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Showing posts with label Actor's Gym. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Actor's Gym. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
ACT OUT OPENING: The Last Voyage of Pirate Blackheart and More at Actors Gym #agyouthcircus #CircusinProgress
Thursday, March 6, 2014
REVIEW: The Magical Exploding Boy and The Invisible Circus Through 3/23 #explodingcircus #OriginalPhotos #KidsReview #SageAndDusReviews #circus
ChiIL Mama's ChiIL Picks List:
Best Family Friendly
Theatre Productions
Sage & Du's Reviews
(A Kids' Eye View)
The Magical Exploding Boy
and The Invisible Circus
at
The Actors Gymnasium
Review by Sage and/or Dugan (ages 10 & 12)
We thought that it was really fun. We liked it. But we don't think it should be called The Magical Exploding Boy. He only exploded once and it wasn't a big part of the overall plot. We would have renamed it Unique Boy.
Dean Evans was funny... he just is. That's the kind of person he is. Dean's underwater stuff was really amazing like the manta ray, different sized jelly fish, and crab. The baby head bit is a little disturbing but totally amusing.
The invisible circus at the beginning was really awesome. The strong man was hilarious. We like that the circus skills are in a plot, not just random, and the kids in the show play a wide variety of instruments too.
We liked the big office scene drumming in particular. The drumming on desks was one of our favorite parts. There were a ton of talented kids IN the show who were great.
We liked the big office scene drumming in particular. The drumming on desks was one of our favorite parts. There were a ton of talented kids IN the show who were great.
We thought that the big wrestling guy was really funny and one of our favorite characters. The Chinese pole act was very good. The alien contortion act was also very cool.
The Basic Plot:
This one guy (Dean Evans) is like a little kid but he's a grown up. The show is about his point of view. Everyone tells him to grow up, but instead he just explodes. He dreams he's in outer space and stuff. We thought the business suits, ties & work world stuff was funny because the littlest kids were the bosses of the grownups.
The basic meaning of the show was be unique and to relax and be yourself.
After the show we were both begging mom to let us take classes and summer camp here at Actors Gymnasium and audition for the spring show. We wish we lived closer to Evanston.
This production is great for everyone of all ages, who likes circus, clowning, fantasy and being unique. Nothing scared either of us or creeped us out. Overall, we thought it was excellent, and highly recommend it.
ChiIL Mama Says:
Quit hangin around the house and GO ALREADY! The Magical Exploding Boy and The Invisible Circus rocks. Hilarious, multifaceted and quirky just don't do this show justice. We adored the deeper message of embracing individuality couched in stellar circus arts acts. Actors Gym combines live instruments, catchy tunes with goofy lyrics, and circus arts galore, all within a fantastically fun story line.
Dean Evans has long been a favorite of ours with his physical comedy prowess and his child like, empathy inducing grins. Dean is one weird dude with talent to spare. We dare you not to laugh.
It was also a true treat to see so many Actors Gym regulars back again. We've admired the high caliber shows at Actors Gym for years, but the spring show is a particular favorite of ours because they seamlessly combine professionals with their teen ensemble and young artists.
Worlds Collide Alert:
The pros in this show include Dean Evans (AKA: Honeybuns) who has rocked our world in loads of shows with other big time favorites of our like 500 Clown, IO, Second City, The Goodman, The Ruffians (We LOVE Burning Bluebeard), Redmoon and Chicago Childrens Theatre
My own 2 kids have studied circus arts for 3 years, so we know Will Howard from CircEsteem. He also works with our friends over at Aloft--who put on The Contemporary Circus Festival and are renowned for their monthly El Circo Cheapo shows as well as adult classes.
Simone and Lindsey bring strength, grace and girl power to the shows. We've also utterly enjoyed Lindsey's work with our friends over at Lookingglass, Victory Gardens, Redmoon and punk rock marching band, Mucca Pazza!
It was also a treat to see the talented teen ensemble and young artists. Emerson and Saylor Catlin are back again--talented sisters who are the daughters of David & Kerry Catlin. Their mom is a professor with an acting/writing/directing background and their dad is an actor/director currently directing the Jeff recommended smash hit, The Little Prince at Lookingglass.
We've known Saylor since she was in preschool with our daughter Sage and we've enjoyed Saylor and Emerson's on stage antics (with their dad, too) in Lost & Found: A Recycled Circus and in Skooled.
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Friday, November 15, 2013
ACT OUT OPENING: LOOKINGGLASS THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS THE LITTLE PRINCE
LOOKINGGLASS THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS
THE LITTLE PRINCE
BY RICK CUMMINS AND JOHN SCOULLAR
BASED ON THE BOOK BY ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY
AND DIRECTED BY ENSEMBLE MEMBER DAVID CATLIN
Here at ChiIL Mama & ChiIL Live Shows, we've been avid admirers of David Catlin's work on stage and behind the scenes for years, and we're eagerly awaiting the opening of The Little Prince. Our daughters went to pre-school together waaaay back in the day, about 8 years ago and we're hoping to catch him again for a video interview in the near future. Click below to check out our prior interview with him for our series on How Creatives Parent and How Parents Create (5/11/13 Elephant & The Whale at Chicago Children's Theatre). David is a fixture on the Chicago Theatre scene and Dad to two daughters.
Continuing its 26th Season, Lookingglass Theatre Company presents The Little Prince, produced in Association with The Actors Gymnasium, by Rick Cummins and John Scoullar, based on the book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, and directed by Ensemble Member David Catlin. The Little Prince runs December 5, 2013 – February 2, 2014 at Lookingglass Theatre Company, located inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson.
Stuck, thirsty and alone. A pilot stranded in the Sahara Desert meets an enigmatic, charismatic young prince fallen from the sky who regales him with tales of life among the stars: tales with earthly importance. In this visually arresting, fully immersive theatrical interpretation of the beloved French novella, director David Catlin (creator of Lookingglass Alice) illustrates the story with fantastic characters and gravity-defying, awe-inspiring physical feats.
The Little Prince speaks – in breathtaking splendor – to the castaway in all of us: challenging our perspective, opening our eyes and bringing us back to the heart of what truly matters.
The Little Prince speaks – in breathtaking splendor – to the castaway in all of us: challenging our perspective, opening our eyes and bringing us back to the heart of what truly matters.
"Everyone who saw and thrilled to David's Lookingglass Alice will remember his penchant for creating stories that are full to bursting with spectacles of pure delight and inventiveness, “ says Artistic Director Andrew White. “He'll be bringing all of that unmatched creativity and passion to this internationally beloved story, creating a show that truly will appeal to audiences of all ages -- to parents as well as their kids, to grandparents and grandchildren, to anyone who, as David puts it, has found themselves at some point in their lives stuck, thirsty and alone - and who hasn't?."
“I love The Little Prince because it has something for everyone. Kids will dig the strange characters and the intergalactic story. Teens and college kids will connect with the impending responsibility of becoming a grown-up. And grown-ups will identify with our lonely Aviator who crashes in the Sahara Desert a thousand miles from anyone and anywhere with barely enough water for a week,” comments director David Catlin. “In this crisis, our Aviator needs the wisdom of a child—a Little Prince-- to remember that ‘what is essential is invisible to the eye’ and the importance of cultivating ties with others.”
The cast includes Ensemble Member Raymond Fox (King), Artistic Associates Lauren Hirte (Desert Rose) and Louise Lamson (Rose) with Ian Barford (Aviator), Amelia Hefferon (Little Prince), Kareem Bandealy (Snake), Adeoye (Lamp Lighter) and Kasey Foster (Fox).
The design team includes Artistic Associates Rick Sims (sound) and Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi (acrobatic/circus choreography) with Courtney O’Neill (set), Salley Dolembo (costumes), William Kirkham (lighting), Maria DeFabo (Properties), Lee Brasuell (rigger), Tess Golden (Stage Manager) and Kelsey Lamm (Assistant Stage Manager).
The production sponsor for The Little Prince is Allstate, which is also the sponsor of the Education Programs for the production.
Lookingglass Theatre 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. Discounted parking is available for Lookingglass patrons at the nearby Olympia Centre Self Park (161 E. Chicago Ave.).
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
David Catlin (Director/Ensemble Member) Recent Lookingglass directing credits include: Icarus, Lookingglass Alice, and Black Diamond (with Nicky Brooks). Regional directing credits include: McCarter (Princeton, NJ), Arden (Philadelphia), The New Victory (NYC), Syracuse Stage, Actors Theater of Louisville, the Alliance (Atlanta) and the Getty Villa (Los Angeles). Other recent directing credits include: The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley (NU), The Little Prince (NU), and The Monster Under the Bed (Depaul). David teaches acting with Northwestern University’s theatre department and will direct Moby Dick there in April 2014. David lives in Chicago with his wife Kerry and their two daughters Emerson and Saylor.
Adeoye (Lamp Lighter) returns home to Chicago and to Lookingglass with The Little Prince. He most recently appeared in Optimism! Or Voltaire’s Candide at Spooky Action Theater in Washington DC. Other DC credits: All’s Well That Ends Well and The Atheist’s Tragedy at The Academy for Classical Acting at The Shakespeare Theatre and The George Washington University, where he earned his MFA. Previous Lookingglass credits: Peter Pan, Lookingglass Alice, Icarus and Black Diamond. Other Chicago credits: The Unmentionables (Steppenwolf Theatre), The Lost Boys of Sudan (Victory Gardens Theater). Regional credits: A Raisin in the Sun (Guthrie Theatre/Penumbra Theatre,) Intimate Apparel (Clarence Brown Theatre). Television credits: “Detroit 1-8-7,” “Leverage,” “Prison Break.” Film credits: #Vengeance is Mine.
Kareem Bandealy (Snake) has appeared previously at Lookingglass in Big Lake Big City, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, The Last Act of Lilka Kadison, and Peter Pan (A Play). Chicago: Rock ‘N’ Roll, Gas For Less, King Lear (Goodman Theatre), The Wheel (Steppenwolf Theatre Company), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Edward II, Romeo & Juliet (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), The Illusion (Court Theatre), Hamlet, The Caretaker, Heartbreak House (Writers’ Theatre), Blood and Gifts (TimeLine Theatre), and The Real Thing (Remy Bumppo). Regional: The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Three Musketeers, The Tempest (Illinois Shakespeare), Love’s Labour’s Lost (Notre Dame Shakespeare), Stuff Happens, Julius Caesar (Pittsburgh Irish & Classical), and four seasons at Orlando Shakespeare Theater. Film credits include The Merry Gentleman (Michael Keaton, director). In 2011, he received a 3Arts Artist Award.
Ian Barford (Aviator) makes his debut with Lookingglass Theatre. Most Chicago appearances have been with Steppenwolf where he is an ensemble member. Some favorites there include: August: Osage County (original company, Broadway and the National Theater in London), The March (Jeff nom. for best supporting actor), Endgame, The Libertine, As I Lay Dying and The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (Broadway, Outer Circle critics nom.) and many others. Love Song at 59E59 in NYC. Originated the role of Dr. Khassan Baiev, a Chechen surgeon, in The Oath based upon his autobiography. In Los Angeles, The Weir, God’s Man in Texas and Take Me Out at the Geffen Playhouse. Dead End at the Ahmanson. All The Rage and Design for Living at the Goodman. Othello at Chicago Shakes. National Tour of Picasso at the Lapin Agile. Soon to be released films include: Shreveport, Return to Sender. Other Films: Road to Perdition, 13 Going on 30 and others. Numerous TV appearances.
Kasey Foster (Fox) has performed with Chicago Children’s Theatre, Redmoon, Dog n Pony, Trap Door, Theater Wit, Red Tape, and Collaboraction. She sings with local bands: This Must be the Band, Grood, and Old Timey. Foster co-produces The Monthly Visit with Kevin O’Donnell, and has choreographed and directed over thirty original works since her Chicago arrival in 2004. One of her favorite projects to produce and choreograph is a series called Dance Tribute, which takes place twice a year at Martyrs’ on Lincoln Ave.
Raymond Fox (King) is a Lookingglass Ensemble Member and recently appeared as Simon Craig in Blood and Gifts with TimeLine Theatre. His numerous Lookingglass credits include Metamorphoses (original 1998-1999 premiere and 2012-2013 revival), a play he originally performed across the country including its Off Broadway and Broadway productions. Additional regional credits: Goodman Theatre, Court Theatre, Remy Bumppo, Tectonic Theatre Project/About Face Theatre, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Next Theatre, First Folio, Meadow Brook Theatre, Arden Theatre, Arena Stage, Mark Taper Forum, McCarter Theatre, Berkeley Rep., Seattle Rep., American Repertory Theatre, Hartford Stage, and Canada’s Stratford Festival. Mr. Fox is a graduate of Northwestern University and the A.R.T. Institute at Harvard University.
Amelia Hefferon (Little Prince) makes her professional debut with The Little Prince. Amelia is a Michigan native and a recent graduate of Northwestern University where she studied theatre and art history.
Lauren Hirte (Desert Rose) is an Artistic Associate returning to Lookingglass with The Little Prince, where her credits also include: Alice in Lookingglass Alice, Icarus, Fedra, Hephaestus, and Hard Times. Regional credits: Actors Theatre of Louisville, Arden Theatre, McCarter Theatre, The New Victory, and most recently as the title character in Milwaukee Rep’s The Diary of Anne Frank. She has studied, taught and performed at the Piven Theatre, and at the Actors Gymnasium. Recently, Lauren has been living in LA, and spent the summer with Steppenwolf West at CSU Summer Arts in Monterey Bay, CA.
Louise Lamson (Rose) is an Artistic Associate of Lookingglass Theatre where she has been seen in The Idiot, Hard Times, The Secret in the Wings, The Wooden Breeks, Icarus (at the Getty Villa, L.A.), The Brothers Karamazov, Our Town, The Arabian Nights, Ethan Frome, and most recently Metamorphoses. Some other Chicago credits include: About Face Theatre’s Bash (After Dark award and Jeff nomination); The Odyssey (Goodman); and The Adventures of Herculina (Next Theatre). New York credits include: Metamorphoses (Second Stage and Broadway) and The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci (Second Stage). Louise is a graduate of Northwestern University.
About Lookingglass Theatre Company
Inventive. Collaborative. Transformative. Lookingglass Theatre Company, recipient of the 2011 Regional Theatre Tony Award, was founded in 1988 by eight Northwestern University students. Now in its 26th season, Lookingglass is home to a multi-disciplined ensemble of artists who create story-centered theatrical work that is physical, aurally rich and visually metaphoric. The Company has staged 61 world premieres, received 101 Joseph Jefferson awards and nominations, and work premiered at Lookingglass has been produced in New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, Berkeley, Philadelphia, Princeton, Hartford, Kansas City, Washington D.C., and St. Louis. Lookingglass original scripts have been produced across the United States.
The Lookingglass Theatre in Chicago's landmark Water Tower Water Works opened in June 2003. In addition to developing and presenting ensemble work, Lookingglass Education and Community programs encourage creativity, teamwork and confidence with thousands of community members each year.
Lookingglass Theatre Company continues to expand its artistic, financial and institutional boundaries under the guidance of Artistic Director Andrew White, Executive Director Rachel Kraft, Producing Artistic Director Philip R. Smith, Artistic Director of New Work Heidi Stillman, a 24-member artistic ensemble, 15 artistic associates, 11 production affiliates, an administrative staff and a dedicated board of directors led by Chairman Joe Brady of Jones Lang LaSalle and President John McGowan of Northern Trust Chicago. For more information, visit lookingglasstheatre.org.
FACT SHEET/The Little Prince
Title: The Little Prince
Written by: Rick Cummings and John Scoullar
Based on the
Book by: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Directed by: Ensemble Member David Catlin
Produced in Association with The Actors Gymnasium
Dates: Previews: December 5 – 13, 2013
7:30 PM
Regular run: December 15, 2013 – February 2, 2014
Times: Tuesdays: 3:00 p.m. (Dec. 31 only)
7:30 p.m. (except Dec. 24, Jan. 7 and 21)
Wednesdays: 7:30 p.m. (except Dec. 25 and Jan. 1)
Thursdays: 3:00 p.m. (Dec. 26, Jan 2, 9 and 23 only)
7:30 p.m.
Fridays: 7:30 p.m.
Saturdays: 3:00 p.m. (except Dec. 7); 7:30 p.m.
Sundays: 3:00 p.m.; 7:30 p.m.
Accessible
Performances: Touch tour/Audio described performance, January 19 at 1pm prior to curtain;
Open captioned performance, January 26 at 3:00pm. Partial support for open captioning provided by Theatre Development Fund.
Location: Lookingglass Theatre Company, located inside Chicago's historic
Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson.
Prices: Previews are $35 - $45
Regular Run is $45 - $75
Prices are subject to change.
Target Saturday Matinees offer a limited number of buy one, get one free tickets which are available to all 3:00 p.m. Saturday matinees.
This program is made possible with the generous support of Target, working with Lookingglass to make the arts accessible to all.
A limited number of student tickets are available the day of the show for $20 with valid student ID.
Groups of 8 or more patrons save up to 20%. Call the box office for details.
Box Office: Buy online at www.lookingglasstheatre.org
or by phone at (312) 337-0665
The Lookingglass box office is located at Water Tower Water Works,
821 N. Michigan Ave.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
ACT OUT OPENING: The Actors Gymnasium Circus in Progress 5/18 Only #circus
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Saturday, February 23, 2013
ACT OUT: Get Skooled by Actors Gym Through 3/23 #Review
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Performances run February 16 - March 23, with shows at 7:30 pm on Fridays, 4:30 and 7:30 pm on Saturdays and 3:00 pm on Sundays (No 4:30 show on 2/16). Ticket prices range from $15-20. Tickets can be purchased online through www.actorsgymnasium.com or by calling the office at 847-328-2795. Please call the office for group ticket pricing and availability.The Actors Gymnasium is located at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes Street, Evanston, IL - just off of the Noyes purple line 'L' stop. For additional information on The Actors Gymnasium's innovative programming, please visit www.actorsgymnasium.com or call 847-328-2795.
About The Actors GymnasiumThe Actors Gymnasium is dedicated to bringing a new physicality to the American Theatre. Encouraging ground-breaking theatrical exploration, The Actors Gymnasium teaches circus arts, physical theatre and multi-disciplinary performance to children and adults; produces original, daring works of circus-theatre; and serves as a talent resource, providing performance opportunities to our students and innovative professional event entertainment for a wider audience. At The Actors Gymnasium, people Learn To Fly - physically, emotionally, intellectually and creatively.
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