FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

October 2009Kill Date: November 21, 2009Contact: Margo GrayArtistic Director, Prologue Theatre Co.info@prologuetheatreco.org, 773-769-7761

Prologue Theatre Co. Brings Mae West's SEX to Chicago

Chicago, IL, October, 2009

– Prologue Theatre Co. continues its inaugural season with theChicago premiere of

Sex

by Mae West.

Progressive staging in a historical Edgewater mansion

allows the audience to follow Margy Lamont, a sassy prostitute, from a night in Montreal's redlight district through her escape to Trinidad to her bid for a straight life in a Westchester manor.The original cast of the 1926 show was arrested for “corrupting the morals of youth,” and Mae

West herself was sentenced to ten days in jail. Unless they're also arrested, Prologue Theatre Co.will be proud to present this sultry comedy at the North Lakeside Cultural Center, 6219 N.Sheridan, October 29th through November 21st. For tickets and more information, visitPrologueTheatreCo.org.In a long-ago, oh-so-dimly-remembered time when wealthy white men were gatekeepers of

popular entertainment, Mae West had to champion the kind of productions that fit her style as a performer. No 1920s playwright wrote the kind of female character she wanted to play so, usingthe do-it-yourself attitude that had made her a vaudeville star, West wrote her own damn heroine,

thank you very much. Enter Margy LaMont, not a mild-mannered hooker with a heart of gold, but an unapologetic pragmatist trying to rise from the red light district of Montreal to the top of the oldest profession.Margy is one of the most in-demand ladies on the block, and makes plenty of jack to keep herself in furs and gin. However, when her pimp Rocky tries to work over a visiting society dame,

Margy's left in a tough spot with the police. She flees Montreal to follow the British fleet withher long-time customer Lieutenant Gregg. In a Trinidad nightclub (complete with rip-roaring livemusic), Margy meets the kind of man she never expected to love: one who doesn't know about

her past. She must decide if she can give up her wild ways for the straight life with a boy wholoves her, or if she'll always be just what she is.This Prologue Theatre Co. production features

Jes Bedwinek

as Margy LaMont, a woman whowas always good to the Navy, plus

Erin Renee Baumrucker

Christopher Chamblee

StephenKaiser

Rick Levine

Rebecca Mauldin

Tinuade Oyelowo

DeRante Parker

Nathan Pease

,After Dark award-winner

Anne Sheridan Smith

, former Jeff nominee

Bradford Stevens

Reginald Vaughn

, and

Sean Patrick Ward

under the direction of

Margo Gray

Sex

alsoshowcases the work of company member

Carrie Hardin

(set and costume design), companymember

Jessica Gyori-Eisenberg

(musical direction) and

Steven E. Hill

(lighting design).Professional bios and photographs by request to info@prologuetheatreco.org.

Sex

by Mae West runs Thursdays through Saturdays at 8:00 pm from October 29th through November 21, 2009. Tickets are $15, and are available online through brownpapertickets.com.Additional information on discounts and special offers may be found on Prologue's Facebook page (facebook.com/pages/Chicago-IL/Prologue-Theatre-Company/56716174132).Performances are at the North Lakeside Cultural Center, 6219 N. Sheridan Rd. We regret thatthis historical venue is not handicapped accessible. Related events include a talkback with castand crew on Friday, November 6th, and a Mae West costume contest (including prizes) on