World Premiere! ASSASSINATION THEATER: Chicago’s Role in the Crime of the Century Aug 11 – Nov 7, 2015 at Museum of Broadcast Communications

World Premiere! ASSASSINATION THEATER: Chicago’s Role in the Crime of the Century Aug 11 – Nov 7, 2015 at Museum of Broadcast Communications 1 Even after 50 years, Americans still question who shot JFK and why. Investigative reporter and author Hillel Levin reveals the most persuasive proof to date – and sheds light on the Windy City’s pivotal connection – in the world premiere of ASSASSINATION THEATER: Chicago’s Role in the Crime of The Century, directed by Kevin Christopher Fox.  Levin’s theatrical investigation into nation’s most infamous crime plays August 11 – November 7, 2015 at the Museum of Broadcast Communications, 360 N. State St. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at assassinationtheater.com or by calling (800) 838-3006. The press opening is Tuesday, August 18 at 8 pm.
ATCast-2

(left to right) Martin Yurek, Ryan Kitley, Mark Ulrich and Michael Joseph Mitchell in a publicity image for the world premiere of ASSASSINATION THEATER: Chicago’s Role in the Crime of the Century, a theatrical investigation by Hillel Levin, directed by Kevin Christopher Fox. Photo by Michael Brosilow.

Even after 50 years, Americans still question who shot JFK and why. Investigative reporter and author Hillel Levin reveals the most persuasive proof to date – and sheds light on the Windy City’s pivotal connection – in the world premiere of ASSASSINATION THEATER: Chicago’s Role in the Crime of The Century, directed by Kevin Christopher Fox.  Levin’s theatrical investigation into nation’s most infamous crime plays August 11 – November 7, 2015 at the Museum of Broadcast Communications, 360 N. State St. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at assassinationtheater.com or by calling (800) 838-3006The press opening is Tuesday, August 18 at 8 pm.

ASSASSINATION THEATER will feature Michael Joseph Mitchell as Hillel Levin and Mark Ulrich as Zack Shelton with Ryan Kitley and Martin Yurek.

A talented ensemble of actors and a panoply of projections take the audience back in time with original documentation based on secrets revealed by retired FBI agents and evidence that the mob – in particular the Chicago mob – killed President John F. Kennedy. ASSASSINATION THEATER will show their motivation and even name the shooters, including the self-confessed gunman who fired the fatal shot (and still survives in an Illinois prison). Whether the audience goes in familiar with the details or not – they will emerge with a dramatically different view of an event that has been seared into the nation’s consciousness.

“The origins of this show go back to 2007, when I wrote a story for Playboy magazine about the burglars who broke into the home of Tony Accardo, Chicago’s long-time mob leader,” explains Levin. “After the article was published, I was approached by Zack Shelton, one of the FBI agents featured in the story, who asked, ‘Why don’t you do the real story about the mob?’ When I asked what that was, he replied, ‘How they killed JFK.”  And so began a seven-year odyssey in which Levin did the extensive research necessary to confirm what Shelton and other agents revealed. “For me,” Levin says, “the assassination was a kind of theater, staged to put the blame on only one actor in what was, in fact, a much larger production.”

The production team includes: Anthony Churchill (scenic and projections design), Victoria Carot (costume design) and Matt Kooi (lighting design), Christopher Kriz (original music and sound design), Richard Lundy (stage manager), Lucy Schuh (assistant stage manager) and Pat Fries (production manager).

PRODUCTION DETAILS

Title: ASSASSINATION THEATER: Chicago’s Role in the Crime of the Century

A theatrical investigation by: Hillel Levin

Directed by: Kevin Christopher Fox

Cast: Michael Joseph Mitchell (Hillel Levin) and Mark Ulrich (Zack Shelton) with Ryan Kitley (Hoover, LBJ, RFK, Ruby) and Martin Yurek (Bugliosi, Files, Specter, Warren).

Previews: Tuesday, August 11 at 7:30 pm, Wednesday, August 12 at 7:30 pm, Thursday, August 13 at 7:30 pm, Friday, August 14 at 8 pm and Saturday, August 15 at 5 pm & 8:30 pm

Press Performance: Tuesday, August 18 at 8 pm
Regular Run: Wednesday, August 19 – November 7, 2015

Curtain Times: Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 pm; Fridays at 8 pm; Saturdays at 5 pm & 8:30 pm and Sundays at 3 pm & 7:30 pm. Please note: there will not be a performance on Saturday, August 22.

Ticket Prices: Previews: $25. Regular Run: $49. Student/seniors: $39. Tickets are currently available at assassinationtheater.com or by calling (800) 838-3006.

About the Playwright:

Hillel Levin is an investigative reporter and author who has written extensively about organized crime. His books include When Corruption Was King and In With the Devil. Both are in development to become major motion pictures. His magazine articles have appeared in New York magazine, Metropolitan DetroitChicago magazine (where he was also editor) and Playboy. The movie, Idol’s Eye, based on his Playboy article, “Boosting the Big Tuna,” will be directed by Olivier Assayas. For additional information, visit www.HillelLevin.com.

About the Director:

Kevin Christopher Fox is an actor and director based in Chicago. Recent Chicago directing highlights include: world premieres of Graveyard of Empires by Elaine Romero and The Gun Show by EM Lewis (16th Street Theater), Lay Me Down Softly and Hughie (Irish Theatre of Chicago/ Seanachai), Widowers’ Houses and Androcles and the Lion (ShawChicago), St. Crispin’s Day (Strawdog, four Jeff nominations including Best Production), Arms and the Man and Betrayal (Oak Park Festival), The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Gift Theatre Company), Beggars in the House of Plenty (Mary-Arrchie), Widowers’ Houses (TimeLine) and his debut Buicks (Precious Mettle). Regional highlights: world premieres of The Spiritualist by Robert Ford and Sundown Town by Kevin Cohea, and The Fall of the House and Macbeth (TheatreSquared, Fayetteville, Arkansas); Macbeth (Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, Shakespeare in the Schools, adapted and directed); The Study by EM Lewis (William Inge Festival and Center for the Arts). For additional information, visit www.kevinchristopherfox.com.