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Showing posts with label The Edge Off-Broadway Theater. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Edge Off-Broadway Theater. Show all posts

Monday, February 5, 2024

World Premiere of What the Weird Sisters Saw Via Idle Muse Theatre Company March 14 - April 14, 2024

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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. 



Monday, October 25, 2021

OPENING: GOD OF CARNAGE Via AstonRep Theatre Company November 12 – December 12, 2021

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AstonRep Theatre Company Presents

GOD OF CARNAGE

By Yasmina Reza

Translated by Christopher Hampton

Co-Directed by Derek Bertelsen & Robert Tobin

November 12 – December 12, 2021 at The Edge Off-Broadway Theater

 

AstonRep Theatre Company is pleased to welcome back audiences this fall with a revival of Yasmina Reza’s frenetic dark comedy God of Carnage, translated by Christopher Hampton and co-directed by directed by Derek Bertelsen* and Robert Tobin*. God of Carnage will play November 12 – December 12, 2021 at The Edge Off-Broadway Theater, 1133 W. Catalpa Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at www.astonrep.com or by calling (773) 828-9129. I'll be out for the press opening Saturday, November 13th, so check back soon for my full review.


Please note: all patrons will need to provide proof of vaccination when picking up tickets and wear a mask inside the venue during the performance. Please visit AstonRep's safety page for additional COVID-related information.

 


Two high-strung couples, Alan and Annette Raleigh and Michael and Veronica Novak, decide to meet one evening for a civilized discussion about a playground altercation between their two young sons. What follows is a comically explosive downhill slide from polite, political correctness to full-on character assassination. A no-holds-barred look at what happens when the littlest things end up pushing us completely over the edge.

God of Carnage co-directors Derek Bertelsen and Robert Tobin comment, “We at AstonRep are excited to go back to our roots to produce this though provoking and timeless play, which we also presented nine seasons ago. With a new cast and new venue, this seems like the perfect script for us as we get back to producing live theatre again.”

The cast includes Mark Tacderas, Erin Kathleen O'Brien*, Mike Newquist, and Maggie Antonijevic

 The production team includes Jeremiah Barr* (scenic/props design, technical director), Uriel Gomez (costume design), Becca Venable (lighting design), Robert Tobin* (sound design), Samantha Barr* (production manager) and Heather Branham (stage manager).

 *Denotes AstonRep Company Members.

 

PRODUCTION DETAILS:

Cast (in alphabetical order): Maggie Antonijevic (Annette), Mike Newquist (Michael), Erin Kathleen O'Brien* (Veronica) and Mark Tacderas (Alan). Understudies: Claire Allegra Taylor.

Location: The Edge Off-Broadway Theater, 1133 W. Catalpa Ave., Chicago

Dates: Previews:  Friday, November 12 at 7:30 pm

Press performance: Saturday, November 13 at 7:30 pm

Regular run: Sunday, November 14 – Sunday, December 12, 2021

Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will not be a performance Thursday, November 25 (Thanksgiving Day).

Tickets: Previews: $10; Regular run: $20. Student/seniors discounts available. Tickets are currently available at www.astonrep.com or by calling (773) 828-9129.

 

About the Artists

Yasmina Reza (Playwright) is a French playwright and novelist, based in Paris, whose works have all been multi-award-winning, critical and popular international successes, produced worldwide and translated into 35 languages. She has written seven plays (Conversations After a Burial, The Passage of Winter, ‘Art,’ The Unexpected Man, Life x 3, A Spanish Play, God of Carnage, How You Talk the Game) and six novels (“Hammerklavier,” “Une Desolation (Desolation),” “Adam Haberberg,” “Dans la Luge d'Arthur Schopenhauer,” ‘Nulle Part” and “L'Aube, le Soir ou la Nuit (Dawn Dusk or Night)”). Films include: Le Pique-Nique de Lulu Kreutz, directed by Didier Martiny and Chicas, written and directed by the author.

Derek Bertelsen (Co-Director) joined AstonRep in 2012. Previous directing credits with AstonRep include Doubt, Next Fall, Wit, The Laramie Project, The Crowd You're In With, Equus and co-directing Eleemosynary with Jeremiah Barr. He served as Co-Founder and Artistic Director of The Comrades from 2016-2020 where he directed and produced numerous productions. Summer stock credits include Festival 56, Shawnee Summer Playhouse, and five seasons at Timber Lake Playhouse.

Robert Tobin (Co-Director, God of Carnage) is an actor, director and founder of AstonRep. Select directing credits with the company include 1984, The Women of Lockerbie, and The Water’s Edge. Acting credits with AstonRep include Equus, The Lonesome West, Time Stands Still, Les Liaisons Dangereuses and Doubt among others. Locally, he has worked with Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, First Folio, Oak Park Festival Theatre and Redtwist, among others. Regional credits include Colorado, Montana and Utah Shakespeare Festivals.  

 

About AstonRep Theatre Company:

AstonRep Theatre Company was formed in the summer of 2008. Since then, the company has produced numerous full-length productions, along with their annual Writer’s Series. They are currently in residence at The Edge Theater. AstonRep Theatre Company is an ensemble of artists committed to creating exciting, intimate theatrical experiences that go beyond the front door to challenge audiences and spark discussion where the show is not the end of the experience: it is just the beginning. 

 

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