Jackalope Theatre, a company founded and led by alumni and former students of the Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department, presents the Chicago premiere of The Smuggler, starring Jackalope cofounder Andrew Burden Swanson, a former student in the Columbia College Theatre Department’s Acting program. The show runs February 16 through March 16 at the Chicago Park District’s Berger Park Coach House, located at 6205 N. Sheridan in Chicago’s north-side Edgewater/Andersonville Theatre District. Student discounts are available. For tickets, click here.
Andrew Burden Swanson (Photo: Joel Maisonet)
The Smuggler is a “thriller in rhyme” written for a single actor. Swanson plays Tim Finnegan, a clever and enterprising Irish immigrant tending bar on the island of Amity, an affluent summer enclave off the coast of Massachusetts. When his child falls ill and he loses his job, Finnegan is drawn into the dark world that exists only in the shadows of the wealthy island.
Gus Menary
Isaac-Jay Pineda
Claire Sangster
The Smuggler is directed by Jackalope cofounder Gus Menary, also a former Columbia College Theatre Department student. Columbia College alums Isaac-Jay Pineda ’19 and Claire Sangster ’12, both graduates of the Theatre Department’s BA Program in Theatre Design, are the show’s costume designer and lighting designer respectively.
Kaiser Ahmed
“We’re thrilled to announce the first play in Jackalope’s 16th season, housed at Chicago Park District’s Berger Park Coach House,” says Columbia College alum Kaiser Ahmed ’08, a graduate of the Theatre Department’s Theatre Directing program, who is Jackalope’s cofounder and artistic director. “The Smuggler is a hypnotic and lyrical feat that’s been making its way around the country in recent seasons. I know our audiences will be charmed and challenged by the questions of citizenship this one-man show explores. After a challenging and transformative year, we’re building momentum in a new era for our company. By producing in Edgewater at Berger Park Coach House and operating at Loyola Park, we are strengthening connections to our community while expanding our neighborhood footprint.”
