Pictured: Rachel Bonds and Will Snider.

Shattered Globe Theatre has announced the line-up and partial casting for the three Chicago premieres that make up its 2017-18 season.

James Still

The season begins in the fall with Pulitzer Prize nominee James Still’s THE HEAVENS ARE HUNG IN BLACK, a theatrical rendering of Abraham Lincoln’s struggle as a man of conscience to lead a divided country. Directed by SGT Ensemble Member Louis Contey, the Chicago premiere will feature Lawrence Grimm as Abraham Lincoln and SGT Ensemble Member Linda Reiter as Mary Todd Lincoln.

Shattered Globe’s season continues in the winter with Rachel Bonds’ new play FIVE MILE LAKE directed by Cody Estle, and concludes in the spring with the Chicago premiere of Will Snider’s HOW TO — USE A KNIFE, directed by SGT Producing Artistic Director Sandy Shinner.

“Shattered Globe is excited to present three Chicago premieres with all three playwrights – Rachel Bonds, Will Snider and James Still – involved in the productions. This is a first for SGT,” comments Shinner. “The central characters in their plays are all caught in a particularly critical moment in time – political, personal or professional: Abraham Lincoln still mourning his young son, a small town woman with larger dreams, and a chef climbing back from addiction are all ready to make a change. Their worlds are about to undergo seismic shifts.”

Shattered Globe Theatre’s 2017-18 Season (from the press release):

September 7 – October 21, 2017
THE HEAVENS ARE HUNG IN BLACK
By James Still
Directed SGT Ensemble Member Louis Contey*
Featuring feature SGT Ensemble Members Kelsey Melvin, Linda Reiter, Drew Schad, Brad Woodard and SGT Artistic Associate Darren Jones, with Don Bender, Zach Bloomfield, Jennifer Cheung, Lawrence Grimm, Kate Harris, Tim Kough and Tim Newell. Additional casting to be announced.

Presented for the first time in the “Land of Lincoln,” THE HEAVENS ARE HUNG IN BLACK is James Still’s personal interpretation on the months leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s signing of The Emancipation Proclamation. This theatrical epic explores Lincoln’s humanity, conscience and leadership through the troubled times of 1862 – as dreams of his famous adversaries and unnamed soldiers walk through his waking life. Sprinkled with text pulled from Lincoln’s prolific letters and speeches, this play explores the heart of the man who led America in a war that we’re still fighting today.

January 11 – February 24, 2018
FIVE MILE LAKE
By Rachel Bonds
Directed by Cody Estle

In a style reminiscent of Chekhov, five friends approaching thirty try to navigate the emotional undercurrents of unrequited love, loss and possibility. The unexpected return of a sibling sets in motion an inadvertent winter reunion in their small Pennsylvania town. This is the kind of claustrophobic town that kids grow up to leave, but not everyone feels the same way. These old high school friends each aspire to make the right choice, and come face-to-face with the choices they have already made.

April 26 – June 9, 2018
HOW TO — USE A KNIFE
By Will Snider
Directed by SGT Producing Artistic Director Sandy Shinner*

In the chaotic kitchen of a Wall Street restaurant, Chef George is trying to stay sober and keep the trash talking cross-cultural kitchen staff churning out orders on time. While managing two Guatemalan line cooks, a pot smoking white busboy and dealing with a jerk of a boss, George strikes up a surprising friendship with a reserved Ugandan dishwasher. Raw, fast paced and suspenseful, HOW TO — USE A KNIFE boils over when personal and moral issues from their pasts are exposed. This high energy drama is fresh off a rolling world premiere shared by four theaters in the National New Play Network.

The full 2017-18 Season will be presented at Shattered Globe’s resident home, Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago. For more information visit shatteredglobe.org.