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The
57th Layer
Synopsis
In 1942, Enrico Fermi and associates, made history on the University
of Chicago campus and ushered in the Atomic age. The 57th Layer tells
the story of their work: the development of the first self-sustaining
nuclear chain reaction.
The 57th Layer was presented
at the Skokie Public Library and in Hyde Park as part of Project Millenium:
Chicago's citywide celebration of the millennium..
DuSable
Synopsis
The story of Jean Baptiste Pointe Du Sable, the famous black Haitian who
is credited as being the first non-native settler of Chicago. The play
tells the story of the beginning of Chicago in a lively Second City style
and is accompanied by a website that provides historical information.
DuSable was presented
at the Chicago Historical Society and at the Red Path Theatre. The play
was also part of the first Juneteenth Festival produced by the University
of Louisville's African-American Theatre Program.
Pure
Life
Synopsis
Jerry Johnson, a college student of African American and Jewish heritage
spends a Summer seeking enlightenment and attempting to live the life
of an ascetic in, of all places, New Orleans. A touching and funny one
person play about the quest for grace and meaning in life.
A monologue from Pure Life
was performed for local Chicago television.
The
Berry Sisters
Synopsis
Three sisters from Iowa embark on a career in show business and become
famous for being "the worst act in Vaudeville." The Berry Sisters
is based on the real life and times of a "sister act" that played the
Vaudeville circuits from 1892 to 1935. The play uses Vaudeville techniques
and songs to tell the story of these remarkable women.
The Berry Sisters received
a reading in Chicago as well as a staged reading at the South Australian
Writers' Theatre in Adelaide. A scene from the play appeared in The Z
Festival, a cable access t.v. show featuring scenes from plays by Chicago
playwrights.
Into
the Light
Synopsis
In the fall of 1831, the artist George Catlin painted the portrait of
an Assiniboine Indian who was on his way to meet the President of the
United States in Washington, D.C. The Indian, on his way back from the
capitol, met Catlin again. The change in the Assiniboine was so striking
that the artist was inspired to paint another portrait documenting the
transformation. Into the Light is based on this true story of an
Indian's journey between two worlds. The play follows this journey from
its comic beginning to its tragic conclusion.
Into the Light was workshopped
and first produced at the Rough Theater in Los Angeles. It then received
a staged reading at the Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago and later was
selected to be part of the American Conservatory Theater's Plays in Progress
series. Into the Light was developed even further during this process
and extensive research was done in coordination with Native American consultants.
The play has been used as course material at San Jose State University
and was listed in the Theatre Communications Group publication "Play Source."
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