Militant Language
by Sean Christopher Lewis
Directed by Juan Castañeda
Highly Recommended--Chicago Reader
October 17 through November 21, 2008
In the current Iraqi state, a private rebuilding effort has gone underway. As things begin to be rebuilt, however, the village quickly unravels: A pair of American soldiers return from a surveillance detail covered in blood, and it’s discovered that an Iraqi boy working at the site has gone missing.
Performed at 4745 N. Kedzie, 2nd Floor in Chicago
Sean Christopher Lewis is the inaugural recipient of the Rosa Parks Award for Social Justice in Playwriting from the Kennedy Center. A former NNPN Emerging Playwright in Residence at InterAct Theatre in Philadelphia, he has toured his critically lauded solo shows I Will Make You Orphans (Uno Festival of Solo Performance, Available Light 01 Festival, Equinox Theatre, Riverside Theatre, Center for Independent Artists, Galapagos Art Space, Hyde Park Theatre, TIXE Arts Center, Bowery Poetry Club) and The Gone Chair (Penn State University’s Cultural Conversations Festival, Openstage Harrisburg’s Flying Solo Festival, Riverside Theatre).
His other plays include Militant Lanugage (National Premiere at Know Theatre of Cincinnati, Halcyon Theatre of Chicago, Bang and Clatter in Cleveland, and Theater for the New City in NY) and The Aperture (Cleveland Public Theatre). He has been a playwriting fellow at the O’Neill Playwrights Conference and has had his work developed at the PlayPenn New Play Conference, Lark New Play Development Center, Orlando Shakespeare Festival’s Harriet Lake Festival of New Work and at the National Center for New Plays at Stanford University. A noted actor, he has worked Off Broadway at the Pearl Theatre, in NYC at La Mama ETC, regionally with companies like the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival and mostly recently in the feature films God Country and Blood Fantasy.
His other plays include Militant Lanugage (National Premiere at Know Theatre of Cincinnati, Halcyon Theatre of Chicago, Bang and Clatter in Cleveland, and Theater for the New City in NY) and The Aperture (Cleveland Public Theatre). He has been a playwriting fellow at the O’Neill Playwrights Conference and has had his work developed at the PlayPenn New Play Conference, Lark New Play Development Center, Orlando Shakespeare Festival’s Harriet Lake Festival of New Work and at the National Center for New Plays at Stanford University. A noted actor, he has worked Off Broadway at the Pearl Theatre, in NYC at La Mama ETC, regionally with companies like the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival and mostly recently in the feature films God Country and Blood Fantasy.
Featuring: Jessica Jane Childs, Adam Dodds, Kamal Hans, Trey Maclin, DeRante Parker, Greg Wenz
Assistant Director: Jesus Contreras
Scenic/Costume Design: Tony Adams
Lighting Design: Margot Momoi-Piehl
Sound Design: Oscar Salinas
Fight Choreography: Greg Poljacik
Properties Design: Latoya Jones
Dramaturg: Denise Santomauro
Assistant Director: Jesus Contreras
Scenic/Costume Design: Tony Adams
Lighting Design: Margot Momoi-Piehl
Sound Design: Oscar Salinas
Fight Choreography: Greg Poljacik
Properties Design: Latoya Jones
Dramaturg: Denise Santomauro
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Sean Christopher Lewis has set his new play in Iraq, where two American soldiers' efforts to conceal the death of a civilian teenager undermine the legitimacy of their already undisciplined unit. But the play is no more about the current war than Casablanca is about World War II. Alternating scenes from a conventional military thriller with enigmatic forays into surreal lyricism--complete with visions borrowed from the Old Testament--Lewis uses the conflict's moral indeterminacy as a lens to examine the human search for order, accountability, and meaning in a horrifyingly relativistic world. In this low-budget, high-intelligence production, director Juan Castaneda and his six-person cast navigate Lewis's unstable moral terrain deftly yet without smoothing the way for the audience. It's a disturbing, fascinating evening. --Justin Hayford, Chicago Reader
ChicagoStageReview.com
. . .Tonight I ventured out into the cold damp night to catch a glimpse of why Chicago is truly a great, if not the greatest, theater city. On the second floor of the unassuming Albany Park Building, Halcyon Theatre dares to take a shoestring budget and fill a relatively raw space with challenging, relevant and urgent drama. They succeed.
If you question the passion, conviction and talent of emerging theater companies in Chicago, this meager powerhouse is your answer. Don’t go expecting the whistles and bells of a flashy production. This is a bare bones, no frills rendition. Visually sparse yet very effective, the focus is on the core foundation of theater; strong acting and competent direction delivering ambitious writing. . ."
". . . Director Juan Castañeda impressively renders scene after scene with purpose, focus and an ability to access his ensembles strengths and vulnerabilities. Lewis’s script doesn’t make it easy for a director or a cast to create this reality or tell this story. There are several potential landmines along the way but in the hands of this company the efforts serve the playwright’s vision well and pay off profoundly for the audience.
The entire ensemble delivers remarkable work. There are tragically powerful performances and truly stand out scenes given by every actor with exceptional efforts by Trey Maclin and Jessica Jane Childs. Maclin, Commanding Officer Crane, could easily be a one-dimensional stereotype but instead he creates a volatile character with authenticity and impressive control. Childs, Private Beed, adds incredible depth, dysfunction, strength and thought-provoking humanity to her character.
Castañeda and his intelligent cast show well-crafted restraint. At times perhaps a little too much, as there are scenes where you feel it should go a little further or get a little crazier, but the believability, honesty and emotional connections are riveting. . . " --Venus Zarris
Read the whole review here
“ . . . Castañeda deserves credit for the simple symmetry of a devastating Act II tableau. Actors DeRante Parker and Jessica Jane Childs stand out among a cast that mostly succeeds in defying Lewis’s soldier stereotypes.” — Kris Vire, TimeOut Chicago
Photos by Tom McGrath
