Interrobang Theatre Project
Back by popular demand!
Here Lies Henry by Daniel MacIvor is coming back for a strictly limited summer engagement.
Performances:
August 2-5 & 8-12, 2012; 8 p.m.
At Intuit – The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art
Artistic Director Jeffry Stanton will again direct and Interrobang company member Michael Moran will recreate his performance in the title role.
The original production of Here Lies Henry debuted in March 2011 at the Tom Robinson Gallery on North Avenue. Of that production, Kerry Reid for the Chicago Reader wrote:
”Canadian playwright Daniel MacIvor doesn’t get produced much in Chicago. On the evidence of this 1996 solo gem, that’s a shame. MacIvor’s tale of a self-proclaimed liar delivering snippets from his alleged autobiography zigs and zags through witty asides and dollops of meta-theatrical trickery. But MacIvor knows how to pull back from the fiery pit of self-consciousness and deliver unadorned truths (or seeming truths) unencumbered by pathos. In this inaugural production from Interrobang Theatre Project, Michael Moran’s performance is perfectly pitched between a naked desire for our approval and joy at nudging us off-balance just when we think we know where he’s taking us.”
Artistic Director Jeffry Stanton said, “Interrobang Theatre Project essentially launched with Here Lies Henry and Michael (Moran) and I are excited to join forces again to revisit and rediscover this incredibly challenging and poignant evening with Henry, the certified liar of the title. It’s rare you get to return to a play so we’re looking forward to this opportunity to meddle some more in Daniel MacIvor’s wild style of stream-of-consciousness—a challenge for any actor and director.”
Announcing Season 3!
After our critical success this season with The Argument by Gregory Moss, we’ve been working overtime behind the scenes to deliver a new season that will stagger, haunt, and provoke you. I am thrilled to announce that our 3rd season (2012-13) will feature Paula Vogel’s Hot ‘n’ Throbbing and the Chicago Premiere of Andrew Bovell’s Speaking in Tongues.
I’m thrilled for Interrobang to bring together these powerhouse plays from Paula Vogel and Andrew Bovell—two extraordinarily clever playwrights who share an idiosyncratic theatricality, a dark sense of humor, and a cellular-level understanding of the complexity and capriciousness of human nature. Hot ‘n’ Throbbing and Speaking in Tongues are multi-layered plays that reward rapt attention. We are excited to connect with the Chicago community in dialogue with these works.
Hot ‘N’ Throbbing’s title titillates but it’s no sordid evening of gratuitousness. Paula Vogel’s unflinching, unconventional, and, dare I say it, funny play challenges an audience to chew on tough questions about domestic violence, sexual politics, parenting, and society’s continued role in raising victims, bullies, and abusers. Deemed by many artistic directors too disturbing for theatre audiences, Hot ‘n’ Throbbing has been largely sidelined from stage. ‘If we cannot confront domestic violence on our stages,’ Vogel wrote in 1995, ‘we will not be able to eliminate it from our living rooms.’ I think the Chicago audience is up for the challenge.
You might be familiar with Andrew Bovell’s wacky and wonderful movie Strictly Ballroom but, his play Speaking in Tongues is quite another beast. Speaking in Tongues has enjoyed more than 15 years of award-winning runs, revivals, and tours in England and Australia so Interrobang Theatre Project is tongued-tied to bring it, at last, to Chicago. Bovell has crafted a stunning work of theatrical mastery that is haunting, complex, and mysterious. Four actors portray nine characters caught in a complicated web of coincidence, infidelity, desire, and manslaughter. It’s just one of those plays that you’ll be piecing together for days after.
Our Managing Director, Greg Owen-Boger, is happy to announce that we are introducing new Season Subscriptions for Season 3. “We’re excited to be at a place in our evolution that we can now offer our audience this great deal. At 20% off the regular ticket price, it just makes sense to join.”
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Jeffry Stanton
Artistic Director, Interrobang Theatre Project
