Broken Nose Theatre, one of Chicago’s premier Pay-What-You-Can theatre companies, is pleased to continue its tenth season with the world premiere audio drama Primer, a deeply honest look at the prioritization of property over people, written by ensemble member Spenser Davis* and directed by Literary Manager Brittney Brown*. Primer will stream on-demand from November 15 – December 5, 2021 at brokennosetheatre.com, so audience members may listen at their leisure. Tickets are currently available at brokennosetheatre.com. Tickets for all Broken Nose Theatre performances are “Pay-What-You-Can,” allowing patrons to set their own price. Press early access will be available beginning Wednesday, November 10.
Set in the same location of Davis’s hit 2018 play Plainclothes, the cast consists entirely of Broken Nose Theatre company members: Kim Boler* (Stevie), JD Caudill* (Chaddie), E.M. Davis* (Rian), Catherine Dildilian* (Brooklyn), RjW Mays* (Mary), Watson Swift* (Jai), Aria Szalai-Raymond* (Kennedy), David Weiss* (Jerrod) and Brenda Scott Wlazlo* (Nora), with several reprising their characters from Plainclothes.
The all-ensemble cast of Broken Nose Theatre’s Primer includes company members (top, l to r) Kim Boler, JD Caudill, E.M. Davis, Catherine Dildilian (bottom, l to r), RjW Mays, Watson Swift, Aria Szalai-Raymond, David Weiss and Brenda Scott Wlazlo.
When looters smash in a Michigan Avenue store's front windows, this singular act of destruction affects a host of individuals, including the store's security team, its managers, employees at one of its Cosmetics kiosks and more. Featuring a sequence of scenes that view the incident from vastly different perspectives, Primer offers a panorama of a single act of looting in the heart of the Magnificent Mile. Set in Brady's, the same fictional store that served as backdrop to Davis's much-lauded play Plainclothes (for which he received the M. Elizabeth Osborn New Play Award), and featuring the return of some notable characters, Primer examines institutions' tendencies to prioritize property over people, as well as our country's eagerness to cover up its blemishes, rather than treating the sicknesses that live just beneath the surface.
Artistic Director E.M. Davis and Managing Director Rose Hamill comment, "As we were considering plays for our tenth anniversary season, we were looking for stories that paid tribute to our past while looking towards our future. Primer is the best blend of both: a brand-new piece that sparks complex conversations, is driven by sharp language, and features a stellar cast, made up entirely of our own company members! We are excited to welcome audiences back this November into the world of Brady's, the same department store that served as backdrop for our 2018 award-winning hit Plainclothes!"
The production team includes Tony Ingram* (sound design), Jacqui Jaurena (editor), Jen Poulin* (captioning) and David Weiss* (dramaturg).
*Denotes Broken Nose Theatre company members
About the Artists
Spenser Davis (Playwright) is an award-winning writer-director based in Chicago. He is the current Michael Maggio Directing Fellow at The Goodman, where he recently served as Associate Director for Bob Falls's production of The Sound Inside. He has received the 2020 Elizabeth George Commission from South Coast Rep, the 2019 M. Elizabeth Osborn New Play Award from the American Theatre Critics’ Association, was a finalist for the Harold & Mimi Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award, and is a three-time nominee for the Joseph Jefferson Best Director Award, winning once. This past season, he directed his virtual play The Spin in both Chicago (Interrobang Theatre Project) and Austin, Texas (Street Corner Arts). Other credits include A Red Orchid Theatre, First Floor Theater, Promethean Theatre, American Blues, The New Colony, Hell in a Handbag and Steppenwolf 1700; he’s a longtime ensemble member of Broken Nose Theatre, as well as a member of The Factory. His other plays include Plainclothes, Merge, Sick, Underdogz and A Million Tiny Pieces. He’s represented by William Morris Endeavor. All of the love to Elise.
Brittney Brown (Director is a Chicago-based actor and director. Some select Chicago acting credits include Theo Ubique's Hedwig and the Angry Inch & Sweeney Todd, Pride Films and Plays' All That He Was (Jeff Nomination – Best Performer in a Supporting Role), New American Folk Theatre’s Hot Pink or Ready to Blow & Scraps, Kokandy Production’s Bonnie and Clyde and Griffin Theatre’s Ragtime &Violet. Brittney has assistant directed productions of May the Road Rise Up (Factory Theater) and Wolves (Exit 63), was a featured director in Broken Nose Theatre’s Bechdel Fest 7: Momentum, and will direct Avalanche Theatre’s production of Artemis Books and the Well-Meaning Man. She is a Literary Manager for Broken Nose Theatre and the Casting Director for Factory Theater.
About Broken Nose Theatre
Broken Nose Theatre is a Pay-What-You-Can theatre company. Founded in 2012, BNT was the 2018 recipient of the Emerging Theater Award, presented by the League of Chicago Theatres and Broadway in Chicago. The company has produced and developed 30 full-length plays (including 12 Chicago or world premieres) and over 60 new short plays through our annual Bechdel Fest. We strive to spark conversation, cultivate empathy, and amplify underrepresented voices, and are committed to making new, exciting and relevant theatre that is economically accessible to all audiences. For more information, please visit brokennosetheatre.com.