WT produces not only premieres of new plays but also "vital second productions to plays still in process." According to the company, "Building upon his experience with the recent premiere of Hesperia at The Right Brain Project, Randall Colburn and Writers' have collaborated this past year on a series of intensive workshops and developmental readings to give Randall the time and resources to expand, deepen, and refine his storytelling."
The production features Rebecca Buller (Daisy), Erik Hellman (Trick), Nathan Hosner (Ian), Kelly O'Sullivan (Claudia) and Tyler Ross (Aaron).
The designers are Chelsea Warren (scenic), Heather Gilbert (lighting), Jacqueline Firkins (costumes), Mikhail Fiskel (sound) and Nick Heggestad (properties).
Here's how the play is characterized: "When Claudia left Ian and her old life in adult entertainment to return to her small-town roots, she found more than just a new start — she met her soon-to-be husband Trick, the local youth minister and a man of God. But when Ian shows up on her doorstep just weeks before her wedding, their past together comes roaring back to life, bringing doubt to Claudia's now moral and well-ordered existence. In this honest exploration, playwright Randall Colburn brings an original voice to the complicated topics of love, sexuality and religion."
Associate artistic director Stuart Carden directs. Opening night is Feb. 2. Performances continue to March 24. Carden said in a statement, "I find Randall's exploration of those twin lightning rods of the American experience — sex and religion — incredibly powerful and of the moment. While religion and sex are used today as polarizing issues by our politicians and as fodder for satire in most theatre and film, Randall writes about these complex issues with tremendous wisdom, sensuality, humor, and an unflinching honesty."
The cast of Hesperia is made up of young Chicago actors.
Colburn's work has been seen at Victory Gardens Theater, InFusion Theatre Company, Brain Surgeon Theater, The Mammals Theatre Company and Dream Theatre Company. His play, Verse Chorus Verse, received its Off-Broadway premiere with Barefoot Theatre Company after a run with Chicago's Tympanic Theatre Company. He is the recipient of an Individual Artist Grant from the Illinois Arts Council and is a former finalist for the 2011 O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, the Alliance's 2009 Kendeda Graduate Playwright Competition and the 2009 New York Summer Play Fest. This April, his dark comedy The Improv Play will open with InFusion Theatre Company as part of the Department of Cultural Affair's 2011-2012 season.
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