FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Margo Gray

October 2009 Artistic Director, Prologue Theatre Co.

Kill Date: November 21, 2009 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 the
Chicago 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 red
light 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, visit
PrologueTheatreCo.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, using
the 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 with
her long-time customer Lieutenant Gregg. In a Trinidad nightclub (complete with rip-roaring live
music), 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 who
loves her, or if she'll always be just what she is.

This Prologue Theatre Co. production features Jes Bedwinek as Margy LaMont, a woman who
was always good to the Navy, plus Erin Renee Baumrucker, Christopher Chamblee, Stephen
Kaiser, 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 also
showcases the work of company member Carrie Hardin (set and costume design), company
member 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 that
this historical venue is not handicapped accessible. Related events include a talkback with cast
and crew on Friday, November 6th, and a Mae West costume contest (including prizes) on
Saturday, November 7th. More information may be found at
prologuetheatreco.org/season. Members of the media are invited to attend any performances. An
advance copy of the script is available upon request.

About Prologue Theatre Co.: Prologue was incorporated in Chicago, IL in 2008. Its 2009-2010
season explores the influences of the 1920s on the modern world. Prologue's inaugural
production, The Cat's Meow: a Vaudeville, featured the songs and dance styles of the 1920s and
linked the political developments of the era to concerns of today while subverting gender roles
and audience expectations. This spring, Prologue's Landmark Festival will feature plays written
in the 1920s and new plays that address the era. For more information please visit
prologuetheatreco.org.

Fact sheet

Sex
Playwright: Mae West
Director: Margo Gray
Venue: North Lakeside Cultural Center (6219 N. Sheridan Rd.)
Press Opening: Thursday, October 29, 8:00 pm
Run: October 29 – November 21
Days & Times: Thursday – Saturday, 8:00 pm
Closing: Saturday, November 21
Tickets: $15

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