DCA Theater

The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs announced a 2009 fall season full of events at the Chicago DCA Theaters- the Storefront Theater, located at 66 E. Randolph Street and the Studio Theater in the Chicago Cultural Center, 77 E. Randolph Street.

Chicago DCA Theater offers downtown audiences an off-Loop theater experience with an exciting look at the vibrant emerging theater companies that call Chicago home. An anchor of the downtown theater district, Chicago DCA Theater's Storefront Theater will present productions by three Chicago theater companies: Caffeine Theatre, InFusion Theatre Company, and Silent Theatre Company.

Chicago DCA Theater will also host three theater companies in its Studio Theater Incubator Program. The selected companies are Promethean Theatre Ensemble, Striding Lions InterArts Workshop, and LiveWire Chicago Theatre. Additionally, Chicago DCA Theater presents several special events in the 2009 season, including Site Unseen 2009, the sixth edition of this annual site-specific performance at the Chicago Cultural Center .

CHICAGO DCA THEATER SUMMER/FALL 2009 SEASON

Under Milk Wood
Caffeine Theatre
August 21 - September 27
Storefront Theater, 66 E. Randolph Street

Caffeine Theatre stages Dylan Thomas' dark, but funny play about the dreams and waking lives of a fictional Welsh town. An iconic favorite since it was first broadcast as a radio play in 1954, the play's 47 quirky characters bring to life their inner longings bubbling beneath the surface of the town's daily life, endearing us to humanity's bawdy and magnificent possibilities. Paul S. Holmquist directs this classic but utterly relevant play with an intimate and physically intense ensemble of Chicago theater veterans and emerging talent.

Rhymes With Evil
InFusion Theatre Company
October 5 – November 8
Storefront Theater, 66 E. Randolph Street

For this Midwest premiere, InFusion Theatre Company brings creepy puppets and visual spectacle to a very human tale of an imaginative and inventive stay-at-home dad. In his Midwest farm house, he creates a beautiful yet bizarre world of puppets, costumed characters and fanciful stories for his young daughter. But all is not what it seems in this suspense-filled and disturbing tale of love, loss and danger appropriate for the Halloween season.

Carnival Nocturne
Silent Theatre Company
November 19 - December 20
Storefront Theater, 66 E. Randolph Street

Silent Theatre Company welcomes visitors into the mysterious underground world of a traveling carnival. In the midst of fire breathers, fortune tellers, bestial tamers and natural freaks, a somber secret lies – a curse that binds them all together. With a live band and physical acts of carnival performance, this original dark fable by Gillian Hastings combines the styles of Tim Burton and Edward Gorey in a thrilling and enchanting ride through a world of whimsy and macabre.

CHICAGO DCA'S STUDIO THEATER INCUBATOR SUMMER/FALL 2009 SEASON

The Studio Theater Incubator Series supports the creation of new work by emerging Chicago theater companies. Utilizing Chicago DCA Theater resources and rehearsal space in the Chicago Cultural Center, participants explore new projects, develop and refine styles, and share their process with the public during a special showcase event.

The evening showcase events each offer a glimpse into the companies' projects through readings, performances, or works-in-process.

Promethean Theatre Ensemble
Incubator Showcase for A Month of Development
Monday, August 31, at 7:30 p.m.
Studio Theater in the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington Street

Striding Lions InterArts Workshop
Incubator Showcase for Pioneers
Tuesday, September 29, at 7:30 p.m.
Studio Theater in the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington Street

LiveWire Chicago Theatre
Incubator Showcase for Lower Debt (or It's Not You, It's the Economy)
M onday, October 19, at 7:30 p.m.
Studio Theater in the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington Street

For more information on DCA Theatre visit www.dcatheater.org.