april #3: the mother

saturday evening i had the pleasure of seeing oracle theatre's THE MOTHER.

what: the mother by bertolt brecht

where: the oracle theatre's storefront space in lakeview

accompaniment: dustin, matt, & megan!

drinkability: oracle is byob & often gives out beers with their performances.

show length: just over 2 hours, no intermission.

out of four: four/four

before i get a chance to see anything else i'll say this: this show is free and amazing. go see it, then come back to your computer and read whatever i have to say about it.

i've been a long time fan of oracle theatre's work since an old castmate was in a production of BLOOD WEDDING a couple of years ago. i was enthralled by their use of their small space in addition to the fact that all of oracle's shows are free. F R E E. i usually take every opportunity i have to see a show by them and have so far in addition to blood wedding have seen WOYZECK, IRONMISTRESS, ACCIDENTAL DEATH OF AN ANARCHIST and have appeared with a couple of my castmates in their TONIGHT ITS LIVE! series. and THE MOTHER is above and beyond the best show i've seen them do.

the entire playing space is comprised of large benches with stools placed between them. before you enter the space you are urged to sit on the stools for the most action, so thats where we set up shop. when sitting, the benches are at shoulder height so you spend a lot of the play looking up at the players above you which also completely immerses you in the action.

expertly directed by max truax THE MOTHER is listed as a musical but feels more like a play with music. katherine keberlein is essentially flawless in the role of pelagea vlassova (aka the mother). pelagea gets involved in protests and movement against the working regime in russia in order to keep her son pavel out of danger. she quickly becomes deeper and deeper involved in the movement and by the end of the play is all but running it on her own. the play displays not only how far you'll go for the love of your family but also how far you might go for belief in change and the rights of the people.

dechantel kosmatka also shines in her role as the commissioner. she gets most of her stage time in the preshow as she calmly and carefully steps above your head from bench to bench removing programs, drinks, pieces of paper and even purses from causing potential obstruction for the play before it begins. soon enough cast members who have been hiding beneath your feet begin employing the audience to pass notes and paper while she isn't looking. while the pre show can feel winded and jarring after a while (specifically with the same chime music sequence happening in the background), its a fun interaction with the characters and an introduction into the oppression and rule that you are soon to see the actors fighting against.

i can't say enough about how much i loved this show. there were so few moments that took me out of the story that i've all but forgotten them. oracle theatre provides a wonderful opportunity for the people of chicago to see absolute quality work and for absolutely free. you're doing yourself a disservice if you don't make it out to see their productions, specifically the mother.

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bonus!! saturday night i also caught the 2nd installment of the monthly storytelling series by the inconvenience at theatre wit.

not only do they have the coolest advertisements around, but they put on a good show, too. with a theme for the night (saturdays was "take it to your grave"), three storytellers share tales with a musical guest who fills in between stories and during breaks. all i'll say is, its the best $6 you'll spend on a good ole time late night storytelling event, so don't miss the next installments.

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upcoming april shows: tuesday april 30, 7:30pm: unrehearsed shakespeare company's much ado about nothing

join me, will you?

april #2: dawn, quixote

sunday afternoon i had the pleasure of seeing the building stage's DAWN, QUIXOTE.

what: dawn, quixote adapted from the novel don quixote by miguel de cervantes

where: the building stage's space located in the west loop

accompaniment: my favorite date: dustin.

drinkability: cheap wine, beer, or soda for sale before show!

show length: 95 minutes, no intermission

out of four: three/four

unfortunately my first chance to see a production at the building stage will ultimately be my last. the building stage announced earlier this year that dawn, quixote would be their final show ever. this coupled with the production shots of six humans in beards and wigs with ukuleles and i knew i had to make it out or else.

the house opens about 10 minutes before the play begins. the lobby as well as the set house props and costume items that are all for sale as the building stage is closing down. the quixote's (all characters are known as this) wander around the stage, setting their props for the show, playing games, talking to audience members, etc. until showtime. this is the sort of preshow that makes me sigh and wish that they would hurry up and get to it already. if it doesn't add to the show: why do it??

once the show got underway my attitude perked up quite a bit. three females and three males play the role of don quixote and his adventures as well as his partner in crime sancho, various other characters, run the lights, run the sound, cue from scene to scene, and oh yeah, play ukuleles.

i think what i enjoyed most about this production is the ability to see that the cast was really having fun. none of them seemed to be calling it in at all. while the transitions, movement, scene shifts, etc. weren't always flawless, this ensemble required quite a bit of work and understanding of the script in order to pull it off. the dialogue clips along as they finish sentence by sentence together, at once establishing a group collective while all finding ways to display their own voice and talent in the production.

this was above and beyond the best lighting i have seen in quite a while. jared moore designed the lights for dawn, quixote and i applaud him. from hazy reds and yellows to the effective use of spotlights, it made a prop and set-light show so enhanced. and for a girl who rarely takes note of a lot of technical aspects: it says a lot.

i also thoroughly enjoyed the music bits in the show. they added an air of humor when needed and also a drone of sadness at times. all six actors with their ukuleles was a great visual as well as a unique way to tell this tale.

all in all, i'm sad to see the building stage go. their space is large and beautiful and as they showed in dawn, quixote, they have the capacity to create fabulous work. if you have the chance, catch this show, especially if you haven't seen work at the building stage previously. and then, take home a pair of shoes with you.

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upcoming april shows:

saturday april 27, 8pm: oracle theatre's the mother

tuesday april 30, 7pm: unrehearsed shakespeare company's much ado about nothing

join me, will you?

april #1: the brig

last night i had the pleasure of seeing mary arrchie theatre company's THE BRIG.

what: the brig by kenneth h. brown

where: mary arrchie's space (known as angel island) on sheridan & broadway

accompaniment: the coolest dude around: dustin.

drinkability: byob! or do what we did & get margs down the street at el mariachi beforehand.

show length: 1 hour, no intermission.

out of four: two and a half/four

i was very excited to finally catch a show at mary arrchie. the show i'm currently in was directed by carlo lorenzo-garcia, the producing director for this production & mary arrchie in general, and a few of my castmates are also m.a. associated, so when the preview tickets showed up on goldstar super cheap i snatched 'em up.

doors open just under 10 minutes before the show starts and you immediately enter into "the brig" aka the military prison these nine men are in. the nine prisoners are sleeping in their bunks while the guards mill around as the audience sits making small talk until its time for them to waken the prisoners. the seating in the space is strange and most definitely uncommon. we got seats in an isolated cage area that was boxed in floor to ceiling by a chain link fence. shortly after the show began they closed and "locked" the gate, locking the 10 or so of us in with it. other audience members sit along the walls as well as in the center of the barracks.

the show is a display of the day in the life of these prisoners in the brig. it's a glimpse into actions that we have all seen in military tv and movies (lots of yelling, lots of "yes sir, no sir", lots of tasks like scrubbing the floors, redressing their bunks, etc.) with a hint of an extra threat as these prisoners are in the brig for a set amount of days for something they have done. but, what was it that they did? unfortunately: this question is simply never answered.

i have no doubts this is an accurate display of a marine brig, as playwright kenneth h. brown wrote this on account of his own 30 days spent in one in 1957. we watch the 9 prisoners march, run, undress, redress, undress, redress, undress, redress, get frisked, do pushups, get humiliated, be physically abused, sweat, yell, yell some more, and many other physically demanding loss-of-breath-inducing actions. simply put: the audience spends 60 minutes watching men do what their told and ask permission to correctly complete the tasks.

we only hear from one prisoner throughout the show who steps out of line and demands to be set free. he is shortly after thrown into the cage in which i was sitting. this sparked a bit of hope in me, hoping we'd see more insight into the prisoners and why exactly they ended up in the brig or any sort of real emotion from them apart from simply following the demands of their officers.

the physical aspect of this show and the total commitment by the actors is nothing short of impressive. i felt exhausted FOR them by the time the show was over. my only wish was that we got to see more into these men's lives, or even have any sort of insight as to what sort of mishap sends you to the brig. obviously that wasn't kenneth h. brown's intention but instead to simply immerse the audience in a day-in-the-life of something that most people will never get to experience.

go see this show for the physical triumphs these actors achieve, just don't expect your typical storyline. and there's nothin' wrong with that.

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upcoming april shows:

sunday april 21, 4pm: the building stage's dawn quixote

saturday april 27, 8pm: oracle theatre's the mother

tuesday april 30, 7pm: the unrehearsed shakespeare company's much ado about nothing

join me, will you?

april update//shameless plug!

let's get the shameless plug out of the way, why don't we?

i am playing lady anne in wayward production's RICHARD III! we added 4 shows to our original run. next weekend is our last "full weekend" with shows thursday-saturday, followed by a monday industry night and two more friday night performances. tickets are $25 through ticketweb, or grab one of our limited discount tickets on goldstar HERE. thanks.

i've finally got my picks for april down and scheduled. here's what i'm seeing:

wednesday april 17, 8pm: mary arrchie's THE BRIG (discounted tickets here)

sunday april 21, 4pm: the building stage's DAWN QUIXOTE (discounted tickets here)

tuesday april 23, 7pm: the unrehearsed shakespeare company's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

saturday april 27, 8pm: oracle theatre's THE MOTHER (free tickets here)

i'm going to new york in may and i hope i can see a show or two there to include in four in four for may. in the meantime, grab some tickets to theatre (i paid less than $20 for each show this month!!) and join me, will you?

march #4: the bacchae

saturday night i had the pleasure of seeing the right brain project's THE BACCHAE REVISTED.

what: the bacchae revisited originally by euripides, interpreted by rbp
where: the right brain project's rorschach space: 4001 n ravenswood
accompaniment: trusty theatre goer dustin as well as friend & castmate ally!
drinkability: tops. the actors serve you wine and about halfway through the show they refill it for you.
show length: 90 minutes, no intermission
out of four: three and a half/four

i've been attending the right brain project's work for a couple of seasons now, and wanted to audition for the bacchae when it was announced, but alas, i knew i would be in a production during the same run time. luckily, my show was dark on saturday night so it was the perfect chance to catch the bacchae and a few of my friends perform in the small space in irving park.

you enter into a dimly lit room and are immediately offered wine. kind of the best deal ever, right? all of the cast is already out on "stage", which is essentially the entire room you're in, save from the few chairs that the audience are seated on. the actors were obviously encouraged to talk with the audience as they came in and i had a pleasant conversation with an actress in front of me, as well as some greetings by fellow actors i've worked with before. the confusing part of this was the actors weren't interacting with you as characters (many introduced themselves by their real names as well as my friends casually talking to me about things outside of the show), and we aren't 'shown' that the play has started until after the actors assemble, wish each other 'good show', and then begin. i liked the soft-spoken, dim, wine-filled introduction into the show, yet why not completely immerse the audience by already being in character from the first introduction?

i wasn't familiar with the bacchae before coming into the show (which is always the best in my opinion...to go in with no expectations) and when i left i kicked myself for never being exposed to it before. its a story about women who ban together who are powerful and feared and courageous and downright badass. there's strong nudity in this show but there's also an incredibly strong sense of ensemble and kinship among the women. they have subtle smiles, constantly grazing each other's arms in support, and altogether work wonderfully as a unit. either this group of women really connected through their process or they're simply incredible actors. or both.

the men are not to be snubbed either. the smaller male ensemble spent the majority of the show in masks but with physical and combat direction from orion couling, they moved, danced, fought, and tumbled around the small space with great force. joe ramski played the one male character on the women's side and played it well. its easily the best role i've seen joe in in the last couple of years i've worked with him.

all in all, i applaud right brain for their efforts and for this all-encompassing performance. it's not perfect by any means, but they successfully created a world that you were engrossed in from the moment you stepped through the curtain.

and the wine ALWAYS helps.

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upcoming april shows:
tuesday april 23rd 7pm: the unrehearsed shakespeare company's much ado about nothing
TBD: sideshow theatre project's maria/stuart
TBD: mary arrchie's the brig
TBD

join me, will you?