"Kaitlyn Bird ... [gives] a very charismatic performance ... [New Leaf] always chooses intelligent plays and they go out of their way to choose ... unusual scripts that we haven't seen before."
"[Y]ou'll ... admire the quicksilver performance late-twentysomething Kaitlin Byrd is giving as a legitimately precocious ten-year-old ... a performance that has to be difficult to execute but couldn't be easier to watch."
JEFF NON-EQUITY AWARD NOMINATIONS BEST ENSEMBLE 2008 BEST DIRECTOR - JESSICA HUTCHINSON
"ONE OF THE 10 BEST SHOWS OF 2007... ... this staging achieved real magic ..."
- Christopher Piatt Time Out Chicago
"a charming site-specific staging... The capable cast ... manage their multiple roles with steady and understated wit ... particularly noteworthy performances from Steve Wilson and Marsha Harman. "
In the spirit of last year's wildly successful DISH, New Leaf Theatre kicks off its 8th season with FRESH, a launch party and fundraiser. The event takes place Wednesday, August 27 from 7 PM to 10 PM at the Holiday Club, 4000 N. Sheridan Road, just off the Sheridan Red Line stop.
For $25 in advance ($30 at the door), guests receive two drinks, light appetizers, and entertainment, while helping to ensure another season of intimate, animate theatrical experiences at New Leaf Theatre. The event will feature live music by Mark Dvorak and readings of two fresh 10-minute plays by local authors Bilal Dardai (of the Neo-Futurists) and Brandon Ray, featuring Alyse Kittner, Tiffany Topol, and Megan Schutt among others.
Folk singer and Old Town School of Folk Music teacher Mark Dvorak has toured the entire country with his unique blend of traditional folk and standards from the American song book, and was recently honored with the Woodstock Folk Festival Lifetime Achievement Award. Mark is a meticulous and loving crafter and curator of folk songs and his music is a perfect match for New Leaf - vibrant, warm, and playful.
These fresh, original plays were commissioned by New Leaf earlier this spring. Three playwrights were given identical maps and lists of features of the Mid-North neighborhood, home to the Lincoln Park Cultural Center where New Leaf is in residence, and challenged to write a 10-minute play using any of the points of local or historical interest listed as a starting point.
