The Theatre School Showcase, DePaul University, presents the world premiere of THE SACRED ART OF SELF-DECORATION by Louise Rozett as the second production of the 1997-98 season. The play is directed by James Ostholthoff and runs November 7 - 23, 1997 (previews 11/5 & 11/6) at the Victory Gardens Studio, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. To purchase tickets, call the Victory Gardens Box Office at (773) 871-3000.

The Sacred Art of Self-Decoration marks several Theatre School firsts. It is the first-ever Showcase presentation of a play created through the school's Playwriting Program. It is also the first Showcase production since 1989 to be presented in a location other than DePaul's Merle Reskin Theatre, thus providing students new performance and design experience. "This collaboration among the different departments of The Theatre School is exciting," says Dean Corrin, head of the Playwriting Program. "Actors and designers are faced with interesting new challenges, and Chicago has a tremendous opportunity to see a young playwright's work fully realized."

The play centers on the complicated relationships between a university professor, Jake Lamont, and three women in his life: his pregnant wife, a colleague with whom he is intimate and a graduate student. As his wife grows more and more distressed about the future, the paths of the three women cross, leading them to question their relationships with Jake and to examine their responsibility to themselves and each other.

Playwright LOUISE ROZETT says The Sacred Art of Self-Decoration is an effort to explore the complexity of relationships and to understand the role of gender in men's and women’s interpretations of commitment. A native New Englander with a B.A. in Psychology from Vassar College, Ms. Rozett received her M.F.A. in Acting from The Theatre School in 1997. During her three years in the Acting Program, she also pursued writing as a student in Playwriting Seminar each academic quarter. Under the guidance of Mr. Corrin, she wrote several pieces and saw them read and produced at Chicago Dramatists Workshop and The Strawdog Theatre. Among other achievements, Ms. Rozett is the winner of the state-wide Connecticut Young Playwright’s Award in 1988.

Director JAMES OSTHOLTHOFF is head of the Directing Program and a professor of Acting and Directing at The Theatre School. He served as chair of the theatre department at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, where he directed several productions and was co-founder of the Oregon Free Street Theatre. Interest in the work of Jerzy Grotowski led Mr. Ostholthoff to associations with Grotowski and his company in the United States, and in 1979, he traveled to Poland as a member of Grotowski’s paratheatric Tree of People Project. His Chicago credits include Soap Opera by Ralph Pape, Jazzmo!, an experimental movement piece that performed at Cotton Chicago, and the U.S. premiere of Slawomir Mrozek’s A Summer’s Day at Eclipse Theatre Company. He received his M.F.A. in Directing from the Goodman School of Drama in 1971 and has directed Six Characters in Search of an Author, Offending the Audience, Guns and Mother Courage and her Children, among many others, for The Theatre School.

The Sacred Art of Self-Decoration features scenic design by NOELLE C.K. HATHAWAY, costume design by LINDY RUSSELL, lighting design by ANNE COMPTON and sound design by JEFFREY WEBB.

The play runs November 7 - 23, 1997 (previews 11/5 & 11/6). Performances are Wednesday through Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. A post-show discussion is scheduled on Thursday, November 13.

Ticket prices are $6 - $10. Student, senior (over 60), DePaul employee and DePaul alumni discounts are available. Performances are held at the Victory Gardens Studio, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Discount parking is available at the Children’s Memorial Hospital garage. To purchase tickets, call the Victory Gardens Box Office at (773) 871-3000.

SPECIAL EVENT: The Theatre School announces a group discussion entitled "Presenting New Plays" on Wednesday, November 12 at the Cortelyou Commons Building, 2324 N. Fremont St., on DePaul's Lincoln Park campus. The discussion will center on the development and production of new plays from the perspective of the institutional theatre and the individual artist. Featured guests will be Susan V. Booth, Director of New Play Development at the Goodman Theatre; Anna Shapiro, Director of the New Plays Lab at Steppenwolf Theatre Company; Sandy Shinner, Associate Artistic Director of Victory Gardens Theater; and Russ Tutterow, Artistic Director of Chicago Dramatists Workshop. To receive an invitation to the discussion, and for more information, call (773) 325-7938.

The Theatre School, DePaul University, was founded as the Goodman School of Drama in 1925 and is a member of the League of Chicago Theaters, the Illinois Arts Alliance and the Illinois Alliance for Arts Education.