Elsinore Presents Lee Blessing's 'A Body of Water' at Chicago's Athenaeum Center

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The play stars Elsinore founders Lori Rohr and Jamie Ewing, with direction by Derek Bertelsen.

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Elsinore will present A Body of Water by Lee Blessing running November 6 - 22 on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 and Sunday at 2:30 PM. Tickets are $39 for adults and $29 for Seniors/Students/Military.

Avis and Moss wake up in a house they don't know, with no memories of themselves - or each other. A young woman named Wren appears to be the key that will unlock the truth about who they are and what brought them there. But every claim she makes is darker and more unsettling than the last. A Body of Water is a desperate search for identity where the only certainty is uncertainty.

A Body of Water co-stars Elsinore founders Lori Rohr and Jamie Ewing as Avis & Moss and Ella Gatlin as Wren. A Body of Water is directed by Derek Bertelsen, who recently directed the Aston Rep production of Uncle Vanya.

"A Body of Water is a searching, unsettling play about memory, identity, and the fragile stories that hold us together,' said Bertelsen.

Added Ewing: 'It's not a 'whodunnit' but a 'whoami.' Many dramas feature characters navigating existential crises but, in A Body of Water, two of the characters are seeking a literal answer to that fundamental question - and a whole series of troubling, unanswered questions besides.'

Originally formed in Elgin in 2022, Elsinore, a theatre ensemble, is led by founding members Jamie Ewing & Lori Rohr. Its mission is to bring professional-caliber theatre productions to Chicagoland, often emphasizing rarely-performed scripts. The mantra of the company is to challenge & entertain by celebrating collaboration and diversity. Elsinore has garnered critical plaudits for its seven productions to date including: Edward Albee 's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf ? ('an up-close view of a master class in acting'); Terrence McNally 's Frankie & Johnny In The Clair De Lune ('intensely intimate, intelligent drama'); Steven Dietz 's Shooting Star ('takes flight under...the superb talents of Jamie Ewing...and Lori Rohr'); Schiller's Mary Stuart in a new adaptation by Peter Oswald ('a devastating piece of historical drama...a captivating theatrical event'); Hand To God by Robert Askins ('an experience that will surprise, intrigue and entertain'); The Lifespan of a Fact by Jeremy Kareken & David Murrell and Gordon Farrell ('a fast-paced 90 minutes of brilliant acting'); and A Picasso by Jeffrey Hatcher ('5 stars - I can't say enough good things about [this show]')

Lori Rohr portrays 'Avis' and has starred in every Elsinore production, including A Picasso ('Miss Fischer'), The Lifespan of a Fact ('Emily Penrose'), Hand To God ('Margery'), Mary Stuart ('Queen Elizabeth I'), Shooting Star ('Elena'), Frankie & Johnny In The Clair De Lune ('Frankie') and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf ? ('Martha'). Outside Elsinore, Rohr's credits include: the Reader recommended Tongue of a Bird ('Maxine'), A Doll's House, Part 2 ('Nora'), Wait Until Dark ('Suzy'), Steel Magnolias ('M'Lynn'), August: Osage County ('Karen'), The Other Place ('Juliana'), Necessary Targets ('JS'), Picnic ('Rosemary'), The Last Night of Ballyhoo ('Boo'), Third ('Laurie Jameson'), and Proof ('Claire'). Onscreen, Rohr has appeared on both Chicago P.D. and Chicago Fire.

Appearing as 'Moss,' Jamie Ewing has co-starred in every Elsinore production, portraying 'Pablo Picasso' in A Picasso, 'John D'Agata' in The Lifespan of a Fact, 'Pastor Greg' in Hand To God, 'Leicester' in Mary Stuart, 'Reed' in Shooting Star, 'Johnny' in Frankie & Johnny In The Clair De Lune and 'George' in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf ? Ewing's credits outside Elsinore include A Doll's House, Part 2 ('Torvald'), An Ideal Husband ('Lord Goring'), Becky's New Car ('Joe'), Hamlet ('Hamlet'), A Few Good Men ('Col. Jessep'), These Shining Lives (' Tom Donohue '), Marjorie Prime ('Walter') and Glengarry Glen Ross ('Williamson'). He recently originated the role of 'Slug' in Dark Room District's Reader recommended world premiere of Dive. Jamie's onscreen performances include Lucky, Law & Order, Ballard, multiple appearances on Chicago P.D. and the upcoming feature film They Know.

Ella Gatlin is a Chicago-based actor and singer. Credits include 'Anya' in Anastasia and 'Adriana' in A Comedy of Errors (Festival 56), 'Carrie Pipperidge' in Carousel (Music Theatre Works), 'Mistress' in Passion ( Blank Theatre Company ), and 'The Singer' in The Fourth Graders Present an Unnamed Love-Suicide (Bump in The Night Theatre). She recently appeared in Porchlight Musical Theatre's New Faces Sing Broadway 1976. Ella is a graduate of Northwestern University , where she performed in numerous productions, and studied at the British American Drama Academy in London.

Derek Bertelsen's previous Chicago directing credits include Doubt, Equus, Buried Child, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, The Pillowman, Uncle Vanya, The Laramie Project, Lee Blessing 's Eleemosynary with AstonRep; Design for Living, The Children's Hour with PFP; Fully Committed at the Den; Prelude to a Kiss, Mary-Kate Olsen is in Love and the world premiere of Roast with The Comrades; God of Carnage with Brightside Theater; You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown with Wilmette Arts Center. He's assistant directed at Goodman and Steppenwolf. Other midwest credits include Shawnee Summer Theatre, Festival 56, Little Theater on the Square and five seasons at Timber Lake Playhouse.

The production team includes: Chelsea Castro (Stage Manager), Devin Meseke (Scenic Design), Axel Adams (Technical Director), Quinn Chisenhall (Light Design), Valerio Gardner (Sound Design), Randy Rozler (Props Design), Kat Poon (Costume Design), Kate Lass (Fight Choreography) and Joe Jones (Digital/Marketing Materials).

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/chicago/article/A-BODY-OF-WATER-to-Open-at-Elsinore-in-Chicago-20261006)._