CHICAGO: Haven Theatre, newly branded simply as Haven, has announced its 2019-20 season, featuring five plays to be staged at the Den Theatre‘s Janet Bookspan Theatre.
“Haven is very excited to bring this season to Chicago,” artistic director Ian Damont Martin said in a statement. “It’s the first season with our new team, complete with a fresh new logo and brand identity, which effectively captures this moment in our evolution and our collective vision for the future. Each of these productions, in their own distinct ways, reckon with the contemporary world before us, which can oftentimes feel alienating and polarizing. As artists at large consider our responsibility in this context, Haven aims to at least make space for artists and audiences alike to unpack our questions and experiences in the safety and community of the theatre. These productions feel incredibly timely and necessary today, each standing as individual examples of what a ‘new canon’ for the American theatre could include. As our company continues to evolve, the work of this upcoming season will put us one solid step closer to the ‘social profit’ we at Haven endeavor to cultivate in our community.”
Opening the season will be the Director’s Haven program (Oct. 14-30, 2019), which gives early-career directors the opportunity to receive mentoring in order to fully stage a production. Lauren Katz, Aaron Mays, and AJ Schwartz will each direct a short play of their choosing.
Continuing the season will be Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus (Feb. 13-March 15, 2020), directed by Ian Damont Martin.
Closing the season will be the world premiere of Samantha Behr’s The Fig And The Wasp (July 2-August 2, 2020). The dystopian play centers around the theme of hopelessness, which manifests itself as a diagnosed disease. Haven’s associate artistic director, Josh Sobel, will direct.
Haven is a theatre company focused on championing future playwrights, directors and actors, investing in them from the beginning of their professional journeys.
