SiNNERMAN ENSEMBLE ANNOUNCES FIFTH ANNIVERSARY SEASON SinFest party, Sept. 4, kicks the celebration off with just a bit of “SiN”
CHICAGO — After five years of creating award-winning, attention-grabbing, provocative theatre, SiNNERMAN Ensemble is pleased to announce the arrival of their latest season, which they will kick off with a new take on their hit show, Sweet Confinement, opening Thursday, Nov. 17 at the Viaduct Theatre.
Penned by SiNNERMAN Ensemble co-artistic director and playwright Anna Carini, the After Dark Award-winning play (Outstanding New Work, 2008, among three other wins for the production that year) Sweet Confinement is a Chicago original and represents a homecoming of sorts for the SINNERMAN theatre family.
The story is of five young adults brought together in an unexpected reunion in a bathroom. In its original incarnation, the show sold out its run and was also a critical success. Kerry Reid, for the Chicago Reader, wrote: “What makes this world premiere SiNNERMAN Ensemble production work . . . is [Carini’s] acerbic-but-not-jaded dialogue, a cast of committed young actors … It all adds up to a little show with a big heart that spills past the edge of the realistic all-white set and dares us not to care about these people.” Kay Daly, for Time Out Chicago, described the show as “a truthful, well-observed portrait of life in miniature.”
“Sweet Confinement finds five people who have grown up together, shared love and loss together, meeting in a familiar bathroom to deal with a crisis on hand,” Carini, who is also a part of the production’s cast, said. “They must confront the actions that have brought them there together as well as each other and the history they all share. Can they handle it? How do they handle it? And how will they ever move on from here?”
The ensemble invites friends, supporters and the otherwise curious to join them in celebrating their fifth anniversary season at SiNFest, Sunday, Sept. 4 at The Den, 1333 N Milwaukee Ave. (2nd Floor). The party, starting at 7 p.m., costs $25, which will cover all of the following: Food, drinks, a raffle, live music (Sad Brad Smith, Dick Wolf, Jon Drake & the Shakes and DJ Josie Bush), party photography and more. All proceeds help make it possible for the ensemble continue to produce theatre. Buy your ticket in advance to save $5 off admission.
‘SWEET CONFINEMENT’ Written by Anna Carini Directed by Brea Hayes Preview Wednesday, Nov. 16 (7:30 p.m.) Press opening Thursday, Nov. 17 (7:30 p.m.) Performances continue through Dec. 16: Thursdays/Fridays/Saturdays (7:30 p.m.), Sundays (3 p.m.) — excluding Nov. 24-25 (due to the holiday) Cheese & chat opening gala Saturday, Nov. 19 (7:30 p.m.) — $30 admission includes a post-show discussion and reception with the director and cast (plus cheese and crackers, naturally). Industry night Monday, Nov. 28 (7 p.m.) Tickets cost $20 ($15 for current students, $5 for preview) and can be purchased by calling 773-296-6024 or by going to www.viaducttheatre.com. Tickets will also be available from Goldstar and Hottix.
All performances will be held at the Viaduct Theatre (3111 N. Western Avenue). Visit www.sinnermanensemble.org for tickets or more information.
Cast (*denotes SiNNERMAN Ensemble member): Cyd Blakewell* (Amy), Anna Carini* (Ginger), Howie Johnson* (Caleb), Keith Neagle (Josh) and Calliope Porter* (Amelia). Production team: Stefin Steberl* (Costume/Prop Designer), Tim Schoen (Lighting Designer), John Wilson (Set Designer), Bill Paton (Production Manager), Tara Malpass (Stage Manager), Amanda Rozmiarek (Technical Director), Joe Razza (Graphic Designer) and Ben Chandler (Photographer).
Anna Carini is the co-artistic director and a founding member of SiNNERMAN Ensemble. As an actress she has performed around Chicago at theaters including Steppenwolf, Victory Gardens, Lookingglass, The Gift Theatre, Chicago Jewish Theatre, Raven Theatre and Chicago Dramatists, where she is an Associate Artist. All Are Welcome, Carini’s second play, has had a staged reading at Chicago Dramatists and was recently selected to be a participant in the Women’s Theatre Alliance’s New Play Development Workshop where five writers were chosen to workshop their new plays over several months culminating in a ten minute staging of each play, with full production elements, in June 2011.
Brea Hayes’ directing credits include Cory Tamler’s What You Wanted at the Neapolitans’ Off Chekhov Festival, Calamity West’s The Island of Yap at Jackalope’s Living Newspaper Festival, Effie and Resident Alien at EP Theater with the Neapolitans, Sideshow’s Heddatron at the Steppenwolf Garage (Assistant Director). Past work with SiNNERMAN includes Ivanov (Assistant Director) and a workshop of Anna Carini’s All Are Welcome with Women’s Theatre Alliance. She has also worked with Lookingglass, Remy Bumppo, Strange Tree, Polarity Ensemble and Point of Contention. She attended Columbia College for Directing and currently works at Court Theatre.
SiNNERMAN Ensemble began as 10 actors that met at The School of Steppenwolf in 2005. SiNNERMAN’s mission is to create compelling, relevant theatre that tackles real issues. For every production they embark on, they partner with a local charity organization whose work relates to a theme in the play with the goal of leaving an impact that reaches beyond the stage. SiNNERMAN’s world premiere of Sweet Confinement in 2008 received four After Dark Awards (New Work, Ensemble, Set and Direction). Their Sheldon Patinkin-directed 2009 production of Chekhov’s Ivanov also garnered critical praise. Now five years since their inception, SiNNERMAN is still going strong, remaining as ambitious and committed to evocative, high-quality theatre as ever. www.sinnermanensemble.org
