Provision Theater presents world-premiere play, HEAVEN, HOW I GOT HERE.

Chicago-based Provision Theater Company is thrilled to open its 12th season with a world-premiere adaptation of Colin S. Smith’s Heaven, How I Got Here. The play will run September 9 - October 25 with live performances on Fridays & Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. at Provision Theater, 1001 W. Roosevelt Rd., Chicago, IL 60608.

What if you woke up one morning knowing that it was your last day on earth? That’s what happened to the thief on the cross, who died a few feet from Jesus. Heaven, How I Got Here is his compelling story, told in his own words, as he looks back from Heaven on the day that changed his eternity. This exciting world-premiere production features Provision Theater Ensemble Member Rod Armentrout and is adapted and directed by Provision’s Founding Artistic Director Timothy Gregory.

Heaven, How I Got Here was first adapted for the stage by Timothy Gregory in the Spring of 2015 for a one-man show starring actor Stephen Baldwin. Now this inspirational story comes to Provision in a new and expanded production!

“Heaven, How I Got Here is the story of the thief on the cross, the person closest to Jesus as he died,” says Gregory. “Very little is said about him in the Bible, so this play imaginatively fleshes out who he was and how he got there in a compelling, faith-building journey. It gives a first hand account of this nameless thief that had a front-row ticket to the crucifixion of Christ in one of the most dramatic moments in history.”

In addition to Rod Armentrout, the cast of Heaven, How I Got Here includes Kona Burks and Patrick Thompson. Additional production team members include Set & Light Designer John Weygandt, Sound Designer Ray Reyberg, Costume Designer Paula Kenar, Composer Dan Wells, Production Manager Annie Sander, Assistant Stage Manager and Wardrobe Supervisor Emily Svendson, and Stage Manager Sarah Knoke.

“The cast is really terrific,“ states Gregory. “ Led by one of my favorite actors, Rod Armentrout. He gives a performance as the thief that is incredibly moving and powerful. The play and the book ask a really important question: What if you woke up one morning knowing that it was you last day on earth?”

Ticket prices for Heaven, How I Got Here are $30. Senior, student, and military discounts are available. Free parking is included, and groups of 10 or more receive 10% off (adult tickets only). For tickets, call the box office at 312-455-0066 or visit provisiontheater.org. Subscriptions for Provision’s 2015-16 Season are also available. Church groups are welcome. Ask us about creating a special code just for your church group!

The book, Heaven, How I Got Here: The Story of the Thief on the Cross, is available at unlockingthebible.org.

Provision Theater Company is a non-profit equity theater devoted to producing works of hope, reconciliation and redemption; works that challenge us to explore a life of meaning and purpose. Provision Theater Company has celebrated numerous critically-acclaimed productions including CHRISTMAS ON THE AIR, JACOB, A CHRISTMAS MEMORY & THE THANKSGIVING VISITOR, RED LETTER JESUS, SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY, SHADOWLANDS, THE HIDING PLACE, COTTON PATCH GOSPEL, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, C.S. LEWIS ON STAGE, THE FOREIGNER, THE SPITFIRE GRILL, BEAST ON THE MOON, FISH EYES, SHAW VS. CHESTERTON: THE DEBATE, THE CHRISTMAS MIRACLE OF JONATHAN TOOMEY, BONHOEFFER’S COST, THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE, SANDERS FAMILY CHRISTMAS, GODSPELL, SMOKE ON THE MOUNTAIN, THE BOYS NEXT DOOR, and THE GOSPEL OF JOHN.