At The Gift, we believe a principle only means something when you stick to it when it's not convenient. That's why, in these trying times, we recommit to new writers. Eight years and nearly 30 plays ago, Gift hunted for the undiscovered gems--the plays that, for whatever reasons, couldn't find a home. We gave them world, midwest, and Chicago premieres at Raven, Chopin, and Victory Gardens and now, snuggled into our Jefferson Park storefront, we return to that principle:

FALL 2009:
The world premiere of ensemble member Jenny Connell's SUMMER PEOPLE.

A thriller set against the rocky coastline of Maine exploring the collision between The Postone family's struggle to hold together and the Iraq war veteran whose demons may rip them apart, SUMMER PEOPLE blends pathos, wit, and sexualities budding and wilting and marks the Gift directorial debut of ensemble member Paul D'Addario and features Gift ensemble members Daniel J. Ahlfeld and Lynda Newton.

SPRING 2010:
The world premiere of Andrew Hinderaker's SUICIDE, INC.

Having enjoyed successful staged readings at Steppenwolf and Chicago Dramatists featuring Gift artistic director Michael Patrick Thornton, SUICIDE, INC. is a seriocomedy set inside the offices of Legacy Letters, a start-up company whose dwindling staff edits their clients' suicide notes. When Jason, a new hire with a determined agenda to save his clients is assigned to lonely and desperate Norm, past and present collide.

These plays now have a home, but they now need your help. I'm asking you today to say yes to new works, new writers, to programming art that is exciting and provocative. When I dared to return to the stage after 9 months of speech therapy, your avalanche of online purchases for The Good Thief spoke volumes and gave me a voice. When we dreamed to move The Last Days of Judas Iscariot to Victory Gardens, your online donations at every level made our re-mount not only possible, but successful. I ask you today to put wind in our sails once again, to help Gift give these plays the premieres they deserve. Because at The Gift, doing new plays we love and believe in weather fair or stormy isn't just part of our story: it's a matter of principle.

Say yes today.

DONATE TODAY!

Yours,

Michael Patrick Thornton
Artistic Director
The Gift Theatre Company
www.TheGiftTheatre.org
"Come Closer."