World Premiere
May 12– June 20, 2015
Written by Andrew Burden Swanson
Directed by Gus Menary
Featuring: Will Kiley, Scot West, Malcolm Callan, Patrick Whalen, Janna Bridgeton, Darci Nalepa, Sasha Smith, Jeannie Affelder, Robert Koon, Charlie Strater, Mike Hamilton, Kaiser Ahmed, Jessie D. Prez, and J.P. Pierson​
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Jackalope Theatre Company presents the latest brainchild of resident playwright Andrew Burden Swanson. LUNACY! imagines a madcap 1969 in which the conspiracy theorists may have been right. Kennedy guaranteed a man on the moon by the end of the decade, and NASA is running out of time to fulfill the promise that will awe the world and unite a nation. July 15: A young physicist reports for duty at MGM Borehamwood Studios. The mission at hand? Film a simulated moon landing that the whole world will fall for. With a young Donald Rumsfeld in the director’s chair; CIA agents in the roles of our space-bound heroes and the whole of Stanley Kubrick’s cinematic technology at their fingertips, what could possibly go wrong? Perfectionists in both science and art unite to reinforce American ambition, reinvigorate a sense of wonder, and inspire through knowledge of possibility- however unfathomable it may seem.
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"Jackalope Theatre pulls off fake moon landing...For a small company like Jackalope — which deservedly won the League of Chicago Theatre's emerging theater award Monday night — this kind of show represents admirable ambition"
Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
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"Fascinatingly funny!"
Time Out Chicago
"Conspiracy theories never add up, but they do have their pleasures. Just so with Andrew Burden Swanson's crypto-historical comedy"
Chicago Reader
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"Conspiracy theorists with a sense of humor are ready-made for this audience...enough silly moments to keep everyone entertained."
The Times of Indiana and Illinois
"Ludicrously watchable!"
Newcity Stage
"Lunacy benefits tremendously from the good-natured energy that Jackalope exudes... admirably consistent...Characteristic of this adventurous company, the behind-the-scenes work is ambitious."
Chicago Stage Standard
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