TimeLine Presents CONCERNING STRANGE DEVICES FROM THE DISTANT WEST, 1/15-4/14

TimeLine Theatre Company continues its 2012-13 season with the Midwest premiere of Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West, reuniting long-time collaborators playwright Naomi Iizuka and director Lisa Portes in their TimeLine debuts. Performances run January 24 - April 14, 2013 (previews January 15 - 23) at TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington Ave, Chicago. Press Opening performance is Thursday, January 24, 2013 at 7:30 p.m.

To purchase tickets or for more information, call the TimeLine Theatre Box Office at 773.281.8463 x6 or buy online at timelinetheatre.com.

Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West is a provocative examination of the American fascination with the exotic and distant Far East, evoking themes related to photography, art, desire, forgery and perception. The cast features Rebecca Spence, Craig Spidle, Kroydell Galima, Michael McKeogh and Tiffany Villarin.

This sexy, multi-faceted puzzle of a play travels from East to West and across time, exploring seductive themes in both epic scope and human scale. In the 1880s, a Victorian woman visiting Japan is fascinated by a new invention-the camera-that allows people to own images of distant lands they never dreamed they would be able to see. In modern-day Tokyo, an art collector navigates shifting relationships in search of physical memories of the past. Along the way we gaze as if through a lens at the mysterious intersection of art and authenticity, where very little is what it appears to be.

"This season TimeLine is taking our audience places we haven't been before, and Naomi Iizuka's play speaks directly to that mission-exploring exoticism and the desire for things that previously seemed out of reach or foreign," said Artistic Director PJ Powers. "Written as a triptych, this play inspires curiosity and speculation, and our production will keep you riveted with its bold theatricality. It will be a feast for the eyes! And on top of that, I can safely say that it is sexier than TimeLine has been, well, ever."

Tickets are $32 (Wednesday through Friday) or $42 (Saturday and Sunday). Preview tickets are $22. Student discount is $10 off the regular ticket price with valid ID. Special rates for groups of 10 or more are available. Advance purchase is recommended as performances may sell out. To purchase tickets or for more information, call the TimeLine Theatre Box Office at 773.281.8463 x6 or buy online at timelinetheatre.com.