Victory Gardens continues its 2010-2011 season with The Boys Room
Victory Gardens continues its 2010/11 Season with the world premiere of The Boys Room by Ensemble Playwright Joel Drake Johnson, directed by Associate Artistic Director Sandy Shinner. The Boys Room marks Shinner and Johnson's sixth collaboration-A Guide For The Perplexed, Four Places, The End of the Tour, Before My Eyes, all at Victory Gardens, and Tranquillity Woods for Steppenwolf's First Look series. The production runs January 21 - February 20, 2011 at the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue in Lincoln Park.
When the going gets tough, just move in with mom! Middle-aged brothers Ron and Tim are running. One is running away from his marriage, and the other is simply tired of running after the American dream. They return to the empty nest and set up a sanctuary in their boyhood bedroom. On the other side of the door, the women in their lives urge them to grow up.
"Joel heard the very first draft of The Boys Room in a reading at VG in the fall of 2008. This early support helped him explore explosive relationships in this new play. In the First Look reading at Steppenwolf, the post play discussion was electric as the audience talked about the humor and immediate relevance of this play about lost jobs, dashed dreams, and the power of a parent's love," says Sandy Shinner. "The cast is stellar. Joel wrote the play for Mary Ann Thebus and she is joined by rising star Allison Torem and Chicago favorites Steve Key and Joe Dempsey."
Victory Gardens world premiere of The Boys Room features Joe Dempsey (Court's The Illusion and Art at Steppenwolf), Steve Key (national tour of August: Osage County), Allison Torem (Trust at Lookingglass, Kid Sister at Profiles) and Mary Ann Thebus (The Piano Teacher at Next, at Victory Gardens and Richard III at Chicago Shakespeare).
The designers are Jeff Bauer (set), Todd Hensley (lights), Carol Blanchard (costumes), and Andre Pluess (sound). The stage manager is Tina Jach.