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August 25-27
Three performances only
a free workshop presentation of
Jeff and Shelly
by Allen Turner
directed by John Hancock
Playwright Allen Turner paints an elegiac portrait of a marriage over 30 years from first meeting to the present day, both sweet and unsettling as the challenges and rewards of a long term relationship expand and confound his two titualar characters. This is a free workshop directed by acclaimed film and stage director John Hancock (Bang the Drum Slowly, Weeds, California Dreaming)
starring Shane Kenyon, Libby Conkle and Demetri Magas
About the playwright
Allen Turner has written words and music for: Lost and Found," a children's opera, "Esther, the Musical," based on the Book of Esther and "Antigone, the Musical," in which Madeline Albright, the former Secretary of State was cast as Antigone. He performed an autobiographical, one man show, "How I Learned to Play the Piano" for the Chicago Humanities Festival.
He was the Founding Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Victory Gardens Theater and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Goodman Theater. Also, he served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Columbia College Chicago.
Trained as a lawyer and businessman, he held many corporate positions, including as Director of Hyatt Corporation and Chairman of the Boards of McCall's Magazine and American Family Publishers.
40 years ago, he wrote the first act of "Jeff and Shelly." John Hancock, the Director, recently suggested he write a second act which would deal with a time some years later, and incorporate the consequence of an imperfect union.
Director's Statement from John Hancock
“I was attracted to Allen Turner’s play by the shared experience in it -- it’s about a marriage and deals with something that’s happened to most of us: love that begins in hope and is eroded but not extinguished by time and life. Betrayal and how to live with it. How to live with a divided heart? Happened to me in my first marriage, I’m sorry to say, but it’s been a rewarding experience to work with wonderful Chicago actors to bring it to life, or back to life. One of the chief advantages of being in the arts is that no matter what terrible things happen to you, you can turn them into something good.
“I started in the theatre, directed a hit Off-Broadway more than sixty years ago when I was twenty-two, Brecht’s “A Man’s a Man”. I’ve won an Obie and been nominated for an Academy Award. Ran two big regional theatres. My films include “Bang the Drum Slowly” with Robert De Niro, “Weeds” with Nick Nolte, the cult horror film “Let’s Scare Jessica to Death”, and the Christmas classic “Prancer” with Sam Elliott and Chloris Leachman.
“Happy to be returning to my Chicago roots: I grew up in Berwyn and Cicero, and live now (and make independent films!) in Northwest Indiana."