NOW PLAYING: Pop Waits at the Neo-Futurists Through March 12th

Pop Waits

FEBRUARY 4 - MARCH 12 2016 

THURSDAY/FRIDAY/SATURDAY AT 7:30PM

Price: $10 – $20 & Pay-What-You-Can-Thursdays

BUY TICKETS

or call us at

773-878-4557

Running Time: 90 minutes

Who are you? What are we? Do I repeat the chorus or hit the bridge?

POP WAITS IS AN ATHLETIC, PARTICIPATORY, CLOWN PROVOCATION TO WRITE A SONG.

Partners and performers Malic White and Molly Brennan both struggle with depression and rely on music to yank themselves out of despair. With the help of a live band and the audience (that’s YOU), White and Brennan summon the sacred powers of their heroes, Iggy Pop and Tom Waits, to write a song of their own.

Through monologues, movement pieces and performance of their rock heroes’ most influential songs, Brennan strips away her penchant for theatricality, while White discovers that building a larger-than-life persona might be the key to survival.

POP WAITS contains loud noises, haze, strobe effects and nudity…because it’s awesome. 
If you don’t like either of those things, just let us know. 

CREATED BY MALIC WHITE  AND MOLLY BRENNAN

DIRECTED BY HALENA KAYS

BAND/ASSORTED ROCKERS: SPENCER MEEKS, DAVID “BIG D” SMITH, ELISA CARLSON.

Want to rock on? Molly and Malic want to jam with you and are teaching a Two-Week Pop Waits Devising Workshop called WE COULD BE HEROES.

Molly Brennan

(Co-creator of POP WAITS) is an actor, singer and clown, playing the Red Queen in Lookingglass Theatre’s Lookingglass Alice, an Accessible Lesbian in The Second City’s American Mixtape and as Madam Barker in Red Tape’ Theatre’s The Life and Death of Madam Barker. Other credits include The Second City’s Guide to the Opera at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Peter Pan: A Play at Lookingglass Theatre, Animal Crackers at Goodman Theatre,Theatrical Essays at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and 500 Clown Macbeth and 500 Clown Frankenstein in multiple venues in Chicago and the United States. On the variety/cabaret/storytelling front, Molly has appeared at the Chicago Humanities Festival, MCA Chicago, Salonathon, Davenport’s, Followspot, The Paper Machete, and You’re Being Ridiculous. She has hosted The Moth Chicago and is a co-creator/curator of The Kinky Butch Witching Hour. Molly served as Artistic Director of Barrel of Monkeys for three years. Molly was named Chicago’s “Queen of Mischief and Make Believe” by American Theatre Magazine, February 2015. She’s also got a couple Jeff prizes for being an acting winner.

Malic White

Malic White joined the Neo-Futurist Theater Ensemble in October 2012. Malic assistant directed The Miss Neo Pageant and performs in Too Much Light. Malic’s storytelling, dance and performance work has been featured at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Pritzker Pavilion, the Logan Square Auditorium, Tour de Fat and Chances Dances. Malic’s writing has appeared in Bitch Magazine, Windy City Times and the Huffington Post, plus all over Twitter and Facebook.

OPENING: The Hypocrites Present Samuel Beckett’s ENDGAME Through 4/4

The Hypocrites Present 

Samuel Beckett’s

ENDGAME

Directed by Company Member Halena Kays

February 20 – April 4, 2015

I first became intrigued with Beckett's works during my college theatre days and can't wait to see The Hypocrites and Halena Kays put their unique spin on this classic. Endgame should be quite a departure from the trio of Gilbert and Sullivan musicals. Previews start tomorrow, Friday February 20th. Check them out at the fabulous Den Theatre Mainstage.

The Hypocrites are pleased to continue their 2014-15 season with Samuel Beckett’s comic masterpiece ENDGAME, directed by Company Member Halena Kays*, playing February 20 – April 4, 2015 at their new home, The Den Theatre Mainstage, 1329-1333 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. Tickets are currently available at www.the-hypocrites.com. 

ENDGAME will feature longtime Company Members Kurt Ehrman* as Hamm and Donna McGough* as Nell, joined by Brian Shaw as Clov and Sean Sineski as Nag.

Hamm is blind and cannot stand. His servant, Clov, cannot sit.  And then there’s his legless parents Nagg and Nell who live in trashcans.  Trapped in a tiny house by the sea after some sort of apocalyptic disaster, they trudge through an absurd, cyclical existence. In true Hypocrites fashion, the actors and audience alike share a full and lush visual world to experience Beckett’s classic comedy. 

“Endgame will allow me to play to the absurdity of life with the clowns I love,” comments Director Halena Kays. “Our design team is also full of long-time collaborators who will create an absurdest landscape that will involve and heighten the audience's experience with this classic.  It’s one of my favorite texts – physical, funny and beautiful – and there's no better group of artists to join me in exploring it,” adds Kays.

The production team includes: Elizabeth Bracken (scenic design), Jessica Kuehnau (costume design), Maggie Fullilove-Nugent (lighting design), Nick Keenan (sound design), Danielle Case (props design) and Justine B. Palmisano (stage manager).

Previews: Friday, February 20 at 8 pm, Saturday, February 21 at 8 pm, Sunday, February 22 at 3 pm and Tuesday, February 24 at 8 pm

Regular Run: Friday, February 27 – Saturday, April 4, 2015

Curtain Times: Mondays, Friday and Saturdays at 8 pm; Sundays at 3 pm 

Tickets Prices: $28. Tickets are currently available at www.the-hypocrites.com.

About the Director

Halena Kays’ Chicago credits include: Ivywild, Six Characters in Search of an Author at The Hypocrites; The Magic Play at The Goodman, Lord of the Flies at Steppenwolf theatre company; Burning Bluebeard, 44 Plays for 44 Presidents, Daredevils, Daredevils Hamlet and Fake Lake at The Neo-Futurists (artistic associate); Roustabout at Concordia College; Buried in Bughouse Square at The University of Chicago. Kays is a former artistic Director of The Hypocrites, co-founder and former artistic director of Barrel of Monkeys, where she directed the majority of their public performances. She is The Hyprocrites’ Artistic Council, a founding member of the artistic collaborative The Ruffians, a UT-Austin and Northwestern grad, former member of the Big Apple Circus Clown Care unit and a visiting professor at North Central College.  Halena has been nominated for a Jefferson Citation for Best Supporting Actress and Best Direction, was the recipient of the prestigious 3Arts Award and was named one of the top 50 “players” in Chicago theater by Newcity. 

About The Hypocrites

Founding Artistic Director Sean Graney* created The Hypocrites in 1997. It is currently run by Artistic Director Sean Graney* and Managing Director Megan Wildebour*.  The Hypocrites are recognized as groundbreakers that defy the audience’s expectations. The company has grown significantly in the past 

few years, receiving acclaim for productions at the Steppenwolf Garage, Goodman Theatre, Museum of 

Contemporary Art, DCASE Storefront and Chopin Theater before moving to a residency at The Den Theatre Mainstage. The company’s smash-hit production of Our Town, directed by David Cromer, transferred in 2009 to Off-Broadway, Los Angeles and Boston. The Pirates of Penzance has appeared at Actors Theatre of Louisville and American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.). A.R.T. has also brought Romeo Juliet, 12 Nights and The Mikado (forthcoming). The American Theatre Wing, best known as the creator of the Tony Awards, presented The Hypocrites with one of the 2013 National Theatre Company awards in 2013. In June 2015, the critically acclaimed All Our Tragic, a 12 hour play adapting the 32 surviving Greek tragedies, will return. For more information, please visit www.the-hypocrites.com.

The Hypocrites’ 18^th season is supported in part by The Alphawood Foundation, The Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The Illinois Arts Council, Negaunee Foundation, Scholl Foundation and Venta.

*Denotes The Hypocrites Company Members.

⁺Denotes The Hypocrites Artistic Associates