Created and performed by Mike Daisey
Directed by Jean-Michele Gregory

Friday-Sunday, October 10-12, 7:30 pm
* Recommended for mature audiences

Tickets $25, MCA members $20
Buy Tickets Online
or call the MCA Box Office, 312.397.4010

A uniquely American voice, humorist Mike Daisey tackles a story at the heart of our world today: the surprising, secret history behind the US Department of Homeland Security. His beguiling new monologue weaves together the untold story of Sam Cohen, father of the neutron bomb, and his own sharp observations of a personal visit to the Trinity blast site, the original Ground Zero, where atomic fire rewrote history a half a century ago. Daisey draws from damning facts and his personal history for a caustic and ultimately cathartic journey through the dark heart of America, in search of what it means to be secure, and the price we are willing to pay for it.

About the Artist
This new work by the master of extemporaneous monologues marks Daisey's long-awaited Chicago debut. Daisey has been called "the master storyteller" and "one of the finest solo performers of his generation" by the NY Times for his many monologues, including Monopoly!, I Miss the Cold War, Great Men of Genius, and 21 Dog Years. He has been a guest on the Late Show with David Letterman, and is a current commentator for NPR's Day To Day and PRI's Studio 360, a contributor to WIRED, Slate and Salon, a web contributor to Vanity Fair and Radar Magazine.


Daisey is a brainy, manic hoot, a cross between Noam Chomsky and Jack Black. 
- Seattle Times

A finely tuned fury...funny, provocative, meticulously embroidered. What this master story-spinner produces is pure value in streams of finely etched argument. Daisey guides us through a tale of paranoia, politics and paradox. Detailed, episodic and even poetic. 
- The Washington Post


Running time: 100 minutes
Recommended for mature audiences

Roundtable: Keeping the Art Alive: Chicago theatre responds to Mike Daisey's "How Theater Failed America"
Tuesday, October 7, 6 pm
Free
Steppenwolf's Martha Lavey; Michael Halberstam and Kate Lipuma from Writers' Theatre;  Remy Bumppo's James Bohnen, Jenny Magnus from Curious Theatre Branch, Court Theatre's Charles Newell, and other practitioners from Chicago's top theaters respond to Mike Daisey's controversial monologue How Theater Failed America. What is certain is that America has never needed the theatre more than now, and Chicago enjoys one of the richest dramatic cultural landscapes in the nation. Enter the debate about sustaining artistic dialogue in these times; balancing institutional needs with artistic vision; and methods for including artists in the institutional decision making process.

First Night postshow talk
Friday, October 10
Join Peter Taub, Director of Performance Programs, for a stimulating talk with Daisey and Director Jean-Michele Gregory following the performance of If You See Something Say Something.

Workshop
Saturday, October 11, 12 pm
Tickets $15, $10 with performance ticket
Get ready for an intensive experience with Mike Daisey teaching extemporaneous performance. Open to all levels but space is limited. Hurry!

Students
Single tickets are just $10 with valid student ID (subject to availability).

Subscribers
Save up to 20% and receive flexible exchange privileges* when you purchase tickets to three or more shows.
*Tickets may be exchanged up to 48 hours prior to the performance (subject to availability).

Groups
Save 20% when you buy 10 or more tickets for a performance.

Our flexible payment plan makes reservations easy and risk-free. Call 312.397.4010 to make a reservation for your group. Ask about private meet-the-artist and reception opportunities.

MCA members
Only MCA members enjoy discounts on performance tickets, at Puck's, and in the MCA Store, plus unlimited free access to the museum and so much more! Join today and become a part of the art.

For more information or to purchase tickets, call 312.397.4010 or visit www.mcachicago.org.

MCA Stage ushers
See the show for free! MCA Stage ushers take tickets, direct theater patrons to their seats, escort disabled patrons, and provide other assistance as directed by the house manager. For more information, call 312.397.4072 or e-mail mcaperformances@hotmail.com.


MORE SAVINGS
$10 Parking
MCA Stage patrons receive $10 discounted parking at the MCA garage (220 E Chicago Ave) and Olympia garage (161 E Chicago Ave), located within two blocks east of Michigan Avenue and operated by InterParking. To receive $10 parking, MCA Stage patrons are asked to show their garage ticket to theater coat check staff who will issue a discount validation voucher. The $10 parking voucher is limited to six hours on date of performance.

The MCA garage is automated and may be without an attendant. Garage parking is limited. Please allow half an hour for parking before curtain time.

Museum admission
Redeem your performance ticket stub to receive free museum admission, valid during regular museum hours up to seven days from the performance date.