Bailwick Chicago & The New Colony Present RISE OF THE NUMBERLESS, Opening 4/24

Bailiwick Chicago and The New Colony have teamed up to present the world premiere of Rise of the Numberless, written by The New Colony's Artistic Director Andrew Hobgood, Patriac Coakley and Evan Linder with original music by Chris Gingrich and Julie B. Nichols and lyrics by Chris Gingrich and Andrew Hobgood, who also serves as the director. The production will run April 6 – May 26, 2012 at Collaboraction Studio 300 in the Flat Iron Arts Building, 1579 N. Milwaukee. Press Opening is Tuesday, April 24 2012 at 7:30 PM.

Artists from Bailiwick Chicago and The New Colony, including Julie B. Nichols (Musical Director of The Second City's Mainstage), Andrew Hobgood and Evan Linder (writers of The New Colony's hit 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche), have developed an original piece inspired by the year of the protester. Part glam-rock concert and part call to arms, Rise of the Numberless takes current events and ups the stakes to expose an America that has allowed government to take control of, not only its lives, but also its families.

It is the semi-centennial anniversary of One Child, One Nation; a law enacted by the Department of Numbers to curb overpopulation, nationwide starvation, riots and unhealthy living conditions. Citizens are now limited to one child per family; all of whom are "numbered" and monitored by the U.S. Number Patrol. Those who do not obey this law must live the life of a fugitive in order to protect their Numberless children.

In this play-within-a-play, Bailiwick Chicago and The New Colony act as sympathizers to the plight of the Numberless and invite them to Chicago to perform their awareness-raising show, Rise of the Numberless. Through story and song, the Numberless tell their tale of rebellion and ask the audience to rise up and join them.

"We hope to build an immersive world for our audience, something The New Colony does masterfully," says Bailiwick Chicago's Artistic Director Kevin Mayes. "We want the audience to realize they have entered a different world, but perhaps one that doesn't feel too out of touch with their own."

"We've wanted to co-develop a show using our process for years," says The New Colony's Artistic Director Andrew Hobgood. "We were so fortunate to benefit from the leadership and imagination of Bailiwick Chicago, especially when creating a piece that lives in an alternate reality such as Rise of the Numberless."

The New Colony develops original work through a collaborative process that begins with only a basic concept of the story that will ultimately be told. In a four to six month workshop period, an ensemble of actors, playwrights and directors employ improv-based techniques to build characters, writing intensives to flesh out storyline and multiple public readings to gather feedback from the community. The joining of The New Colony and Bailiwick Chicago brings fresh perspectives and new audiences to both companies.

Rise of the Numberless features Bailiwick Chicago members Samantha Dubina (Nyne), Harmony France (Eva), Michael Harnichar (Silas), CameRon Johnson (Kevin), Ryan Lanning (Howard), Eric Martin (Ten), Steven Perkins (Kieran), and Sheana Tobey (Zenith). Members from The New Colony include Aarón Alonso (Emmanuel), Kate Carson-Groner (Libby), Nikki Klix (Roxy), Wes Needham (Fuck), Michael Peters (Prime), and Danny Taylor (Jayen).

The creative team includes Katie Spelman (Choreography), John Holt (Set Design), Kate Setzer Kamphausen (Costume Design), Mac Vaughuy (Light Design), with a sound designer yet to be named. Alice Magelssen is Stage Manager. Nicholas J. Carroll is Production Manager. Jaime Totti is Assistant Director. Aaron Benham is Music Supervisor. Stephanie Shum is Script Supervisor.

For more information, visit www.bailiwickchicago.com.