Theatre News Wire

Profiles Theatre is bringing back its acclaimed Midwest Premiere of Jailbait by Deirdre O'Connor, directed by Artistic Director Joe Jahraus, for a limited engagement at its new space, The Second Stage. The production runs January 13 - February 27, 2011, at The Second Stage, 3408 N. Sheffield (the former Stage Left Theatre).

Jailbait opened at Profiles in September 2010 receiving rave critical reviews from Chicago's top critics and playing to sold out houses until ending its run after seven weeks to make way for Profiles' hit production of Kid Sister. Returning to their roles are Profiles' ensemble member Eric Burgher (Kid Sister, Body Awareness); Rae Gray (the upcoming Circle Mirror Transformation at Victory Gardens); and Shane Kenyon (The Tallest Man at Artistic Home). Profiles introduces Norma Serna (Kita Y Fernanda at Clockwise Theatre) as Emmy.

Through the course of one dizzying night at a club, Jailbait follows the parallel stories of two fifteen-year-old girls, desperate to grow up, and two thirty-something men who are looking to be twenty-one again. High-school sophomores Claire and Emmy make a game of posing as college students in order to meet older men. Brash bachelor Mark thinks a night out with attractive girls will be just what his friend Robert needs to recover from his recent breakup. When this unlikely foursome collides, they discover some surprising and dangerous compatibilities. Smart, funny, and disturbing, Jailbait asks the question: When do you really become an adult?

Jailbait was developed by Deirdre O'Connor in 2008 as part of the Cherry Lane Theatre's Mentor Project, with distinguished playwright Michael Weller serving as her mentor. In March 2009, it received its World Premiere as the inaugural production for its newest venue, the Cherry Pit Theatre. O'Connor is a graduate of Columbia University's MFA Playwriting program where she received the John Golden Playwriting Award.

"We opened The Second Stage last September to provide a viable, extremely affordable performance space for young, emerging, and established itinerant companies and to give us the opportunity to occasionally move a successful Profiles production," says Artistic Director Joe Jahraus. "I'm happy that more audiences will have the opportunity to discover Deirdre O'Connor's smart, funny and touching new play. We're looking at the possibility of bringing back other hit Profiles productions as well, such as Kid Sister. The Second Stage offers us the freedom to continue productions that we want to be seen by a wider audience while continuing to create new work."