Biograph Theater

Victory Gardens Theater, Chicago's #1 presenter of new work, announced an exciting line-up of two world premieres, a Chicago premiere, a major revival, the return of its smash hit holiday musical The Snow Queen, and a TBA project starring William L. Petersen, to complete its 2008/09 season of "theater so close, it touches you."

The season kicks off October 3-November 9, 2008 with a major revival of Eurydice, an astonishingly fresh take on the Greek Orpheus myth by Sarah Ruhl, author of The Clean House, Passion Play, and Dead Man's Cell Phone, and one of the most important young voices in American theater today. Victory Gardens Associate Artistic Director Sandy Shinner will direct.

"Even stronger the second time around," (Chicago Sun-Times), Chicago folk legend Michael Smith's smash hit musical The Snow Queen, based on Hans Christian Andersen's beloved winter tale, directed again by Tony Award-winner Frank Galati, with puppets by Blair Thomas & Co. and choreography by Jim Corti, is gathering momentum for her third straight year as Chicago's #1 alternative to traditional holiday fare, November 28-December 28, 2008.

Next are two consecutive world premieres by members of the Victory Gardens Playwrights Ensemble. Living Green, by Gloria Bond Clunie (Shoes, North Star), is a timely drama about an upper middle class black family considering a move back to the "old neighborhood," January 23-March 1, 2009. Victory Gardens Resident Director Andrea J. Dymond will direct. Class Dismissed by Jeffrey Sweet (Flyovers, The Value of Names), directed by Victory Gardens Artistic Director Dennis Zacek, is a comedic drama set in the free-spirited 1960s about youth and living with the consequences of how you spend it.  Performances are March 20-April 26, 2009.

Playing May 15-June 14, 2009 is the Chicago debut of Aditi Brennan Kapil's Love Person. One of the hottest new plays among regional theaters devoted to new work, this intriguing love story, performed in English, Sanskrit, American Sign Language, and projected e-mail, explores language as a portal and barrier to human connection.   Sandy Shinner will direct.

Closing Victory Gardens' 35th season is Chicago's must-see theater event of 2009. William L. Petersen, star of CBS-TV's CSI, will return to the theater where he earned his Equity card to star in a new project to be announced, directed by Dennis Zacek, July 3-August 9, 2009.

"Collectively, next season's productions do what new plays do best – explore the hot-button issues on our minds right now," said Zacek.  "Responsibility to one's community, language and communication, love and loss, and class divisions in the U.S. are just a few of the topics that will be artfully investigated on our stage next season."

Five-play subscriptions to Victory Gardens' 2008/09 season are on sale now for only $80-$185. Five play packages include Eurydice, Living Green, Class Dismissed, the TBA starring Bill Petersen, and a choice of Love Person or The Snow Queen.   Six-play packages are $96-$222.   All performances will be staged at the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue.  For subscription information, call the Victory Gardens box office, 773-871-3000 or visit www.victorygardens.org