Weapon Of Mass Impact

Ensemble member Brett Neveu kicks off A Red Orchid Theatre’s 15th anniversary season with the world premiere of his newest drama, Weapon of Mass Impact, on Monday, October 22nd. The play serves as the second installment of trilogy that began with TimeLine Theatre Company’s critically-acclaimed production of Harmless last January.

“Weapon of Mass Impact examines both the effects of terrorism from unseen malicious evildoer types as well as the mundane routine common place terrorism that goes on daily in our apathetic society,” says artistic director and ensemble member Guy Van Swearingen. “Infusing the dramatic with the everyday, Brett has imagined an amazing world where the professional boundaries between the morality of fair play and personal space are skewed.”

Born in California and raised in Iowa, Brett Neveu is a playwright who has debuted four plays at A Red Orchid - 4 Murders, The Earl, The Meek, and Eric LaRue (which was subsequently produced by The Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford in 2005).

Other production credits include American Dead with American Theatre Company (Chicago), the go with Terrapin Theatre Company (Chicago), Empty with Stage Left Theatre (Chicago), Eagle Hills, Eagle Ridge, Eagle Landing and twentyone with Spring Theatreworks (New York), Drawing War with Chicago Dramatists and The Last Barbecue with the Asylum Theatre (Las Vegas), The Aardvark (Chicago) and 29th Street Rep (New York).

Brett has also worked with various play development groups such as The Playwright's Center in Minneapolis, No Shame Theatre in Iowa City and Chicago, The Echo Theatre in Los Angeles, The New Group and The 42nd Street Workshop in New York and he is currently a Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists. Brett is also a guest lecturer at Northwestern University.

He has been commissioned twice by Steppenwolf Theatre Company for their New Plays Initiative. He has also received the Goodman Theatre's Ofner Prize for New Work, for which he wrote the play Heritage, featured in the Goodman Theatre's 2004 New Stages Series.

Director Edward Sobel serves as Director of New Play Development for Steppenwolf Theatre Company. His direction of Weapon of Mass Impact marks his forth production collaboration with Neveu and his first at A Red Orchid.

Tickets to Weapon of Mass Impact are on sale now and may be purchased by calling 312-943-8722 or going to www.aredorchidtheatre.org.