Irish Theatre of Chicago Presents THE WHITE ROAD - World Premiere!

Irish Theatre of Chicago, formerly Seanachaí Theatre Company, concludes its 20th anniversary season with the world premiere drama THE WHITE ROAD by founding ensemble member Karen Tarjan*, directed by ensemble member Robert Kauzlaric*, playing April 30 – June 13, 2015 at its resident home, The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at www.irishtheatreofchicago.org.

The cast of THE WHITE ROAD includes ensemble members Matthew Isler* and Kevin Theis* with Nicholas Bailey, Paul Dunckel, Steve Herson, Michael McKeogh, Neal Starbird, Joseph Stearns, Stephen Walker and Gage Wallace.

THE WHITE ROAD is the story of Ernest Shackleton’s ill-fated attempt to cross Antarctica from sea to sea via the South Pole. The crew is forced to abandon their ship, The Endurance, having been crushed by pack ice. They have one path ahead – The White Road. Experience an incredible story of survival, under near impossible conditions, and a display of the strength of the human spirit when all hope appears lost.

The production team for THE WHITE ROAD includes: Ira Amyx*, John Peplinski and Merje Veski (scenic design), Allison Amidei (costume design), Julian Pike (lighting design), Victoria DeIorio (sound design), Smooch Medina (projections design), Ian Jerome (props design), Elise Kauzlaric (dialect design), Annaliese McSweeney (dramaturg) and Jen Bukovsky (stage manager).

PRODUCTION DETAILS:

Title: THE WHITE ROAD

Playwright: founding ensemble Member Karen Tarjan*

Director: Ensemble Member Robert Kauzlaric*

Cast: ensemble members Matthew Isler* (Crean) and Kevin Theis* (Worsley) with Nicholas Bailey (McIlroy), Paul Dunckel (Ernest Shackleton), Steve Herson (McNeish), Michael McKeogh (Wild), Neal Starbird (Hurley), Joseph Stearns (Orde-Lees), Stephen Walker (Vincent) and Gage Wallace (Blackborrow).

Location: The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago

Dates: Previews: Thursday, April 30 at 7:30 pm, Friday, May 1 at 7:30 pm, Saturday, May 2 at 7:30 pm, Sunday, May 3 at 3 pm and Tuesday, May 5 at 7:30 pm

Regular run: Friday, May 8 – Saturday, June 13, 2015

Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will not be a performance on Thursday, May 7; there will be an added performance on Monday, June 8 at 7:30 pm.

Tickets: Previews $12. Regular run $26 Thursdays & Fridays; $30 Saturdays & Sundays. Seniors/students $5 off. Tickets are currently available at www.irishtheatreofchicago.org.

*Denotes ensemble member of Irish Theatre of Chicago

About the Playwright

Karen Tarjan is one of the Irish Theatre founders and served as an ensemble member and Board Member from 1995 to 2003. She appeared in And Neither Have I Wings to Fly, The Clearing, Chekhov in Yalta, Translations, Marked Tree, The Pagans and Dylan and returned to the fold to create the “fast forward dream ballet” for their production of War. She is also a founding member of another long-standing company, Boston’s Beau Jest Moving Theatre, which is still running strong after over 30 years. Karen is an Artistic Associate of Wildclaw Theatre and has crafted many of the unusual movement sequences in their productions of The Great God Pan, Dreams in the Witch House, Legion, Carmilla and The Life of Death. Her adaptations of The Overcoat, The Two Towers (with James Sie), The Return of the King, and The Killer Angels (2004 and 2013) have all been produced at Lifeline Theatre. The Killer Angels has also been played at theatres across the country including Mother Road in New Mexico and Wayside in Virginia. The White Road is Karen’s first original play.

About the Director

Robert Kauzlaric’s directing credits include Cymbeline (2014 Wilde Award nomination: Best of the Bard), She Stoops To Conquer (2014 Wilde Award nomination: Best Comedy), Love’s Labour’s Lost (2013 Wilde Award: Best of the Bard), and Tartuffe (2012 Wilde Award: Best Comedy) for the Michigan Shakespeare Festival; and the world premiere of Chris Hainsworth’s stage adaptation of Hunger (the debut novel by Elise Blackwell) and the world premiere of John Hildreth’s adaptation of Treasure Island, both at Lifeline Theatre. As a playwright, Robert has written over a dozen theatrical adaptations which have been produced in nearly 40 U.S. states, as well as in England, Ireland and Canada, including Neverwhere (2011 Non-Equity Jeff Award: New Adaptation) and The Island of Dr. Moreau (2008 Non-Equity Jeff Awards: Production-Play and New Adaptation). As an actor, Robert has appeared in over 50 productions in the Chicago area, including work with Circle Theatre, City Lit, Goodman Theatre, Greasy Joan & Co., the Hypocrites, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, Lakeside Shakespeare Theatre, Lifeline Theatre, New American Theater, Seanachaí Theatre Co., Strawdog Theatre Co. and Theatre at the Center.

Irish Theatre of Chicago (formerly Seanachaí Theatre Company) is supported in part by The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation, The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council and The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs: City Arts Program.