comedy plays the Chopin Nov.
19 – Dec. 17, 2006
CHICAGO, October 11, 2006 — Signal Ensemble
Theatre (Ronan Marra, Christopher Prentice and Joseph Stearns,
artistic directors) continues its fourth season with a brutally
honest examination of relationships in CLOSER
by Patrick Marber and directed by Ronan Marra, running in
the studio at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division, Nov. 19
– Dec. 17, 2006. Press opening is Monday, Nov.
20 at 8 p.m. Tickets may be purchased at signalensemble.com
or reserved at 773-347-1350.
Winner of the Olivier Award for Best New Play,
CLOSER is a brutal, honest, and often arrestingly funny examination
of modern romance and betrayal. Four strangers tumble into
and out of each other's lives and beds as they desperately
struggle to find intimacy. This comic-drama displays the undying
hope of new love and the cruel depths of desire run free.
The cast of CLOSER features ensemble members
Brandon Bruce (Larry) and Aaron Snook
(Dan). Bruce recently directed the Jeff-winning The Skin
of Our Teeth for BackStage. Snook, nominated for a Jeff
Citation for Seascape last season, recently directed
Signal's The Dumb Waiter. They are joined by Georgann
Charuhas, Jeff nominee for Signal's Seascape
and Landslide, as Anna. Tammy Stackpoole,
seen in Sean Graney's Porno and the Hypocrites' Death
of a Salesman, makes her Signal debut as Alice.
Directed by Ronan Marra,
the designers are Melania Lancy (set), Laura
M. Dana (costumes) Amanda Lyon (lights),
Anthony Ingram (sound), Julie E.
Ballard (projections), Devon MacGregor
and SarahElizabeth M. (props). Phil
Timberlake is the dialect coach and Stephanie
Ehemann is the stage manager.
Patrick Marber's (Playwright)
first play, Dealer's Choice, premiered in 1995 and
received the Evening Standard Award for Best Comedy and Writer's
Guild Award for Best West End Play. His second play, CLOSER,
premiered in 1997, was nominated for the Tony, Out Critics
Circle and Drama Desk awards for best play. The West End production
won the Evening Standard Award for Best Comedy, the Critics
Circle Award for Best Play and the Olivier Award for Best
Play.
Ensemble member Ronan Marra
(Director), Signal’s general artistic director, is a
co-founder of Signal Ensemble. 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 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.
CLOSER will play in the studio at the Chopin
Theatre, 1543 W. Division, November 19 – December 17,
2006. Opening is Monday, Nov. 20 at 8 p.m. Regular performances
will continue through Dec. 17 as follows: Thursdays through
Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. There will be two
special Wednesday performances, Dec. 6 and 13. NOTE: There
will be no performance Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23. Preview
tickets are $10. Tickets for the regular run are $10–$15
and may be purchased online 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).
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. Signal's production of
Seascape won a Jeff Citation and After Dark Award
for best costume design.
# # #
Contact:
Christopher Prentice
773.347.1350
chris@signalensemble.com
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