Tony-Winning Playwright David Rabe Joins Gift Theatre's Ensemble
(© David Gordon)
Chicago's Gift Theatre has announced that Tony- and Drama Desk Award-winning playwright David Rabe has joined the company's ensemble.
Rabe received a Tony Award for Best Play in 1972 for Sticks and Bones and also received Tony nominations for Best Play in 1974 for Boom Boom Room, in 1985 for Hurlyburly, and in 1977 for Streamers, which won the 1976 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play. Good for Otto received its world premiere at the Gift in 2015.
Conceived in 1997 by Michael Patrick Thornton and William Nedved, the Gift Theatre's mission was to grow and nurture an ensemble while laying roots in an artistically underserved Chicago neighborhood. The Gift Theatre is now based in Jefferson Park.
"Today marks the culmination of over a decade of producing and collaborating with David Rabe and his stunning works of art," said Thornton in a statement. "From the earliest days of The Gift, David’s ouevre — powerfully searching, poetic, magical, haunted, and yearning — has always felt absolutely central to the emotional and ethical heart of The Gift. He has been such an aesthetic north star for us for so long that we are humbled and vivified to call David Rabe an ensemble member of The Gift. We’re excited to get to work."
The now 32-member ensemble also includes Danny Ahlfeld, Maggie Andersen, Cyd Blakewell, Brittany Burch, Hillary Clemens, John Kelly Connolly, Paul D’Addario, Jenny Connell Davis, Brendan Donaldson, Will Eno, James D. Farruggio, Ed Flynn, Gabriel Franken, John Gawlik, Andrew Hinderaker, Marti Lyons, Alexandra Main, Laura Marks, Kenny Mihlfried, Benjamin Montague, Darci Nalepa, Keith Neagle, William Nedved, Lynda Newton, Sheldon Patinkin (in loving memory), Maureen Payne-Hahner, Mary Ann Thebus, Michael Patrick Thornton, Erica Weiss, Jay Worthington, and Kyle Zornes.
