PLAINCLOTHES
(World Premiere)
Written by Spenser Davis. Co-Directed by Kanomé Jones & Spenser Davis.
November 9 - December 15, 2018.
When a violent encounter with a shoplifter leaves half of their team fired or in the hospital, the security guards of a downtown Chicago retail store find themselves under corporate investigation. Short-staffed, ill prepared, and faced with accusations that threaten to dismantle the crew, they’re forced to decide: do we give the higher-ups exactly what they want, or do we try to do what’s right – even if it means risking everything? PLAINCLOTHES is a story of tribalism and taking a stand set against the bright, boisterous backdrop of the holiday shopping season. In the style of their breakout hit AT THE TABLE, BNT and Davis tailor-fit each role in this world premiere to fit the members of this all-star cast.
Winner of
the 2019 Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Ensemble
& the 2019 M. Elizabeth Osborn Award for New Play
Finalist for the Harold & Mimi Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award & the Jeff Award for Best New Play
Reviews for PLAINCLOTHES…
“[As written by] the hugely talented Davis... there is a rather delicious sensibility that anything might happen. This could be an entire television series.”
“Highly Recommended! The cast is made up of some of Chicago’s finest actors. They form an ensemble, much in the vein of the original Steppenwolf Theatre. This exciting new play by company member Spenser Davis absolutely explodes upon the Den Theatre stage and leaves its emotional shrapnel embedded in the mind every audience member.”
“Unmissable! “Clerks” meets “Office Space” meets “Brooklyn 99””
“★ ★ ★ ★ In his thrilling new play, Plainclothes, set in the cramped loss-prevention office of a Macy’s-esque Miracle Mile department store, playwright Spenser Davis makes the case for a kind of a washroom-sink realism. Energetic, funny and packed with emotion...”
“There’s nothing plain about PLAINCLOTHES. Ensemble work at its finest. This play is, undoubtedly, a collaborative gem. See this show.”
“This sharp and heartbreakingly honest text gives voice to a working-class world we’ve never seen before... Go. Go. Go see this show.”
CAST
ALEJANDRO TEY | Guillermo “Llermo” Greene
CARMEN MOLINA | Karina
ADAM SOULE ^ | Bobby Gisevius
STEPHANIE SHUM | Tabetha “T” Chan
ELISE MARIE DAVIS * | Sydney “Syd” Sanders
ROB FRANKEL | Jim Traficant
TERESA KURUVILLA ^ | Alma
RJW MAYS ^ | Mary Jackson
BEN LOCKE | Jomal
KIM BOLER ^ | Officer Stevie Kaiser
DAVID WEISS * | Pete
BRANDON RODRIGUEZ | “Llermo” U/S
IMANI HAYES | Karina U/S
ADAM HUIZENGA | Bobby U/S
WANDA JIN | “T” U/S
KRISTA GUSTAFSON | “Syd” U/S
ZACH FINCH | Jim U/S
REBECCA FLORES | Alma U/S
SONG MARSHALL | Mary U/S
ANTHONY HARDEN | Jomal U/S
ALISON DORNHEGGEN | Stevie U/S
CHASE WHEATON-WERLE | Pete U/S
PRODUCTION TEAM
SPENSER DAVIS * | Playwright/Co-Director
KANOME JONES | Co-Director
BECCA HOLLOWAY | Asst. Director
ROSE HAMILL * | Stage & Production Manager
DAVID WEISS * | Dramaturg, Graphic Designer
DEVON GREEN ^ | Props Designer
MICHAEL JOSEPH | Lighting Designer
JOE KLAMERUS | Asst. Lighting Designer
EVAN FRANK | Scenic Designer
RACHEL SYPNIEWSKI | Costume Designer
ISAAC MANDEL | Sound Designer
JON BEAL | Fight Choreographer
THERESE RITCHIE | Technical Director
DARYL RITCHIE | Master Electrician
JEN POULIN * | Accessibility Coordinator
SPENSER DAVIS * | Poster Photographer
AUSTIN D. OIE | Production Photographer
* company member ^ artistic associate