Theatre News Wire

Shattered Globe Theatre's 35th season launches next month with the Midwest Premiere of Lindsey Ferrentino's poignant comedy Ugly Lies the Bone, a darkly funny, heartfelt story of a military veteran using virtual reality to piece her life back together.

Ugly Lies The Bone presented by Shattered Globe Theatre

After three tours in Afghanistan, Jess has returned home to a changed world, and body. With biting dark humor and virtual reality therapy, Jess begins to rebuild her life one puzzle piece at a time, confronting scars both seen and unseen. In Ugly Lies the Bone, humor and heart ultimately combine for a powerful, funny story of how beauty endures beneath the surface.

Ugly Lies the Bone marks the welcome return of director Jonathan Berry to Chicago. An ensemble member of Steep and Griffin theaters and former artistic producer at Steppenwolf, Berry is home after three years as artistic director of Penobscot Theatre in Maine.

"I am so very excited to mark my return to Chicago with this production of Ugly Lies the Bone," said Berry. "This is a play that is made for Chicago and a talented ensemble like Shattered Globe, offering a compelling look at a wounded veteran's challenging return to a life she barely recognizes, told with compassion, humor and ultimately hope."


Whether writing about a female burn survivor or the first leading role for a person with Down syndrome, Variety called Linda Ferrentino "a brave playwright of dauntless conviction, whose unflinching portraits are hard to come by outside of journalism." Coinciding with SGT's introduction of her play Ugly Lies the Bone to Chicago this fall, Ferrentino also will be making her Broadway debut writing the book for The Queen of Versailles, Stephen Schwartz's new musical starring Kristin Chenoweth and F. Murray Abraham.

Shattered Globe's cast for Ugly Lies the Bone features Ensemble Member Christina Gorman as Jess, with Christopher Acevedo as Stevie, Cyd Blakewell as Kacie, Barbara Figgins as voice/Mom and Eddie Martinez as Kelvin.

The production team includes Lindsay Mummert (set designer), Kotryna Hilko (costume designer), Brandon Wardell (lighting designer), Erin Pleake (projections designer), Saskia Bakker (props designer), Christopher Kriz (original music and sound designer), SGT Ensemble member Tina Jach (stage manager) and SGT Ensemble Member Adam Schulmerich (production manager).