Performances will run over ten evenings between Feb. 8, 2010 and June 20, 2010 at American Theater Company.

For the project, artistic director PJ Paparelli asked over 30 playwrights across the country to choose a year between 1985 and 2010 and write a short play that explores the company's mission: "What does it mean to be an American?"

Directed and performed by over 50 Chicago artists, the plays will be presented in five parts in the first six months of 2010, and as a complete cycle during the annual Theatre Communications Group Conference June 16-20, 2010 in Chicago.

"As a prologue for the evening, Paparelli will collaborate with internationally-acclaimed Cuban playwright Maria Irene Fornes on a world premiere piece exploring America over the last 25 years," according to the Nov. 4 announcement.

Usman Ally (Public Enemy and American Ethnic at Remy Bumppo thinkTank 2008/09)

Stephen Belber (Emmy-nominated writer of The Laramie Project and Tape)

Kristiana Rae Colon (Chicago Def Poet; writer of The Darkest Pit)

Kristoffer Diaz (The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity and Welcome to Arroyo's)

Zayd Dohrn (Sick, Magic Forest Farm, Long Way Go Down)

Laura Eason (Sex with Strangers, Around the World in 80 Days)

Maria Irene Fornes (Promenade, Mud, The Conduct of Life)

Yussef el Guindi (Back of the Throat, Our Enemies: Lively Scenes of Love and Combat)

Steve Harper (Lions and Donkeys)

Andrew Hinderaker (Suicide, Incorporated at Gift Theatre, June 2010)

David Henry Hwang (Tony Award-winning writer of M. Butterfly)

Naomi Iizuka (award winning writer of 36 Views; Language of Angels)

Laura Jacqmin (And When We Awoke There Was Light and Light, Ski Dubai)

Kyle Jarrow (Obie Award-winning writer of A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant)

Rolin Jones (The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow; Showtime's "Weeds" and "Friday Night Lights")

Joel Drake Johnson (A Blue Moon, The Fall to Earth)

Stephen Karam (Speech & Debate, columbinus)

Nambi E. Kelley (Hope VI, How Kintu Became a Man)

Greg Kotis (Tony Award-winning writer of Urinetown, Yeast Nation, Pig Farm)

Joe Kraemer (The American Occupation; literary manager/dramaturg of The Juilliard School's Drama Division)

Neil LaBute (Tony-nominated writer of reasons to be pretty; The Shape of Things)

Dan LeFranc (60 Miles to Silver Lake)

Craig Lucas (Pulitzer and Tony-nominated writer of Prelude to a Kiss, Light in the Piazza)

Laura Lynn MacDonald (Peer Gynt at Gorilla Rep)

Rohina Malik (Unveiled)

Itamar Moses (Bach at Leipzig, Celebrity Row, The Four of Us)

Carlos Murillo (Dark Play or Stories for Boys, Diagram of a Paper Airplane)

Justin D. M. Palmer (As Fat as You Can, War with the Newts)

PJ Paparelli (columbinus, Raven Odyssey)

Joshua Rollins (American Rex)

Tanya Saracho (Our Lady of the Underpass, The House on Mango Street)

Regina Taylor (award winning writer of Crowns, Magnolia)

Brian Tucker (St. James Infirmary, Bathing Van Gogh)

Beau Willimon (Farragut North)

Here's the performance schedule for The Silver Project, in five installments at American Theater Company, 1909 W. Byron St., in Chicago:

Part 1: Monday, Feb. 8, 2010, at 7:30 PM
Part 2: Monday, March 1, 2010, at 7:30 PM
Part 3: Monday, May 24, 2010, at 7:30 PM
Part 4: Tuesday, June 1 at 7:30 PM
Part 5: Monday, June 7, 2010, at 7:30 PM
The Full Cycle (1985-2010): June 16-20 at 6 PM each night.

Proceeds will benefit ATC's 25th Anniversary Campaign. For reservations or further information, call (773) 409-4125 or visit www.atcweb.org.

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ATC also announced the addition of three new ensemble members: Usman Ally, Patrick Andrews and Jaime Castañeda. They join fellow ensemble members Kareem Bandealy, Joseph Minoso and Sadieh Rifai. Ally most recently starred in Victory Gardens' critically-acclaimed production of Kris Diaz's The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity; Andrews played the Emcee in Drury Lane Oakbrook's hit revival of Cabaret; and Castañeda will direct the world premiere of Diaz's Welcome to Arroyo's this spring at ATC.