The Factory Theater

THE RAGE CRESCENDOS! Our Rage on the Stage season concludes with the world premiere of the wrestling revenge story TWO OUT OF THREE FALLS written by Bill Daniel and directed by Ashley Yates! Johanna is a wrestler with a thirst for revenge. Thirty years ago, her father, the King Kong Bruiser, was murdered by a fellow fighter. Now she has a chance to pull her father’s killer out of retirement for an exhibition match. Through bouts with her only friend, her coach, and her father’s ghost, she’ll train for a pay-per-view punch-out with destructive intent. Previews: June 4, 5, 6 Opening: June 11 Running: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays (with two special Monday performances!) at 8PM Closing: July 18 Tickets available at TheFactoryTheater.com Poster design by Joe Zanco

FRIENDS AT THE FACTORY! Starting this weekend, our pals Strawdog Theatre Company presents 12 OPHELIAS, Caridad Svich’s groundbreaking play, for the first time in Chicago since 2009. In this play with broken songs, Shakespeare’s Ophelia rises out of the water dreaming of reclaiming her life. She finds herself in a neo-Elizabethan Appalachian setting where Gertrude runs a brothel, Hamlet is a Rude Boy and nothing is what it seems. In this mirrored world of word-scraps and cold sex, Ophelia cuts a new path for herself. Performances begin April 10th and tickets can be purchased at /12ophelias

THEY”RE BACK! Emmitt Socey and Morgan Watkinson are partnering up for their third consecutive Factory show with Two Out of Three Falls. This incredible duo contrasted warm, unsettling organic washes with cold, sterile suburban atmospheres in The Sporting Life. For Kubrickian, they gave us stark, antiseptic floods that gave the characters nowhere to hide. For Two Out of Three Falls, they are pairing the bright spectacle of professional wrestling with the grim seediness of what goes on backstage and in the shadows. See the magic they bring to our stage when Two Out of Three Falls opens June 11. Tickets at thefactorytheater.com.

Like father, like daughter. Come see the resemblance for yourself. We open Thursday, June 11.

Why is Two Out of Three Falls THE show for you to see this summer? Let’s break it down: 1. YOU LOVE WRESTLING: Long-time fans will recognize and revel in the pageantry, the epic stakes, and the onstage AND backstage heat. 2. YOU HATE WRESTLING: This is a show WITH wrestling, not just ABOUT wrestling. Johanna’s struggles with legacy, grief, and ambition will resonate with anyone who had fought to find their place in the world. 3. A CAST THAT BRINGS THE HEAT: Brittany Ellis’ Johanna and Sania Faith’s Meg will raise your hopes and break your heart as they strive to escape their past and build their future. Sam Ramirez brings slow-burn menace as cold-blooded Quinones. Jamaque Newberry’s Olympus delivers a poignant blend of wisdom, resilience, and regret. And Ron Quade, Holly Cerney, and William Hardin will make you boo, laugh, and cheer with their larger-than-life performances. 4. REVENGE IS A DISH BEST SERVED LIVE: Who doesn’t dream about getting even? When you see it up close though, the cracks begin to show, and you realize what is right isn’t as simple as you thought. 5. IT’S AS REAL AS YOU WANT IT TO BE: Bill Daniel perfectly captures the essence of why people find pro-wrestling so compelling: the outcome is pre-determined, but the struggle to get there is 100% real. Two Out of Three Falls opens June 11. Tickets on sale at thefactorytheater.com

TWO OR THREE SCOOPS FOR TWO OUT OF THREE FALLS! Come celebrate the start of summer and the launch of our next Factory classic, Two Out of Three Falls, at Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams in Andersonville on June 1st from 4:00-7:00pm. Indulge in sweet treats with members of the cast and crew, knowing that 25% of the proceeds go to supporting new works like Bill Daniel's tumultuous tale of wrestling and revenge.

Set Designer Manuel Ortiz has some thoughts to share about what's coming up when Two Out of Three Falls opens June 11: "It’s a heartwarming love to see Puerto Rican and Mexican art represented in the Factory Theater. I have always loved designing at the Factory: the trust, the laughter, and the willingness to push boundaries in a small 3/4 thrust. Each show at The Factory has inspired me to think outside the box, embrace those fucking pillars that ALWAYS cause sightline snags and lean into the chaos that is theater. This chaos is what builds community, makes lifelong friends, and lets us forget the rest of the shit in this chaotic world. Even if it’s just for a hard 90 and one 10-minute intermission. Two Out of Three Falls embraces that chaos. It harnesses it into kick-ass fights and knockout performances. This show will make you cry, laugh, and cheer! This theater will show you what it means to embrace theater in its truest and grittiest form. These artists will carry you across the chaos and hold your hand with one hand, with a beer in the other. "

Our upcoming epic, Two Out of Three Falls, is based on the backstage murder of pro wrestler Bruiser Brody. So what was really behind that fateful incident in Bayamon, Puerto Rico in 1988? Playwright Bill Daniel breaks it down.

CHOOSE YOUR FIGHTER! Meet the cast for our Season 31 summer slam TWO OUT OF THREE FALLS by! From left to right, top to bottom: Brittany Ellis - Johanna Goodish SaniaFaith - Meg Bishop Jamaque Newberry - Olympus Montez/Other Host Sam Ramirez - Eduardo Quinones, “El Moreton” Eric Frederickson - Amos Goodish, “King Kong Bruiser" Ron Quade - Jackie Cartwright, Jr. Holly Cerney - Gilda Saxton William Hardin - Tony Voss/Promoter Understudies Jessica Pennachio - Johanna U/S Aneesah Jemei - Meg U/S Gregory Winston - Olympus/Other Host U/S Israel Balza - Quinones U/S Rory Jobst - Bruiser/Cartwright U/S Ellen Campbell - Gilda U/S Michael Oakes - Voss/Promoter U/S We’re ending our Rage on the Stage season with a chair to the head, so get your ticket EARLY! Opening 6/12 and running through 7/18 with Thursday/Friday/Saturday performances at 8PM and sekect Monday performances at 6PM! Full Info+Tix at TheFactoryTheater.com

First rehearsal last night for Two Out of Three Falls, and this team is ready to bring the thunder! Get ready for this Howard Street Slugfest, June 11-July18.

Not. In. Our. House. Our artistic director was on a European honeymoon and our social media manager just had a baby, so apologies for being late to the party on this, y’all. See you on Howard Street for the next one.

Strawdog Theatre Co. and Factory Theatre are the proud recipients of a Signal Grant from the Bayless Family Foundation! The shared grant will support the foundation of RPAC (the Rogers Park Artists’s Cooperative), an exciting collaboration that will establish shared administrative infrastructure for both theatre companies. We are honored for the support and vote of confidence by the Bayless Family Foundation. Stay tuned for more updates on RPAC!