The House Theatre of Chicago is proud to announce the company’s second main stage production of its 18th season. The world premiere of Brett Neveu’s Verböten with music and lyrics by Jason Narducy runs January 16 – March 8, 2020 at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St. Verböten, a new musical inspired by Narducy’s 1980’s Evanston-based teenage punk rock band is directed by The House Theatre of Chicago’s Artistic Director Nathan Allen.
Previews are Thursdays, Jan. 16 and 23 at 8 p.m., Friday, Jan. 24 at 8 p.m., Saturdays, Jan. 18 and 25 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. The press opening is Saturday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. The performance schedule runs Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. (no February 13, 2020 performance). Preview tickets are $20 – $30 with regular run tickets $30 – $50. Student and industry same-day discounted tickets are available at $20 for all dates, based on availability. Single tickets are now on sale and may be purchased by calling 773.769.3832 or by visiting www.thehousetheatre.com. Tickets for groups of 10 or more are on sale now.
Please note: The House Theatre of Chicago’s accessible performance schedule for Verböten is as follows: Saturday, Feb. 15 at 3 p.m. (Relaxed/Sensory-Friendly), Friday, Feb. 21 at 8 p.m. (Open Captioned), and Friday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. (Touch Tour at 7 p.m./Audio Described Performance at 8 p.m.)
It’s 1983 in Chicago and it’s do-or-die for Verböten—a band that is made up of outsider teens with seriously complex home lives. As they gear up for a show at The Cubby Bear that is sure to change their lives forever, can they keep their parents from destroying the fabric of their self-made punk rock family? With lyrics and music by Verböten’s original guitarist, Jason Narducy (Split Single, Superchunk, Bob Mould), Verböten is inspired by the true story of Chicago's own young punks.
“We started a punk rock band in Evanston in 1982. I was 11 years old and it felt incredible to write original songs and play them with my friends. We all had our own issues at home but we found love and support in our little group. We were Verböten. Brett Neveu wrote this play (not strictly) depicting our scene in Evanston in 1983 and I think he captured the spirit of the band and both the humor and confusion that we possessed. I’m thrilled to be a part of this production. The cast and crew are incredible. I can’t thank The House Theatre of Chicago and Brett enough for taking our story to the stage 37 years after we made punk rock songs in an Evanston basement,” said musician Narducy about his collaboration with playwright Neveu and The House Theatre of Chicago.
The cast for the Verböten features Kieren McCabe (Jason); Krystal Ortiz (Tracey); Matthew Lunt (Chris); Jeff Kurysz (Zack); Jimmy Chung (Jason’s Stepdad); Ray Rehberg (Jason’s Dad); Paul Fagen* (Tracy’s Dad); Jenni M. Hadley (Tracy’s Mom); Marika Mashburn+* (Chris’s Sister); Marc A. Rogers (Zack’s Dad); Cari Meixner (u/s Tracey and Chris’s Sister); Derek Fawcett (u/s Tracey’s Dad and Zack’s Dad); Steven Romero Schaeffer (u/s Jason, Chris and Zack); Nick Villalon (u/s Jason’s Dad and Jason’s Stepdad) and A. Nikki Greenlee (u/s Tracey’s Mom).
The design team includes Lee Keenan+ (Set and Lights), Izumi Inaba+ (Costumes), Matthew Muñiz+ (Arrangements/Music Direction), Marika Mashburn+* (Casting), Grover Hollway (Sound), Kasey Foster (Choreography), Eleanor Kahn (Props), Amalie Vega* (Stage management).
*Member of Actor’s Equity Association
+Company Member of The House Theatre of Chicago
The Foundation Production Sponsor for Verböten is The Poetry Foundation. The Individual Production Sponsor is Tim Sherck. Verböten participates in Theatre Thursdays program on January 30 at 8:00 p.m. A pre-show chat with the creators precedes the show with catering provided by Whole Food Lakeview.
The Theatre Thursdays initiative, first launched in 2005, strengthens and diversifies the Chicago theatre community by encouraging Chicagoans to explore new venues and companies. Each year, the League of Chicago Theatres program focuses on new work with twelve Theatre Thursday events, one per month. Each monthly event provides audiences with a world premiere production and an inside look at the creative process behind new works, including a reception and exclusive access to artists. Find more information at https://chicagoplays.com/theatre-thursdays/.
Verböten also participates in Chicago Theatre Week offering a limited number of discounted tickets for performances February 14 -23.
Chicago Theatre Week is an annual celebration of the rich tradition of theatre-going in Chicago during which visitors and residents can access value-priced tickets. As a program of the League of Chicago Theatres, in partnership with Choose Chicago, CTW is heading into its eighth year and will take place February 13-23, 2020. More than 100 theatre productions are expected to participate in neighborhoods throughout the city and suburbs. Find more information at ChicagoTheatreWeek.com.
ABOUT BRETT NEVEU, Book
Brett Neveu is a writer for film, television, and the stage. His play, Odradek, premiered at The House in 2011. Recent theatre productions include Traitor with A Red Orchid Theatre (Chicago), To Catch a Fish with Timeline Theatre (Chicago) and Her America with The Greenhouse Theatre (Chicago). Past work includes productions with 59e59 Theatre in New York; The Royal Court Theatre and The Royal Shakespeare Company in London; The Goodman Theatre, Writers Theatre, The House, The Inconvenience, TimeLine Theatre Company, A Red Orchid Theatre and American Theatre Company in Chicago. He is a resident-alum of Chicago Dramatists, a proud ensemble member of A Red Orchid Theatre, a founding member of the playwright collective MC-10, an alumni member of TimeLine Theatre Company’s Writers Collective and Center Theatre Group’s Playwrights’ Workshop in Los Angeles. Brett has been commissioned by The Royal Court Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, The Goodman Theatre, The House, TimeLine Theatre Company, Writers Theatre, Strawdog Theatre, Northlight Theatre and has several of his plays published through Broadway Play Publishing, Dramatic Publishing and Nick Hern Publishing. Brett has taught writing at DePaul University, Second City Training Center and currently teaches writing for the screen and stage at Northwestern University.
ABOUT JASON NADUCY, Music and Lyrics
Jason Narducy is an Evanston-based musician. In 1982, at 11 years-old, he formed the seminal punk rock band Verböten with his childhood friends in an Evanston basement. Narducy would later go on to front Verbow, releasing three albums with the band (one in its earliest incarnation as Jason & Alison). Since his days in Verbow, Narducy has gone on to tour with such acts as Liz Phair, Robert Pollard and Telekinesis. Today, he plays bass in the both the Bob Mould Band and Superchunk, and fronts Split Single, with whom he’s recorded two albums with a rotating cast of stellar musicians, including Jon Wurster, Spoon’s Britt Daniel and Wilco’s John Stirratt.
About NATHAN ALLEN, Director
Nathan founded The House Theatre of Chicago with friends in the year 2001 and continues to lead the company as Artistic Director. He has helmed over 20 productions with the ensemble where he has developed a reputation as one of Chicago’s most innovative theatre artists. Nathan’s work as a storyteller is marked by a theatrically playful style that excites the imagination and by common themes of family, death, leadership, and forgiveness.
Writing and directing credits include Death & Harry Houdini, The Last Defender, The Sparrow, Rose and the Rime, and The Hammer Trinity. He directed The Magnificents by Dennis Watkins, with whom he also created the weekly magic show, The Magic Parlour. Nathan’s work has received numerous acknowledgments from the Joseph Jefferson Awards. He is an Eagle Scout, a Hunt Leadership Scholar, and a Board Member of The League of Chicago Theatres. He has been named an Associate Artist at The Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami, and received the Emerging Leader Award from his alma mater, Southern Methodist University where he serves on the Executive Board of the Meadows School of the Arts.
About The House Theatre of Chicago
The House Theatre of Chicago is Chicago's premier home for intimate, original works of epic story and stagecraft. Founded and led by Artistic Director Nathan Allen and driven by an interdisciplinary ensemble of Chicago’s next generation of great storytellers, The House aims to become a laboratory and platform for the evolution of the American theatre as an inclusive and popular artform.
The House was founded in 2001 by a group of friends to explore connections between Community and Storytelling through a unique theatrical experience. Since becoming eligible in 2004, The House has won 24 Joseph Jefferson Awards, became the first recipient of Broadway in Chicago’s Emerging Theater Award in 2007, and was awarded a 2014 National Theatre Company Grant by the American Theatre Wing, founder of the Tony Awards. The 18th season of original work began this November and The House continues its mission to unite Chicago in the spirit of community through amazing feats of Storytelling.
The House Theatre of Chicago presents the world premiere of Brett Neveu’s Verböten with music and lyrics by Jason Narducy runs January 16 – March 8, 2020 at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St. Verböten, a new musical inspired by Narducy’s 1980’s Evanston-based teenage punk rock band is directed by The House Theatre of Chicago’s Artistic Director Nathan Allen. Previews are Thursdays, Jan. 16 and 23 at 8 p.m., Fridays, Jan. 24, Saturdays, Jan. 18 and 25 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. The press opening is Saturday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. The performance schedule runs Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. (no February 13, 2020 performance). Preview tickets are $20 – $30 with regular run tickets $30 – $50. Student and industry same-day discounted tickets are available at $20 for all dates, based on availability. Single tickets are now on sale and may be purchased by calling 773.769.3832 or by visiting www.thehousetheatre.com. Tickets for groups of 10 or more are on sale now. Please note: The House Theatre of Chicago’s accessible performance schedule for Verböten is as follows: Saturday, Feb. 15 at 3 p.m. (Relaxed/Sensory-Friendly), Friday, Feb. 21 at 8 p.m. (Open Captioned), and Friday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. (Touch Tour at 7 p.m./Audio Described Performance at 8 p.m.).