The K of D: An Urban Legend June 9, 2009

THE ROUTE 66 THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS

THE CHICAGO PREMIERE OF

THE K OF D: AN URBAN LEGEND

FROM JUNE 4 THROUGH JULY 12 AT A RED ORCHID THEATRE



Chicago – The Route 66 Theatre Company will present the Chicago premiere of Laura Schellhardt’s haunting drama THE K OF D: AN URBAN LEGEND. The show will preview June 4; open Tuesday, June 9 at 7 p.m.; and run through July 12 at A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells Street. Meredith McDonough will direct THE K OF D: AN URBAN LEGEND, the second production from Chicago’s newest Equity theatre company.



An entire small town in western Ohio is vividly brought to life in this riveting fable. After a reckless driver kills her twin brother, Charlotte McGraw becomes a supernatural wonder to others when it appears she has received an eerie power from his dying kiss. A poignant summertime ghost story, this quirky and touching play offers the unexpected perspective of a child on the big questions of life, death and redemption.



THE K OF D: AN URBAN LEGEND features a luminous script that won Schellhardt the ACT Theatre's 2006 New Play Award. The production was called “Dynamic…a tour de force…sheer storytelling pleasure,” by THE WASHINGTON POST. THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE praised the show as a “Cleverly convoluted coming-of-age ghost story.”



THE K OF D: AN URBAN LEGEND stars Jeff Award-nominee Gwendolyn Whiteside.

The production is directed by Meredith McDonough. The drama features an award-winning artistic team with Sound Design by Lindsay Jones, Lighting Design by Jesse Klug and Set Design by Steve Key. The show is Stage Managed by Jaclyn Holsey.



With their second production, The Route 66 Theatre Company also launches their educational outreach program headed by co-directors Ashley Bishop and Kelli Marino in conjunction with Roger C. Sullivan High School in Rogers Park. This program and production are made possible by a generous grant from the Bruce B. Boyd Foundation.



Laura Schellhardt’s (Playwright) plays have been produced in New York, Seattle, Chicago, Washington DC, Providence, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Orlando, San Francisco, Los Angeles, North Carolina, and Provincetown, Massachusetts. Original works include AIR GUITAR HIGH, AUCTIONING THE AINSLEYS, THE

APOTHECARY’S DAUGHTER, THE K OF D, COURTING VAMPIRES,





SHAPESHIFTER, INHERITANCE, and JE NE SAIS QUOI. Adaptations include THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH, THE MYSTERIES OF HARRIS BURDICK, THE OUTFIT, and CREOLE FOLKTALES. She is also the author of Screenwriting for Dummies. Laura is a recipient of the TCG National Playwriting Residency, the Jerome Fellowship, the New Play Award from ACT in Seattle, and a Dramatist Guild Fellowship. She has participated in the SoHo Rep. Writer/Director Lab, The Kennedy Center’s New Visions/New Voices Festival, The Bonderman Symposium, the Women Playwrights Festival at SRC, and the O’Neill National Playwright’s Festival. Laura holds received an MFA in playwriting from Brown University where she studied under Paula Vogel. She currently heads the playwriting program at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.



Gwendolyn Whiteside (the girl) is a founding artistic associate of Route 66 Theatre Company. REGIONAL CREDITS: Our Town (Emily), A Christmas Carol (Belle), Rabbit Hole (Izzy) at Indiana Repertory Theater, On the House--a solo show at

Lankershim Arts Center, Los Angeles. Chicago Credits: Metamorphoses (Lookingglass Theatre Company), Dream Boy (About Face Theatre), Augusta, St. Scarlet, Kid Simple (American Theater Company), Bus Stop (American Blues Theater), and work with Northlight Theatre, Chicago Dramatists, Chicago Humanities Festival, and Defiant Theater. She’s a proud ensemble member of Chicago’s American Blues Theater. FILM CREDITS: award-winning Big Canyon, Last Word. TELEVISION CREDITS: Cold Case, Six Feet Under, Dawson’s Creek, Jack & Jill, Cupid, and a recurring role on The Education of Max Bickford. She’s a graduate of Northwestern University and The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She’s received three Joseph Jefferson nominations and an After Dark Award.

MEREDITH MCDONOUGH (Director) recently became the Director of New Works at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, CA, where she will be directing the workshop of Laura Schellhardt’s Auctioning the Ainsleys in their upcoming New Works Festival. She is a proud Artistic Associate of The Route 66 Theatre Company, is the Associate Artistic Director of the Orchard Project in NY, and is an Artistic Associate for Delaware Theatre Company. Regionally, she has directed the premieres of Fair Use (Steppenwolf), Hazard County (Actors Express), The Secret Lives of Losers (Kansas City), as well as the regional premieres of Half of Plenty (Summer Play Festival), the musical of Summer of ’42 (Round House Theatre, DC) and Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice (Williamstown Theatre Festival). Her NY credits include the premieres of Adam Rapp's Members Only, Itamar Moses’ Authorial Intent (Drama League), Gary Winter’s The Impotent General, Betty Shamieh's Again and Against (New Georges), The Wikipedia Plays for Ars Nova, and numerous workshops with LAByrinth Theatre Company, the Public Theater, Keen Company and Primary Stages. During her 3 seasons as a Resident Director and teacher at Actors Theatre of Louisville, she directed the world premieres of Kuwait, A Bone Close to My Brain, Heaven and Hell, and Backstory in the Humana Festival. Other favorite credits include Angels in America, Full Circle, Balm in Gilead, Baltimore Waltz and A Bright Room Called Day. She has taught acting classes and workshops at ATL, USCD, Northwestern University and Washington University. She was also the National Assistant on Suzan-Lori Parks’ 365 Days / 365 Plays, and in addition to her work developing new plays, she also works with new musicals, and was the New Works Program Director for the National Alliance for Musical Theatre. She is a founding member of The Playwright Development Collective, an Affiliated Artist with New Georges, and was a Drama League Fellow. She holds an MFA in directing from UCSD and a BS in Performance Studies from Northwestern University.





LINDSAY JONES (Sound Design) Based in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York,

Lindsay Jones is a composer and sound designer for theatre, film and television. His music for film has been heard in film festivals around the world including Cannes, SXSW, Slamdance, Middle East International Film Festival (Dubai), Chicago Underground Film Festival and L.A. Latino Film Festival. His music for television has been featured on HBO, Bravo, The Sundance Channel, IFC, Telemundo, and will be
featured this summer on Independent Lens on PBS. Most recently, Lindsay
composed the score for the Oscar-winning short documentary A NOTE OF
TRIUMPH: THE GOLDEN AGE OF NORMAN CORWIN for HBO Films and the pilot FAMILY PRACTICE for Sony Pictures/Lifetime Television. Theatrically, he has composed and designed for world premieres of plays by Sam Shepard, David Mamet, A.R. Gurney, Terrence McNally, John Guare, Warren
Leight, Lynn Nottage, David Lindsay-Abaire, Steven Dietz, Craig Lucas,
Richard Dresser, Romulus Linney, Carey Perloff, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Bruce
Norris, Naomi Wallace and many others. Off-Broadway: DEDICATION OR THE STUFF OF DREAMS starring Nathan Lane and Marian Seldes, THE GOD OF HELL starring Tim Roth and Randy Quaid, SOMETHING YOU DID starring Joanna Gleason, THE SCARIEST, 21 POSITIONS, TREASON, IN THE CONTINUUM, LUMINESCENCE DATING, STRING OF PEARLS, BOY, O JERUSALEM, BEAUTIFUL THING and CLOSET LAND. Regional credits include: Center Stage, Hartford Stage, South Coast Repertory, Alliance, Arena Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse, Ford’s Theatre, Goodman, American Conservatory Theatre, Guthrie, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Kansas City Repertory, The Old Globe, Chicago Shakespeare, People’s Light And Theatre, Steppenwolf, Kirk Douglas Theatre, Yale Repertory, Utah Shakespearean Festival, Pasadena Playhouse, Geva, Repertory Theatre Of St. Louis, Court, Indiana Repertory, Meadow Brook, Milwaukee Repertory, American Players, Madison Repertory, Lookingglass, Human Race as well as many others. International credits include productions in Austria, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Scotland and The Royal Shakespeare Company of England. Lindsay has received four Joseph Jefferson Awards and thirteen nominations, 2 ASCAP Plus Awards, an Ovation Award, a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, and a Chicago Stage Talk Award, as well as nominations for Barrymore
Awards, LA Weekly Theatre Awards, Austin Critics Table Awards, Connecticut
Critics Circle Awards and NAACP Theatre Awards, and was the first (and, to

date, only) composer/sound designer to win the Michael Maggio Emerging
Designer Award. Lindsay has written two stage musicals with his wife,
playwright/screenwriter Jamie Pachino: THE COURT JESTER for Vanguard
Animation/3 Arts Entertainment, and HUBBIN’ IT: ON THE ROAD WITH BOB WILLS AND THE TEXAS PLAYBOYS for Roadworks Productions.



Jesse Klug (Lighting Design) recently designed THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE for the Marriott Theatre, where he designed NUNSENSE and has served as Associate Lighting Designer for the past five seasons. He has designed for Chicago Shakespeare as well as the Guggenheim museum in New York. Other Chicago credits include Steppenwolf, Drury Lane Theatre (where he recently designed their critically acclaimed productions of MISS SAIGON and SWEET CHARITY,) Victory Gardens, Court, Lookingglass, Noble Fool, Theatre at the Center, Boarshead, Porchlight Music Theatre, Cirque Shanghai, Chicago Tap Theatre, TimeLine, Teatro Vista, Chicago

Dramatist and Strawdog among others. Jesse has been honored by the Jeff Committee nine times with nominations for lighting and production.



He is the recipient of a Chicago After Dark Award and is the resident Lighting Designer for Chicago Tap Theatre and The Route 66 Theatre Company where he designed the inaugural production of ON AN AVERAGE DAY last year.



Steve Key (Scenic Design) recently co-scenic designed and starred in THE UNSEEN for A Red Orchid Theatre. He is an Artistic Associate with The Route 66 Theatre Company and an ensemble member of Shattered Globe Theatre (SGT) where he is a former Artistic Director. His performance credits with SGT include “All My Sons” and “Coyote On A Fence” both of which garnered Jeff Citations for principal actor as well as “Talk Radio” and “A View From The Bridge” for which he received Jeff Citations for supporting actor. Steve recently returned from Galway Ireland where he played Billy Marash in Larry Gelbart and Craig Wright’s new play “Better Late”, after having originated the role for it’s world premiere at Northlight Theatre this past spring. He’s now working on a new adaptation of “The Brother’s Karamazov” with Heidi Stillman at Lookingglass theatre and will work on the premiere of Jeffrey Sweet’s “Class Dismissed” at Victory Gardens Theatre in March. Steve particularly enjoys new works and has also worked with the playwright’s Rebecca Gillman, Moises Kaufman, Frank Galati and Noah Haidle. Other stage credits include an earlier collaboration with Northlight theatre and Craig Wright on a reworking of Craig’s play “Grace”; “Vigils”, “Zoo Story” and “Blue Surge” at the Goodman Theatre; “The Libertine” and “As I Lay Dying” at Steppenwolf Theatre; “Execution Of Justice,” at About Face Theatre; “One Arm” a Steppenwolf and About Face co-production; “Philadelphia Story” at Remy Bumppo and "Blue Surge" at The Public Theatre in New York. Steve’s film credits include “Public Enemies”, “1,000 Acres”, “Blackmail” and “Three Days”. Television Credits include “Law & Order - SVU”, “As The World Turns” and “Family Practice”. Steve is a member of Actor’s Equity, SAG and AFTRA.



Jaclyn Holsey (Stage Manager) Past credits include: Jon at Theater on the Lake (Collaboration), Living Green (Victory Gardens Theater), Jon (Collaboraction), St. Scarlett, It’s A Wonderful Life, Augusta, Half of Plenty (American Theater Company), A Dublin Bloom, Bailegangaire, Making History, Pentecost (Irish Repertory of Chicago) and Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner and The Sins of Sor Juana (Teatro Vista). She is a proud Artistic Associate of Route 66 Theater Company.



Ashley Bishop (Co-Director, Education and Outreach) holds a B.A. in Drama & Communications from the University of New Orleans and is completing her M.Ed. in Secondary Education at DePaul University (English). In Chicago, Ashley has worked in Education/Outreach as a teaching artist with the Mosaic Program at American Theater Company and is currently developing Education programming for Route 66 Theatre Company.

Kelli Marino (Co-Director, Education and Outreach) holds a M.A. in Theatre Studies specializing in Dramaturgy and Criticism from the University of Arizona and a B.A. in Theatre Education, emphasis Secondary Education from the University of Northern Colorado. In Chicago, Kelli has worked in Education/Outreach as the Mosaic Program Coordinator/Intern at American Theater Company and is currently working in marketing and dramaturgy for Remy Bumppo, and with Northlight Theatre's Youth Ensemble.







Stef Tovar (Artistic Director) is the Founder and Artistic Director of The Route 66 Theatre Company, where he starred along with Johnny Clark in the critically acclaimed and Jeff Award Recommended ON AN AVERAGE DAY by John Kolvenbach. Stef currently can be seen as Kenneth Tally in FIFTH OF JULY with the Oak Park Festival Theatre and has been back in Chicago since 2006. His recent credits include Knute Rockne in KNUTE ROCKNE: ALL AMERICAN at Theatre at the Center; Marty in the world premiere of Lisa Dilman's HALF OF PLENTY, George in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE: THE RADIO PLAY and Michael in I DO! I DO! alongside Heidi Kettering. Some of Stef's other Chicago credits include Dobbit in BELOW THE BELT (After Dark Award), Raff in A STONECARVER, Macheath in THE THREEPENNY OPERA, Michael Fitzsimmons in the world premiere of PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED the musical at Marriott Lincolnshire; Mike Depki in DO PATENT LEATHER SHOES...? at the Marriott and Candlelight; Studs Turkel's THE GOOD WAR at Northlight; Czolgosz in ASSASSINS, Valentin in KISS OF THE SPIDERWOMAN and Vinal in BLADE TO THE HEAT—all directed by Gary Griffin for Apple Tree, the latter of which earned Stef a Jeff Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Play. In Los Angeles in addition to critically acclaimed, sold out run of ON AN AVERAGE DAY, Stef's LA credits include Jamie in the LA premiere of THE LAST FIVE YEARS, George in SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE (Ovation nomination), Homer in FLOYD COLLINS, Kip in WONDER OF THE WORLD, Che in EVITA and Rudy in WRONG FOR EACH OTHER. On Television: JUDGING AMY, films such as EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH (directed by Mitch Rouse) THE GYMNAST (directed by Ned Farr) and numerous television commercials for products such as Nexium, Travelocity, Walgreens, Midwest Airlines & AT&T. He currently splits his time between Chicago and Los Angeles.





About The Route 66 Theatre Company

Founded in February of 2008, The Route 66 Theatre Company produces theatre that knowingly encounters risk and embraces the American spirit of exploration. Committed to their home base in Chicago where the historic Route 66 began and collaborating with their artists in Los Angeles, Route 66 connects cultural divides by giving life to the vibrant stories that link America together.



Previews for THE K OF D: AN URBAN LEGEND will be Thursday, June 4 at 8:00 p.m.; Friday, June 5 at 8:00 p.m.; Saturday, June 6 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, June 7 at 3 p.m. Preview tickets are $15.00. The press opening is Tuesday, June 9 at 7 p.m. (tickets are $30 and price includes post-show reception.) The regular schedule is Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m.; and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. Tickets range in price from $20.00-$25.00. For tickets or more information visit www.route66theatre.org or call (773) 308-6927

Official Website: http://www.route66theatre.org