The Side Project

Using its new theatre at 1439 W Jarvis Ave – christened The Side Project Theatre – as an impetus, the side project has revamped its mission statement and returned to its roots as a company that provides not only like-minded playwrights and directors a home for their art, but also a company that looks to use its space to foster the art of other companies, according to Artistic Director Adam Webster.

After six years of dedicating itself to “examining and portraying the human condition at the peak of adversity” and stating that “at its core, the troupe celebrates the individual and its relation to society, striving for the betterment of both through the portrayal of life’s extremes,” the side project wanted to hone its mission to reflect where the company has found itself… literally. In the past 6 years, the company has presented over 40 world and Midwest premieres – including over 30 short plays in four annual “Evenings of One Acts” – within the tiny confines of their blackbox theatre, often referred to as “the smallest venue in Chicago” (Chicago Reader), “a shoebox home” (Sun-Times), and a “vest-pocket theatre” (Windy City Times). Since the company was able to retain the intimacy in their new venue, with dimensions of the actual seating and staging areas eerily similar to its original home, they thus developed the following mission:

the side project strives to apply its hyper-intimate use of space to redefine immediacy in the theatre. By presenting theatrically exciting new work and explorations of known works in this way, we aim to expose in sharp detail the delicate interworkings of humanity's vulnerability and resiliency.

“I was extremely excited when we were able to hone in on and verbalize what our aesthetic had revealed itself to be,” Webster said. “Intimacy, immediacy and the resulting honesty and integrity that those first two mandates necessitates has always been at the forefront of our art. The fact that the 40 voyeurs in the room end up going through the same things as the performers exposing their idiosyncrasies has always been fascinating to me.”

The Visiting Artist Series
As a way to share the fruits of their labor, the side project has developed the Visiting Artist Series, in which companies can apply for a year-long residency in which to present their entire season at The Side Project. Three companies were selected for the 2006-07 season: DreamTheatre, LiveWire Theatre, and Caffeine Theatre.

DreamTheatre recently wrapped up their remount of Ismene and will follow up with Anna in the Darkness as a latenight October 20-November 4; Babykillers, January 12-February 4, 2007; and another original work, July 12-August 5. Caffeine Theatre will present its two-show Greek season of The Cure at Troy September 15-October 8, and Ion May 3-27, 2007. LiveWire Theatre will present No Exit, October 12-November 5; the world premiere of Another Love for a two-week workshop, February 8-18, 2007; and Love of a Nightingale, April 5-29, 2007.

“I am excited about the Visiting Artist Series in that it not only allows us to present to the Rogers Park community a handful of companies with specific visions, ourselves included, but allows those companies to hone and craft their vision in a specific locale,” Webster said. “When a theatre company is able to gain some consistency in terms of pre-production elements and get away from reinventing the wheel with each rental, it allows them to focus on the art, which we are excited to be a part of.”

About the company’s seventh season
After commencing the season with the world premiere of Stephen Cone’s Henry Hettinger, the side project will present another two world premieres in repertory: resident playwright Jesse Weaver’s Sweet Pretty Love Jam, directed by Jimmy McDermott (November 19-December 17) and Chicago Dramatists Resident playwright Mark A. Young’s New Orleans directed by Anna Bahow (November 16-December 16). Then, in February and March, the company will present three plays in rep: the Chicago premiere of Lee Blessing’s Thief River, directed by Jarrett Dapier (February 23-March 25, 2007); the world premiere of Slipping by Daniel Talbott (from New York) directed by Artistic Director Adam Webster (February 28-March 28, 2007); and a revival of Fassbinder’s Katzelmacher, directed by ensemble member Jesse Weaver (March 3-21, 2007). They will round out the season with the world premiere of Raised, written and directed by resident playwright Stephen Cone (June 1-July 1, 2007) playing in rep with Actual Size, a sketch comedy show.

Harvest New Works Series
In addition, to the 5 world premieres, one local premiere, one sketch comedy, and one timely revival, the side project will continue their Harvest staged reading series, expanding it beyond its traditional two-week slotin November to encompass the entire season. Starting September 17, Harvest will run the third Sunday of every month through June, to include (10) new plays that may end up on either our stage in the future or around town. Those start up September 17 and run October 15, November 19, December 17, January 21, February 18, March 18, April 15, May 20 and June 17.

For more information on the theatre, the season, and the neighborhood, visit the company’s redesigned Web site, www.thesideproject.net.