We are thrilled to announce our next venture: the world premiere of award-winning playwright Aaron Golden's To Tree.

To Tree is a fantastic two-man absurdist dramedy about one man's need to change. According to Golden (screenwriter of the award-winning independent film Falling Overnight), To Tree is about "Pete ... excited, confident, and curious, hungry for life and the bright future ahead of him. And then there's Julian ... introspective, quiet, and brooding, having lost faith in humanity and society. In the end, To Tree asks one central question: what do you do when your buddy decides to become a tree?"

To Tree runs January 12-29, 2012 at the Bohemian Theatre Ensemble's Heartland Studio in Rogers Park. The production team includes M. William Panek (Director); Aaron Golden (Playwright); Ian Anthony (Set Design); Eric Phillips (Lighting Designer); Michelle Kritselis (Dramaturg); and James Riley (Original Score).

Auditions for To Tree's two dynamic cast members are this November, but we wanted to share this exciting news with our friends and supporters as soon as we could.

Thanks to the University of Illinois's hands-on Theatre program, The Brown Paper Box Co. was formed with a do-it-yourself mindset - a notion of starting from scratch, building theatre from the ground up, and keeping onstage moments simple and honest.
 
During our first production, James Still's And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank, the simple but important task of transporting the props, costumes, and set pieces became a key inspiration in developing our company's concept. Little things like scripts, hats, candles, and flashlights found themselves being stored and transported in cardboard boxes and plastic milk crates. This rough-and-tumble, bare-essentials feeling bled into The Brown Paper Box Co.'s mission statement: to create thought-provoking and accessible theatrical experiences without the glitz of overproduction.
 
I always wanted the "Co." in The Brown Paper Box Co.'s name to conjure up an image of a place, a building, a factory, churning out and distributing a product. A product that is sturdy, functional, original, and, if anything else, easy to transport.
 
Starting a theatre company from the ground up with Anna, Michelle, and Zev has taken time, patience, and gumption (are the kids still saying that, '"gumption?"), but it's been worth it. Working with a small team of people you know, love, and trust fosters the tightest of collaborations.
--M. William Panek