TimeLine Theatre to Host Blago Reporters for 7/10 Post-Show Discussion

TimeLine Theatre will host some of Chicago's top news reporters, each who have been covering the recent Blagojevich trial, for a timely post-show discussion titled Exclusive! Chicago's Top Reporters on The Front Page: Same Story, Different Century. This newly-added special event will be on Sunday, July 10, immediately following the 2 p.m. matinee of TimeLine's hit production of The Front Page, Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur's classic comedy about Windy City politics and journalism in the 1920s.

Exclusive! Chicago's Top Reporters on The Front Page: Same Story, Different Century will feature (at press time) Elizabeth Brackett of WTTW-TV, Ch. 11 and PBS NewsHour, and Janan Hanna, freelance reporter for Reuters, Chicago News Coop and Huffington Post, Paul Meincke, reporter for WLS-TV, Ch. 7 and Rob Wildeboer, criminal justice reporter for WBEZ-FM, 91.5. Guest moderator Lester Munson, one of Chicago's most popular investigative reporters, currently a senior writer and legal analyst for ESPN.com, will lead this elite group of Chicago journalists in a discussion about what has changed - and what hasn't - when Windy City reporters compete to land the biggest scoop in town, nearly a century after Ben Hecht's heyday as a young reporter at the Chicago Daily News.

Tickets to the July 10, 2 p.m. matinee are $42. Admission to the post-show discussion, which will begin at approximately 4:30 pm and last for one hour, is free. TimeLine Theatre is located at 615 W. Wellington Ave., Chicago. Reserve tickets at timelinetheatre.com or call the TimeLine Theatre Box Office at 773.281.TIME (8463).

About The Front Page
The Front Page is a landmark comedy set inside the crowded pressroom at Chicago's Criminal Courts Building during the 1920s, where a group of hardscrabble reporters covers exposes the rampant corruption, scandal and hi-jinx associated with Windy City politics and journalism. Sound familiar? True, the times and the technology have changed, but the zeal with which The Front Page's rough-and-tumble reporters and two-faced politicians jockey for control of a story and a city remains virtually the same.

TimeLine's revival of The Front Page has been met with acclaim from audiences and critics alike:

Chicago Tribune: "It is a pleasure to see The Front Page, that zesty yarn of hacks, scoops and screwball derring-do, back up in Chicago in a very solid, fast-paced and entertaining production."

The Wall Street Journal: "All praise to Chicago's TimeLine Theatre for resurrecting The Front Page and giving it a staging so full of brassy brio that you'll wonder why you ever settled for less."

WBEZ: "A delicious skewering of Chicago politics and journalism ... TimeLine Theatre does an impeccable job ... a superlative production."

Buying Tickets
Originally scheduled to close on June 12, The Front Page was extended through July 17 due to popular demand following its initial 9-week, sold-out run. The extension performance schedule is Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 4 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. The Front Page runs approximately 2 hours 30 minutes, including one intermission.

Tickets for extension performances are $32 (Wednesday - Friday) or $42 (Saturday & Sunday). Student tickets for extension performances are $10 off regular price, with valid ID. Group rates for groups of 10 or more are available. Advance purchase is strongly recommended as performances are selling out. To purchase tickets or for more information, call 773.281.TIME (8463) or visit timelinetheatre.com.

The Front Page, directed by Nick Bowling, features an 18-member cast including TimeLine Artistic Director PJ Powers as Hildy Johnson and TimeLine Associate Artist Terry Hamilton as Walter Burns, with Bill McGough, Larry Baldacci, Angela Bullard, Malcolm Callan, Rob Fagin, Alex Goodrich, John Gray, Kevin M. Grubb, Michael Kingston, Laurie Larson, Loren Lazerine, Mike McNamara, Mechelle Moe, Frank Nall, Bridgette Pechman Clarno and Mark Richard.

Sponsor
The Front Page is supported in part by The Pauls Foundation.

Location/Transportation/Parking/Accessibility
TimeLine Theatre is located at 615 W. Wellington Ave., inside the Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ building, near the corner of Wellington and Broadway in Chicago's Lakeview East neighborhood. CTA El stops at Wellington (Brown/Purple lines) and Belmont (Red/Brown/Purple lines) are nearby. CTA busses #36-Broadway, #76-Diversey, #77-Belmont, #22-Clark and #8-Halsted stop nearby.

The LAZ Public Parking lot, located 1/2 block north of the theatre at 3012 N. Broadway, is available for $6.25 (3-5 hours) or $10 (5-8 hours). TimeLine also offers parking for $8 for up to 6 hours with validation at the Standard Parking garages at Broadway Center (2846 N. Broadway, at Surf) or the Century Mall (2836 N. Clark), both within two blocks of TimeLine. Note that the Broadway Center garage closes at 11 p.m. There is also limited street parking and other paid parking lots nearby. Visit timelinetheatre.com for complete directions and parking information.

There are two flights of stairs totaling 18 steps between the street and the theater, with no elevator.

Audience Resources
An extensive production Study Guide, video previews, events information and many other details are available at timelinetheatre.com/front_page.

About TimeLine Theatre Company
Founded in April 1997, TimeLine Theatre Company's mission is to present stories inspired by history that connect with today's social and political issues. During its first 13 seasons, TimeLine has presented 45 productions, including seven world premieres and 13 Chicago premieres. Recipient of the 2006 Alford-Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence and the 2009 Richard Goodman Strategic Planning Award from the Association for Strategic Planning, TimeLine has received 43 Jeff Awards, including an award for Outstanding Production eight times.

Announced for TimeLine's 2011-12 15th Anniversary season:

- A WALK IN THE WOODS by Lee Blessing, directed by Nick Bowling
- Chicago premiere of THE PITMEN PAINTERS by Lee Hall, directed by BJ Jones
- Chicago premiere of ENRON by Lucy Prebble, directed by Rachel Rockwell
- World premiere of MY KIND OF TOWN by John Conroy, directed by Nick Bowling

TimeLine is led by Artistic Director PJ Powers and Managing Director Elizabeth K. Auman. Company members are Nick Bowling, Janet Ulrich Brooks, Lara Goetsch, Juliet Hart, David Parkes, PJ Powers and Benjamin Thiem. TimeLine is a member of the League of Chicago Theatres, Theatre Communications Group and the Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce.

More Articles by This Author...