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Production Galleries

August 23rd - October 6th, 2024

 

City Lit Theatre

Written by: Mark Pracht
Directed by: Terry McCabe

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Part Three of the Four-Color Trilogy
Marvel Comics is now a multimedia juggernaut, dominating pop culture in nearly all forms. This universe of flawed heroes and cosmic adventures began with two middle-aged men, veterans of the comic book industry. Given a mandate to copy the success of the Distinguished Competition, Stan Lee found a way to transcend the junk culture ghetto of "children's magazines," while Jack Kirby created an outlet for his wild and extravagant visions of gods and cosmic upheaval. Yet, as time wore on, neither could fully understand the needs, pains, or point of view of the other. A tale of ego and jealousy, and the creation of the house of ideas.

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Photography by Steve Graue

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Artwork by Tony Donley

The House of Ideas

The Innocence of Seduction

August 25th - October 8th, 2023

 

City Lit Theatre

Written and Directed by: Mark Pracht

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Part Two of the Four-Color Trilogy

In the 1950's the comic book industry faced its greatest foes, not costumed crooks or dastardly gangsters, but the combined forces of psychiatrists, politicians, and the industry's demand for fear-based conformity. In this turbulent time, those who spoke in defense of artistic freedom were the most ill-suited to the task, and those with no power at all found their dreams and careers torn away.

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Photography by Steve Graue

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Artwork by Tony Donley

May 11 - June 11, 2023

 

Invictus Theatre

Written by: Arthur Miller

Directed by: Charles Askenaizer

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Mark Pracht as John Proctor


In Arthur Miller's drama set among the Salem witch trials of 1692, a young servant-girl maliciously accuses a farmer's wife of witchcraft. The farmer brings the girl to court to admit the lie, but the community's mass hysteria overtakes reason. First produced in 1953 as a comment on McCarthyism’s communist hunting, the play continues to resonate for contemporary audiences.

"Mark Pracht in the lead role of John Proctor is riveting. From the moment he enters the story, we care about him and his fate." - Jack Helbig, The Chicago Reader

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Photography by Through Line Studios

The Crucible

The Mark of Kane

October 21 - December 4, 2022

 

City Lit Theatre

Written by: Mark Pracht

Directed by: Terry McCabe

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Part one of the Four-Color-Trilogy.

In 1939, two young friends huddled in a Bronx apartment and created a legend. A hero who represents an enduring chapter in the tale of the American comic book. One, Bob Kane, would profit from that legend for years to come, and the other would be all but forgotten. This is the legacy of the mark of Kane.

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Photography by Steve Graue

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Artwork by Tony Donley

September 11 - October 27, 2019

 

The Artistic Home

Written by: Jason Hedrick

Directed by: Kayla Adams

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Mark Pracht as Karl


Elijah has a hard job. He's a Content Moderator living in a a totalitarian future, struggling to cope with the technological divide that separates him from his family. To bridge the gap, he decides to cast his family in a production of Uncle Vanya, despite the fact that none of them have seen a play or have any conception of acting.

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Photography by Brave Lux Photography

Vanya on the Plains

Requiem for a Heavyweight

February 13 - April 14, 2019

 

The Artistic Home

Written by: Rod Serling

Directed by: John Mossman

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Mark Pracht as Harlan "Mountain" Mcclintock

(WINNER - 2019 Non-Equity Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Perfromance in a Principal Role)

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Rod Serlings's story of a punch-drunk fighter past his prime originally had as a live television drama. The history of toxic capitalism that twists the American Dream and allows us to sell ourselves down the river by believing our own violent lies. 

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“Mark Pracht is outstanding as Mountain, the shambling has-been whose scars and cauliflower ears mask deeper damage to his confidence and self-esteem.” Hugh Iglarsh, NewCity Chicago

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"...a star-making performance sure to herald its perpetrator's entrance to the major leagues."

Mary Shen Barnidge, TotalTheatre

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Photography by Brave Lux Photography

June 28 - August 13, 2017

 

The Artistic Home

Written by: David Ives

Directed by: Kath Scambiaterra

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Mark Pracht as Frank

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Based on Moliere's Misanthrope, David Ives' School For Lies honors the French 17 the Century practice of writing in verse, but uses contemporary language while maintaining the Molière play’s original setting of Paris in 1666. The comedy is a battle of wits between a naughty array of characters that never seem to miss a chance at having the last word

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"With a cast this strong, it is difficult to single any one actor out among the ensemble. Mark Pracht is the embodiment of misanthropy with his portrayal of Frank. Never has hatred of humanity been so utterly hilarious and relatable."

Stephanie Dykes, Picture This Post

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Photography by Brave Lux Photography

The School for Lies

Blizzard '67

January 12 - March 4, 2017

 

16th Street Theatre 

Written by: Jon Steinhagen

Directed by: Ann Filmer

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Mark Pracht as Lanfield

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Four businessmen in 1967 Chicago who also carpool navigate the twists and turns of corporate politics, the tensions of which play out when they foolishly attempt to drive home in the record-breaking blizzard of 1967. When one of the carpool is abandoned, the others face their choice and how it will affect their lives thereafter.

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"...the four actors are, of course, the pillars on whom the play rests, and each provides a full portrait of a man mired in his own different kind of frustration. While Bell may be the most conventionally likeable, each has petty weaknesses and aspirations we can easily identify with."

Jacob Davis, Buzz Center Stage

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Other Past Productions

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