Rivendell Theatre Ensemble has announced the cast and design team for the world premiere of “Laura and the Sea” by Kate Tarker, with movement and direction by Devon de Mayo.

The cast includes ensemble members Tara Mallen (Laura), Mark Ulrich (Jack), and Paula Ramirez (Mary), with Jordan Arredondo (Joe), Adithi Chandrashekar (Annie), and Alex Gillmor (Stan).

The creative team includes Heather Sparling (lighting design), Tony Churchill (projections), Courtney O’Neill (scenic), Hannah Foersch (sound design), kClare McKellaston (costume design), Jonathan Berg-Einhorn (assistant scenic and properties design), Gaby Sant’Anna (dramaturg and assistant director) and Catherine Allen (production manager).

It’s company outing day, and Laura, one of the top travel agents of her generation, is having the best/worst day of her life. So much so that she decides to end it all. Afterward, her colleagues try to piece things together on a memorial blog, but how do you mourn someone you didn’t know that well? A comedy about depression, or: a treatise on travel agents who don’t travel.

“’Laura and the Sea’ is truly one of the funniest and yet quietly devastating plays I have ever read. I fell in love with the flawed and totally relatable characters that Kate has drawn, and so enjoy how the play delves into our rarely-examined relationships at our jobs—the people we work with every day, spend so much of our time with—yet sometimes don’t really know at all. Collaborating with Kate on this quirky and structurally innovative world premiere with Devon de Mayo at the helm, presents an exciting challenge and we cannot wait to begin the process,” comments Artistic Director Tara Mallen.

“Laura and the Sea” runs October 25 – December 8 at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, 5779 N. Ridge Avenue in Chicago.