Interrobang Theatre Project (ITP) and Rivendell Theatre Ensemble (RTE) are pleased to present the world premiere of Emily Schwend’s riveting new drama A Mile in The Dark, directed by ITP Artistic Director and Rivendell Theatre Ensemble member Georgette Verdin*^, playing November 10 – December 11, 2022 at Rivendell Theatre, 5779 N. Ridge Ave. in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. Tickets are currently available at rivendelltheatre.org and interrobangtheatreproject.org or by calling (773) 334-7728. The press opening is Monday, November 14 at 7 pm.
The cast includes ITP Ensemble Members Laura Berner Taylor* and Matthew Martinez Hannon* and RTE Ensemble Member Keith Kupferer^+ with Liz Sharpe and William Rose.
The cast of Interrobang Theatre Project and Rivendell Theatre Ensemble’s world premiere of A Mile in The Dark includes (top, l to r) Laura Berner Taylor and Keith Kupferer with (bottom, l to r) Matthew Martinez Hannon, Liz Sharpe and William Rose.
Jess's stepmother Carol was a cheerful woman whose unexpected passing has left Jess searching for answers. Can something in Carol's life explain her untimely death? A Mile in the Dark is about the people we think we know but don't and the hard truth sitting in plain sight.
Director Georgette Verdin comments, “My introduction to Emily Schwend’s work was through her award-winning play Utility, which I was fortunate enough to direct for Interrobang in the spring of 2019. Upon closing that successful run, I immediately started to dream up another collaboration with Emily. We settled on a world premiere of her play A Mile in The Dark, which was originally slated to be produced in Interrobang’s 2020-2021 season. It is my great pleasure to have Interrobang and Rivendell joining forces to finally bring this piece to life. Unsettling questions are ablaze in A Mile in The Dark. Emily’s self-described brand of eerie-naturalism pervades every aspect of this story to chilling effect. In this digital age, art can sometimes feel like a desperate grasping for dwindling attention spans, yet Emily's deft use of language and subtext, measured pace, and nuanced characters are on singular display in A Mile in The Dark.”
The production team includes Lindsay Mummert (Scenic Designer), Gregory Graham (Costume Designer), Eric Watkins (Lighting Designer), Erik Siegling (Sound Designer), Richie Vavrina (Production Manager), Evan Sposato (Technical Director) and Wendye Clarendon* (stage manager).
COVID safety: Masking is required at all performances.
Denotes *Interrobang Ensemble member ^Rivendell Theatre Ensemble member +Member of Actors’ Equity Association (AEA)
PRODUCTION DETAILS:
Title: A Mile in the Dark – World Premiere!
Playwright: Emily Schwend
Director: ITP Artistic Director and Rivendell Theatre Ensemble member Georgette Verdin*^
Cast (in alphabetical order): Laura Berner Taylor* (Jess), Matthew Martinez Hannon* (Anthony), Keith Kupferer^ (Roger), Liz Sharpe (Kayla) and William Rose (David).
Location: Rivendell Theatre, 5779 N. Ridge Ave., Chicago
Dates: Previews: Thursday, November 10 at 8 pm, Friday, November 11 at 8 pm and Saturday, November 12 at 8 pm
Gala opening: Sunday, November 13 at 6 pm
Press opening: Monday, November 14 at 7 pm
Regular run: Thursday, November 17 – Sunday, December 11, 2022
Curtain Times: Thursdays and Fridays at 8 pm; Saturdays at 4 pm & 8 pm; Sundays at 3 pm Please note: there will be added performances Monday, November 28 at 8 pm and Wednesday, December 7 at 8 pm; there will not be performances on Saturday, November 19 and Thursday, November 24.
Industry Night: Monday, November 28 at 8 pm ($15 tickets)
Tickets: Previews: $25 ($15 seniors). Regular run: $35 ($25 seniors). Student, educator and current/former military discounts available by e-mailing boxoffice@rivendelltheatre.org. A limited number of pay-what-you-can tickets are available for each performance. Tickets are currently available at rivendelltheatre.org and interrobangtheatreproject.org or by calling (773) 334-7728.
Parking and Transportation: Free parking is available in the Senn High School parking lot (located a block and a half from the theatre behind the school off Thorndale Avenue). There is limited paid and free street parking in the area. The theatre is easily accessible via the Clark (#22) or Broadway (#36) busses and is a short walk from the Bryn Mawr Red Line ‘L’ station.
About the Artists:
Emily Schwend's (Playwright) plays include Utility (The Amoralists in NYC, Orange Tree Theatre in London, Interrobang Theatre Project in Chicago, 2016 Yale Drama Series Award, 2017 IT Award for Outstanding Premiere Production of a Play), The Other Thing (Second Stage Theatre Uptown), Take Me Back (Walkerspace in NYC, The Poor Theatre in Chicago), South of Settling (Steppenwolf's Next Up Rep) and Splinters (CUDC Source Festival). She was a 2016-2017 Radcliffe Institute Fellow at Harvard University and the inaugural 2014 Tow Foundation playwright-in-residence at Second Stage Theatre. Her work has been developed at The New Group, Roundabout Theatre Company, ACT Theatre, Marin Theatre Company, Partial Comfort Productions, Ars Nova, the Alliance Theatre, PlayPenn and the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, among others. She is the recipient of a Bogliasco Fellowship, a MacDowell Fellowship, the ACT New Play Award, the David Calicchio Emerging American Playwrights Prize, the Lecomte du Nouy Prize and the Heideman Prize. Her work has been commissioned by the Studio Theatre in D.C., the Ensemble Studio Theatre through the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Old Vic in London. She is a proud alumna of the playwriting programs at Juilliard and Tisch and is currently based in Cambridge, MA.
Georgette Verdin (Director) is a Cuban-American director, the Artistic Director of Interrobang Theatre Project and a new company member with Rivendell Theatre Ensemble. She is also the 2022 Michael Maggio directing fellow at Goodman Theatre. Georgette recently received two Joseph Jefferson Award nominations for Best Director of a Play (Midsize) for her productions of Spay (Rivendell Theatre) and This Wide Night (Shattered Globe Theatre/Interrobang Theatre Project). Other recent directing credits include: the World Premieres of Enough to Let the Light In (Teatro Vista Co-Presented with Steppenwolf 1700) Chagall in School (Grippo Stage Company), the U.S. Premiere of Out of Love and the Midwest premiere of Utility (Interrobang Theatre Project). Georgette holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Performance from McNeese State University and a Master in Directing from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. She is an associate member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. georgetteverdin.com
About Interrobang Theatre Project
The recipient of 2019’s Broadway In Chicago Emerging Theatre award, Interrobang Theatre Project, now in its 13th season and under the artistic leadership of Georgette Verdin, has been hailed by the Chicago Tribune as a “company to watch” and by Time Out Chicago as “one of Chicago’s most promising young theatre companies.” ITP has enjoyed non-equity Jeff recommendations every season, garnering nominations and wins across productions in disciplines ranging from Best Original Music and Set Design to Lead and Supporting Roles. Recent productions have included a remount of Here Lies Henry, a streaming production of The Spin, Out of Love, Utility, I Call My Brothers and The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?, all highly acclaimed.
What’s an interrobang?
An interrobang is the combination of a question mark and an exclamation point, joining the Latin for “question” (interro) with a proofreading term for “exclamation” (bang). Through the plays we produce, Interrobang Theatre Project aims to pose worthwhile and exciting questions which challenge our understanding and assumptions of who we are and the world in which we live.
For more information, please visit interrobangtheatreproject.org.
About Rivendell Theatre Ensemble
Founded in 1994, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble advances the lives of women through theatre. Rivendell cultivates the talents of women artists—writers, actors, directors, designers and technicians—by seeking out innovative plays that explore unique female experiences and producing them in an intimate salon environment.
Rivendell fills an important role in the Chicago region as the only Equity theatre dedicated to producing artistically challenging and original plays created by and about women. After years of being an itinerant company, Rivendell moved into its own theater space in 2011 in Edgewater. The company is focused on becoming an integral community partner and serving as a catalyst to engage audiences in a discussion of local social issues.
For more information about Rivendell Theater Ensemble, visit http://rivendelltheatre.org. Follow Rivendell on Facebook at Facebook.com/rivendelltheatre, on Twitter @RivendellThtr, and on Instagram at @rivendelltheatre.
Rivendell Theatre Ensemble is supported by generous grants from: The Alphawood Foundation; Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; The Arts Work Fund for Organizational Development; The Chicago Community Trust; The Chicago Foundation for Women; The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation; Phyllis and Henry Cretors Foundation; The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation; The MacArthur Funds for Arts and Culture at The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation; Laughing Acres Family Foundation; The League of Chicago Theatres and ComEd; The Luria Family Foundation; The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust; Shubert Foundation; SIF Fund at The Chicago Community Trust; Cultural Outreach Program Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events; and the Illinois Arts Council Agency.