The Artistic Home Studio will present the 2024 edition of its CUT TO THE CHASE festival of new one act plays, from May 2-5, 2024, at the Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Avenue. The seven selections will celebrate the theme "Face to Face." Ranging from drama to sci-fi to dark comedy, these one-acts will highlight moment-to-moment acting in the intimacy of the Den's Upstairs Mainstage. Now in its 21st year, the festival has become a Chicago fan favorite, premiering new work form Chicago playwrights as well as well-known talent from across the country. 
 
The Artistic Home accepted 400 play submissions for this year's festival, narrowing them down to the final seven.  Festival Curator Ted James says, "When you read that many plays with specific criteria in mind, you end up with a really outstanding program. These plays span genres, but they each in their own way represent the theme – face to face. They also each present a special opportunity for actors to demonstrate The Artistic Home style of moment-to-moment acting, providing a great opportunity for the audiences to experience the thrill of up-close Chicago theater."
 
The show runs as one program, with the seven plays back-to-back, running approximately 90 minutes in total. Five of the plays are world premieres and two are Chicago premieres. The plays are by Chicago playwrights Will Dunne, Siah Berlatsky, and Lydia Moss; and Peter Snoad, Michael Hagins, Drew Carnwath, and Erin Osgood. They will be directed by Frank Nall, Rachel Lambert, Justice Ford, Savaun Stokes, Patrick Thornton, Julian Hester, and Jenna Steege. The casts include Whitney Minarik, Faris El-Kildani, Jeremy Osinga, Dakota Pariset, Peter Snoad, Luke Steadman, Laura Zhang, Chris Willumsen, Hannah Green, Tommy Martin, Demi VanderWerff, Garrett Wiegel, Jessica McCluskey, Jared Goudsmit, Kendal Romero, Angie Simonetta, and Mary Mikva.

Tickets for CUT TO THE CHASE 2024 are $20 will be on sale soon through The Den Theatre Box Office www.thedentheatre.com.

The Artistic Home performs at The Den Theatre, and also maintains an acting studio and rehearsal space at 3054 N. Milwaukee Avenue in the Avondale/Logan neighborhood.
 
PLAYS

Hollow Valley by Will Dunne
Directed by Frank Nall
A World Premiere
*Chicago playwright
Cast: Jeremy Osinga, Dakota Pariset
 
When a man is confronted by a stranger who claims to know him, the truth slowly unfolds into an unexpected journey of resilience and hope. In this world premiere by Will Dunne, audiences are challenged to confront the familiar strangers in their own lives.
 
Rot! by Siah Berlatsky
Directed by Rachel Lambert
A World Premiere
*Chicago playwright and AH Artistic Associate
Cast: Kendal Romero, Angie Simonetta, and Mary Mikva

When a young woman refuses to leave her bed, her mom brings in a professional. ROT! invites viewers to confront uncomfortable truths about mental health, human connection, and finding meaning in an indifferent world. 
 
The Outline by Lydia Moss
Directed by Justice Ford
A World Premiere
*Chicago playwright
Cast: Jessica McCluskey, Jared Goudsmit
 
When Simone and Paul find themselves trapped in a metaphysical waiting room, they must grapple with their own inner demons and past mistakes. A broken cell phone becomes the last hope and a demonstration in the power of belief.
 
Kindred Spirits by Peter Snoad
Directed by Savaun Stokes
A World Premiere
Cast: Luke Steadman, Laura Zhang, Chris Willumsen

While exploring a tranquil forest, two strangers discover uncanny similarities between them. With great wit and tricks of language, Kindred Spirits questions the nature of human relationships and the boundaries between each of us.
 
First Date by Michael Hagins
Directed by Patrick Thornton
A Chicago Premiere
Cast: Whitney Minarik, Faris El-Kildani
 
During a cringey first date, a divorced mom and a younger man find a surprise attraction. Through endearing characters and plenty of folly, this comedy explores the courage to be true to oneself in a delightfully modern context.
 
Orpheus in the New Year by Drew Carnwath
Directed by Julian Hester
A World Premiere
Cast: Whitney Minarik, Tommy Martin, Garrett Wiegel
 
Amidst a lively New Year's Eve party, a chance encounter between two strangers on a balcony leads to a cryptic exchange about myths, past lives, and hidden intentions. As they grapple with existential questions, the boundaries of reality blur.
 
Minor Deviations by Erin Osgood
Directed by Jenna Steege
A Chicago Premiere
Cast: Hannah Green, Tommy Martin, Demi VanderWerff
 
A grieving widower seeks a robot companion in the likeness of his deceased wife. But beneath the surface lies a secret, and consequences emerge from seeking artificial comfort.
 
LISTING INFORMATION
 
CUT TO THE CHASE 2024
One-act plays by Siah Berlatsky, Drew Carnwath, Will Dunne, Michael Hagins, Lydia Moss, Erin Osgood, and Peter Snoad
Directed by Justice Ford, Julian Hester, Rachel Lambert, Frank Nall Savaun  Stokes, Jenna Steege, and Patrick Thornton
May 2 -5, 2024
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8:00 pm and Sunday at 3:00 pm.
The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago
All seats $20.00
Tickets available soon at www.thedentheatre.com, or by phone at 773-697-3830
More information at www.theartistichome.org
 
Annual festival of new of new one act plays, this year celebrating the theme "Face to Face." These seven one-acts plays are each built around an intense interaction between two people and will highlight moment-to-moment acting in an intimate theater space. The show runs as one program, with the seven plays back-to-back, running approximately 90 minutes. Five are world premieres and two are Chicago premieres.
 
PLAYWRIGHT BIOS

Siah Berlatsky (ROT!) is a Chicago-based actor and playwright. Her first play, MALAPERT LOVE, was produced by The Artistic Home in 2022, and received the Jeff Award for Best New Work. She is an artistic associate with The Artistic Home and is proud to participate in the Cut to the Chase festival for the first time.
 
Drew Carnwath (ORPHEUS IN THE NEW YEAR). Drew is a Toronto-based writer and performer. Upon graduating from Queen's University, Drew continued to train and work as an actor at The American Academy of Dramatic Art, in New York, followed by three seasons with The Advanced Actor's Master Class Company at The Banff Centre for the Arts.
 
As a writer, Drew's plays (including JOHNNYVILLE, GRACE AND AFTER, TOTAL BODY WASHOUT and HIDE AND SEEK) have all been produced across the country. He was a playwright-in-residence at Toronto's esteemed Tarragon Theatre, and both JOHNNYVILLE and TOTAL BODY WASHOUT were published by Playwrights Canada Press. His play I DREAM OF THE LIVING won First Prize at The Canadian National Playwriting Competition in British Columbia and the Canadian One Act Playwriting Competition in Ottawa.
 
More recently Drew's play HOGTOWN: THE IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE (co-written with Sam Rosenthal) ran for two full seasons in Toronto and was a smash hit with audiences and critics alike. In 2017 HOGTOWN was nominated for a prestigious DORA Mavor Moore Award. Most recently: the World Premiere of Drew's latest play, MERCY, took place on February 2023 at The Grand Theatre in Kingston, Ontario.
 
Will Dunne (HOLLOW VALLEY) is a Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists, and author of THE DRAMATIC WRITER'S COMPANION and other books (University of Chicago Press). His plays have been presented worldwide in three languages and earned numerous honors, including three selections by the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center for the U.S. National Playwrights Conference, a Charles MacArthur Fellowship awarded by the O'Neill for outstanding comedy, four Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards, and two DramaLogue Playwriting Awards. Plays produced at The Artistic Home include TEA TIME, THE RED DOOR AJAR, DEEP GARDENS, TWO MEN ON A TRAIN PLATFORM JUST BEFORE THE APOCALYPSE, and HI.
 
Michael Hagins (FIRST DATE) is a published African American Playwright, Director, Fight Director, Actor, and Producer. Michael is a Member of Dramatists Guild and an Advanced Actor-Combatant for the Society of American Fight Directors. Michael was born in Brooklyn, New York, but raised in a small town in Florida for his childhood. He has used the racism and prejudice he dealt with at an early age to fuel his writing, which he has done since the age of nine. Michael is an avid lover of Shakespeare, having performed or directed every play in the Shakespeare Canon, and has performed, directed and taken part in over 1,000 plays and films over his artistic career.
 
Lydia Moss (she/her, THE OUTLINE) is a playwright, actor, and dramaturg who's called Chicago home since 2020. In her writing she centers the complexities of love, loss, and existence, and how those experiences live on through our bodies in ways we may be unable to express. Two of her other short pieces have premiered in Chicago: FRANKENSTEIN (Seven Deadly Sins Play Festival, 2022), and SKIN (Fat Tuesday PlayFest, 2024), and she is a finalist for the Amplify New Play Commission at Definition Theater for her full-length play, DEATH OF EVE. Her other theater interests include scenic painting, theater administration, Shakespeare education, and Theater for Young Audiences. She's excited to collaborate with this incredible director, cast, and crew, and is eternally grateful to everyone supporting the Cut to the Chase! Thank you!  
 
Erin Osgood (she/her, MINOR DEVIATIONS) is a Michigan playwright, actress, and Dramatists Guild member whose work has been produced throughout the country and abroad. She has a Master's in Social Work from the University of Michigan and is a Make-a-Wish volunteer. Erin enjoys traveling, a good book, Cavatappi with shallots and mushrooms in a parmesan cream sauce, an underdog winner, 70 degree weather, and Fireball. She loves to laugh, cry (often at the same time), and can curse with the best of them. She especially enjoys having very talented people bring her words to life (because they make her look good). http://erinosgood.com
 
Peter Snoad (KINDRED SPIRITS) is a British-American playwright and recovering actor based in Boston, Massachusetts. His work has been produced throughout the U.S. and in Canada, the U.K., Singapore, and Australia. Peter's award-winning plays include: SEEING VIOLET (Pestalozzi Prize, Firehouse Center for the Arts, Newburyport, Mass.); GUIDED TOUR (Stanley Drama Award, Wagner College, NY); NOW WHAT? (Winner, Rising Artists Play Competition, Southwest Theatre Productions, Austin, Texas); IDENTITY CRISIS (Winner, New Play Festival, Centre Stage, Greenville, South Carolina); THE DRAFT (Best Ensemble, ArtsImpulse Award, Boston, Mass.); ORBITING MARS (Winner, New Play Contest, Santa Cruz Actors Theatre, California); and PERFECT STRANGERS (Winner, International Short Play Contest, Stratford Fringe, Stratford-Upon-Avon, U.K.) You can read Peter's plays at the New Play Exchange.
 
ABOUT THE ARTISTIC HOME
 
The Artistic Home is noted for their innovative and intimate presentations of rarely produced classics as well for developing new works. The company has been frequently honored in the Jeff Awards. For 2023, they received nine nominations, including a nomination for Production of a Play (DYING FOR IT) and win for Kevin Hagan's scenic design of DYING FOR IT. In 2022, they received nine nominations and two wins – one for New Work (MALAPERT LOVE, written by artistic associate Siah Berlatsky) and one for Supporting Actor in a play (Todd Wojcik – in THE PAVILION). The company's 2022 nominations also included two for Best Play production (MALAPERT LOVE and THE PAVILION). The Artistic Home was one of the big winners in the 2019 Jeff Awards, with four awards including Production of a Play, Director of a Play, Principal Performer in a Play, and Sound Design, all for REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT. Brookelyn Hebert won a Jeff as Principal Performer in a Play for the company's 2020 production of ADA AND THE ENGINE. The company was nominated for Jeff Awards in 2019 for ROCK 'N' ROLL, and in 2018 for HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE.
 
Other memorable productions of recent years include 2017's WEDDING BAND, BY THE BOG OF CATS and THE SCHOOL FOR LIES; their Jeff-nominated productions of THE SEAGULL, WATCH ON THE RHINE, MACBETH and THE LATE HENRY MOSS; and their 2013 Jeff Award-winner THE GODDESS. Other Artistic Home productions include the Jeff-Award-winning production of JUNO AND THE PAYCOCK, which also received three After Dark Awards, the Jeff-Nominated SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH, THE TALLEST MAN, LANDSCAPE OF THE BODY, NATURAL AFFECTION, FIVE WOMEN WEARING THE SAME DRESS, AFTER THE FALL and PEER GYNT (which also received an After Dark award for Direction).
 
For more than 25 years, The Artistic Home has consistently produced compelling theatre in Chicago. First formed in 1998 with the belief that the actor is at the heart of great theater, the company strives to give birth to unforgettable moments; to touch audiences who are increasingly distanced from human contact; to readdress the classics and explore new works with passion.