Plays written by Nathan Allen, Chris Mathews, and Jake Minton
DAVE DAVINCI SAVES THE UNIVERSE
DEATH AND HARRY HOUDINI
SAN VALENTINO AND THE MELANCHOLY KID
ROSE AND THE RIME
THE HAMMER TRINITY
Synopses:
Dave Davinci Saves the Universe – (3M 4W) Dave DaVinci Saves the Universe tells the story of the world’s most famous scientist working against the clock to invent the only thing that can save his daughter’s life and his marriage: a time machine.
Death and Harry Houdini – (10M 2W 2M/W) A ringmaster leads us through the events of Harry’s life, all told through stunning magic, poignent dialogue and original music. We travel from the untimely passing of his father, through his first tent shows with his younger brother Theo, meeting his wife Bess, and beginning a journey towards fame on the Vaudeville circuit. All the while, Harry feels Death close on his heels and he won’t rest until he’s conquered him once and for all. Harry will walk on broken glass, swallow razor blades and risk his life in the Water Torture Cell, but will he pull off an escape from Death? Marvel with us as Houdini battles Death once more.
San Valentino and the Melancholy Kid – (9M 5W) Revenge and forgiveness on the open range. Elliott Dodge hits the trail and begins his adventure with a murder in his plan…
ROSE AND THE RIME – (5M 6W) The fictional Michigan town of Radio Falls has been trapped in a perpetual winter for a generation. Snow and ice coat every tree branch and telephone wire, and the constant blizzard surrounding the town means there’s no way in or out. The last moment of heated passion brought the town its only remaining youth: a girl named Rose. It is up to her to save Radio Falls from the vicious curse of the Rime Witch. But when she succeeds, Radio Falls discovers the witch’s magic coin has two sides… ROSE AND THE RIME is a modern version of The Houses favorite myth – a reminder that anything powerful enough to fulfill your dreams is powerful enough to destroy them
BIO:
Nathan Allen founded The House Theatre of Chicago with friends in the year 2001 and continues to serve as the company’s Artitic Director. He has directed many shows for the house including Death and Harry Houdini (which he also wrote), and The Terrible Tragedy of Peter Pan. Allen’s three-part rock-and-roll opus The Valentine Trilogy as well as his collaborations with writers Chris Mathews and Jake Minton (The Sparrow, Dave DaVinci Saves the Universe, Rose and the Rime) have received praise from the Chicago Tribune, The Chicago Sun-Times, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, NPR and American Theatre Magazine. His directing has been seen on the stages of The House, The Steppenwolf Merle Reskin Garage Theatre, Strawdog Theatre, The Neo-Futurarium, and The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. through the American College Theatre Festival. His work has received acknowledgements from the Joeseph Jefferson Awards, The Orgie Awards, and The American College Theatre Festival. In 2007 he received the Emerging Leader Award from his alma mater Southern Methodist University.