First Folio Theatre Presents THE RAINMAKER from July 31-September 1

OAK BROOK, IL – First Folio Theatre, at

Mayslake Peabody Estate, 31st St. & Rt. 83, will begin its 2013-2014 season

with the poignant, romantic drama THE

RAINMAKER, previewing July 31, opening Saturday, August 3 at 8:15 p.m. and

running through September 1, 2013 on the outdoor stage. The production is directed

by Jeff Award nominee and First Folio Theatre Co-Founder, Alison C. Vesely

(First Folio’s A Moon for the Misbegotten).

THE RAINMAKER has

been hailed as "A fable of life altering love!” (New York Times),

“A cloudburst of a hit!” (New York World) and “Beautifully crafted and deeply pleasurable!” (Salon.com). The Los

Angeles Time called THE RAINMAKER

“A striking, specific portrait of a bygone

time!” and The Huffington Post

enthused that the play “Tackles timeless themes of love, passion, faith and

magic!”

When

a charming con man named Starbuck comes to a drought stricken Western town on a

hot summer day, he sets a family’s world on end, romancing their spinster

daughter and promising to change everything. This profound Depression-era tale brings out the true power of

hope and humor during difficult times. THE RAINMAKER, by N. Richard

Nash, originally premiered in New York in 1954 and was made into a 1956 film

starring Burt Lancaster and Katharine Hepburn. The play has been

translated into over 40 languages and was also made into a Broadway musical, 110

in the Shade. 

THE RAINMAKER stars Hayley L. Rice as “Lizzie Curry” (“Nerissa” in The Merchant of Venice and “Edith” in

Blithe Spirit at First Folio Theatre), Joseph Wycoff as “Starbuck” ( “Henry

Higgins” in Pygmalion, “Longaville”

in Love’s Labor’s Lost at Michigan

Shakespeare Festival and Jeff Award nominee for Private Lives at First Folio Theatre),  Aaron Christianson as “File” (The Taming of

the Shrew at First Folio Theatre),

Matthew Keffer as “Noah Curry,” David Rice as “H.C. Curry,” Alex Weisman as

“Jimmy Curry” (Jeff Award winner for The

History Boys at Timeline Theatre); and René Ruelas as “Sheriff

Thomas.” 

Alison C. Vesely is

the Co-Founder (with her husband David Rice) of First Folio Theatre.  In 2009 she was nominated for a Jeff Award

for her direction of A Moon for the Misbegotten,

which was also nominated for Best Production. Previous First Folio directing

credits on the indoor stage include the acclaimed productions Underneath the Lintel and Jeeves Takes a Bow in 2013, and the

world premieres of Will Rogers: An American Original and The

Castle of Otranto,as well as the Chicago premieres of Jeeves

in Bloom and Jeeves

Intervenes and more than two dozen other productions in Chicago and around the

Midwest.  Before founding

First Folio, Alison was the Classics Project Director for Footsteps Theatre, a

women’s theater company specializing in all-female productions of Shakespeare’s

plays. She earned an After Dark Award for the title role in their production of Macbeth.

She has also served as an adjudicator for the Kennedy Center American College

Theater Festival and the Irene Ryan Awards and served a three-year term on the

Theater Program Grants Panel for the Illinois Arts Council. Vesely is a proud

graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University.

First Folio Theatre is in its 18th season of bringing high-quality

performances of Shakespeare and other classics to the stage. During that time,

the theater has expanded from an annual summer production to a year-round

operation with three separate and distinct stages at the historic Mayslake

Peabody Estate. First Folio is easy to get to from via the East-West Tollway

(I-88) or the Stevenson Expressway (I-55). Free parking is available on the

grounds. Preview tickets are $22. Regular priced tickets are $32 Wednesdays and

Thursdays (seniors and students are $26), and $37 on Fridays through Sundays

(seniors and students are $30). Three and four show subscriptions are available

for $57-$105 (subscribers will receive $5 off each subscription if they are

purchased by August 15, 2012). Season subscriptions and individual tickets may

be purchased by calling the box office at 630.986.8067 or online at

www.firstfolio.org.

THE RAINMAKER runs from July 31 through September 1. Tickets range from $30-37 and

preview tickets are $22. The performance schedule is as follows: Wednesdays,

Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 8:15 p.m. Season subscriptions and

individual tickets may be purchased by calling the box office at 630-986-8067

or online at www.firstfolio.org.

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