Sideshow Theatre Presents X

Sideshow Theatre Company is pleased to open its 2019-20 season with the U.S. premiere of Alistair McDowall’s mind-bending sci-fi thriller X, directed by artistic director Jonathan L. Green. X will play September 22 – October 27, 2019 at Victory Gardens Richard Christiansen Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at www.victorygardens.org, by calling (773) 871-3000 or in person at the Victory Gardens Box Office.

X will feature ensemble member Nate Whelden with Natalie Ortega, Krystal Ortiz, Sarah Price, Gage Wallace and H.B. Ward.

First, they called it X. Then, they called it Pluto. Now, they’re not calling at all.

Billions of miles from home, a lone research base waits to receive another message from Earth. It’s been three weeks. It’s never been this long. The crew attempts to maintain normal operations, but as the silence grows louder, the darkness outside the station starts to creep in.

Comments artistic director Jonathan L. Green, "X is a breathtaking work. Alistair's story takes us through twists and turns we never expect, terrifying and entertaining and incredibly smart. I think it captures our present moment and reflects it back to us in a way both shocking and exhilarating."

The production team includes: Yu Shibagaki (scenic design), Noël Huntzinger (costume design), Jordan Kardasz (lighting design), Michael Huey (sound design), Emily Boyd (properties design), Paul Deziel (projections design), Justin J. Sacramone (dramaturg), Nina O'Keefe (assistant director), Catherine Allen (production manager) and Emily Ioppolo (stage manager).

PRODUCTION DETAILS:

Cast (in alphabetical order): Natalie Ortega (Voice), Krystal Ortiz (Mattie), Sarah Price (Gilda), Gage Wallace (Clark), H.B. Ward (Ray) and Nate Whelden (Cole).

Dates: Previews:Sunday, September 22 at 2:30 pm and Wednesday, September 25 at 8 pm.

Press Performance: Thursday, September 26 at 8 pm

Gala Opening: Friday, September 27 at 8 pm

Regular run: Saturday, September 28 – Sunday, October 27, 2019

Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm; Sundays at 2:30 pm.

Tickets: Previews: Pay-what-you-can (online or at the door). Regular run: $20 – $30. Students/seniors/industry: $15 for all performances (excluding opening). Tickets are currently available at www.victorygardens.org, by calling (773) 871-3000 or in person at the Victory Gardens Box Office.

About the Creative Team:

Alistair McDowall (Playwright) grew up in the North East of England. Plays include: Zero for the Young Dudes! (National Theatre Connections 2017), X (Royal Court Theatre 2016), Pomona (RWCMD/Gate 2014; Orange Tree Theatre/Royal Exchange/National Theatre 2014/5), Talk Show (Royal Court Theatre 2013), Brilliant Adventures (Royal Court Young Writers’ Festival 2012; Royal Exchange, Manchester and Live Theatre, Newcastle 2013), and Captain Amazing (Live Theatre, Newcastle and Edinburgh Fringe 2013; UK tour 2014). He was the recipient of the Harold Pinter Commission in 2018. His work has been translated and produced internationally.

Jonathan Green (Director) has been the artistic director of Sideshow Theatre in Chicago, IL since its founding in 2007. He has directed for Sideshow, Greenhouse Theater Center, Diversionary Theatre (San Diego), TheatreWorks (Palo Alto), Playwrights' Center, Silk Road Rising, Chicago Dramatists, Theatre Seven of Chicago and Pavement Group, and assisted Kimberly Senior, Tim Hopper and Andrew White at Steppenwolf and Lookingglass Theatres. Recent projects include J. Nicole Brooks' HeLa, debbie tucker green's truth and reconciliation (Jeff Award nomination for direction and ensemble), Philip Dawkins’ The Happiest Place on Earth (Jeff Award for solo performance), Anne Carson's Antigonick, Aaron Posner’s Stupid F##king Bird, Roland Schimmelpfennig's Idomeneus (Jeff Award for ensemble), and others. Jonathan is the literary manager for Goodman Theatre, where his most recent dramaturgy credits include the world premieres of Christina Anderson's How to Catch Creation, Rogelio Martinez' Blind Date, Charles Smith's Objects in the Mirrorand Doug Wright's, Scott Frankel's and Michael Korie's War Paint.

About Sideshow Theatre Company:

Sideshow Theatre Company: Theatre for the Curious. It is the mission of Sideshow Theatre Company to mine the collective unconscious of the world we live in with limitless curiosity, drawing inspiration from the familiar stories, memories and images we all share to spark new conversation and bring our audiences together as adventurers in a communal experience of exploration.

Over its 10+ year history, Sideshow is proud to have distinguished itself as a vital member of the Chicago theatre community. Sideshow was awarded the 2016 Broadway In Chicago Emerging Theatre Award by the League of Chicago Theatres. Sideshow is a multiple Jeff Award-winning theatre and has been listed on the “Best of” lists in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2018 by the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Reader, Time Out Chicago and the Chicago Sun-Times. Sideshow continues its multi-year residency at Victory Gardens in the historic Biograph Theater in the 2018/19 season.

Sideshow is also the producer of Chicago League of Lady Arm Wrestlers (CLLAW), a wildly popular fundraiser held in benefit of Sideshow Theatre Company and other local community organizations. CLLAW has been featured in local and national press, including The Washington Post, Reuters and the Chicago Sun-Times and on WGN Morning News, ABC 7’s Windy City Live and CBS 2. The next CLLAW match will be held Saturday, November 2, 2019. For more information about CLLAW, visit cllaw.org.

For additional information on Sideshow Theatre Company, visit sideshowtheatre.org.