Chicago's Lookingglass Theatre presents return of 'Nelson Algren: For Keeps and a Single Day' from June 10 to 29, 2008

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Lookingglass Theatre, in association with the Museum of Contemporary Art, presents the return of Nelson Algren: For Keeps and a Single Day

CHICAGO - Lookingglass Theatre Company, in a new relationship with the Museum of Contemporary Art, presents the return of Nelson Algren: For Keeps and a Single Day. Nelson Algren, directed by Ensemble Member John Musial, featuring Ensemble Member Thomas J. Cox, runs June 4-29, 2008, at the Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave. The press opening is Sunday, June 8, 2008, at 7:30 p.m.

With the MCA reaching 40 years and Lookingglass 20 years, I can think of no better way for two of Chicago’s leading cultural institutions to celebrate than by partnering to present the jazz-soaked, grainy black-and-white anthem to Chicago’ edgiest literary icon in Nelson Algren: For Keeps and a Single Day,“says Lookingglass Artistic Director David Catlin.

The show was originally conceived some nine years ago as a sort of trio, with the words of Nelson Algren, performed by Thom Cox, accompanied by jazz improvisers David Pavkovic & Griffin Rodriguez and illustrated by films of my own design,” explains Musial. “The piece grew and changed organically through many workshops and site-specific performances, ranging from Wicker Park bars, to the Lunar Cabaret, to the rooftop of the old Cook County Theater Dept. building. In 2001 the Lookingglass production galvanized the show into the form it takes today. Later that year the show was reconceived as an hour-long television program for WTTW Channel 11’s Network Chicago Presents. This summer’s run at the MCA, with new musicians, represents an exciting new phase in the show’s evolution.”

Nelson Algren: For Keeps and a Single Day, an intimate multimedia portrait, sets Algren’s backstreet poetry to the pulse of a live, on-stage jazz combo, featuring Kevin O’Donnell and Bob Lovecchio playing original music by David Pavkovic, performed against a backdrop of the city as shown through the film imagery of Ensemble member and director John Musial. Ensemble Member Thomas J. Cox reprises his role as
Algren, one of Chicago’s most enduring literary figures.

The production uses selections from Algren’s Chicago: City on the Make and The Last Carousel.

Nelson Algren (1909-1981), American novelist, poet, essayist and short story writer, was an unparalleled chronicler of Chicago’s beauties and brutalities, its energies and excesses.

Born in Detroit in 1909, raised first on the South Side and then on the North Side, Algren came of age in 1931, when he found that his journalism degree from the University of Illinois wasn’t much use in the midst of the Great Depression. His debut novel, Somebody in Boots (1935) was followed by Never Come Morning (1942), the novel where he found his true voice and subject matter: the lives and crimes of the Polish-American neighborhood of Chicago’s Near Northwest Side. He won the first National Book Award for fiction in 1950 for The Man with the Golden Arm, and in 1951, published his lyric love poem-history lesson, Chicago: City on the Make (1951). His close friend Studs Terkel wrote the introduction for its reissue in 1987, and an Annotated Edition was published in 2001.

His transatlantic affair with French existentialist philosopher and novelist Simone de Beauvoir was one of the 20th Century’s great love stories. In the mid-1970s, he moved first to Paterson New Jersey, then to Sag Harbor, New York, where his career was on an upswing when he died of a heart attack just after his election to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His other books include the short story collection The Neon Wilderness (1947), A Walk on the Wild Side (1956), Who Lost An American? (1963), Notes from a Sea Diary: Hemingway All the Way (1965), The Last Carousel, (1973), and the posthumously published unfinished novel, The Devil’s Stocking (1983).

Thomas J. Cox, a Lookingglass ensemble member, is reprising the role of Algren from the 2001 production and the WTTW/Lookingglass television adaptation. He has been with Lookingglass since its inception in 1988, and has worked on more than thirty productions, including West, The Jungle, The Odyssey, The Arabian Nights, The Master and Margarita, They All Fall Down, Summertime, Great Men of Science Nos 21 & 22, 1984, The Old Curiosity Shop (Jeff Nomination), and most recently in Black Diamond and Lookingglass Alice. He currently serves Lookingglass’ Education and Community Program as Master Teacher. In other Chicago theatre, Thom has appeared at the Illinois Theatre Center, Victory Gardens, Northlight, Court, and Steppenwolf Theatres. He has directed for Eclipse, Piven Theatre Workshop, and his own Jeff-nominated adaptation of The Scarlet Letter for Lookingglass. During the summers, he and his wife, stage manager Chris Freeburg, work at the Weston Playhouse Theatre in Vermont, where he has appeared in productions ranging from Chicago, Oklahoma!, and Urinetown, to Tartuffe and Blithe Spirit, among many. Additionally for the Playhouse, he serves as Co-Director of their Young Company, in which capacity he has directed two musical productions. He has also taught at Northwestern University as an adjunct faculty member. Film and television credits include Since You’ve Been Gone (Miramax), Chi-Girl, and Brotherhood (Showtime).

John Musial is a Chicago-based film and theater maker. He writes, directs, designs and makes things. As a writer/director with Lookingglass, he has created The Great Fire, The Grail ‘98 and Nelson Algren: For Keeps and a Single Day. As a scenographer he has recently designed Great Men of Science Nos 21 &22, They All Fall Down: The Richard Nickel Story, and George. Musial designed lights and sets for such early Lookingglass’ productions as The Jungle, West and Euridice. As a filmmaker he has contributed films & video for Lookingglass’s Nelson Algren, 1984, 28, and others. In 2001 Musial redirected and edited Nelson Algren as an hour-long television program for WTTW Channel 11’s PBS program series Network Chicago Presents. Musial also collaborates with Redmoon Theater, the American Theater Company and Local Infinities Visual Theater.

Kevin O’Donnell has composed for The House Theatre, The Hypocrites, Steppenwolf, Lookingglass, ATC, Northlight, Redmoon, Collaboraction. For contemporary dance: Molly Shanahan/Mad Shak Dance Company, Lucky Plush, Mordine and Company, Hedwig Dances, the Dance COLEctive. He recorded and toured with Andrew Bird, Kelly Hogan, and Jon Rauhouse, among others. He has been honored with 10 Jeff nominations, 3 Jeff Citations, 2 Chicago Music and Dance Alliance Nominations (Outstanding Achievement), and has twice received an After Dark Award (Outstanding Season).

Bob Lovecchio has been performing in Chicago with multiple jazz, Latin, and rock groups since arriving in 1998. He has performed with electric violinist Zack Brock, jazz vocalist Michele Thomas, and is featured on “Misconception” with The Ted Hogarth Collective on the Wide Sound label in Italy. As bassist in the rock band the Waystation, Bob toured the Midwest culminating at Chicago’s House of Blues opening for percussionist Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead. Bob is a member of the Chicago Bop Quartet funded by the International Music Foundation. The Quartet performs frequently in Chicago
public schools, educating young students about the history of jazz. Bob performs regularly with Latin Grammy Award nominee Angel Melendez and the 911 Mambo Orchestra.

David Pavkovic is a composer and drummer who has focused much of his music writing on dance and theater and has worked with many Chicago companies. Most recently, Pavkovic created the score for My

Name is a Blackbird for Molly Shanahan Mad Shak Dance. As a drummer, he has toured in Europe and North America with jazz and rock bands and his many recordings are widely-distributed. His daytime hours are spent as an IT consultant for Chicago-area businesses.

Tickets

Nelson Algren: For Keeps and a Single Day runs at the MCA June 4-29, 2008. The press opening is on Sunday, June 8, 2008, at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets to Nelson Algren, $25-$55 or $20-$50 for MCA Members, are available through the Lookingglass box office at (312) 337-0665 or lookingglasstheatre.org
or at the MCA box office at (312) 397-4010 or www.mcachicago.org. A limited number of $10 student tickets are available for preview and Tuesday regular run performances with a valid student ID (subject to availability). Lookingglass Theatre Company is located in the heart of the Magnificent Mile shopping district inside Chicago’s historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson.

The performance schedule is as follows: Previews are June 4, 5 and 7. The press performance is Sunday, June 8. The show runs Tuesday through Sundays June 8-29. Curtain is at 7:30 weekdays and 3:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. There are no performances on June 6, 9, 12, 16,
20, 23 or 24, 2008. There are no weekend matinees on June 7 or 8, 2008.

Target Saturday Matinees (buy one, get one free tickets are
available for all 3 p.m. Saturday matinees.) This program is made possible with the generous support of Target, working with Lookingglass to
make the arts accessible to all.

Convenient discounted parking for the MCA is available in the MCA parking garage. The garage is adjacent to the museum and may be entered from Chicago Avenue. Discounted parking is also available at nearby Olympia Centre Garage (161 E. Chicago Ave.).

About the MCA

One of the nation’s largest facilities devoted to the art of our time, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), Chicago, offers exhibitions of the most thought-provoking art created since 1945. The MCA documents contemporary visual culture through painting, sculpture, photography, video and film, and performance. Located in the heart of downtown Chicago, the MCA boasts a gift store, bookstore, restaurant, 300-seat theater, and a terraced sculpture garden with a great view of Lake Michigan. The mission of the MCA is to be an innovative and compelling center of contemporary art where the public can directly experience the work and ideas of living artists, and understand the historical, social, and cultural context of the art of our time. The Museum boldly interweaves exhibitions, performances, collections, and educational programs to excite, challenge, and illuminate our visitors and to provide insight into the creative process.

The MCA is a private nonprofit, tax-exempt organization accredited by the American Association of Museums. The MCA is located at 220 E. Chicago Avenue, one block east of Michigan Avenue. The museum and sculpture garden are open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm and Tuesday from 10 am to 8 pm. The museum is closed on Monday. Enjoy free admission every Tuesday generously sponsored by Target. Suggested general admission is $10 for adults and $6 for students and seniors. Children 12 years of age and under, MCA members, and members of the military are admitted free. Information about MCA exhibitions, programs, and special events is available on the MCA website at www.mcachicago.org
or by telephone at 312.397.4010.

About Lookingglass Theatre Company

Inventive. Collaborative. Transformative. Lookingglass Theatre Company was founded in 1988 by eight Northwestern University students. Now in its 20th anniversary season, Lookingglass is home to a multi-disciplined ensemble of artists who create story-centered theatrical work that is physical, aurally rich and visually metaphoric. Lookingglass has staged nearly 50 world premieres at 23 venues across Chicago, and garnered 39 Joseph Jefferson Awards and Citations. Its work has toured to New York, Los Angeles, Seattle,
Berkeley, Philadelphia, Princeton, Hartford and St. Louis, and work premiered at Lookingglass has been produced across the United States. The Lookingglass Theatre in Chicago’s landmark Water Tower Water Works opened in June 2003. In addition to developing and presenting ensemble work, Lookingglass Education and Community programs encourage youth creativity, teamwork and confidence by working with more than 15,000 students each year.

Lookingglass Theatre Company continues to expand its artistic, financial and institutional boundaries under the guidance of Artistic Director David Catlin, Executive Director Rachel Kraft, Producing Artistic Director Philip R. Smith, Artistic Director of New Work Heidi Stillman, a 22-member artistic ensemble, 15 artistic associates, 12 production affiliates and administrative staff. Board Chairman Lisa Green leads a dedicated board of directors. For more information, visit lookingglasstheatre.org.

FACTS

Title: Nelson Algren: For Keeps and a Single Day
Direction and Films by: John Musial
Original music composed by: David Pavkovic
Featuring: Thomas J. Cox with
a live, on-stage jazz combo featuring Kevin O’Donnell and Bob Lovecchio
Dates:
Previews:
June 4, 5 and 7, 2008
Press opening:
June 8, 2008, at 7:30 p.m.
Regular run:
June 10-June 29, 2008
Times
:
Tuesdays
:
June 10 and June 17 at 7:30 p.m.
Wednesdays:
7:30 p.m.
Thursdays:
7:30 p.m. (except June 12)
Fridays:
June 13 and June 27 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturdays:
3:00 p.m. (except on June 7) and 7:30 p.m.
Sundays:
3:00 p.m. (except on June 8) and 7:30 p.m.

Location: MCA Stage at the Museum of Contemporary
Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave.

Parking: Convenient discounted parking for the MCA is available in the MCA parking garage. The garage is adjacent to the museum and may be entered from Chicago Avenue. Discounted parking is also available at
nearby Olympia Centre Garage (161 E. Chicago Ave.).

Prices: $25-$55 ($20-$50 for MCA Members)

Box Office: Buy online at www.lookingglasstheatre.org , (312) 337-0665 or through the MCA box office, (312) 397-4010, www.mcachicago.org.

The Lookingglass box office is located at Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson

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