WRENS
A Revival of the 1996 Smash-Hit World Premiere Production
Written by Anne McGravie
Directed by RTE co-founder Karen Kessler
Featuring RTE Artistic Director Tara Mallen and Steppenwolf ensemble member Ora Jones with RTE member Eric Slater and Lorraine Freund
September 6 – October 20, 2012
Special Performance October 14 at 6 pm – MOTHER WRENS
Rivendell will host a special performance reuniting the original Jeff Award-winning 1996 cast of WRENS for a staged reading of the play. Tickets to this one-night-only event are $30 and include an exclusive reception at Vincent (1475 W. Balmoral, near Clark) with the artists following the performance. Enjoy a charcuterie and mussels station, passed appetizers, and complimetary “Bubbles & Flowers” coctail, glass of wine or beer. A cash bar will also be available. Space is extremely limited—reserve your tickets early!
Rivendell burst onto the off-Loop scene in 1996 with its groundbreaking world premiere production of Anne McGravie’s WRENS, which earned three Joseph Jefferson awards and secured Rivendell’s status as “a major force on the Chicago fringe” (Chicago Tribune). This season, RTE co-founder Karen Kessler returns to direct an all new cast featuring Ensemble members Mary Cross, Ashley Neal, and Rebecca Spence with Jodi Kingsley, Katrina Kuntz, Amanda Powell, and Meg Warner. McGravie’s moving semi-autobiographical examination of loyalty, morality and duty during World War II centers on a group of young Women’s Royal Navy Servicewomen packed together in a tiny barrack on the eve of VE Day. With humor and wisdom, McGravie shines a light on the complex emotions of these women as they are confronted with the bittersweet prospect of peace at last and the impending loss of their newfound wartime independence.