Rightlynd

by Ike Holter

directed by Lisa Portes

Originally produced at Victory Gardens Theater, Chicago, IL

November 9 to December 23, 2018

About the Premiere Production:

Synopsis: Rightlynd is Chicago’s 51st Ward. The L doesn’t run here anymore and it is full of abandoned storefronts, crumbling apartment buildings, and its fair share of crime. A powerful real estate conglomerate is planning a massive redevelopment project that would gentrify the neighborhood and change Rightlynd forever. Only one woman stands in the way: Alderman Nina Esposito. In award-winning local playwright Ike Holter’s ambitious new work, one woman tries to use her street smarts and raw determination to save the Chicago neighborhood she loves. But will the political machine turn her into the very person she is trying to destroy? Lisa Portes (Breach, A Little Bit Not Normal) directs the first play that sets in motion Holter’s ongoing seven play saga set in this fictional Windy City neighborhood; the story cycle that includes previous pieces Exit Strategy, Sender, Prowess, and The Wolf at the End of the Block.

Artistic Statement: Ike Holter is undoubtedly the freshest and boldest theatrical voice of Chicago. Gifted with a tremendous faculty with poetic and muscular language, Ike is an African American playwright who captures characters with brutal honesty. He is passionate about the complexity of human behavior and representing the voices and issues in his community. Rightlynd is Ike’s most ambitious work to date and Victory Gardens is thrilled to introduce our audiences to this fiercely talented writer and to this timely and provocative new play; the latest contribution to the theater's signature Chicago Play Cycle.

Grant Statement: With resources afforded by the Edgerton New American Play Award in support of perfecting the work for its public premiere, Rightlynd is a play that we are confident will go on to have a healthy and remarkable life in the American theater.

Additional funders: The Venturous Theater Fund of the Tides Foundation