The original drama “Pale Dream” advances Chicago Street Theatre’s reputation for venturing into the realm of bold and challenging works.
Written by company member Matt Pera, the story follows two brothers and how they parted from their youthful dreams.
Set for a Jan. 27 through Feb. 11 run at the Valparaiso venue, “Pale Dream” tells of a homecoming that “brings up numerous emotional questions, as the pair confront the people they’ve become and who it is they might have been,” according to promotional material from the theater troupe.
The world-premiere production tells how a serious health issue that affects the siblings’ father is bringing Russ, the older brother, back home.
Connecting again with brother Doug results in powerful storylines.
“They’ve kind of fallen out of touch,” Pera, a Valparaiso resident, said. “They were very close at one point in their life, and so they’re kind of forced into a situation where they need to deal with each other again, and kind of deal with some of the underlying tensions of their relationship.”
A synopsis from Chicago Street Theatre states that Russ and Doug once bonded through their love of film, “and the desire to make movies together.”
However, they became estranged and branched off into unexpected journeys through life.
Pera said he wants audiences to draw their own messages from his work.
“It’s really up to the person who’s watching it to decide what they take away from it,” the 36-year-old playwright said. “I’m a little careful to call out any specific themes or what the story means to me personally because it’s more about what, I guess, each person that watches the show kind of takes away from it themselves.”
Traci Brant is directing the debut presentation.
“I think I feel the weight of responsibility to the playwright to tell his story clearly,” said Brant, 43.
Although serious in its general tone, Brant said “Pale Dream” is not totally weighed down by a somber atmosphere.
“I definitely think there’s a lot of humor and heart to the play that doesn’t feel heavy all the time,” Brant said.
Intended for mature audiences, “Pale Dream” features “adult content” and “adult language,” according to Brant.
Not child friendly, the play is basically geared toward audience members who are 14 and older, she said.
With roots dating back six decades, Brant’s troupe has been no stranger to new and original presentations that drift from the mainstream.
In a promotional press release, she said a primary mission of Chicago Street Theatre is to “establish a nurturing relationship between artists and the community.”
The director further stated that when “you move forward with developing a talent that’s right in your own backyard, it’s serving that mission in so many ways.”
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The cast of five in “Pale Dream” includes Valparaiso’s Matt McCann in the role of Russ, and Chesterton’s Dean Perrine as Doug.
Valparaiso’s David Pera — the playwright’s father — plays the dad of the Fisher brothers.
Barbara Baker Malangoni of Valparaiso portrays the brothers’ mother, and River Perrine of Chesterton plays Chip.
Additionally, David Pera and River Perrine each take on a second part.
They are in an edgy production that marks a milestone, and a debut, for Matt Pera as a writer in the stage-play format.
“This is the first one that I’ve kind of seen through to this point,” he said. “This is the closest to final as I’ve ever gotten with a script.”
Pera has also written short stories and screenplays, and has long contributed to the Valparaiso troupe that is putting on “Pale Dream.”
He has done marketing work and helped with building sets. Valparaiso audiences have likewise seen him in plays.
Bob Kostanczuk is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
‘Pale Dream’
Where: Chicago Street Theatre, 154 W. Chicago St., Valparaiso
When: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, Jan. 27 through Feb. 11; 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5; 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9
Tickets: $20 adults; $17 senior citizens, students, and individuals in groups of 10 or more; $30 VIP couch seat
Information: 219-464-1636, ext. 1; www.ChicagoStreet.org