Spin | penny penniston

And I see myself through their eyes.
And I come crashing back down to earth.
And I can feel everything.

--Danielle

Spin is a scathing drama of the advertising age. Brent has lost his job, his wife and his direction. Luckily, he hated all of them. Now, with the help of Buddhism and Dr. Phil, he's making himself into a better man. But when an old advertising buddy pulls Brent into a big project, Brent can't help but seize the success and the spotlight. There, at the height of ambition, at the center of attention, everything else spins out of control.

The first play in a decade by Jeff-award winning playwright Penny Penniston, whose last comedy, now then again, ran for over 17 weeks at the Ivanhoe theatre, Spin questions our own identity in the middle of a media-saturated culture, and challenges us to consider what happens when the whirlwind ends and we need to rediscover ourselves.

Spin was workshopped at the High Desert New Play Development Lab in New Mexico (Sept. 2006) and at Chicago Dramatists (April 2007). In August 2007 it received a reading with Lookingglass Theater. In April 2010, Spin was the inaugural production at Theater Wit's new performance space at 1229 West Belmont in Chicago.

Smart ... zesty and witty.

-- Chris Jones

Deftly written and acted...

-- Hedy Weiss

Intelligent, witty with biting satire and sharp one-liners and retorts. Penniston’s script is rich.

-- Tom Williams

A very fine play... exceptionally good.

--Kelly Kleiman

The play has life and makes us think.

-- Alan Bresloff,
Village View

Setting

The great room of a luxury town house on the near north side of Chicago. Present Day.

Run Time

2 Hours

Cast (5M, 1F):

REDGE: White Male, 35-45

DANIELLE: White or Hispanic Female, looks about 18

BRENT: White Male, 35-45

JACK: White Male, 28 - 35

AARON: White Male, looks about 18

RUBY JONES: African-American Male, 20-25, Athletic Build.

Spin had its world premiere at Theater Wit in April of 2010. Original cast: Lance Baker, Joe Foust, Coburn Goss, Michael Kessler, Austin Talley, Alice Wedoff