Adventure Stage Chicago Presents SINBAD: THE UNTOLD TALE

Adventure Stage Chicago (ASC) presents the second full production of their 2010-2011 season for young audiences - Charles Way's adventure saga SINBAD: THE UNTOLD TALE, directed by Amanda Delheimer.

Ittifaq, the pampered daughter of famed sailor Sinbad of the Seven Seas, bristles under her father's overprotective care. Young Sinbad, an orphaned porter, uses his clever wit to survive. The two meet by chance just before an evil sorceress casts a poison cloud over the city of Baghdad. The unlikely duo soon find themselves facing good and evil genies, daring swordfights, magic boats and flying carpets in their race to find the poison's antidote. But can Sinbad and Ittifaq defeat the sorceress in time, or will their beloved city be destroyed forever?

SINBAD: THE UNTOLD TALE was first produced by the United Kingdom's Theatre by the Lake in 2006. Playwright Charles Way is currently rewriting the play for the Adventure Stage Chicago production. Recommended for ages 9 and older.

ASC is excited to explore a new partnership with the Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN), a community-based nonprofit that works for social justice, delivers a range of social services, and cultivates the arts in urban communities. ASC teaching artists will work with IMAN and the kids they mentor at Morrill Elementary to create an art project that incorporates the themes explored in SINBAD: THE UNTOLD TALE. The art will inhabit ASC's theater lobby during the course of SINBAD's five week run, and the children will attend a performance of SINBAD and witness the impact of their art on the audience.

Charles Way (playwright) has written over forty plays, many of them for young people, including
Sleeping Beauty, The Search for Odysseus (produced by Adventure Stage Chicago in 2007) and A Spell of Cold Weather, all of which were nominated as Best Children's Play by the Writers Guild of Great Britain. His play Merlin and the Cave of Dreams was nominated for a Helen Hayes award for Outstanding New Play. He has recently published the book collection Classic Fairytales Retold for the Stage. Mr. Way's play Red Red Shoes was named 2004's Best Play for Young People by the Arts Council of England. His plays for adults include a well-known version of Bruce Chatwin's On the Black Hill and an adaptation of Independent People by Halldor Laxness. Recent new plays include Still Life and The Long Way Home.

Amanda Delheimer (director) is a freelance director, choreographer, writer and educator. She previously directed Sideways Stories from the Wayside School, And Then They Came For Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank, The Ash Girl, The Cay and The Ghosts of Treasure Island
for ASC, where she is a teaching artist. She has worked with Steppenwolf, Court, Next, Pegasus Players, Redmoon, Collaboraction, Roadworks, Strawdog, Serendipity, Red Hen Productions, Teatro Vista, and Striding Lion InterArts Workshop, among others. Ms. Delheimer is the Artistic Director of Serendipity Theatre and an Artistic Associate with Collaboraction Theater. Ms. Delheimer has also trained in a variety of schools of physical theater, including Viewpoints, Suzuki, Lecoq and Commedia dell 'Arte.

SINBAD: THE UNTOLD TALE Performance Schedule:
Previews: 10:30 a.m. March 17 & 18
Weekends: 2:00 p.m. March 19*, March 26, April 2, April 9** & April 16 (Saturdays)
Weekdays: 10:30 a.m. March 22, 24, 29, 31 & April 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 15
Evenings: 7:00 p.m. Friday, April 8 only.

*Sat., March 19 - Ice Cream Social!
Audience is treated to free ice cream from Bucktown's Dairy Queen/Orange Julius after the show.

**Sat., April 9 - SPRING FLING: AN ARABIAN EXTRAVAGANZA
The April 9th performance of SINBAD: THE UNTOLD TALE is part of ASC's annual benefit, Spring Fling: An Arabian Extravaganza, which includes a post-show party from 4-6pm with live music, refreshments, open bar, various family activities, and a silent auction. All proceeds benefit Adventure Stage Chicago. Tickets for this special performance are $50 for adults and $25 for kids. (Advance purchase required. $60 adults/$30 kids at door.) No regular tickets available; only benefit tickets for this performance.

Book Discussions In Your Community
Check out one of the following book discussions about Sinbad the famed sailor and you could win 2-for-1 tickets to see SINBAD: THE UNTOLD TALE!
----------
Wed., March 19, 6:30-7:30pm
Sulzer Regional Library, 4455 N. Lincoln Ave.
Call library directly for reservations at 312-744-7616 x3.
----------
Tues., March 29, 3:30-4:30pm
West Town Library, 1625 W. Chicago Ave.
Call library directly for reservations at 312-743-0450.

SINBAD: THE UNTOLD TALE production staff consists of Amanda Delheimer, Director; Lavina Jadhwani, Dramaturg; Clare Roche, Stage Manager; Mikhail Fiksel, Sound Composition; Chelsea Warren, Scenic Designer; David Chrzanowski, Fight Direction; Lacy Campbell & Kat Powers, Props Designers; Brandon Wardell, Lighting Designer; Marianna Csaszar, Costume Designer; Miles Polaski, Sound Design Assistant; Lyndsey Lyddan, Lighting Design Assistant; Morgan Gire, Assistant Stage Manager; and Erin Miller, Technical Director.

SINBAD: THE UNTOLD TALE cast includes Esteban Cruz (Abu Nuwas), Dana Dajani (Ittifaq), Adam El-Sharkawi (Sinbad the Sailor), Mildred Langford (Jan Shah), Mike Ooi (Silent Genie)
and Edgar Sanchez (Sinbad the Porter).

Adventure Stage Chicago creates dynamic and transformative theatre for young audiences that activates the imagination, inspires dialogue and strengthens community among families, educators and artists. ASC strives to become Chicago's premier destination for theatrical productions and programming designed for young people aged 9 to 14 and the adults in their lives. We aim to be leaders in theatre education through professional development workshops, residencies and resources that offer innovative ways to infuse theatre into the classroom. We seek to cultivate and create challenging new work as well as produce celebrated stories. This is ASC's seventh season. (The first three seasons were produced under the name Vittum Theater.)

ASC has received numerous honors from local and national organizations since its inception in 2004, including:
Two-time Finalist for the Broadway In Chicago Emerging Theater Award
Participant in the New Visions/New Voices Festival at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Washington D.C.
Zeta Phi Eta WiniFred Ward Award for Outstanding New Children's Theatre Company from the American Alliance for Theatre and Education
Four-time Recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Access to Artistic Excellence Grant
Adventure Stage Chicago is a program of Northwestern University Settlement House, the oldest continually operating settlement house in Chicago. Throughout its 119-year history, the Settlement has remained committed to providing resources that empower our neighbors to overcome the obstacles of poverty. ASC extends this mission by presenting Chicago's young audiences, educators and families with an affordable artistic experience rooted in performance. Last season, ASC served over 5,000 students from 76 schools throughout the Chicagoland area and over 1,500 audience members for our weekend matinees.

Each Adventure Stage Chicago production presents weekday performances primarily for school groups, as well as weekend matinees for the general public. Every performance includes a post-show audience talkback with the cast.

All shows are performed at Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble St., in the heart of Chicago's West Town neighborhood. Street parking is available, and the theater is close to the Noble St. stop on the #56 Milwaukee bus line and the Division stop on the CTA Blue Line. The theater is wheelchair accessible.

Tickets for all shows are $17.00 for adults, $12.00 children aged 14 and under, $10.00 previews and $8.00 school groups. Other group discounts available. For tickets or more information, call (773) 342-4141 or visit www.adventurestage.org.