Red Theater Chicago presents 'We Are the Light of the World'

Red Theater Chicago will present a matinee showcase from its 2015-2016 Red Playwriting Competition, including the winning script We Are the Light of the World by New York playwright Rae Binstock at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 13, 2015, at The Den Theatre.

Binstock's story of a young, interracial couple trying to survive in the aftermath of a racial apocalypse took top honors in this year's competition, which saw more than 500 submissions.

The play, selected through a blind submission process, is set in a United States filled with violence and chaos, and follows the young couple as Toine scavenges for supplies in the ruined city, a pregnant Katie waits restlessly in their squatter’s shelter in an abandoned building on the outskirts and Toine’s sister Val emerges as a brutal insurrectionist, inspirational leader of the revolution, and passionate prophet of suffering and rebirth.

The staged reading of We Are the Light of the World is directed by Majel Cuza and stars Nicole Michelle Haskins as Val, Trey Wright as Toine, Alexa Ulrich as Katie, Matt Rockwood as various characters and Josh Nordmark as the Narrator.

Red Theater Chicago will also present selected scenes from each of the two runners-up: Salim Salim by New York City-based Israeli playwright Stav Palti-Negev and Unring A Bell by Philadelphia-based playwright Alisha Adams.

Salim is a Palestinian inmate released from an Israeli prison after ten years, who wants to return to his wife and children in the West Bank. But his address is listed in the Israeli population registries as the Gaza Strip, and Salim is sent to a Gaza border crossing point and told to cross. He refuses and remains stuck in a nonexistent territory between Gaza and Israel.

The staged reading of select scenes from Salim Salim is directed by Alyssa Vera Ramos and stars Uday Joshi, Maya Mackrandilal and Kristin Ellis.

Unring a Bell is inspired by the true story of Chai Vang, a Hmong-American and community shaman who killed six hunters in 2004. Racial tensions erupt in the Wisconsin woods, spilling into the media and courtroom, while Vang's multiple souls guide him through the realities of his crime.

The staged reading of select scenes from Unring a Bell is directed by JD Caudill.

Tickets for this special, one-time event are free and can be reserved at https://dime.io/events/fourth-annual-red-playwriting-competition.

Website link:https://www.facebook.com/events/589581634530810/