By Kenneth Jones
24 Oct 2007

The dramatic lives of Windy City theatre people are at the center of Eric Rosen's Wedding Play, getting its world premiere by About Face Theatre in Chicago, Oct. 24-Dec. 2.

"After two and a half years together, Chicago playwright Adam Mace leaves his partner Tom, an actor in his theatre company, to marry Thalia, his best friend, star of his plays — and expecting mother," according to About Face production notes. "Soon after the wedding, Thalia and the baby die under mysterious circumstances. When Tom is cast in Adam's new play, Wedding Play, he quickly learns that art is imitating life and the death of Adam's wife and child may have been no accident."

About Face artistic director Rosen directs his own work, which features Kareem Bandealy, Lesley Bevan, Sean Cooper, Joe Dempsey, Craig Spidle and Benjamin Sprunger.

Opening is Nov. 4 at Steppenwolf Garage Theatre, 1624 N. Halsted St., in Chicago. The run is part of Steppenwolf's Visiting Company Initiative.

"Wedding Play is, for the institution, our next signature work, commissioned and developed right here in Chicago," Rosen said in a previous statement. "But for me, it's obviously much more — as it is my most personal play, and a story about a Chicago theatre and what compels us to create here. Wedding Play is, in a way, about all the plays we've made, about the passion and madness of telling stories, and about the way tragedy can be overcome through art."

Designers are Meghan Raham (set), Josh Hovarth and Rick Sims (sound), Christopher Ash (lights) and Janice Pytel (costumes). The stage manager is Jonathan Templeton.

Rosen, co-founder and artistic director of About Face Theatre, recently developed the world premiere of the hip-hop musical Clay for About Face and Lookingglass.

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Now in its 12th season, About Face has developed and produced over 30 new productions for Chicago audiences, including 25 world premieres, by emerging and national-level theatre artists. For more information, visit www.aboutfacetheatre.com.

About Face Theatre "creates exceptional, innovative, and adventurous plays to advance the national dialogue on gender and sexual identity, and to challenge and entertain audiences in Chicago, across the country, and around the world." Working within and beyond the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities, About Face Theatre "is committed to innovation, artistic excellence and community transformation. About Face has three programming arms: its award-winning Mainstage Season, its innovative New Works Program, and its nationally recognized Education Programs, including the celebrated About Face Youth Theatre and Educational Outreach tour that collectively reach over 5,000 Illinois students and teachers each year."