now playing

This Wide Night (a Chicago Premiere)

October 8 – November 13, 2021 at Theater Wit
Press Opening Monday, October 11 at 7:30 pm

Shattered Globe Theatre, in association with Interrobang Theatre Project, is pleased to welcome back audiences this fall with the Chicago premiere of Chloë Moss’s drama This Wide Night, directed by ITP Artistic Director Georgette Verdin. Tickets go on sale Wednesday, September 1, 2021.

Lorraine, released from prison after twelve years inside, treks to her former cellmate Marie’s new flat. Marie, dodgy and ashamed of their shared past, hesitates to welcome her back into her life. But no one makes Marie laugh like Lorraine. Can two friends, uniquely bonded by their former circumstances, find belonging in each other once more? This gutsy story of female friendship and winner of the 2009 Susan Smith Blackburn prize is inspired by real accounts of women in a UK prison. This Wide Night holds and humanizes two formerly incarcerated women in an isolated studio that may or may not be equipped for real freedom.

“The simple beauty of this play is that it hints at a better tomorrow, and the potential for photos to begin replacing the blank spaces on the wall”

— Jerald Pierce, Chicago Tribune

This Wide Night contains brief discussions of the following sensitive topics: incarceration, domestic violence and homicide. There are allusions to past suicide attempts and sexual assault, in addition to a short depiction of violence and intermittent alcohol consumption. 

PRESS

“… what stands out immediately in this intimate two-hander is how the threat of solitude plays on these two women, with director Georgette Verdin’s direction highlighting the stark differences between when these women are together versus when they even sniff the potential of being left alone … Both of them have found themselves completely alone in the outside world. Moss’s script and Verdin’s direction skillfully balance these notes against flashes of what could be.
Recommended
”

— Jerald Pierce (Chicago Tribune, October 13, 2021)

“Moss wrote her play based on women she met as a volunteer at a British prison. It got a New York production in 2010, starring Edie Falco and Alison Pill. But Georgette Verdin’s staging requires no star power. Instead, Verdin, Peck, and Reiter skillfully build the relationship between Marie and Lorraine out of shards of revelations.
… this production carefully and subtly limns the everyday aggravations of too-close-for-comfort living arrangements, as well as the, well, comfort we derive from knowing at least one person is around to witness our life.
Moss doesn’t give us any sure answers. There are none to be found. But the stellar and raw performances of Peck and Reiter linger as the weak light of morning spills through the one window Marie and Lorraine have to the outside world.
Highly Recommended
”

— Kerry Reid (Chicago Reader, October 13, 2021)

“Georgette Verdin, Interrobang Theatre Project’s talented Artistic Director, deftly collaborates with Shattered Globe Theatre to tell a gorgeous, heartbreaking story that feels perfect for our times. Seldom do either of these theatre companies disappoint, and this production, their re-entrance into the much-awaited world of live theatre in Chicago, is as strong as ever …
In addition to Georgette Verdin’s incredibly sensitive direction, the production boasts a stark, naturalistic scenic design by Sotirios I. Livaditis, Trey Brazeal’s moody, atmospheric lighting and a perfect original music and a dismal sound design by Christopher Kriz. This production is a positive must-see. It’s a moving portrait of desperation and loneliness, survival and friendship. Elise Kauzlaric has worked magic with her two actresses, providing authentic dialect instruction and coaching that will convince audiences that these two women are truly British, teetering on the brink of hopelessness.
Linda Reiter, a multi-Jeff Award winner, is nothing short of magnificent as Lorraine … As a lower class British woman who’s served time for murder, she molds Lorraine into a gift for the audience to experience. In Ms Reiter’s capable hands, Lorraine is a lady filled with optimism, real or forced, with a definite joy for living that most of us would find impossible, under the circumstances. … Ms Reiter’s earnest portrayal is always consistent, multi-layered and constantly surprising us at every turn …
Aila Ayilam Peck is incredible as Marie … Here Ms Peck shows two sides of a young woman for whom survival is constantly a slippery slope. She’s both tough as nails and vulnerable as a child, but always truthful and deserving of our empathy.
Highly Recommended
”

— Colin Douglas (Chicago Theatre Review, October 14, 2021)

“… thanks to these two gifted actors and director Georgette Verdin’s determination to help them find any source of humor they can mine in their characters’ otherwise bleak lives as they cling together to ward off their loneliness, we grow to care for these women.
Highly Recommended
”

— Karen Topham (Chicago On Stage, October 13, 2021)

“… our passport to this instant immersion in a world is delivered to us by the outstanding performances of both many time Jeff Award-winning Linda Reiter (Lorraine) and Aila Ayilam Peck (Marie). With unfailingly perfect lower class British accents, they both bring nuance to every line and scene. Tears, terror, addiction, all—the emotional terrain that these two women inhabit becomes our mindset too. We are so bonded we could have each been the third mate in their prison cell …
This is a top pick for anyone who admires seeing world class talented actors at the top of their game. Director Georgette Verdin and the creative team are pitch-perfect in keeping our focus on the two characters of the story, giving us a chance to see these two superlative actresses at work.
Highly Recommended
”

— Amy Munice (Picture This Post, October 14, 2021)

The Artists

CAST

Aila Ayilam Peck (Marie)
Linda Reiter (Lorraine)
E. M. Davis (US Marie)
Amy j. Johnson (US Lorraine)

PRODUCTION TEAM

Georgette Verdin*, director
Chloë Moss, playwright
Sotirios Livaditis, scenic design
LaVisa Williams, costume design
Trey Brazeal, lighting design
Christopher Kriz, original music and sound design
Rachel Watson, props design
Gaby Labotka, fight director and intimacy director
Elise Kauzlaric, dialect coach
Mason-Vivit Consulting Group, EDI consultants
Alexis Ward, assistant director and covid compliance officer
Richie Vavrina*, production manager
Nick Chamernik, master electrician
Tina M. Jach, stage manager
Becca Smith, assistant stage manager

ITP STAFF

Georgette Verdin*, artistic director
Elana Elyce*, artistic producer
Zoë Verdin*, creative director & graphic designer
Jon-Paul Schaut*, digital media director
Laura Berner Taylor*, literary manager
Sarah Gise*, casting coordinator
Nancy Payne*, marketing associate
Christopher Aaron Knarr*, box office manager & production artist

Press Relations by David Rosenberg

*Denotes Interrobang Theatre Project Ensemble Member, Staff or Artistic Associate

Artist BIOS

GEORGETTE VERDIN, Director

Georgette Verdin is a Cuban-American freelance director, theatre and speech educator, arts integration specialist and the Managing Artistic Director of Interrobang Theatre Project. Recent directing credits include Tribes (Nina Raine) at Western Michigan University, Jeff recommended productions of Out of Love (U.S. Premiere, Elinor Cook), Grace and Recent Tragic Events (Craig Wright) and Time Stands Still (Donald Margulies), as well as the 2013 & 2016 Yale Drama Series winners, Still (Jen Silverman) and Utility (Emily Schwend). Georgette has also worked with Goodman Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre, Facility Theatre and Chicago Dramatists, among others. Georgette holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Performance from McNeese State University in Lake Charles, LA and a Master in Directing from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. She is an associate member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.

CHLOE MOSS, Playwright

Chloë Moss is an accomplished playwright and screenwriter. Her celebrated play This Wide Night 2008/2009 (Clean Break, Soho) won the prestigious Susan Smith Blackburn prize and was subsequently produced off Broadway, starring Edie Falco. Chloë has written numerous other shows including The Gatekeeper 2012 (Royal Exchange Theatre), Fatal Light 2010/2011 (Soho Theatre), Catch 2006 (Royal Court), How Love is Spelt 2002 (Bush Theatre & New York’s Summer Play Festival) and Christmas is Miles Away 2005/2006(Bush Theatre and off Broadway). Site-specific work includes I Do (for Dante or Die theatre company/ Almeida Theatre festival then touring 2013/14), Handle with Care (Touring production with Dante or Die 2016) and Sweatbox (Clean Break theatre for Latitude Festival 2015 and toured UK Autumn 2019). Chloë has also written extensively for television. Credits include Six Wives (BBC One) Dickensian (BBC One), New Tricks (BBC One) The Smoke (Sky1) and Prisoners’ Wives (BBC One). She has also written Care, a single drama for Warp Films and Sky Arts, and an original series Switch, co-written with Tim Price (ITV2).

AILA AYILAM PECK, Marie

Aila Peck is excited to be back on stage with Shattered Globe where she has been an Artistic Associate since her debut in Five Mile Lake. Other Chicago credits include: Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley (Northlight), Birdland (Steep), The Royal Society of Antarctica (The Gift), 1984 (Steppenwolf for Young Adults). Regional credits include: The Who and the What (Huntington), Doll’s House, Twelfth Night (American Players’ Theatre), Proof, Brahman/i: a One Hijra Stand Up Show (Kitchen Theatre), Macbeth, You Never Can Tell, Cyrano de Bergerac (Montana Shakespeare in the Parks). Aila holds a BFA from North Carolina School of the Arts and is a proud graduate of School at Steppenwolf class of 2016. She is represented by Gray Talent Group.

LINDA REITER, Lorraine

Linda Reiter was last seen on the Shattered Globe stage as Jennifer in The Realistic Joneses. She has been a proud ensemble member for 30 years and has appeared in over 40 productions. Linda has received a total of 7 Jeff awards and an additional 7 nominations. Other Chicago credits include Rose (The Greenhouse Theater) Jeff Award for Solo Performance; Shakespeare in Love (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); The Testament of Mary, Immoral Imperatives, and Flyovers (Victory Gardens Theater); Lettice & Lovage (Court Theatre); Arcadia (Remy Bumppo Theatre); Marriage Play (Goodman Theatre). Linda's TV credits include Fargo, Chicago Med, Chicago PD, and The Beast. Her voice can be heard on over 30 episodes of The Twilight Zone Radio Dramas. Linda is represented by Paonessa Talent Agency and is a member of the AEA, and the SAG/AFTRA.

E. M. DAVIS, Understudy for Marie

E. M. Davis is a GNC/NB actor who is very excited to be working on this collaborative process between Shattered Globe and Interrobang! They are the Artistic Director of Broken Nose Theatre, where they’ve performed in the Jeff Award-winning productions of Girl in the Red Corner, Plainclothes, and At the Table; they’ve also appeared in Labyrinth, A Phase, My First Time, and numerous iterations of Bechdel Fest. Recent credits include Promethean Theatre (Best Ensemble Jeff Nomination - Blue Stockings), Eclipse Theatre, The New Coordinates, New American Folk Theatre, Lyric Opera, Strawdog, and American Blues, among others. TV credits include 4400 on the CW, as well as the Amazon Prime short-form comedy series Squid. As a playwright, they’ve had their work performed at Steppenwolf 1700, First Floor Theater, Broken Nose, and Arc Theatre, while their play A Phase has been taught at the University of Chicago. They are also an ensemble member of The Factory Theater and are represented by Big Mouth Talent Agency.

AMY J. JOHNSON, Understudy for Lorraine

Amy Johnson is delighted to be back in the theatre working with !nterrobang and for the first time with Shattered Globe Theatre. She was honored with a Jeff Award for Best Actress in a Play for her work in Falling (!nterrobang Theatre Project). Other Chicago credits include: Oxy, Ohio (the side project), My Other Full Time Job (Erasing the Distance), and Mercury Fur (Ex-Pats Theatre Co.), among others. She has appeared on Empire (Fox) and in Final Witness (ABC). A native of Hastings, Nebraska, Amy received her MFA in Acting from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.