I just wanted to say how fortunate I feel to be working with two really different yet wonderful theatres in Chicagoland.
Dream Theatre Company has not only welcomed me with open arms, but made me a company member, talent coordinator, and I will be playing Glauce in DTC's kickoff mainstage MEDEA in our new Lincoln Square space. And I just learned that DTC was awarded 2014 "Best Off-Loop Theatre Company" AND "Best 15-Minute Horror Play" for Audience Annihilated: Gold Star Sticker, by the Chicago Reader! How cool is that?? Meanwhile, I just finished the final preview performance of Come Blow Your Horn with Oil Lamp Theater, to a standing ovation! This is my second show with Oil Lamp, and it is always a pleasure. And we've just been informed that we are completely SOLD OUT for opening night! I'm sure it has nothing to do with the leopard-print lingerie in Act 2..... ;) In closing, I'm feeling very thankful for the people I've gotten to know and work with, and the wonderful opportunities that have recently been afforded me. Work comes and goes as an actor, but the connections we make will (hopefully) last a lifetime. Cheers!
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Excited to open The God Committee with Oil Lamp Theater tonight! We had a wonderful response to our preview last night, and I can't wait to bring this wonderful show to new audiences. Tickets: http://www.oillamptheater.org/current_season.php Here's a write-up from the Glenview section of the Chicago Sun-Times about what you can expect: A real-time drama of life and death decisions presented at Glenview's Oil Lamp Theater A lovely review & synopsis of RIO in Southside Weekly: WARNING [SPOILERS] - http://southsideweekly.com/drifting-on-the-rio-grande/ And a respectable 3 out of 5 stars from TimeOut Chicago! http://www.timeout.com/chicago/theater/rio Be sure to check out Dream Theatre Company's RIO before time runs out on March 16th! Tickets here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/572603 Get 1/2 price tickets with special code "Willy" By the way, I am excited to announce that I am officially an "Artistic Associate" of Dream Theatre Company! Looking forward to future collaborations with DTC, especially that one show with the chainsaw..... ;) In other news....there are only SIX DAYS until The God Committee opens at Oil Lamp Theater! It's shaping up to be a real edge-of-your-seat drama, in a TOTALLY different way from RIO. I love how theatre can take you from 80's Texas serial killers to a present day hospital drama about a heart transplant committee. If you can't make the run of the show or are on a tight budget, catch a FREE preview of The God Committee this Wednesday, April 5 at 8pm! No reservation necessary. We'd love to have you there! Tickets for the run of The God Committee: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/501129 Code "God" for $5 off! Get 1/2 price tickets for Sunday and Thursday performances at: http://www.goldstar.com/events/glenview-il/the-god-committee Check out our first review from Northwest Indiana Times! nwitimes.com OFFBEAT: Dream Theatre offers eerily entertaining stage tale 'Rio'Phil Potempa's daily entertainment news column February 22, 2014 12:00 am • By Philip Potempa philip.potempa@nwi.com, (219) 852-4327 Chicago is home to not only a fantastic array of large theater spaces showcasing the talents of actors and actresses from near and far, but also a shining vast selection of gritty storefront theater spaces. Dream Theatre Company, located in the West Loop at 556 W. 18th St. in Chicago, has the most fitting of performance company names. This small, yet mighty, group of creative minds always "dreams" up imaginative stories to bring to life. Their latest offering is called "Rio," by artistic directorJeremy Menekseoglu, with the latter also starring in his own work. It opened on Thursday, Feb. 20, and continues until March 16. With just a cast of four, it grips and captures a range of emotions for audiences who come face to face with the twisted mind of a serial killer. Running just 90 minutes, which includes a 15-minute intermission, "Rio" takes its title because the story is set near the Texas and Mexico border. The lead female character is Mary Graves, a victim of spousal abuse who flees her torment for the uncertainty of an upside-down life without any money or the support of others. Played with depth and substance by young actress Nicole Roberts, this is a character the audience can care about with real concern, a credit to Roberts' performance. Mary finds an unlikely helpful spirit from a hapless drifter named Willy, played by Menekseoglu, who has an uncanny talent for shifting personas (and voices) with precision. Sharing a run-down motel room, as well as each other's problems and passion, the duo find themselves emerged in a world of reckless abandon, both morally and spiritually. Alif Muhammad, who gives the weakest of the four performances, plays an officer investigating a recent series of horrific murders of Mexican immigrants. The standout performance of this production is actress Candace Kitchens, who plays Beth, a crass, brash motel maid. With a perpetually disheveled appearance in her uniform, topped off by a shock of hair, Kitchens and her letter-perfect performance are worth the price of this ticket. I see plenty of plays, week after week. This is one I would see a second time just because of Kitchens' entertaining turn as Beth. With a balance of talent, as directed by Laura Gouin and some great costume choices by Megan Merrill, tickets are $10 to $15 at dreamtheatrecompany.com. http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/audience-annihilated-part-two-gold-star-sticker/Event?oid=11367826
Audience Annihilated Part Two: Gold Star Sticker When: 10/31-11/3: Thu-Sat 7:30, 8, 8:30, and 9 PM, Sun 7:30, 8, 8:30, 9, and 9:30 PM Price: $18 In his second 15-minute haunted house/horror show (the first staged in 2011), Jeremy Menekseoglu creates a thoroughly chilling nightmare in the time it takes most performances to open the curtain. Up to four audience members can play the starring role of six-year-old Princess, chained first to the TV (metaphorically), then the bed (actually), as she's subjected to the disturbing events unfolding around her. Other, more traditional seats are available, but I recommend this role, especially if you have a hand to hold. The thrillingly too-close-for-comfort characters, whose beer breath you can smell, are flawless: Nicole Roberts is heartless as Mother and Madelaine Schmitt worms into the pit of your stomach as Bear, a teddy-turned-tormentor. —Marissa Oberlander RECOMMENDED Let’s start with this: I’m not one to make sweeping statements, but “Audience Annihilated Part Two: Gold Star Sticker,” in all its brief but intense fifteen-minute glory, is easily the scariest play (if that’s what this show could be classified as) I’ve ever attended. I’d like to leave it at that and let you discover the rest for yourself (which any fan of a good, solid scare should do immediately), but perhaps a bit more information is necessary. There are haunted houses. There are horror plays. And in the twisted space between the two there’s Dream Theatre’s truly disturbing “Audience Annihilated” concept, in which you, the audience member, sit passively in the midst of a terrifying world that rapidly unravels around you. In 2011, with “Audience Annihilated Part One: Women Only Train,” writer/director Jeremy Menekseoglu tested the waters of this haunted house/horror play mashup, creating a world in which an American waiting for a late-night train was sucked into a violent and gory underworld. And while “Part One” was indeed frightening, “Part Two,” in which the concept has been tightened and perfected, is disturbing on a whole other level. Upon entering the theater space (ten minutes before the show “begins”), you’re directed to have a seat on a small chair in front of a small television in a dingy living room. The flickering screen is showing a horror movie (“Demons 2,” in all it’s Dario Argento-laced madness on the night I attended). The light from the television is the only light in the room, revealing a mess of empty beer cans, pill bottles and general mess. And here you sit. It’s revealed to you by a chaperone of sorts (Anna Menekseoglu), through subtle hints, that you are a young girl called “Princess,” much too young to be watching this movie alone in the dark. And then the door bursts open and the show really begins. I’m loathe to reveal more of the story/events after this point in order to retain the heart-thumping uncertainty that audience members are subjected to as the show unfolds, so I’ll leave it there. Suffice it to say that this living room isn’t the only space you’re subjected to and that the cast sells the unfolding scenarios scarily well. There’s Momma (a terrifically reproachful Nicole Roberts), Nose (a wheezing and gaping Amanda Meyer), Guitar (a cackling Menekseoglu, whose seeming kindness hides deeper terrors than Momma’s constant anger) and Bear (a not-so-friendly stuffed animal, expertly puppeteered and voiced by Madelaine Schmitt). A ticket to watch from the sidelines is also available for those hesitant to be thrust into the middle of the action. But if your heart can stand it, go for the Princess ticket. And try not to wet the bed you get tucked into. (Zach Freeman) At Dream Theatre, 556 W. 18th St, (773)552-8616, dreamtheatrecompany.com. $18. Through November 3. - See more at: http://newcitystage.com/2013/10/24/review-audience-annihilated-part-two-gold-star-sticker/#sthash.gfbN7jRk.dpuf
The Tempest The first review for Streeterville is in, grabbing a respectable 3 stars! I even get a shout out! Read on for link and full text: http://chicagotheaterbeat.com/2012/08/22/review-streeterville-theatre-hikes/ Streeterville Review by Keith Glab For the past 11 years, Theatre-Hikes has pioneered a combination of… wait for it… theatre and hiking. Parks, arboretums, and other pockets of nature within Chicago’s urban climate serve as venues for this experience. Plays are broken up into a handful of scenes that take place at different locations around the venue, and audiences are guided by a hike leader from scene to scene. Buckets and pads are provided for use during the scenes, but patrons are welcome to bring their own blankets or camping chairs. Some settings also feature picnic benches, logs, or other built-in seating options. A couple of the actors play music as the group hikes to the first scene. (Water and other provisions are not offered, which is a missed opportunity both as a means of generating revenue and as a courtesy to the patrons embarking on this two-and-a-half hour journey.) I attended Streeterville, the third of Theatre-Hikes’ five shows this season, at beautifulNorth Park Village Nature Center. The story of George Wellington “Cap” Streeter (Sean Thomas) and his foundation of The District of Lake Michigan unfolds across four scenes. At North Park, a section of the trail riddled with dead logs became the ideal spot for the Reutan’s shipwreck. A pond was aptly utilized to convey a lakeside setting in the second scene. The final two settings were less scene-appropriate, but still picturesque. Our hike leader (Bradley Baker) warns of strong language and that the hike is technically for ages eight and up, but this is an ideal way to expose children to theatre. The fresh air, inclusion of music, and dynamic settings help hold the attention of youngsters for over two hours of performance. In this case, the rather archetypal characters (a crooked politician, a prostitute seeking redemption, a wealthy couple acting selfishly) and plotlines (marriage, a play-within-a-play, courtroom scenes) are also better-suited for theatre neophytes than theatre geeks. The language isn’t as strong as the average primetime TV drama. Even the acting, which is more grandiose than naturalistic due to the need to compete with traffic sounds, geese, and other distractions found in outdoor settings, lends itself well to children. (There was a comical moment when the line, “I never noticed how quiet it is by the lakefront” was uttered as an airplane roared overhead). Although the acting is big, it rarely bleeds into the realm of overdoing it. Thomas as Streeter and Steve Parks as the vagabond Klondike (who handles intermittent narration) carry the action with memorable, larger-than-life characters that nevertheless feature nice moments of subtlety. Amanda Lynn Meyer and David Fink also stand out in their supporting roles. Meyer gives Jane a complexity and ambivalence missing in many of the other characters while Fink deftly transforms from an eager news reporter to a comically inebriated Polish immigrant to a menacing hired gunman to a somber priest. Some of the actors, when not onstage, provide simple sound effects for the scene behind the audience. There is a minimalist use of props, and Director Brian Rabinowitz keeps the blocking simple, a necessity when performing at multiple venues. The costumes really stand out amongst the production values, instantly transporting the audience into the late 19th-century. This insight into the formation of the neighborhood we still know as Streeterville proves educational not only for the children in attendance, but for the adults as well. It’s an intriguing story that every Chicagoan should know but most do not, and it’s told in an interesting and very aesthetically pleasing manner by Theatre-Hikes. |
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