Biograph Theater

Victory Gardens Theater is bringing movies back to Chicago's legendary Biograph Theater with the launch of Movie Night at the Biograph, a series of occasional movies tied to the themes of Victory Gardens' live theater productions.

Movie Night at the Biograph launches on Earth Day, Sunday, April 22 with Al Gore's Academy Award-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth.  Show time is 6:30 pm.  Admission is only $5.  Popcorn, sodas and snacks will be sold.

In An Inconvenient Truth, director Davis Guggenheim eloquently weaves the science of global warming with former Vice President Al Gore's personal history and lifelong commitment to reversing the effects of global climate change.  "Gore strips his presentations of politics, laying out the facts for the audience to draw their own conclusions in a charming, funny and engaging style, and by the end has everyone on the edge of their seats, gripped by his haunting message," said Guggenheim.

Gore's rallying cry to protect the earth is also a strong undercurrent of Victory Gardens' current mainstage production, Cynical Weathers.   A world premiere political drama by ensemble playwright Douglas Post, Cynical Weathers could be pulled straight from today's headlines with its contemporary story of Congressman Dixon McDaniels, a moderate Republican from Texas caught in the crossfire between his liberal wife (a scientist studying global warming), and his conservative chief of staff (an evangelical and believer in the end times.)  Over the course of a weekend, the McDaniels grapple with ideological differences as Dixon attempts to push an energy conservation bill through Congress.  Meanwhile, a Category 5 hurricane is looming off the Gulf Coast, threatening to wreak havoc on the McDaniels' beachfront estate and the congressman's shifting political agenda.

Directed by Victory Gardens Artistic Director Dennis Zacek, Cynical Weathers stars Tom Amandes, a veteran of Chicago's Off-Loop stage scene, who went on to play Eliot Ness in TV's The Untouchables, and Dr. Harold Abbott on Everwood.  It's playing Tuesday through Sunday, through May 13 at the new Victory Gardens Biograph Theater.  Show your ticket stub from Victory Gardens' screening of An Inconvenient Truth, and get a $5 discount on a ticket to Cynical Weathers.  

"We're thrilled to bring movies back to the Biograph, which certainly holds a key place in cinema history, and I can't imagine a better pairing to launch the series than An Inconvenient Truth and Cynical Weathers," said Zacek. "Both share critically important messages about politics and the environment.  We firmly believe tying our films to the content of our plays will help fulfill our mission of introducing new audiences to world premiere theater, and positioning the Biograph as a multifaceted new community center."

Movie Night at the Biograph continues to dovetail Victory Gardens' on-stage programming this spring with screenings of films relating to the company's upcoming production of Athol Fugard's apartheid play My Children, My Africa, and Claudia Allen's world premiere adaptation of Chicago author Stuart Dybek's I Sailed with Magellan. To sign up for email alerts of future screenings, or for titles, show dates and times, go to victorygardens.org, and click on Movie Night at the Biograph.

Originally built in 1914, the Biograph is best known as the site where FBI agents killed gangster John Dillinger in 1934. Movies were shown at the Biograph until 2004, when Victory Gardens purchased the dilapidated venue, and converted it to a beautiful, $11.7 million, state-of-the-art live theater facility.

The Victory Gardens Biograph Theater is located at 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago.   For tickets and information, call the Victory Gardens box office, (773) 871-3000 or go to http://www.victorygardens.org