EP Theater

EP Theater is a not-for-profit theater organization located in the Pilsen Neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. EP Theater’s role in Chicago’s theatre community is producing original scripts with the variety of actors found from different disciplines throughout the Chicago metropolitan area.

An acronym of founders’ names Jason Ewers and Garrett Prejean, EP Theater was founded in the summer of 2005. Later that year Ewers and Prejean formed EP Theater’s inaugural ensemble including playwright Charles Berg. [ [http://chronicle.uchicago.edu/060330/assets.shtml Enhancing Assets teaches artists how to shine spotlight on their creative work] ] The three boasted their alliance as a microcosm of the alliance found in contemporary theatre between director (Ewers), actor (Prejean) and playwright (Berg).

The first productions were planned in Prejean’s home among laundry, dinner and wife; the first production was called "The Next Contestant" by Frank D. Gilroy.

Later that year EP Theater secured their performance space in Pilsen: with the help of various donors as well as hard work by the original three the performance space quickly became a 50-seat house and large black box playing area complete with lobby and public bathroom. In an effort to keep costs down Ewers and Berg used the space as their home (a tradition presently kept by friends and relatives of the theater). Once in the new space EP hit the Chicago theater scene with two productions: David Mamet’s "The Woods" at the Athenaeum Center in Lakeview and a festival of original one-acts at the Pilsen house. The one-acts showcased in the festival were Berg’s "Elegy of Julian Grace", Timothy McCain’s "White/Blue", Sean Pfautch’s "Ichor", and Steven Simoncic’s "Discovery Channel"; most of the one-acts and "The Woods" were accepted with mediocre reviews but the force with which EP hit the community put them on the map.With the debut of the one-acts and with them the new space, Berg’s "La Bella Vita" premiered in Pilsen with better reviews followed by "Life Support" by Jason Ewers. With a growing audience and new collaborations with professionals outside the theatre, EP premiered Berg’s second full-length and sequel to "La Bella Vita" called "18%". Instead of producing "18%" in Pilsen the EP ensemble produced the play at Vivo Restaurant down the street in Greek Town. Although the play received mediocre-to-good reviews complications arose which caused the show to close early. The unfortunate demise of "18%" as well as differences within the ensemble lead to the break-up of the original ensemble: Charles Berg decided to leave, not out of despite but to pursue other interests.

With the departure of Berg in November 2006, Ewers and Prejean decided to form a new ensemble keeping to their same ideal of multi-faceted professionals, now including a designer. The new members include Bradley Bartolo (director), Craig Cunningham (actor), Brad Nagle (designer), Julian Martinez (actor), and Grant Stokes (actor). The first play to debut the new ensemble was David Steen’s "Avenue A" which opened February 2007.

In pursuit of art through collaboration the new ensemble has fused their work in different theatre disciplines including but not limited to the techniques developed by Uta Hagen, Sanford Meisner, Michael Chekov, Tina Landau (ViewPoints), and Viola Spolin (Improvisation). With the debut of Avenue A EP also debued the their education program bringing in Jan Radcliff and Mary E. Rychlewski to teach the Hagen Discipline. The aim of EP’s education program is through teaching chosen techniques the ensemble will begin to form their own theatre discipline which then will be taught to a new generation of actors.

References

External links

* [http://www.eptheater.com Website]