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WORLD PREMIERE play BY SHANNON O’NEILL.
FEBRUARY - MARCH 2019 @ THE FACTORY THEATER, CHICAGO

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RECOMMENDED! An Irish blessing... An exemplary work that leaves much room for humor and hope. This calm and order dissipate as we become acquainted with the ensemble of ten who bustle through in an expertly crafted opening montage that takes up every inch of the stage.
— Yasmin Zacaria Mikhaiel, Chicago Reader
There are a lot of different [settings], which can make it difficult on the director. However, “May The Road Rise Up” got a good one. Even with the intimate scale of the Factory Theater, Jeff Award-winning Director Spenser Davis makes full use of the stage, moving seamlessly from scene to scene (with the aid of some fantastic lighting work by David Goodman-Edberg) so much I found myself remarking how well he pulled it off.
— Rick Copper, Northwest Herald

JEFF AWARD NOMINEE FOR BEST NEW PLAY

On the eve of his grandfather’s birthday, Michael Murphy steps off the bus into his hometown with only the clothes on his back and his guitar. A happy reunion with family and friends threatens to collapse under the weight of his long-buried guilt and the plague of the past on his family.

Shannon O’Neill’s newest play asks if a community can rebuild from unspeakable tragedy, or does running away create its own monsters?

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Beautifully realized... Davis manages both the traffic and the emotions well... [the central] birthday party scene [is] one of the least-stagey, most organic-feeling group gatherings in recent storefront-theater memory
— Kris Vire, Storefront Rebellion
Director Spenser Davis orchestrates this dramedy with authenticity... skillfully balances the serious and the playful. The relationships feel real...
— Katy Walsh, The Fourth Walsh
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! A breath of fresh air... Davis is brilliant at keeping focus where it ought to be... helps these actors to paint each of these people with verisimilitude and grace while keeping the play moving at a fast pace.
— Karen Topham, Chicago Onstage
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CAST:
Patty | LORETTA REZOS
Michael | VIC KULIGOSKI
Danny | PATRICK BLASHILL
Ruby | JULIA ROWLEY
Sam | JOSE CERVANTES
Rosie | BOB PANTALONE
Andy | SCOT WEST
Don | ZACH BLOOMFIELD
Evelyn | MAGGIE CAIN
Mr. Bommer | RON QUADE
Patty u/s | JESSICA GOFORTH
Michael u/s | MATTHEW JOHNSTON
Danny u/s | KEVIN O’BRIEN
Ruby u/s | MORGEN KERIAN
Sam u/s | TOPHER LEON
Rosie u/s | CARTER CALDWELL
Andy u/s | GLENN GARRABRANT
Don u/s | JEFFREY HOGE
Evelyn u/s | LORRAINE FREUND

CREATIVE TEAM:
SHANNON O’NEILL
| Playwright
SPENSER DAVIS | Director
BRITTNEY BROWN | Assistant Director
DANIEL PARSONS | Stage Manager, Weeks 1 & 2
STEPHANIE E. INGRAM | Stage Manager, Weeks 3, 4 & 5
MICHAEL FRAZEL | Technical Director
EMMA CULLIMORE | Costume Designer
SHANE MURRAY-CULLMORE | Dialect Coach
MANDY WALSH | Fight Choreographer & Intimacy Coach
DAVID GOODMAN-EDBERG | Lighting Designer
C.W. VAN BAALE | Master Electrician
GREG CALDWELL | Production Manager
CHRISTINE JENNINGS | Props Designer
EVAN FRANK | Scenic Designer
TONY INGRAM | Sound Designer
JASON MOODY | Graphic Designer
MICHAEL COURIER | Production Photographer
MARK MANDEVILLE | “May the Road Rise,” original songwriter