For Immediate Release

IM Logo
Media Contact:
Nathan Pease
Marketing Director
NPease@IdleMuse.org 

CHICAGO PREMIERE OF JOSEPH ZETTELMAIER'S THE SCULLERY MAID OPENS MARCH 18TH
Idle Muse Theatre Company opens the Chicago premiere of The Scullery Maid by playwright Joseph Zettelmaier March 18th.
CHICAGO, MARCH 14, 2017 - Idle Muse Theatre Company announces design team for the Chicago premiere of The Scullery Maid written by playwright Joseph Zettelmaier.
" The Scullery Maid is a story about servants as much as kings. I wrote this play during what I thought was a contentious election cycle here in America (I had no idea what was yet to come). What I kept being struck by was this: Perhaps because of the internet age, of social media, of a change in neutrality of the press...there seemed to be an underlying belief that we truly knew and understood the motivations, beliefs, and plans of our future leaders. That's where my version of King Edward came from...a man beloved by his people (most of them, anyway), but friends and foes alike didn't necessarily know why he did what he did. And when someone far beneath his station finally comes face to face with him, she must also come to terms with the fact that the truth is larger than what we decide it is," said playwright  Joseph Zettelmaier.
Lead by director Evan Jackson, the cast features  Lydia Hiller as MIriam,  Dave Skvarla as King Edward III,  Anne Marie Lewis as Bess,  Leslie Hull as Dulcie, and  George Ellison as Pascal. 

The production team includes Shellie DiSalvo (stage manager), Sara Robinson (scenic designer), Laura Wiley (lighting designer), Joe Palermo (music/sound design), Erin Gallagher (costume designer), Tristan Brandon (properties designer/dramaturgy), Libby Beyreis (violence designer), and Kathy Logelin (dialect coach). 
 
Idle Muse Theatre Company's eleventh season features plays which explores women achieving self-definition in a world that tries to define them in relationship to the men around them.

As King Edward celebrates an uneasy truce with France, the lowliest servant in Nottingham castle, Miriam the scullery maid, initiates a murder plot that will see him dead before the night is done - no matter the cost. Loyalties and conspiracies unravel as a raging tempest sets in, giving rise to new betrayals and unearthing long-buried secrets as Miriam approaches the point of no return. Religious, political and familial identities all clash with storm-like intensity in a medieval thriller that asks: are we defined by our prejudices or can we escape becoming what we hate? 

The Scullery Maid will run March 16 - April 9, 2017, with previews March 16th and March 17th. Performance times are Thursdays - Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 5pm and Mondays at 8pm. The Scullery Maid will be presented at The Edge Theater, 5451 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60640.
The performance runtime for The Scullery Maid is approximately two hours including one 10-minute intermission.   
Ticket prices  for The Scullery Maid are $20 for adults and $15 for students/seniors. Tickets for previews are $10. Every Thursday is Industry Night with $10 tickets. Tickets may be purchased by visiting www.idlemuse.org or by calling 773-340-9438.
Street parking is available and is handicapped and CTA accessible. The Edge Theater is CTA accessible by Red Line Berwyn/Bryn Mawr stop/ 36 Broadway Bus. 
Group rates for 10 or more upon request. Tickets may be purchased in advance at 773-340-9438 or by visiting www.IdleMuse.org .
Special Events during The Scullery Maid: Sunday Tea March 26th & April 2nd.
Idle Muse Theatre Company will be hosting Sunday Afternoon Teas following performances of The Scullery Maid. Tickets for the Sunday Teas are $25 ($5 plus the ticket price). Please note that a reservation is required for the Sunday Teas so that we have the proper head count and can best accommodate patrons. 773-340-9438 or  idlemuse@idlemuse.org . 

Tasting March 31st. Patrons are encouraged to stay after the show to wine and dine with the cast and crew. Sample delectable treats and beverages from local restaurants, artisan food vendors and other culinary artists in and around Chicago. The tasting event is free with ticket to the March 31 performance. 773-340-9438 or  idlemuse@idlemuse.org .  
Idle Muse Theatre is partially supported and funded by generous grants from The MacArthur Funds for the Arts and Culture at The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation and The Saints .
About Idle Muse Theatre Company
Now in its eleventh season, Idle Muse Theatre Company is a 501c3 non-profit Charity organization established in 2006 dedicated to producing Theatre which is Transporting, Timely and True.

Nathan Pease | Idle Muse Theatre Company | NPease@IdleMuse.org | IdleMuse.org
Lydia Hiller
Dave Skvarla
Anne Marie Lewis
Leslie Hull
George Ellison