Chicago—Cloudgate Theatre announces its sophomore production, the world premiere of Strange Heart Beating, a mystery about a small town that’s thrown into turmoil when a young girl goes missing. Addie Gorlin (previously NNPN Producer-in-Residence, Mixed Blood Theatre) will helm the production, written by Cloudgate Artistic Director Kristin Idaszak. The full cast and creative team will be announced in early 2019.
About Strange Heart Beating:
Teeny and Lena are best friends. They grew up together in a rural midwestern town, dreaming of leaving for the big city. But now they’re adults, and Teeny is the town sheriff and Lena is a newly-single mother. When the body of Lena’s daughter is found near the lake outside of town, their friendship is stretched to the breaking point. As Teeny investigates, more questions emerge: what’s happening at the turkey processing plant in the next town over? Are there really girls turning into birds? And what does the lake, the only witness to a series of uncanny events, have to say about it all? Part Garrison Keillor, part Shirley Jackson, Strange Heart Beating is a darkly fantastical look at the rural Midwest, the murky nature of justice, and the prejudices about race and sexuality that lie just beneath the surface.
Strange Heart Beating will preview July 9-12 and run from July 13-28 at The Frontier at 1106 W Thorndale Ave in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. Press opening will be on Saturday, July 13. Cloudgate will continue its Open Door policy, a radical hospitality initiative that provides free tickets at the door for every performance.
Cloudgate Theatre tells fiercely theatrical stories from a queer feminist gaze. The company’s inaugural production, Another Jungle, was lauded for its “exciting, suspenseful, theatrical storytelling [used] to unpack the difficult questions of 2018” (PerformInk).
Additionally, Cloudgate Theatre is delighted to announce the expansion of its staff and artistic community. Lila Gilbert has joined the company’s staff as General Manager. Cloudgate also welcomes six Artistic Associates: Tara Branham (Casting Director), Dominic DiGiovanni, Sarah D. Espinoza, Gregory Geffrard, Tanuja Jagernauth, and Anna Wooden.
Idaszak says, “These talented and courageous artists artists represent the vibrancy of the Chicago theatre community. They embody our company’s mission and values in the work they do onstage and off. We know they will help us grow and deepen our commitment to creating humanistic, complex, highly theatrical work that empowers our collaborators and galvanizes our audiences. We are thrilled to welcome them to Cloudgate Theatre.”