1980 (or Why I'm Voting for John Anderson)
by Patricia Cotter
WORLD PREMIERE
JACKALOPE THEATRE
Oct. 17 - Nov. 2, 2017
★★★☆! "Highly enjoyable... All of the performances are strong and generous in director Kaiser Ahmed’s carefully toned production, a zippy show that embraces farce but also personal truth."
-- Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
“Kaiser Ahmed's assured direction and engaging cast”
-- Tony Adler, Chciago Reader
Critics Pick! "The direction by company member Kaiser Zaki Ahmed clearly shows how important it is to understand all points of view in a volatile political climate...Jackalope has brought a new gem to the political satire mix."
-- Andrea Cain, PerformInk
2018 Jeff Award Nominations "Best New Play" & "Best Supporting Actor"
“Director Kaiser Ahmed has cast “1980” ideally”
-- Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times
★★★ “Cotter has rooted her script with a sense of affection for these spiky, argumentative dreamers. Director Kaiser Zaki Ahmed matches that affection with some of his own...Carried along by its careful plotting, rich characterizations and generosity of spirit. And it helps that the cast is uniformly excellent.”
-- Alex Huntsburger, Time Out Chicago
It’s 1980 and an unknown congressman from Illinois, John Anderson, just might have a chance to be President of the United States. In the candidate's Boston campaign office, four idealistic young campaign workers struggle to spread the hope that their long-shot candidate might bring to the country and to their lives, while staving off that era’s Unthinkable Presidency. 1980 (Or Why I’m Voting for John Anderson) pits youthful optimism against the status quo, in a world premiere comedy about class, race, and the politics of change.
Featuring: Sheldon Brown, Bryce Gangel, Evelyn Gaynor, and Hillary Horvath
Design Team:
Sotirios Livaditis (Scenic), Catherine Young (Costume), Claire Chrzan & Daniel Friedman (Lighting), Lacie Hexom (Prop), Almanya Narula (Violence/Intimacy), Sammi Grant (Dialect), Sabina Dzelilovic (Dramaturg)