Illusion Theater's 23rd Annual Fresh Ink Series Four Fresh Works Develop This Summer July 8 - July 25, 2010

(Minneapolis, MN) Illusion Theater will continue its award-winning method of developing new works during this summer's 2010 Fresh Ink Series.

The docket for the 23rd year of the Fresh Ink Series once again includes theatrical performances by a group of talented artists whose work is fresh and engaging. Each project will be performed for one weekend during July where audiences will have the opportunity to experience theater at its core. Fresh Ink audiences are an integral part of these new plays, as they are encouraged to give feedback in post-performance discussions about their reactions to the work.

Although Producing Directors Michael Robins and Bonnie Morris never decide on a theme before looking for material for Fresh Ink, they were attracted to this year's selection of plays because all of the central characters are in transition, reflecting on past choices and looking to their futures. The form of each piece is as different as the artists, but the core of each work looks at human experience from unique, poignant, and often times, very funny ways. In addition, Robins and Morris were intrigued to find that the key creators for this year's Series are involved in multiple aspects of their works, one as writer/director and four as writer/performers.

Beauty is a Rare Thing, written and directed by Marion McClinton, kicks off the first weekend of the 2010 Fresh Ink Series. The second weekend features 2 Sugars, Room for Cream written and performed by Carolyn Pool and Shanan Custer with direction by Peter Moore. Two solo pieces in one evening, The 'A' Train written and performed by Sally Roach with direction by Illusion Artistic Associate Beth Gilleland and Unroll Your Skirts and Tuck in Your Shirts, Girls: Tales from Inside the Convent written and performed by Madde Gibba, close the Series' final weekend.

Weekend #1 - July 8, 9 & 10 at 8pm and July 11 at 7pm
Beauty is a Rare Thing
Written & directed by Marion McClinton
Illusion's relationship with McClinton goes back to the early 1990's when he began to shift from acting and directing to writing and directing. Beauty is a Rare Thing is a passionate look at African American experience from an artist who is unafraid to tackle big issues of our times. Morris offers, "Marion's long partnership with August Wilson propelled him to write this chronicle of this African American family, the Maroons, where he writes about the legacy of slavery and the resiliency of the African American spirit."

Descendants of a rebellious free society of former slaves and, then later, leaders in the 1960's Civil Rights Movement, the Maroon family members come together on a death watch for the family matriarch. "I find every part of American life and the truth of American humanity in the story of the former slaves in the land of the free determined to march to inclusion. It is the most American story there is, and the true hope of democracy is always in the eyes of the disenfranchised seeking enfranchisement," says writer/director Marion McClinton. Illusion is pleased to announce that actress Tracie Thoms, best known for her work on the television series Cold Case and her role in the final cast and film version of Rent, will be a member of the Company performing Beauty is a Rare Thing.

Weekend #2 - July 15, 16 & 17 at 8pm and July 18 at 7pm

2 Sugars, Room for Cream
Written & performed by Carolyn Pool & Shanan Custer with direction from Peter Moore
During the recent production of Bill W. & Dr. Bob, Carolyn Pool talked with Robins and Morris about how she, Shanan Custer, and Peter Moore (another frequent Illusion collaborator) wanted to take what they created for the Fringe Festival, develop it further, and finish it.

Pool says, "No matter how bad things get, there's always coffee. Sometimes there's even wine." Pool and Custer write and perform "scenes from life, stuff we think is funny" while Moore directs. This "must-see" at the 2009 Fringe Festival sold out every night and won the encore slot for its venue. One Fringe audience reviewer described it as "Well-crafted, sweet, sassy, and totally delicious!"

Weekend #3 - July 22, 23 & 24 at 8pm and July 25 at 7pm

The 'A' Train
Written & performed by Sally Roach with direction for Beth Gilleland
Illusion Artistic Associate Beth Gilleland saw Sally Roach's work in the Fringe Festival and was excited to work with her to re-shape the material into a full, theatrical event.

Take a ride with Roach on her A-Train with family stops at Asperger's, Alzheimer's, Alcoholism, Al-Anon, Airlines, Anglicans, and Attention Deficits. Sit back, listen to her life, and say "Ahhhhhhh..." Audience members from the 2009 Fringe Festival called the performance "insightful", "brave, poignant, and witty."

Unroll Your Skirts and Tuck in Your Skirts, Girls: Tales from Inside the Convent
Written & performed by Madde Gibba
Madde Gibba first worked with Illusion in the spring of 2009. "She knocked our socks off in Speech & Debate. Now she's bringing the crisp, funny story of her Catholic School education to Fresh Ink," says Morris.

Get the God's-honest truth from a girl who never went to public school. Gibba takes you through the plaid skirts, prayers, and purity of the Catholic School girl of the new millennium. (Hint: They don't all belong in a Britney Spears music video.)

Ticket & Address Information
Single tickets for Beauty is a Rare Thing, 2 Sugars, Room for Cream, and The 'A' Train and Unroll Your Skirts and Tuck in Your Shirts, Girls: Tales from Inside the Convent are $15 and are now on sale, as are Illusion Theater Memberships. 2010 Fresh Ink Series Passes are $30 for all three weekends and are currently on sale. Tickets and Passes are available at the Illusion Theater Box Office at 612-339-4944 or online at www.illusiontheater.org.

The theater is located on the 8th floor in the Hennepin Center for the Arts at 528 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis. The building is on the corner of 6th Street and Hennepin Avenue, just one block from Metro Transit's Hiawatha Light-Rail Line. Construction for the Shubert Theater renovation project will continue throughout the summer, but the doorway to the Hennepin Center for the Arts and Illusion Theater is wide open for Fresh Ink audiences. Everyone is welcome.

About the Fresh Ink Series
Since its beginning, Illusion Theater has been deeply committed to new voices and new work, becoming one of the first Twin Cities theater companies to showcase new plays. The Fresh Ink Series began in 1988 with the intention of giving playwrights the opportunity to develop new ideas in a workshop production. Now in its 23rd year, it continues to be a springboard for new work by artists such as James Still, Marion McClinton, Kim Hines, Allison Moore, Michael Sommers, Beth Gilleland, Peter Rothstein, Russ King, Kent Stephens, Nathan Christopher, and Noah Bremer. Among the Series' recent successes are Jeffrey Hatcher's Three Viewings and Murderers, which have gone on to productions in theaters around the country; Jordan Harrison's Act A Lady, which was produced at the Humana Festival; and Stacey Dinner-Levin's Autistic License, which tours communities each April for Autism Awareness Month.

About Illusion Theater
Illusion Theater was founded in 1974 and presents its season on the 8th floor of the Hennepin Center for the Arts in downtown Minneapolis. Since the beginning, Producing Directors Michael Robins and Bonnie Morris have led Illusion Theater in illuminating the illusions, myths, and realities of our times and in using the power of theater to catalyze personal and social change. In thirty-five years, Illusion has generated over 500 plays, developed thousands of artists, and created ground-breaking educational works. Plays developed at Illusion have been produced in theaters throughout the world. Illusion's work has catalyzed conversations in living rooms, kitchens, coffee houses, and board rooms, and has led to transformations in policy, in organizations, in students, and in individuals.

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