Griffin Theatre Company, is proud to announce the midwest premiere of Girls & Boys, written by Dennis Kelly and directed by Robin Witt, July 11 - August 16 at Bramble Arts Loft, 5545 N Clark St. Previews for Girls & Boys are Friday, July 11, Saturday, July 12, Thursday, July 17 and Friday July 18 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, July 13 at 3 p.m. The press opening is Saturday, July 19 at 7:30 p.m. The regular performance schedule is Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. with Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. Girls & Boys has an approximate runtime of 90 minutes with no intermission. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 6 for $30- $43 and may be purchased at GriffinTheatre.com.
When a woman meets the man of her dreams, their whirlwind romance promises a future full of happiness and fulfillment. Their lives are painted with the vibrancy of passion, success and the joys of parenthood. Yet, as their ambitions escalate and subtle fractures begin to emerge, the veneer of their idyllic existence starts to crumble, leading to the unimaginable. A powerful and unflinching exploration of love and the dark truths that lie beneath, Girls & Boys is told with biting humor and raw emotion--a masterclass in storytelling that’s equal parts hilarious and harrowing.
Girls & Boys will be performed by Cynthia Marker as “Woman,” understudied by Andrea Uppling.
The Girls & Boys creative team includes Robin Witt (director); Sotirios Livaditis (scenic design); Brandon Wardell (lighting design); Jessical Wardell (costume design); Thomas Dixon (sound design); Paloma Locsin (properties design); Matthew Chase (production management); Grace Elizabeth Mealey (stage management); Adam Goldstein (dialect coach); Harrison Ornelas (technical director) and Joe Johnson (asst. scenic designer).
ABOUT DENNIS KELLY, playwright
DENNIS KELLY (Playwright) is a British screenwriter and playwright. Born in Barnet, North London, Kelly left school at age sixteen. While working at a Sainsbury's grocery store, Kelly became involved in local youth theatre. Kelly later pursued a degree in Drama and Theatre Arts at Goldsmiths College in South London. Kelly's first play, Debris, was well-received. After a string of other successful plays (Orphans, Love and Money) , Kelly co-wrote the BBC Three sitcom Pulling, which was nominated for a BAFTA TV Award in 2007. Kelly is also known for co-writing Matilda the Musical (Tony Award - Best Book of a Musical) and for his 2007 play DNA, which has been staged and taught in many secondary schools.
ABOUT ROBIN WITT, director
For Griffin Theatre, Robin Witt has directed For Services Rendered, London Wall (Jeff Award), Men Should Weep (Jeff Award), Flare Path (Jeff Nomination) and Stage Door (Jeff Nomination). She is also a member at Steep Theatre where she recently directed A SlowAir by David Harrower and A Case for the Existence of God by Samuel D. Hunter. Among the other productions she has helmed for Steep are Simon Stephens’s Light Falls, Harper Regan and Wastewater, Alistair McDowall’s Pomona and Brilliant Adventures, as well as Cordelia Lynn’s Lela & Co (Jeff Award) and Dennis Kelly’s Love and Money. Other theatres she has worked for include Steppenwolf, Goodman, Northlight, Writers Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre Company, Edinburgh Theatre Festival, Everyman Theatre (Baltimore), A Red Orchid and The Artistic Home. Her essay, “Interview theatre and the Dream Act: Activism through raising community voices” may be found in “DREAM Act Activists & Teacher Allies: Are You Listening?” (Teachers College Press). She is a professor of directing at UNC Charlotte and holds a BFA from New York University Tisch School of the Arts and an MFA from Northwestern University. As an actor, she last appeared on stage in A Red Orchid’s production of Bug by Tracy Letts in 2001. Robin is the daughter of the late actor Howard Witt.
ABOUT CYNTHIA MARKER, (Woman)
Cynthia Marker is a member of Steep Theatre where she has appeared in Light Falls, Mosquitoes, Linda, Birdland, Earthquakes in London and Moment. Marker most recently played the role of “Dean Healy” in First Floor Theater's premiere of One Party Consent. An alum of The School at Steppenwolf, she is ecstatic to return to Griffin and resume her work with the indomitable and incomparable Robin Witt.
ABOUT ANDREA UPPLING (Woman U/S)
Andrea Uppling is very excited to be working with Griffin Theatre Co. and these amazing creators. Recent credits include her work with Paramount Theatre in What the Constitution Means to Me (“Heidi” U/S) and A Streetcar Named Desire (“Eunice,” “Blanche” U/S) as well as The Winter's Tale (“Hermione”) and the Jeff Award-winning Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (‘Martha”) at Invictus Theatre Co.
ABOUT THE GRIFFIN THEATRE COMPANY
Established in 1988, the mission of the Griffin Theatre Company is to create extraordinary and meaningful theatrical experiences for both children and adults by building bridges of understanding between generations that instill in its audience an appreciation of the performing arts. Through artistic collaboration the Griffin Theatre Company produces literary adaptations, original work and classic plays that challenge and inspire, with wit, style and compassion for the audience.
The Griffin Theatre has provided a wide range of work including world and mid-west premieres of acclaimed scripts, critically lauded productions of Shakespeare and original adaptations of novels. Many of the Griffin’s 150 plus productions have appeared on Chicago area critics “Best of the Year” lists. The Griffin Theatre Company is the recipient of 140 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations for theater excellence in Chicago. The Griffin was honored with four 2018 Jeff awards for Ragtime including Best Ensemble, Best Musical, Best Director-Musical and Best Performer in a Supporting Role-Musical. Additionally, the company was the repeat winner of the 2016 Jeff Award for Best Production of a Play for London Wall having won the same award in 2015 for its production of Men Should Weep. In 2014, the Griffin was honored with a Special Jeff Award for artistic excellence and its dedication to provocative and transformational theatre for Chicago audiences as well as its touring theater that engages and enlightens youth throughout the United States.
The Griffin is a nationally recognized producer of youth touring theatre in the United States. The Griffin’s national audience exceeds 100,000 young people and adults each year. Tours have included such prestigious venues as Cleveland Playhouse Square, Tennessee Center for the Performing Arts in Nashville, and the Cerritos Center for the Arts in Cerritos, California. Touring productions include both youth focused plays, Frindle and The Stinky Cheese Man and the Griffin’s hit adult production of Letters Home—a production that pays tribute to the men and women in the US military, In to America, a play that traces America’s 400-year immigrant history and Ghosts of War. Most recently, the Griffin produced the world premiere production of Astronaut Group I, the story of the original Mercury 7 Astronauts. Overall, Griffin’s touring productions have been performed in 44 of the 50 United States.
Griffin Theatre Company, is proud to announce the midwest premiere of Girls & Boys, written by Dennis Kelly and directed by Robin Witt, July 11 - August 16 at Bramble Arts Loft, 5545 N Clark St. Previews for Girls & Boys are Friday, July 11, Saturday, July 12, Thursday, July 17 and Friday July 18 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, July 13 at 3 p.m. The press opening is Saturday, July 19 at 7:30 p.m. The regular performance schedule is Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. with Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. Girls & Boys has an approximate runtime of 90 minutes with no intermission. Tickets go on sale Thursday, June 5 for $30- $43 and may be purchased at GriffinTheatre.com.