BITE: Pride FIlms and Plays Midsummer Adaptation

BITE: Pride FIlms and Plays Midsummer Adaptation 1 Pride Films and Plays will complete its fun summer in Mary’s Attic with the world premiere of BITE: A Pucking Queer Cabaret, PFP Artistic Associate Derek Van Barham’s immersive, pop-rock ode to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. As Puck and the other fairies at Mary's prepare for a celebration, their world is rocked by news of a break-up between their King and Queen. When four mortals wander up the stairs, they get caught in a web of drinking and deception, as they become pawns in a magical game of love, 400 years in the making. Mary’s Attic will be filled with music, dance, and fairies of all kinds, as BITE retells one of the Bard’s beloved love stories through a queer lens.

Pride Films and Plays will complete its fun summer in Mary’s Attic with the world premiere of BITE: A Pucking Queer Cabaret, PFP Artistic Associate Derek Van Barham’s immersive, pop-rock ode to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. As Puck and the other fairies at Mary’s prepare for a celebration, their world is rocked by news of a break-up between their King and Queen. When four mortals wander up the stairs, they get caught in a web of drinking and deception, as they become pawns in a magical game of love, 400 years in the making. Mary’s Attic will be filled with music, dance, and fairies of all kinds, as BITE retells one of the Bard’s beloved love stories through a queer lens.

The cast features (in alphabetical order): Caitlin Aase (Stupid Fcking Bird, Fusion Theatre Company), Jeff Bouthiette (Coraline the Musical, Black Button Eyes), Raymond K. Cleveland (Man of La Mancha, Theo Ubique), Nathan Cooper (Saturday Night Fever, Royal Caribbean International) , Jacob McKenzie Gilchrist (Rent, Metropolis Performing Arts), Kathleen Hoil (The American Revolution, Theatre Unspeakable/Lincoln Center), Will Kazda (Swimming in the Shallows, Piven Theatre Workshop), Jennifer Ledesma (American Idiot, Up And Coming Theatre), Carmen Molina (Design for Living, Pride Films & Plays), David Mor (Sons of the Prophet, Celebration Company at Station Theatre), Jordan Shomer (All-Girl Poe Project, The Mammals), Melanie Vitaterna (Secret Garden, Lake Forest Theatre), and Kevin Webb* (Design for Living, Pride Films & Plays).

BITE is adapted and directed by Derek Van Barham*. The production team includes Christopher Young (Assistant Director), Brad Caleb Lee (Scenic and Costume Design), G Max Maxin IV (Lighting and Projection Design), and Kallie Noelle Rolison * (Sound Design).

*indicates PFP company member

Bite: A Pucking Queer Cabaret previews Friday and Saturday July 8 and 9 at 7, and Sunday, June 10 at 5. The press opening is Monday July 11 at 7:00PM. Thereafter, the performances schedule is Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:00PM and Sunday at 5:00PM. Closing is August 14. Please note there is NO performance on Sunday August 7. There is an additional industry performances scheduled on Monday, August 1 at 7:00PM. Tickets are $25 for Monday and Thursday performances and $30 for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. There are discounts for students and seniors. And PFP also offers a Four Play Pass to see four shows for $80. Purchase tickets or passes at www.pridefilmsandplays.com or by calling 1 800 737 0984. Mary’s Attic is 5400 N Clark in Chicago.

Derek Van Barham is an Artistic Associate with Pride Films & Plays, and is the Artistic Director of The Ruckus. Directing: From These Fatal Loins (The Ruckus), Miracle! (Hell in a Handbag), Angry Fags (PFP/Steppenwolf Garage), TRASH (New American Folk Theatre), Kill Your Boyfriends (an original piece), and Songs from an Unmade Bed (Jeff nomination). Movement: Coraline the Musical and Goblin Market (Black Button Eyes), La Chingada (Inappropriate Theatre), Matawan (The Ruckus), and pieces for Salonathon. He was named one of Windy City Times’ 30 Under 30, honoring individuals from Chicago’s LGBTQIA communities. He currently improvises at The Annoyance with the team Baby Wine. MFA: CCPA/Roosevelt University.

About Pride Films and Plays

The mission of Pride Films and Plays is to change lives through the generation of diverse new work (or work that is new to Chicago) with LGBTQ+ characters or themes that is essential viewing for all audiences. We accomplish this mission through fully-staged productions, writing contests and staged readings, film screenings, and special events. We foster long term relationships with artists to create programming that is as diverse, unique, and complex as the community we represent. In 2015, Huffington Post called PFP “A powerful and empowering entity.”

PFP’s 2016 began with Ten Dollar House at Piccolo Theatre followed by the world premiere of David Valdes Greenwood’s Raggedy And at Rivendell. The Boys Upstairs at Mary’s Attic continues to July 2, will be followed by the world premiere of BITE: A Pucking Queer Cabaret. The year of main productions will conclude with the world premiere of Resolution, by Heather McNama and Nancy Nyman, winner of PFP’s 2015 LezPlay Contest, at Rivendell October 20 to November 20.

In addition, our script and screenplay development programs continue throughout the year at Center on Halsted, including this weekend’s Gay Play Weekend each spring, LezPlay (October 7-9) featuring plays and screenplays written by women with lesbian characters or themes, and Gay Film Weekend (November 11-13) featuring LGBTQ+ screenplays and screenings.

Other special events include a concert staging of A History of Summer by Adam Mathias and Jonathan Monro June 28 and 29 at Theater Wit, and LezFest on July 18 at Mary’s Attic.

Pride Films and Plays is supported by The MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at The Richard Driehaus Foundation, The Illinois Arts Council, City of Chicago’s City Arts Fund, the Elliott Fredland Charitable Trust, Proud to Run, and the AmazonSmile Foundation. PFP is a member of the Smart Growth Program of the Chicago Community Trust. Pride Films and Plays is a member of the LGBT Chamber of Commerce of Illinois and The League of Chicago Theaters.
For more information, visit www.pridefilmsandplays.com or call 1 800 737 0984.