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Showing posts with label Side Project Theatre. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Side Project Theatre. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

OPENING: WORLD PREMIERE of Oxy Ohio at Side Project September 30 – October 14, 2018

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

WORLD PREMIERE
OXY, OHIO
by S.J. Spencer
directed by Adam Webster


As a native Ohioan, born and raised not far from Dayton, in Cincinnati, this world premiere is of great interest to me. I moved to Chicago in 1990, long before the opioid epidemic was a hot button issue, but I've been following the decline of the state, and I had heard of Dayton's dubious distinction as drug overdose capital of America. I'm eager to see a theatrical exploration of the fall out of this crisis, by a playwright from Dayton. I'll be out for the press opening October 4th, so check back soon for my full review.



Welcome to Dayton, Ohio, America's 2016 drug overdose capital. Mary works the night shift at a retirement home; her drop-out daughter, Becky, works the night shift at Super 8; new acquaintance Tom has worked every conceivable job for his entire life; and they all "work" Dr. Wilmington, their favorite physician. But something isn't working. They are all caught up in the mass casualty opioid death march that now seems as permanent as Ohio's gray skies, crumbling concrete, lonely nights, and dead-end jobs. Welcome to the Midwest. Pick your poison.


Pictured: Amy Johnson (left),  Tracey Green (right). Photo by Sarah Larson Photography.

McKaw Theater (formerly the side project theatre)
1439 W. Jarvis, Chicago
September 30 – October 14, 2018 

Preview Sunday, September 30 at 2 pm
Regular run October 4-14, 2018
Runs: Thurs-Sats at 7:30pm, Suns. at 2pm
Ticket: $15 advance; $20 at door
Available at Brown Paper Tickets: https://m.bpt.me/event/3561000
More information at www.thesideproject.net


Adam Webster, Artistic Director of the side project, will direct S.J. Spencer’s new drama set in Dayton, Ohio. It will be performed in the side project’s former 40-seat performance space at 1439 W. Jarvis Avenue in Rogers Park, a venue the company had occupied between 2007 and 2016 before transitioning the space over to new theatrical tenants. OXY, OHIO will open on October 4 following a preview on September 30 and will continue through October 14. 

Webster’s cast will include Tracey Green (FOUR BY TENN with Aston Rep and THE TALL GIRLS with Shattered Globe), Benjamin T. Jenkins (BURF OF A NATION and BY ASSOCIATION with MPAACT), Amy Johnson (2017 Jeff award winner for FALLING with Interrobang; Spencer’s PUSH BUTTON MURDER at the side project), and Fred Wellisch (FORTY-TWO STORIES with City Lit and THE PRICE with TimeLine). His production team will include designers Blake Cordell, Cristina McCrystal, Sean McStravick, and Danielle Myerscough; Brian Ruby (Production Manager), and Sean Smyth (Stage Manager).

Top row: Tracey Green, Benjamin T. Jenkins
Lower row: Amy Johnson, Fred Wellisch



BIOS

S.J. Spencer (Playwright) is from Dayton, Ohio. His first play ANOTHER DAY IN THE EMPIRE was named one of the best shows of 2007 by TIMEOUT CHICAGO and the CHICAGO READER. He’s had performances and readings across town, from Stage Left to American Blues. His plays tackle capitalism, militarism, disillusionment, anomie, and modern liberalism. His first play at the side project, PUSH BUTTON MURDER, received an honorable mention for best of the fringe from the Tribune in 2015.  

Adam Webster (Director) is the Founding Artistic Director of the side project, for which he has directed more than 40 plays, produced more than 100, and written myriad one acts, as well as full length adaptations of MAGGIE: A GIRL OF THE STREETS (2004) and LYSISTRATA (2001 & 2016). Other adaptations include: HIPPOLYTUS (Hudson Guild, Slimtack) & LIFE IS A DREAM (Livewire). Other original plays include one-minute works for OMPF; 24-Hour plays for BYOT; one acts for Boxer Rebellion and Tympanic Theatre; and short play cycles "Footnotes for an Apology," "If That Was Me, then Who Am I?" and "The Dangling Conversation" for Shift7 Productions (at Rhino Fest). Also a fiction writer, poet, storyteller & visual artist, his work has been published in FOLIO, PACIFICA REVIEW, HERE/THERE, PIONEERTOWN, and THRICE magazine. He currently teaches at Harold Washington College and School of the Art Institute.


About the side project

The side project was founded by Adam Webster in 2000 and has operated continuously since then producing more than 200 plays, the majority of which have been world or local premieres. From 2000 to 2008, it operated in a storefront in the 1500 block of West Jarvis in a hyper-intimate performing space seating fewer than 30 patrons. In 2007, they moved a block east to 1439 W. Jarvis, retaining the hyper-intimacy, while expanding to 40-seats. In 2016, the company became itinerant and has since produced at Prop Thtr, Chicago Dramatists, and the former Side Project space.

Through its history, the company has been dedicated to producing new work. Many of its productions have been world premieres while many others have been Chicago premieres by playwrights based not only in Chicago but throughout the US. Some of the writers who have had first or early productions of their works at the side project include Sean Graney (THE FOURTH GRADERS PRESENT AN UNNAMED LOVE-SUICIDE and SUGARWARD), Philip Dawkins (PERFECT), Robert Tenges (PEOPLE WE KNOW, ELSEWHERE, WHATEVER), Daniel Talbott (SLIPPING, MIKE AND SETH), National Book Award winner Sherod Santos (LIVES OF THE PIGEONS), Kathleen Tolan (WHAT TO LISTEN FOR), Adam Webster (MAGGIE: A GIRL OF THE STREETS), and many others.

The company’s focus is not simply on world-premiere plays, but on world-premiere collaborations: creating never-before-seen teams of artists, each of whom has a body of work which speaks to the others in unique and exciting ways. By bringing together established talent and emerging up-and-comers, the side project fosters new partnerships, explores new creative territory, and celebrates the best of Chicago storefront theatre.

Friday, January 22, 2016

OPENING: THE OTHER THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS OTHER LETTERS 2/7-29

Chi, IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

THE OTHER THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF OTHER LETTERS, FEBRUARY 7 – 29, 
AT THE SIDE PROJECT THEATRE, 
DIRECTED BY ARTISTIC DIRECTOR CARIN SILKAITIS



This Original Play Inspired by A.R. Gurney’s Love Letters, Other Letters Tells Parallel Stories of Gay and Lesbian Couples Featuring Two Separate Scripts and Performed in Repertory by New Cast Members Every Night

The Other Theatre Company (TOTC) and Artistic Director Carin Silkaitis are proud to present the next show in the company’s 2015-2016 season Other Letters, written by Bryan Renaud and Carin Silkaitis, and directed by Artistic Director Carin Silkaitis, February 7 – 29, with opening night Sunday, Feb. 7 at 8 p.m. at Side Project, 1439 W Jarvis Ave. 

The regular run schedule is Sundays and Mondays at 8 p.m. $25 tickets. Tickets may be purchased at www.buzzonstage.com/theatres/other-theatre-company. For more information, please visit theothertheatrecompany.com

Inspired by A.R. Gurney’s Love Letters, Other Letters will tell parallel stories of gay and lesbian couples. TOTC wants to replace phrases such as “normalizing gay relationships ” and “normalizing queerness” with “queering normal.” Queer relationships are just as flawed, just as messy, and just as wonderful as straight relationships. They aren’t interested in re-creating Love Letters with gay couples; they’re interested in showing a beautiful relationship, maintained through letters, that happens to be queer. People who are friends, lovers, and confidantes. People who come together, and drift apart, remember,, and forget. People who cannot be together, but cannot be apart. Other Letters will feature two separate scripts performed in repertory by new cast members every night.

The Cast for Love Letters include:
February 7 – Emma Smith (actor 1) and Colleen DeRosa (actor 2)
February 8 – Alex Weisman (actor 1) and Will Allan (actor 2)
February 14 – Grant Stokes (actor 1) and Evan Michalic (actor 2)
February 15 – Patti Lavery (actor 1) and Sarah Charipar (actor 2)
February 21 – Robyn Coffin (actor 1) and Kristin Collins (actor 2)
February 22 – Jake Szczepaniak (actor 1) and Bryan Renaud (actor 2) 
February 28 – Madrid St. Angelo (actor 1) and Mark David Kaplan (actor 2) 
February 29 – Janet Ulrich Brooks (actor 1) and Carin Silkaitis (actor 2) 

ABOUT CARIN SILKAITIS
A director and actor, Silkaitis has directed plays at North Central College, Theatre Conservatory at Roosevelt University, XIII Pocket, Stage 773, Music By The Lake, and Echo Theatre Co. Recent Chicago acting credits include: Chloe in Lips Together, Teeth Apart (Eclipse), Doctor Manor/Physician's Assistant/Board Member 1 in Sons of the Prophet (American Theater Company), Dean Wreen in Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England (u/s with 2 full weeks of performance, Theater Wit), Clem in Raggedy And (Stage Left Theatre - Leapfest), Queen Margaret in Richard III (Oak Park Festival Theatre), Mama (and other roles) in Distracted (u/s American Theater Company), and Izzy in Rabbit Hole (u/s Goodman Theatre). Her favorite regional credits include: Love Letters, Dangerous Liaisons, and A Comedy of Errors. She will appear in the upcoming TOTC production of The Realm and in the 2017 production of Visiting with Artemisia Theatre. Silkaitis recently appeared in the SAG Feature Film Unexpected, and has been busy acting in commercials, industrials, and voiceovers. She is the current Department Chair of Art and Theatre at North Central College. 

ABOUT THE OTHER THEATRE COMPANY
The Other Theatre Company is a collective of artists dedicated to telling the stories of those who are "othered" by systems of oppression.
Comprised of activists who openly express their opinion on the various issues presented in the media and beyond, The Company engages their audience in a dialogue through performance and educational outreach. The Other Theatre Company believes in and fights for equality and rejects cultural hegemony.

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