Production Galleries
The Innocence of Seduction
Production Artwork by Tony Donley
Bill Gaines (Sean Harklerode) meets Al Feldstein (Charlie Diaz)
Lyle Stuart (Zach Kunde), Shirley Norris (Laura Coleman) and Bill Gaines (Sean Harklerode)
Production Artwork by Tony Donley
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
