Rick Fonté directed the world premier of Princess Grace Award-winning playwright Don Zolidis’ Night Near the Sun, a drama about growing up in the wastelands of the midwest.  He saw the play through several rewrites during the rehearsal process and was proud when the production became a critic’s pick in the Chicago Reader.  The production was kept as simple as possible to focus attention on the story, part-mystery part-character study and all grit.  

“I learned how to direct professionally by doing it, asking for money from friends and family, losing that money on rising production costs, getting some of it back, and producing a great play.”