NOVEMBER 7, 2022 (CHICAGO) – Playwright, lyricist, and director Austin Lamewona premieres in Chicago “The Underground” In Concert, a workshop performance of an original play with music to be performed at 8 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20 in the Venus Cabaret Theater at the Mercury Theater Chicago. Tickets for the special event are $20 per patron and available for purchase at undergroundplaywithmusic.com.

The Underground is a two-part play with music, with book, lyrics, and poetry by Austin Lamewona, music by Brooke Vespoli, and additional compositions by Maya Stockman. Directed by Lamewona and music direction led by Chicago artist and cast member Jamie Redwood, The Underground follows a group of musicians who desperately attempt to revive their dying artform. They collaborate with a group of poets and open a school for music. But when they are unable to recruit anyone to join, they learn that there are much more powerful forces actively working against them.

“I am incredibly thrilled to bring this play to life with such a talented group of Chicago theatre artists and creatives for our regional premiere,” said playwright and director Lamewona. “This show speaks to the role art can play even when it is not always valued as an essential way to influence culture and foster community.”

Austin Lamewona is a multi-faceted playwright, lyricist, and poet based in Chicago. He enjoys finding creative ways to self produce original shows. Recent projects include The Octets Ohio Tour, a five-city touring production of the original musical Octets, and founding an independent theatre company called New Wave at Miami University. Other writing credits include Next, a three-act play published with Off The Wall Plays, and A Night with the Dream Keeper, which won the 2016 Against the Grain International Student Playwriting Competition, in addition to a five-show run at the Cincinnati Fringe Festival.

The Underground originally premiered in February 2020 at Miami University in Oxford, OH, in which a small group of students presented a staged reading of the play followed up by a feedback session for audience input to continue workshopping the script. In absence of live theatre throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Lamewona also produced a video series of The Underground that featured a virtual cast of actors and creatives from across the U.S. 

The Venus Cabaret Theater is located at Mercury Theater Chicago (3745 N Southport Ave, Chicago, IL 60613). For more information about Mercury Theater Chicago, venue parking, and public transportation options, please visit mercurytheaterchicago.com. 

For more information about “The Underground” In Concert, please visit undergroundplaywithmusic.com.

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Michael Smith

michael@twoelevenmgmt.com