Eric Roach, Anderson Lawfer ]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=692 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=692 Wed, 9 May 2012 12:32:36 -0500
"At one rehearsal I was very ill — I had so much pressure behind my eyes -- that I spent the whole time lying down on a bench, giving notes on what I had heard," recalls Senior. "That turned out to be one of my most productive rehearsals ever. I think that's when I really learned to listen. Just being in the same space with the actors was enough. I didn't have to see anything. Now I spend less time with my head in a notebook."

The 39-year-old director also has another guiding principle that applies more broadly to career building: patience. That one she learned long ago.

To look at what Senior has accomplished, the prominence she enjoys on the Chicago scene, the frequency with which her name pops up on production credits, you might guess it was ever thus. She won rave reviews earlier this season directing Ayad Akhtar's "Disgraced" at American Theater Co. Her production of Amy Herzog's "After the Revolution" is currently playing at Next Theatre. And the 2012-13 season brings a pair of debuts as she shepherds John Lowell's "The Letters" at Writers' Theatre and Matthew Lopez's "The Whipping Man" at Northlight Theatre.

But she will tell you it has been a long, determined and, yes, patient climb from the time she arrived fresh out of school to begin an internship at Steppenwolf Theatre.

"I don't think I've ever directed for someone who wasn't a friend," she says. "It's all about trust, and you earn trust. When an organization empowers a director, a third or a fifth of their budget is in the artistic charge of that person. How could that be someone they don't know?"

Senior cites her impending Writers' debut as a study case for young directors who imagine themselves knocking on an artistic director's door and expecting to be handed a show.

"I really wanted to work at Writers'," she says. "I had admired their work and (artistic director) Michael Halberstam for a long time. I wondered, 'How do I do that?' Eventually, about five years ago, I approached Michael and told him I'd like to direct there. We had a nice talk. Then we began to build a relationship.

"From that time forward, I went to see his plays and whenever I saw him at another show or event, I would say hello and introduce myself again. Last year, we started talking about some educational work and some readings. He went to see my plays. Now we have an authentic friendship. We have trust.

"But it's also about mastering your craft, and that also takes time. Some people say you don't really become a director until you're 40. At 25, I would have been totally devastated to hear that. I have over 100 professional credits. That represents thousands of hours working at the job, learning what actors need, just learning."

Among the lessons of Senior's career is the synergy of drama and comedy, and how they can spiral up together in powerful and often surprising ways. Talk with Senior very long and she'll soon invoke her beloved Chekhov. This was that moment.

"Chekhov was the original genre bender. We're complicated people and great plays remind us of that. I've done (Chekhov's) 'Three Sisters' three times — once as an actor many years ago and twice more recently as a director. There's an example of how tragedy creates the comic and vice-versa, and it means something new every time you visit it.

"But I also do a ton of contemporary work. New work is probably 60-70 percent of the plays I've done in the last five years. There's plenty of genre bending in contemporary theater. Take 'Pillowman.' The play is hilarious and terrifying and bone-chilling. The way it can make you gasp and laugh is something else. I have a great fondness for McDonagh." (Speaking of stretching genres and McDonagh, Senior directs his melancholy comedy "The Cripple of Inishmaan" at Redtwist, opening May 13.)

Yet whether the playwright before her is McDonagh or Chekhov or Ayad Akhtar, Senior says, her interaction with the actors who must make it work is the same.

"My job is to make sure all the parts are functioning at their utmost best, that people are pushing themselves. I'm a firm believer in actors bringing themselves to the role. Acting is about personal risk and cost. You have to share a part of who you are. The question is, how do I create that environment? The director is responsible for tone as well as understanding. No two plays are the same and no two circumstances are the same. There are no tricks or formulas you can apply."

And that means no shenanigans with the playwright's work.

"I always go back to the word," says Senior. "I'm a traditionalist when it comes to the text. It's our job to have the text sing. There should be no need to apologize for a play — and you're doing that when you don't trust what's there. You know you're headed for trouble when someone in the (rehearsal) room says, 'You know what would be so cool — what if there was a dragon and...' I'm a vigilant protector of the text."

Lawrence B. Johnson
Contributing Writer
Lawrence B. Johnson is the editor of Chicago On the Aisle]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=691 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=691 Wed, 2 May 2012 09:32:14 -0500
Some selections in Silk Road Rising's Re-Spiced cabaret revue are catchy-rhythm nonsense like the Bangles dance-craze ditty, "Walk Like An Egyptian" or the venerable Harry Warren-Mort Dixon swing classic from 1928, "Nagasaki" with its infectious refrain of "Back in Nagasaki/where the fellas chew tobaccy/and the women wicky-wacky-woo." Less playful, however, is the hostility expressed by rapper Ice Cube toward his neighborhood's immigrant shopowners in "Black Korea" ("one-penny countin' motherf**rs...your little chop-suey ass'll be a target"), or the reduction of Asian women to "I like it spicy/that'll do me nicely" decorations in Status Quo's "The Oriental." Even Kinky Friedman's anti-bigotry anthem "They Don't Make Jews Like Jesus Any More" requires the narrator to repeat a list of epithets spewed forth by the racist bully he then proceeds to denounce.

"The toughest part of performing these songs," says Joel Kim Booster, "is the nagging fear that some audience members might not get the indictment of what's behind the lyrics and instead, see it as an endorsement of the humor—or hate."

Max Chung concurs. "The show is about us taking ownership of these songs to go beyond the stereotype by making it personal. But when you're Korean—as I am—performing something like 'Black Korea' sets you up for possible reprisals if you're the one doing it."

The show number drawing the most vivid reaction from audiences, however, is Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue". Though written in response to the bombing of the World Trade Center in 2001, the lyrics of this warning to those who would wage war with America never name a specific enemy. Even so, the vehemence of such pronouncements as "The statue of liberty started shakin' her fist" and "The big dog will fight when you rattle his cage/you'll be sorry you messed with the U.S. of A" proved too much for some playgoers.

"In its original form, [the song] is quite fervent in its patriotism," says Danny Bernardo, "so we approach it with the same zeal that the songwriter did. But one Saturday, as we sang 'Uncle Sam put your name at the top of his list!', a middle-aged Caucasian couple in the back row got up and stormed out. The house manager told us that, as they left, one of them said, 'This is America! They may have freedom of speech, but we don't want to hear it!'."

Bernardo reports a variety of feedback in the post-show discussions, "Some people say, 'It's so empowering to see and hear these songs' and others, 'I never thought about [a lyric's] context until you guys did it." These are the types of conversations that this show is sparking, but it wasn't until that one couple walked out that I felt the full impact. I wish they'd stayed, so that we could have asked them why they were so affected by that song."

Re-Spiced runs through May 6 at Silk Road Rising's theater in the Chicago Temple.

Mary Shen Barnidge
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=690 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=690 Sat, 28 Apr 2012 12:04:07 -0500 Rise of the Numberless," a co-production with the venerable Bailiwick Theater. Billed as an underground rock concert in a future American dystopia, the buzz on this project is huge, with some calling it "the next Hedwig." We spoke to Evan Linder, co-author of the script, and Nikki Klix, one of the "Numberless" performers in a Lion's Choice in Southern Missouri. Believe me, it won't just be the lion choosing this one...

Hey guys! Thank you for joining us here at this Lion's Choice Roast Beef Restaurant!

Evan Linder: Yeah! Thanks for having us on your Google Doc!

Nikki Klix: As long as I don't have to eat lamb.

Evan, what is a Google Doc?

EL: It's the name of my favorite booth here at the Lion's Choice. It's the one right by the bathroom.

NK: They know us here.

This is getting intense. Almost as intense as this horseradish cream sauce! So, you two are actors and sangers, correct? Tell us a little about yourself, Evan!

EL: Well, I'm a New Colonist, I write, I act, I do not sang.

Did you write this play called "Rise Of The Numberless"?

EL: I did. Pat Coakley, Andrew Hobgood and I wrote the book for the show. The music is by Chris Gingrich (one of the composers of "That Sordid Little Story") and Julie Nichols (music director at Second City.)

And Nikki Klix, who are you?

NK: I'm an actor/musician. I mostly sing and play my fiddle. I want to add that Julie [Nichols] also composed "Tupperware". One of my fave New Colony shows.

Now, we saw "Tupperware," and we have to say we loved it, and we aren't musical theatre kind of guys. Mostly because of the subversion of the genre and adding top notch talent to a show that really had something to say. So, guys, tell us a little about "Numberless," is it going to blow people's minds out of their rears?

EL: I think that is the plan. We just wanted to create a show that felt like you were going to an underground concert. It feels like anything can happen when you walk in the space and the audience isn't quite sure what to do, so it's nice to see people a little on edge right when the show starts.

What is it about?

EL: Ha. Klix, you want that one? No? Okay. It's set in a dystopian future where the government has enacted a "One Child, One Nation" law that prohibits families from having more than one child.

NK: We are a pod of Numberless children. Numberless children ... haha. where to start. Keep going. You got this.

EL: Simultaneous plot! So, the second and third-born children who aren't given embedded numbers in their wrist when they are born are secreted away to live in underground pods. Our show is a travelling group of Numberless musicians who are trying to tell the true story of their uprising 25 years ago.

So they are a band of traveling hobos?

NK: Really attractive and talented traveling hobos who want to rock your faces off.

EL: That is accurate.

We love dystopian futures. We have a plan for the economic collapse in 2030. We'll armor up a short bus and get all the shotguns and pills we can carry and stay right here in Southern Missouri. We'll spend the days teaching dogs how to shoot and create an army of superdogs all hopped up on screamers! Then, we will trade our canned goods for women every now and then when we get lonely.

NK: Sounds like you've got it pretty figured out.

EL: Yeah, this is gold. Don't stop.

Well, we think what our question is...when we have seen the advertisements for Rise, all these futuristic roustabouts are wearing crazy makeup and clothes like they are in a drag queen gang in The Warriors or maybe in David Bowie's band. How can sewer dwellers hiding from the government afford all this makeup? Because they would probably be fighting for water and running from gangs of loose prisoners.

NK: The Numberless get everything they have by doing "surface raids". And each have their own job within the pod.

EL: Yes, some are getting medical supplies on their raids, some are securing food, and some are going after the make-up bin at Dollar Tree.

"Hey Numberless Steve! Don't forget to get me some mascara! We want to look great when we are fighting off that grape gang!" That sort of thing. So tell us what sort of music we can expect to hear.

EL: The music has a very early 70's glam rock thing going on. When we were in workshops, we spent a lot of time finding old videos of Bowie, Lou Reed, etc. Chris and Julie just went to town from there and came up with some amazingly unique stuff that is really distinctive. The music blows me away.

This show is being produced by 2 companies. Bailiwick and The New Colony. We know that co-producing is the wave of the future, but give us an example of how it logistically works to work together with people, whom, you might not know from Adam (and Steve).

EL: It was actually such a harmonious marriage with Bailiwick from the beginning. Once we got Bailiwick and TNC actors in the same room together, I think everyone got really excited by the new energy. The Bailiwick ensemble has some of the best musical performers in the city, so once everyone got in the same room to start workshopping the show, everyone just thought "we've got something here." There was something there there.

Nikki, how was working with these 2 companies as a performer? How long have you been working on this piece?

NK: We started workshops back in October. So the actors have been at it since then. I'm not certain when the writers began but the process is really incredibly collaborative so much of the creative work is done together. Each of the actors develops their character and through workshops and scene work we come up with some cool ideas that the brilliant writers take and make way more sense of and work their magic and before you know it you've all created a story together. And as an actor, who doesn't normally get this type of opportunity, it's very rewarding and exhausting but ultimately, a piece you can really take pride in.

Well, it sounds incredible. We know that New Colony has been on the map before, but thanks to this team-up it looks like you've got some real exciting things to show the city! What else is happening with New Colony, Evan? Anything we can look forward to after "Numberless" takes Chicago by the throat?

EL: We have a 30 minute piece in this years Sketchbook Festival at Collaboraction. James Asmus and Crystal Skillman teamed up to write Psychonaut Librarians which is about a group of Chicago librarians who must keep the world safe from fictitious creatures. They also do a lot of drugs. Sean Kelly is directing it and we're really stoked about it. We also have three other shows in workshops right now, including a show about a girl's rollerderby team written by Aaron Weissman and directed by Thrisa Hodits that will be premiering in the fall.

Hey, let us ask you guys something. Just between us, what do you think of the name "Collaboraction"?

NK: What's not to like? It's two words. "Collaborate" and "Action". I don't know if you realized that...

EL: Whoa. Klix, you just kinda blew my mind.

Nikki, what have you been up to? Let us know what you have coming up! Right...NOW.

NK: Be prepared to be impressed. I just got the opportunity to play with the amazing Gene Weygandt over the weekend for the annual Porchlight benefit. Right NOW, I'm so ready to open this SHOW. TONIGHT! Numberless!

Well, guys, we hope you have a great run of this show, because we are going to have great runs after eating these Roast Beeves!

EL: Good thing the Google Doc is right by the bathroom.

NK: Speaking of... please excuse me.

Eric Roach, Anderson Lawfer: Curators of ReviewsYouCanIews.blogspot.com]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=689 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=689 Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:42:01 -0500 any role where you get to kiss the girl, for that matter. Steve Pickering has made a career of playing tough guys—Iago in Othello (twice), Kent in King Lear, Harry Brock in Born Yesterday. "When have I ever played a love scene where I didn't kill the woman ten minutes later?" he remarks ironically, then adds, "Or she didn't kill me?"

Asked why he always seems to land these kind of roles, Pickering rejects the term "type-casting", citing the variety of characters on his resume. "Not many actors can boast that they've played both Puck and Coriolanus—and then Moonface Martin in Anything Goes! When I was young, what I wanted was to do the roles that I thought Toshiro Mifune would do—I was crazy about the films of Akira Kurosawa. Oh, and the British Knights, especially the athletic fight-guy risk-taking roles like Laurence Olivier," he shrugs, "My enthusiasm probably came across to folks looking for those skills."

Did you ever get tired of playing badasses? "I think I've developed a fondness for the bad guys," he admits, "Actors don't like doing the same thing over and over, but villainy makes for stimulating ways of approaching your work. I've been blessed with guidance from directors like Michael Maggio and Eric Simonson, who were genuinely intrigued by these characters' fears and loathings, as well as the relationship the audience might have with them. And let's not forget Robert Falls, who will strip your skin off if you start drooling dishonesty on his rehearsal-room floor."

You played a younger Jamie Tyrone for Robert Falls in Long Day's Journey Into Night at the Goodman in 2002. Did you carry anything over from that production, playing Jamie in Moon For The Misbegotten? Pickering thinks a minute before replying, "I felt a bit more prepared for him now than I did before. When I reference the Tyrone family in Moon, I have, in my mind's eye, the actors from that production—David Cromer, Brian Dennehy and Pamela Peyton-Wright." He sighs, "Jamie is never a gratifying experience for an actor to play. He's charming at times, but in the end, he's a lost cause and he understands, down to the fiber of his soul, that he's a lost cause-the epitome of everything that we wish we had done differently in life."

He also has possibly the longest love scene in western literature, taking up almost the entire second act. How did you prepare for that? "Doing co-ed scenes are so rare for me that I usually just follow the actress's lead. The beauty of this play is that, at its roots, it's Josie's story." He smiles ruefully, "Our rehearsal period was very chaotic-I don't remember Carolyn [Klein, playing Josie] and I ever having a chance to discuss the arc of that whole scene with [director] Kevin [Theis]."

How, then, did you find it? "Carolyn had posted a 'Jim and Josie' playlist on the net, with songs that she thought defined the characters' relationship—they filled in some of the emotional information I needed. I also got some notes from [company artistic director] Michael Grant after our first preview to help me avoid the 'anger' trap. Then on opening night, Carolyn and I met an hour early to discuss some new things we could try."

And did it work? "It gave us a solid start for growth. The Seanachai space offers opportunities for a quiet intimacy that allows me to play a softer side than I usually do-and that's really enjoyable!"

Mary Shen Barnidge
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=688 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=688 Wed, 25 Apr 2012 07:56:46 -0500
Theo Ubique, with another bold season of musicals in their tiny Glenwood Arts District storefront, earned 14 nods, the most of any theatre company. "The Light in the Piazza," a musical love story set in Italy, received eight mentions; "Pump Boys and Dinettes," about patrons and waitresses at the Double Cupp Diner, had 6 nominations.

The 2012 nominations also recognized the strong seasons at Griffin Theatre Company, the new Bailiwick Chicago, and Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co. Griffin Theatre scored 11 nominations for two works: six for "Punk Rock," a British play about issues of contemporary high school students; and five for "Spring Awakening," a musical about teenage repression in 19th century Germany. Bailiwick Chicago scored 10 nominations, including five for "Passing Strange," a rock musical about an African American's artistic self-discovery, and five for "Violet," a musical about a disfigured woman on a journey of healing. Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co. scored eight nominations: four with their hit "Superior Donuts," the Tracy Letts play about an Uptown donut shop; and four for a tale of a complicated love triangle, "Red Light Winter," soon to be released as a motion picture. The Hypocrites' bold adaptation of the "Sophocles: Seven Sicknesses" cycle garnered six nominations, tying with Griffin's "Punk Rock" for most play nominations.

More Non-Equity theatres achieved eligibility this season, with 71 companies represented, up from 65 last year, and 61 in 2010, while two venerable Non-Equity companies, The House Theatre of Chicago and Profiles Theatre, moved to Equity contracts.

This year's nominations also highlight the strength and diversity of artistic specializations that theatres have available to draw upon. This year there were sufficient nominations to merit separate awards categories for fight design and dialect coaching, while the broader "artistic specialization" category includes nominations for a range of skills such as gore design and percussion.

The 39th Annual Non-Equity Jeff Awards Ceremony will be held on Monday, June 4, 2012, at the Park West, 322 W. Armitage, Chicago, IL. Doors open for a cash bar at 6:00 p.m., with a light buffet at 6:30 p.m., and the presentation ceremony at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $40 in advance, $45 at the door. A group rate of $35 is available for parties of 10 or more. Festive cocktail attire is suggested, and the public is cordially invited. Tickets may be purchased online with a credit card at www.jeffawards.org or by mail with the downloadable mail-order form.

The Jeff Awards has been honoring outstanding theatre artists annually since it was established in 1968. With an active contingent of 50 members representing a wide variety of backgrounds in theatre, the Jeff Awards is committed to celebrating the vitality of Chicago area theatre by recognizing excellence through its recommendations, awards, and honors. The Jeff Awards fosters the artistic growth of area theatres and theatre artists and promotes educational opportunities, audience appreciation, and civic pride in the achievements of the theatre community. The Jeff Awards evaluates over 250 theatrical productions and holds two awards ceremonies annually. Originally chartered to recognize only Equity productions, the Jeff Awards established the Non-Equity Wing in 1973 to celebrate outstanding achievement in non-union theatre. The next Equity Awards Ceremony, honoring productions presented under union contracts, will be held on Monday, October 15, 2012, at the Drury Lane Oakbrook in
Oakbrook Terrace.

2012 Non-Equity Jeff Award Nominees:

Production - Play

"Opus" - Redtwist Theatre

"Punk Rock" - Griffin Theatre Company

"Red Light Winter" - Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co.

"Sophocles: Seven Sicknesses" - The Hypocrites

"Superior Donuts" - Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co.

"The Word Progress on My Mother's Lips Doesn't Ring True" - Trap Door Theatre

Production - Musical

"The Light in the Piazza" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

"Passing Strange" - Bailiwick Chicago

"Pump Boys and Dinettes" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

"Spring Awakening" - Griffin Theatre Company

"Violet" - Bailiwick Chicago

Director - Play

Jonathan Berry - "Punk Rock" - Griffin Theatre Company

Seth Bockley - "The Ugly One" - Sideshow Theatre Company

Jason W. Gerace - "Opus" - Redtwist Theatre

Sean Graney - "Sophocles: Seven Sicknesses" - The Hypocrites

Halena Kays - "Six Characters in Search of an Author" - The Hypocrites

Blake Montgomery - "Moby-Dick" - The Building Stage

Director - Musical

Fred Anzevino - "Pump Boys and Dinettes" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Fred Anzevino and Brenda Didier - "The Light in the Piazza" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Jonathan Berry - "Spring Awakening" - Griffin Theatre Company

Lili-Anne Brown - "Passing Strange" - Bailiwick Chicago

Elizabeth Margolius - "Violet" - Bailiwick Chicago

Ensemble

"Moby-Dick" - The Building Stage

"Opus" - Redtwist Theatre

"Pump Boys and Dinettes" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

"Punk Rock" - Griffin Theatre Company

"Shakespeare's R&J" - Idle Muse Theatre Company

"Sophocles: Seven Sicknesses" - The Hypocrites

Principal Actor - Play

Dan Behrendt (Matt) - "Red Light Winter" - Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co.

Joey DeBettencourt (William Carlisle) - "Punk Rock" - Griffin Theatre Company

Brian Grey (Ned Lawrence) - "The Oxford Roof Climber's Rebellion" - Caffeine Theatre

Peter Oyloe (Kjell) - "Elling" - Redtwist Theatre

Brian Plocharczyk (Stephen) - "Farragut North" - Stage Left

Andrew Burden Swanson (Gerry) - "The Last Duck" - Jackalope Theatre Company

Preston Tate, Jr. (Franco Wicks) - "Superior Donuts" - Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co.

Principal Actor - Musical

Jayson "JC" Brooks (Narrator) - "Passing Strange" - Bailiwick Chicago

Courtney Crouse (Jim) - "Pump Boys and Dinettes" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Steven Perkins (Youth) - "Passing Strange" - Bailiwick Chicago

Creg Sclavi (Bobby Strong) - "Urinetown the Musical" - Circle Theatre

Chuck Sisson (Aimable Castagnet) - "The Baker's Wife" - Circle Theatre

Principal Actress - Play

Jacqueline Grandt (Agnes) - "Bug" - Redtwist Theatre

Katherine Keberlein (Jan) - "Fifty Words" - Profiles Theatre

Melanie Keller (Sonya/Sarah) - "East of Berlin & The Russian Play" - Signal Ensemble Theatre

Eileen Niccolai (Lady) - "Orpheus Descending" - Shattered Globe Theatre

Stacy Stolz (Anne) - "Assisted Living" - Profiles Theatre

Principal Actress - Musical

Harmony France (Violet) - "Violet" - Bailiwick Chicago

Kelli Harrington (Margaret Johnson) - "The Light in the Piazza" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Rachel Klippel (Clara Johnson) - "The Light in the Piazza" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Supporting Actor - Play

Barth Bennett (Jefferson) - "A Lesson Before Dying" - Lincoln Square Theatre

Eric Burgher (Mervyn) - "A Behanding in Spokane" - Profiles Theatre

Dereck Garner (Davis) - "Red Light Winter" - Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co.

Ryan Heindl (Chadwick Meade) - "Punk Rock" - Griffin Theatre Company

Aaron Kirby (Adam) - "Dark Play or Stories for Boys" - Collaboraction

J.P. Pierson (Bunce) - "One Flea Spare" - Eclipse Theatre Company

Supporting Actor - Musical

Justin Adair (Fabrizio Naccarelli) - "The Light in the Piazza" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Michael Kingston (Charlemagne) - "Pippin" - Bohemian Theatre Ensemble

Evan Tyrone Martin (Flick) - "Violet" - Bailiwick Chicago

Jeremy Rill (Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm) - "A Little Night Music" - Circle Theatre

Supporting Actress - Play

Sasha Gioppo (Christina) - "Red Light Winter" - Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co.

Vanessa Greenway (Rosaura/Astrea) - "Life Is A Dream" - Premiere Theatre & Performance i/a/w Vitalist Theatre

Susan Monts-Bologna (Lady Boyle) - "Superior Donuts" - Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co.

Caroline Neff (Helen) - "Under the Blue Sky" - Steep Theatre Company

Supporting Actress - Musical

Anita Hoffman (Denise) - "The Baker's Wife" - Circle Theatre

Khaki Pixley (Petra) - "A Little Night Music" - Circle Theatre

Danni Smith (Rhetta) - "Pump Boys and Dinettes" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Dana Tretta (Catherine) - "Pippin" - Bohemian Theatre Ensemble

New Work

Shepsu Aakhu - "Speaking in Tongues: The Chronicles of Babel" - MPAACT

Keith Josef Adkins - "The Last Saint on Sugar Hill" - MPAACT

Scott Barsotti, Molly Each, Laura Eason, Brian Golden, Kristin Idaszak, Kim Morris, Nick Ward and Doug Whippo - "We Live Here" - Theatre Seven of Chicago

Lucas Neff - "The Last Duck" - Jackalope Theatre Company

Deirdre O'Connor - "Assisted Living" - Profiles Theatre

New Adaptation

Sean Graney - "Sophocles: Seven Sicknesses" - The Hypocrites

Matt Hawkins - "Cyrano" - The House Theatre of Chicago

John Hildreth - "Watership Down" - Lifeline Theatre

Blake Montgomery - "Moby-Dick" - The Building Stage

Steve Moulds - "Six Characters in Search of an Author" - The Hypocrites

Choreography

Kevin Bellie - "Urinetown the Musical" - Circle Theatre

Brenda Didier - "Pippin" - Bohemian Theatre Ensemble

Nicole Pellegrino - "Spring Awakening" - Griffin Theatre Company

Original Incidental Music

Andrew Hansen - "Hunger" - Lifeline Theatre

Michael Huey - "The Spirit Play" - The Strange Tree Group

Ovidiu Iloc - "The Word Progress on My Mother's Lips Doesn't Ring True" - Trap Door Theatre

Christopher Kriz - "The Count of Monte Cristo" - Lifeline Theatre

Kevin O'Donnell - "Moby-Dick" - The Building Stage

Kevin O'Donnell, Shawn Pfautsch and Matt Hawkins - "Cyrano" - The House Theatre of Chicago

Music Direction

Jim DeSelm - "Pump Boys and Dinettes" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Allison Kane - "Spring Awakening" - Griffin Theatre Company

James Morehead - "Passing Strange" - Bailiwick Chicago

Jeremy Ramey - "The Light in the Piazza" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Andra Velis Simon - "Violet" - Bailiwick Chicago

Scenic Design

Bob Knuth - "The Women" - Circle Theatre

Jack Magaw and Kimberly Senior - "Bug" - Redtwist Theatre

Amanda Rozmiarek - "The Price" - Raven Theatre

Ray Toler - "Bus Stop" - Raven Theatre

Adam Veness - "The Light in the Piazza" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Lighting Design

Kevin D. Gawley - "Hunger" - Lifeline Theatre

Lee Keenan - "Spring Awakening" - Griffin Theatre Company

Lee Keenan - "The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek" - Eclipse Theatre Company

Jared Moore - "Lighthousekeeping" - New Leaf Theatre

Jared Moore - "Sophocles: Seven Sicknesses" - The Hypocrites

Mac Vaughey - "The Ugly One" - Sideshow Theatre Company

Costume Design

Aly Renee Amidei - "The Count of Monte Cristo" - Lifeline Theatre

Jacqueline Firkins - "Cyrano" - The House Theatre of Chicago

Jesus Perez - "Urinetown the Musical" - Circle Theatre

Elizabeth Wislar - "A Little Night Music" - Circle Theatre

Elizabeth Wislar - "The Women" - Circle Theatre

Sound Design

Thomas Dixon - "The Sea" - Theatre Mir

Mikhail Fiksel - "Watership Down" - Lifeline Theatre

Christopher Kriz - "Bug" - Redtwist Theatre

Christopher Kriz - "The Count of Monte Cristo" - Lifeline Theatre

Christopher Kriz - "Opus" - Redtwist Theatre

Fight Design

Matt Hawkins - "Cyrano" - The House Theatre of Chicago

R&D Choreography - "Watership Down" - Lifeline Theatre

David Woolley - "Superior Donuts" - Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co.

Dialect Coaching

Eva Breneman - "The Light in the Piazza" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Anita Deely - "Old Times" - Strawdog Theatre Company

Elise Kauzlaric - "Punk Rock" - Griffin Theatre Company

Artistic Specialization

Casey Baker, Kevin O'Donnell and Mike Pryzgoda - Percussion - "Moby-Dick" - The Building Stage

Zhanna Bullock - Music Coach - "Opus" - Redtwist Theatre

Joanna Iwanicka - Puppet, Mask and Video Design - "Watership Down" - Lifeline Theatre

Mary O'Dowd - Properties/Set Dressing - "The Price" - Raven Theatre

Brett Schneider - Magic Design - "The Spirit Play" - The Strange Tree Group

Mary Williamson and Christine Conley - Makeup/Gore Design - "Sophocles: Seven Sicknesses" - The Hypocrites

Nivan Yahaghi - Video Design and Cinematography - "We Live Here" - Theatre Seven of Chicago]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=687 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=687 Wed, 25 Apr 2012 06:37:40 -0500 A Moon For The Misbegotten. So how did co-designers Ira Amyx and Merje Veski come to employ such antiquated technology as canvas backdrops and walls angled in forced perspective?

"From the beginning, [director] Kevin [Theis] made it clear that he envisioned our production style as realism," Amyx assures me, "The design within that vision came from Merje and me. We developed a scheme with the crooked house and shed to reflect a drab, impoverished depression-era farm, but then we mixed in some warmer colors—the rose-colored inside walls, for example, and the blue-and-red door-frames—to hint at the sensitive humanity found in the characters who lived there."

Most theaters nowadays use slide-projections to fill in vast landscapes. Did you consider these? "Projections were never in the conversation. In a space that size, with subject matter that thoughtful, they'd stick out horribly."

Was it hard finding artists with experience at painting the old-fashioned drops? "Merje is an expert scene-painter. From the time she was young, she has worked on a wide range of theater projects and now on films and television all over the country."

The set also includes a number of real-life weeds and cornstalks, harvested from the shrubbery bordering the nearby highway. How do you keep this fragile flora from getting damaged during the course of the play? "Not without some trial and error!" Amyx laughs, "The 'flora' adds to the geography of the earth—making a flat floor look not flat is one of the most difficult illusions to pull off—so we placed the weeds close to large structures where the actor-traffic is less likely to disturb them."

What was the hardest part of designing this play? "The space was definitely the biggest challenge," Amyx recalls, "A store room entrance and the door leading to the dressing room are both right in the middle of the stage. Pulling off a believable perspective without masking essential sight lines was probably the most difficult task. Even though you don't want the set to be a distraction, it is still, itself, a living organism."

A Moon For The Misbegotten runs through April 29 at Seanachaí Theatre in the Irish-American Heritage Center.

Mary Shen Barnidge
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=686 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=686 Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:28:52 -0500
Welcome friends, and thanks for joining us! We've invited Brandon Bruce, the Artistic Director of the venerable Strawdog Theatre Company, on board the USS Cygnus, the spacecraft made famous in Disney's 1979 sci-fi epic The Black Hole. Watch out for Maxmillian the Robot, he's in a foul mood today! Hello, Brandon!

Hello! Thanks so much for having me. It's only my third time being in outer space. I always appreciate an opportunity to be weightless.

I think between the 3 of us, we just lost 700 pounds here in space! So while we are waiting for the Tang Robot to come by, how do you like being back in Chicago? Was it an easy move?

Well, the move hasn't quite been completed as of yet. My wife and I are still in the process of completing the full shift back to town. But so far, I'm having a great time. I'm excited that baseball season is upon us once again.

Baseball is very important for this thriving city, and especially over in Wrigleyville by Strawdog Theater, there are so many reasons to be happy about it.

Absolutely, Strawdog is very much engulfed in the Cubs universe in Wrigleyville. We're apart of that community and, we hope, Cubs fans feel they can be a part of our community, as well.

I hope that everything you said comes true! Now, Brandon, you just came on board with Strawdog. Tell us a little more about your background and where you've been over the years. What are you DOING here?

Well, I lived in Chicago for about 7 years. I was Artistic Director of Chicago's BackStage Theatre for about 3 years. But in 2007, I left Chicago to get my MFA in Directing at the University of Iowa. I had a great time there and really felt I grew a great deal. Now, I'm back in Chicago - the place that really feels like home - to get back into the fight. I'm having a real great time both directing and helming the organization that is Strawdog, as a whole.

Brandon, I need to ask you something very important. Now we are asking you as actors to a director, so please don't be offended. Are you going to be one of those directors that comes back from Grad School with all sorts of crazy ideas about "Theatre" and "Movement" and "Art"?

Ummm...well, kinda...

Because in Chicago, we don't do that Commedia D'ell Arte junk they teach you fancy boys in Iowa.

Well, honestly, what grad school did for me was simply help me sharpen my own ideas. Yes, it's true, I did spend some time in grad school talking to trees, but I also directed a ton of shows and that really helped me ground all those wacky academic discoveries.

So let's start with this play you are directing now. What is it?

It's The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster. I am adapting this with a collaborator-friend of mine, Christine Scarfuto.

Is this your first directing assignment back in town?

Sorta - I did direct The Little Foxes for Shattered Globe back in 2009. I was still in grad school at the time. And I actually got a grade for that!

Was the grade: A PLUS PLUS?

It was just pass/fail, actually, so I guess it was probably like an S or a checkmark, something like you would get in elementary school

What a telling metaphor for Chicago theatre. Anyhoosies, how is the adaptation going? Are you setting it in 1930s London or 1870s Buenos Aires?

No, we're not changing the period at all. It's set in the early 1500s in Italy. The adaptation is going very well. Most of the work on the adaptation is finished at this point. But it was really fun to do.

The Duchess Of Malfi, eh? I feel like I have heard of this--- OH WAIT! This is that play about Werewolves! Isn't this play about torturing Werewolves or a cranky old Werewolf lady or something?

Close! It's about three siblings: two brothers and a sister. The sister, aka The Duchess, has just been widowed and her brothers are swooping in to seize control of her estate. They want to be sure she doesn't remarry or all of that power and money will go into the wrong hands, or, rather, just not the brothers' hands. One of the brothers just wants all the power, but one brother is also in love with his sister - he's the one who thinks he's a wolf.

So, this is basically King Lear, sexes reversed, mixed with Twilight.

Yes, but it's probably a lot more violent than both of those.

Did you know that Edward Cullen was born in Chicago, Brandon?

I did not.

We really like Twilight, so we know about a lot of that sort of stuff.

I'm so sorry...but I've never actually read or seen the stuff. My wife has, however. Does that count?

Horseshoes and hand grenades, my friend. So, this play sounds like a hoot, and it seems perfect for Strawdog's intense ensemble acting style that they have nurtured over the years. You won't be messing with THAT, will you? Don't mess with it, Brandon.

On the contrary, I believe we're taking that to a new level. The show is very much ensemble-based. We're using a hybrid of the movement disciplines Suzuki and Grotowski, with a little Butoh splashed in for good measure. Scarfuto and I even added a chorus to the play. So, there really does not feel like a small role in the whole cast. It's definitely a group effort and the whole thing is very much a charged, collaborative event.

I used to have a sweet Suzuki bike, and if I am not mistaken, Samuel Grotowski invented Martinizing for shirt laundry. I can see how you would add those together to make an excellent theatre discipline. What questions are you wanting the audience to ask when they leave? Or is this just a fun time play?

I suppose a good question to ponder is the effects of corruption and the poisonous effects it has on our culture. I'm not one of those directors that's necessarily interested in effecting change, although I'm not opposed to it, either, but I do want the play to keep the audience engaged and keep them very much alert to all the twists and turns in this play.

We were hoping you would make them ask where the bathrooms are, and then NEVER TELL THEM. Now that's theatre. So, what's next pal? How do you see the future stacking up for Strawdog?

Well, The Duchess of Malfi will be the last show of our current season - a season that had two other very successful shows, Old Times and The Petrified Forest. Duchess will also be the end of my first full season at Strawdog. Next season, we have some pretty exciting stuff: Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom - a Chicago premiere by Jennifer Haley, directed by Joanie Schultz, Improbable Frequency

Hey Brandon, the Tang Robot is here. Do you want a Tang?

Yes, please, with salt.

Ok, here you go. Anyway, what were you saying about the movie Frequency with Dennis Quaid?

I wasn't talking about a movie, but Improbable Frequency, the midwest premiere of a new Irish musical by Arthur Riordan and Bell Helicopter. I'm directing that one. And our last show of the upcoming season is Big Love by Charles L. Mee, directed by Matt Hawkins. Should be a fun time. Hope you can all check it out!

Well now that we have talked on and on about you for like, ever. What do you think about us? Do you think that we are Fancy Boys, too?

You sure do have a swank spaceship. Are you leasing or do you own?

Time-share. Joss Whedon is here next week. Thanks for your time, Brandon! Have a safe trip back to stupid Earth!

Thanks a bunch for having me! Wish me luck on re-entry into the atmosphere...

Eric Roach, Anderson Lawfer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=685 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=685 Mon, 9 Apr 2012 19:50:59 -0500 I Love Lucy Live on Stage, Kinky Boots, Sister Act, Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical, War Horse and Peter Pan. Off-season specials include Stuffed And Unstrung, Rock Of Ages, Rain: A Tribute To The Beatles and Les Miserables. The 2012-2013 Season Series emphasizes Broadway In Chicago's long-standing commitment of bringing the best of Broadway to Chicago. The complete season line-up, including performances dates and venues, is as follows:

I LOVE LUCY LIVE ON STAGE
Sep. 12 - Nov. 11, 2012
Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place (175 East Chestnut)

I Love Lucy Live on Stage, the brand new hit musical stage show adapted from the longest-running and most beloved television program in history, starring Lucy, Ricky, Fred and Ethel: America's favorite foursome, is making its Midwest premiere in Chicago! It's 1952 and you are a member of the studio audience awaiting the filming of two hilarious and oh so familiar "I Love Lucy" episodes. A charming host entertains and enlightens you to the behind-the-scenes filming process, the 1950s hi-fidelity technology, and this brand new thing called 'television.' The episodes begin and you witness, firsthand, the side-splitting antics of that crazy redhead in the Ricardos' New York apartment and thrill to the Cuban sounds of "The Ricky Ricardo Orchestra" at the famed Tropicana Nightclub. In between scenes? The Crystaltone Singers perform live advertising jingles of the show's newest sponsors in perfect '50s style harmony. Can you say 'Brylcreem'?! I Love Lucy Live on Stage is produced under license from CBS Consumer Products.

KINKY BOOTS
PRE-BROADWAY WORLD PREMIERE!
Begins October 2012
Bank of America Theatre (18 West Monroe)

Inspired by a true story and based on the film, KINKY BOOTS features a warm and witty book by Harvey Fierstein (La Cage, Torch Song Trilogy, Newsies) and a richly diverse musical score from music icon Cyndi Lauper in her stunning theatrical debut. Director Jerry Mitchell (Hairspray, La Cage, Broadway Bares) has crafted a production bound to move, inspire and set audience's feet dancing. In KINKY BOOTS, Charlie Price is forced to step in and save his family's shoe factory in Northern England, following the sudden death of his father. Help comes from the unlikeliest angel, a fabulous drag performer named Lola. Together, this improbable duo not only revitalizes the nearly bankrupt business, but helps one another grow into the men their fathers always dreamed their sons would become and transforms an entire community through the power of acceptance.

SISTER ACT
Nov. 13 - Dec. 2, 2012
Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University (50 East Congress Parkway)

SISTER ACT is Broadway's feel-amazing musical comedy smash! The New York Post calls it "RIDICULOUSLY FUN" and audiences are jumping to their feet in total agreement! Featuring original music by eight-time Oscar winner ALAN MENKEN (BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, THE LITTLE MERMAID, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS), SISTER ACT tells the story of Deloris Van Cartier, a wannabe diva whose life takes a surprising turn when she witnesses a crime and the cops hide her in the last place anyone would think to look-a convent! Under the suspicious watch of Mother Superior, Deloris helps her fellow sisters find their voices as she unexpectedly rediscovers her own. A sparkling tribute to the universal power of friendship, SISTER ACT is reason to REJOICE!

DR. SEUSS' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! THE MUSICAL
Dec. 5 - 16, 2012
Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 West Randolph St.)

The Chicago premiere of the critically acclaimed, Broadway record breaking production DR. SEUSS' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! THE MUSICAL features the hit songs "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" and "Welcome Christmas" (written by Albert Hague and Dr. Seuss) from the original animated series. Max the Dog narrates this classic holiday tale that will entertain the whole family as the mean and scheming Grinch, whose heart is "two sizes too small," decides to steal Christmas away from the Whos, an endlessly cheerful bunch bursting with holiday spirit. DR. SEUSS' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! THE MUSICAL broke box office records for two consecutive years on Broadway during its holiday engagements at the St. James (2007) and Hilton (2006) theatres in New York. Since then, thousands of families across America have been delighted by this heart-warming holiday musical, which The New York Times praised as "100 times better than any bedside story" and the Gannett papers hailed as "A genius of a show! A total delight for both kids and adults."

WAR HORSE
Dec. 18, 2012 - Jan. 5, 2013
Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 West Randolph St.)

The National Theatre of Great Britain's epic WAR HORSE, winner of five 2011 Tony Awards including Best Play, is based on Michael Morpurgo's novel, War Horse, and the inspiration for Steven Spielberg's Oscar nominated feature film. Hailed by The New York Times as "theatrical magic," WAR HORSE is the powerful story of young Albert's beloved horse, Joey, who has been enlisted to fight for the English in World War I. In a tale the New York Daily News calls "spellbinding, by turns epic and intimate," Joey is caught in enemy crossfire and ends up serving both sides of the war before landing in no man's land. Albert, not old enough to enlist, embarks on a treacherous mission to find his horse and bring him home. What follows is a remarkable tale of courage, loyalty and friendship, filled with stirring music and songs and told with the some of the most innovative stagecraft of our time. The tour of WAR HORSE will be directed by Bijan Sheibani based on the original Tony Award-winning direction by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, and presented in association with Handspring Puppet Company. At the heart of the show are life-sized puppets which bring breathing, galloping, charging horses to thrilling life on stage.

PETER PAN
Jan. 30 - Feb. 10, 2012
Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 West Randolph St.)

untdown", "Wanted Dead or Alive", "Here I Go Again", "Harden My Heart", "Can't Fight this Feeling", "Renegade" and "I Want To Know What Love Is." And now it will sit down at the Broadway Playhouse in Chicago for nine weeks this summer. In 1987 on the Sunset Strip, a small-town girl met a big-city dreamer - and in L.A.'s most legendary rock club, they fell in love to the greatest songs of the '80's. It's ROCK OF AGES, a hilarious, feel-good love story told through the hit songs of iconic rockers Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Foreigner, Pat Benatar, Whitesnake, and many more. This five-time Tony nominated musical, with a star studded motion picture in the works, is rockin' its way across the USA. Don't miss this awesomely good time about dreaming big, playing loud and partying on!

STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG
June 12 - 17, 2012
Bank of America Theatre (18 W. Monroe St.)

STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG, a live uncensored show that lets loose the perilous and provocative elements of comedic improvisation on stage with a bunch of puppets. Produced by WestBeth Entertainment and Henson Alternative, STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG was created by award-winning director, producer, and writer Brian Henson and actor and improvisational guru Patrick Bristow and features the Miskreant puppets and The Jim Henson Company's renowned puppeteers. STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG is a wild romp in which the skilled art of puppetry and spontaneous comedy collide. Unpredictable and irreverent, it's never the same show twice. Expert puppeteers create twisted scenes and songs on the fly, as suggestions from the audience prompt the improvised storylines unfolding on stage. This production delivers "two shows in one" as the hilarious puppet action is projected live on large screens flanking the stage, while the puppeteers race around below - displaying their skills in full view of the audience. With live musical accompaniment and Bristow as host, STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG boasts a cast of six world-class puppeteers in an uninhibited live puppet performance. STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG evolved from Henson's production "Puppet Up! -Uncensored," which made its debut at the 2006 HBO Comedy Festival (Aspen, CO) and later toured to the 2006 Edinburgh Festival (Edinburgh, Scotland), The 2007 Comedy Festival (Las Vegas, NV), and Australia's Sydney Big Laugh Comedy Festival and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (both 2007). The 2010 Off Broadway engagement of STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG marked the debut of this completely revamped production featuring all new technical wizardry with original music and staging. STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG appeared alongside Cee-Lo Green and Gwyneth Paltrow at the 2011 Grammy Awards and was featured on NBC's Celebrity Apprentice in 2012.

RAIN - A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES
June 26 - July 1, 2012
Oriental Theatre (24 West Randolph)

DIRECT FROM BROADWAY! "As "the next best thing to seeing The Beatles!" (Associated Press), RAIN performs the full range of The Beatles' discography live onstage, including the most complex and challenging songs that The Beatles themselves recorded in the studio but never performed for an audience. Together longer than The Beatles, RAIN has mastered every song, gesture and nuance of the legendary foursome, delivering a totally live, note-for-note performance in this multi-media concert, that's as infectious as it is transporting. From the early hits to later classics (I Want To Hold Your Hand, Hard Day's Night, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Let It Be, Come Together, Hey Jude and more), this adoring tribute will take you back to a time when all you needed was love, and a little help from your friends!

LES MISERABLES
Nov. 14 - Dec. 2, 2012
Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 West Randolph St.)

Based on Victor Hugo's classic novel, LES MISERABLES is an epic and uplifting story about the survival of the human spirit. The magnificent score of LES MISÉRABLES includes the classic songs "I Dreamed a Dream," "On My Own," "Stars," "Bring Him Home," "Do You Hear the People Sing?," "One Day More," "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables," "Master Of The House" and many more.


For a full list of Broadway In Chicago shows, visit our Broadway In Chicago page. ]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=684 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=684 Tue, 3 Apr 2012 06:19:56 -0500
We're here inside this 15-man hippie tent at Occupy Denver talking with actor and playwright Michael Beyer! Mike, thanks so much for meeting us in this Patchouli-scented wonderland!

My pleasure! I appreciate you guys visiting me to support our important mission, while plugging our new show.

Dude, I just saw a naked lady talking to a policeman! I didn't even know the Occupy Movement was even still happening!

Oh, it's on....we just have to move operations to mountainous locations away from prying media. Today we're protesting global warming so we are occupying every last ski run we can find, just to make these capitalist bastards see what their pursuit of the greenback is doing to our Earth....and our deer.

The hippie trim here is unreal! Anyhoosies, Mike, you've been working in the Chicago theatrical scene for almost 20 years now. Can you tell us how you originally got involved in storefront?

My roommate at the time (and current co-writer) Kirk Pynchon got cast in a show at the Factory Theater called "Attack of the Killer B's", which was a sendup of old "B" horror movies. They needed a guy to play Jason and a zombie for the Night of the Living Dead segment, so Kirk pulled me out of the bars and got me cast in that show.

Did you have any desires before that to get on stage, or was this a sort of "fall back-asswards into it" kind of thing?

I had done theater in high school, but when I went to college I pretty much thought my acting career was over. But Kirk had majored in theater and when he moved in with me, he was pounding the pavement trying to get work. He got cast in "Reefer Madness" at the Factory, which I saw and thought was hilarious. He was also tight with Sean Abley and Amy Seeley, so they were coming around our place too.

Who are Sean Abley and Amy Seeley?

They founded the Factory Theater about 20 years ago, along with a few other Second City school expatriates. They rented out a storefront on Loyola Ave. and were trying to make a go of it with Reefer and a bunch of other improv shows.

So when did you jump from "Zombie #2" to being a member and crucial part of the Factory?

By '94 the Factory had a little reputation around town due to successful shows like "Bitches", which Sean and Amy wrote/directed, and also "Alive", which was Nick Digilio and Mike Meredith's show. I was in both shows and I also had an interest in the business side of storefront theater, which was not the first priority for those guys. So they made me President. My first act was to go into a room full of actors and tell them they weren't getting paid for the six-week run of "Bitches". Good times!

Those must have been fun days, though. Drinking a lot and staying up late with your friends?

The best! It was so much fun I landed in rehab three years later!

And all your problems were solved! So, when did you actually start writing for the theater? You have a reputation as a skilled comedy author. When did that fire start?

We were all trying to write at that time, because Sean, quite frankly, made it look like writing was as easy as learning blocking. Kirk was writing "Man Card", Nick and Meredith were doing their thing, and I wanted to get in on that as well. It was kind of a friendly competition at the time -- it still is at the Factory, to tell the truth. Anyway, I wrote two plays for the Factory, which both bombed out badly, but the third one, "White Trash Wedding And A Funeral", definitely caught on with audiences. I have written four shows since then, but it really was the environment that the Factory was creating at the time

So, now "White Trash Wedding And A Funeral" is going back up onstage at the Factory. How do you feel about revisiting a play you haven't touched in 15 years?

I feel great about it!! I like what the cast is doing with the show, and it's crazy how all the old bits come back after all this time. They're rocking this show and this script, and hopefully it will still connect with people.

You also had some success writing with Kirk Pynchon on a play a few years ago called "Hey! Dancin'!" about a cable access dance show for teenagers. As I look at the body of your work, I have a hard time finding a through line, or an overarching subject matter that you are interested in exploring except that they are all comedies. I mean, I guess in all the plays, the villains are older, but does that have anything to do with a point you are making or just a comedy formula that has been around through the centuries?

I am primarily interested in comedy because it's what I do better than drama!!! I guess my main interest in writing is trying to make people laugh, nothing more. I get an interest at the time, and try to explore it. We never did table reads or analyze our characters very much when the Factory was first doing shows, but we did trade a ton of theories on what makes people laugh. I would watch ensemble members joking around in the green room before shows, trying out bits subconsciously, then trying them out in performances later on that night. I tried to learn as much as I could from them.

Because writing comedies for stage is different than stand up and tv and film, because you don't have a lot of the same tools that people use to write with nowadays. No quick edits, or star power to jump behind, and it doesn't do much for you in Theatre to continuously break the 4th wall and plead your story to an audience, so how is writing big, bawdy comedies for stage different in your opinion, and why don't more people do it?

There is a reason for the cliche -- I think that writing comedy is pretty hard! You can tell instantly whether you're killing it, or whether you are sucking. The audience will tell you right away on that one. I am biased, obviously, but writers of dramatic pieces don't need to rely on that visceral response from the audience. It's true that you can connect with an audience in a drama, but comedy involves much more of a tightrope, and it's intimidating. I am amazed at people who can write big comedies and make a success out of it, because I know how hard it is. There is also a certain lack of respect associated with comedy. People think the Factory just gets up there and goofs around on stage for 60 minutes. It's hard work making fart jokes seem effortless!

True dat, Brostradamus. Now, you have a show that you've co-written with Kirk Pynchon going up at Chemically Imbalanced Comedy called "Johnny Theatre," can you tell us a little more about this one, and how it feels to have two shows on stage at the same time?

"Johnny Theatre" is intended to be our love letter to the Chicago storefront scene and a salute to those who knock themselves out to put up great shows for little to no financial reward. It tells the story of Jonathan Duva, an A-list, thrice Oscar-nominated actor who returns from LA to the Chicago storefront where he got his start -- with a new play he penned. He intends the show as a gift to this fictional storefront, to help get them out of debt. But he can't stop meddling in the show and ultimately ruins the theater company entirely. So there's definitely an element of "LA Sucks" in the show as well.

Sounds like this show is based on an actual celebrity!

Yep.

Can you tell us any names?

Nope.

And having 2 shows up at once?

It does feel weirdly awesome. I don't know -- it's like the Chicago theatre patron can choose between "Classic" Mike or "New" Mike. They were written 17 years apart, so the first thing THAT makes me feel is very very old. They are very different shows, but hopefully they will make people laugh.

Mike, thanks for taking the time to invite us to Denver and let us speak to you in this horrible smelling tent. You know what they were saying about the New York protests and how it was just an excuse for homeless people to eat free food and sleep in a park? Well, it is not like that out here in Denver. Here it feels like we are waiting for Dave Matthews tickets to go on sale.

You captured the mood out here perfectly!! I appreciate you guys taking the time to sit on these recycled hemp mats here in our Abode of Truth to talk Chicago theatre. Now if you'll excuse me, I am off to catch Jason Lubow and His Jugglers of Fire burn down a vacant barn with their act. You guys should check this out.

Oh we sure will, right after we go get some Starbucks and American Family Insurance. FIGHT THE ESTABLISHMENT!

Eric Roach, Anderson Lawfer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=682 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=682 Wed, 28 Mar 2012 09:51:43 -0500 Court Theatre, looks in the mirror, he sees an athlete forever young in the guise of a middle-aged stage director. "The discipline you learn in sports definitely carries over into theater," declares Parson, who at fiftysomething still chases down fly balls in the Chicago Theater Softball League.

The Buffalo (NY) native went to the University of Michigan thinking he might make the baseball or football team, and ended up playing rugby. But that was before he dropped out, rethought his life and plunged back into school with newfound determination to make his mark in theater.

Not surprisingly, the perennial softball player in Parson sees the creation of a stage work as the shared enterprise of an entire production team.

"It has to be a totally collaborative effort, with everybody from the actors to the assistant managers on the same wavelength," says Parson. "I don't feel directors have to go into a project knowing everything. I've directed nearly 20 August Wilson projects and acted in others. If you remain open to possibilities, there's something that happens to you each time that helps to bring about the vision of the author."

In Chicago, Parson has directed Athol Fugard's "Sizwe Banzi Is Dead" and August Wilson's "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" at Court, Mat Smart's "Samuel J. and K." at Steppenwolf and, most recently, Harold Pinter's "The Caretaker" at Writers' Theatre..

Farther afield, his recent work includes Samm-Art Williams' "Home" at the Signature Theatre in New York, Wilson's "Gem of the Ocean" at the Actors Theatre in Louisville and Wilson's "Fences" at the Portland Stage Company.

Esteemed as he now is, Parson admits his career didn't exactly zoom from ignition into orbit. He wobbled a bit on the launch pad at Michigan.

"That was in the '70s and there was a lot of pot smoking going on," says Parson with small laugh. "I'd taken courses in every department I could think of until I finally just quit. My father told me, 'Until you know what you want to do, you're on your own.' I had withdrawn from school unofficially, which meant I had to plead my way back in. Took me a year to go through all he proper channels."

But by then Parson had the theater bug — an infection he picked up on campus.

"I was in the theater building one day when they were rehearsing a play I knew," he says. "I'd acted since I was in the third grade, but I never thought about doing it professionally. They were looking for somebody to take one of the parts, and I ended up in the play." This time, he was hooked.

After finishing his degree at Michigan, Parson began graduate studies at Rutgers but couldn't afford to stay. He went back to Buffalo to live with his father and began a period of bouncing in and out of theater. He accepted a gig as artistic director of a company in Flint, MI, only to see that job swept from under him by budget cuts. While pondering what to do next, he took a job in the shipping department at Builders Square (which would become Home Depot).

That's when actor-director Stephen McKinley Henderson entered Parson's life, and refocused it.

"I'd been recruited by the Studio Arena Theatre in Buffalo as a young black to play the moving man in 'Raisin in the Sun.' Stephen was playing Bogle," Parson says. "We struck up a friendship in the dressing room. He talked me back into theater.

"He was directing a show in St. Louis and asked me to be his assistant. But then he took another job and I took over the show, as director. After that I went back to Buffalo and really got into it. With a friend, I started a theater company. Then a friend of mine who worked at the Goodman told me about a play they were doing called "I Am a Man," and said I should audition. I did, and got a part. I'd never really been aware of the Chicago theater scene. There was so much going on here. I wish I had known about it much earlier."

In 1995 Parson helped to create Chicago's Onyx Theatre Ensemble, a company devoted to black playwrights. It was during the four-year life of Onyx that he earned stripes as a director. After he was invited by the Stratford (Ontario) Shakespeare Festival to direct the premiere of Joanna McClelland Glass' "Palmer Park" in 2008, Parson suddenly found himself in demand "pretty much all over."

Parson's directing philosophy might be described as spontaneous, even free-wheeling.

"As we get older, we draw on new experiences," he says. "There has to be openness. Nothing is off limits. It's stifling to be told how to speak. I don't even like the term blocking. I prefer crafting. Every actor has a life and a process of his or her own. If you try to control somebody's passion, you're only going to smother them."

Lawrence B. Johnson
Contributing Writer
Lawrence B. Johnson is the editor of Chicago On the Aisle, www.ChicagoOntheAisle.com]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=681 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=681 Fri, 23 Mar 2012 09:08:08 -0500 Death and Harry Houdini at House Theatre was created to showcase the company's resident illusionist, Dennis Watkins. The hero of Lookingglass Theatre's Rick Bayless In Cascabel, however, is a cook. Not just any cook, either, but superstar foodslinger Rick Bayless, starring as a smitten suitor whose kitchen wizardry wins the love—and appetite—of a beautiful lady suffering a melancholy affliction.

"Rick Bayless had come to see our Hephaestus," author Heidi Stillman explains, "and he really loved it. He and Tony [Hernandez], our circus-master, tweeted back and forth a bit, and Tony said, 'You know, we ought to do something together.' That's how the talks began."

How did you decide that the play would include actual real-time cooking and eating as part of its action? "In Europe right now, you can see circus shows where the acts alternate with the courses of a meal cooked by popular chefs. For Lookingglass, blending these different elements seemed a natural progression. We have always been interested in the whole package of theatricality—not just words, but the visual, the physical, the aural—and with this show, smell and taste as well! I've also heard Rick discuss the performance elements of restaurant cooking, so this wasn't an odd progression for him, either. Both our art forms are ephemeral, they occur in communal settings, and they both can tell stories and convey emotions, albeit in very different ways."

It's also a universal experience. I mean, there's nobody who doesn't eat. "That's right. Food is survival, but it's also memory, a window to our past, to other cultures, other tastes. We use food metaphors to express psychological concepts when we speak of someone 'digesting news', or 'wasting away.' The material is rich with possibility."

Especially nowadays, where every mouthful we take is fraught with risk—is this dish unhealthy? If I have a cookie, will that make me a "bad" girl? It's no wonder that the man exercising power over such potent substances should assume the stature of a mythical knight. Does Bayless—who is not precisely a young man—have what it takes to play a romantic Prince Charming?

"Well, George Clooney isn't a 'young' man, either," argues Stillman, [Bayless] is charming and handsome—did you know that he acted in plays when he was in school?—and he will be onstage doing what he does best. Isn't it always intriguing to see someone so highly skilled working their own unique kind of magic?"

Rick Bayless In Cascabel begins performances on March 21 at Lookingglass Theatre in the Water Works and runs through April 22.

Mary Shen Barnidge
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=680 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=680 Tue, 20 Mar 2012 09:16:12 -0500
Hey Gene! Thanks for meeting us here in this music store! We love to hang out in music stores because it is a great place to meet women who like musicians but are too scared to go to bars or clubs.

Smart move! I like music stores too, but mostly for the music.

Right, the "music". Understood. So it just so happens that we are in a music store in the suburbs because we had to meet you before your show today, isn't that right? What show is it again?

It's called "Legally Blonde" and it's playing in the nearby suburb of Lincolnshire at The Marriott Theatre.

Wait, like "Legally Blonde" the movie that our wives like so much?

Yes, but actually lots of genders and ages seem to like it. The guy at the local suburban UPS store told me he loved it because he likes stories wherein people overcome personal obstacles and achieve more than might have been expected. I'm paraphrasing, but that's the story in a nutshell.

I see, so it's all about the Human Condition. So did you workshop your characters with some Viewpoints or some Maskwork?

We avoided Maskwork thinking it was too Euro-Centric, but we did consider Viewpoints without actually giving credit to the author, Amanda Brown. It's something we all do all the time as we're putting a show together. Especially a tricky script like this one.

So...you do a lot of musicals now, but tell us about when you started in Chicago. What was the theatre scene like and what sort of projects were you into? Did you have a theatre company?

I'd gone to college with the founders of the Steppenwolf Company, but thought they were crazy to try and start a theatre in Highland Park...or anywhere for that matter, and they were. But it seems to have turned out ok for them. I started doing musicals because I was asked. Seriously. I didn't have courage enough to go to auditions, but friends who had known me in school asked me to come and play. Summer stock, dinner theatres; crazy but fun jobs in crazy, fun venues.

So how long did it take you to go Equity? It was a different sort of thing back then, wasn't it? I mean, you could do a lot more traveling, and a lot more houses were Equity?

I never had to go on the road and had no idea how to get involved in any of the big tours, though mostly I think it was shows like "A Chorus Line" in those days...at any rate shows for which my skills were not well-suited. But again someone asked me to audition for a show at the now defunct Forum Theatre because several people had been fired and they were desperate for replacements. That was my Equity card. Paid for with my first two weeks salary. Half taken out each week. Initiation was cheap back then. But so was my rent.

Dang!

"Dang," indeed.

So, Gene, we see you are a member of all the big unions. Can you tell us how you stand on the Aftra/SAG merger?

It's something I've advocated for years. Strength in numbers isn't really a new or difficult concept, but I think there was a sense among performers and artists in the past that somehow being equated with another type of performer...say a newscaster, or stage actor or whatever would somehow lessen your own value. For me, these days it has largely to do with health insurance and pensions.

So, you are sort of like an Eisenhower Republican with the AFL/CIO merger. I think it is fair to call you a Republican. "Gene Weygandt, Republican," the headline will read.

Plus I look so sexy in a tinfoil hat!

When did you go from average, everyday stage performer to Stephen Schwartz's muse?

During rehearsals for "Snapshots". Though the rest of the company used another word for it. It didn't rhyme with "muse."

Did it rhyme with "Prison Ditch"?

Right! I was Stephen Schwartz's bison. But shouldn't even a bison have his email address?

We can all only dream about being in a play that was as important to our culture as "Wicked" was. Talk about the time when you knew that you were in something huge.

When I saw my friend Rondi Reed well up with tears at a press event before we'd even started rehearsals. We were on the stage at The Oriental with David Stone, and Marc Platt, the producers and all the Chicago news people, and I think Rondi had suddenly realized how far we'd come from our little hometowns and state college and tiny contracts and all the rest, and was just sort of overwhelmed. And I had a similar epiphany. Somehow, stupidly, without much planning, here I was in the big time. The second time was at bows of the first performance. When the two girls came out on deck, you could feel the concussion of the cheer and people quite literally jumping out of their seats to applaud. Some months later, we vacationed in Mexico and I was recognized.

How has that role changed your career? I mean, do you feel like you get more work because of it? Did it buy your pontoon boat in Southern Illinois? Do you get recognized when you ride your Hog around?

Yes I still get recognized, but not under my helmet. Yeah, I think it's allowed New York producers and casting directors to consider me. But you still have to give a respectable audition and be right for the job. It's not like being a movie star... they don't like Lake Shelbyville.

But something I think we all really appreciate -- is that a tambourine?

Yes. I played in the marching band in high-school. Listen. This is my favorite Beatles song!
Sorry... wrong key. Let me start again. Sheeee's got a ticket to ri-ide...

(Gene plays tambourine in a crowded music store for 7 full minutes)

Ok, are you done? Jesus.

....a-a-aand...done. Go ahead.

(He is not done. We wait for another 2 minutes to continue)

We all really appreciate how, even though you have grown into a Unendingly Thirsty Theatrical Behemoth, that you have stayed connected with our little storefront community. I think that takes a lot of character. I think it is because you love it here, and you're family is happy in this town?

It's not easy for a behemoth to move around. Especially in a small crowded music store. But yes I love Chicago. I'm a big ...behemothian cheer-leader for Chicago theatre and frankly, I get a kick out of you young kids and all that you bring to the party. I try to keep up, and I think that keeps me...what? viable? active? up-kept?

Keeping your mind sharp is very important at your age. So, is it true that you will be performing at the Porchlight Benefit this year?

Whoa!! PorchLIGHT??? I thought hey just wanted me to sing out on the porch. Jumpin' Gee -hosephat! But yes, ok. I guess so. It's a tribute to Michael Bennett, big big big Broadway guy, and so I'm performing a country tune with the beautifulandtalented (one word after so much usage) Nikki Klix. There really is a relationship between Mr. Bennett and Glen Campbell, and you'll just have to attend to find out exactly what it is.

Nikki is definitely a heroine of ours and Glen Campbell is an American legend. When is the big benefit and where can people find more information about it?

Sunday April 22, which is also Earth day. Check out the Porchlight website. It's an 11:00 a.m brunch bash, so bring syrup!

Gene, are you trying to steal that tambourine?! Please...Gene, I will BUY it for you! Please don't get us arrested out here.

Run, guys, run!!!!. I can take out the greeter!

Eric Roach, Anderson Lawfer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=679 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=679 Fri, 16 Mar 2012 10:05:06 -0500 women getting in touch with their grosser selves. Not just any women, either—in Yasmina Reza's God of Carnage, it's the chic young wife who takes ill and vomits all over the coffee table, and in Leslye Headland's Bachelorette, where a posh hotel's pristine bridal suite poses the irresistible invitation to defilement, the angry pill-popper may rip the wedding dress and the earthy coke-snorter succumb to nosebleed, but it's Katie, the former prom queen—played by Linda Augusta Orr—whose stomach rebels under the stress of alcohol and envy.
]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=678 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=678 Wed, 14 Mar 2012 08:08:41 -0500 In big custom-built theaters, rip-and-throw costume changes are implemented with the aid of hidden dressers, but the room that houses Timeline Theatre's production of Lucy Prebble's <em><a href="http://www.theatreinchicago.com/playdetail.php?playID=5249">Enron</a></em> is buried in the depths of a church community hall, its in-the-round configuration mandating that the nine actors who play more than two dozen characters frequently exit, only to dash down stairs, through basements and then upstairs again to emerge on the opposite side of the stage. Add in Prebble's fondness for swift locale-shifts, and what you have is a scenario executed at road-runner cartoon speed.<br> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=677 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=677 Wed, 14 Mar 2012 08:08:04 -0500 When they come, we must be ready—and not with glib approximations. Our alien visitors will want to know everything about us. They will want honest answers—especially about theater. It's wrong to fool an inquisitive extraterrestrial. They came this far because they care.<br> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=676 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=676 Wed, 14 Mar 2012 08:07:19 -0500
Amber Robinson, the young and plucky Artistic Director of Grey Ghost Theatre has a sparkle in her eyes that is hard to resist. A boyish smile and hair of the finest quality.

Patrick Belics stands proud. The Artistic Director of Spartan Theatre Company speaks clearly and with purpose. It's easy to see why young performers would follow him into battle.

Here's a piece of our discussion over a few regular sized Prime Rib Bullets.

Hey guys! Thanks for joining us here at this Quizno's! We just love Quizno's and we were discussing our younger days in theatre and how we would eat at Quizno's all the time so we thought it would be good to meet you at one!

AR: You're right Andy, Quizno's tastes like youthful artistic ambitions. At reasonable prices!

So, let's get started by you telling us about your theatre company and how you started and what you are working on now and all that junk. Patrick?

PB: Well, our theatre company is called Spartan Theatre Company. It was recently formed by myself and Andy Monson in order to start writing and performing the theater that we've always wanted to see on stage. Something I'm sure is the catalyst for most theatre companies. Our intention is to deliver theatre at any lengths. To stop at nothing to bring you badass theatre.

Like... the Spartans did?

PB: Yes. That was the thought process behind the name. It's about willpower and drive.

Do you guys leave your weaker members for dead on the side of a mountain?

PB: The weaker members are used as decoys for our plans. So yes. Inevitably, that will happen.

Amber? What about your group? You are called Grey Ghost Theatre Company and would you like anything from the Pickle Bar here at this Quizno's?

AR: I could use some more mustard packets, thank you. We are Grey Ghost Theatre, and I would say my reasons for founding this group sound similar to what Patrick mentioned, and probably along the same lines of most theatre groups founded in Chicago. We are all young professionals who have been working for several years on projects for other organizations. Inevitably some are rewarding, and some are painful. I was at a point where I felt I wouldn't be satisfied unless I generated my own work, and chose my collaborators and material on my own terms. So this is our means to make that happen.

PB: Lorne Michaels, the producer of SNL, once said "If you're the smartest person in the room. Then you're in the wrong room." With starting our own theatre company we've been able to choose our collaborators and our own projects. We get to surround ourselves with people we know, work well with, and trust. It has been very rewarding so far.

Well, I have never heard of this Lorne Michaels character, but it sounds like he has a lot to say about rooms. So, what does it entail to start a new theatre company nowadays? I mean, you have to get a 501c3 (not for profit status) and you need some friends, right? But what other sort of work does it take?

AR: Actually, we found an organization called Fractured Atlas, which is a great resource for early career artists. Fractured Atlas is a 501c3 organization which fiscally sponsors individual artists and groups, and once you've been accepted as a sponsored organization, you can essentially use their non-profit status. So we can accept tax-deductible donations without going through the legal and financial hoops of setting up our own non-profit status. They also provide advice for fundraising, accounting, etc. It's been an invaluable resource for us.

How do you see that affecting you in the future? I mean, you can't survive off a sponsored website forever can you? Has anyone ever tried the Prime Rib Sandwich here?

AR: Though I don't know about the prime rib, we are thinking of Fractured Atlas like a springboard as we get started. Assuming our first season is successful (by that I mean financially sustainable), and that we feel strongly enough about the work we've produced to continue the collaboration, we hope to go through the process of getting our own non-profit status, incorporating as an LLC, etc.

How do you feel about the sheer number of new theatre companies that start and shutdown within their first year? What do you think you can do to avoid this issue? It is a pretty large issue in the community. We've seen many companies come and go.

PB: As with anything in the arts, there is an assumption that you are different. You are a cut above the rest. And you will make it where others haven't. That can be taken as a narcissistic thing to say. But it is essential to survival in the arts. The assumption you are good enough and that people will be interested in you and what you are portraying. The theatre companies that start and shutdown are as prevalent as actors who begin their career and then end it. We have to believe in ourselves that we will work through the struggles and come out the other side.

AR: Patrick - I think that's a good point about the number of failed companies and artists, that, to be honest, there are plenty of artists and companies that don't produce lasting quality work. But realistically, there are also many factors beyond the artists control, and sometimes the sustainability of a company can be determined by non-artistic factors. I try to just keep my intention focused on the project at hand, and do everything in my power to make that successful. We will allow the mission and scope of the company to go change over time, as necessary. I think that flexibility will be key to continuing our work together and not setting up future expectations based on our current ideas of how we define the company's success.

PB: This is true. There are factors outside of us that we can not control. This is why I to keep my eye on the prize, and remain flexible as changes arise. Since we can't assume those uncontrollable factors of misfortune will fall on us. Otherwise, we risk fear of doing.

Well, we think you guys should both get into the burlesque scene. Those shows get butts in the seats. There's one about Super Mario Brothers except the brothers strip down to nipple holders and washcloths for pants. Now that I am thinking of it, it actually may be based more on Super Mario Kart than anything. Anyway, what projects are you working on right now with your respective companies?

AR: Hurray - I get to talk about our play now! We're producing Melancholy Play, by Sarah Ruhl. It's one of her earliest full length works, not seen in Chicago since it originally premiered at Piven Theater, 10 years ago. Those who know Sarah Ruhl's work will have an idea of the tone of the play, it is both very funny and moving. It's a farce about melancholy, which is profound in a very sneaky way. I can keep going...

That's ok, I think we are all familiar with Sarah. But it brings up a question I had for both of you, but Patrick we will start with you. In this economy and in the world we live in, there is a very clear difference between art and entertainment. I think, we have seen that people are usually more interested in entertainment than art so producing a crowd-pleaser might be a make-or-break sort of thing for young companies. In our community, there seems to be a finite number of patrons for the arts, how do you think you can get a slice of that demographic away from other theatre companies they are already tuned in to?

PB: In our case, we produce theatre that we feel the audience is already invested in or has been invested in the past. We produce shows that we know you loved the first time you saw them. But what can we do with them now that is different? How can we take it further? There is a marketing aspect to bringing people to the theater. We are aware that people are more likely to go see "American Buffalo" than "Agamemnon". At the same time, this does not mean we don't try to push the boundaries. The show that premieres on Saturday, February 11 at the Greenhouse Theater, is called "Train of Thought" and is an hour-long one-man show written by and performed by Andy Monson. This is all original work, and yet is reminiscent of Joe Frank (a very popular radio show storyteller) and Spalding Gray (a well-known performance artist). We try to think about what we wish we could see on stage.

AR: I think that's true - you have to start with what you love and really want to see. In our case, Melancholy Play is something I've loved for many years, and was shocked to find it hadn't been produced in Chicago since it was first written. It has to be something that you love so sincerely that you can't wait to share with others, and people really feel that excitement from you. In my experience with this project, when you have that level of enthusiasm and love in your work, it is infectious. Of course, that is only effective to a point when it comes to butts in the seats. So once you've started with something you have that belief in, I think you just need to connect with the right marketing types to get audience numbers. However, Chicago is special. And we are now all realizing how much your reputation as an artist matters. The work I've done with other theatres and artists is coming back to help, and I have the trust of those I've worked with. Being able to have that reputation in this community is invaluable, because we're asking for a leap of faith both from the people we ask to work with us, and the people we ask to invest 90 minutes of their time to see our work.

A lot of times, we have found out in our long and storied careers, it isn't just about the 90 minutes. It is about the 4 hours involved in getting a babysitter, paying for parking, finding reservations for dinner, meeting a friend, and putting on pants. We like both of your points, and we think you both have the optimism and strength to make it through your initial year without anything going horribly wrong, but in the future where do you see your company being? Say, 4 years down the road. You still may not be Jeff Recognized, and you will have exhausted your families and friends and will need to rely on actual paying customers almost exclusively. Is that a "Let's take it as we go" sort of thing?

PB: Amber had a good point about not setting up unrealistic expectations. We've all sat down at some point and day-dreamed about what our lives will be like years from now. Jeff-Award winning Theatre Company that has it's own space in Downtown Chicago conveniently off several major lines of travel with numerous investors and the creative freedom to still do what ever we want. And that's something to hold on to. But I think what I'm more concerned about is producing the shows that I want to see. So if four years from now I've checked a bunch of those shows off the list. And I am really proud of them. That's all I can really ask for....... that being said if we got a Jeff that would be really cool too.

Well, Patrick, Amber, we think we can speak for the whole community when we say welcome and we wish you nothing but the best. Also, would you like some of this Broccoli Soup?

PB: I've never been a fan. But thank you for offering. And thank you for having me.

AR: I never say no to a Quizno's. Bring it on. And thank you for speaking to us!

Eric Roach, Anderson Lawfer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=675 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=675 Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:44:13 -0600 did—living in a house with rooms filled floor-to-ceiling with miscellany acquired over fifty-plus years. Mark Saltzman is the most recent of many writers to find in this eccentric compulsion a lesson for our own society, reflected in the play titled, Clutter: The True Story of the Collyer Brothers Who Never Threw Anything Out.

To create a mountain of debris for Richard Greenberg's The Dazzle, Steppenwolf Theatre merely strapped a portion of their extensive prop warehouse to a wagon and wheeled it into view. Compare this with MadKap Productions' performance space, which must crowd the Collyer mansion into an alcove fronted by a semi-transparent scrim on a shallow stage flanked by minimal wing space. Further complicating matters is the necessity of the various gewgaws being carried in during the course of the play's action, gradually accumulating onstage while still allowing actors to move about without touching their invisible "wall."

This task is right up Mary O'Dowd's alley—almost literally. "I live in the Western suburbs," says the property designer whose intricately-detailed decor has enhanced such Ivan Albright-styled environs as Signal Ensemble's Real Inspector Hound, "so I drive around villages on garbage nights looking for free curbside finds. There are also some great thrift shops in the area, and dumpsters by shopping malls for things like boxes or newspapers. Oh, and I also borrow from my mother sometimes, or barter from other theaters."

Do you ever have to build from scratch? "Some things I make—the Model T front seat in Clutter, I pieced together from a curbside wicker table, along with lumber scraps, foam pillows, floral wire, and several yards of vinyl. For the horse's skull, I opted for paper-mÂchÉ over the retail price of $3000. My husband, let me add, is a skilled handyman who often helps me construct special items like the double-barreled sawed-off shotgun for Columbinus. He's also very understanding about letting me store stuff at home." She winks conspiratorially, "The secret to a successful marriage is separate garages!"

Did the furnishings all arrive at the theater at once? "Since I drive a small car, I usually bring stuff in increments and keep it at the theater, but this [production] was a rental, which meant nothing could be moved in ahead of time. I stored the props in our rehearsal space, then on the load-in date, I transported it to the Greenhouse in a rented truck, with the help of our stage manager, Cate [Anderson]—bless her heart!"

How does the assemblage fit backstage? "No square inch is wasted! The actors and the crew are wonderful at adapting to the changing offstage landscape. I'm buying two more canoe paddles tonight and I've prepared some extra items against the possibility of something breaking—not the horse's skull, I hope, which took a long time to make."

Does it ever bother you that the contributions of prop designers usually go unrecognized? "I love my job—even if the Jeffs and Tonys don't acknowledge the existence of props people. Despite this production's many challenges, it was worth every bit of the effort!"

Clutter runs through March 11 at the Greenhouse

Mary Shen Barnidge
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=674 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=674 Tue, 7 Feb 2012 15:08:14 -0600 Motion", their new play about the NFL lockout and the power plays off the field, is getting fab reviews. We invited author and Founding Member of Signal Ronan Marra and director Aaron Snook to St. Mary of the Infinite Suffering's parking lot to chat about the show, football, and the best mustard on your hot dog!

Ronan! Aaron! Thanks for meeting us over here at this tailgating party in this church parking lot!

Ronan -- Thanks for having us!

Aaron -- Our pleasure! Looking forward to the game!

You know, church basketball tailgating is supremely underrated. We are just looking for a reason to party, you know what I mean, brahs?!

Ronan -- I agree I've always felt people are really missing out it.

Aaron -- I hear ya. The wine and the snacks are the best at these.

Ok, so let's talk for a second about your theatre company called "Signal Ensemble". You guys, as I understand it, have some of the largest wings of any theatre company in town. Meaning your group of artists works all around the city.

Ronan -- They do, everyone works for a lot of different companies. We heavily encourage it.

Aaron -- We take pride in that -- it just makes the ensemble that much better.

A lot of people don't seem to understand that staying insular can lead to stagnation and death, so we applaud you, gentlemen. Now, tell us a little bit about what you guys do? All theatre companies are the same to us.

Ronan -- These days we have a specific goal to do work that has never been seen in Chicago. We're always looking for some level of premiere, whether it be world or Chicago.

Aaron -- I'd also add that our uniqueness is based on the people that we have in the room during the creative process. In other words, our ensemble makes us who we are.

Well, whatever makes you happy I guess. So, one of the reasons we asked you out here before the Super Bowl, is because you guys are doing an original play written by Ronan, and directed by Aaron about the football lockout from earlier this year, yes?

Ronan -- Yes sir.

Aaron -- Football!

Why football? Do a lot of theatre people like football?

Ronan -- Many seem to. I've been asked this before and I always say that most of my Facebook feed are theatre people and anytime there's a game on, they're posting about it. Most of my friends like it.

Aaron - I like football.

Thanks Aaron. I love straight forward answers. Tell me briefly what Motion is about.

Ronan -- The league is on the verge of a labor lockout like the one the NFL experienced over the spring and summer. The fictional Cleveland Rams have the first pick in the draft, and their new general manager, Diane, has to decide what to do with the first pick. She is greatly interfered with by the owner's son and her ex-husband, Drew, who is an agent that represents the top quarterback in the draft.

I love it. You guys have a couple of very special guests as the "Greek Chorus Morning Zoo Radio Sports Commentators" don't you?

Ronan -- We do.

Aaron -- Very special indeed.

Who are they, and why did you choose them?

Aaron -- You two, silly! Ronan, why did we choose them?

Ronan -- When they left ESPN, we moved swiftly.

We were honored to be a part of it. When you look forward, into the rest of your season, and into future seasons do you foresee doing more plays about sports? The reason I am asking is, you recently did a show about The Rolling Stones called "Aftermath" that was a big hit for you. Do you think there is something about taking popular cultural institutions like rock music or football and basing theatre performances on them? Are you looking for an audience where there wasn't one before?

Ronan -- I don't think we specifically thought about it that way. We honestly had no idea the demo we were tapping into with Aftermath. I think I just love both subjects and wanted to write about them. It's certainly possible I'll take on rock or sports again.

Aaron -- Yeah, we're just looking to tell good stories and these were a couple of them. I love the link, but we never think about it until it's brought up. I'm thinking roller derby next.

Do you think, in your personal opinion, that the lockout was a good move? Who won? Would you like another hot dog?

Ronan -- I would love another hot dog. In general, I think they put a good deal together, and it's good it didn't last into the regular season. As we cover in Motion, a lot of other jobs were at stake -- staffers, stadium workers, etc. It wasn't just the players and owners at risk. It seems like they put a good deal together, I'm not sure there was a clear winner.

Aaron -- I think it worked out better than the NBA, anyway. Hey, no freakin mustard on mine!

Well, we have many mustard selections...try the Gulden's! Over at Signal, you guys seem to go back and forth between published pieces and original work. Was this a conscious decision or something that developed organically?

Ronan -- it was conscious. Especially when we started, the idea was to do everything from classics to new works. Now that we're focused a little more on new work or Chicago premieres, we deal more with agents and the like.

Aaron -- I think we really cut our teeth on classics for a while and we're now at the point where we want to start telling newer stories. And I will NOT try the Gulden's.

Your loss, brah. Well, we would like to thank you both for coming. You know who you never see at church basketball tailgating parties? Ladies.

Aaron -- An absolute pleasure.

Ronan -- Thank you!

Let me ask you before you go...what is your favorite Super Bowl party food and who do you pick to win?

Ronan -- I like wings and I'm going Pats 24-21.

Aaron -- Nachos all the time. I'm sticking to my guns from a while ago with Pats 20-17.

Ronan -- Let it be noted that is the first time Aaron has ever agreed with me.

Aaron -- Noted.


Motion runs at Signal Ensemble Theatre until Match 3.

Eric Roach, Anderson Lawfer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=673 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=673 Sun, 5 Feb 2012 14:29:36 -0600
It gives a whole new meaning to that irreducible definition of theater—"two boards and a passion."

Why? It's a new year—why not a new "Hamlet"? But one that the (re)discoverers MUST believe has never been done before—but will--for eight performances at the old Live Bait Space in mid-February. Veteran actors would be cowed by their goal to find freshness in something so ferociously familiar. But when producer Miriam Reuter, co-producer Jon Matteson (who also plays the Danish prince) and text coach Jess Shoemaker met over six months ago, they were after a dream too big to discourage. Reuter: "We asked ourselves: If we had the freedom and the resources to work on anything as artists, what would we create? We'll make 'Hamlet' happen. Instead of waiting for someone to open the door, we'll do it ourselves."

You don't get much more Chicago theater than that. Windy City actors live to open doors. Reuter's words stand in for many heartland dreamers: "There's an undeniable magic to naive, youthful, enthusiastic energy. (re)discover theater is not so much about creating something brand new, as building our place in this centuries-old-tradition."

Not surprisingly when you're reinventing the wheel on a small to invisible budget, their "Hamlet" will be minimalist—but from conviction as much as necessity. Back to basics is Matteson's approach to the killer title role: "We've heard the speeches so many times, we've become numb to their power and genius, but what about watching someone--me--discover those arguments totally fresh?"

For Matteson it's love, not Hamlet's usual fury foundering on indecision, that's the key to this reluctant revenger: "I'm different from every one of the thousands of people who have played Hamlet. What strikes me most in this play is how much Hamlet really loves his mother, Ophelia, and his friends. They're different kinds of love, on different levels, but as he's lied to and betrayed again and again, it leaves him with no one to trust but Horatio. All that love never goes away, but it's mixed with an understanding of how the people he loves work. Love is the strongest action that I can work in. So that's where I've started Hamlet's journey."

Being true to the text means taking liberties with a very generous script, says text coach Shoemaker: "From the start we wanted a two-hour Hamlet, which means cutting over half the text. I spent a lot of time trying to pare down to the essentials, asking myself 'What story are we trying to tell'" When you get down to the nuts and bolts of Shakespeare, I feel the plot becomes secondary, taking a backseat to the extraordinarily well-crafted human journey. I respect the text and I'm careful to maintain the integrity of the verse and themes. But I wasn't shy about things like giving away one of Hamlet's speeches, re-arranging soliloquies, intercutting segments, or re-assigning gender. And I got rid of the pirates. I've always hated the pirates." (Is nothing sacred?)

Then there's the challenge of how close to bring the play to the present. Stage manager Bobby Arnold found the right formula: "We use the idea that 'airplanes exist, but cell phones do not.' [A terrific idea on so many levels...] It lets us realistically develop the storyline accurately, while also letting us explore the elements of staging, costuming, sound, and lights." Minimally, of course.

And, yes, sometimes with the Bard less really is more and, yes, ignorance can be a kind of bliss. That's the strategy practiced by director Matt Wills, who counts on the hope that a lack of experience can bring a lack of bias: "I'm coming into this production without an extensive knowledge or preconceived notions about 'Hamlet.' Because I haven't read every text of Hamlet, or manically studied the Arden--that's what our text coach is for--it's safe to say that I'm able to see the text in a new way. Undoubtedly there are things that can't be argued: Hamlet sees his father's ghost, setting off a chain of events that ultimately ends in the death of several characters. How we get to that end is up for interpretation. Is Polonius a loving father? Do Hamlet and Ophelia have a good sexual relationship? Answering these questions is our way of mining the gold from Shakespeare's text."

Rebooting a classic implies that something got lost across the centuries. Or perhaps it happened as recently as childhood. Wills: "Our audiences are hungry for a production of Hamlet that's non-traditional. People hear 'Shakespeare' and are immediately transported to their freshman year in high school, where the teacher made each read 'Julius Caesar' out loud, which was boring as shit, and resulted in kids hating Shakespeare. I was one of those kids."

Happily, Wills' evil indifference didn't last: "Since then I've discovered that Shakespeare writes some of the most surreal and humanistic text in dramatic literature. I feel people are hungry to see a funny, tragic, messy, but still well crafted and textually sound "Hamlet". We take from the old--the script, scansion work, etc.--and combine it with the new--our actors, split staging, and re-arrangement of the text). This is how we (re)discover Hamlet."

The rest is silence.

"Hamlet" runs at the Live Bait Theater, 3914 N. Clark Street, February 16-25. Tickets are $12 at the door or $10 if reserved in advance; for advance reservations or more information, email rediscovertheatre@gmail.com. Facebook: (re)discover theatre; Twitter: @rediscovtheatre. Because brevity is the soul of wit, running time will be two hours and fifteen minutes.

Lawrence Bommer
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=672 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=672 Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:08:18 -0600
The harsh discipline that these two women endure is invoked in clothing reminiscent of bondage garb: floor-length crinolines of ribbed steel connected with tapes, topped by high-collared bodices constructed of saddleweight leather, studded with gleaming metal hardware. Many of these restrictive garments are donned and removed in full view of the audience, unassisted by backstage personnel, with no pause in the wearers' enigmatic dialogue.

"The scene where Little Cog puts on her corset is specified in the script," reports director Karen Yates, "and when [the play] premiered in 1989, it was done realistically, with Victorian-styled gowns." The intricately-wrought armor created by Darcy Elora Hofer for the Oracle Theatre production of Ironmistress, however, required an "orientation tour" to acquaint Katherine Keberlein and Sarah Goeden with the, literal, ins-and-outs of their wardrobe.

"We rehearsed in fabric skirts and corsets," explains Goeden, "but the first time we put on the actual costumes, Darcy walked us through all the different pieces and explained how they worked."

"The buckles and laces definitely called for some practice," concurs Keberlein, "The neck-section on my dress, in particular, was quite rigid—but after a few minutes, I realized how it helped me to embody the character by forcing me to look down my nose and bend in awkward ways."

The most challenging aspect of the costumes, both agree, were the skirts. "Making sure they don't catch on the scenery," says Keberlein, while Goeden cites the garment's latticework structure as an obstacle. "Darcy had put in magnets to help me fasten the skirt quickly for the onstage change, but because of the boning, they didn't hold as well as they would normally—my skirt fell down twice while we were in tech rehearsals. Finally, she added a super-big snap—called a "whopper popper"—at the top, and the problem was solved!"

Both actresses gratefully acknowledge Hofer's efforts to make the clothes as comfortable as possible. "She molded the panels right on us, individually," Keberlein recalls, "and during techs, she took the corsets home every night, where she would make further adjustments so that they would fit better and function more smoothly the next time."

Adds Goeden, "How often, in storefront theater, do you get costumes custom-fitted to your own body?"

Ironmistress runs at Oracle Theatre through February 11.

Mary Shen Barnidge
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=671 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=671 Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:25:03 -0600 Elizabeth Rex proposes a dialogue between Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth I, and the members of the Lord Chamberlain's Men—William Shakespeare's troupe—on a troubled night when the crown weighs heavily on its wearer. The underlying theme of their discussion, however, is the stress of denying your true nature: The monarch must be unflinching in her rule, even to ordering the execution of her dearest friend. The sensitive poet who pours his heart into his words must conceal his inner affections. Then there is Ned Lowenscroft, the actor who earns his living by playing women's roles in those days when only males were permitted on the stage.

Ironically, the most potent symbol for the perverse restrictions imposed by a society of cruder sensibilities than our own is a non-human character—a full-grown bear, once a captive participant in the cruel blood-sport called "bear-baiting"—attacked by packs of dogs, with gentlemen wagering on which of the combatants would kill the other first—until Lowenscroft, taking pity on the ursine gladiator, bought it from its owner. Dubbed "Harry" by his liberator, this gentle beast now travels with the players. (When the resident playwright stipulated "exit, pursued by a bear" as a stage direction in The Winter's Tale, he knew already who would be cast as the pursuer.)

Clearly this is no juvenile-fiction Teddy, but a bruin of considerable dramatic gravitas. Says movement coach Janet Louer, "My training as a certified Laban movement analyst helped me understand the bear's physique see it in terms of the locomotion patterns—its center of gravity in its hindquarters, for example, and its neck as an extension of its shoulders. There's also the added factor of this bear being old, and having earlier been extremely abused—things also informing how it moves."

Ultimately, however, the responsibility for conveying the inner life of Harry Bear lies with actor Jude Roche: "After I was cast, I watched Animal Planet and every episode of The Grizzly Man Diaries that Netflix had in stock. I studied up on bear-baiting, too, in order to imagine his history, and the kinds of experiences that would determine his reactions to the sounds and body language of the people around him."

Compounding the difficulty of this task is the propensity of the costume (on loan from the Minneapolis' Guthrie Theatre) to mute emotional expression. "It's built on a quarter-inch metal frame and rubber poles capped with tennis balls—to indicate the joints—and padded in the back and all four legs," Roche reports, "Two forearm crutches extend my arms so that I can walk on all fours, one of which has a bicycle-brake connecting my hand to the bear's mouth so I can open it when he growls. Oh, and I wear a catcher's helmet with a metal rod connected to the inside of the head so I can move it up and down, and the whole suit is covered in fake fur. When I'm in full costume, I can barely see."

Bears are solitary by nature, but Harry must share the stage with a crowd of diverse personalities. He recognizes Lowenscroft as his special friend and protector, of course, but how do his companions respond to the presence of a 1500-pound mascot?

"The rest of the company approach Harry Bear as they might a big dog with the potential to snap. When they address him, they are direct, yet affectionate," Roche smiles, remembering, "Everyone has been patient with my limited vision—leading me on and off the stage, and petting me hard enough that I can feel it through the fur and react to it."

So it takes a village to raise a bear? "Yes, definitely! An animal of this caliber deserves the attention that would go into creating any character, and Harry is the child of many individuals," Roche concurs, "Janet helped me get the bear's movement down, Barbara [Gaines] fine-tuned the bear's behavior to give it more personality, and a team of incredibly talented women maintained the upkeep of the costume. Without everyone's collaborative effort, there would be no magic behind this one very beloved bear."

Elizabeth Rex plays at Chicago Shakespeare Theater through January 22.

Mary Shen Barnidge
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=670 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=670 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 07:59:34 -0600
Somewhat unsurprisingly, 2011 was another good year to be a revival of a classic musical in Chicago. Of the twenty-five plays that make up this list, seven of them are productions of musicals that could be considered "classics": The Sound of Music, 42nd Street, Chicago, two Sondheims (Follies and Sweeney Todd), Porgy and Bess, and The Christmas Schooner (I'm counting this last one as classic, at least locally; it's been around long enough). Two newer musicals also make this list; Spamalot and A Christmas Story, The Musical! Drury Lane-Oakbrook performs well in this category again this year with three top productions, but it's worth noting that two of the above, Follies and Porgy and Bess, were produced by companies (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre and Court Theatre, respectively) for whom musicals are not their specialty. Indeed, Follies is the Number 3 show on the list.

Several world premiere productions of new plays or adaptations made the list this year. The most high-profile of these was David Henry Hwang's Chinglish at the Goodman Theatre, which subsequently transferred to Broadway, where it continues to play. But Northlight Theatre in Skokie also did well with their commission of The Outgoing Tide starring John Mahoney, and A Christmas Story, The Musical! (adapted from the 1983 movie) at the Chicago Theatre. Other new works include The Big Meal at American Theater Company and Burning Bluebeard at Neo-Futurists. Other new adaptations to make the list are An Iliad at Court Theatre (from, of course, Homer's Iliad) and Jackie and Me by Chicago Children's Theatre (from Dan Gutman's novel of the same name).

The list is dominated, almost completely this year, by Equity productions. Of the twenty-five top shows, only three were produced by non-Equity theatres: Festen by Steep Theatre, Burning Bluebeard by Neo-Futurists, and Old Times by Strawdog Theatre. This is something of a change; the non-Equity side of town had been much more well-represented in years past.

A caveat, as always, to this list: only those productions that garnered at least seven reviews from recognized publications or blogs were eligible. So a play that had only three reviews, for instance, even if all of those reviews were Highly Recommended, would not be included. This was done to ensure that the list could not be compromised by shows whose small number of reviews give each one undue weight.

Top Plays of 2011

Spamalot
Drury Lane- Oakbrook

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended
Pioneer Press- Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended
Centerstage- Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage Review- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Beat- Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage Style- Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended
Centerstage- Highly Recommended
Chicago On the Aisle- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Beat- Highly Recommended
Chicago Now- Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage Style- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended
Examiner- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended
Talkin Broadway- Highly Recommended
Centerstage- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theatre Addict- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Beat- Recommended
Chicago Now- Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage Style- Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theatre Addict- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Beat- Highly Recommended
Chicago Now- Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage Style- Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Recommended

In the Next Room or the vibrator play
Victory Gardens Theater - Biograph

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended
Centerstage- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theatre Addict- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Beat- Highly Recommended
Chicago Now- Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage Style- Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended
Centerstage- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Beat- Recommended
Chicago Stage Style- Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Examiner- Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Beat- Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage Style- Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader- Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended
Windy City Times- Highly Recommended
Talkin Broadway- Highly Recommended
Centerstage- Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage Review- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theatre Addict- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Beat- Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage Style- Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
Windy City Times- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Beat- Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage Style- Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended
Examiner- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended
Centerstage- Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage Review- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Recommended
Chicago Theater Beat- Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage Style- Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
Copley News Service - Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
Chicago Theater Beat - Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage Style - Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage Review- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theatre Addict- Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Beat- Highly Recommended
Chicago Now- Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage Style- Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theatre Addict- Highly Recommended
Chicago On the Aisle- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Beat- Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage Style- Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader- Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago On the Aisle- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Beat- Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Recommended
Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended
Centerstage- Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage Review- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Recommended
Chicago Theater Beat- Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
Centerstage- Somewhat Recommended
Chicago Stage Review- Highly Recommended
Chicago On the Aisle- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Beat- Highly Recommended
Chicago Now- Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage Style- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Recommended
Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended
Examiner- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended
Windy City Times- Highly Recommended
Talkin Broadway- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theatre Addict- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Beat- Recommended
Chicago Now- Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage Style- Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Recommended
Time Out Chicago- Recommended
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Recommended
Windy City Times- Highly Recommended
Copley News Service- Highly Recommended
Centerstage- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Beat- Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage Style- Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended
Windy City Times- Recommended
Chicago Theatre Addict- Highly Recommended
Chicago On the Aisle- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Recommended
Chicago Theater Beat- Highly Recommended
Chicago Now- Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Daily Herald- Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
Windy City Times- Highly Recommended
Copley News Service- Highly Recommended
Talkin Broadway- Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage Review- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Beat- Recommended
Chicago Stage Style- Somewhat Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader- Somewhat Recommended
Examiner- Recommended
Windy City Times- Highly Recommended
Centerstage- Highly Recommended
Chicago On the Aisle- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Beat- Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage Style- Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Recommended
Centerstage- Highly Recommended
Chicago On the Aisle- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Beat- Highly Recommended
Chicago Now- Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Recommended
Windy City Times- Highly Recommended
Centerstage- Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Recommended
Chicago Theater Beat- Highly Recommended
Chicago Now- Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage Style- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
Windy City Times- Highly Recommended
Talkin Broadway- Recommended
Centerstage- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Beat- Highly Recommended
Chicago Now- Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage Style- Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Daily Herald- Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended
Examiner- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Recommended
Windy City Times- Somewhat Recommended
Talkin Broadway- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theatre Addict- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Beat- Highly Recommended
Chicago Now- Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage Style- Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended

Luke Heiden
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=669 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=669 Sun, 1 Jan 2012 17:18:46 -0600 do to convince us that they are somebody they aren't?

There are two fundamental ways to proceed when creating a persona: you can determine the character's psychological orientation and use it as a gateway to understanding their actions—Hamlet is angry at his mother, for example, and so he scolds her. Alternatively, you can start with the character's appearance and deduce his feelings based on how he stands, sits, etc. In this case, Hamlet might first crouch sullenly in the presence of his mother, thus suggesting his hostility before he expresses it through his words.

This latter technique nowadays is taught under the name of the actor who popularized it, Michael Chekhov (no relation to the playwright). Steve Wojtas, currently playing The Prince in Remy Bumppo Theatre's controversial adaptation of Pierre Carlet de Marivaux's Changes of Heart, is an advocate of the "outside-to-inside" approach to his role.

"We explored [the Chekhov technique] at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where I went to graduate school, and it clicked with me," Wojtas explains, "The Stanislavski 'method' never seemed part of my natural process, but with Chekhov, I discovered a more refined version of what I was already doing instinctively. I continue to prefer it because it harnesses my unconscious imagination in a livelier way than other approaches."

You recently played Caliban for the American Players Theatre production of The Tempest. How did you apply your techniques to portraying a mythical sea-monster?

"I found Caliban's voice first—a low, deep growl that allowed me to speak the beautiful verse that Shakespeare wrote for this inarticulate beast, but without this language belonging to him. Then APT sent me to a Capoiera class where one of the exercises involved getting close to the ground and walking on our hands—this is how I found Caliban's body! Then, once I knew how he moved and spoke—that is, how he interacted with the world around him—it put into sharp focus what he wanted and how he would go about getting it."

Marivaux's Prince is a product of royal privilege—when he falls in love with a commoner, he kidnaps her and holds her captive until he can persuade her to marry him. To our modern sensibilities, this is pretty creepy, but we're supposed to applaud Silvia's ultimate decision to accept him. How did you pull that off?

"A powerful monarch that kidnaps a woman and plots to win her love is not an inherently sympathetic character," Wojtas sighs, "but he doesn't flaunt his power by ordering Silvia to marry him and for that, I think we can forgive a lot. When I was Caliban, I was hunched over, in the pose we assume when we lose at something—because constant defeat has made him close his heart off to others. The Prince, by contrast, stands with his chest out and arms wide, his heart open and unguarded."

I'm told that you had muscled up to play Caliban, and then muscled down for the Prince. How far do you usually go toward altering your actual body shape?

"My body carries a lot of muscle naturally, but I wanted the Prince to be in no way physically imposing. Early in rehearsals, they had me changing onstage from a dressing-gown into a suit, so that I'd have to be shirtless for a few moments. If that business had stayed in, I'd probably have been a bit more extreme in my diet and exercise regimen."

(Changes of Heart runs through January 8)

Mary Shen Barnidge
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=668 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=668 Tue, 20 Dec 2011 08:40:40 -0600 Star Wars fans to the Dark Side in All Childish Things is a warehouse filled with rare memorabilia commemorating George Lucas' legendary six-part film series—ephemera coveted by collectors willing to pay in the millions for plastic action-figures or boxed games not unlike those displayed in the basement apartment providing the play's setting, only a few feet away from an audience eager to share in the fantasy invoked by these relics of their youth.

These iconic objects are not replicas, however, but genuine vintage, making the question of just how far those spectators will go in their efforts to share in that fantasy a matter of no small concern.

"Everything you see onstage is borrowed from private collections," says stage manager Amy Hopkins, "Some from the actors, some from their friends and a few from other sources. The Empire Strikes Back bedsheets belong to Kevin D'Ambrosio, who plays Carter in the play, and the precious holy-grail action figure—created for the premiere production in Michigan—was a loan from the playwright."

What security measures are implemented to guard against theft or damage? "Every single item is packed away in tubs and stored in a padlocked cabinet. I have an inventory list that I check off before the show every night to ascertain that each object in the room is placed in the exact same spot."

How about when you have playgoers milling around at random—during intermission, say, or leaving afterward? "We are very aware of the potential for props walking away by themselves," Hopkins assures me, "We all keep a close eye on the stage when spectators are roaming unsupervised. Fortunately, it's a small auditorium, so it's easy to see when people are clustering a bit too near."

Do you offer chaperoned tours? "Sometimes patrons will ask, very politely, to look at the decor up close. Most of the time, they are extremely respectful about not touching things." She smiles, remembering, "When we were assembling the set dressing, and the various items were trickling in, little by little, we all turned into 6-year-olds again, re-living the excitement associated with each action-figure and bragging about which ones we had at home. The people who come see the show are no different—they just want to enjoy recalling their childhoods for a moment."

All Childish Things runs through December 17.

Mary Shen Barnidge
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=667 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=667 Fri, 2 Dec 2011 07:34:38 -0600 The Beauty Queen of Leenane. Desiccated human bones smashed with sledge-hammers for A Skull In Connemara. A kitchen stove shotgunned to smithereens for The Lonesome West. Feline corpses and blood-spray shootings for The Lieutenant of Inishmore. And now, for the midwest premiere of A Behanding In Spokane, a suitcase stuffed with severed hands and a DIY time-bomb assembled from a candle affixed to a tin of gasoline.

Fortunately, special effects consultant Greg Poljacik is no stranger to grand guignol spectacle, having overseen surgery for such gory extravaganzas as Frankenstein in Love and Musical of the Living Dead. No easy Halloween-shop route for this deceptively mild-mannered violence designer!

"We started with a dozen hands left over from Florida's Gable Stage production last season for our models," he discloses, "Ballistics gel in plaster molds proved cost-prohibitive and the resulting hands too fragile—though you'll still see a few of our experiments in the show. We also bought some hands on-line, then cut them up to look like they had been chopped off. Others were constructed from nylon gloves filled with rawhide dog-chews and coated with Karo syrup, giving them a skeletal appearance, or from play-dough sculpted around dog-treats for a severely-decayed effect."

How long did it take to make all the hands we see onstage? "We held a 'hand party' one night, where the crew and interns applied makeup to the hands, then covered that with a layer of latex. This last step sealed the makeup, besides creating a shine on the surface and a peeling-skin texture. In the end, the combination of all these elements made for longevity, believability and affordability."

The hands are merely objects, but the incendiary device has moving parts. What led to the decision to use an open-spout tin, and not a jerry-can? "We wanted something uniquely old. The bomber has been searching for his missing hand for over two decades, and his tools have probably been traveling a long time," Poljacik explains, "We found ours on eBay and rigged the spout to keep the candle upright. That candle, by the way, is a non-drip kind, so there's no mess. Oh, and we fire-retard everything."

Wait a minute! Late in the play, when the killer splashes the liquid gasoline all over the stage in that tiny room, I'm sure that I smelled petrol—

Poljacik grins. "Don't worry—it's just water. We found a company named Silly Smells that actually sells something called 'High Octane Gasoline Fragrance Mist'—though why anybody would want their house or body to smell like a filling station is a puzzler. We soak a rag in it, and then hold the rag in front of a fan, so that the aroma blows into the whole room." He shrugs nonchalantly, "The audience's imagination does the rest."

(A Behanding In Spokane runs through December 4)

Mary Shen Barnidge
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=665 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=665 Wed, 23 Nov 2011 08:04:03 -0600
Alas, all of these things must be done out-of-doors, in the Windy City's seasonable frigid windiness. Fun as that may be, eventually you're going to want to come inside and do stuff, which is why TheatreInChicago is pleased as Christmas punch to bring you the 2011 edition of our annual Holiday Theatre Round-up. You will see a lot of shows on this list you recognize, and some you will not. Venture out and explore, find something new, but please be advised that some of these offerings are not appropriate for the whole family. Use the links provided in the list to learn more about each show, and when in doubt, it is always best to call the theatre's box office and ask.

At the top of anyone's holiday theatre list (and most assuredly ours) is the Goodman Theatre's annual production of A Christmas Carol. It's the Goodman Theatre. It's A Christmas Carol. Need I say more? No. (In addition, there are few other productions of A Christmas Carol playing around town as well. You'd think people liked this story or something.)

Also perennially popular is American Blues Theater's It's A Wonderful Life: Live At The Biograph. This stage version of the Frank Capra film is presented as a live 1940s-era radio "broadcast", complete with old-fashioned microphones and live Foley sound effects. Two other productions of It's A Wonderful Life are also playing at Fox Valley Repertory and American Theater Company.

New to Chicago this year is Donnie and Marie - Christmas In Chicago. In the tradition of the Osmond Family Christmas TV specials of yore, Donnie and Marie Osmond do what they do (I'm not entirely sure what that is; singing may be involved) onstage at the Ford Oriental Theatre.

As always, audiences looking for something other than the more traditional, sentimental holiday stories will find plenty to amuse them. A favorite is The Santaland Diaries at Theatre Wit, a staging of humorist David Sedaris's stories of his woes working as an elf in a shopping mall Santa Claus exhibit. Probably not for children.

Definitely not for children: Fa La La La...F*ck It. Presented by Annoyance Theatre, it is the story of one Catherine Sims, a mother trying not to go insane over the holidays while dealing with an alcoholic husband, an angsty teenage daughter, and a pain pill addiction. Whee!

And for those more into dance than drama, the Joffrey Ballet is presenting it's annual production of The Nutcracker ballet. This is not to be confused with The Nutcracker, an annual holiday production by The House Theatre, which takes the familiar story and gives it a modern, hipster spin.

The full list is below, and is still being added to as more shows are announced, so check back often for the latest.

For a complete list of the holiday shows go to our Holiday Plays page.

Luke Heiden
Contributing Writer

Mary Shen Barnidge
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=662 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=662 Mon, 7 Nov 2011 15:34:17 -0600
Jack Magaw's furnishings for Redtwist Theatre's Bug had the advantage of Tracy Letts' paranoid thriller occurring solely in a single-occupancy motor-court unit, allowing the bed to dominate the center of the playing space, with remaining decor surrounding it like a dust-ruffle. By contrast, the locale in Pine Box Theatre's production of Joshua Rollins' A Girl With Sun In Her Eyes shifts repeatedly from a police station to a no-tell motel. Grant Sabin's answer to packing an interrogation-desk and a bed-with-nightstand into Second Stage's 12 X 10-foot area while still permitting actors to move around these obstacles, was to make the duplex a Murphy, levering up on hinges into the wall.

Gina Gionfriddo's quirky family comedy Becky Shaw, currently playing at A Red Orchid Theatre, is a mixture of both these challenges. The hotel, designated in the text as "three-star", leads us to expect luxurious accommodations. The bed must hold two people comfortably even when they are not locked in one another's arms. All this is to be fitted onto a wide, but shallow, stage in a likewise eccentrically-shaped auditorium with audience seated barely four rows deep. Furthermore, after the first scene, the bed must be dismantled in its entirety, then carried offstage to be stored in cramped backstage quarters, never to be seen again.

"Though the seating arrangements are flexible, the typical Red Orchid configuration is a kind of trapezoid a little over 12 feet from the back wall to the front seats and about 27 feet across at its widest, tapering to 18 feet as you move downstage," says scenic designer Stephen H. Carmody, "What's really tricky is that the only way to exit the space, without walking up the aisle and out to the lobby, is a narrow hall-three feet wide, max—leading to the dressing room. This means that only one person can come on or offstage at a time."

So how is an entire bed—complete with headboard, night tables and lamps—removed in a matter of seconds in full view of the audience? Carmody grins contemplatively, "The scene change is like a choreographed dance, involving our two assistant stage managers and all of the actors, each carrying a specific item. Fortunately, we can pre-set some of the next scene behind the sliding screens."

Is that a full-sized bed? "Yes, it is. Emily Guthrie, the show's prop master, did a fantastic job of finding, buying, borrowing or making all the furniture for the show. The hotel scene is almost half an hour long, and so it's important for the actors have whatever is necessary for them to perform the scene."

What's harder to move, the headboard or the mattress? "The mattress, definitely," Carmody replies without hesitation, "The headboard is an unattached freestanding unit, but the double mattress needs two people to lift and carry it all the way offstage." He shrugs philosophically, "Everything that you see on the stage is vital to the play. We don't have the room, or the time, to do it any other way."

Becky Shaw runs through November 6.

Mary Shen Barnidge
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=661 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=661 Thu, 20 Oct 2011 10:33:15 -0500 The Pitmen Painters recounts the fortunes of a group of English coal miners who hire a professor through their Workman's Education Association to teach a night-school course in Art Appreciation. When the teacher assigns his pupils the task of making their own art to serve as material for discussion. None of them anticipate a fashionable collector championing their amateur efforts to make them the toast of 1936 London.

In the big auditoriums where Lee Hall's play premiered on both sides of the Atlantic, audiences saw the contents of the muddy squares referenced onstage projected on huge screens—but Timeline Theatre's church-basement space seats its spectators less than 12 feet from the dramatic action, mandating physical pictures resembling those magnified hundreds of times. A few years ago, this task would entail copies of the slow-drying oils executed in quick-dry acrylics by a squad of SAIC students. In our technologically-advanced age, however, Property Designer Julia Eberhardt scoffs at such primitive methods of art-forgery.

The key to reproducing portraiture nowadays, she explains, lies in a process called wide-format print. But how wide? "To get a sense of the picture sizes, [scenic designer] Timothy Mann and I looked at video clips of the original London production. Once we had the dimensions, he started on the frames and I started scouring the internet for printable canvas."

Are there many different grades of this product? "Oh, yes. What we ended up using was a kind that had more of a muslin look. The print colors bled into each other a bit—but this made them look more like actual paintings, so it was to our advantage."

What else did you do to make the art look freshly-executed? "My original idea was to coat them with a clear gesso, but after we put them under the stage lights, some of them seemed awfully washed out. Our solution was to put a semi-gloss polyurethane on the ones that needed help. This worked so well, I wanted to make all of them glossy—but then they would all look the same, so only four of the nine in the play are covered in poly."

How about the unfinished painting in Professor Lyons' studio? "The sketches on the floor, I drew myself—they're supposed to be only studies, so they weren't hard. But the incomplete painting on the easel had to be photoshopped through a stylized filter and some of the figures removed to create the impression of being just roughed in. I made the palette backstage during a tech rehearsal, mixing the colors to match what was on the canvas and using hot-glue pools to give them dimension. Fortunately, some of the paints already had a shiny finish, so they looked like they were wet."

The script also calls for us to see Lyons drawing Oliver at one point? How did Andrew Carter [who plays Lyons] fake that? "I photoshopped the finished picture down to the basic outlines, traced very lightly. This way Andrew could fill it in during the scene."

Kind of like a coloring book? "Fortunately, Andrew is a very good artist! Seriously, though, the point the play makes is that art's meaning lies in the relationship between the art and the viewer. The whole process of making these props made me realize that it didn't matter how we did what we did, but how the audience saw it in the end."

The Pitmen Painters runs through December 4.

Mary Shen Barnidge
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=660 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=660 Mon, 3 Oct 2011 21:51:11 -0500
From doing corporate singing gigs, to hosting karaoke and dishing out dieting advice, Chicago actors do what it takes to make great theatre possible. "We do what we have to do in order to do what we want to do," says actress Bianca Isabel, who works as a Jenny Craig consultant and sometimes nanny.

For Isabel, who moved from Florida to Chicago in 2010, the day gigs often get in the way of her art. "The survival part is taking up more of my life than the acting life," she notes. A typical day for Isabel involves working at Jenny Craig during the day, often being a nanny at night, hitting the gym, and acting in short films when it's the right project. A one-time student of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, Isabel is devoted to doing acting projects that develop her wholly as an artist. She recently got involved in Chicago's Latina theatre, Teatro Luna, with the goal of becoming an artistic associate. "Acting is my passion, but is not something I have to do all the time—it's quality over quantity," she explains.

"It's a struggle and it will continue forever," explains Anthony D'Amato, a New Jersey actor and singer who moved to Chicago last January. For D'Amato, it's a matter of selling his voice to corporate singing gigs and recording sessions so he can sing and perform onstage. D'Amato plays Frank-n-Furter in the upcoming Underscore Theatre Company production of "The Rocky Horror Show," and is lead vocalist in the Chicago band The Live Debate. D'Amato played Hedwig in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, N.J. and also won the Asbury Park Music Award for Top Male Vocalist in 2010. Despite his accolades, this actor has not been averse to delivering pizzas, when necessary, to pay the bills.

Balancing art and work hasn't been easy for actor Kyle Waddle, who moved to Chicago just days after graduating with a degree in theater from Nebraska's Chadron State University in 2002. He didn't land his first Chicago theater roles until 2010, after he was laid off from a box office sales job that took up his weekends and weeknights—the actor's holy grail of time. Waddle decided to "become more focused on happiness and fulfillment, rather than the ability to pay bills." He landed a job as karaoke host at Lakeview's retro bar, Friar Tuck, which afforded him more flexibility, and fun. "I meet new people every night, and I do a level of performing that some actors never get," he observes.

And besides the free popcorn and Cheers-like ambience Friar Tuck affords, the karaoke gig has given Waddle more time to do theatre. Since 2010, he has performed in "Arsenic and Old Lace" at Batavia's First Street Playhouse and in "Observatory" at Logan Square's Charnel House Theatre, in addition to several shows with the sketch comedy group Suspicious Clowns. Although he's not in a show at the moment, Waddle is more than content to wait for the next good thing. "I don't want to do this forever, as much as I love doing it, it's not the stage I want to be on," Waddle admits. "But it helps pay the bills and it's fun until I get there," he says.

At times, being a not-yet-discovered actor is stressful. Isabel has turned down many acting projects, especially if they occur at the last minute, due to work obligations. And when D'Amato first moved to Chicago last year, he endured the painful process of starting over, relying on savings while trying to land new paying gigs. Waddle makes enough to pay the bills, but not much else. Yet they are determined to hang in there. "I really want to focus on acting and see what happens," says Waddle. "If there comes a time when I look in the mirror and can say, I gave it my best, now I can move on I will, but I'm not at that point yet," he adds. "When it's artistic and worthwhile I have no problem giving up certain amenities to do something that fulfills me as an artist," explains Isabel. "Until I land that thing, I'll ride it for a while," says D'Amato.

Until they land that "thing," actors survive by leading double lives, as artists by night and wanna-be artists by day. But along the way up, actors often entertain those in need of diversion. At Friar Tuck, the show starts when Waddle takes the microphone, at 9 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday nights. "It's kind of nice because it's my own show-I can be the director and the star if I want. But I generally try to make the patrons the stars of the night," says Waddle.

Catch Kyle Waddle's karaoke show on Wednesday and Thursday nights, Friar Tuck, 3010 N. Broadway, 9 p.m. Free.

See Anthony D'Amato as Frank-n-Furter in The Rocky Horror Show, at the Underground Lounge, Thursday-Saturday, October 20-30, 8pm and midnight. Tickets are a suggested donation of $18-$25.

Marla Seidell

Marla Seidell (www.marlaseidell.com) is a Chicago-based writer and actress. She recently played the lead role in the Chicago independent short film, The Catastrophe (www.thecatastrophemovie.wordpress.com).]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=659 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=659 Mon, 19 Sep 2011 19:28:23 -0500 Sweeney Todd calls its protagonist "The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"—a fitting sobriquet for the crazed Victorian haircutter who murdered the customers in his chair and delivered their corpses to the pastry shop downstairs to be made into pies (the original "mystery meat"). So what you need to stage this Stephen Sondheim-Hugh Wheeler pop-opera is lots of blood—right?

Hold the hemostats, however! Unlike movies, where body fluids only have to be applied once, stage blood presents a number of problems. For one, the volume required for eight shows a week over a two-month run is expensive. For another, it renders the floor slippery when wet, sticky when dry, and the dye is nearly impossible to launder out of clothes. Finally, when viewed in a big auditorium, it can barely be seen from more than six rows back.

Does it come as any surprise, then, that Drury Lane Theatre decided to forgo gallons of gore and all the headaches that come with it? In the production currently running in Oak Brook, when Gregg Edelman, our Sweeney, dispatches his hapless clients, we first see them struggle, then the background is suddenly flooded by a video-projection of dripping red liquid. Our imaginations make the connection.

"The main reason for not using fake blood," insists artistic director William Osetek, "was that it's been done too many times before. After a few times, it's hard to keep the throat-cutting from coming off as comic instead of scary. Oh, and it's a nightmare for costumes. What we wanted to do was to reinvent the blood-letting."

The bakery products are likewise made of minimal-stain materials (the "pies" are cheesecloth and styrofoam), but the script also calls for straight-razor shaves, gunshots, victims falling through trap-doors. Why, then, is there no violence choreographer credited in the playbill? Because director Rachel Rockwell, in addition to her seemingly magic touch with musicals, is trained in stage combat, having studied it at the University of Evansville and worked closely with fight directors Robin McFarquhar and John Tover. ("The basics of combat," explains Rockwell, "are a lot like the physics of dance.")

"The period barber's instruments for Edelman and George Keating, the latter of whom plays rival barber Pirelli," continues Osetek, "were ordered by property designer Joel Lambie from various places for them to rehearse with until they were comfortable handling them, and the gunshot is not done live, but with a taped sound cue. It's much safer—not to mention more dependable—than a blank cartridge."

That leaves the infamous chair with the seat that ejects its occupants through a precariously small opening in the floor to land unseen some 12 feet below. The playbill claims that Drury Lane's was "engineered" by Chicago Flyhouse, but don't go mistaking it for a pre-fab rental. "No, we own it," Osetek declares proudly, "Flyhouse built the chair based on consultation with Kevin Depinet. Edelman controls the mechanism—he pushes the lever forward to open the trap, and then back again to release the seat. But only after making sure that the person in it is ready to drop and land safely!"

Sweeney Todd runs at the Drury Lane Theatre through October 9.

Mary Shen Barnidge
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=656 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=656 Fri, 9 Sep 2011 14:14:52 -0500 When Harry Met Sally..., Sleepless In Seattle, etc.) is bringing her Drama Desk Award-winning, critically acclaimed, smash hit Off-Broadway play Love, Loss, and What I Wore to the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place beginning September 14, 2011 for a run that's already been extended six more weeks, through December 4, 2011.

Love, Loss, and What I Wore is based on the 1995 book of the same name, written by Ilene Beckerman, and presents as a series of monologues and vignettes womens' romantic histories in terms of the different items of clothing they owned and donned during key moments in their lives. Adapted for the stage by Ephron and her sister Delia, and directed by Karen Carpenter, Love, Loss, and What I Wore uses a rotating cast of five actresses to portray a variety of women, from a female gang member to a cancer patient, as they discuss their loves and losses and how each important event in their life was inextricably linked to what they happened to be wearing at that time. In addition to Beckerman's book, Ephron used anecdotes from friends as well as material from her own 2006 book I Feel Bad About My Neck.

In order to get well-known, top-level talent who might otherwise be hesitant to work at Off-Broadway pay levels for a lengthy run, Ephron devised a rotating cast system that kept each actress in the show for only four weeks. Thus the New York production was able to feature, at one time or another, Tyne Daly, Rosie O'Donnell, Kristin Chenoweth, Jane Lynch, Rhea Perlman, Carol Kane, Janeane Garofalo, and Brooke Shields, among others. To keep that practice, the first weeks of the Chicago run will feature actresses with Chicago connections, including Emily Bergl, Nora Dunn, Felicia Fields, Kate O'Brien, and Barbara Robertson. Rotating in starting October 25 will be All My Children veteran Taylor Miller, and Loretta Swit (M.A.S.H.) starting November 8. Additional casting for the second part of the run has yet to be announced.

Love, Loss, and What I Wore was initially developed through a series of readings in New York for charity benefits, including Dress For Success (which helps low-income women with affordable work clothing and job-hunting) and the renovation of the Guild Hall in East Hampton, New York. It officially opened at the Westside Theatre in October 2009 and won the 2010 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience. It has since played in Los Angeles, Toronto, Buenos Aires, and Sydney, and the Chicago premiere production is the opening stop on its first national tour.

Love, Loss, And What I Wore runs September 14-December 4, 2011 at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, 175 E. Chestnut Street. Tickets are available at ticketmaster.com.

Luke Heiden
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=655 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=655 Wed, 7 Sep 2011 13:28:47 -0500 The Gershwin's Porgy And Bess at the Court Theatre. Erica Weiss and Caitlin Parrish, a director and writer who thrive on their professional relationship as well as their friendship, wrote A Twist Of Water for the Route 66 Theatre Company which was nominated for Best New Work - Play. We invited them to McClannahan's Irish Pub and Health Spa in Hyde Park where we sipped the finest fruit juices, had our parts worked, and gabbed, gabbed, gabbed!

Hey guys! Thanks for meeting us at this spa on the Southside of Chicago!

Caitlin Parrish: Always happy to exfoliate with the Irish.

Erica Weiss: My pores have never felt more open and alive.

Bethany Thomas: Glad to be here!

You three have had AMAZING 2011s so far, culminating in huge Jeff nominations for your work in the Chicago theatre scene! I mean, we are proud to be wearing robes with you!

CP: Thanks, Eric. It's been a fun ride. But nothing's surprised or delighted me more than finding out you have the dainty calves of a 14 year old ballerina.

BT: He certainly is full of surprises.

EW: You guys are wearing robes? Ooops....

Don't worry, Erica. Everyone knows you are a "free spirit". So, can you tell us what each other is nominated for in the Equity Jeff Awards?

CP: Bethany, I believe, is nominated for best voice ever. I'm sorry, Best Voice EVAH.

BT: Oh geez. I actually got to see Caitlin and Erica's show and it was freaking awesome.

EW: Caitlin is nominated for writing a play, I think? I might have co-created that business, and then directed it on the sly.

CP: I have no idea what you're all talking about. I live in Hollywood now.

Man, women be shoppin'! Anyway, Erica & Caitlin are responsible for Mayor Rahm's favorite and only show he's ever seen A Twist Of Water. And Bethany was blowing the roof off the place in Porgy & Bess. Wait, isn't Porgy & Bess about old black people?

BT: Half right.

CP: What's the other half?

BT: I mean it's a love story for the ages. About black people.

I think I know some of the music from that one. Were you good in it?

BT: Ha! Well I got alright once I learned the music. Yes indeed, there's a bunch of familiar songs but this was the first time I'd actually learned the story that ties them together. I played Serena, a supporting character who loses her husband at the hand of Bess' boyfriend slash pimp. Lots of that crazy, rewarding emotional stuff.

Sounds like a real crowdpleaser! You've also done a lot of work at Theo Ubique, is that right?

BT: Heck yes! LOVE Theo. Love Fred Anzevino, love the vibe... usually love the No Exit. We did a Harold Arlen review there last year that just got revived at Theatre On the Lake. Big fun, but lots of spiders.

What a fun time! Hey Bethany, one last question for ya, before we move to the massages. If you and your other nominees in your category were race horses, what would your odds be?

BT: I don't know if you could have put it in a more unfamiliar analogy for me!

I know what my odds for Bethany are! My heart loves you to rainbows!

BT: I appreciate that. I'm sure that's the support I'll need to break from the pack and cross the finish line first.

Erica, I love that you are naked here in this steam room. Tell us about your directing job and have some water with cucumber.

EW: Thank you! So refreshing. Well, I've been working as a collaborator with Ms Caitlin Parrish for about 8 years now. I've directed all of her plays. This was the first play we've had produced that has my name on it as co-creator. What that means, and Caitlin can elaborate on this when Sergio is done working on the knots in her neck, is that we conceived of the characters and story and built the structure of the play together while she wrote all the balls-to-the-wall amazing dialogue. Then she moved to Hollywood, like an asshole, and I moved into rehearsal mode. This was my first equity show and my first directing job with my company, Route 66 Theatre.

Good thing you didn't blow it. How'd it feel when the show started getting all the accolades? Did you guys feel like Armistead Maupin?

CP: It was pretty bawse. And surreal. I wasn't in Chicago when it started happening, so it seemed feasible that it was a lovely, sadistic practical joke that the city might have been playing on me. As for Mr. Maupin, I hope to one day be that much of a 1970s gay man.

EW: I have never felt more Maupin-esque than when Rahm Emanuel hugged me.

CP: Yeah, I missed Rahm, too. (sighs)

Did Sergio finish working on your "neck"?

CP: For now. I have him on call.

You can't treat the help here like your courtesans, Caitlin.

CP: I treat everyone like a courtesan. It's how I show I have the common touch.

EW: That is so true, you guys. (weeps)

CP: Awww, poor kid. Have a twenty.

BT: One has to establish the upper hand immediately.

The pimp hand, if I will, and I WILL. Caitlin, will you be making the trek back to cold, horribly taxed Chicago for the event?

CP: Oh, hells yes. I would step over any number of grandmas and Salvation Army Santas to hang with Phil Dawkins, Lady Weiss, and whoever from the Goodman is bringing the fancy flasks.

Well, it seems like Eric and I are being called into the secret Asian lady room. We hope you guys have a great Jeff season and really stay on top of the game!

EW: I'm not sure those are ladies... but Thank You!!

CP: Always a pleasure, gents. Eric, NO TOUCHING!

BT: It was very nice getting to know you all a little bit more intimately.

Before we go...let's all make it rain one time.

EVERYONE THROWS 20s IN THE AIR.

BT: That's the stuff.

CP: Nobody makes it rain like non-profit theatre artists! Awwwww, yeah!

Eric Roach, Anderson Lawfer

Eric Roach and Anderson Lawfer are the founders of www.Reviewsyoucaniews.blogspot.com

]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=654 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=654 Tue, 6 Sep 2011 09:32:17 -0500
The 43rd Annual Jeff Awards ceremony honoring excellence in professional theatre produced within the immediate Chicago area will be held on Monday, November 7, at Drury Lane Oakbrook, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. Pre-show Appetizers and Cash Bar will run from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., and the Awards Ceremony, directed by Michael Weber, will begin at 7:30 p.m., with a Buffet and Reception immediately following. Musical numbers featuring cast members from nominated musicals and video segments from nominated plays will highlight the Jeff Awards ceremony. Advance purchase tickets, which include the ceremony and buffets, are $75 ($55 for members of Actors' Equity Association, United Scenic Artists, Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, Stage Managers' Association, and The Dramatists Guild of America). The evening is black tie optional and the public is cordially invited to attend. To purchase tickets, visit the Jeff Awards website at www.jeffawards.org.

Chicago's reputation as the home of new works escalated despite a weak economy as 28 new plays delighted audiences this season. Eight of these world premiere plays from both large and midsize houses were Jeff-nominated: About Face Theatre scored with both Patricia Kane's "Float," a story of five women who cope with problems in their Midwestern town as they build the annual holiday float, and, in an extended run, the life and times of a group of friends in "The Homosexuals" by Philip Dawkins. American Theater Company's production of Dan LeFranc's "The Big Meal" provided a glimpse into a family's dinners in ordinary and poignant times. Congo Square Theatre Company burst back on the scene with Darren Canady's "Brothers of the Dust," a saga of the Coultons returning to their rural Kansas family farm. Goodman Theatre produced David Henry Hwang's new play "Chinglish" - opening on Broadway this fall - which showcases an American businessman as he negotiates Chinese language and culture and is lost in translation. Northlight Theatre presented the extended run of Bruce Graham's "The Outgoing Tide," a moving tale of an intimate family facing their father's receding memory. Route 66 Theatre Company presented "A Twist of Water" by rising young playwright Caitlin Montanye Parrish with Erica Weiss, a portrayal of a troubled father and daughter set against a backdrop of historic Chicago, and TimeLine Theatre charmed audiences with William Brown's and Doug Frew's "To Master the Art," the story of Julia Child's love affairs with husband, cuisine, and France.

Goodman Theatre topped the list of all theatres with 17 nominations, including 8 honors, the most for any production, for the new Mary Zimmerman and Doug Peck adaptation of Bernstein's epic journey "Candide," co-produced with Shakespeare Theatre Company, and 5 nods for the stylish new "Chinglish." In the midsize theatre tier, TimeLine Theatre again led the field of plays with 17 nominations, 5 of which went to the historic drama of the "Frost/Nixon" interviews by Peter Morgan and 5 also to the delicious "To Master the Art." Marriott Theatre garnered 16 honors, the most nominations among musical producers, with two dance spectaculars, "42nd Street" and "A Chorus Line," both getting 5 nods. Drury Lane Productions in Oakbrook achieved 15 honors with 6 nominations each for Monty Python's hilarious romp "Spamalot" and the infamous David H. Bell adaptation "Hot Mikado." Among individual multiple nominees, Andrew Hansen topped the list with 6 nods for sound design and original incidental music, followed by choreographer/actress Tammy Mader, music director Doug Peck, and actor/fight choreographer Nick Sandys and projections/video designer Mike Tutaj with 3 each.

The coveted nominations for Outstanding Ensemble reflected the strength and diversity of Chicago productions as nominees came from both midsize theatres and the city's largest houses. Ensemble nominations went to "A Chorus Line" from Marriott, About Face's "Float," "Sky's the Limit (Weather Permitting)" from The Second City e.t.c., American Theater Company's "The Big Meal," TimeLine Theatre Company's "The Front Page," Goodman Theatre's "The Seagull," and "Travels with My Aunt" from Writers' Theatre. Actors' Equity Association continues its support of the Equity Jeff Awards by sponsoring the Outstanding Ensemble Award.

The Jeff Awards has been honoring outstanding theatre artists annually since it was established in 1968. With up to 50 members representing a wide variety of backgrounds in theatre, the Jeff Awards is committed to celebrating the vitality of Chicago area theatre by recognizing excellence through its recommendations, awards, and honors. The Jeff Awards fosters the artistic growth of area theatres and theatre artists and promotes educational opportunities, audience appreciation, and civic pride in the achievements of the theatre community. Each year the Jeff Awards evaluates over 250 theatrical productions and holds two awards ceremonies. Originally chartered to recognize only Equity productions, the Jeff Awards established the Non-Equity Wing in 1973 to celebrate outstanding achievement in non-union theatre. The next Non-Equity awards ceremony will be held on June 4, 2011, at the Park West.

2011 EQUITY JEFF AWARD NOMINEES

PRODUCTION - PLAY - LARGE
- "Chinglish" - Goodman Theatre
- "Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" - Steppenwolf Theatre Company
- "Heartbreak House" - Writers' Theatre
- "The Madness of George III" - Chicago Shakespeare Theater
- "The Outgoing Tide" - Northlight Theatre
- "The Seagull" - Goodman Theatre
- "Travels with My Aunt" - Writers' Theatre

PRODUCTION - PLAY - MIDSIZE
- "The Big Meal" - American Theater Company
- "Frost/Nixon" - TimeLine Theatre Company
- "Edward Albee's The Goat or, Who is Sylvia?" - Remy Bumppo Theatre Company
- "The Importance of Being Earnest" - Remy Bumppo Theatre Company
- "Scorched" - Silk Road Theatre Project
- "To Master the Art" - TimeLine Theatre Company

PRODUCTION - MUSICAL - LARGE
- "42nd Street" - Marriott Theatre
- "Candide" - Goodman Theatre and Shakespeare Theatre Company
- "A Chorus Line" - Marriott Theatre
- "The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess" - Court Theatre
- "Monty Python's Spamalot" - Drury Lane Productions

PRODUCTION - MUSICAL - MIDSIZE
- "The King and I" - Porchlight Music Theatre
- "Merrily We Roll Along" - The Music Theatre Company
- "The Original Grease" - American Theater Company

PRODUCTION - REVUE
- "Shout!" - Marriott Theatre
- "Sky's the Limit (Weather Permitting)" - The Second City e.t.c.

DIRECTOR - PLAY
- James Bohnen - "Edward Albee's The Goat or, Who is Sylvia?" - Remy Bumppo Theatre Company
- Dexter Bullard - "The Big Meal" - American Theater Company
- Stuart Carden - "Travels with My Aunt" - Writers' Theatre
- Louis Contey - "Frost/Nixon" - TimeLine Theatre Company
- Robert Falls - "The Seagull" - Goodman Theatre
- BJ Jones - "The Outgoing Tide" - Northlight Theatre
- Pam MacKinnon - "Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" - Steppenwolf Theatre Company
- Penny Metropulos - "The Madness of George III" - Chicago Shakespeare Theater
- Leigh Silverman - "Chinglish" - Goodman Theatre

DIRECTOR - MUSICAL
- David H. Bell - "Hot Mikado" - Drury Lane Productions
- Gary Griffin - "Meredith Willson's The Music Man" - Marriott Theatre
- Michael Halberstam - "She Loves Me" - Writers' Theatre
- Mark Lococo - "A Chorus Line" - Marriott Theatre
- Charles Newell - "The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess" - Court Theatre
- William Osetek - "Monty Python's Spamalot" - Drury Lane Productions
- Rachel Rockwell - "42nd Street" - Marriott Theatre
- Mary Zimmerman - "Candide" - Goodman Theatre and Shakespeare Theatre Company

ENSEMBLE
- "The Big Meal" - American Theater Company
- "A Chorus Line" - Marriott Theatre
- "Float" - About Face Theatre
- "The Front Page" - TimeLine Theatre Company
- "The Seagull" - Goodman Theatre
- "Sky's the Limit (Weather Permitting)" - The Second City e.t.c.
- "Travels with My Aunt" - Writers' Theatre

ACTOR IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE - PLAY
- Brad Armacost (C.S. Lewis) - "Shadowlands" - Provision Theater
- Brad Armacost (Jack) - "The Weir" - Seanachaí Theatre Company
- Harry Groener (George III) - "The Madness of George III" - Chicago Shakespeare Theater
- Terry Hamilton (Richard Nixon) - "Frost/Nixon" - TimeLine Theatre Company
- Tracy Letts (George) - "Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - Steppenwolf Theatre Company
- John Mahoney (Gunner) - "The Outgoing Tide" - Northlight Theatre
- Nick Sandys (Martin) - "Edward Albee's The Goat or, Who is Sylvia?" - Remy Bumppo Theatre Company
- Nick Sandys (Charles Condomine) - "Blithe Spirit" - First Folio Theatre

ACTOR IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE - MUSICAL
- Joe Kinosian (The Suspects) - "Murder for Two - A Killer Musical" - Chicago Shakespeare Theater
- Michael Mahler (Freddy Benson) - "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" - Theatre at the Center
- Geoff Packard (Candide) - "Candide" - Goodman Theatre and Shakespeare Theatre Company
- Stephen Schellhardt (Ko Ko) - "Hot Mikado" - Drury Lane Productions
- Alan Schmuckler (Officer Marcus Moscowicz) - "Murder for Two - A Killer Musical" - Chicago Shakespeare Theater

ACTRESS IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE - PLAY
- Karen Aldridge (Iris) - "The Trinity River Plays" - Goodman Theatre
- Annabel Armour (Stevie) - "Edward Albee's The Goat or, Who is Sylvia?" - Remy Bumppo Theatre Company
- Jennifer Lim (Xu Yan) - "Chinglish" - Goodman Theatre
- Lois Markle (A) - "Edward Albee's Three Tall Women" - Court Theatre
- Sandra Marquez (Beatriz) - "26 Miles" - Teatro Vista and Rivendell Theatre Ensemble
- Rondi Reed (Peg) - "The Outgoing Tide" - Northlight Theatre
- Kathy Scambiatterra (Princess Kosmonopolis) - "Sweet Bird of Youth" - The Artistic Home
- Mary Ann Thebus (Mrs. K) - "The Piano Teacher" - Next Theatre Company
- Karen Janes Woditsch (Julia Child) - "To Master the Art" - TimeLine Theatre Company

ACTRESS IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE - MUSICAL
- Brianna Borger (Anna Leonowens) - "The King and I" - Porchlight Music Theatre
- Elizabeth Lanza (Ann) - "Meet John Doe" - Porchlight Music Theatre
- Megan McGinnis (Jerusha Abbott) - "Daddy Long Legs" - Northlight Theatre, Cinicinnati Playhouse in the Park, Rubicon Theatre Company, TheatreWorks, David Elzer and Executive Producer Michael Jackowitz
- Jessie Mueller (Miss Adelaide) - "Guys and Dolls" - Marriott Theatre
- Jessie Mueller (Amalia Balash) - "She Loves Me" - Writers' Theatre

ACTOR OR ACTRESS IN A REVUE
- Tim Baltz - "Sky's the Limit (Weather Permitting)" - The Second City e.t.c.
- Tammy Mader - "Shout!" - Marriott Theatre
- Sam Richardson - "South Side of Heaven" - The Second City

SOLO PERFORMANCE
- Barbara Robertson (Alice Conroy) - "The Detective's Wife" - Writers' Theatre

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE - PLAY
- Ira Amyx (Noel) - "That Was Then" - Seanachaí Theatre Company
- Lance Baker (Charlie Fox) - "Speed-the-Plow" - American Theater Company
- Marc Grapey (Jerry) - "Edward Albee's At Home at the Zoo" - Victory Gardens Theater
- Francis Guinan (Gary) - "Rantoul and Die" - American Blues Theater i/a/w Stephen Eich, Don Foster, Stuart Ditsky/Adam Ditsky
- Mike Nussbaum (Ben) - "Broadway Bound" - Drury Lane Productions
- John Reeger (Captain Shotover) - "Heartbreak House" - Writers' Theatre

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE - MUSICAL
- Sean Blake (Sporting Life) - "The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess" - Court Theatre
- Matthew Crowle (Patsy, Mayor, Guard 2) - "Monty Python's Spamalot" - Drury Lane Productions
- James Earl Jones II (Uncle Henry, Lion) - "The Wiz" - Theatre at the Center
- Ted Louis Levy (The Mikado) - "Hot Mikado" - Drury Lane Productions
- Larry Yando (Pangloss and others) - "Candide" - Goodman Theatre and Shakespeare Theatre Company

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE - PLAY
- Annabel Armour (Ann) - "Edward Albee's At Home at the Zoo" - Victory Gardens Theater
- Tracey N. Bonner (Woman 2) - "Home" - Court Theatre
- Mary Beth Fisher (B) - "Edward Albee's Three Tall Women" - Court Theatre
- Diane Kondrat (Bea Ball) - "The Gospel According to James" - Victory Gardens Theater
- Elizabeth Ledo (Tam) - "The Homosexuals" - About Face Theatre
- Diana Simonzadeh (Old Nawal, Nazira) - "Scorched" - Silk Road Theatre Project

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE - MUSICAL
- Kate Garassino (Lady Thiang) - "The King and I" - Porchlight Music Theatre
- Heidi Kettenring (Ilona Ritter) - "She Loves Me" - Writers' Theatre
- Gina Milo (The Lady of the Lake) -"Monty Python's Spamalot" - Drury Lane Productions
- Hollis Resnik (Old Lady) - "Candide" - Goodman Theatre and Shakespeare Theatre Company
- Bethany Thomas (Serena) - "The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess" - Court Theatre

NEW WORK - PLAY
- William Brown and Doug Frew - "To Master the Art" - TimeLine Theatre Company
- Darren Canady - "Brothers of the Dust" - Congo Square Theatre Company
- Philip Dawkins - "The Homosexuals" - About Face Theatre
- Bruce Graham - "The Outgoing Tide" - Northlight Theatre
- David Henry Hwang - "Chinglish" - Goodman Theatre
- Patricia Kane - "Float" - About Face Theatre
- Dan LeFranc - "The Big Meal" - American Theater Company
- Caitlin Montanye Parrish with Erica Weiss - "A Twist of Water" - Route 66 Theatre Company

NEW WORK - MUSICAL OR REVUE
- Tim Baltz, Aidy Bryant, Matt Hovde, Brendan Jennings, Jessica Joy, Michael Lehrer, and Mary Sohn - "Sky's the Limit (Weather Permitting)" - The Second City e.t.c.
- Edgar Blackmon, Billy Bungeroth, Holly Laurent, Timothy Edward Mason, Katie Rich, Sam Richardson, and Tim Robinson - "South Side of Heaven" - The Second City
- Joe Kinosian and Kellen Blair - "Murder for Two - A Killer Musical" - Chicago Shakespeare Theater
- Robert Morris, Steven Morris, Joe Shane and Matte O'Brien - "White Noise" - Holly Way, Jay Strommen, Jimmy Mack, Deborah Taylor/Chris Bensinger, Tom Leonardis and Whoopi Goldberg

NEW ADAPTATION - PLAY OR MUSICAL
- Amanda Dehnert - "Peter Pan (A Play)" - Lookingglass Theatre Company
- Laura Eason - "Ethan Frome" - Lookingglass Theatre Company
- Sean Graney -"The Comedy of Errors" - Court Theatre
- Jon Jory - "Sense and Sensibility" - Northlight Theatre
- Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso - "Working" - Jed Bernstein, Dianne Fraser and Sheila Simon Geltzer
- Mary Zimmerman -"Candide" - Goodman Theatre and Shakespeare Theatre Company

CHOREOGRAPHY
- David H. Bell - "Hot Mikado" - Drury Lane Productions
- Tammy Mader - "42nd Street" - Marriott Theatre
- Tammy Mader - "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" - Drury Lane Productions
- Matt Raftery - "Meredith Willson's The Music Man" - Marriott Theatre
- Rachel Rockwell - "A Chorus Line" - Marriott Theatre

ORIGINAL INCIDENTAL MUSIC
- Jenny Giering - "As You Like It" - Chicago Shakespeare Theater
- Andrew Hansen - "In Darfur" - TimeLine Theatre Company
- Andrew Hansen - "To Master the Art" - TimeLine Theatre Company
- Lindsay Jones - "Romeo and Juliet" - Chicago Shakespeare Theater

MUSIC DIRECTION
- Roberta Duchak - "Monty Python's Spamalot" - Drury Lane Productions
- David Kreppel - "Meredith Willson's The Music Man" - Marriott Theatre
- Michael Mahler - "Hot Mikado" - Drury Lane Productions
- Ryan T. Nelson - "A Chorus Line" - Marriott Theatre
- Doug Peck - "42nd Street" - Marriott Theatre
- Doug Peck - "Candide" - Goodman Theatre and Shakespeare Theatre Company
- Doug Peck - "The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess" - Court Theatre

SCENIC DESIGN - LARGE
- David Korins - "Chinglish" - Goodman Theatre
- Jaqueline and Richard Penrod - "The Last Act of Lilka Kadison" - Lookingglass Theatre Company
- Keith Pitts - "Heartbreak House" - Writers' Theatre
- Collette Pollard - "Broadway Bound" - Drury Lane Productions
- Todd Rosenthal - "Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" - Steppenwolf Theatre Company

SCENIC DESIGN - MIDSIZE
- Robert Groth & Jenniffer J. Thusing - "The Weir" - Seanachaí Theatre Company
- Tim Morrison - "Edward Albee's The Goat or, Who is Sylvia?" - Remy Bumppo Theatre Company
- John Musial - "Float" - About Face Theatre
- Jaqueline and Richard Penrod - "The Importance of Being Earnest" - Remy Bumppo Theatre Company
- Collette Pollard - "The Front Page" - TimeLine Theatre Company

LIGHTING DESIGN - LARGE
- Christopher Akerlind - "As You Like It" - Chicago Shakespeare Theater
- John Culbert - "Romeo and Juliet" - Chicago Shakespeare Theater
- Jesse Klug - "Monty Python's Spamalot" - Drury Lane Productions
- Jason Lyons - "White Noise" - Holly Way, Jay Strommen, Jimmy Mack, Deborah Taylor/Chris Bensinger, Tom Leonardis and Whoopi Goldberg
- Jaymi Lee Smith - "Virginia Woolf's Orlando" - Court Theatre

LIGHTING DESIGN - MIDSIZE
- Brian Sidney Bembridge - "The Big Meal" - American Theater Company
- Jeff Glass - "Sweet Bird of Youth" - The Artistic Home
- Sarah Hughey - "Scorched" - Silk Road Theatre Project
- Nic Jones and Jesse Klug - "In Darfur" - TimeLine Theatre Company
- Keith Parham - "Frost/Nixon" -TimeLine Theatre Company

COSTUME DESIGN - LARGE
- Mara Blumenfeld - "Candide" - Goodman Theatre and Shakespeare Theatre Company
- Jacqueline Firkins - "The Comedy of Errors" - Court Theatre
- Jeremy W. Floyd - "Hot Mikado" - Drury Lane Productions
- Susan E. Mickey - "The Madness of George III" - Chicago Shakespeare Theater
- Nancy Missimi - "42nd Street" - Marriott Theatre

COSTUME DESIGN - MIDSIZE
- Mina Hyun-Ok Hong - "Sunday in the Park with George" - Porchlight Music Theatre
- Rachel Lambert - "Romeo and Juliet" - First Folio Theatre
- Bill Morey - "The King and I" - Porchlight Music Theatre
- Lindsey Pate - "The Front Page" - TimeLine Theatre Company
- Melissa Torchia - "The Importance of Being Earnest" - Remy Bumppo Theatre Company

SOUND DESIGN - LARGE
- Mikhail Fiksel - "Travels with My Aunt" - Writers' Theatre
- Andrew Hansen - "Heartbreak House" - Writers' Theatre
- Andrew Hansen - "The Outgoing Tide" - Northlight Theatre
- Andre Pluess - "Virginia Woolf's Orlando" - Court Theatre
- James Savage - "Murder for Two - A Killer Musical" - Chicago Shakespeare Theater

SOUND DESIGN - MIDSIZE
- Barry Bennett - "Hickorydickory" - Chicago Dramatists
- Joseph Fosco - "The New Electric Ballroom" - A Red Orchid Theatre
- Andrew Hansen - "In Darfur" - TimeLine Theatre Company
- Andrew Hansen - "To Master the Art" - TimeLine Theatre Company
- Peter J. Storms - "Scorched" - Silk Road Theatre Project

FIGHT / MOVEMENT DIRECTION
- Matt Hawkins - "Peter Pan (A Play)" - Lookingglass Theatre Company
- Nick Sandys - "Romeo and Juliet" - First Folio Theatre
- Rick Sordelet - "Romeo and Juliet" - Chicago Shakespeare Theater

PROJECTIONS / VIDEO DESIGN
- John Boesche - "A Twist of Water" - Route 66 Theatre Company
- Raj Kapoor - "White Noise" - Holly Way, Jay Strommen, Jimmy Mack, Deborah Taylor/Chris Bensinger, Tom Leonardis and Whoopi Goldberg
- Aaron Rhyne - "Working" - Jed Bernstein, Dianne Fraser and Sheila Simon Geltzer
- Mike Tutaj - "The Detective's Wife" - Writers' Theatre
- Mike Tutaj - "Frost/Nixon" - TimeLine Theatre Company
- Mike Tutaj - "In Darfur" - TimeLine Theatre Company

ARTISTIC SPECIALIZATION
- Tracy Otwell - Toy Theatre Design - "The Last Act of Lilka Kadison" - Lookingglass Theatre Company
- Melissa Veal - Wig and Make-up Design - "The Madness of George III" - Chicago Shakespeare Theater

MULTIPLE NOMINATIONS

BY THEATRE COMPANY
Goodman Theatre -17 (8 with Shakespeare Theatre Company)
TimeLine Theatre - 17
Marriott Theatre - 16
Drury Lane Productions - 15
Chicago Shakespeare Theater - 14
Writers' Theatre - 13
Court Theatre - 12
Northlight Theatre - 8 (1 with Cinicinnati Playhouse in the Park, Rubicon Theatre Company, TheatreWorks, David Elzer and Executive Producer Michael Jackowitz)
Remy Bumppo Theatre Company - 8
American Theater Company - 7
Porchlight Music Theatre - 6
About Face Theatre - 5
Lookingglass Theatre Company - 5
The Second City e.t.c. - 4
Silk Road Theatre Project - 4
Steppenwolf Theatre Company - 4
First Folio Theatre - 3
Seanachaí Theatre Company - 3
Victory Gardens Theater - 3
White Noise Chicago, LLC - 3
The Artistic Home - 2
Jed Bernstein, Dianne Fraser and Sheila Simon Geltzer - 2
Route 66 Theatre Company - 2
The Second City - 2
Theatre at the Center - 2

BY PRODUCTION
"Candide" - 8
"Hot Mikado" - 6
"Monty Python's Spamalot" - 6
"The Outgoing Tide" - 6
"42nd Street" - 5
"The Big Meal" - 5
"A Chorus Line" - 5
"Chinglish" - 5
"Edward Albee's The Goat or, Who is Sylvia?" - 5
"Frost/Nixon" - 5
"The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess" - 5
"The Madness of George III" - 5
"To Master the Art" - 5
"Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - 4
"Heartbreak House" - 4
"In Darfur" - 4
"The King and I" - 4
"Murder for Two - A Killer Musical" - 4
"Scorched" - 4
"Sky's the Limit (Weather Permitting)" - 4
"Travels with My Aunt" - 4
"Float" - 3
"The Front Page" - 3
"The Importance of Being Earnest" - 3
"Meredith Willson's The Music Man" - 3
"Romeo and Juliet" - Chicago Shakespeare Theater - 3
"The Seagull" - 3
"She Loves Me" - 3
"White Noise" - 3
"As You Like It" - 2
"Broadway Bound" - 2
"The Comedy of Errors" - 2
"The Detective's Wife" - 2
"Edward Albee's At Home at the Zoo" - 2
"Edward Albee's Three Tall Women" - 2
"The Homosexuals" - 2
"The Last Act of Lilka Kadison" - 2
"Peter Pan (A Play)" - 2
"Romeo and Juliet" - First Folio Theatre - 2
"Shout!" - 2
"South Side of Heaven" - 2
"Sweet Bird of Youth" - 2
"A Twist of Water" - 2
"Virginia Woolf's Orlando" - 2
"The Weir" - 2
"Working" - 2

BY INDIVIDUAL
Andrew Hansen - 6
Tammy Mader - 3
Doug Peck - 3
Nick Sandys - 3
Mike Tutaj - 3
Brad Armacost - 2
Annabel Armour - 2
Tim Baltz - 2
David H. Bell - 2
Joe Kinosian - 2
Jesse Klug - 2
Michael Mahler - 2
Jessie Mueller - 2
Jacqueline and Richard Penrod - 2
Collette Pollard - 2
Sam Richardson - 2
Rachel Rockwell - 2
Mary Zimmerman - 2]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=653 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=653 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 06:40:15 -0500 Drury Lane Theatre, known for producing acclaimed, innovative and classic musicals and comedies, announced its 2012-2013 season featuring five glorious films brought to new life on stage. The Tony Award-winning phenomenon Hairspray previews April 12, opens April 19 and runs through June 17; the riveting thriller The 39 Steps previews July 5, opens July 12 and runs through August 26; the effervescent Broadway classic Promises, Promises previews September 6, opens September 13 and runs through October 28; the beloved masterpiece Singin' In The Rain previews November 8, opens November 15 and runs through January 13; and Sunset Boulevard, the triumphant Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, previews January 24, opens January 31 and runs through April 7.

Drury Lane Theatre's 2012 season opens with the smash hit musical comedy Hairspray. Set in 1960s Baltimore, Hairspray is the exuberant story of pleasantly plump teen Tracy Turnblad, who does whatever it takes to fulfill her lifelong dream of appearing on the popular Corny Collins Show. Can this plus-size trendsetter vanquish the program's reigning princess, win the heart of heartthrob Link Larkin, and integrate a television show without denting her fabulous 'do? Hairspray won eight Tony Awards including Best Musical, and inspired the 2007 blockbuster feature film. The New Yorker called Hairspray "Exhilaratingly funny!" and The New York Times raved that "If life were everything it should be, it would be more like Hairspray. It's irresistible!" The upbeat score includes oldies-inspired songs "You Can't Stop the Beat," "Welcome to the 60's," and "Hairspray." The production features music by five-time Oscar nominee Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman, and a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan. Hairspray is directed and choreographed by Jeff Award winner Tammy Mader (Choreographer of Drury Lane Theatre's Spamalot and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers) and previews April 12, opens April 19 and runs through June 17, 2012.

A current hit on Broadway and the West End, the thrilling comedy The 39 Steps is adapted from the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film and the 1915 novel by John Buchan. The story centers on Englishman "Richard Hannay," who inadvertently embarks on a chaotic adventure full of narrow escapes after trying to help a female spy. When he wakes up to find her dead in his apartment, he flees from the police and an espionage organization, desperately trying to find the truth. The 39 Steps features four actors bringing more than 150 characters to life throughout the play, making it a one-of-a-kind production that NBC called "Brilliant!," the New York Post raved is "The most entertaining show on Broadway," and the New York Daily News hailed as "Ingenious!" This fast-paced fun ride is a dizzy delight!" The 39 Steps was adapted for the stage by Patrick Barlow and is the winner of two 2008 Tony Awards, a 2008 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience, and the 2007 Olivier Award for Best Comedy. The 39 Steps is directed by multi-Jeff Award nominee David New (Drury Lane Theatre's Broadway Bound, Sarah Siddons Award Winner and former Associate Artistic Director at Steppenwolf Theatre) and previews July 5, opens July 12 and runs through August 26, 2012.

The recent Broadway hit Promises, Promises is a smart and sexy musical based on the Oscar-winning 1960 Billy Wilder film The Apartment starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine. Set in 1960s Manhattan, Promises, Promises tells the story of Chuck Baxter, an enterprising and charming new employee at Consolidated Life Insurance Company. To work his way up the corporate ladder, Chuck lends executives his apartment for their extramarital romantic trysts. Complications arise when Fran Kubelik, the object of Chuck's affection, becomes the mistress of one of his executives. The Associated Press called Promises, Promises "Exuberantly joyful and consistently witty!" and The Los Angeles Times raved that "Its stylish mix of nostalgia and parody will likely make you thirsty for a Tom Collins!" The original production of Promises, Promises debuted on Broadway in 1968 and ran for 1,281 performances. It was nominated for eight Tony Awards, and the original cast recording was honored with a Grammy Award. The 2010 revival received five Outer Critics Circle nominations, including Outstanding Revival of a Musical. Promises, Promises features a book by the legendary Neil Simon, and a splashy, retro-infused score by the Academy Award-winning team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Rachel Rockwell (Drury Lane Theatre's The Sound of Music, Sweeney Todd and Ragtime), named "Best Director" by Chicago Magazine, directs and choreographs Promises, Promises, previewing September 6, opening September 13 and running through October 28, 2012.

The quintessential Broadway musical masterpiece Singin' In The Rain was hailed as "Blissful!" by the New York Times and "Pure joy...hugely engaging!" by The Telegraph. Featuring exhilarating, toe-tapping dance numbers and an effervescent love story, Singin' In The Rain is a timeless classic with a delightful score including "Good Morning," "Make "em Laugh," and "Singin' in the Rain." Set in glitzy, glamorous Hollywood in the 1920s, this lighthearted and funny tale centers on Don Lockwood, a film star who finds love while navigating the ever-changing world of showbiz. Singin' In The Rain is based on the 1954 film starring Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds, which the American Film Institute named the #1 Greatest Movie Musical of all time and The New York Times called "The happiest movie musical ever made." The production has a book adapted by Betty Comden and Adolph Green with Music by Nacio Herb Brown and Lyrics by Arthur Freed. Singin' In The Rain is directed by Bill Jenkins (Chair of Ball State University's Department of Theatre and Dance and Director of Drury Lane Theatre's Seven Brides for Seven Brothers) and choreographed by Amber Mak and previews November 8, opens November 15 and runs through January 13, 2013.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard, based on Billy Wilder's 1950 film with the same name, weaves a magnificent tale of faded glory and unfulfilled ambition. Silent movie star Norma Desmond longs for a return to the big screen, having been discarded by Tinseltown with the advent of "talkies." Her glamour has faded in all but her mind. When Norma meets struggling Hollywood screen-writer Joe Gillis in dramatic circumstances, their subsequent passionate and volatile relationship leads to an unforeseen and tragic conclusion. The New York Times enthused that Sunset Boulevard is "Scored with some of Lloyd Webber's loveliest melodies and designed with an extravagance of mind." Sunset Boulevard was the winner of seven Tony Awards in 1995 and features a breathtaking score by the legendary composer Andrew Lloyd Webber (Evita, The Phantom of the Opera, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) and a book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton. Sunset Boulevard, directed by Drury Lane Theatre's Artistic Director William Osetek (Drury Lane Theatre's smash hit production of Spamalot and Jeff Award nominee for Best Director and Best Production for Thoroughly Modern Millie) and choreographed by Tammy Mader, previews January 24, opens January 31 and runs through April 7, 2013.

The performance schedule is as follows: Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m. ($35), Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. ($35) and 8 p.m. ($40), Fridays at 8:30 p.m. ($45), Saturdays at 5 p.m. ($45) and 8:30 p.m. ($46) and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. ($45) and 6 p.m. ($40). Lunch and dinner theater packages range from $49.75 to $68 depending on the day of the week. Student tickets start as low as $20 and Senior Citizen tickets start as low as $30 for matinees and $44.75 for a matinee luncheon package. For reservations, call the Drury Lane Theatre box office at 630.530.0111, call TicketMaster at 800.745.3000, or visit www.drurylaneoakbrook.com.]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=652 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=652 Tue, 30 Aug 2011 10:23:34 -0500 Black and Blue, refers to the uniforms worn by Chicago's two baseball teams—black and white for the Sox, Blue and Red for the Cubs—in this world premiere play by Nick Digilio and Anthony Tournis. They are the flags under which brothers Jake and Tommy pledge their respective allegiances. Despite their widower father's attempts to address the needs of his sons, friendly dissent becomes grimly serious after a wager is proposed to decide the merits of their respective clubs. As the years pass, the contest becomes a catalyst for deeper rivalries that threaten to impair the siblings' psychological progress to maturity. "You're a pair of bitter young men turning into bitter old men!" the bartender in their father's tavern warns them.

Family feuds have been founded on less. Theatergoers not sharing this particular obsession may consider ten years devoted to spectator sport-loyalty an exaggeration, but they need only note that Graceland cemetery has a section set aside exclusively for Cubs supporters determined to "root, root, root for the home team" beyond the grave to evidence the stubborn loyalty of the appropriately-dubbed "die-hard fans."

But what a decade of bar-buddies wearing their affiliations on their sleeves (among other places) means for Factory Theater costumer Carla Hamilton is an extensive wardrobe of t-shirts, caps and jackets sufficient to outfit not only Jake and Tommy, but an assortment of strangers wandering into Sonny's tavern—expatriate New Yorkers, single-minded movie buffs, a mixed Cubs/Sox female couple whose sports-savvy teamwork renders them victorious at baseball trivia. And then there is the occasional football or hockey fan proclaiming their chosen champions.

This is a lot of souvenir-stand garb to assemble on a small budget. Fortunately, Hamilton found herself in the hire of a family-style ensemble willing to share the contents of their closets.

"I was incredibly lucky to have a cast both generous and age-diverse," she exults, "Almost all of the sports gear—including some cherished vintage pieces—were lent by the cast and crew members."

So who ended up with whose clothes? "Anthony Tournis, who plays Jake, and Greg Caldwell, who plays Tommy, are wearing their own Cubs and Sox gear. Heidi Grace—one of the women who trounce the boys at trivia—is dressed in a Cubs shirt provided by Laura Deger's Liz, who wears the Blackhawks jersey that Nick [Digilio] brought in. Oh, and our sound designer/managing director Chas Vrba supplied the Bears jersey worn by Papa-Bear Sonny, Brian Amidei."

What about the t-shirts reading "Cubs Suck" and "Future Bulls Fan"? You're not likely to see those in the tourist shops. "Those two I designed and ordered myself off Cafe Press," Hamilton confesses, "And the non-sports items came from nearby thrift shops after we verified the look from photographs taken during the period—from 1997 to 2007—referenced in the play. So yes, we actually had to buy some of the costumes."

Black and Blue continues at Prop Thtr through September 3.

Mary Shen Barnidge
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=651 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=651 Wed, 17 Aug 2011 16:01:09 -0500 Saturday Night Live star and Comedy Central regular Colin Quinn is bringing his one-man comedy show Colin Quinn: Long Story Short to Water Tower Place's Broadway Playhouse for a three-week engagement beginning August 24th. Directed by Jerry Seinfeld, Long Story Short was extended twice on Broadway and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award. It ran as an HBO special in April 2011, and Quinn has subsequently toured the show in East Hampton, Philadelphia, Montreal, and New Haven earlier this summer before coming to Chicago.

Long Story Short is Quinn's very own and very brief history of the world, a 75-minute comedic crash course in human civilization (complete with maps and other multimedia) in which Quinn sardonically chronicles the rise and fall of great world empires and the larger-than-life figures who ruled them. From Julius Caesar as a mobster to blinged-out 15th century St. Peter's Basilica as a "Death Row Records release party from the '90s" to America's Founding Fathers' insistence on "the pursuit of happiness" being blamed for Dr. Phil, Quinn spares no one, and his common theme throughout is thus: the best of human intentions ruined, inevitably and hilariously, by the worst of human instincts.

A native of Brooklyn, Quinn began as a stand-up comic in the '80s and served as co-host of MTV's Remote Control game show before joining Saturday Night Live in 1995. On SNL, his characters included Gene the ex-convict and Lenny the Lion, a talking lion obsessed with self-betterment, and he served as the "Weekend Update" anchor from 1998-2000. During this time he also made his Broadway debut in his one-man show Colin Quinn: An Irish Wake, which he co-wrote with comedian Lou DiMaggio. Post-SNL, he is probably best known as the host of Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, a round-table talk show that ran for two seasons on Comedy Central following The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Though he reportedly turned down the role of Scott Evil in Austin Powers (later taken by Seth Green) to focus on his solo work, he has since made sporadic appearances in films such as Night At The Roxbury and Grown-Ups.

Colin Quinn: Long Story Short, directed by Jerry Seinfeld, runs August 24-September 10, 2011 at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, 175 East Chestnut St. Tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.com.

Luke Heiden
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=649 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=649 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 08:23:53 -0500 JERSEY BOYS, the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. The musical will make its much-anticipated return to Chicago to play the Bank of America Theatre (18 W. Monroe) nine weeks only; April 5 through June 2, 2012.

JERSEY BOYS is the winner of the 2006 Best Musical Tony Award, the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album, the 2009 Olivier Award for Best New Musical and the 2010 Helpmann Award for Best Musical (Australia). The premier engagement of JERSEY BOYS in Chicago was an overwhelming success running for more than two years, 951 performances and seen by more than one million theatergoers, JERSEY BOYS worldwide has grossed over $1.2 billion dollars and been seen by approximately 13 million people (as of July 17, 2011).

JERSEY BOYS was hailed as "The most exciting musical Broadway has seen in years!" by Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune. "PURE PLATINUM! A SUPERCHARGED KNOCKOUT PRODUCTION!" raves Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times. "THE CROWD GOES WILD," says Ben Brantley, The New York Times. "WILL RUN FOR CENTURIES," exclaims Richard Corliss, Time Magazine.

"We are thrilled to bring JERSEY BOYS home, not a day goes by that someone doesn't ask, 'When are you bringing JERSEY BOYS back?' We can't wait to treat our audiences to the show where everyone leaves smiling" says Eileen LaCario, Vice President of Broadway In Chicago. "We were honored to have JERSEY BOYS in Chicago for more than two years, and look forward to a successful return."

JERSEY BOYS is the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons: Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi. This is the story of how a group of blue-collar boys from the wrong side of the tracks became one of the biggest American pop music sensations of all time. They wrote their own songs, invented their own sounds and sold 175 million records worldwide - all before they were thirty.

Directed by two-time Tony Award-winner Des McAnuff, JERSEY BOYS is written by Academy Award-winner Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe and choreography by Sergio Trujillo.

JERSEY BOYS opened at the August Wilson Theatre on Broadway to critical acclaim on November 6, 2005. The JERSEY BOYS National Tour opened to rave reviews in San Francisco on December 1, 2006, played a record-breaking run in Los Angeles and is still breaking house records in cities across North America. There are five current productions of JERSEY BOYS: New York, London, Las Vegas, Sydney, Australia, and a US National tour.

The JERSEY BOYS design and production team comprises Klara Zieglerova (Scenic Design), Jess Goldstein (Costume Design), Howell Binkley (winner of the 2006 Tony Award for his Lighting Design of JERSEY BOYS), Steve Canyon Kennedy (Sound Design), Michael Clark (Projections Design), Charles LaPointe (Wig and Hair Design), Steve Orich (Orchestrations) and Ron Melrose (Music Direction, Vocal Arrangements & Incidental Music).

The Original Broadway Cast Recording of JERSEY BOYS, produced by Bob Gaudio, was recently certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The cast recording is now available on Rhino Records. JERSEY BOYS: The Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons (Broadway Books) is the official handbook to the smash Broadway hit.

Tickets are available now for groups of 15 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710. JERSEY BOYS is part of the 2012 Spring Season. Individual tickets will go on sale at a later date. Prices and performance schedule are subject to change.]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=650 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=650 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 07:06:31 -0500
So on to this hubristic feast of xenophobia, special pleading and Chicago cheerleading! But, yes, there are legitimate and authentic differences between Chicago actors and their counterparts on the coasts. Stereotypes don't become reliable or cliches convenient for no reason

Though it's clearly a chicken-or-the-egg paradox, Chicago actors inevitably reflect the theater they create (or that shapes them). If our five Tony Awards for regional theater prove anything, it's that ensemble acting is a triumph that comes with the territory. Actors here stick together longer than on either coast, as the results show. New troupes form almost weekly. Older ones can stay together for years, allowing novice thespians to learn their craft by paying their dues and graduating from playing ingenues to impersonating graybeards.

Plus, unlike New York, where Broadway calls the shots, or L.A., where "The Industry" reduces theater productions to "showcases" for individuals, not companies, in Chicago there are safety nets. You can fail without forfeiting your resume. If an actor looks good, it's often because or, rather than despite, the other folks who shared the stage.

Los Angeles is a town that, situated over fault lines that are just waiting to open up and devour the Kodak Theatre during an Oscar ceremony, is mired in a state of denial called California. Now that 3-D has hit the big screen, theater in L.A. is totally expendable, since sharing the same time as well as space as the actors, is much less important than special effects. When the Big One finally hits, it will just seem like a disaster movie taken over the top and out of the studio.

As for New York, "If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere" is strangely left-handed praise: If it's so great, why should it matter where ELSE you make it? It sounds as if you're supposed to go there first to get good, then somewhere else to turn great. (As in HERE...) The big deal about the Big Apple is that success between the Hudson and East rivers inevitably arrives one kudo at a time, as in one Tony Award followed by another.

In Chicago a more proper measure in theatrical success is the Joseph Jefferson Award for ensemble acting: Whether it's non-Equity or union-based, it's one of the happiest moments in either annual prizefest. There's enough communal euphoria and deep-dyed gratitude in the air for that award to levitate the Park West club or the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts. You feel it in the generous thanks from individual recipients to the theaters that gave them a chance and inspired them to rise to their occasion. These are the bonds that make Chicago theater, not just a movable feast, but a communal celebration, opening by opening, run by run, year after year.

In Chicago the theatrical whole is way bigger than its parts, a saving truth that gives a sense of proportion and purpose to the individual achievements of actors, designers, directors and even critics. Industry nights give our Thespians a chance to see what others are doing and measure themselves, not just against their own capacities, but the wide-eyed dreaming of the other troupes around town. Actors may "compare and despair" but it's a friendly rivalry that, like a rising tide, lifts all our boats.

If you see enough shows over a ton of time, as I have, you can see evolution in operation--how the eavesdropping naturalism of Steppenwolf's early days complemented the playful vulgarity of Stuart Gordon's Organic Theater Company, how the "let's make a show" enthusiasm of the Victory Gardens Theater when it began in Wrigleyville was echoed by another theater that also began in the Northside Auditorium Building, Bailiwick Rep (now Chicago). The Body Politic begat a similar artists colony in what used to be called the Theatre Building (now Stage 773), while, one door down, Theatre Wit's new playhouse (formerly Bailiwick's) insures that there are a record six theaters on one block. Short of the eight inside the Denver Theatre Center, that's a record that neither Tinsel Town nor Gotham can equal.

Well, any more grand conclusions and I risk cheapening the currency of commentary... (But you can't say you weren't warned.) Still there's more than Method to our madness. Chicago is a very elemental town-as in vicious winters and blistering summers-that's forced to manufacture its own fantasies. We have no palm trees to provide a semi-tropical escapism. What you see is what you get. In the face of such ruthless realism as seches, blizzards, heat waves, power failures and potholes, our theaters work overtime to create their own saving make-believe. Sure, we can resort to "smoke and mirrors" spectacles like Las Vegas in heat, but our "tricks of the light" ultimately come down to the bedrock definition of theater-"two boards and a passion." The real deal--if we build it they will come.

Lawrence Bommer
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=648 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=648 Thu, 21 Jul 2011 22:01:05 -0500 SalomÉ in 2011 is not its Biblical origins, its lyrical language, or even its leading lady's erotic dance, but the graphic decapitation of Iokanaan (the fictional counterpart of John The Baptist) that figures in the play's grisly climax. Not only does the script mandate that this gruesome object resemble the actor playing the martyred saint, but that it be fondled by the actress portraying the temptress responsible for its owner's execution.

Suspension of disbelief decreases in quick proportion to audience proximity, increasing the challenge to National Pastime Theater in preventing playgoers seated within its intimate storefront space venting their nervousness in derisive giggles and groans. Arriving at a solution called for the collaborative efforts of property designer Phillip Denofrio, costume and makeup designer Julia Zayas-Melendez, and fight designers Richard Gilbert and David Gregory, all drawing their collective inspiration from the famous Aubrey Beardsley illustration.

Ironically, the show's violence consultants deny significant influence on the creation of the gory appendage. "All we contributed was some discussion about wrapping a cloth around the base of the skull and not using wet blood," insists Gilbert, "All the credit goes to Phil and Julia."

Denofrio first sculpted the head on a pre-existing mannequin before brushing on plaster, layer by layer, until both the weight and size seemed appropriate. After drying and sanding, the head was painted a skin tone slightly paler than the living Iokanaan's complexion. It was then ready for "dressing."

Using photos of actor Joshua Harris, Zayas-Melendez cut and styled a wig to the shape of his hairline, making Iokanaan's beard from the cuttings. Once the hair was firmly attached, she painted on the eyes and lips. "At first preview, it looked surprisingly realistic—held up full-front, the face was clearly a face," she recalls, "but the bloody fabric I'd chosen for the base wasn't quite right, so it went back to Phil."

"The Beardsley picture shows blood flowing from the neck," Denofrio explains, "so I dirtied up the wrapping-cloth a bit and added the red silk 'ribbons' trailing from the neck when it's picked up, along with a lacquer spray to give it a sweaty appearance."

The final illusion, however, was in the manner of the dismembered head's presentation. The repulsive trophy is brought in from upstage, where it remains for the duration of the scene, the actors initially directing our attention to it for a fleeting moment of horror, before turning away and moving downstage to draw our eyes away from protracted scrutiny of a sight hitherto existing only in our imaginations.

SalomÉ runs through August 20, headlining National Pastime Theater's annual Naked July: Art Stripped Down festival.

Mary Shen Barnidge
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=647 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=647 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:28:22 -0500 Goodman Theatre Artistic Director Robert Falls announced that he will direct The Iceman Cometh, Eugene O'Neill's epic portrait of hope and disillusionment, running April 22 - June 10, 2012 in the Albert Theatre. Falls' major revival features Tony Award-winning stage and screen stars Nathan Lane as hardware salesman and pipe dream buster Theodore "Hickey" Hickman, and Brian Dennehy as one-time syndicalist-anarchist Larry Slade. Hailed by The New York Times as a "ferocious American classic that has lost none of its power," The Iceman Cometh marked Falls' and Dennehy's first O'Neill collaboration at the Goodman in 1990-a production which featured Dennehy in the role of Hickey.

"I am thrilled to create a new production of O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh-the greatest play by my favorite American playwright, Shakespearean in size, scope and challenge for its ensemble-led by two brilliant actors," said Artistic Director Robert Falls. "Nathan Lane has long expressed his passion for the work of Eugene O'Neill, and more specifically, the challenging leading role of Hickey. My longtime collaborator Brian Dennehy, who triumphed in the same role in 1990 at the old Goodman Theatre, will now assume the role of Larry Slade. It has been a dream of mine to return to this epic drama, and it is a thrill to collaborate with Nathan and Brian."

In The Iceman Cometh, Harry Hope's saloon is home to a ragtag band of drunks and dreamers who celebrate the arrival of Hickey, the charismatic traveling salesman whose raucous presence always ensures a grand good time. But when a newly sober Hickey blows in with a renewed outlook on life, his zealous attempts to fix the lives of his old friends leads to a series of events that are at once devastatingly comic and heartbreaking-and a revelation that threatens to shatter the tenuous illusions that fuel their lives. O'Neill's monumental drama is "as corrosive as rotgut whiskey, as morbidly funny as a funeral gone amok, and as hallucinatory as an alcohol-fueled excursion into purgatory" (Chicago Sun-Times).

Tony Award-winning stage and screen star Nathan Lane recently starred in the Broadway's musical The Addams Family at New York's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. He will next be seen in the Tarsem Singh-directed The Brothers Grimm: Snow White,alongside Julia Roberts, Lily Collins and Armie Hammer (set for release in 2012). His numerous stage credits include the critically acclaimed production of Waiting for Godot at Studio 54; the Broadway production of David Mamet's hit comedy November; the blockbuster Broadway production of Neil Simon's The Odd Couple; and his wildly acclaimed portrayal of Max Bialystock in The Producers on Broadway, which earned Lane the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Tony awards for Best Actor in a Musical. Films include Mike Nichols' The Birdcage, The Producers and the voice of Timon in The Lion King.

Brian Dennehy returns to the Goodman, where his credits include Hughie/Krapp's Last Tape (2010); Desire Under the Elms (2009, also on Broadway), Hughie (2004), Long Day's Journey into Night (2002), Death of a Salesman (1998), A Touch of the Poet (1996), The Iceman Cometh (1990, also at Abbey Theatre, Dublin) and Galileo (1986). Broadway credits include Inherit the Wind (2007), Long Day's Journey Into Night (Tony Award for Best Actor, 2003), Death of a Salesman (Tony Award for Best Actor) and Translations (1995). Film credits include The Next Three Days; Alleged, Ratatouille; The Warden; Virtuoso; Tommy Boy; Presumed Innocent; F/X 2; Gladiator; The Belly of an Architect; F/X and Cocoon, among many others.

Tickets to The Iceman Cometh are available now by subscription only; five-play Albert Theatre subscriptions start at $105; eight-play Albert and Owen Theatre subscriptions start at $168. Call 312.443.3800 or visit ExploreTheGoodman.org.]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=646 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=646 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:27:16 -0500 Bug—the first in Chicago since its premiere at Red Orchid in 2001—step off Bryn Mawr Avenue into the storefront playhouse's lobby, then into a hall flanked on one side by an Edward Keinholz-styled facade depicting a motor court in the American Southwest. We proceed through a numbered door to find ourselves in a motel room.

You heard that right. A motel room. Not a cutaway "motel room" replicated in an architecturally-divided auditorium, with seats ranged in tidy rows at one side, but a nearly full-scale single-occupancy transient unit whose corners serve as repositories for the chairs where playgoers will cluster, like literal flies on the wall, for the time it takes for this isolated outpost and its shabby furnishings to be gradually transformed by the tenants into a bunker fortified against unseen terrors.

Director Kimberly Senior recalls first measuring out the play's dimensions and then "squeezing the audience in wherever we could."

"The square footage of a cheap motel room is about two-thirds that of the entire Redtwist performance space," adds scenic designer Jack Magaw, "The size of the bed and the location of an actual bathroom played a role in deciding how we apportioned the space, but once Kimberly and I determined where the actors had to be for each scene, whatever was left was where we put the audience."

This reduces playgoers to the status of ambient debris. At one point, an actor reaches over a seated patron to close the window blinds, and the critic for the Tribune spoke of accidentally stepping on a corpse lying at his feet. Was the idea to give us a—well, bug's-eye view of the action?

Both Magaw and Senior felt that physical proximity would heighten the play's suspense and immediacy, as well as reducing the likelihood of, as Senior explains, "judgment based on distance from the characters and their choices,"

"Whatever being 'in the room' may mean to each individual in terms of intimacy," concurs Magaw, "that's what we wanted. And yes, we set up the perimeter from the first rehearsal on to acclimate the actors to their boundaries."

What made them decide to extend the environment to the motel's exterior, complete with dusty potted plants and a neon-lit roadside sign?

"Initially, we wanted to use the street entrance off Bryn Mawr for the motel façade," Magaw admits, "but a lot of important action occurs right in the doorway, forcing actors to cross over too long a distance. The outside world—the noise of passing traffic on the highway, for example—is critical to creating the tension within the room's interior, however, so we kept our original plan, but just kept it all closer together."

Something the production didn't anticipate was extending another month to find itself sharing a set with Polly Stenham's That Face. How does Redtwist propose to reconcile Bug's seedy quarters with a comedy set in a well-to-do English home?

That Face director Michael Colucci has his answer ready. "The family in Stenham's play was well-fixed at one time, but their circumstances have changed. The characters have disintegrated emotionally and their environment has become correspondingly distressed. To de-Bug-ify the set, the walls and carpet remain the same, but have attention drawn away from them by means of strategically-placed flourishes—a large rock-and-roll poster, for example."

(Bug continues at Redtwist through July 31, running in repertory with That Face, through August 14.)

Mary Shen Barnidge
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=645 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=645 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:24:24 -0500
The record-holder for repeat roles is Mark Richard, whose appearances in the role of Bertie Wooster, P.J. Wodehouse's bumbling English playboy, span seven fully staged productions between 1986 and 2000, in spaces ranging from a conference room in the Cultural Center to the boathouse-sized mainstage of the legendary Ivanhoe Theatre complex.

"The blessing of inhabiting the same character every year, with new scripts, new directors and new cast members," recalls Richard, "is that it allowed me—and Page Hearn, who took over the role of Jeeves from Kenneth Northcott in 1995—to develop a performing relationship facilitated by a kind of mutual shorthand based in our knowledge of what to expect from each other."

Peter Greenberg portrayed Lord Peter Wimsey, Dorothy Sayers' detective hero, in four adaptations by Frances Limoncelli for Lifeline Theatre between 2001 and 2009, three of them with Jennifer Tyler playing Wimsey's consort and fellow detective, Harriet Vane. Both readily acknowledge the advantages of having the same adapter for the duration.

"From the beginning, Frances had a clear vision of who these people were and what they wanted," Tyler declares, "and that consistency made our jobs easier."

Greenberg sees it differently, however. "For me, the nicest thing was that Sayers had Lord Peter mature over the years, so that he's not the same in each story. Frances wanted to tell a story over the whole series, yes, but that motivated her to focus the individual plays in ways that multiple adapters might not have."

The latest actor to take on a repeat character is Don Bender, now making his third appearance in the role of Sherlock Holmes in The Sign of the Four for City Lit Theater. Did he encounter discrepancies between adaptations?

"Any discrepancies I found arose from Doyle himself," Bender shrugs, "For example, the Holmes in Sign of the Four isn't as weary as in Hound of the Baskervilles, nor as confident as in A Scandal In Bohemia. At the beginning of this latest play, Holmes is retreating into cocaine to escape what he calls the 'dull routine of existence', and later he quotes from Goethe, Winwood Reade and J.P. Richter as he muses on the 'strange enigma' that is Man."

Do actors get bored playing the same character again and again? "Never!" asserts Tyler, "Harriet Vane is a fascinating woman—always a pleasure and a challenge to play", while Greenberg concurs, "Even after four plays in eight years, I was still looking for ways to make Lord Peter more comprehensible."

Richard flatly rejects the notion of familiarity breeding contempt. "How can loving and being loved be boring? I loved Bertie and Jeeves, and so did the audiences. By 2000, however," he notes, ruefully, "I had a son, a day job, and I was older, stouter and balder than I thought Bertie should be."

This brings up the uncomfortable subject of actors eventually becoming too old for their roles—but Sherlock Holmes isn't really an age-specific character. Could Bender be happy playing the supersleuth for another decade or two?

"The question is really whether I would be cast as the character—an actor can play whatever he's given-and I'm aware that I will probably age out of the traditional view of Holmes eventually," Bender acknowledges, "Even so, I'd have to say no—Holmes is a great joy to act, but I wouldn't want to restrict myself to the exclusion of other roles."

Mary Shen Barnidge
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=644 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=644 Thu, 9 Jun 2011 10:04:20 -0500
Top honors for outstanding play and musical went to Redtwist Theatre for Tracy Letts' "Man from Nebraska" and The Hypocrites' unique take on "Cabaret," which featured actress Jessie Fisher as the traditionally male Emcee, garnering her the award for Principal Actress in a Musical. "Man from Nebraska's" lead, Chuck Spencer, took home the honor for Principal Actor in a Play. The coveted Ensemble award went to "Shakespeare's King Phycus" by The Strange Tree Group in association with The Lord Chamberlain's Men.

In the Principal Actress in a Play category there was a tie between Caroline Neff, for Steep Theatre's "The Brief History of Helen of Troy" (who was also nominated in the same category for "Port," with Griffin Theatre Company) and Nicole Wiesner for her performance of a schizophrenic role in Trap Door Theatre's "The First Ladies." Principal Actor in a Musical honors went to Andrew Mueller as Huck Finn in Bohemian Theatre Ensemble's "Big River." Director of a Play also yielded a tie, with the awards going to James Palmer for Red Tape Theatre's "The Love of the Nightingale" and Jimmy McDermott for Strange Tree's "The Three Faces of Dr. Crippen," which also earned a New Work award for playwright Emily Schwartz.

Lifeline Theatre continued its winning streak in the New Adaptation category with the award to Robert Kauzlaric for "Neverwhere." In the Director of a Musical category Matt Hawkins was honored for "Cabaret, and Brenda Didier for Cats." Brenda Didier added to her laurels for Choreography for "Cats" and Theo Ubique scored again for Music Direction with the award to Austin Cook for his work on "Some Enchanted Evening: The Songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein."

Among the companies represented, The Hypocrites walked away with the most awards (6) - 5 for "Cabaret," followed by Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre in association with Michael James with 5. Reflecting the growing depth and breadth of Chicago's non-union theatre scene, the awards were presented to a larger number of companies than usual.

The gala evening was presented by the Joseph Jefferson Awards Committee under the leadership of Glenn Z. Hering, Chair, and produced by Douglas Bradburd, Non-Equity Wing Chair. The Jeff Awards has been honoring outstanding theatre artists annually since it was established in 1968. With 50 members representing a wide variety of backgrounds in theatre, it is committed to celebrating the vitality of Chicago area theatre by recognizing excellence through its recommendations, awards, and honors. The Jeff Awards fosters the artistic growth of area theatres and theatre artists and promotes educational opportunities, audience appreciation, and civic pride in the achievements of the theatre community. Jeff members evaluate over 250 theatrical productions and hold two awards ceremonies annually. Originally chartered to recognize only Equity productions, the Jeff Awards established the Non-Equity Wing in 1973 to celebrate outstanding achievement in non-union theatre. The next Jeff Equity Awards Ceremony, honoring productions presented under union contracts, will be held on Monday, November 7, 2011, at Drury Lane Oakbrook in Oakbrook Terrace.

COMPLETE LIST OF 2011 Non-Equity Jeff Award RECIPIENTS:

PRODUCTION - PLAY
"Man from Nebraska" - Redtwist Theatre

PRODUCTION - MUSICAL
"Cabaret" - The Hypocrites

DIRECTOR - PLAY (Tie)
Jimmy McDermott - "The Three Faces of Dr. Cripppen" - The Strange Tree Group

James Palmer - "The Love of the Nightingale" - Red Tape Theatre

DIRECTOR - MUSICAL (Tie)
Brenda Didier - "Cats" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre i/a/w Michael Jame8
Matt Hawkins - "Cabaret" - The Hypocrites

ENSEMBLE
"Shakespeare's King Phycus" - The Strange Tree Group i/a/w The Lord Chamberlain's Men

ACTOR IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE - PLAY
Chuck Spencer - "Man from Nebraska" - Redtwist Theatre

ACTOR IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE - MUSICAL
Andrew Mueller - "Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" - Bohemian Theatre Ensemble

ACTRESS IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE - PLAY (Tie)
Caroline Neff - "The Brief History of Helen of Troy" - Steep Theatre Company

Nicole Wiesner - "The First Ladies" - Trap Door Theatre

ACTRESS IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE - MUSICAL
Jessie Fisher - "Cabaret" - The Hypocrites

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE - PLAY
Brian Parry - "Shining City" - Redtwist Theatre

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE - MUSICAL
Courtney Crouse -"Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn " - Bohemian Theatre Ensemble

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE - PLAY
Sara Pavlak - "Agnes of God" - Hubris Productions

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE - MUSICAL OR REVUE
Kate Harris - "Cabaret " - The Hypocrites

NEW WORK
Emily Schwartz - "The Three Faces of Dr. Crippen" - The Strange Tree Group

NEW ADAPTATION
Robert Kauzlaric - "Neverwhere" - Lifeline Theatre

CHOREOGRAPHY
Brenda Didier - "Cats" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre i/a/w Michael James

ORIGINAL INCIDENTAL MUSIC
Chris Gingrich, Henry Riggs, Thea Lux, and Tara Sissom - "That Sordid Little Story" - The New Colony

MUSIC DIRECTION
Austin Cook - "Some Enchanted Evening: The Songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre i/a/w Michael James

SCENIC DESIGN
Alan Donahue - "Neverwhere" - Lifeline Theatre

LIGHTING DESIGN
Jared Moore - "No Exit" - The Hypocrites

COSTUME DESIGN (Tie)
Matt Guthier - "Cats" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre i/a/w Michael James

Alison Siple - "Cabaret" - The Hypocrites

SOUND DESIGN
Mikhail Fiksel - "Neverwhere" - Lifeline Theatre

ARTISTIC SPECIALIZATION
Glen Aduikas, Rick Buesing, Mike Fletcher, Salvador Garcia, Stuart Hecht, David Hyman, Terry Jackson, Don Kerste, Bruce Phillips, Al Schilling, Lisi Stoessel, and Eddy Wright - Robot Design and Engineering - "Heddatron" - Sideshow Theatre Company

Izumi Inaba - Makeup Design - "Cats" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre i/a/w Michael James

STATISTICS
In the Season ended March 31, 2011, the Jeff Awards Committee judged the opening nights of 146 non-Equity productions from 62 producing organizations. Of these, 62 productions were "Recommended" by the opening night judges and became eligible for nominations in all categories..

Total Nominations for 2010 - 2011 Season - 106

Total Categories - 23

Total Number of Companies receiving nominations - 32

Total Number of Awards - 28 (including 4 ties and 1 double Award in a non-competitive category)

MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS - COMPANIES
The Hypocrites - 6

Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre i/a/w Michael James - 5

Lifeline Theatre - 3

Redtwist Theatre - 3

The Strange Tree Group - 3 (one i/a/w The Lord Chamberlain's Men)

Bohemian Theatre Ensemble - 2

MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS - PRODUCTIONS
"Cabaret" - 5

"Cats" - 4

"Neverwhere" - 3

"Big River" - 2

"Man from Nebraska" - 2

MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS - INDIVIDUALS
Brenda Didier - 2]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=642 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=642 Tue, 7 Jun 2011 08:14:57 -0500
The production will be handled by Brad Little and Ben Fuchsen from Oracle Theatre Productions who have live streamed other theatrical events in Chicago including a recent performance of Woyzeck from the Oracle Theatre. Mike Ooi will be directing the night's festivities with the help of guest liason David Seeber.

With their irreverent blend of comedy and knowledge of the theatre world in Chicago, Eric & Andy, two working actors and sometimes critics, will be interviewing their peers and colleagues in a 1 hour interview special for the first time ever.

Not in decades has the Jeff Awards allowed coverage of this scope, as people at home will be able to tune in for free and watch the red carpet rituals in a meet-and-greet hour of the city's most prestigious awards for the Theatre Arts.

Coverage will begin at 6:00pm from inside the fabulous Park West Theater and last for a non-stop action filled 60 minutes that will include interviews of presenters, nominees, theatre personalities and heavyweights.

You will have to tune in to see what happens, but be sure it will be exciting and add a level of distinction to these already revered awards!

Just tune in for free here at TheatreInChicago.com on June 6 at 6:00pm for all of the information and highlights as it will be live streamed and also available to watch afterwards.

The 38th Anniversary Non-Equity Jeff Awards Ceremony will be held on Monday, June 6, 2011, at the Park West, 322 W. Armitage, Chicago, IL. Doors open for a cash bar at 6:00pm., with a light buffet at 6:30pm., and the presentation ceremony at 7:30pm. Tickets are $40 in advance, $45 at the door. The ceremony will honor excellence in Chicago theatres not under a union contract for productions that opened between April 1, 2010, and March 31, 2011. A complete list of this year's nomination can be found here.

Also, make sure to follow the backstage gossip and behind the scenes info during the ceremony by following the Jeff Awards on twitter at twitter.com/josephjefferson.]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=639 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=639 Tue, 31 May 2011 10:45:22 -0500 The Madness of George III, the stage picture often resembles (to our yankee eyes, anyway) portraits of our nation's Founding Fathers—aka "old men in white wigs". The primary reason for this dÉjÀ vu is the play's setting in late 18th century England, when fashionable members of the royal court habitually sported abundant tresses, real or false, crimped into various shapes and floured to a chalky hue. Beyond period authenticity, however, the multiplicity of artificial coiffures are also necessitated by double, or even triple, casting—an expediency requiring actors to exit as one character, only to appear seconds later as another.

Add to these elements the reluctance of many modern actors to follow our ancestors' practice of shaving their heads to facilitate hygiene in proximity with headgear that was, in those less fastidious times, hot, heavy or even vermin-infested, and Melissa Veal, Chicago Shakespeare Theater's resident wig designer, clearly has her work cut out for her.

Some of the male characters are seen onstage without their wigs, and so, Veal explains, they are given "hedge hog haircuts (very short as per the period)". The other actors in the show tuck their own hair away however they prefer, using headbands or surgical elastic to increase the gripping strength. Even with these preparations, however, the wigs can become very warm—so much that "the men in the very large yak hair wigs take them off when they are not on stage."

Did she just say yak hair? "In this show, we have three different wigs. Yak hair, human hair and synthetic. The lace caps are wefted with one of these three kinds of hair." But George III also calls for wigs that are supposed to look like wigs, and for these, Veal and her staff converted several ready-mades into hard-front wigs—where the hair stops abruptly in a rolled edge, as opposed to lace-fronts, where the strands are blended into a hairline attached to a transparent base that is then glued to the wearer's forehead.

Obviously these wigs are not the one-size-fits-all affairs available in beauty shops. Of course, says Veal, it's "great" if an actor's wig size should happen to match something already in the theater's stock, but otherwise, a head-wrap measuring the actor's head from every angle ascertains that each wig is fitted to the individual wearer. "They [the wigs] need daily maintenance, [so] the rolls are kept in place with bobby pins."

And what does "daily maintenance" entail? "The wig laces are cleaned with 91% isopropyl alcohol after every performance. Some are washed once in a while for re-sets. I always...try to make it as cool and comfortable as possible for the actors."

The Madness of George III runs through June 12 at Chicago Shakespeare Theater at Navy Pier.

Mary Shen Barnidge
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=638 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=638 Mon, 23 May 2011 09:06:31 -0500
Hey Heather! Thanks for joining us at New Trier High and this sweet prom, which has the awesomest theme we could think up! "The Great Ball of China"!

Thanks for having me. I used to have a plan to light proms one day. Never quite worked out. And here we are.

Well, we only do high school proms...real tasteful.

My mom would be happier with that career choice, I would imagine.

What kind of proms are you into?

Well, I was really only planning on lighting it. Proms have always had such poor lighting, wouldn't you say? Although one of my directors that I work with likes to quote BOOGIE NIGHTS when Ricky Jay says "There are shadows" in reference to the prom shoot. And Burt Reynolds says, "There are shadows in life, man." So maybe prom lighting is perfect after all.

It's actually "There are shadows in life, BABY." And then he asks about a woman's corsage. I'm pretty familiar with that film. But, whatever, why don't you tell these people what you are working on right now?

The Detective's Wife at Writers Theatre. It is a one actor play by Keith Huff directed by Gary Griffin starring the amazing Barbara Robertson.

Those are some really big names, though to be honest, I've never been too crazy about the name Keith. Is he a nice guy?

He is. I am a little atwitter working with him and he is so freaking cool. Calms my nerves on the pressure, you know. And my best friend in lighting design is names Keith so I am partial to the name already.

Why don't you tell us about some of your favorite shows you have worked on.

Well, it seems a little obvious to use this one, but of course OUR TOWN. That one was just amazing. Amazing actors, the whole idea. We hung three different versions of the light plot trying to get the perfect idea for the show, to match the amazing work the actors were doing.

The first meeting for the show ended up at a bar (what??? in theatre???) and it was me and Alison Siple (the finest designer in the world) and Jonathan Mastro (the finest person in the world), David Cromer (the genius), and Rachel Walsh (the real brains behind our operation) and we drank beers and ate sausage and David quoted the play and we all got to know each other more and we talked about the play for a long time. On the way home I sent David a text that said, "that was magic, right? something just happened that was magic?" and he wrote back, :"I know!" And we are doing the play again in January, 4 years later so....

And then STREETCAR where we talked about Blanche's trunk for so long when David was in town that Collette Pollard and I had to fly to NY to design the show because we forgot to talk about what the play looked like--we were just too excited talking about the characters.

And RED NOSES with Matty Hawkins because I just loved that process. He goes up on stage and acts the whole thing out for me. It's pretty awesome.

Matt Hawkins likes to wear women's Spanx. But, that show was really great and the lights were awe-inspiring.

He wears women's Spanx under those crazy ripped up "tech pants" (Hawkins is known to wear the holiest jeans on the planet for tech week) he has. So we all can see. I thought the acting was pretty awe-inspiring myself....

Listen, here's what you need to know. Matt Hawkins wears women's underpants and he also loves bubble baths. Speaking of bubble baths, it's almost time for our big dance number in the bubble bath at our awesome teen prom. Do you wanna be in it?

Can I light it? I am better lighting things than being in them.

You can be a Chinese chaperone. Just bring in the punch bowl and put that fresnel over on the tree.

Sounds good to me!

Heather, were you ever an actress and how did you get involved in lighting? You know I'm always so surprised when somebody decides to be a lighting designer because it is so much more thankless than say, costuming or directing.

I was not an actress. I did a few horrible scenes in college when they force you to. I hung lights for a class in college, then registered last the next semester and not surprisingly LIGHTING was open. My friend Emily conned me into taking it. And I just kind of loved it. My knack for geometry and love of literature and story telling somehow all came together. I am the kind of person who takes pictures of light that I love and texts them to people whether it is light through a window, light in my hallway, light on a billboard. And I feel like my job is to support the actors and they seem to appreciate me so that's all I need. Although the NY Times called my design for STREETCAR extraordinary and I will admit I memorized that and still drop that when I can find a reason...

Tell me your favorite story about something going horribly wrong.

Well, every designer I know has had at least one show that tanked and had to be done under work lights. Which isn't a bad thing because nothing makes people appreciate the lighting designer more than seeing the show under work lights.... but my favorite....hmmmmm.

Years ago I ran light board for a show called SWEET AND HOT--I think someone revived it in Chciago this year. It was at Berkshire Theatre Festival and it was gonna go to La Jolla Playhouse and then to Broadway. Des McAnuff came to see it and this was like a week after TOMMY won all those Tonys. So he is watching and I am hitting that computer GO button when suddenly the monitor does something weird and the next time I hit go the lights plunge to black. We get it back going, the lights are freaking out, doing whatever they want. Fancy Tony guy watching. Crazy. Intermission hits, everyone is consulting, freaking out. We get done. Sigh. Over. Then the director comes over and asks why there was a weird cue in one of the songs. ONE OF THE SONGS???? Anyway. It did go to La Jolla. It did not go to Broadway.

That's too bad. At least Des didn't ruin your career, because I hear he does that just for kicks. So during your last story, we were dressing in these bad ass samurai armors from the Ming Dynasty, and you haven't said boo. What gives?

I was trying to decide on the perfect gel color to fix what ails you. a little pink? Some R33?

A Klieg light right on the helmet should suffice. But, that's an amateur choice, I know. Well go ahead and get dressed for your part! You are our Geisha chaperone. Do you have soft hands?

I have been touching burning hot lights since I was 17 years old. Sadly no.

Well, it will have to do. Thanks for the interview, Man Hands, and can't wait to see your next show!

I do have the girliest hair in town though. Or biggest. Thanks!

Eric Roach, Anderson Lawfer

Eric Roach and Anderson Lawfer are the founders of www.Reviewsyoucaniews.blogspot.com]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=637 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=637 Mon, 9 May 2011 10:23:01 -0500
To that end, they have developed the Filament Marketplace, billed as an "exchange of goods" whose goal is to erase the distance between artist and audience. In effect, it does away with the consumer-based ticket model and turns every audience member into a sponsor with an investment in the production. "It helps make theatre, and the act of going to see live theatre, a community experience versus a faceless financial transaction," says Filament Artistic Director Julie Ritchey.

As an example of how this works, consider Filament's current production of Eurydice, playing at the Lacuna Artist Loft Studios in Pilsen. This performance space costs Filament a total of $3000 for the entire run. The Filament Marketplace divides the cost of renting the space into 100 "sponsorships", worth $30 each. So instead of simply paying $30 per person for the privilege of coming down to Pilsen and seeing Eurydice, a patron may elect to donate $30 towards sponsoring 1/100th of the cost of renting the space. In return for this sponsorship, that patron is entitled to a seat at the show (thus the sponsorships are not tax deductible, although this may change in the future as the concept evolves).

If a $30 sponsorship is more than you can afford, no worries. On the Marketplace site is a list of items that it takes to put on one performance of Eurydice, with the cost broken down into "shares" with varying prices, from $10 to $35. So if $10 is your limit, then you may elect to sponsor, for instance, one copy of the script for an actor or designer, which costs $10. $20 is the most you can pay? $20 will sponsor a portion of an actor's stipend.

The intent is twofold: first, to create a personal connection for the audience by empowering them to choose what aspect of live theatre they are interested in supporting, and then allowing them to directly witness the fruits of that sponsorship; second, to maintain financial transparency by showing patrons exactly where their money is going, as well as laying bare the true costs of mounting a theatrical production.

It should be noted, however, that all Filament productions are general seating; sponsoring a higher-cost item will not buy you a better seat. Nor is it "pay what you can"; there is a minimum. But that doesn't mean that everyone is simply opting for the cheapest item; Filament says that the median purchase price actually "leans [to the] higher" end of the scale. Furthermore, Ritchey says that audience members have approached her before and after the show to share with her what they contributed. And it's not always money: one patron donated the tricycle used by the Lord of the Underworld character. The motley assortment of chairs that make up the audience seating area have almost as many different origins. All of which suggests that the Filament Marketplace is so far achieving its goal: turning the act of performing and seeing live theatre into a shared community experience.

For more information, please visit www.filamenttheatre.org or the Filament Marketplace page directly]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=636 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=636 Wed, 4 May 2011 11:28:33 -0500 Watership Down is an epic saga of a community driven from their land and forced to explore unknown territories in search of a new home. After a journey fraught with danger and uncertainty as they encounter a diversity of strangers, some friendly and some hostile, our pilgrims discover their opportunity to make a fresh start, but must then face the challenge of finding mates to establish a settlement. Oh, and by the way—we are in England's Yorkshire and our intrepid heroes are rabbits.

You heard me—rabbits. Bugs, Thumper, Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail rabbits. And while Lifeline Theatre has plenty of experience in transforming human actors into animals endowed with the psychological complexity of Shakespearean princes—in 2003's Far From The Madding Crowd and more recently, in the Jeff-winning 2007 adaptation of H.G. Wells' The Island of Dr. Moreau—how will they deal with the anthropomorphic restrictions of lupine physiques?

"I thought about the film called The Warriors," costume designer Aly Renee Amidei confides, "Each gang has their own 'uniform', but with personalized variations within the group, and this inspired me to give each warren its own distinctive 'look', reflecting its culture and lifestyle. The fugitive Sandleford rabbits have a street-grunge vibe, for example, while the police-state Efrafa rabbits are definitely militaristic. Other warrens might sport preppy fashions, or a beatnik aesthetic modeled on Andy Warhol's Factory days."

But more than wardrobe is needed to convey the appropriate level of orientation to this fantasy world. Movement Designer Paul Holmquist turned to footage from the internet in studying how rabbits interact with each other, adapting gestures based on their movements to normal non-verbal communication. "We [actors] don't use our fingers for pointing, instead keeping our hands closed, like paws. We shiver. We tilt our heads or stretch our necks to express certain emotions. We hop, yes—but there's no squatting with our fists underneath our chins."

And how about that final battle with the ruthless Efrafa army, when the rabbits must fight in Full Furry Jacket mode? "Rabbits will run to ground when confronted by a larger predator," explains David Gregory of R & D Violence Designers, "but fights between rabbits are characterized by great leaping charges. They will, literally, crash into one another and roll on the ground while locked in struggle. So we focus on grapples, takedowns and leg-strikes initiated at angles reflecting extreme peripheral vision—did you know that rabbits have almost 360-degree vision owing to their eyes being on the sides of their heads?—often preceded by a "freeze' just before launching an attack. Rabbits have very strong front and back talons for digging, but except for claw rakes, we don't use hands much. And while rabbits also have very strong teeth, the image of one actor biting another is not the artistic picture we want"

That artistic picture is what will ultimately determine the production's success. Adapter John Hildreth and director Katie McLean Hainsworth are adamant in their insistence that Richard Adams' fable was conceived as a mythical journey of conflict and challenges addressing human beings—"and many other species, too," adds Hainsworth, "Our goal was for actors, not to mimic rabbit behavior, but to interpret it, making the question of how to create the 'rabbit universe' our paramount concern, guiding every discipline toward rendering the story effective and efficient."

Watership Down is scheduled to run at Lifeline Theatre through June 19.

Mary Shen Barnidge
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=635 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=635 Mon, 2 May 2011 16:07:06 -0500

The Hypocrites, with a bold season of 3 completely different types of productions in 3 rental locations, earned 14 nods, the most of any theatre company. "Cabaret," a story set amid the rise of Nazism in 1930's Germany, received 7; "The Pirates of Penzance," with a Caribbean take on the Gilbert and Sullivan standard, had 4; and "No Exit," Sartre's dramatic exploration of hell, had 3.

The Glenwood Avenue Arts District in Chicago's far north Rogers Park neighborhood continued its recent streak of garnering a large percentage of nominations. Among producing organizations, Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre in Association with Michael James received 12 and Lifeline Theatre received 9. Top-nominated productions for Theo Ubique included "Cats," with 8, staged on a platform in a storefront and 2 each for their 2 long-running revues, "Some Enchanted Evening: The Songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein" and "Sweet and Hot: The Songs of Harold Arlen." Lifeline's new adaptation of "Neverwhere," based on the acclaimed BBC TV series "London Below," earned 7 nominations.

Redtwist Theatre, reflecting a season of critically acclaimed and extended shows, received 7 total nominations, including Production-Play nods for "Lobby Hero," about the clash between honesty and loyalty; for "Man From Nebraska," Tracy Lett's play about a mid-life crisis of faith; and for Albee's "A Delicate Balance." The hit "Boojum! Nonsense, Truth and Lewis Carroll," based on Carroll's epic poem "The Hunting of the Snark," by Chicago DCA Theater, Caffeine Theatre, and Chicago Opera Vanguard had 6 nominations. Griffin Theatre received a total of 6, including 3 for its hit production of the classic "Stage Door" and 2 for the musical "Company." Reflecting an ever-widening base of talented artists now working in Chicago, no individual received more than 2 nominations.

The 38th Anniversary Non-Equity Jeff Awards Ceremony will be held on Monday, June 6, 2011, at the Park West, 322 W. Armitage, Chicago, IL. Doors open for a cash bar at 6:00 p.m., with a light buffet at 6:30 p.m., and the presentation ceremony at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $40 in advance, $45 at the door. A group rate of $35 is available for parties of 10 or more. Festive cocktail attire is suggested, and the public is cordially invited. Tickets may be purchased on-line with a credit card at www.jeffawards.org or by mail.

The Jeff Awards has been honoring outstanding theatre artists annually since it was established in 1968. With 50 members representing a wide variety of backgrounds in theatre, the Jeff Awards is committed to celebrating the vitality of Chicago area theatre by recognizing excellence through its recommendations, awards, and honors. The Jeff Awards fosters the artistic growth of area theatres and theatre artists and promotes educational opportunities, audience appreciation, and civic pride in the achievements of the theatre community. The Jeff Awards evaluates over 250 theatrical productions and holds two awards ceremonies annually. Originally chartered to recognize only Equity productions, the Jeff Awards established the Non-Equity Wing in 1973 to celebrate outstanding achievement in non-union theatre. The next Equity Awards Ceremony, honoring productions presented under union contracts, will be held on Monday, November 7, 2011, at the Drury Lane Oakbrook in Oakbrook Terrace.

2011 Non-Equity Jeff Award Nominees

PRODUCTION - PLAY

• "A Delicate Balance" - Redtwist Theatre
• "Lobby Hero" - Redtwist Theatre
• "Stage Door" - Griffin Theatre Company
• "The Love of the Nightingale" - Red Tape Theatre
• "Man From Nebraska" - Redtwist Theatre
• "The Master and Margarita" - Strawdog Theatre Company

PRODUCTION - MUSICAL

• "Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" - Bohemian Theatre Ensemble
• "Boojum! Nonsense, Truth and Lewis Carroll" - Chicago DCA Theater, Caffeine Theatre, and Chicago Opera Vanguard
• "Cabaret" - The Hypocrites
• "Cats" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre i/a/w Michael James
• "The Pirates of Penzance" - The Hypocrites

DIRECTOR - PLAY

• Louis Contey - "The Master and Margarita" - Strawdog Theatre Company
• Zeljko Djukic - "Baal" - TUTA Theatre Chicago
• Keira Fromm - "Lobby Hero" - Redtwist Theatre
• Jimmy McDermott - "The Three Faces of Doctor Crippen" - The Strange Tree Group
• James Palmer - "The Love of the Nightingale" - Red Tape Theatre
• Robin Witt - "Stage Door" - Griffin Theatre Company

DIRECTOR - MUSICAL

• Brenda Didier - "Cats" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre i/a/w Michael James
• Sean Graney - "The Pirates of Penzance" - The Hypocrites
• Matt Hawkins - "Cabaret" - The Hypocrites
• Jimmy McDermott - "Boojum! Nonsense, Truth and Lewis Carroll" - Chicago DCA Theater, Caffeine Theatre, and Chicago Opera Vanguard
• P. Marston Sullivan - "Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" - Bohemian Theatre Ensemble

ENSEMBLE

• "Boojum! Nonsense, Truth and Lewis Carroll" Chicago DCA Theater, Caffeine Theatre, and Chicago Opera Vanguard
• "Cats" Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre i/a/w Michael James Ubique
• "Shakespeare's King Phycus" The Strange Tree Group i/a/ w The Lord Chamberlain's Men
• "Some Enchanted Evening: The Songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein" Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre i/a/w Michael James
• "The Master and Margarita" Strawdog Theatre Company
• "The Pirates of Penzance" The Hypocrites
• "The Three Faces of Doctor Crippen" The Strange Tree Group

ACTOR IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE - PLAY

• Luke Hamilton (Sherlock Holmes) - "Sherlock Holmes, The Final Adventure" Idle Muse Theatre Company
• Andrew Jessop (Jeff) - "Lobby Hero" - Redtwist Theatre
• Chuck Spencer (Ken Carpenter) - "Man from Nebraska" - Redtwist Theatre
• D'wayne Taylor (Mr. Zero) - "Brutal Imagination" - Caffeine Theatre
• Ian Westerfer (Baal) - "Baal" - TUTA Theatre Chicago

ACTOR IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE - MUSICAL

• Alex Balestrieri (Dodgson / New Baker) - "Boojum! Nonsense, Truth and Lewis Carroll" - Chicago DCA Theater, Caffeine Theatre, and Chicago Opera Vanguard
• Andrew Mueller (Huckleberry Finn) - "Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry
• Finn" - Bohemian Theatre Ensemble
• Benjamin Sprunger (Robert) - "Company" - Griffin Theatre Company
• Jeremy Trager (Lewis Carroll) "Boojum! Nonsense, Truth and Lewis Carroll" Chicago DCA Theater, Caffeine Theatre, and Chicago Opera Vanguard

ACTRESS IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE - PLAY

• Brenda Barrie (Eva/Brenda) - "Memory" BackStage Theatre Company
• Mechelle Moe (Terry Randall) - "Stage Door" - Griffin Theatre Company
• Caroline Neff (Charlotte) - "A Brief History of Helen of Troy" Steep Theatre Company
• Caroline Neff (Rachel) - "Port" - Griffin Theatre Company
• Joy Thorbjornsen- Coates (Fonsia Dorsey) - "The Gin Game" - Lincoln Square Theatre
• Nicole Wiesner (Marie) - "The First Ladies" - Trap Door Theatre
  

ACTRESS IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE - MUSICAL

• Jessie Fisher (The Emcee) - "Cabaret" - The Hypocrites
• Jennifer T. Grubb (Jacky Samson) - "Oh, Boy!" - City Lit Theater Company
• Anita Hoffman (Miss Mona Stangley) - "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" - Circle Theatre
• Lindsay Leopold (Sally Bowles) - "Cabaret" - The Hypocrites
  

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE - PLAY

• Brian Parry (John) - "Shining City" - Redtwist Theatre
• Vance Smith (Lenny) - "The Homecoming" Mary-Arrchie Theatre Company
• Jon Steinhagen (Big Daddy) - "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" - Raven Theatre
  

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE - MUSICAL

• Courtney Crouse (Tom Sawyer) - "Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" - Bohemian Theatre Ensemble
• Noah Sullivan (Sheriff Earl Dodd) - "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" - Circle Theatre
  

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTNG ROLE - PLAY

• Nora Fiffer (Maggie) - "After the Fall" - Eclipse Theatre Company
• Lorraine Freund (Mother Superior) - "Agnes of God" - Hubris Productions
• Darci Nalepa (Steph) - "reasons to be pretty" - Profiles Theatre
• Sarah Pavlak (Agnes) - "Agnes of God" - Hubris Productions
• Amanda Powell (Rosemary) - "Brainpeople" - UrbanTheater Company

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE - MUSICAL OR REVUE

• Kate Harris (Fräulein Schneider) - "Cabaret" - The Hypocrites
• Patti Roeder (Penelope Budd) - "Oh, Boy!" - City Lit Theater Company
• Bethany Thomas - "Sweet and Hot: The Songs of Harold Arlen" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre i/a/w Michael James
• Dana Tretta (Marta) - "Company" - Griffin Theatre Company

NEW WORK

• Emily Schwartz - "The Three Faces of Doctor Crippen" - The Strange Tree Group
• Robert Tenges - "People We Know" - the side project
• Tom Willmorth - "Shakespeare's King Phycus" - The Strange Tree Group i/a/w The Lord Chamberlain's Men
  

NEW ADAPTATION

• Christina Calvit - "Wuthering Heights" - Lifeline Theatre
• Robert Kauzlaric - "Neverwhere" - Lifeline Theatre
• Carla Stillwell - "Tad in 5th City" - MPAACT
  

CHOREOGRAPHY

• Kevin Bellie - "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas"- Circle Theatre
• Brenda Didier - "Cats" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre i/a/w Michael James
• Marissa Mortiz - "Cabaret" - The Hypocrites
• Myah Shein - "The Love of the Nightingale" - Red Tape Theatre
  

ORIGINAL INCIDENTAL MUSIC

• Mikhail Fiksel - "Neverwhere" - Lifeline Theatre
• Chris Gingrich, Henry Riggs, Thea Lux, and Tara Sissom - "That Sordid Little Story" - The New Colony
• Josh Schmidt - "Baal" - TUTA Theatre Chicago
  

MUSIC DIRECTION

• Steve Carson - "Sweet and Hot: The Songs of Harold Arlen" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre i/a/w Michael James
• Austin Cook - "Some Enchanted Evening: The Songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre i/a/w Michael James
• Nicholas Davio - "Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" - Bohemian Theatre Ensemble
• Ethan Deppe - "Cats" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre i/a/w Michael James
• Andrea Velis Simon & Myron Silberstein - "Boojum! Nonsense, Truth and Lewis Carroll" - Chicago DCA Theater, Caffeine Theatre, and Chicago Opera Vanguard

SCENIC DESIGN

• William Anderson - "Dead Letter Office" - Dog & Pony Theatre Company i/a/w Chicago DCA Theater
• Tom Burch - "No Exit" - The Hypocrites
• Alan Donahue - "Neverwhere" - Lifeline Theatre
• Bob Knuth - "The Philadelphia Story" - Circle Theatre
• Ray Toler - "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" - Raven Theatre
  

LIGHTING DESIGN

• Kevin D. Gawley - "Neverwhere" - Lifeline Theatre
• Jared Moore - "No Exit" - The Hypocrites
• Jared Moore - "The Pirates of Penzance" -The Hypocrites
• Keith Parham - "Baal" - TUTA Theatre Chicago
• Eric Van Tassell - "The Ghost Sonata" - Oracle Productions
  

COSTUME DESIGN

• Matt Guthier - "Cats" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre i/a/w Michael James
• Branimira Ivanova - "Wuthering Heights" - Lifeline Theatre
• Elizabeth Powell Wislar - "Neverwhere" - Lifeline Theatre
• Alison Siple - "Cabaret" - The Hypocrites
  

SOUND DESIGN

• Katherine M. Chavez - "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" - Raven Theatre
• Mikhail Fiksel - "Neverwhere" - Lifeline Theatre
• Kevin O'Donnell - "No Exit" - The Hypocrites
• Miles Polaski - "The Love of the Nightingale" - Red Tape Theatre
• Stephen Ptacek - "Dead Letter Office" - Dog & Pony Theatre Company i/a/w Chicago DCA Theater
  

ARTISTIC SPECIALIZATION

• Glen Aduikas, Rick Buesing, Mike Fletcher, Salvador Garcia, Stuart Hecht, David Hyman,Terry Jackson, Don Kerste, Bruce Phillips, Al Schilling, Lisi Stoessel, Eddy Wright - Robot Design & Engineering - "Heddatron" - Sideshow Theatre Company
• Aly Renee Amidei - Hair & Makeup Design - "The Master and Margarita" - Strawdog Theatre Company
• Michael Buoninconto - Wig Design - "Cats" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre i/a/w Michael James
• Izumi Inaba - Makeup Design - "Cats" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre i/a/w Michael James
• Kimberly G. Morris - Puppet Design - "Neverwhere" - Lifeline Theatre
• Brett Schneider - Magic Design - "The Master and Margarita" - Strawdog Theatre Company
• Claire Yearman - Fight Choreography - "The Love of the Nightingale" - Red Tape Theatre

MULTIPLE NOMINATIONS

BY THEATRE COMPANY
The Hypocrites - 14
Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre i/a/w Michael James - 12
Lifeline Theatre - 9
Caffeine Theatre - 7 (6 i/a/w Chicago DCA Theater and Chicago Opera Vanguard)
Redtwist Theatre - 7
Griffin Theatre Company - 6
Bohemian Theatre Ensemble - 5
Red Tape Theatre - 5
The Strange Tree Group - 5 (2 i/a/w The Lord Chamberlain's Men)
Strawdog Theatre Company- 5
Circle Theatre - 4
TUTA Theatre Chicago - 4
Raven Theatre - 3
City Lit Theater Company - 2
Dog & Pony Theatre Company i/a/w Chicago DCA Theater - 2
Hubris Productions 2

BY PRODUCTION
"Cats" - 8
"Cabaret" - 7
"Neverwhere" - 7
"Boojum! Nonsense, Truth and Lewis Carroll" - 6
"Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" - 5
"The Love of the Nightingale" - 5
"The Master and Margarita" - 5
"Baal" - 4
"The Pirates of Penzance" - 4
"The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" - 3
"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" - 3
"Lobby Hero" - 3
"No Exit" - 3
"Stage Door" - 3
"The Three Faces of Doctor Crippen" - 3
"Agnes of God" - 2
"Company" - 2
"Dead Letter Office" - 2
"Man from Nebraska" - 2
"Oh, Boy!" - 2
"Shakespeare's King Phycus" - 2
"Some Enchanted Evening: The Songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein" - 2
"Sweet and Hot: The Songs of Harold Arlen" - 2
"Wuthering Heights" - 2

BY INDIVIDUAL
Brenda Didier - 2
Mikhail Fiksel - 2
Jimmy McDermott - 2
Jared Moore - 2
Caroline Neff - 2
]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=634 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=634 Thu, 28 Apr 2011 08:20:15 -0500 A Twist of Water" has made a major move. This just triumph reopens at Lakeview's Mercury Theater on May 1 to deliver even more shocks of recognition to appreciative audiences. The biggest one is that cities and families are just a matter of degree.

The success is no surprise: It's appropriate that, shortly after his election, Mayor-elect Rahm Emmanuel saw and praised this very Chicago piece, a play that goes beyond the genre of domestic drama to make connections with the city that shapes its story. Perfectly shaped by Erica Weiss, Route 66 Theatre Company's staging is as much a labor of love as the script that inspires it.

Parrish's richly metaphorical drama deals in elemental emotions and core values as it depicts our struggle to be decent despite ourselves and our world. Parrish focuses on Noah (Stef Tovar), a gay man who recently lost his husband when the good doctor drove into a pond. Worse, because Noah was not legally married, he was not allowed to say goodbye to his dying Robert. But he insisted that their adopted teenage African-American daughter Jira (Falashay Pearson) do so, though she has yet to forgive Noah for not insisting on seeing his lover in his last moments.

Now, just as Noah has found love with the sardonic Liam (Alex Hugh Brown), a younger colleague at the high school where they teach, Jira wants "more family": Wracked with an early-life crisis of identity, devastated by the loss of the father she preferred, Jira schemes to meet her birth mother and discover the biological legacy that her fathers' lover could not explain. (Of course, no quest for the past ever gets fully rewarded.)

"A Twist of Water" pits one good against another. Black versus white is easy opposition, but the clash of positives that divides Jira from her father-and also from her "new" mother (Lili-Anne Brown)-is complex and rewarding. Most important, it receives its own civic framework, as Noah eloquently compares the site and story of Chicago as the city by the lake and river defines itself by the waters that surround it with Noah's own effort to forge a family. (Chicagoans are "children of a risk taken" as they created the Columbian Exposition, "a resurfaced Atlantis," among other wonders by our waters.)

Few plays become their own civic commentary, let alone redefine how we feel the place where we live. Playwright Parrish presents an intriguing argument: The city is the context that tells us who we are. Like Jira's family, it's fluid. Shaping Chicago are constant identity crises, emotional dysfunction and conditional love, ways in which the Windy City repeatedly comes up with a new and more accommodating self-image.

Parrish explains her take on the town: "The residents of a city feel pride and animosity in the same way members of a family do. A city has as brutal and majestic a fight with itself on a daily basis as any family does for control or peace. But, despite that fight, whether city or family, there's always a sense of being in the same boat with someone. If disaster comes, no one is excused. Be it snowstorm or the death of a parent, everyone takes some hurt and deals some back. Shared crisis is the great unifier: We're bound to both love and resent the people who were there with us. Of course a city is a family. It's an evolving, tumultuous entity, hopefully doing the best it can with what it was given, and the likelihood of everyone always being understood is very slim. "

"A Twist of Water' argues for a new concept of family values, irrespective of sexual orientation or race. This may be, Parrish argues, the force that will hold together the families of the future and stamps its cities too: "One reason I started writing "A Twist of Water" was that I wanted to depict a family that I see all the time in life but rarely on stage or screen: a normal, flawed group made up of gay parents and adopted children."

That's the future that Parrish's play projects: "At some point, every state will legalize gay marriage and LGBT adoption. That's just how things go forward. Going forward, I don't believe that the ties that bind will be much different than what they are now. It comes down to love, a profound sense of loyalty and duty, and, simply, having an intertwined history with a few select people. Your family is made up of the people who know as much about you as possible and have walked the same roads. You don't need to be blood-related to be in the trenches together. Your family is who recognizes and sustains you, even as you change. Especially as you change."

Of course, this means nothing if it doesn't feel real. Director Erica Weiss makes the words matter. She establishes a balance between the domestic scenes and the father's apostrophes about Chicago history. These provide a powerful counterpoint to the story about searching for identity through-or despite-the family.

The trick, Weiss explains, was to make the family's story nourish the city's: "To achieve that balance we drew a really clear connection between each component of the Chicago history storyline and the more immediate story of Noah and Jira and their family's journey. We knew that if each actor had a specific understanding of the metaphor in any given moment, we could help the audience understand the connection between the 'apostrophes' and the scenes that proceed and follow them."

There's a constant tension between the characters and their city: "Even though Noah is addressing the audience directly in those moments where he speaks about Chicago, he's also trying to figure out how to repair his relationship with his daughter, how to rebuild his family, using the subject he knows best. He's trying to work out how he'd explain this connection to his daughter, how to share this perspective with her, and he discovers what he needs to say by having this conversation with us, the audience." As we watch, Noah's struggle resonates with anyone trying to connect the private with the public to find a whole-a city or a family--that's greater than the sum of its parts.

It's no accident that the story is set against the backdrop of a Chicago winter. For three months every year (or more) the landscape--and waterscape as well-force us to define ourselves against its bleak neutrality. Evoking that state of nature and of mind was a key challenge for Weiss and her design team: "Scene designer Stephen H Carmody very much wanted to evoke the feeling of winter in Chicago. We started the design process in December. When the show first opened at Theater Wit, it was the middle of February - so that feeling of cold and bleakness fresh in our bones! Having lived in this city for 10 Chicago winters now, I have learned that the way we cope with our weather and the long trudge from November to April becomes a defining characteristic of any Windy City resident. The balance we strike between self-pity and pride in our ability to weather the storms, be it yet another grey day with bitterly cold winds or the great Snowpacolypse of 2011, is one of the traits that defines you as a Chicagoan. It's something that bonds us together, for better or worse. We wanted "A Twist of Water" to tap into that shared experience."

But the bigger bond is the family as a microcosm of the town they're in, adapting to and reflecting it in ways they can't imagine because they're too close to this huge shaper of stories. Weiss: "To be shaped by our region and to be given a sense of context for our families by the cities in which we live is a fundamental element of the American experience. Some cities have clearer narratives than others. Chicago's story is inherently dramatic and rife with turning points that mapped our unique course, and that's how families work."

That may be why, Weiss explains, "A Twist of Water" has touched Chicago audiences: "The most rewarding thing has been hearing how many different aspects of the play have affected people emotionally. Certainly there are themes in "A Twist of Water" that are universal - family is family, and love is love, regardless of race, sexual orientation, or city dwelling. People who are adopted or have adopted children or family members have a particular response to those elements of the story. Many people in the gay community have expressed appreciation for the play's depiction of gay men in a way that does not make sexual orientation an issue or a "problem" to be overcome. Those who have lost loved ones or partners have responded to the way the play deals with grief, loss, and the process of rebuilding. But on a whole, this play is a love letter to Chicago, and it is so gratifying that Chicago audiences are receiving and appreciating that love letter. It's an evening in the theatre that attempts to create a feeling of community between artist and audience, as all of us share a story and a city together."

Like two other Chicago icons, "The Front Page" in the 1920s or "A Raisin in the Sun" in the 1950s, "A Twist of Water" is the right story in the right place at the right time. Right now it's at the Mercury Theatre, 3745 N. Southport, through June 5. The performance schedule is Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays at 8:00pm, Saturdays at 4pm and 8:00pm, and Sundays at 4pm. Tickets for preview performances (to May 1) are $38.50 and for the regular run range from $38.50 to $44.50. Tickets are available for sale at www.mercurytheaterchicago.com or at (773) 325-1700.

Lawrence Bommer
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=633 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=633 Tue, 26 Apr 2011 09:03:25 -0500
Hi Liz and thank you so much for joining us in the basement of this elementary school in the heart of the ghetto! Did you find the place ok?

Good morning. I did find it ok with the help of the janitor.

Great! Would you like a medicine ball to sit on or maybe some text books?

I would love some text books.

Here you go. So Liz, we would really love to ask you about being a Managing Director. Now you used to be the Managing Director at Victory Gardens and then you moved over to TimeLine, yes?

Actually I was the General Manager at Victory Gardens. I was there for 15 years, 13 as the GM and about 4 years ago decided I was ready for a change.

Was it because the company was moving in a different direction or were you just feeling complacent?

(spits her coffee) Not complacent. But I did feel things were changing and I had been doing the job for a long time and was looking for a different challenge.

And you found TimeLine! Now TimeLine has done a lot of growing in the past few years and now it is a CAT 1 house right?

We have been growing so much in the past 3 years. We are in our final year of being an Equity CAT N theater and next year we will be finished with that program and probably be at Tier 2. We are still working out those details.

So being a CAT theater does not mean that there are any cats there at all though, right?

Not that I have seen but we had some pretty strange things happen in the building after we all left Saturday night so maybe it was cats.

Oh my God tell us.

Big Bessie the air conditioner was unplugged sometime between 2 AM and 11AM and there were some door stops missing. Very strange.

Woah. That sounds like this one time when my air conditioner was like all making this weird noise...

(silence)

Would you like some pills?

No.

So Liz, what can you attribute Lifeline's success to?

Nice! I don't know what Lifeline's success has been attributed to but TimeLine's success comes from planning and attention to detail on everything we do. We joke as a staff that this can be maddening but we know when it does not happen that is when things are go wrong. The company has a long history of strategic planning and sound fiscal management and those 2 things have allowed this company to not only manage the constantly changing fiscal climate we have been experiencing the last several years but to grow. It the last 2 years we have increased our subscription base by 75%.

OH SNAP! But you can't say it's all about planning- Hang on I hear something...

(listening)

But you are clearly doing something that people want to see. What is it about the art that makes people want to keep coming back? Is there an experience you are giving the audience they can't get anywhere else?

When PJ (PJ Powers, Artistic Director at TimeLine) and the 6 other company members are picking the season a huge part of the discussion they have about every play under consideration is "What conversation do we want to have with our audience about this piece and why is it relevant to what is going on in the world today." We also want to give them an unique experience. We have a flexible space and while it is a huge undertaking to reimagine the space and lobby for each show our patrons love to see what the space looks like each time they come back. What Nick Bowling had done with the design team for The Front Page is amazing and something we hadn't been able to do in the space in the past.

In your job, how much do you get to be involved in the "Art"?

I attend as many of the company meetings as I can. Because we work very hard to keep the "art" and equally import the mission as the front of everything we do we talk about it all the time.

Shhh.

Pretty much every time we talk about possibility of doing something new or something differently the conversation with the company, staff or board is and has to be about "How does this serve our mission."

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, I think I hear a ghost.

So for being around for only 13 years, you have made some huge leaps. Where did your board come from, and when are you guys gonna get out of that weirdo church?

The church has been a great partner for TimeLine. They are so supportive of our mission. They bring a group to every show. But as PJ always says the space was not build to be a theatre of the 20th century let alone the 21st. The building will be 100 years old this year. We have the problems you have with an old building and we also are busting at the seams. We love the space but one of our many realities is we have more people who want to see our shows than we have seats. One of things we are doing next year to solve this challenge is to produce one show next year in a different venue so we can run all productions for 13 weeks. I don't have an answer to when we will be in a different home but it is a discussion with every group within the TimeLine Theatre Company, the staff, company, and with our subscribers and donors. Our board members have come from a variety of places. The Arts and Business Council has a program called On Board where we have found great board members. Many of our board members have come from our audience and others where required by current board members.

Do you guys ever play softball or touch football with other theatre companies?

(falls off of her stack for books from laughing so hard)

YOU BETTER STOP LAUGHING AT US!

No we are not much into team sports at TimeLine. I'm not sure why that is. Ben Thiem might be up for that.

Well we will be sure to ask him, whoever that is. Thanks for meeting with us down here and we hope you get out safely. We can't go with you though, because we live down here now.

You are welcome. Do you mind if I take this Scholastic Early Reader? I think PJ's daughter would enjoy it?

Fine, but tell PJ he owes us. He owes us but good.

Eric Roach, Anderson Lawfer

Eric Roach and Anderson Lawfer are the founders of www.Reviewsyoucaniews.blogspot.com]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=632 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=632 Thu, 21 Apr 2011 11:44:10 -0500
Pandemonium can be generated cheaply by knocking over furniture, pulling books off shelves, throwing pillows or scattering papers. In Remy Bumppo's production of Edward Albee's The Goat or, Who Is Sylvia?, however, betrayed wife Annabel Armour not only does all of these things, but also snatches up vases and figurines decorating her chic upper-west apartment and hurls them furiously to the ground, where they smash into irreparable smithereens.

Multiply this by six performances a week, and what you need is an extensive array of disposable tchotschkes sufficiently attractive to grace a home reflecting tasteful affluence-no small expense, even at Salvation Army prices. So who supplies the show with its slated-for-demolition crockery?

"In the beginning, we looked at a few stores, but we also asked artists if they might be interested in this project," recalls property designer Nick Heggestad, "Alexis Ortiz at the Lill Street Art Center seemed to get a kick out of the idea of his work being destroyed nightly, so we went forward."

Is the design of the various pieces left up to the artist, or are they made to order? "[Director] James Bohnen, [set designer] Tim Morrison and I picked out four different objects-a bowl, a plate and two vases-of different shapes. We found kiln-fired terra cotta to be very explosive and, frankly, pretty scary. So now we use unfired pottery-called "greenware"-that is significantly cheaper and tends to crumble instead of shattering into sharp-edged fragments, making it safer for both the actors and the audience."

Flying projectiles still necessitate hands-on practice to determine trajectory and after-effects. Annabel Armour remembers the first samples disintegrating at simply being lifted. The second assortment was sturdier, but produced dust in quantities detrimental to actors' breathing. And then, there was the promenade factor. "We had to find certain locations for the breaks-upstage corners, or near furniture that we'd have to step around, anyway-in order to allow paths for moving through the debris on the floor. Oh, and to make sure we didn't hit anyone in the audience-I almost took out our costume designer during an early tech rehearsal."

How often is the supply replenished? "We have a few spare pieces stockpiled on-site," reports Heggestad, "Charlie [Rasmann], who does backstage prep at every performance, keeps me apprised of when we're running low, so I can pick up another load from the gallery and paint it here at the theater." His face brightens in a grin. "Another advantage to greenware is that the shards can be recycled. We sweep them into a big box to bring back to Alexis, who grinds up the leftovers and uses them for the next batch."

The Goat or, Who Is Sylvia? plays at the Greenhouse through May 8. Mary Shen Barnidge
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=631 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=631 Wed, 20 Apr 2011 22:43:47 -0500 A Behanding in Spokane by Martin McDonagh, directed by Steppenwolf ensemble member Rick Snyder; the Midwest premiere of Neil LaBute's controversial 2010 play The Break of Noon revised exclusively for Profiles Theatre; the Midwest premiere of the scathing Off-Broadway hit Bachelorette by Leslye Headland; and the world premiere of Deirdre O'Connor's latest play, Assisted Living.

Profiles Theatre follows up its highly praised 22nd season, which featured Chicago premieres by LaBute, O'Connor and Michael Weller, along with the World premiere of Kid Sister by Will Kern.

Darrell Cox comments, "The plays we have assembled for our 23rd Season will take audiences to four very different worlds, created by some of the most bold and dangerous artists working. We have long admired Martin McDonagh's work and are thrilled to present the Midwest premiere of his newest play, last season's Broadway smash hit A Behanding in Spokane. Our friend and collaborator Neil LaBute is back, working with us on a newly revised version of his provocative play, The Break of Noon."

"We continue our ongoing pursuit to produce work from the most talented, unique female voices in the country. The past few seasons included Deirdre O'Connor's Jailbait, Annie Baker's Body Awareness and Ellen Fairey's Graceland. This season, two of the four premieres are written by women. We're pleased to introduce Chicago audiences to the savagely funny work of Leslye Headland with her Off Broadway hit, Bachelorette. Deirdre O'Connor returns with the World premiere of a moving and insightful new play, Assisted Living."


The 2011-2012 Profiles season includes:

A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE
Midwest Premiere
by Martin McDonagh
directed by Steppenwolf ensemble member Rick Snyder
featuring Profiles ensemble members Eric Burgher, Darrell W. Cox
and guest artist Michael Pogue
Previews: August 26 - 31, 2011
Run: September 1 - October 16, 2011

In this darkly comical new work from the acclaimed playwright Martin McDonagh, the mysterious gun-toting Carmichael has been searching for his missing left hand for decades. Enter two bickering lovebirds with a hand to sell, and a hotel clerk with an aversion to gunfire, and soon life and death are up for grabs. A Behanding in Spokane turns over American daily existence, exposing the obsessions, prejudices, madness, horrors, and above all, the absurdities that crawl beneath it.

A Behanding in Spokane, McDonagh's first play set in America, received its World premiere on Broadway in 2010 starring Christopher Walken as Carmichael. For their version, the age of the character was changed to match the age of the actor, now in his middle 60s. Profiles' production returns the character to McDonagh's originally intended age, featuring Darrell W. Cox in the role.

McDonagh also wrote the award-winning plays The Pillowman (Tony nominee, Best Play 2005 and Olivier Award Winner 2004), The Lieutenant of Inishmore (Olivier Award Winner 2003), The Beauty Queen of Leenane (Tony nominee, Best Play 1998) and The Lonesome West (Tony nominee, Best Play 1999). His 2006 film Six Shooter won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short and the full-length feature In Bruges received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.


ASSISTED LIVING
World Premiere
by Deirdre O'Connor
directed by Artistic Director Joe Jahraus
Previews: November 4 - 9, 2011
Run: November 10 - December 18, 2011

Anne Kelly needs help. She's pushing 40 and still lives with her mother. Her deadbeat brother won't even return her calls and the ancient family home seems to be falling down around her. When Levi, a sweet but dim-witted younger man, comes into her life, Anne begins to see the upside of not always being the grown up.

Assisted Living makes its World premiere at Profiles Theatre, its second production by Deirdre O'Connor follows last season's long-running hit Jailbait. O'Connor, a 2008 Cherry Lane Project Fellow mentored by Michael Weller and a 2008 - 2009 Lark Playwrights Workshop Fellow, graduated from Hampshire College and Columbia University's MFA Playwriting program where she received the John Golden Playwriting Award.


BACHELORETTE
by Leslye Headland
Midwest Premiere
directed by Associate Artistic Director Darrell W. Cox
Previews: January 13 - 18, 2012
Run: January 19 - March 4, 2012

Ten years out of high school, three unhappy friends show up "not-quite-invited" to their classmate's hotel room for the perfect bachelorette celebration. Half a bathtub of booze later, the former prom queen is melting down, the nice-girl cokehead is on a mission to mend the mauled wedding dress, and the lacerating maid of honor finds her picture-perfect life less stable than it seemed. A smash hit Off Broadway, Leslye Headland's shrewd and biting play is an aria to the anxiety and self-loathing of a generation.

Bachelorette premiered at New York's Second Stage Theatre Uptown in July 2010 where it enjoyed a sold-out extended run. Leslye Headland, a Los Angeles-based playwright and screenwriter, wrote and directed the Seven Deadly Plays series, which premiered at the IAMA Theatre Company in Los Angeles. Her new play, Assistance, receives its New York premiere at the Playwrights Horizons Mainstage Theater this season. She's currently developing two projects with Gary Sanchez Productions (Adam McKay and Will Ferrell)-her screenplay of Bachelorette and a pilot based on Julie Klausner's memoir, I Don't Care About Your Band. Headland studied at the Playwrights Horizons Theatre School where she won the Robert Moss Prize.


THE BREAK OF NOON
Midwest Premiere
by Neil LaBute
directed by Artistic Director Joe Jahraus
Previews March 30 - April 4, 2012
Runs April 5 - May 20, 2012

What if God told you to be a better person but the world wouldn't allow it? Such is the dilemma facing John Smith, a run-of-the-mill white-collar businessman who survives an office shooting and is subsequently touched by what he believes to be a divine vision. His journey toward personal enlightenment-past greed, lust and the other deadly sins-turns tense, hilarious, profane, and heartbreaking. Exploring the narrow path to spiritual fulfillment, strewn with the funny, frantic failings of humankind, The Break of Noon showcases Neil LaBute at his discomforting best.

In 2010, The Break of Noon received its World premiere as a co-production with MCC Theater in New York and then transferred in 2011 to the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. Neil LaBute will be working with Profiles on an exclusive, newly revised version of the script. The play received an Edgerton Foundation New American Plays Award. His new play, In a Forest Dark and Deep, opens in 2011 on London's West End.

This marks Profiles Theatre's ninth Midwest premiere of LaBute's work following the acclaimed productions of reasons to be pretty, The Mercy Seat, and Fat Pig.


Ticket prices range from $30 - $40. Profiles Theatre offers a FLEX PASS for discounts on the season, now available at www.profilestheatre.org or (773) 549-1815. A Four Ticket Pass is $120; an Eight Ticket Pass is $200 (a savings of over $100) when ordered before August 31, 2011. Tickets can be used in any combination of quantity and date throughout the season with advance reservations.]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=630 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=630 Mon, 11 Apr 2011 19:35:11 -0500
Bryce Wissel's Ephemera, currently in production by the Polarity Ensemble, recounts the adventures aboard a space station, the inhabitants of which bond in unforeseen ways. The crew includes human astronauts rapidly losing their civilization, as well as a talking monkey and a mobile robot- all representing opportunities for warm-blooded thespians to assume personalities, literally, light-years away from their own.

Jonas Grey, who plays Colonel Bowie, responded to the challenge as early as auditions. "All I knew about the scene's context [at call-backs] was that my character acts like a dog. So I just went for it, jumping on the other actors and licking their faces, all the while hoping that they'd be amenable and had washed that morning."

And after you got the role? "I use mouthwash more often. Also a tongue scraper. Apparently there were only a few men bold enough to actually go in and lick. That doesn't sound dirty, does it?"

Charley Jordan prepared more extensively for his portrayal of monkey-man Davy, hosting his friends in a round-table script reading before ever facing a casting director, and thus arriving at auditions with a backstory for his simian persona. "The first monkey in space didn't survive the journey, but the third one made it back alive- only to die in re-entry as a result of parachute failure. Davy's unpublicized launch occurred between these two, but NASA couldn't retrieve him because of equipment malfunction and so, he just remained in orbit. And because he was a smart monkey to begin with, as more satellites were shot up, he gradually learned how to talk and think from picking up radio and television waves."

Considering that he shares the stage with a man who kisses like an affectionate airedale, how physical does Jordan's ape-man get? "I observed primates at the zoo in addition to videos on YouTube. What's more important about Davy, however, is his thought process. He wants to fit in with the rest of the spaceship crew, especially Col. Kate McBride [the group's lone female astronaut], so he tries to impress her by behaving like a gentleman-with emphasis on man."

Not even motorized computers are free of emotional conflicts, though more daunting initially were the technical skills demanded by Wissel's text. Says Kaelan Strouse, "Playing a robot is intimidating enough for actors, but Manuel is a comical robot with a Spanish accent, who sings a Mariachi song at one point and spends all his onstage time on roller skates. But once I was cast, I could craft each of these aspects- like learning to sit down in that cardboard-and-felt cage, which has to be the most unique costume I've ever had to wear."

And what's on our tin man's metallic mente? "Manuel has been a robot from the day he was programmed, but the playwright named him after an actual historical figure at the Battle of the Alamo. Based on that decision, my theory is that the unnamed "force" planning to attack the space station is actually a robot revolution, but Manuel chooses to stay and protect the people he's grown to love." Strouse grins slyly. "It's really a sweet Pinocchio story, you see. Manuel is a machine who gradually develops a soul to become a 'real boy' at last."

Ephemera plays at the Josephinium Academy through May 1.

Mary Shen Barnidge
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=629 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=629 Thu, 7 Apr 2011 08:14:22 -0500 Theater on the Lake season features reprisals of eight artistically diverse Chicago theater companies June 15 - Aug. 7, 2011. The season opens with The Improvised Shakespeare Company (June 15-19) and continues with popular productions by Infamous Commonwealth Theatre (June 22-26); At Play Productions in association with Chicago Dramatists (June 29-July 3); Griffin Theatre Company (July 6-10); Eclipse Theatre Company (July 13-17); Collaboraction (July 20-24); Bohemian Theatre Ensemble (July 27 - 31); and Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre (Aug. 3-7). Each production will be performed for five evenings only at the theater at Fullerton Avenue and Lake Michigan.

Hallie Gordon, Artistic Director of Theater on the Lake, comments, "Theater on the Lake is a perfect way to enjoy two great Chicago gems -- the diverse cultural community and the beautiful lakefront -- combined into a unique experience."

The 2011 Theater on the Lake season is as follows:

The Improvised Shakespeare Company
June 15 - 19

Based on an audience suggestion (the title has yet to be written), The Improvised Shakespeare Company creates a fully improvised Shakespearean masterpiece right before your eyes. Nothing is planned, rehearsed, or written. Dialogue is said for the first time, the characters are created as you watch, and if you're wondering where the story is going, so are they. Come see the show TimeOut Chicago calls, "staggeringly brilliant" and "downright hilarious." You've never seen the bard like this before.


Infamous Commonwealth Theatre
A Doll's House
By Henrik Ibsen
Adapted by Christopher Hampton
Directed by Chris Maher
June 22 - 26

New York City, 1962. As America hovers on the cusp of a second-wave feminist movement, Nora Helmer is a woman lost. Her entire life, Nora has defined herself by what she is to others - daughter, mother, wife, friend. Now she lives in a beautiful home with a husband and children who adore her, yet often feel like strangers. But after a dark secret from the past comes back to haunt her, Nora is finally forced to face the underlying realities of her carefully constructed existence.


At Play Productions in association with Chicago Dramatists
Dental Society Midwinter Meeting
B by Laura Jacqmin
Directed by Megan Shuchman
June 29 - July 3

Following a scandal of molar-sized proportions, the North Shore Regional Dental Society has gathered to debate their Midwestern dentistry future. After NSRDS president Morris J. Morris, Jr., is caught with his pants down, the dentists ask: in a field obsessed with profit over health, where morality has taken a backseat to the latest fads in composite fillings, how can a group of upright dental professionals (looking for something more filling) actually make a difference?


Griffin Theatre Company
Letters Home
A adapted by Bill Massolia
Directed by Jennie Cleghorn
July 6 - 10

The Afghanistan and Iraq wars are brought to life through actual letters written by soldiers serving in the Middle East. The production is inspired by The New York Times article "The Things They Wrote;" subsequent HBO documentary Last Letters Home; and letters and correspondences from Frank Schaeffer's books Letters Home From America's Military Family, Faith of Our Sons and Keeping Faith. The play gives audiences a powerful portrait of the soldier experience in our ongoing wars.


Eclipse Theatre Company
After the Fall
B by Arthur Miller
Directed by Stephen Fedoruk
July 13 - 17

Eclipse Theatre Company presents Arthur Miller's ambitious and personal 1964 masterpiece that explores a new sense of non-linear theatricality in its powerful study of one man's search for meaning through his memories and relationships. Images and scenes intertwine, illuminating his humanity and probing into the revealing, often painful events of his past.


Collaboraction
1001
B by Jason Grote
Directed by Seth Bockley
July 20 - 24

A theatrical mash-up that mixes Middle East politics with a modern tale of young love, 1001 asks the question, can passion conquer history? Six actors play a dizzying variety of roles, including the fabled princess Scheherezade, Sindbad the sailor, an American Jew named Alan, Gustave Flaubert, a princess with a lisp and even Osama Bin Laden. Featuring Collaboraction's signature blend of modern media and visceral storytelling, expect a theatrical journey into uncharted territory.


Bohemian Theatre Ensemble
Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Music and lyrics by Roger Miller
Book by William Hauptman
Directed by Peter Marston Sullivan
Music Directed by Nicholas Davio
July 27 - 31

When the irrepressible Huck Finn runs away from home and his friend Jim escapes slavery, the two embark on a thrilling voyage of freedom down the mighty Mississippi. Their adventures along the way are hilarious, suspenseful, and heartwarming, while reminding us of the tenacity of the human spirit. Propelled by an award-winning score from country music legend Roger Miller, Big River's jaunty journey provides a theatrical celebration of pure Americana.


Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre
Sweet and Hot: The Songs of Harold Arlen
Directed by Fred Anzevino
Music Directed by Steve Carson
August 3 - 7

This musical revue of Harold Arlen's famous, toe-tapping songs sung by a musical troupe of three women and three men, presents some of the 20th century's most popular tunes in two sets in two hours. His "Over the Rainbow," considered Judy Garland's signature song, is ranked first in the Songs of the Century list and with more than 400 composed songs, such as "Stormy Weather," "It's Only a Paper Moon," "Get Happy," and "That Old Black Magic," the 37-song revue is bound to strike a chord.


The Chicago Park District's Theater on the Lake is located at Fullerton Avenue and Lake Shore Drive in a historic building that offers breathtaking views of Lake Michigan. The schedule for all performances June 15 - Aug. 7 is Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 6:30 p.m.

Single tickets are $17.50 and a season subscription to all eight plays is available at a discounted price of $110. Subscriptions are available beginning April 25 via the brochure. All individual tickets go on sale June 7, 2011 at 2 p.m. at the Theater on the Lake box office at Fullerton Avenue and Lake Michigan or via phone at (312) 742-7994. Beginning June 7, the box office is open Tuesdays - Saturdays, 2 - 8 p.m. and Sundays, 3:30 - 7:30 p.m.]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=628 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=628 Mon, 4 Apr 2011 15:39:16 -0500
Andy: Oh gosh, Ele, sorry about having to meet like this, in the back of an ambulance.

Ele: It's cool. Sorry about that, Eric. How are you feeling?

Andy: Listen, he will be fine. He just gets dramatic when he gets in ambulances. So Ele, tell us about this House Sparrow thing going on.

Ele: The House is taking the Sparrow to the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, Florida, for a three week run, opening April 7th. It's a couple of folks from the original production, including the leads, Carolyn Defrin, and Paige Hoffman, and a bunch of new friends and collaborators for the company.

Eric: I SAW THE SPARROW, AND I HAVE TO SAY IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST REALIZATIONS OF THE HOUSE'S AESTHETIC.  HOW HAVE REHEARSALS BEEN GOING, AND CAN SOMEONE HAND ME THAT GAUZE?

Andy: Eric, do NOT go into that light.

Ele: Thanks, Eric, I don't have any gauze, but here's a sock. Rehearsals have been going great. We are using almost all of the same choreography from the previous productions, and the show is pretty precisely choreographed, outside of some of the more traditional narrative scenework, so this has afforded the creative team a lot of opportunity to clean up the storytelling. The props and costumes are all likely in Florida already, so we've not had them the past few days, which was a really interesting change from how the rehearsal process normally goes. I mean, usually we start out miming and then get thrown into the world we're actually supposed to be manipulating, which means we have to adjust for what we had originally assumed that world would look and feel like. This time around, it was kind of like the opposite. Feels a little bit like Our Town right now, having mimed work with desks, lockers and picture frames for the past several days.

Andy: Sounds super fun. I bet you are going to have a blast with your friends in Miami, doing an old fun show. So tell me this... You, in the past have been a stage manager, a production manager, and are currently on the Jeff Committee. What's it like on that committee and what does it entail, for say, somebody like me. If I wanted to join. Oh my God, Eric is starting to cough blood on us.

Eric: I SWEAR I AM FINE.  THOSE ARE THE SNAKES COUGHING ON YOU.  TELL US ABOUT THE JEFF COMMITTEE.

Ele: Classic blood-lossy Eric, way to stay on task. I'm a member of the Jeff A/T committee, which is the artists and technicians committee. We are assigned one to, max, maybe five openings per month to attend, and then we turn in our nominations for aspects of that production along with the members of the proper Jeff Committee. Then that Jeff magic determines whether the production is Jeff recommended, and the proper Jeff folk with attend for the rest of the production's run and make nominations for the end of the year awards accordingly. The Jeff A/T committee takes applications for new members on a quarterly basis. If I remember this correctly, an applicant needs to be sponsored by someone that is already a member of the Committee, and then supply the team with a bio, resume, and statement of intent.

Andy: Sounds sort of like a 12 step program, that maybe Eric should have joined. Then we wouldn't need to be dealing with his Angel Dust gun shot right now.

Eric: STOP SAYING JEFF SO MUCH.

Ele: I'm sorry Jeff, I'll Jeff to Jeff Jeffing so much Jeff. Candidates for the team need to have been working in Chicago as theatre professionals for a minimum of two years. The members then vote on the applicants and add or reject them accordingly. I'm glad to say that everyone takes the responsibility pretty seriously, Eric. We all have joined the team because we're excited and interested not only about the state of theatre in this city and celebrating excellence within it, but also broadening our own horizons, and not allowing ourselves to become insular as artists or audience members. I can say that being on this committee has taken me outside of my own social and artistic circle and gotten me to see shows i never would have sought out on my own.

Andy: Do you ever get any grief from your cast about being on the committee?

Ele: Well, there has...hrm. The Committee has gotten some flack in the past for having some old fashioned taste. The A/T team was formed partially to get younger folks involved in the voting, and also to get people that are more immediately familiar with the work going on within the community, and that perhaps will have a different approach to the work, and appreciate it in other ways. So a nomination won't just go to the show that had the most money to throw at a set, but may also celebrate the show that had the most creative problem-solving behind it. Also, we submit a list of conflicts at the beginning of every month, so we're never at risk of judging companies we have direct affiliations with.

Eric: THAT IS GREAT TO HEAR. HEAR. HEEEAAAARRR. EVER NOTICE IF YOU SAY A WORD ENOUGH IT LOSES ALL MEANING? ANYWAY, PERHAPS THE JEFF COMMITTEE IS AWESOME, AND PEOPLE SHOULD STOP BITCHING ABOUT IT.

Eric, your face is turning into an Alligator! Right Ele?!

Ele: Oh, classic gator-faced Eric! I wish we hung out like this more often, guys!

Eric: I THINK HAROLD WASHINGTON WAS THE BEST MAYOR WE EVER HAD! GATOR'S EATING MY HAND!

Andy: Just relax, man. Anyway, Ele, can you tell us about some of your favorite productions so far this year? Hold this tourniquet on his arm harder, he's losing a lot of blood now.

Ele: Poor Eric. That arm was his favorite. Let's see: I just saw The Three Faces of Dr. Crippen, which is part of Steppenwolf's Garage Rep (Strange Tree), over the weekend, and really loved it. The performances were great, the design was smart, cohesive and fun, and the writing had a lot of clever twists and turns in it. I also especially enjoyed Lifeline's The Moonstone, which brought a lot of life and joy into a classic. I always wish I could take my mom to see Lifeline's mystery shows, they're very smart and classy.

Andy: Well, I'm so happy we had a chance to catch up and talk about this stuff. I had always wondered about the Jeff Committee and junk.

Ele: Glad I could be helpful. Also, Eric, some club soda and some Zout mixed together may help you get all of the blood out of what's left of your shirt.

Eric: ALL HAIL THE GATOR! HE HAD MY HEAD INSIDE HIS BELLY, AND GOD TOLD ME A BEDTIME STORY! CTHULU FTAGHN, IA!!!!

(a minute of twitching that leads to a long silence)

Andy: I think he just died. Let's leave him at the hospital and get the hell outta here!

Ele: Can we stop at the gift shop, though? I want a Ding-Dong!

Andy: Girl, you know we can.

(Later, Eric makes his way out of the hospital morgue at 3 am)

Eric: So, tell us about the Jeff Committee, Ele. MuahahhhahahahahahahahahhahHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHH!

Eric Roach, Anderson Lawfer

Eric Roach and Anderson Lawfer are the founders of www.Reviewsyoucaniews.blogspot.com]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=627 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=627 Sun, 3 Apr 2011 08:47:37 -0500
Sex With Strangers, currently playing at Steppenwolf Theatre, is a writers-in-love story-Olivia is a novelist and Ethan, a blogger-so it is almost inevitable that Todd Rosenthal's scenic design would include an abundance of literature. The first act takes place at a Writers' Retreat, where the rooms are considerately furnished with dictionaries, a thesaurus or two, and other tools of the trade. The locale then moves in the second act to Olivia's apartment, a cozy refuge with walls, literally, covered with books.

So are they real?

"All the books in Olivia's apartment are real and functional," stage manager Chris Freeburg assures me, "so real, in fact, that the cast and crew often 'borrow' them to read during the show's run. But some of the hardcover volumes have holes in the middle from being threaded onto steel rods when we did The Tempest."

All books are not created equal, however-a regency heroine's boudoir self wouldn't sport a Robert Ludlam, nor a science geek's dorm room, a Danielle Steele. And doctors' or lawyers' offices typically display reference compendiums with bindings recognizable even to ordinary citizens. What efforts are made to match the onstage library to its alleged reader?

"When the books need to be certain types of books, and the shelf contents are readable from the house, the prop department usually creates their own jackets. The pre-fab panels you buy at the Homeware stores always look fake, but our prop department prides itself on its quality and attention to detail."

After the show is up and running, however, it doesn't mean the work is finished. "Key volumes-the ones that figure in the play's physical action-are set in specific places that are checked before every performance," Freeburg tells me, "There haven't been any problems with wear and tear yet, but we keep pretty alert to things like that, and have a spare stack of books that can be swapped in as needed."

And what is Olivia reading these days to put her in the mood for a fling with an audacious bad-boy? Freeburg thinks a moment, "There are many, of course, but the short list includes John Irving's Piggy Sneed, Kazou Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go and Sara Green's Water For Elephants. Also Ian McEwan's Atonement, Richard Russo's Bridge of Sighs, and an etiquette guide by Emily Post. One Hundred Years of Solitude, several copies of Proust's Swann-oh, and lots of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky."

Sex With Strangers plays through May 15 at Steppenwolf Theatre. For information, phone 312-335-1650 or visit www.steppenwolf.org.

Mary Shen Barnidge
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=626 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=626 Mon, 21 Mar 2011 09:55:33 -0500
Jon Steinhagen is a resident playwright at Chicago Dramatists, an ensemble member at Signal Theatre Company, and long time favorite of the Jeff Committee. Hell in a Handbag Theatre Company member Brigitte Ditmars is a wonderful performer and choreographer and might just be the next big thing! They seemed like the perfect couple to show Chicago Theatre professionals how it's done!

Eric and Andy met them at St. Barnaby's Church for a Saturday morning bake sale.

Good morning Jon and Brigitte! Thanks for meeting us at this Church Bake Sale!

Brigitte: No problem, I'm here every Saturday anyway. Those nuns make tasty brownies, you know.

Jon & Brigitte, let's get it ON! OK, you both are in the Chicago storefront scene. Jon, you are a member of Chicago Dramatists, am I right? How long have you worked with them?

Jon: I've been a resident playwright since September 2008.

And Brigitte? Are you a playwright too?

Brigitte: No, I'm an actor and a choreographer here in Chicago.

Jon: Don't forget "blogger," too, dearie.

Brigitte: Yes, that's right. This year, I'm going on first dates with all of my Facebook friends.

Now, tell me what it's like at home with you guys. Do you get to spend a lot of time together, or is it sort of, in and out, so to speak.

Jon: Very in and out. More out than in, actually. I live on the other side of the world, practically - takes a good 40 minutes or so to drive from my place to Chez Ditmars. We see each other - oh - maybe once a week? Twice, if we're lucky.

Does being a performer make it easier or put a strain on your relationship?

Brigitte: Both. In some ways , we understand the demands that the other has. But in other ways, we can't operate like "normal" people.

Jon: That's true. I don't have my operator's license. Actually, if she spent more time with me, she'd probably stab me.

Brigitte: That's true too. Being an amateur chef, I have a variety of knives to choose from.

Jon: She might be an amateur chef, but she's a professional diner. I have the receipts to prove it.

Brigitte: Except you use them as tax deductions.

Andy: (to Eric in a whisper) What the hell are these people talking about?

Eric: (to Andy in a whisper) Did he just call his girlfriend "dearie"?

Andy: (to Eric in a whisper) I don't know man, I quit listening when they showed up.

Eric: (to Andy in a loud voice) ASK THEM ABOUT THE MARSHMALLOW SQUARES AND LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!!

Did you guys try these marshmallow squares?

Jon: The ones shaped like baby Jesus? They're too chewy for my taste.

Brigitte: I've already done recon on this sale.

So...let's get to the heart of the story. When you are both playing in different shows and say, one of you is getting great reviews and the other is not as happy with their project, is there ever any animosity? Is jealousy an issue that you deal with as a couple that both perform so much?

Jon: Not at all. It's important that we each become good listeners at any given moment, I believe. Sounding boards. We're here to provide an absorbent pad. (Sorry, Miss Brigitte) to our various woes as well as our joys. There's no jealousy, as Miss Brigitte is female (very!) and I'm a manatee, so we certainly don't compete for the same roles. Although Miss Brigitte was a little pissed that SHE wasn't cast as Big Daddy. So that was a rocky moment.

Brigitte: It also helps that neither of us actually read our own reviews. We may read the other's and let them know if they can show their face on the streets of Chicago again, but we both subscribe to the thought of doing what you need to do as an actor. Jon's opinion matters,to me. And I think my opinion matters to him. Plus, I deal with my jealousy the old fashioned way, a pint of Ben & Jerry's in the dark.

Jon: "A" pint, you hussy? Seriously, she's absolutely correct. She'll tell me the truth and I'll tell her the truth. Or something that equates the truth. Approximates the truth? You know what I mean. Miss B was fantastic in TRUST - well, in everything she does, really - not so much as Willy Loman, though, in DEATH OF A SALESMAN. But I supported her choices.

So, as for projects, let's talk about what gets you revved up as performers. Jon, what is your preference...writing or acting?

Jon: Now THAT'S a tough question. I don't think I could survive without writing. As writing is what brought me to the theater as a teenager and has stuck with me so long, I'd have to list my preference for the writing hat. Acting, however, is a fantastic experience and enriches my writer's life. And I've had the good luck to perform with so many grossly talented (and gross) people.

And Brigitte, are you more into acting, dancing, or musicals these days?

Jon: Um, right now she's into the oatmeal raisin cookies.

Brigitte: That's because I've not been in a musical for almost 2 years and no one has to lift me. I'm doing a lot of acting and choreography these days. My first love is acting and performing, but I've become very successful as a choreographer so I can't just throw that away. Plus, choreography pays more than acting. Money talks, I listen.

Ain't that the truth, sister. So, let our readers know what you are working on right now, and if you've got anything coming up in the future.

Jon: I'm playing Sheridan Whiteside in Circle Theatre's production of THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER through April 3rd; after that, my play ACES opens at Signal Ensemble Theatre on May 16th - it's a nice, R-rated comedy (of sorts) set in 1975 Las Vegas, written for the ensemble - I'll be playing a sour alcoholic with a gambling problem. Oh, and I'm cat-sitting Miss Brigitte's cat while she goes to her friend's wedding.

Brigitte: And I'm getting ready to go into rehearsals for COLD COLD FEET with Diamante Productions which opens May 8th at Stage 773. I'm also doing some choreography for Raven Theatre's THE CHERRY ORCHARD. Not that Mike Menendian has turned it into a musical or anything, they just need some group dance choreography. I'm also 4 months into my social experiment/blog to have a drink with every one of my Facebook friends over the course of a year. It's called the Social Network Butterfly. I'm already up to 18 followers! Seriously, you actors wait til the last minute so if we are connected on Facebook, let me know when we can grab drinks. Don't wait until November please.

Jon: Brush the cruller crumbs off your snoobs, dear. Oh, and don't forget we're going to see THE MOONSTONE on Thursday. Nothing like spending our "us" time away from the theater AT a theater, right?

My wife Andy and I do the same thing. Well, I want to thank both of you for taking the time to talk with us at this lovely Bake Sa...oh, man, I think it just turned into a swinger party. Should we stay?

Brigitte: I haven't tried the pound cake yet. Do you think that's a euphemism for something or are they really selling pound cake?

Jon: Dirty, dirty. My virgin ears!

Eric Roach, Anderson Lawfer

Eric Roach and Anderson Lawfer are the founders of www.Reviewsyoucaniews.blogspot.com]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=625 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=625 Fri, 18 Mar 2011 08:49:13 -0500 Lookingglass Theatre Company has announced its 2011-2012 season, featuring three productions about three moments in American history-The Great Fire that razed Chicago, Jackie Robinson's game-changing signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the 1915 Chicago tragedy of the sinking of The Eastland. This upcoming season, Lookingglass will tell the stories of those who, whether famous or forgotten, were caught in the crucible of the moment.

Lookingglass' 24th season kicks off with the return of The Great Fire written and directed by Ensemble Member John Musial, and coinciding with its historic 140th Anniversary. Ensemble J. Nicole Brooks returns to direct Mr. Rickey Calls a Meeting by Ed Schmidt. The season continues with the World Premiere musical Eastland written by Ensemble Member Andrew White and directed by Amanda Dehnert, with music by Artistic Associate Andre Pluess and Ben Sussman.

Artistic Director Andrew White comments, "The 2011-2012 season will transport the Lookingglass audience to three pivotal moments in history. Looking back, the outcome seems inevitable - but was it? What choices were made in the literal heat of the moment? Who challenged the future, and who feared it? Who saved themselves, who saved others? Who became a hero, who a scapegoat? And what would each of us have done in their place? Their choices didn't just change lives...they changed history. In just one moment, everything changed -- and we were never the same."

The Lookingglass 24th season:

The Great Fire
Written and directed by Ensemble Member John Musial
Begins September 21, 2011
Coinciding with the 140th Anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire

October 8, 1871

It has been one of the hottest, driest autumns on record, and now a strong wind blows from the Southwest. At 9:40 pm, the Chicago Fire Department gets their first report of a small blaze on the city's southwest side. Soon there is no stopping the Great Chicago Fire until it finally runs out of things to burn. In one night, the very rich, the very poor, and everyone in between are transformed forever.

Ensemble Member John Musial (Our Future Metropolis, Nelson Algren: For Keeps and a Single Day) revisits his acclaimed 1999 production about the disaster that redefined Chicago. Spectacular, spiritual, highly physical and exquisitely emotional, the Chicago Sun-Times praised The Great Fire as "highly original, hugely entertaining" and remarked that "no one who sees this show will be able to look at Chicago in the same way again."


Mr. Rickey Calls a Meeting
Written by Ed Schmidt
Directed by Ensemble Member J. Nicole Brooks
Begins January 4, 2012

April 9, 1947

Baseball's Opening Day is one week away, and Branch Rickey, General Manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, will call up Jackie Robinson to break the color-barrier and play as the Major League's first black ballplayer. If he does, Robinson will face loud and heated opposition from virtually every owner, manager, and player in baseball - and it won't be a cakewalk with the fans, either. Who will be his allies if he makes the most daring and important play of his life?

Award-winning Ensemble Member J. Nicole Brooks (Black Diamond, Fedra: Queen of Haiti) directs this dazzling fast-ball script by Ed Schmidt. When some of 1947's most prominent African-American figures - baseball great-to-be Jackie Robinson, boxer Joe Louis, entertainer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, actor and activist Paul Robeson - put their heads together in this imagined meeting, it's not just the future of baseball they're discussing, but the future of the country. Ideas and ideals clash, sparks fly and America's national pastime will never be the same.


Eastland
An Original Musical
Written by Andrew White
Music by Andre Pluess and Ben Sussman
Directed by Amanda Dehnert
Begins June 6, 2012

July 24, 1915

Moored on the Chicago River between Clark St and LaSalle, The Eastland begins boarding and thousands of Western Electric employees and their families climb the ramp, excited for their annual company outing. Overflowing with passengers about to depart, the boat leans to port - and doesn't lean back. Within minutes, cries fill the air, families are torn apart and unexpected heroes emerge to rescue dozens of Chicagoans from a watery grave.

Artistic Director Andrew White (Of One Blood, 1984) resurrects the ghosts of America's forgotten tragedy in this Lookingglass Original musical, with music by Artistic Associate Andre Pluess and Ben Sussman, the team behind the score of Lookingglass Alice, 1984, Metamorphoses, Hard Times, and The Secret in the Wings, as well as the acclaimed Winesburg, Ohio. Directed by award winning? Amanda Dehnert who most recently directed Peter Pan: A Play for Lookingglass.

Lookingglass Theatre Company is located in the heart of the Magnificent Mile shopping district inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson. Subscriptions to the Lookingglass 2011-2012 season are on sale now. Current subscribers who renew early may do so at the 2010-11 prices, $84-$158. Subscriptions for the 2011-2012 season are $92-$174.]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=624 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=624 Wed, 16 Mar 2011 08:00:16 -0500 La Cage Aux Folles, is coming to the Bank of America Theatre (18 W. Monroe) Dec. 20, 2011 - Jan. 1, 2012. This hilarious new production of La Cage Aux Folles was the biggest hit of the 2010 Broadway season, leaving audiences in stitches night after night!

La Cage Aux Folles tells the story of Georges, the owner of a glitzy nightclub in lovely Saint-Tropez, and his partner Albin, who moonlights as the glamorous chanteuse Zaza. When Georges' son brings his fiancee's conservative parents home to meet the flashy pair, the bonds of family are put to the test as the feather boas fly! La Cage Aux Folles is a tuneful and touching tale of one family's struggle to stay together, stay fabulous and above all else, stay true to themselves.

La Cage Aux Folles recently made Tony Awards history as the first show to ever win the Tony Award three times for best production. The classic musical comedy by Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein originally won six Tony Awards in 1984, including Best Musical. A Broadway revival won two 2005 Tony Awards including the Best Revival of a Musical prize. The new, freshly reconceived La Cage Aux Folles won three 2010 Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical and Best Director of a Musical (Terry Johnson).

The creative team includes director Terry Johnson, who won a 2010 Tony Award for his La Cage Aux Folles direction, choreographer Lynne Page, set designer Tim Shortall, costume designer Matthew Wright, lighting designer Nick Richings, sound designer Jonathan Deans and orchestrator/musical supervisor Jason Carr.

The production is also the winner of three Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Revival of a Musical, four Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Outstanding Revival of a Musical and Outstanding Director of a Musical (Terry Johnson) and the Drama League Award for Distinguished Revival of a Musical.

La Cage Aux Folles features music and lyrics by Jerry Herman and book by Harvey Fierstein, based on the play by Jean Poiret.

The New York Times calls La Cage Aux Folles, "A triumph!" The Washington Post raves, "Undoubtedly a front-runner for best musical revival!" The Wall Street Journal says, "ILLUMINATING - and then some!" The New Yorker calls the show, "Utterly absorbing and subversive!"

Tickets range from $32 - $95. A select number of premium seats are also available for many performances. Tickets are available now for groups of 15 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710. La Cage Aux Folles will be a part of the next 2011 Season Subscription Series. Individual tickets will go on sale at a later date.]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=623 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=623 Wed, 9 Mar 2011 10:18:02 -0600
With that in mind, here is a brief run-down of some of the top family-oriented plays currently running or opening soon around town, those that are less likely to get you kicked out of the theatre if your toddler starts a running commentary on the plot.

Emerald City Theatre Company has made a name for themselves locally with their kiddie-friendly productions of well-known stories, and they continue in this mission with their rendition of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, now running through May 8 at the Apollo Theater, 2540 N. Lincoln, Chicago. It is described as "a mad-cap experience of a lifetime" when "Mysterious Willy Wonka [opens] the gates to his coveted, curious chocolate factory...and only five children will be let inside!" Emerald City Theatre is also concurrently presenting Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus!, an audience-interactive show about a pigeon who wants to do everything, based on a Caldecott-winning book by Mo Willems. It runs through April 10 at the Apollo Theater.

Up in Lincolnshire, Marriott Theatre is presenting How Can You Run With A Shell On Your Back?, about six young students stuck in library detention who bond over a copy of Aesop's Fables, as the different stories help them learn to use their imaginations. Sort of a Breakfast Club for tots, I suppose. It runs through May 22.

If you're looking for children's theatre with a socio-historical consciousness, then check out Chicago Children's Theatre's presentation of Jackie And Me, through March 27 at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn, Chicago. Jackie And Me tells the story of a kid named Joey who, while researching a book report, is transported back in time to 1947 to meet Jackie Robinson just as he's about to become the first athlete of color on a Major League baseball team.

Shows coming later this spring include Madagascar Live!, which is pretty much what it sounds like: a live version of Dreamworks' hit animated film Madagascar, coming to the Rosemont Theater March 16-20, 2011.

Lifeline Theatre is another company known for their children's theatre work, and they are presenting a world premiere musical from the adapters of Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch! called Arnie The Doughnut, about Arnie, the "happiest pastry in the bakery" until the day he's bought and taken home to be eaten. Arnie The Doughnut runs March 20 through May 15.

Lastly, for kids who aren't afraid of clowns, there's 500 Clown Nose (opens May 3), a show for young audiences from the renowned 500 Clown troupe that mixes vaudeville, improvisation, and physical clown-based performances into a story about a trio of clowns attempting to escape from a stark and ominous underworld and who, once they are finally free, find that they miss the imaginary world they had created to deal with their surroundings. It is presented at Adventure Stage Chicago, 1012 N. Noble Street.

Luke Heiden
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=622 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=622 Mon, 7 Mar 2011 09:12:04 -0600 The Master and Margarita. We caught up with him at the Gas for Less on Lincoln, for a fast interview and faster women.

Hi Lou, and thanks for joining us here in this old gas station on Lincoln Avenue!

My pleasure, guys!

Now, for years we have heard all about Lou Contey and the various works you do, mainly at Timeline or Remy Bumppo or someplace. What do you look for in a particular piece?

I like plays that have a strong question that's being asked, sometimes a topical issue or something that just moves me emotionally.

Do you want a cup of coffee from inside? I love gas station coffee.

Sure, cream and sugar.

(Andy)Coming right up!
(Eric) Now, in the meantime, tell me a little about your latest project, The Master and Margarita at Strawdog Theatre.

It's a really weird, cool, fantastic story about love, censorship, and the Devil in Moscow during the Stalin era. I first read the novel about 20 years ago and found it fascinating and confusing and passionate. It's a tough read the first time through. But if you hang on it's very powerful. I have always wanted to try to adapt it, but I couldn't figure a way to do it. About four years ago--

Watch out for this car backing up.

About four years ago, I stumbled upon this version of it at a book store in Hyde Park. It takes the premise of the novel and turns it around a bit. In the novel the Master is a novelist writing a novel about Pontius Pilate. Watching a writer write a novel is pretty boring, but the adapter, Edward Kemp, came up with the notion of making him a playwright instead. Much more dynamic to watch Pilate as a character in rehearsal of a play. I knew that this was the key that would allow the story to be more theatrical.

(Andy) Hey guys! Back with the coffee! So did Eric ask you if you had read this book before?
(Eric) So Lou, I know this play has everything. There is magic and kissing and a few people put on ointments. Is all this true?

Yes, yes all of that is true. The magic and ointment are part of the Devil's world and the kissing is part of the Master & Margarita's world.

How was casting for this? Were you looking for specific things? Did any one talent really stick out as something you were looking for?

I wanted actors who were imaginative, who would be willing to go anywhere the play might take us. It wasn't enough that someone was a skilled actor or looked a particular way. I knew that I would need a cast with a particular kind of alchemy. Talent was in abundance, no doubt, but I was looking for people who were, for lack of a better word, fearless.

I also understand that this was your first time working at Strawdog Theatre. Now this is a two part question, so let me start over. How was it working at Strawdog Theatre, and how many Jeff Awards do you have?

It was great working at Strawdog. I've known Nic Dimond (Artistic Director at Strawdog) for a few years and I've seen a few shows here. The company walks it's own walk. Something a bit out of my usual experience. There's a lot of energy and creativity and a willingness to go that step out of the ordinary. The whole company has been really wonderful and great hosts. As for the Jeffs, I have seven citations and twelve nominations.

Well look at you. Do you have any projects lined up in the future?

I'm still floating a few things, but currently nothing on the immediate horizon.

I don't know if you were aware, but Brett Neveu just wrote an instant classic entitled "Eric and Andy Stop Terrorism", if that is something you'd be interested in, we'd love to get your resume and talk it over.

Sure thing, I'd love to talk about it.

Ok, well again, it was very nice to meet you, and I hope the stolen Little Debbies we shoved in your car don't melt. Have a safe trip home, new best friend!

Thanks for the hospitality, see you again!

No, Lou.

Eric Roach, Anderson Lawfer

Eric Roach and Anderson Lawfer are the founders of www.Reviewsyoucaniews.blogspot.com]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=621 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=621 Wed, 2 Mar 2011 13:48:07 -0600 Hair will be coming to the Ford Center for the Performing Arts Oriental Theatre. You won't want to miss this; the last time there were this many hippies in Chicago, Grant Park was destroyed.

This national tour of Hair comes straight from Broadway, where it won the 2009 Tony Award for Best Musical Revival, as well as Drama Desk, Drama League, and Outer Critics Circle awards for Outstanding Revival of a Musical. In addition, it was nominated for seven other Tony Awards and a Grammy for Best Musical Show Album. Recent cast members from the Broadway production who will be on tour include Steel Berkhardt as Berger, Matt DeAngelis as Woof, Kaitlin Kiyan as Crissy, Darius Nichols as Hud, Paris Remillard as Claude, Kacie Sheik as Jeanie, Nicholas Belton, Larkin Bogan, Allison Guinn, Josh Lamon, John Moauro, Kate Rockwell, Cailan Rose, Jen Sese, Lawrence Stallings, and Lee Zarrett. It also features the full Broadway production team of director Diane Paulus, choreographer Karole Armitage, scenic designer Scott Pask, costume designer Michael McDonald, lighting designer Kevin Adams, and sound design by Acme Sound Design.

Hair first opened Off-Broadway in October 1967 at the Public Theater. Featuring music by Galt MacDermot and book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, the show was a considerable hit, and transferred to Broadway in April 1968 where it ran for 1,750 performances. Other productions soon popped up around the United States and Europe, and the original Broadway score, featuring the hit songs "Aquarius" and "Let The Sun Shine In", became a platinum-selling soundtrack.

The original production of Hair was very controversial for its anti-war subject matter, use of profanity and, most specifically, the full onstage nudity of the entire cast for a brief portion of the show. Reportedly, even a few of the actors were initially less than comfortable baring themselves on a Broadway stage, and the producers eventually offered each of them $1.50 more per show if they would go through with it. (Insert joke here about supposedly anti-materialist hippies taking more money to get naked.) Audiences more accustomed to such things today may find it less shocking than they did in 1968. Nevertheless, the mature subject matter remains, and parents are thus advised to use their own best judgement.

Hair runs March 8-20, 2011 at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts Oriental Theatre. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting any of the Broadway In Chicago box offices or at ticketmaster.com.

Luke Heiden
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=620 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=620 Tue, 22 Feb 2011 12:55:19 -0600
Good morning, Brett and thank you for meeting us here in Moline, Illinois at this mini golf park.

My pleasure, as long as I get to be the red ball. I'm always the red ball.

That's a fair request, since you are going to lose. They call us the white Chi Chi Rodriguez.

And they call me "The Red Ball." For obvious reasons. If you gather.

So Brett, let's talk about your stupid career decisions. First, you move to Los Angeles to become a famous playwright, and then all your plays are being done in Chicago, just a few miles north of here, Moline, Illinois.

And so what's the question? Hold on, let me putt. Okay. Go ahead.

I think what I'm asking is...why did you move away?

I moved away because my wife and I had a baby and we were looking for a change. Plus my parents were spending a lot of time in California and we wanted our daughter to be able to hang with them. And, regarding writing, I was looking to learn some new skills beyond playwriting. In addition, I was a bit burnt out and just wanted to be a dad for awhile.

Kids ruin everything, don't they?

Kids ruin most things, so it's just about deciding what they will ruin and when. That's what parenting is all about.

So did you go out there for TV work also, or do you have plans in that direction?

I've slowly been learning the TV writing process, taking two-three years of helping to raise Lia before I really started getting into it. So, yeah, I was looking to do TV stuff, but only in the past year or so have I gotten together with the folks that can help me with that, including managers, agents - pitching shows, taking meetings and all that.

It seems you have seen your play-writing star rise over the past few years. Are you afraid of being "Barton Finked" out in Hollywood?

Not really afraid of the Barton. Mostly because I've never subscribed to the idea that change is bad. From being an actor first, I learned that it's all "learning and changing", so whatever I learn and however I change, that's ultimately up to me and how I face that sort of stuff. Plus I know that whatever I do, people are hiring me because they like what I do. Whatever I bring to the whatever, folks know where I'm initially -- and eventually -- coming from. I'm a playwright in LA. There's no hiding or mistaking that fact.

I'm gonna go ahead and order us some chili dogs from our caddie. So, wait, you were an actor? What happened?

Control issues. Nerves. Frustration. Boredom. I like writing better.

Tell us about the plays you have onstage now in Chicago.

I have three running right now, each sort of very different. ODRADEK, with House, is a gothic fairytale about a teenager going slowly insane and how his insanity takes hold of him through the monster under the stairs. The second is titled DO THE HUSTLE and it's with Writers' Theatre, and it's about a father and son team of street hustlers who are trying to push poverty out of the way by chancing one last desperate and terrible family-related score. And the third is THE EARL with The Inconvenience and that play is about three brothers who hit each other with a crowbar while trying to have a nice, normal family reunion. And one of the brothers brings, basically, Clint Eastwood to the reunion.

Those all sound like the same play. So, at one time you were commissioned to write for The Haunted El, the scary El train adventure that happens around Halloween time on special trains down in the Chicago Loop. What was that like, having to work for the city?

Much like Wooderson in 'Dazed and Confused', it was a good gig that allowed me to party party party, all right all right all right. And it paid well. And I love Halloween, so it was honestly a great gig. I'd do it again in a heartbeep.

Do you have any favorite places you like to visit when you come back to Chicago these days? Another hole in one for us.

My favorite places to visit are: Uncle Fun; where I used to work and still love to be. Laurie's Planet of Sound; where I used to try and be casual and look at records like a geek. Chicago Comics; more looking like a geek in the self-published comic section.

That reminds me. We wanted to ask you if you would write a play where we stop terrorism. Not just a terrorist, but the entire notion of terrorism.

Sure. You want me to write it right now?

How long does it take you to write a play, like 30 minutes?

Depends on the kind of play. A play about you guys and terrorism, that I could do in a minute or so. A full-length (hour and a half for me) takes me a 3-4 months.

Man, I say go for it. Let's get all American Theatre up in this piece.

So write it now?
Okay.

Ladies and Gentlemen, a Neveu World Premiere:
ERIC AND ANDY DEMOLISH TERRORISM
by Brett Neveu
2011

(Lights up on a couch. Seated on the couch are ERIC and ANDY. Both wear sweats and hold salad bowls full of salad.)

ERIC
You call.

ANDY
No, you call.

ERIC
I'm not going to do it.

ANDY
You're the one with the strong opinion.

ERIC
You're opinion is just as strong.

ANDY
Sorry. You're right.

ERIC
Then make the call.
(The doorbell rings.)

ANDY
Oh crap.

ERIC
That's probably him.

ANDY
At least we won't have to call now...

ERIC
(to door) Come in!

(GERALD, in a suit, enters.)
GERALD
Eric. Andy. Hi.

ERIC
Hey, Gerald.

ANDY
Hey.

GERALD
Heard you had some opinions you wished voiced.

ANDY
Yeah, well, we were only just talking.

ERIC
Yeah. We were just talking over a few things.

ANDY
And we were thinking -- no terrorism. Anymore. Out with it. Get 'er gone. Make do with what we got. The end.

ERIC
Totally. I'm down.

GERALD
Wow. Okay. I'll let them know.

ANDY
Cool. Thanks.

ERIC
Excellent.

ANDY
(to GERALD) You want some salad?

GERALD
Sure.
(GERALD crams onto the couch with ERIC and ANDY. GERALD eats salad for about ten minutes.)
(Fade to black.)
END

Well there you have it, Chicago. A fresh take on the end of terrorism as we know it. Please email us if you'd like us to come do it at your church or community center.

And so, who wants the bill for the play? You or Andy?

Well, thanks Brett, looks like you shot a 56! New record for you and the Moline Mini Putt and GoKartAporium! Hope you enjoy all that Los Angeles has to offer!

Wait -- hold on -- who gets this bill for the play?! I got a kid to feed! And I have a putter to hit people with who don't pay.

Help! A semi-famous Chicago playwright is beating us up!

Aw, you guys are all right. I only halfway beat you up. I'll consider that payment enough.

Brett, you are a hero. Thanks for taking the time. Now, let's hit the first aid tent.

Eric Roach, Anderson Lawfer

Eric Roach and Anderson Lawfer are the founders of www.Reviewsyoucaniews.blogspot.com]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=619 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=619 Fri, 18 Feb 2011 09:37:10 -0600
These are the questions that will be addressed during Chicago - Theatre Capital of America: Past. Present. Future, an international symposium presented by the Theatre Department of Columbia College Chicago on May 18-22. A principal focus of the symposium will be Chicago theatre since 1959, the year that director Paul Sills and others founded The Second City, Chicago's internationally acclaimed improvisational theatre which trained a legion of entertainment legends.

Online registration for the symposium is live at www.colum.edu/theatresymposium. Cost is $95 for the four-day event, with a discounted price of $60 for students. Registration and events are open to the public.

Featured speakers include Martha Lavey, artistic director of Steppenwolf Theatre Company; Harvey Young, director of Northwestern University's interdisciplinary doctoral program in theatre and author of Embodying Black Experience: Stillness, Critical Memory, and the Black Body; Todd London, coauthor of Outrageous Fortune: The Life and Times of the New American Play; and veteran Chicago arts critic Richard Christiansen, author of A Theater of Our Own: A History and Memoir of 1,001 Nights in Chicago.

International perspectives on Chicago theatre will be provided by scholars and guest artists from overseas including Phillip Zarrilli, actor, director and prize-winning author of Psychophysical Acting: An Intercultural Approach After Stanislavski. Zarrilli, with his company The Llanarth Group from Wales, will stage the American premiere of his latest work, Told By The Wind, at the Dance Center of Columbia College during the symposium.

"An exciting part of this project is the prospect of theatre artists, theatre scholars, and the community at large gathering for four days of celebration, investigation, stimulation, and speculation about the future of this unique cultural phenomenon we call Chicago theatre," says John Green, Ph.D., chair of the Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department. "Chicago theatre has evolved from a grassroots movement to a global phenomenon over the last 50 years, and we hope to provide a forum of creativity and innovation necessary to keep theatre alive, growing, and relevant to a new century."

More than 70 presentations by theatre scholars and practitioners from the United States and Europe will highlight the event. These presentations will be complemented by a variety of performances, workshops, and social events that will offer a unique opportunity for theatre academics, professionals and enthusiasts to meet and share ideas.

Specific themes to be addressed during sessions include:

- The influence of Chicago theatre artists and teachers on theatre, film, and TV in America and around the world -- from Broadway and Hollywood to regional theatre to universities here and abroad

- The work of Chicago playwrights (including Pulitzer Prize winners David Mamet and Tracy Letts) and directors (including Tony Award winners Robert Falls, Mary Zimmerman, and Frank Galati and Obie Award winner David Cromer)

- The rich history of African-American, Latino, Asian-American, and Arab-American theatre in Chicago

- The social, cultural, and political factors that have given Chicago theatre its distinctive qualities

- Ancestors and antecedents of contemporary Chicago theatre (including the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, the 1933 Century of Progress Chicago World's Fair, the historic Loop theatre district, the pioneering improv troupes and comedy artists of the Eisenhower era, and the civil rights and antiwar movements of the 1960s

- The influence of theatre criticism, dramaturgy, and even clergy in the evolution of Chicago theatre

- Arts leadership training, audience development, and funding strategies for the coming century.

The scholars selected to deliver papers and sit on panels at the event reflect an array of institutions from the United States and around the world. Among them, in addition to Columbia College Chicago, are Harvard University, Boston College, Emerson College, Northwestern University, DePaul University, Loyola University, the University of Illinois, the University of Wisconsin, the Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance in London, and the University of Macedonia for Economic and Social Sciences. Also participating are theatre professionals from Chicago companies such as Steppenwolf, Victory Gardens, Chicago Dramatists, Writers' Theatre and The Second City, as well as noted alumni of the Chicago theater explosion of the past four decades who have gone on to careers on stage and screen.

Joining Columbia College Chicago in this endeavor are a number of institutional partners including the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, the Chicago Public Library, the League of Chicago Theatres, the Dramatists Guild of America, Actors' Equity Association (Central Region) and the Museum of Contemporary Art.

For more information, visit http://www.colum.edu/theatresymposium.]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=618 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=618 Fri, 11 Feb 2011 19:12:07 -0600 Working is a vital new musical based on the book by Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Chicago's own Studs Terkel. Adapted by Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin and Godspell) from the original adaptation by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso, Working is the working man's A Chorus Line. We caught up with hot, up-and-coming star of the Chicago Theatre Scene, Emjoy Gavino, in a burned down bodega on Pulaski and asked her how she got involved with this production opening on the 15th at the Broadway Playhouse.

Hi Emjoy! Thanks for meeting us at this old burned down grocery store.

I love it. Reminds me of my childhood.

So let's quit wasting time and have a seat here in the produce section. Tell me about your history in Chicago Storefront Theatre and how it led to you working on "Working".

Honestly, I'm still not sure how it led me to work on "Working." I started by not working in theater for almost a year, having to go back to Seattle for gigs. I finally scored a reading at Chicago Children's where I met Geoff Rice who told me about Barrel of Monkey auditions the next day and Halena [Kays] cast me the next month. I did some children's theater, then understudied for Chicago Children's with Sean Graney, the Goodman with Mary Zimmerman and Steppenwolf with Frank Galati, the whole time trying to claw into storefronts...Theatre Seven and House happened to cast me last year which was fun. And roles at Court and Lookingglass happened right after my year and a half of understudying. Nowhere in there did I ever think a musical would be in my career, ever again.

So you sort of skipped the storefront scene almost entirely and went right to the big houses.

Not on purpose! By any means! Maybe I wasn't fringey enough?

Well, you know that storefront people really likes to have white people in their plays, so maybe that's why.

That's what I meant by "fringey." "White."

So, you have a funny story about getting an audition for this show.

A friend of mine got a call from her agent telling her she'd be "perfect" for this role in Working, the musical. I think she laughed for thirty seconds and said, "no," then immediately called me. I wasn't so sure about auditioning for something that huge, but it sounded like a fun project so I called my agent asking why I hadn't heard about it and he informed me he "totally was just about to call me."

My agent is totally about to call me all the time too. So you went in, and blew them away and didn't have to have a callback or anything.

Not at all -- I went into a little room at a casting office and read three monologues for Becca Knights and then didn't hear anything for months. Then I got called into...audition for Working...for a camera...THEN, a month later, I auditioned for the director, and then the next day were callbacks in front of Stephen Schwartz. After which they called me an hour after I left the callback. Or rather, my agent did.

Wow. So tell me about what it's like to work with Stephen Schwartz. You know he worked with Ben Vereen.

Well, I haven't gotten to work with him so much, he was very kind to me at my callback and he watched part of one rehearsal our first week, but this weekend I think he's watching run thrus so maybe we'll get to chat with him then.

Well, if you want a little advice...He's a New York Jew, so talk a lot about good Chinese restaurants and sneakers.

Should I not have offered him a bagel?

That seems reasonable. So now you are in the middle of rehearsals with some of the biggest names in theatre in general, and Chicago theatre in particular. Namely Gene Weygandt, Barbara Robertson and E. Faye Butler. Have you been able to learn anything from their processes or, like most of us, have you learned nothing at all?

Oh, geez. I continue to learn every day - I don't mean to be all Pollyanna about it - but Gene and Barbara and E. Faye are such pros and "play" in rehearsal in such different ways. Gene doesn't just take the direction he's given, he chews it in his mouth, swishes it around a little and digests what works for him. Barbara comes in with a really strong idea of who these characters are and volleys back and forth with the director until she feels comfortable. And Faye continues to discover things and question things and challenge things. They're all so fearless. Mike Mahler and Gabe Ruiz are also blowing my mind.

Tell me about the show. What's the story? I have heard it is based on a Studs Terkel book, but he sounds like some weirdo porn star to me.

He could be! They wouldn't even have the change the title! Basically, it's an exploration of 26 people from different walks of life (a lot of people from the Midwest). They used a lot of the interviews from Studs' book, and then to update it from the previous drafts, Stephen, Gordon [Greenberg] (our director) and Lin Manuel Miranda (who wrote two of our new songs in the show) interviewed people in jobs that weren't covered in the books or at least drew from experiences of people they knew.

(Eric)Listen y'all...this is great so far. But let's get to the real nitty-gritty...what do you think of Halena Kays, and why is she so rotten?
(Andy)You better answer him, Emjoy, he looks furiously angry.

Halena is my favorite. Sorry.

I know. I can't stay mad at her either...even though she KNOWS what she did. So is there anything else on the horizon? How long will you be doing this book play?

Currently, no. They're selling tickets for this thing through May 8, but it's an "open ended run" so I guess this, for awhile. I'm hoping to sneak some Barrel of Monkeys stuff in there too.

Do you think you will stay in Chicago no matter what? Or will you go where the jobs take you?

Depends on the project. Chicago will be my home base and I don't really have an interest in relocating to NY or LA.

Omaha has a thriving dinner theatre and Haunted House scene. It's hot right now.

I HAVE always wanted to do one of those murder mystery things. Good point. And they have good steaks. Darn. Now I have some life choices to make.

Well, Emjoy, I think our interview is over, but would you like to wander into this abandoned laundromat with us?

I'd be delighted.

That's great, because we might be a little too "fringey" for this neighborhood.

Eric Roach, Anderson Lawfer

You can catch Emjoy Gavino in "Working" at the Broadway Playhouse starting February 15th.

Eric Roach and Anderson Lawfer are the founders of www.Reviewsyoucaniews.blogspot.com

Luke Heiden
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=616 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=616 Sun, 30 Jan 2011 13:14:34 -0600 The Altruists. He has also worked with Steep Theatre and Remy Bumppo, each time receiving more praise than the last. He met with us at a T.G.I. Friday's in Elmhurst to discuss his career, his new play PORT, now onstage for the Griffin Theatre, and his love of the technique for actors called Viewpoints.

Hi Jon and thanks for meeting us in this TGI Fridays. Are you ready for wing dings and things and talking to two dudes?

Boy howdy am I. Seriously. I've been trying for years to get the recipe for the chipotle dipping sauce, and they are like Fort Knox...

Let's start with a question we have all wondered for a while... When people say Jonathan Berry has a face like a basset hound, what does that mean?

Well. I think it refers to my earlier work, where I did the complete works of Ibsen, starring basset hounds. What that actually means, I'm not sure - but the work was effective. Nothing says Nordic depression like the hangdog jowls of a basset hound.

(Eric) Good answer. I used to have a mutt when I was a kid. His name was Bugsy Roach.

I had a dalmation named Muffet. She was sweet, but dumb. We called her the "Sweet dummy" she would lie in the road and sun herself.

Ok, now that's out of the way... Tell us about your new hit show, PORT.

PORT is the Griffin's second outing with British playwright Simon Stephens - Chicago has done the US premier now of 3 of his plays - I've directed two and Robin Witt did "Harper Regan" which apparently did well last year... I dig him as a writer, as he is writing from the sensibility of someone who has left behind a dying town that he loves, but that offers little for him in the way of opportunity. I guess I relate, being a theater artist from Detroit.

How is the hometown these days? Every pic I see of Detroit looks like a terribly depressing video game.

That seems about right. It's a weird place to go back to - since there is such a dichotomy between the people who are hanging on and doing well, and the people who have lost their jobs - you have these white collar business majors competing for jobs at Costco. It's rough times - but I also think that there is this pervasive hope that pushes people forward. No one is just throwing in the towel. Simon writes about that hope quite a bit - its one of the things I love about his plays - they seem realistic, and have, at their core, this basic human hope for survival and something better. No one really believes that their lives are worthless.

Except for Bears fans this week.

Right. Except for those guys. And Todd Collins.

Tell us about this cast you have together. I know some of them, they are all pretty young with the exception of John Byrnes. They play characters over the course of many years, yes?

Its hillarious. The kids call him Mr Byrnes and he chases them around with his walking stick yelling release the hounds but there are never any hounds. Yeah - it spans 13 years - from 1988 - 2002. Caroline Neff, who plays the primary girl Rachael, is in every scene and begins the play as an 11 year old girl and ends it at the age of 24. She never leaves stage, except for intermission - so we see the changes that she goes through as she comes to terms with her family and her situation. Which sounds like it could be totally crappy - watching adult people behaving like children - but Simon writes them in a way that rings incredibly true and I've been blessed with some really good actors who manage to do it and not be super annoying. It could have easily become a "Saved by the Bell " - but its not.

You are a company member at the Griffin. What challenges do you run into when you direct for the company you are also a member of, and what are some perks?

I think that the perks are, you enter into the relationship with a lot of trust. Bill Massolia, the artistic director, has known my work since the beginning and trusts that I can direct a play. So he gives me a lot of room to breathe and bring the production in. The harder part comes, just with familiarity. I know how I want to do things, and the organization is willing to let me do them, but sometimes folks step back a bit and just let me handle it.

I (Eric) worked at the Griffin right when I arrived in Chicago under the direction of Rick Barletta. How has the company grown and changed over the years?

Rick was my primary directing mentor when I started pursuing directing, and I learned a ton from him, first as an actor, and then as a director. The big thing being, make sure that the group of people you bring on board is A) of all, talented and B) of all good people. This work is too hard and no one is getting enough money in the off-loop world to work with challenging people you don't like. So I've tried to take that ethos and then also just raise the bar a bit in terms of what we can do with production value and quality. I had the rare opportunity to be working, in my early years, at both the Griffiin and at Steppenwolf, and I felt like there was no reason we couldn't apply some of Steppenwolf's professionalism and artistic benchmarks to the work at the off-loop scene. So I hope that we've done that - a bit of a hybrid. We just closed on our new building, so it seems like we are now going to take another step towards actually building a real home in the community.

Tell us about where you go to watch theatre, and who are some of your favorite actors and designers working in town.

I am incredibly lucky to have gone through Grad School with Joanie Schultz and Robin Witt and I pretty much love everything they do. So they've directed around, Steep, and A Red Orchid, and Redtwist. I'm a big fan of Sean Graney's work - at the very least, I will know I'm seeing something that has a very strong point of view and, love it or hate it, it will provoke something in me. I dig Matt Hawkins - thought his Red Noses at Strawdog was pretty great. So its tricky, I think I am generally more drawn to a director than to a theater. Basically, I love finding someone who manages to keep the focus on relationship, on human beings talking to each other and dealing with each other, and then going from there - it can go in a far more theatrical direction, or something more towards realism, but it has to start with people communicating and it doesn't always.

Designers?

I love to see what really creative people can do with the limitations they are given. Every time I see something at Strawdog, I'm struck by that - how they have 2 nickels to rub together and yet, some designers have made it look like an amazing, complete environment. Heather Gilbert and Sarah Hughey are brilliant at that, in the lighting department. Lee Fiskness just made 24 dimmers at Raven look like 42. There are always ways to make the limitations open up possibilities - I like when a designer helps me do that. Chelsea Warren, as a set designer, is fantastic as that as well...

Let's change the subject to YOUR favorite subject. How are you feeling about Viewpoints lately? I know you take a lot of flak from guys like us, but do you consider it something that can really get to the heart of a production?

I would argue that anyone who has gone through some Viewpoints in a process with me is, I hope, grateful at the end for having gone through it. In the same way that I'm hoping designers open up possibilties - I think viewpoints does that same thing. It brings an ensemble of sometimes strangers together in a very fast and efficient way and gets them thinking a bit more physically about the world. It, for me, diminishes the amount of time it takes actors to get past that polite "can I touch you there?" awkwardness when we start blocking - it just gets us to a point where you can respond to the play a bit more quickly. And everyone looks better in a unitard. So there's that as well.

I find Unitard to be such an offensive term. Please pass the Sesame Jack Chicken Strips.

(He passes them)

Thanks. Do you ever think that choosing any particular style in the beginning can be hard for actors to deal with? What I mean is, if an actor has his own specific process, and you throw them into viewpoints does it ever cause any contention?

Sure. And I try to be sensitive to that. In Journey's End, I did a half day with them and got a bit of resistance - they really wanted to sit and talk about the play - so I scrapped the Viewpoints plan and we sat around and talked about the history, and the relationships, and got at the connection that way. Generally I try to do both - my first week is split between table work and viewpoints work - so that you can almost always find SOME way in.

Jon, I've got an idea. Let's say you cast me and Eric in a show, and then when you start in with the viewpoints junk, we freak out and tell you that there is NO WAY IN HELL that we are going to blow like leaves in a tree with the wind or whatever, and then you fire us. Then EVERYBODY knows that you aren't playing around when it comes to body movement.

Man. That sounds like a great idea but it totally breeches my blood pact to NEVER NOT EVER NOT IN A MILLION YEARS CAST ANDY AND ERIC IN ANYTHING I EVER DO.... I'm not sure- I'll check the fine print of the blood pact - but I'm not sure I can do that...

(Andy) Man, I can totally understand this, since I have auditioned for you 37 times.

You were really close that last time. You are wearing me down...

I would cast Jon in a story about clowns who go to a funeral.

I would love to do that play. I have been practicing painting tears on my face.

Well, Jonnyboy, thanks for lunch and the great talk, but now Eric and I have to topography back to Chicago.

That's great, because I just ran out of wetnaps to clean off my fingers and I HATE to have to lick them in public - but the chicken was just that good.

You're a director who has a point of view and loves wings. I can respect that...but stop lying about licking things in public.

Sorry. I get carried away. I just really want people to think I'm working class.

Eric and Andy

Eric Roach & Anderson Lawfer are the founders of www.reviewsyoucaniews.blogspot.com ]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=615 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=615 Tue, 25 Jan 2011 13:46:19 -0600 The Merchant of Venice from the acclaimed Theatre for a New Audience comes to Chicago for a limited two-week engagement at the Bank of America Theatre from March 15 - 27.

Starring Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham ("Amadeus," 1984) in his riveting portrayal of Shylock, and directed by Darko Tresnjak (former Artistic Director, Old Globe), the play has been arousing controversies for centuries with raucous and gentle comedy, tender poetry, and its struggle with mercy and justice. In this riveting update, religion, race and sexuality collide with love, family and justice and the currency of society and humanity has never been so changeable.

As Shylock, Mr. Abraham's performance is acclaimed: "touches greatness in every aspect of an immensely challenging role (New York Observer); "Among the great performances of our time." (Stephen Greenblatt, New York Review of Books. "In a performance as daring as it is powerful, Mr. Abraham delves into the shadowier recesses of Shylock's corrupted psyche, making him a little more sinister than sympathetic, sinning as much as sinned against...The achievement of this production is to offer a Shylock who is the equal of his tormentors in this exacting cruelty, not just a wronged man unhinged by suffering" (Charles Isherwood. New York Times). Darko Tresnjak's production received raves: "In its visible modernity, Darko Tresnjak's production for New York's Theater for New Audience gets to the work's disturbed heart." The Guardian; "The quality of Tresnjak's staging is mercifully high, and presents the most compelling possible argument for Shylock in the form of F. Murray Abraham, an actor of tremendous dignity and command." Time Out, New York

Theatre For A New Audience is the first American theatre to be invited to bring a production of Shakespeare to the Royal Shakespeare Company. Founded in 1979 by Jeffrey Horowitz, its mission is to develop and vitalize the performance and study of Shakespeare and classic drama. We are dedicated to a dialogue over centuries between Shakespeare and other great authors such as Marlowe, Edward Bond and Adrienne Kennedy. "New" in our name does not refer to an audience who goes to the theatre for the first time. "New" can mean a directional approach, a fresh talent, an innovative design, a rarely produced play, a new form and an audience open to discovery.

At Theatre for a New Audience, American and European artists interact, workshop, teach, and direct. The Theatre is committed to promoting the ongoing training of artists and supports the American Directors Project, a program led by Cicely Berry, C.B.E., Director of Voice, Royal Shakespeare Company.

The company's productions and affiliated artists have been honored with such prestigious awards and nominations as Drama Desk, Lortel, Obie and the Tony. The Theatre's production of the The Green Bird by Carlo Gozzi directed by Julie Taymor opened Off-Broadway, toured to La Jolla Playhouse, and later moved to Broadway. In 1994, Julie Taymor directed Titus Andronicus Off-Broadway for the Theatre. Taymor then directed Titus, a major film starring Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange. Theatre for a New Audience has an ongoing collaboration with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). Their production of Shakespeare's Cymbeline directed by Bartlett Sher opened at the RSC's The Other Place Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in November 2001. In January 2006, Theatre for a New Audience's production of Souls of Naples starring John Turturro toured to the Teatro Mercadante in Naples, Italy, and in March 2007 we returned to the RSC with The Merchant of Venice starring F. Murray Abraham and directed by Darko Tresnjak. In partnership with New York City, Theatre for a New Audience is building its first home, a center for Shakespear and classic drama, in the BAM Cultural District. Groundbreaking will be this spring.

Theatre for a New Audience aspires to a civic role, bonding the diverse community of New York to the language, pleasures, and issues of classical drama. The Theatre offers talks with scholars, critics, and artists in conjunction with performances. Theatre for a New Audience created and runs the largest in depth program for introducing Shakespeare in the New York City Public Schools. The Theatre assists teachers in integrating classics into the Language Arts curriculum. Students study the play in their classroom and then see a Theatre for a New Audience production at special morning matinees. 2,100 students participate annually and over 120,000 young people ages 10-18 have been served since 1984. The Summer Arts Institute is a tuition-free, intensive, four-week arts program for New York City public school students. The Shakespeare Institute, supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, offers public and private middle and high school teachers the opportunity to strengthen their familiarity with Shakespeare and their skills in communicating themes to students. Theatre for a New Audience's educational programs received the Municipal Arts Society's Certificate of Merit.

Individual tickets for The Merchant Of Venice are now on sale and range in price from $22.50 - $72.50. Tickets are available at all Broadway In Chicago Box Offices (24 W. Randolph St., 151 W. Randolph St. and 18 W. Monroe St.), the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at (800) 775-2000, all Ticketmaster retail locations (including Hot Tix and select Carson Pirie Scott, Coconuts and fye stores), and online at ticketmaster.com.]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=614 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=614 Mon, 24 Jan 2011 19:30:53 -0600 White Noise, the new rock musical directed and choreographed by Broadway's Sergio Trujillo will play an 8-week limited engagement with previews beginning on April 1, 2011 and opening April 9, 2011. Featuring a cast of nineteen, the production will run at The Royal George Theatre, 1641 North Halsted Street. Tickets will be on sale in early February.

White Noise is a provocative new rock musical that follows a pair of sisters who are discovered by a powerful record producer, and groomed into a well-packaged rock/pop band, which mixes irresistible harmonies with coded rhetoric into chart-blazing hits. Inspired by real life, White Noise fuses today's headlines and blogs into a cautionary tale that challenges conventional notions of free speech, media and the power of pop culture.

Directed and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo, whose recent Broadway credits include Jersey Boys (2006 Tony Award and 2009 Olivier Award for Best Musical), Next to Normal (Pulitzer Prize for Drama), Memphis (2010 Tony Award for Best Musical), The Addams Family; Guys and Dolls and All Shook Up, White Noise features a book by Matte O'Brien and music and lyrics by Robert Morris, Steven Morris and Joe Shane. White Noise was originally conceived by Ryan J. Davis with a story and characters by Joe Drymala.

Producer Whoopi Goldberg comments, "White Noise smacks you in a challenging, emotional and entertaining way. The producing team looks forward to bring this unflinchingly honest new production to Chicago where audiences are sophisticated, aware and open to a musical that will certainly remind them of today's headlines and might awaken a new awareness of current social issues."

The set is designed by Robert Brill, costumes by Paul Tazewell, lights by Jason Lyons, sound by Garth Helm, and multi-media design by Raj Kapoor.

White Noise had an early developmental production in the 2006 NY Musical Theatre Festival, and then was fully re-developed and went on to a critically-acclaimed and sold-out engagement at New Orleans' Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre in July 2009.

For more information, visit www.whitenoisebroadway.com.]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=613 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=613 Wed, 19 Jan 2011 15:18:47 -0600 John Leguizamo Warms Up. Presented by WestBeth Entertainment, the pre-Broadway engagement will be performed at the Royal George Theatre, 1641 North Halsted Street, February 1 - 12, 2011.

Conceived and performed by Emmy and Obie Award winner John Leguizamo and directed by Academy Award winner Fisher Stevens, John Leguizamo Warms Up is an 'unplugged' version of his new solo play Ghetto Klown, which will open a 12-week engagement at the Lyceum Theatre (149 West 45th Street) in New York, beginning previews on February 21, and opening March 22.

Ghetto Klown is the next chapter in John Leguizamo's hugely popular personal and professional story. It follows in the unabashed, uncensored, and uninhibited tradition of his Mambo Mouth, Spic-O-Rama, Freak, and Sexaholix...a Love Story. In Leguizamo's trademark style, the piece explodes with energy, leading audiences on a fever-pitch adventure and heating up the stage with vivid accounts of where he's been and the colorful characters who have populated his life. Leguizamo takes audiences from his adolescent memories in Queens to the early days of his acting career during the outrageous 80s avant-garde theatre scene, and on to the sets of major motion pictures and his roles opposite some of Hollywood's biggest stars.

Leguizamo explains, "Ghetto Klown is all the things I say to my therapist and my manager, but would NEVER want the general public to know. It's cheaper than a lawsuit and I get to take a bow at the end. It's my do it yourself tragic-comedy."

Ghetto Klown was showcased in earlier incarnations in cities including Philadelphia, New Haven, Santa Fe, Louisville, La Jolla, Berkeley, Toronto, and at Montreal's Just for Laughs Festival.

Multi-faceted performer and Emmy Award winner John Leguizamo's notable career defies categorization. Possessing boundless energy and creativity, Leguizamo's work spans the genres of film, theatre, television, literature and beyond. As writer and performer, Leguizamo created the Off-Broadway sensation Mambo Mouth, in which he portrayed seven different characters (Obie, Outer Critics Circle, Vanguardia Awards). His second one-man show Spic-O-Rama enjoyed extended sold-out runs in Chicago and New York (Dramatists' Guild Hull-Warriner Award for Best American Play, Lucille Lortel Outstanding Achievement Award for Best Broadway Performance, Drama Desk Award for Best Solo Performance). His third solo show Freak completed a successful run on Broadway in 1998. A special presentation of Freak, directed by Spike Lee, aired on HBO (Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Music Program and nomination for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special). In Fall 2001 Leguizamo returned to Broadway with Sexaholix...a Love Story, directed by Peter Askin (Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for "Outstanding Solo Performance" and Tony Award nomination for Best Special Theatrical Performance). Sexaholix aired as an HBO Special in Spring 2002 and toured widely. Other stage credits: A Midsummer Night's Dream and La Puta Vida at the New York Shakespeare Festival and Parting Gestures at INTAR. Presently, Leguizamo delights younger fans as the voice of Syd in Ice Age 1, 2 and 3. He has been seen in countless films including Love in the Time of Cholera opposite Javier Bardem and Benjamin Bratt, The Happening opposite Mark Wahlberg, Righteous Kill opposite Robert Deniro and Al Pacino, The Babysitters opposite Cynthia Nixon and The Take opposite Rosie Perez as well as Miracle at St. Anna, Land of the Dead, The Groomsmen, Lies & Alibis, Assault on Precinct 13, Sueno, Spin, Moulin Rouge, Summer of Sam, King of the Jungle, Spawn, William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, Dr. Doolittle, Carlito's Way and Casualties of War.

Tickets for John Leguizamo Warms Up are $40 for weekdays and $45 for weekends and available by visiting www.ticketmaster.com, or at the Royal George Theatre box office.]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=611 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=611 Thu, 30 Dec 2010 06:37:29 -0600
There are 25 shows on the list, produced by 19 different theatre companies. There were four repeats: Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire shows up three times, as does Steppenwolf. Writers Theatre in Glencoe and Court Theatre each appear twice. All of these are established Equity companies, but the Non-Equity side is well represented by the likes of Redmoon, The House Theatre, Raven Theatre, Caffeine Theatre, and others.

Among the top ten, no company appears more than once, and the genres range from classics (To Kill A Mockingbird) to musicals (The Music Man) to Expressionist puppet shows (The Cabinet) to hipster Christmas cheer (The Nutcracker). Again, that's just in the top ten. This is good for The Scene. It means that not only do we have high-quality work being done by a lot of different companies, but the different types of theatre being offered are just as richly and rewardingly varied. Chicago has a long-cultivated reputation as a gritty, kitchen-sink drama town, but this list shows that that's only half, or a third, or perhaps even a quarter of the story. There is something for everyone, but more importantly, there is something for everyone that is good.

A caveat, however: only those productions that garnered at least seven reviews from recognized publications or blogs were eligible to be on this list. So a play that had only three reviews, for instance, even if all of those reviews were Highly Recommended, would not be included. This was done to ensure that the list could not be compromised by shows whose small number of reviews give each one undue weight.

A last note: the list has one repeat playwright, Tennessee Williams, who scores twice with Cat On A Hot Tin Roof and A Streetcar Named Desire. So way to go, T-Dubs. Finally some recognition.

Top Plays of 2010

A Streetcar Named Desire
Writers' Theatre

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Daily Herald- Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended
Windy City Times- Highly Recommended
Copley News Service- Recommended
Talkin Broadway- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Blog- Highly Recommended
Steadstyle Chicago- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
Examiner- Highly Recommended
Windy City Times- Highly Recommended
Copley News Service- Highly Recommended
Centerstage- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Blog- Highly Recommended
Steadstyle Chicago- Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
Windy City Times- Highly Recommended
Copley News Service- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Blog- Highly Recommended
Steadstyle Chicago- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage Review- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Blog- Highly Recommended
Steadstyle Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Journal- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended
Centerstage- Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage Review- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Blog- Highly Recommended
Steadstyle Chicago- Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended

Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended
Windy City Times- Highly Recommended
Copley News Service- Highly Recommended
Centerstage- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Blog- Recommended
Steadstyle Chicago- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended
The Wall Street Journal- Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader- Recommended
Examiner- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended
Windy City Times- Highly Recommended
Chicago Free Press- Highly Recommended
Copley News Service- Highly Recommended
Talkin Broadway- Highly Recommended
Centerstage- Highly Recommended
Chicago Stage Review- Highly Recommended
The Onion- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Blog- Highly Recommended
Steadstyle Chicago- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
Steadstyle Chicago- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Daily Herald- Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
Examiner- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended
Copley News Service- Highly Recommended
Talkin Broadway- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Recommended
Steadstyle Chicago- Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Recommended
Windy City Times- Highly Recommended
Centerstage- Highly Recommended
ShowBizChicago- Highly Recommended
7DAYS- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Blog- Highly Recommended
Steadstyle Chicago- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago- Recommended
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended
Copley News Service- Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Blog- Highly Recommended
Steadstyle Chicago- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended
Copley News Service- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Blog- Recommended
Steadstyle Chicago- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Recommended
Daily Herald- Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago- Recommended
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
Examiner- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended
Copley News Service- Highly Recommended
Talkin Broadway- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Recommended
Steadstyle Chicago- Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
Windy City Times- Highly Recommended
Copley News Service- Highly Recommended
Talkin Broadway- Recommended
Centerstage- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Recommended
Chicago Theater Blog- Highly Recommended
Steadstyle Chicago- Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago- Recommended
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
Copley News Service- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Recommended
Steadstyle Chicago- Highly Recommended

Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended
Talkin Broadway- Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Blog- Recommended
Steadstyle Chicago- Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Time Out Chicago- Recommended
Chicago Reader- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Highly Recommended
Windy City Times- Highly Recommended
Copley News Service- Recommended
Talkin Broadway- Highly Recommended
ShowBizChicago- Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Blog- Highly Recommended
Steadstyle Chicago- Highly Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended

Chicago Tribune- Highly Recommended
Chicago Sun Times- Highly Recommended
Chicago Reader- Recommended
Examiner- Highly Recommended
NewCity Chicago- Somewhat Recommended
Copley News Service- Highly Recommended
Centerstage- Highly Recommended
ShowBizChicago- Highly Recommended
ChicagoCritic- Highly Recommended
Chicago Theater Blog- Highly Recommended
Steadstyle Chicago- Recommended
Around The Town Chicago- Highly Recommended

Luke Heiden
Contributing Writer]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=610 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=610 Mon, 20 Dec 2010 10:34:59 -0600 Profiles Theatre continues its 2010-2011 Season with reasons to be pretty by Neil LaBute, directed by Steppenwolf ensemble member Rick Snyder. Previews are January 21-26, 2011 and the production runs through March 13, 2011 at Profiles Theatre, 4147 N. Broadway in Chicago.

In reasons to be pretty, Greg's tight-knit social circle is thrown into turmoil when his offhand remarks about a female coworker's pretty face and his own girlfriend Steph's lack thereof get back to Steph. But that's just the beginning. Greg's best buddy, Kent, and Kent's wife, Carly, also enter into the picture, and the emotional equation becomes exponentially more complicated. As their relationships crumble, the four friends are forced to confront a sea of deceit, infidelity, and betrayed trust in their journey to answer that oh-so-American question: How much is pretty worth?

reasons to be pretty, produced by MCC Theater and directed by Terry Kinney, premiered off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theater in June 2008. It received three Drama Desk Award nominations including Outstanding Play. reasons to be pretty became Neil LaBute's first play ever to be staged on Broadway when it opened in March 2009 at the Lyceum Theatre. The comedy-drama was nominated for three 2009 Tony Awards, including Best Play and received the 2009 Broadway.com Audience Award for Favorite New Off-Broadway Play.

Profiles will also present a special one night only event, An Evening With Neil LaBute: Live and in Person on January 8, 2011. The theatre began its relationship with Neil LaBute in 2006 with the Midwest premiere of autobahn, followed by their long-running hit, Fat Pig. In 2007, Profiles devoted an entire season to the works of LaBute that included the Midwest premieres of In a Dark Dark House, Some Girl(s), This is How it Goes, and a collection of short works entitled Things We Said Today followed by the Midwest premiere of The Mercy Seat in 2009.

"Having watched reasons to be pretty grow from a show running off-Broadway into a production that had to deal with all the excitement and difficulties of playing on Broadway, I'm thrilled to see it in the kind of space that I really love-the intimacy of the Profiles house," says playwright Neil LaBute. "I'm never happier than when my work is in the safe hands of the artists who make up the Profiles company."

Directed by Steppenwolf ensemble member Rick Snyder (Killer Joe), the cast of reasons to be pretty features Profiles' ensemble members Somer Benson (Killer Joe, Graceland) and Darrell W. Cox (Kid Sister, Killer Joe) along with guest artists Darci Nalepa (Company at Griffin Theatre) and Christian Stolte (Orange Flower Water at Steppenwolf).

The designers are Stephen Carmody (set), Jessica Harpeneau (lights), Jeffrey Levin (sound and original music) and the stage manager is Corey Weinberg.

reasons to be pretty is the next production of Profiles Theatre's 22nd season, following the Midwest premiere of Jailbait by Deirdre O'Connor (returning for a limited engagement beginning January 13, 2011 at The Second Stage) and the World premiere of Kid Sister by Will Kern. The season will conclude with the Midwest premiere of Fifty Words by Michael Weller, opening in April 2011.]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=609 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=609 Mon, 20 Dec 2010 10:34:21 -0600
Broadway In Chicago offers gift certificates in denominations of $10, $25, $50, $75, $100, and $200. They can be redeemed for any show sponsored by BIC at one of their four venues: the Cadillac Palace, Ford Center at Oriental, Bank of America, or Broadway Playhouse theatres. They are not redeemable at Ticketmaster.

Ticketmaster has its own line of gift cards that can be purchased on its website, in similar denominations as BIC listed above. Among the most popular shows for gift tickets are Wicked (playing through Jan. 23), Les Miserables (coming in February), Million Dollar Quartet, and Blue Man Group. These can all be purchased through Ticketmaster, but the gift cards can be redeemed at any venue Ticketmaster has an agreement with, which includes not only live theatre, but also concerts, sports events, and special events like ice shows and circuses.

Most of the major regional theatres in town, including Goodman, Steppenwolf, Lookingglass, Chicago Shakespeare, and The Second City offer gift certificates redeemable towards the purchase of tickets at their shows. In addition, many also offer the (albeit more expensive) option of gifting someone with a subscription to an entire season.

An interesting and unique possibility for someone who's more into the storefront end of the scale is the Rogers Park Flex Pass. For $50, this pass allows the holder admission to one show of their choice at each of the four member theatres: Lifeline Theatre, Side Project, Raven Theatre, and Theo Ubique. Dining discounts at five participating Rogers Park restaurants are also included with the Flex Pass.

For half-price tickets, Goldstar is a popular site, and they offer gift certificates redeemable for any show listed with them. Many of the smaller, less-publicized venues in town like working with Goldstar because it allows them to sell some last-minute seats at half-price that may have otherwise been empty, so this makes them another good choice for seeing storefront theatre.

Lastly, while most theatres will bend over backwards to get you in their doors and thus are fairly generous with things like expiration dates, specifics (like return policy) will vary. Be a defensive shopper and read all terms and conditions carefully, and make sure the recipient understands them as well.]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=608 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=608 Mon, 6 Dec 2010 09:26:46 -0600 Wicked is back.

For eight weeks only, from December 1 through January 23, the latest national touring incarnation of the Wizard of Oz prequel will play at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in downtown Chicago. Says producer David Stone, "We are absolutely thrilled to return to Chicago and play Wicked at the Cadillac Palace Theatre. For nearly four years, the Oriental Theatre was our home, but it is about much more than a building. It is really the city of Chicago and its audiences that are Wicked's home. And of course, there's no place like home."

The Chicago production of Wicked, the (very much told) story of the witches of Oz, originally opened at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre in June 2005. It played 1,500 performances and was seen by over 3 million people from all 50 states, 2 U.S. Territories, and 20 foreign countries before it finally closed three and a half years later, in January 2009, establishing Broadway In Chicago as the premier purveyor of regional sit-down productions of Broadway hits. It also grossed well over $200 million, making it the most financially successful theatrical production in Chicago history. Take that, Shear Madness.

Based on the novel of the same name by Gregory Maguire, Wicked was written by Stephen Schwartz (music and lyrics) and Winnie Holzman (book), and was the hit show of the 2003 Broadway season, winning a Grammy Award and three Tonys (though it was beaten for Best Musical by Avenue Q). For those few sorry individuals unfamiliar with the story, Wicked tells the tale of a young woman named Elphaba, who is taken under the wing of Glinda the Good Witch before a falling-out turns her into the Wicked Witch of the West. It made a star of Kristin Chenoweth, the original Glinda on Broadway, and features the hit songs "Popular", "Loathing", and "Defying Gravity." It continues to be performed in the U.S. and all over the world, including Japanese and German language productions, an Australian production, and a Dutch language production that will open in 2011.

Wicked opens December 1 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph, in downtown Chicago. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by visting ticketmaster.com.

Also, for a complete list of Broadway In Chicago shows, visit our Broadway shows in Chicago page.

Luke Heiden
Contributing Writer

• 12 projectors, delivering 360 degree projection
• 10 million pixels
• 15,000 square feet of CGI
• 400 square miles of virtual London circa 1904 were rendered
• The largest surround CGI venue in the world
• The world's first fully 360-degree projected movie for live theater performance
• The tent, which stands 100 feet high, was shipped via boat, 6,000 miles from London to San Francisco.
• 200 computers took four weeks to create the images - it would have taken eight years for a single computer to render

For a complete list of the holiday shows go to our Holiday Plays page.

Luke Heiden
Contributing Writer