The CollaborAction Theatre Company’s second annual festival of short plays features 16 world premieres, including sketches by David Mamet, Eric Bogosian, Brett Neveu, Regina Taylor, Beth Henley, and Wendy MacLeod. This “progressive mixed-media festival” also features visual art (environmental design by Wesley Kimler as well as a display of drawings by local artists, including Ed Paschke and Tony Fitzpatrick, which will be silently auctioned throughout the festival); DJs creating soundscapes 45 minutes before each performance; and a live video Web broadcast on closing night.
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Sketchbook ‘One takes place at the Viaduct Theater, 3111 N. Western, with shows nightly at 8 PM through March 3; each night features a different program of eight or nine sketches. A closing-night marathon performance of all 16 entries will begin at 6 PM on Sunday, March 4; at this show, the sketches will be judged by a panel of dramaturges, agents, casting directors, and other industry professionals as well as artists in various media. Tickets are $15 for all shows except the March 4 closing performance, which is $25 (the price includes a closing-night party). Festival passes, which cost $25, offer admission to all shows except the closing night. For more information, call 312-409-2741 or visit the festival Web site at
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22
Paper Thin
Two male movie grips, one older and one younger, engage in a bull session. Sounds like David Mamet? That’s because he wrote it. Jim Dennen directs.
Laugh and the World Might Not
Scenes From the New World
