American Blues Theater Presents the 2014 Edition of RIPPED: THE LIVING NEWSPAPER FESTIVAL, Monday, May 5 at 7 p.m., at the Greenhouse Theater Center

Chicago’s Leading Playwrights and Directors Unite to Present
Stories Ripped From Today’s Headlines in a One Night Only Event. 

CHICAGO – Producing Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside and American Blues Theater, Chicago’s second oldest Equity ensemble, present RIPPED: The Living Newspaper Festival,  Monday, May 5 at 7 p.m. at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. Tickets are $10 at the door and include food and drinks. For more information or to order tickets go to americanbluestheater.com or call 312.725.4228. 

American Blues Theater’s RIPPED: The Living Newspaper Festival is a fund-raising event for American Blues and began in 2009. Since that first edition, they have presented12 events using more than 320 artists. American Blues Theater’s RIPPED is based on the 1930s Works Progress Administration (WPA) program, The Federal Theatre Project’s the Living Newspaper, which brought Orson Welles, Arthur Miller and Clifford Odets into public attention.  The Federal Theatre Project wrote and presented a number of Living Newspapers on social issues of the day during the 1930s. At RIPPED, new works are ripped from today’s headlines and presented in staged readings by Chicago’s leading playwrights and directors. 

Playwrights contributing short works to the night’s festivities include Jonathan Baude, Manny Buckley, Darren Canady, Gloria Bond Clunie, Kristoffer Diaz, Brian Hieggelke, James Joseph, Rohina Malik, Brett Neveu, Joshua Rollins, James Sherman and Susan Soon He Stanton.  Rinska Carrasco, Elyse Dolan, Andi Dymond, Reshmi Hazra, Kay Martinovich, Heather Meyers, Richard Shavzin, Arianna Soloway, Eddie Torres, Russ Tutterow and Dennis Zacek direct.  Actors appearing  in RIPPED include  Manny Buckley, Kate Buddeke, Lance Baker, Ryan Czerwonko, Shawn Goudie, Jim Leaming, Denice Mahler, Angelica Roque, Sarah Ross, James Sherman, and Randy Steinmeyer. 

Supporting American Blues’s mission of partnering with social and service organizations, the following organizations have been supported by RIPPED events:  AgrAbility, Chicago Public Schools, Greater Chicago Food Depository, Illinois Farm Bureau, Lincoln Park Community Shelter, University of Chicago’s Urban Education Teachers Program and Open Books.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH FOR RIPPED
American Blues Theater’s RIPPED: The Living Newspaper Festival is a proud community partner of the Robert R. McCormick Foundation and their commitment to fostering communities of educated, informed and engaged citizens. Through philanthropic programs, Cantigny Park and museums, the Foundation helps develop citizen leaders and works to make life better in our communities. 

ABOUT AMERICAN BLUES THEATER
American Blues Theater is the premier American theater producing visceral theatrical works while engaging its audience in worthwhile missions of local service agencies.  American Blues Theater illuminates the American ideas of freedom, equality, and opportunity in the plays we produce and communities we serve. 

The multi-generational and interdisciplined artists have established the second-oldest professional Equity Ensemble theater in Chicago.  The 39-member Ensemble has nearly 500 combined years of collaboration on stage. As of 2014, they’ve individually received over 126 Joseph Jefferson Awards and nominations that celebrate excellence in Chicago theater and over 20 Black Theatre Alliance Awards. The artists are honored with Pulitzer Prize nominations, Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Emmy Awards, and numerous other accolades.  

The American Blues Theater Ensemble includes all four Founders Ed Blatchford, Rick Cleveland, James Leaming, and William Payne with Dawn Bach, Matthew Brumlow, Manny Buckley, Kate Buddeke, Sarah Burnham, Dara Cameron, Casey Campbell, Brian Claggett, Dennis Cockrum, Austin Cook, Laura Coover, Lauri Dahl, Kristin DeiTos, Joe Foust, Tom Geraty, Cheryl Graeff, Marty Higginbotham, Jaclyn Holsey, Lindsay Jones, Samantha Jones, Nambi E. Kelley, Kevin R. Kelly, Steve Key, Ed Kross, Warren Levon, Michael Mahler, Kelli Marino, Heather Meyers, John Mohrlein, Jim Ortlieb, Suzanne Petri, Carmen Roman, Editha Rosario, Sarah E. Ross and Gwendolyn Whiteside. 

Producing Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside and American Blues Theater, Chicago’s second oldest Equity ensemble, present RIPPED: The Living Newspaper Festival, Monday, May 5 at 7 p.m. at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. Tickets are $10 at the door and hors d’oeuvres and drinks. For more information go to americanbluestheater.com or call 312.725.4228. 

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American Blues Theater programs and activities are made possible, in part, by funding by The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Actors’ Equity Foundation, Eurex, Arts Work Fund, Illinois Arts Council and the Chip Pringle Fund.  ComEd is the official lighting season sponsor.