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IDLE MUSE THEATRE COMPANY
ANNOUNCES A NEW VERSION OF
WHAT THE WEIRD SISTERS SAW
PREMIERING AT THE EDGE OFF-BROADWAY THEATER
MARCH 14 - APRIL 14, 2024
Top row (L to R) Caty Gordon (she/her, Murron); Jennifer Mohr (she/her, Dana); Jamie Redwood (she/her, Alastriona), Elizabeth MacDougald (she/her, Hecate) and Joel Thompson (he/him, Macbeth)
Second row (L to R) Mara Kovacevic (she/her, Lady Macbeth); Troy Schaeflein (he/him, Banquo); Brendan Hutt (he/him, Porter); Watson Swift (he/him, Macduff); Erik Schnitger (he/him, Duncan)
Third row (L to R) Orion Lay-Sleeper (he/him, Malcolm) and understudies Merrick McWherter (she/her), Katy Crow (she/her), Boomer Lusink (he/him) and John Wilson (he/him).
After 15 years; Idle Muse Returns to the Mists and Blasted Heaths of Medieval Scotland with a Reimagined Tale Based on The Tragedy of Macbeth filled with Mystery, Dark Fantasy and Horror
Idle Muse Theatre Company’s 2023 - 2024 season continues with an all-new version of What the Weird Sisters Saw at the Edge Off-Broadway Theater, 1133 W. Catalpa Ave., March 14 - April 14. This world premiere based on Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth as told from the perspective of the three witches is adapted by Artistic Director Evan Jackson and Tristan Brandon and directed by Jackson. The performance schedule for What the Weird Sisters Saw includes two preview performances Thursday, March 14 and Friday, March 15 at 8 p.m. with the press night Saturday, March 16 at 8 p.m. The performance schedule is Thursdays - Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. General admission tickets are on sale now for $30, general admission; $20, students and seniors, and $20, industry, at IdleMuse.org or the Idle Muse Theatre Company Box Office, 773.340.9438.
In 2009, a three-year old Idle Muse Theatre Company produced its first adaptation of a Shakespeare text. Based on William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth and reframed from the perspective of the three witches, What The Weird Sisters Saw told the story of three young druidesses as they followed visions of bloody deeds to uncover the prophecy of a tyrant's ambition.
From this small production at what is now the Jarvis Square Theater, the first ensemble of Idle Muse Theatre Company was born–as well as the company's long standing mission to create works of theater which transport audiences to worlds of magic and mystery. This year, the 15th anniversary of this landmark production, that same ensemble, now a broad collective of theater artists, returns to the stage in a new version.
“This is more than just a remount. The 2024 version of What The Weird Sisters Saw is a complete rewrite and workshop of the original text,” said Artistic Director Jackson. “The same creative team that produced Idle Muse's most beloved "graphic novels on stage" including The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde and The Last Queen Of Camelot are back together again for another tale of mystery and dark fantasy.”
The cast of What the Weird Sisters Saw includes Caty Gordon (she/her, Murron); Jennifer Mohr (she/her, Dana); Jamie Redwood (she/her, Alastriona); Elizabeth MacDougald(she/her, Hecate); Joel Thompson (he/him, Macbeth); Mara Kovacevic (she/her, Lady Macbeth); Troy Schaeflein (he/him, Banquo); Brendan Hutt (he/him, Porter); Watson Swift(he/him, Macduff); Erik Schnitger (he/him, Duncan); Orion Lay-Sleeper (he/him, Malcolm) and understudies Merrick McWherter (she/her), Katy Crow (she/her), Boomer Lusink(he/him) and John Wilson (he/him).
The creative team of What the Weird Sisters Saw includes Evan Jackson (he/him, director and co-adaptor); Tristan Brandon (he/him, co-adaptor; properties designer & health safety officer); Shellie DiSalvo (she/her, production manager); Libby Beyreis (she/her, assistant director and violence designer) Laura Wiley (she/her, lighting & projection designer); L.J. Luthringer (he/him, music & sound designer); Jennifer Mohr (she/her, costume designer); Stina Taylor (she/her, scenic designer); Breezy Snyder (she/her, scenic artist); Cori Lang (she/they, dramaturg); Becky Warner (she/her, stage manager); Line Bower (they/them, technical director); Lindsey Chidester (she/her, assistant stage manager); Michael Dalberg (he/him, iterary director); Mara Kovacevic (she/her, treasurer/box office manager); Kati Lechner(she/her, director of fundraising/health safety officer) and Jinni Barak (she/her, social media).
ABOUT EVAN JACKSON, ADAPTOR/DIRECTOR
Evan Jackson serves as the artistic director of Idle Muse Theatre Company, a position he has had the honor of holding since the company’s inception. He has directed 15 previous productions for Idle Muse Theatre Company, including last season's The Last Queen of Camelot and Upon this Shore: A Tale of Pericles and the Daughters of Tyre, Best for Winter, being a short Shakespeare adapted from the Winter’s Tale and other works and Equivocation,The Lion in Winter and Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure (both Jeff-Recommended), The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Talking Cure, Rites and Sacrifices, a world premiere by Chicago playwright Jennifer L. Mickelson, Enchanted April, The Scullery Maid. He was also director and co-adapter of Shotgun Shakespeare: What the Weird Sisters Saw with Idle Muse company member Tristan Brandon. Outside directing projects include several short plays in the Martin de Maat New Works Festival at Boxer Rebellion Theatre and two summers serving as assistant director for Shakespeare on the Green in Lake Forest. Jackson is a graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University, where he received his MFA in directing.
ABOUT IDLE MUSE THEATRE COMPANY
Idle Muse Theatre Company’s mission is to produce theatre that is transporting, timely and true. The company was established in 2006 by theatre artists interested in exploring the relationship between individuals and the worlds they inhabit. Seeking to create production opportunities for themselves and other artists, they established a modern ‘guild’ of players and environment where theatre artists of different experiences and backgrounds could develop their craft. Today, Idle Muse remains focused on the following core values:
Transporting: We believe that great theatre removes both audience members and artists from their respective reality and transports them to another world.
Timely: We believe that human connection can be accomplished through meaningful, relevant,and accessible storytelling here and now.
True: We believe in unflinching honesty in the playing and storytelling.
In 2022, Idle Muse Theatre Company also began a profit share model with artists and team members for each production. In addition to any stipend or payment for services, a full 50% of all box office revenue is reserved and divided evenly among the cast and production team.
COVID policy: At this time, Idle Muse is not requiring masks or proof of vaccination from audience members. However, Idle Muse is continuing to monitor the evolving public health situation and will update this guidance as necessary to protect the safety of our audience, cast and production team.
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