Click photos to download high-resolution images. Download press release PDF here.
Christa Ciesil as Rebecca and Mike Maggio as George in Our Town at Resident Theatre at Edge of the Wood.
Stephen Loch as the Stage Manager, Rachel Curtiss as Emily and Mike Maggio as George in Our Town.
Rachel Curtiss as Emily and Mike Maggio as George in Our Town at Edge of the Wood.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
John Chambers
773.405.0325
jrchambers3@gmail.com
Production photos available for download at edgeofthewood.com/resident-theatre
A CELEBRATION OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT AND THE POWER OF THEATRE
CHICAGO, IL (October 29, 2014) – The Resident Theatre at Edge of the Wood presents the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Our Town, November 7–16, in their theatre at the Edgebrook Community Church in Chicago. A plain tale of a small town, told with deliberate simplicity and an emphasis on old-fashioned storytelling, Our Town is the heartwarming, funny, sad and hopeful tale of our shared human experience.
Famously meta-theatrical, Our Town relies on talented actors and old-fashioned stage techniques to conjure the world of Grovers Corners, the small town in early 20th century New Hampshire where the story takes place. There is no scenery, and there are but few props. Actors step in and out of character in full view of the audience, and sometimes address the audience directly. The world of the play unfolds in tiny, stripped-down glimpses into the characters’ everyday lives.
The actors in this production range in age from nine to sixty, and represent not only the world they inhabit on the stage, but also the Chicagoland community. “We’re thrilled that nearly half the cast is returning from previous productions,” says Edge of the Wood co-founder Jeanann Power, “now that we’ve reached the end of the Resident Theatre’s second season, we’ve found ourselves forging a loyal company.” In keeping with the theatre’s mission to inspire young performers, the Our Town cast also features four students from the Edge of the Wood school, as well as three instructors. “It’s an amazing opportunity for our students to learn from seasoned actors,” says Edge co-founder Janet Rourke. “Our Town speaks to people of all ages and backgrounds – you learn and see different things in it when you’re 15 and when you’re 40.”
“It’s all about imagination,” says Artistic Director John Chambers. “The actors’ imaginations stimulate the audiences’ imaginations, and together we create a world worth remembering. And hopefully find out something about ourselves in the process.”
Our Town runs November 7-16. Tickets are $17 for adults and $10 for children. For tickets and information visit edgeofthewood.com.
About Edge of the Wood Theatre
The Edge of the Wood school in Chicago’s Edgebrook Community Church is a complete theatre program where young people, ages 6-18, become versed in acting, improv, speech, movement, and musical theatre skills in a professional atmosphere. Edge of the Wood has served hundreds of students, many of whom have gone onto careers in the performing arts and arts education.
The Resident Theatre at Edge of the Wood was founded in 2013 and produces family-friendly shows across genres, bringing professional-caliber theatre to the Edgebrook community, and engaging and inspiring young people as performers and theatre-goers.
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