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THE SMUGGLER
by Ronán Noone
"Deftly penned" - Chicago Tribune
"Tour de force" - NewCity Chicago
RECOMMENDED - Chicago Reader
Feb. 16th - Mar. 16th, 2024
Midwest Premiere of...
The Smuggler
by Ronán Noone
directed by Gus Menary
A One-Man Thriller in Rhyme
Event Info:
VENUE: Berger Park Coach House
6205 N Sheridan Rd, Chicago, IL 60660
RUN-TIME: 75 min.
PREVIEWS: Feb. 16th & 17th, 2024 at 7:30 pm
REGULAR RUN: Feb. 20th - Mar. 16th, 2024. Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays at 7:30 pm
4 ADDED PERFORMANCES: Mar. 9th at 3:00 pm, Mar. 13th at 7:30 pm, Mar. 14th at 7:30 pm, and Mar. 16th at 3:00 pm
TICKETS: $15 - 25
View Production Content Warnings
The Smuggler is a thriller in rhyme. It is 2023. Tim Finnegan is a clever and enterprising Irish immigrant tending bar on the island of Amity, an affluent summer enclave off the coast of Massachusetts. When his child falls ill and he loses his job, Finnegan is drawn into the dark world that exists only in the shadows of the wealthy island. One part “Breaking Bad,” one part Beowulf, The Smuggler is a modern tale of corruption, morality and giant rats that asks what it means to call yourself a "citizen.”
Directed by Jackalope's former Artistic Director, Gus Menary (Exit Strategy, Ideation, Life On Paper), this short-run production will mark the first show of the 2023/2024 season.
Due to the nature of the performance, seating is limited. Please schedule and book your ticket early.
The Cast
ANDREW BURDEN SWANSON as “TIM FINNEGAN”
Andrew Burden Swanson* (he/him) is a founding member of Jackalope, and most recently served as interim executive director. Past Jackalope acting credits include The Last Duck (Jeff Award nomination), Rich And Famous, Prowess, The Light Fantastic and he was recently seen on stage in Jackalope's 13th Annual Living Newspaper Festival. A graduate of The School at Steppenwolf his other Chicago acting credits include A Streetcar Named Desire (Writers’ Theatre), Port (Griffin Theatre) and Waiting for Lefty (American Blues). Jackalope writing credits include The Last Exodus of American Men, Moonshiner, Under Construction, The Casuals and Lunacy. He is also the founder of Edgewater Castle Football Club, a non-profit semi-pro soccer club.
The Team
PLAYWRIGHT – Ronán Noone
Ronán Noone (he/him) believes in playing with a myriad of elements to find the right way to tell a good story; a necessary story that tells us who we are, where we have been and where we are going. He believes in stories that resonate beyond the theatre’s door and that add ideas to the national conversation. He believes in the playwright as a thinker traveling in the direction of their fear. His play The Smuggler won the Best Playwright award at the 1st Irish Festival of New York in January of 2019. The Second Girl (Thirst) was the inaugural winner of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) Excellence in Playwriting Award (2015) and an Edgerton Award winner in 2014. Additional plays include The Atheist, Brendan, Scenes from an Adultery, The Lepers of Baile Baiste, The Blowin of Baile Gall, The Gigolo of Baile Breag (The Baile Trilogy), The Compass Rose, Little Black Dress and A Small Death.
DIRECTOR – Gus Menary*
Gus Menary (he/him) Most recently, Gus directed David Greig's adaptation of Stanislaw Lem's Solaris at Book-It Repertory Theatre in Seattle, where he served as Artistic Director. While there, he oversaw the pivot to audioplays during the COVID shutdown and produced world-premiere audio adaptations of authors such as Octavia E. Butler, N.K. Jemisin, and Oscar Wilde. As part of Book-It’s return to the stage, he produced world-premiere stage adaptations of Amy Tan’s The Bonesetter’s Daughter and Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, as well as many other modern adaptations. As director, he led the productions of Julian Glover’s Beowulf and Bilal Dardai's world-premiere adaptation of Jamyang Norbu's The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes. Previously, he served as the Artistic Director of Jackalope Theatre. Under his leadership, Jackalope produced world-premieres by Ike Holter (Prowess and The Light Fantastic), Lloyd Suh (Franklinland), Idris Goodwin (The Raid), and Calamity West (In the Canyon, Rolling), among many other national and regional premieres. Onstage, he directed Aaron Loeb's Ideation, Kenneth Lin's Life On Paper, Shawn Reddy's My Name is Mudd, Andrew Swanson's Lunacy! and Moonshiner, and Ike Holter's The Light Fantastic and Exit Strategy.
PRODUCTION TEAM
Amal Salem (she/her, stage manager); Ryan Emens* (he/him, scenic/props designer); Ben Stacy* (he/him, production manager); Claire Sangster* (she/her, lighting designer); Isaac J. Pineda (he/him, costume designer); Michael Huey (he/him, sound designer) and Sammi Grant
(she/her, dialect coach). Graphic Art by Jake Friend Design, Production Photography by Maisonet Photography.
*connotes Jackalope Theatre Company Member
This project is made possible by Season Sponsors Michael and Mona Heath, and is partially supported by a CityArts Project grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Learn more about supporting Jackalope.
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