Welcome to Profiles Theatre
Opened: November 14, 2007 - Closed: December 16, 2007
Profiles Theatre continues its 2007-2008 Season devoted to the works of acclaimed playwright and filmmaker Neil LaBute, with LaBute’s new collection of six short plays entitled, THINGS WE SAID TODAY. The production opens on November 14 and runs through December 16, 2007 at the Profiles Theatre, 4147 N. Broadway, Chicago.
Performances of THINGS WE SAID TODAY are Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 4:00 p.m. Due to sold out houses, Profiles has extended its production of SOME GIRL(S), which runs concurrently Thursdays through Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 7:00 p.m. through December 16, 2007.
THINGS WE SAID TODAY is a provocative collection of six short works by Neil LaBute, who brings to the stage his cutting humor and compelling take on the shadowy terrain of the human heart. In the first piece, “Stand-Up”, an amateur comic struggles with his new routine. “Land of the Dead” follows a regular couple’s extreme responses to sudden changes in their lives. “Love at Twenty” studies the reverberations set off by a college student's affair with her married professor, while “Persuasion Paper 101” features a young girl presenting her homework assignment on the problem with guys. “I Love This Game” is a solo piece about a father’s lost perspective on his son’s Little League game. And the titular piece, “THINGS WE SAID TODAY” follows a married couple’s reckoning in a chic restaurant.The titular piece of THINGS WE SAID TODAY received its World Premiere at the Ensemble Studio Theater’s annual marathon of short plays in June 2007. The New York Times raved, “LaBute knows how to get and audience in the gut and he delivers a simmering pot of marital conflict!” The solo piece, “Persusion Paper 101” is receiving its World Premiere with this Profiles production. “Stand-Up” premiered in January 2005 and “Love at Twenty” was produced in December 2005, both for MCC benefits in New York. “Land of the Dead” was first produced in September 2002 as part of the Brave New World Festival in New York. “I Love This Game” was presented in June 2007 as part of Mile Square Theatre’s “The 7th Inning Stretch” in New Jersey.
Profiles Theatre continues its collaboration with Neil LaBute following the hit Midwest Premieres of SOME GIRL(S), FAT PIG and AUTOBAHN. SOME GIRL(S), which has received excellent reviews and was Jeff Recommended, has been extended through December 16, 2007. Both AUTOBAHN and FAT PIG received unanimous critical acclaim and were also extended multiple times."THINGS WE SAID TODAY is an evening of shorter works that I'm very happy to see collected and performed together for the first time. The series of pieces alternate between monologues and scenes and touch on a number of interesting subjects-everything from Little League baseball to serial killers. Due to the nature of "playlets," each of these pieces has had a relatively limited life on stage thus far; it is a real pleasure to have these texts presented to a Chicago audience."
"We're ecstatic to be presenting these short plays for the first time to Chicago audiences. As we move further into our "Season of LaBute" this evening of shorts (including the titular piece "Things We Said Today") affords us an opportunity to tell a number of Neil's stories in one evening. Many of the themes that connect Neil's works are present here along with the unpredictable--that fragile intersect between actions and consequences."
The Playwright
Neil LaBute is an acclaimed writer, director and playwright. He received his Master of Fine Arts degree in dramatic writing from New York University and was the recipient of a literary fellowship to study at the Royal Court Theatre. His films include: "In the Company of Men" (New York Critics' Circle Award for Best First Feature, Filmmakers' Trophy at the Sundance Film Festival), "Your Friends and Neighbors", "Nurse Betty", "Possession", and "The Shape of Things", a film adaptation of his play by the same title. His latest film "Wicker Man", starring Nicolas Cage, was released in September 2006. Plays include: "bash: latter-day plays" (2000); "The Shape of Things" (2001); "The Distance From Here" (2002); "The Mercy Seat" (2002) and "Fat Pig" (2004) which opened at Profiles Theatre in September 2006. His 2005 plays include "Wrecks", "This is How it Goes" and "autobahn" (produced by Profiles in March 2006). In June of 2007, MCC premiered his latest play, "In a Dark, Dark House". LaBute is the author of several fictional pieces that have been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Harper's Bazaar, and Playboy among others. A collection of his short stories was published by Grove/Atlantic in October 2004.
Neil LaBute said this about the collection, “THINGS WE SAID TODAY is an evening of shorter works that I’m very happy to see collected and performed together for the first time. The series of pieces alternate between monologues and scenes and touch on a number of interesting subjects—everything from Little League baseball to serial killers. Due to the nature of “playlets,” each of these pieces has had a relatively limited life on stage thus far; it is a real pleasure to have these texts presented to a Chicago audience.”
The Production Team
Directors of THINGS WE SAID TODAY include: Profiles' Associate Artistic Director Darrell W. Cox (director of Profiles' highly praised Midwest premiere production of AUTOBAHN), Carla Russell (director of Profiles' hit productions of THE GLORY OF LIVING and NOISE), Benjamin Thiem (assistant director for Profiles' long-running hits, SOME GIRL(S) and FAT PIG), Sarah Franklin (director of Profiles' Midwest Premiere of SNAKEBIT), Hans Fleischmann (Producing Director of Mary-Arrchie Theatre where he directed their acclaimed production of BURIED CHILD) and Ian Streicher (director of Profiles' early hit production of TRUE WEST and resident director of Emerging Artists Theatre in New York).
The designers are Ron Seeley (lights), Lee Kristine Martin (costumes) and company member Eric Burgher (sound). The assistant directors are Sarra Kaufman and company member Julie Zarlenga.
The Cast
The ensemble cast features Artistic Director Joe Jahraus, most recently seen in Profiles' Midwest Premiere of AUTOBAHN by Neil LaBute. Other recent appearances at Profiles include Carl in THE GLORY OF LIVING, Berman in REPARATION and Matt in NOISE. Joe received a 1999 Jeff Citation Nomination for Ensemble for his performance as Wells in STRAY DOGS. Profiles’ company member Eric Burgher is also featured. He most recently appeared as Carter in Profiles’ Midwest Premiere of FAT PIG by Neil Labute. Prior to that, he received an After Dark Award for Outstanding Ensemble for his performance in BENCH SEAT as part of Profiles’ Midwest Premiere of AUTOBAHN. Also featured are Megan E. Brown, Lisa Cordileone, Michelle Courvais, Todd Lahrman, Maggie Liston and Greg Wenz.
"Critics' Pick! At Profiles Theatre, the confessional style of THINGS WE SAID TODAY lends itself beautifully to LaBute's dramatic incision. These disturbing and compelling plays powerfully presage the existential pain and fear in all LaBute's work and show how life can change in a snap. The performances are gripping, pitch-perfect and get you right in the gut!"
"The hunger for recognition and suitable consequences erupts unforgettably in THINGS WE SAID TODAY. LaBute's collection is a series of emotional curve balls. Maggie Liston is a delicious, sparkling discovery and in the uniquely shocking final work, Michelle Courvais is staggeringly good!"
"Profiles Theatre is having a great run with Neil LaBute! The entertaining, intimate pieces in THINGS WE SAID TODAY are unsettling with an undercurrent of menace. There's a cumulative connection to the evening of short works and it had the audience gasping!"
"This evening of Neil LuBute one-acts contains a lot of variety, surprises and humor. Neil LaBute is a master story teller whose language is tense and stirring!"
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