Workshop of Ian Ornstein's A VIRGIN DEATH to be Presented by A Theater in the Dark This Month

A Theater in the Dark Producing Artistic Director is directing a showcase production of a new contemporary drama, A VIRGIN DEATH, by Chicago playwright Ian Ornstein. A VIRGIN DEATH tenderly explores the ways grief can both connect and isolate us. Years after a tragic loss, five friends in their twenties gather again to tell stories and jokes. Old feelings emerge while others are pushed down. They attempt, with varying degrees of success, to move forward. A VIRGIN DEATH is about accepting the gap in our lives and seeing the humanity in others.

A VIRGIN DEATH has a limited showcase run at the Athenaeum Center (2936 N Southport Ave Chicago, IL 60657) in its Blackbox Studio B stage. Tickets are $20 and may be purchased at the door or at
https://athenaeumcenter.org/events/2022/a-virgin-death/. Pre-sale code of OBJECT may be applied online for $15 tickets. Shows are 8pm Thursday October 20, 8pm Friday October 21, 8pm Saturday October 22, and 7pm Sunday October 23.

The cast of A VIRGIN DEATH includes Zoe Agapinan (The Second City, Annoyance Theater), Nick Castellanos (The Second City), Julia Rowley (The Factory Theatre, CHICAGO MED), Levi Welch (Victory Gardens Theatre), and Nick Wilson (iO, The Second City)
BIOS

Corey Bradberry

(Director, Co-Producer) is a Chicago-based director and producer, Producing Artistic Director of A Theater in the Dark, and a Faculty Member at the Second City Training Center. Most recently, Corey directed and produced A Theater in the Dark's summer comedy A MATTER OF RED HERRINGS after serving as Production Manager for A Red Orchid Theatre's hits THE MOORS and LAST HERMANOS. This past summer, Corey directed SHIPWRECKED!: AN ENTERTAINMENT at Oil Lamp Theatre which won 2021 Broadway World Chicago Awards for "Best Director", "Best Play", and "Best Production". Corey's audio play A WHITE WHALE, which he wrote and directed, won top prizes at the 2021 Atlanta Audio Fringe Festival and Thornhill Theatre Festival; and also directed A Theater in the Dark's hit original audio play A WAR OF THE WORLDS. Corey has assistant directed with major institutions including the Second City and Atlanta's Alliance Theatre. Corey is a 2015 Kennedy Center National Directing Fellow and was awarded the 2013 Emerging Artist Award from the City of Atlanta's Office of Cultural Affairs. Education: M.F.A. Directing; B.A. Theatre & Performance Studies. Additional Training: Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre, Second City Advanced Directing program. IG: @corey.bradberry. Twitter: @bradbearbee. www.coreybradberry.com

Ian Ornstein

(Playwright, Producer) is a Chicago-based writer and performer. He's thrilled to present A VIRGIN DEATH as his first full-length play, having written one-acts, stories, scenes, songs, and essays before. As for performance, he focuses on longform improv with highlights fair dinkum (CiC Theater), BOOTS (Annoyance Theater, iO, various), and Helium (NOW Improv). He's overwhelmed with gratitude for Corey's help in turning his words into a fully realized production. He would also like to thank the cast for their wonderful talent in bringing the words alive. It's thrilling to see the text blossom in such capable artistic hands. Lastly, he would like to thank you for reading. It's easy to skim these bios - at some point facts about people can just blend together, but you, unfazed by the 7 sections ahead of you, read each paragraph with care! You can't follow him on social media, but you can join his quarterly email list at https://tinyurl.com/ioquarterly where scenes of this play were first shared.

Zoe Agapinan

(Amelia) is a California-born and Chicago-based actor, writer and High School Musical fan. She graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a B.A. in Theater Arts and a minor in Economics (just in case). She is an alumni of The Second City's Severn Darden Graduate Program, and a 2022 Bob Curry Fellow. Zoe is currently on the road understudying with The Second City's Touring Company. Other performance highlights include SHE THE PEOPLE (The Second City), fair dinkum (CiC Theater), FELT (iO Theater, CiC Theater), and HOLY F*CK COMEDY HOUR (Annoyance Theater). She is represented by Stewart Talent. Follow her on Instagram (@z0three) and TikTok (@thereal_lilzo)!

Nick Castellanos

(Ben) is a Chicago-based actor and writer. He is a graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University (Go Titans) and an alumni of The Second City's Severn Darden Graduate Program. Nick can be seen performing comedy throughout the city and heard as the voice of Mini (Frosted Mini-Wheats) on your TV. When he isn't performing Nick fills his time cooking and brewing beer. Nick is represented by Lily's Talent. Thank you to Ian, Corey, and the cast for creating such a warm and welcoming space to create.

Julia Rowley

(Lexi) is grateful to be playing Lexi in Ian Ornstein's play debut! Julia has appeared in theater, improv, and sketch performances at Theatre Above the Law, Pride Films and Plays, The Factory Theatre, Promethean, Laugh Out Loud Chicago, and The Second City. Film and TV credits include SOUTH SIDE, NEXT, AND CHICAGO MED. She is a graduate of the Black Box Academy of 2016. When not acting, she is giving bike tours through the city of Chicago, meeting with her neighbors for compost club and Friends of the Forest Preserve and writing songs with the help of Bree Gordon (@craftymcschnafty). Julia is represented by NV Talent. She'd like to congratulate Ian for doing the extraordinary work of making it happen, Corey for leading the charge enthusiastically, and the cast for their willingness to listen to her read Dove Chocolate inspirational quotes during read throughs.

Levi Welch

(Cole) is a Chicago-based actor, writer and Swiftie. Originally from Idaho, he recently graduated from Loyola University Chicago with degrees in both theatre and environmental studies. Levi has appeared on the stages of Loyola and Victory Gardens Theatre, highlights including Polaroid Stories (LUC), The Boys and the Nuns (LUC), Speech and Debate (LUC) and If I Forget (VG). He would like to thank Ian, Corey and the entire cast for their generosity, vulnerability and creative spirit. You can find Levi on Instagram (@leviswift13) and Twitter (@leviwelch13).

Nick Wilson

(Emerin) is a comedian/actor/extremely self-taught musician based out of Chicago, Il. He graduated from DePaul University and has yet to truly put his bachelor's degree to good use. He's performed all over Chicago, mostly at iO, CiC, and Second City. His webseries, HAMMERSMITH: HURDLE OF DREAMS, for which he won Best Actor at the Chicago 48HFP, went on to win at Filmapalooza in Paris and screen at the Cannes Film Festival. You can currently see him in his Conservatory Grad Revue shows at the Second City, Mondays through November.
IG: (@wiffleballwilson).