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Showing posts with label immersive theatrical production. Show all posts
Showing posts with label immersive theatrical production. Show all posts

Thursday, January 26, 2023

REVIEW: “TALES FROM THE WANDERING WYVERN INN” EXTENDED UNTIL FEBRUARY 19th, 2023

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar 

Otherworld Theatre Company's

The Wandering Wyvern Inn Now Extended Due To Popular Demand



Guest Review 

by Dugan Kenaz-Mara

When traveling through the realm of Amelor, my party of five adventurers came across a cozy inn. Some invited there by old friends, some seeking answers, and others just looking to have a good time. Little did we know that in the span of 90 minutes, we would make decisions that could change the fate of the world…



Tales From The Wandering Wyvern Inn is a fun, immersive experience where you and your party get to gather information from the characters, find clues, solve puzzles, and decide on a path to follow to solve a mystery about a fantasy world. 

The show is a fun activity for everyone regardless of previous LARP (live action role play) experience. My party consisted of a good mix of people with a wide variety of experiences. A few of us have worked at Bristol Renaissance faire and had plenty of background in immersive theatre. Others are experts at TTRPGS but had never experienced them in person, and others still are not involved in theatre whatsoever. All of us had a fantastic time. 

The adventure starts with a quest board, listing the names of the NPCs you will encounter once the experience starts. The participants are given a brief insight into who the characters are and what they are like before choosing one of the quests to follow. This gives the participants an easy entrance into the world of the show and gives each one a sort of NPC companion to start off the show with. Nobody feels left out, and because everyone chooses which questline to follow, they often end up with an NPC who they feel like they can trust and identify with. One friend who was new to immersive experiences ended up getting to just hang out with one NPC who was just in the story to have fun and didn’t have to get wrapped up too tightly in the lore of the world. 

Anyone looking for a well-constructed world can find that here too. The Wandering Wyvern Inn’s characters have secrets, conflicting motivations, and lore about themselves and the world that the players get to discover through conversation. They also bring some of that character lore to the whole group after it’s revealed, heightening the tensions and helping nudge the story along naturally. With 5 players maximum and 5-6 NPCs, the world feels full without being too chaotic, and intimate without being overbearing. 

The set is very fun and quite immersive, including a bar where you can exchange fantasy coins for real drinks, shelves of magical trinkets, and additional spaces that get revealed as the story progresses. Some characters even grow and change as you progress their individual questlines! While it’s marketed as a hybrid LARP/escape room/immersive theatre experience, I would say that it skews more heavily into LARP than the other two. While there are still puzzles to solve it’s much more story driven than an escape room, and while it is completely immersive, the main focus is building relationships and interacting with characters rather than following a plot. 

On top of all of that, there are multiple storylines (some apparently covering more intense material than others), so players who enjoyed the experience can return to the world to solve new puzzles and interact with new characters, making each adventure unique. I would highly recommend this show to anyone who enjoys role-playing or audience-centered experiences. ★★★★ Four out of four stars. 

Dugan is an actor, designer, and photographer studying theatre and psychology at Northwestern University. Contrary to popular belief, he is not a time traveler.


Audiences Embark on Ever-Changing Quests, 

Ensuring No Two Shows are the Same

Don't miss this! Shows are selling out fast. Get your tickets today. 

Otherworld Theatre Company has announced the extension of TALES OF THE WANDERING WYVERN INN: A One-Shot Immersive LARP, a hybrid Live Action Role Play (LARP), escape room, and immersive theatre that has enjoyed a sold-out run since opening December 9. The show, originally slated to close January 29, will now run through February 19, 2023 at their storefront at 3914 N. Clark St. 

TALES FROM THE WANDERING WYVERN INN: A One-Shot Immersive LARP is a 90-minute adventure set in the world of the popular multi-day CHRONICLES OF THE REALM LARP series. Rumors abound about the quaint Wyvern Inn, nestled quietly at the foothills of the Alden's Gate Mountains in Amelor. It is the first stop for many who make the pilgrimage up to Heightswatch. The tavern itself seems unassuming - without the smoke stack you might even miss the structure. However, at night, there is no mistaking the glow from a single orb that beckons travelers to its doors. As you approach, you see the famed Wyvern himself to greet you, holding his magical sphere and whispering through the winter wind that you should come inside for at least the night. 

Grab a quest off the wall, an adventure awaits! Be a mage outlaw, a Strykarrian assassin on the job, a Druid on a journey to find the life-saving antidote for your feverish friend, and more - the Quest Board changes daily so no two experiences are ever the same. Limited to five players, this intimate experience is a hybrid between LARP, escape room, and immersive theatre. Shows run Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 5:30 and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m.; tickets are $65 and include a beverage (alcoholic and non-alcoholic options available). The next installment in the LARP series, CHRONICLES OF THE REALM: LEGIONS & LIAISONS, is a weekend-long event July 21 - 23, 2023, held in Monticello, Illinois.

TALES FROM THE WANDERING WYVERN INN features a cast of Non-Player Characters (NPCs), whose roles change show by show depending on that evening’s Quests. The cast includes Blake Hood, Ross Myers, Lilly Bolduc, Shaun Hayden, Sean Buckley, Kyra Young, Vhenan Strange, Ginny Weant, Jono Mammel, Jenna Kappers, Abbey Schnell, Alex Campbell, Chelsea Cox, and Sam Santos. Players are guided on their quests by these NPCs, with new storylines unfolding based on the players’ choices.

Tickets for TALES OF THE WANDERING WYVERN INN and CHRONICLES OF THE REALM: LEGIONS AND LIAISONS are available at www.otherworldtheatre.org

ABOUT OTHERWORLD THEATRE COMPANY

Otherworld Theatre Company (3914 N Clark St.) was founded in 2012 to bring a theatrical experience to the science fiction and fantasy genre. The Company’s work celebrates the depth of human imagination by engaging spectators in high quality storytelling. Otherworld Theatre Company stages original works in its pay-what-you-can Chicago, Illinois venue, presents virtual programming online, and produces immersive Live-Action Role Playing events through its partner company, Moonrise Games. For more information: www.otherworldtheatre.org

Friday, October 5, 2018

WORLD PREMIERE OF LES INNOCENTS/THE INNOCENTS VIA (RE)DISCOVER THEATRE THROUGH NOVEMBER 4

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

(RE)DISCOVER THEATRE PRESENTS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF
LES INNOCENTS/THE INNOCENTS 
AT THE
PRESTON BRADLEY CENTER, MASON HALL,
OCTOBER 7 - NOVEMBER 4


Perfect for the Halloween Season, A Thriller Set in the Paris Catacombs is Created and
Directed by Co-Artistic Director Ann Kreitman

This fall is turning into quite the immersive theatre buffet, with First Folio Theatre, (re)discover theatre, Rough House, and Strawdog Theatre all presenting roaming audience shows. Here at ChiIL Live Shows we're booked for three and are attempting to make it out to all. 

(re)discover theatre is proud to announce casting for the world premiere of Les Innocents/The Innocents, an immersive queer thriller set in the Paris Catacombs, created and directed by Co-Artistic Director Ann Kreitman. Les Innocents/The Innocents will play October 7 - November 4 at The Preston Bradley Center, Mason Hall, 941 W. Lawrence Ave. Previews are Sunday, Oct. 7 and Tuesday, Oct. 9. Opening night /Press night is Thursday, Oct. 11 at 8 p.m. An American Sign Language (ASL) interpreted show will be Friday, Oct. 19 at 8 p.m. Regular run performances are Thursdays - Sundays at 8 p.m. Tickets are on sale now for $30 at rediscovertheatre.com/the-innocents.

Inspired by a real concert that took place in the Paris Catacombs in 1897, the audience members of Les Innocents/The Innocents will prowl the catacombs like ghosts. Gui, a composer on a quest for love, emerges from the maze to encounter eccentric and musical ghosts who misdirect their pursuit and inspire chaos for the living and dead. Les Innocents/The Innocents presents realistic and grossly human queer characters in mythic circumstances to investigate our relationship to duty, death and defeat.

Les Innocents/The Innocents features Emilie Modaff, Vahishta Vafadari, Amanda Forman, Alec Phan, Andrew Lund, Matthew Lunt, Maggie Miller, Deanalís Resto, Erich Peltz and Levi Shrader.

The production team includes Molly Donahue, (dramaturg); Mary O’Rourke, (choreographer); Chas Mathieu, (environment design); Kate Hardiman, (lighting design); Erika Clauson, (costume design); Kelly Schmidt (makeup design); Autumn McGarr (stage management); Daniella Wheelock; (assistant director) and Berit Godo, (assistant choreographer).

ABOUT ANN KREITMAN, creator/director
Ann Kreitman, the proud co-artistic director of (re)discover theatre, is a director and deviser who creates work driven by the necessity for an active audience. Most recently, Kreitman directed a remount of The Neo-Futurists’ The? Unicorn? Hour? For the Pivot Arts Festival. She has created original, audience interactive works including Eugenia as a part of (re)discover theatre’s For One, I left Your Key Under the Mat, Dear (2nd Floor Rear, Chicago Home Theatre Festival), and Home ((re)discover theatre for the Chicago Fringe Festival). Other directing credits include The Veil (Idle Muse Theatre Company), Cry Baby Meets Audrey Hepburn (20% Theatre), Fifty Shades of Shakespeare ((re)discover theatre), El Stories 21: People Watching (Waltzing Mechanics), I Love You...Now Change and The Melodrama (Shawnee Summer Theatre).
She was a recipient of a 2016 Individual Artist Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events to devise and produce Les Innocents/The Innocents.

ABOUT MARY O’ROURKE, choreographer
Mary O'Rourke began her dance training in Buffalo, New York, and received her B.A. in dance from Loyola University Chicago. She has previously worked with Khecari as an understudy/performer in The Cronus Land and a performer in The Retreat. She was also featured in Haymarket Opera Company's corps de ballet in their 2017 production of Ariane et Bacchus. Currently, she is a performing artist with CDI/Concert Dance, Inc. under the direction of Venetia Stifler. She has presented choreography at the American College Dance Festival, Noumenon New Moves Choreography Competition, Going Dutch Festival, and at the Conservatory of Music in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. In addition to traveling to Vietnam, she has traveled to Havana, Cuba to participate in a cultural exchange with La Escuela Nacional de Arte as well as collaborate on a dance for camera. She holds a deep interest in the relationship between dance and devised theatre and was able to explore this partnership in a collaborative process with creator/director Kreitman on Les Innocents/The Innocents back in 2016. Her collaboration with Kreitman continued in (re)discover theatre’s For One.



ABOUT (re)discover theatre
(re)discover theatre is redefining theatre for emerging audiences by blending a variety of artistic forms, embracing the visceral energy of live performance, and inviting audiences to be an integral part of the theatrical experience.

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

OPENING: World Premiere Immersive Theatrical Experience MASQUE MACABRE Via Strawdog Theatre Company Through October 31, 2018

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar  

Strawdog Theatre Company Presents
the World Premiere Immersive Theatrical Experience
MASQUE MACABRE
Inspired by the Stories of Edgar Allan Poe


Written by Aly Greaves Amidei, Cara Beth Heath & 
John Henry Roberts  
Directed by Anderson Lawfer, Janet Howe & Eli Newell
October 4 – October 31, 2018

I'll be ChiILin' with Chi, IL's Strawdog Theatre Company for the press opening October 12th. I can't wait to catch this unique world premiere production where the audience travels from room to room, experiencing scenes. Check back soon for my full review.

Just in time for Halloween, Strawdog Theatre Company launches its 31st season with the world premiere of MASQUE MACABRE, a dark and bloody thrill ride inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe – think Carrie meets Eyes Wide Shut. The handlers of a "bad boy" entrepreneur go to extremes to give him one last big bash before his past catches up to him. An explorative immersive theatre experience a la Sleep No More, guests travel from room to room throughout the space and follow stories of revenge and murder as they play out in real time.

Written by ensemble members Aly Greaves Amidei* and John Henry Roberts* and company member Cara Beth Heath^ and directed by Co-Artistic Director Anderson Lawfer*, Janet Howe and Eli Newell, MASQUE MACABRE will play October 4 – 31, 2018 at Strawdog’s new home at 1802 W. Berenice Ave. in Chicago’s Northcenter neighborhood. Single tickets and season subscriptions are currently available at www.strawdog.org

MASQUE MACABRE will feature Strawdog ensemble member Michael Reyes* with guest artists Andrew Bailes, Dan Cobbler, Katie Gonzalez, Henry Greenberg, Adam Hinkle, Brian Hinkle, Patrick TJ Kelly, Lisa McConnell, Laura Nelson, Ella Raymont, Collin Quinn Rice, Shaina Schrooten and Julian Stroop.

Comments Co-Artistic Director Michael Dailey, “MASQUE MACABRE is the most ambitious project in our 31 year history. We’re thrilled to share the immersive and horrifying world of MASQUE with Chicago audiences. With fourteen storylines playing out in real time throughout our entire space, you could see this show multiple times and come out with a totally different experience each time. At a haunting time of year, MASQUE delivers a modern nightmare that explores the line between revenge and justice and how what we do (or don’t do) makes us complicit in the evil and darkness of others. It may just keep you up at night.”

The production team for MASQUE MACABRE includes: Strawdog ensemble members Claire Chrzan* (co-lighting designer), Heath Hays* (sound designer) and Kyle Hamman* (video/media designer) with guest artists: Tom Burch (scenic designer), Virginia Varland (costume designer), Shelbi Arndt and Daniel Friedman (co-lighting designers), Lacie Hexom (props designer), Bobby Wilhelmson (violence designer), Kate Lass (intimacy designer), Mike Sanow (technical director) and Megan Gray (stage manager).

* Denotes Strawdog ensemble member
^ Denotes Strawdog company member


Location: Strawdog Theatre Company, 1802 W. Berenice Ave., Chicago
Dates: Previews: Thursday, October 4 at 7 pm, Friday, October 5 at 7 pm, Sunday, October 7 at 2 pm & 5 pm and Thursday, October 11 at 7 pm & 9:30 pm

Board Night Performance: Special performance with hosted drinks and appetizers, Saturday October 6 at 7 pm.

Press performance: Friday, October 12 at 7 pm or 9:30 pm

Regular run: Saturday, October 13 – Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7 pm & 9:30 pm, Sundays at 2 pm & 5 pm. Please note: Halloween week performances added on Monday, October 29 at 7 pm & 9:30 pm, Tuesday, October 30 at 7 pm & 9:30 pm and Wednesday, October 31 at 7 pm & 9:30 pm. 

Tickets: Previews $30. Regular run $50. Seniors: $40. Board Night: $75. Single tickets and season subscriptions are currently available at www.strawdog.org. Half price Rush and Student tickets available at every performance and other discounts available. Call (773) 644-1380 for details. 

About the Artists

Aly Greaves Amidei (Co-Writer) has worked as a designer, playwright and maker based in Chicago for the last 18 years. She is an Assistant Professor of Costume Design at UNC-Charlotte. She is proud ensemble member of Strawdog Theatre Company and Lifeline Theatre. Her plays and audio dramas have been produced at Lifeline Theatre, WildClaw Theatre, Strawdog Hit Factory, College of DuPage and Cartage Theatre of Charlotte. 

Cara Beth Heath (Co-Writer) has an MFA in Playwriting from Western Michigan University and a BA in Creative Writing from the College of Charleston. She is the Literary Manager at Strawdog Theatre Company. She's also been invited to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for dramaturgy, directing and playwriting. Her work has been read and produced in several festivals and workshops across the Midwest, including her award-winning play Good Enough about the women of the Gibson guitar factory during WWII. She's been in Chicago for a couple of years now, developing her plays and advocating for local playwrights. 

John Henry Roberts (Co-Writer) joined the Strawdog ensemble in 2004. Previous writing credits include Strawdog’s production of The Sweeter Option and the Neo-Futurists’ production of True Dreams of Annie Arbor. Recent acting credits include Pillars of the Community, Barbecue and The Night Season (Strawdog), Neverwhere and Miss Holmes (Lifeline Theatre), The Little Flower of East Orange (Eclipse Theatre, Jeff Nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Lead Role), Diamond Dogs and The Hammer Trinity (The House Theatre). He’ll next appear in Twelfth Night at Writers Theatre. He is represented by Paonessa Talent. 

Janet Howe (Co-Director) is a director, immersive theatre consultant and Co-Artistic Director of (re)discover theatre. Over the past four years, Janet’s work has focused exclusively on immersive and site-specific works. Janet directed and spearheaded projects such as FOR ONE: a series of plays built for an audience of one and Farewell My Friend, an immersive melding of Romeo & Juliet and Tristan & Iseult. Other directing credits include Lysistaratra, Fifty Shades of Shakespeare and Jason & (Medea). Starting October 2018, Janet will be studying immersive theatre at Middlesex University: London, focusing on accessibility in immersive forms. www.janetkhowe.com

Anderson Lawfer (Co-Director) is a Co-Artistic Director of Strawdog. He was the previous Artistic Director of Strawdog's Hugen Hall and focused on new works, adapting and directing Pontypool, Fail/Safe and Kill Shakespeare. He is the creator and host of many Strawdog late night shows including Theatre Wars!, The Direct Off! and The Game Show Show and Stuff! He will also be directing a new musical in the spring written by Mark Guarino and Jon Langford called Take Me.

Eli Newell (Co-Director) Eli Newell is thrilled to return to Strawdog after having previously assistant directed Damascus. He is a Chicago-based director from the Twin Cities, Minnesota. In Chicago, Eli has assisted at Goodman Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Raven Theatre, Strawdog Theatre Company, Haven Theatre and Windy City Playhouse. In the Twin Cities, he has worked with Guthrie Theater, Children’s Theatre Company, Ordway Center and the Playwrights’ Center. Eli is a graduate of Northwestern University’s School of Communication.

Crystal Head Vodka is the official vodka of MASQUE MACABRE.

About Strawdog Theatre Company
Since its founding in 1988, Strawdog Theatre Company has offered Chicagoland the premiere storefront theatre experience and garnered numerous Non-Equity Jeff Awards with its commitment to ensemble acting and an immersive design approach. The celebrated Company develops new work, re-imagines the classics, melds music with theatre, asks provocative questions and delivers their audience the unexpected.

Strawdog Theatre Company is supported in part by The Macarthur Fund for Arts & Culture at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Alphawood Foundation, The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, and the Illinois Arts Council Agency. 

Monday, February 5, 2018

OPENING: World Premiere 1960's “Southern Gothic” Immersive Theatrical Production Begins Open Run at Windy City Playhouse

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

IMMERSIVE THEATER COMES TO WINDY CITY PLAYHOUSE WITH THE WORLD-PREMIERE PRODUCTION OF “SOUTHERN GOTHIC” BY LESLIE LIAUTAUD


Directed by David. H. Bell and Featuring an All-Chicago Cast, “Southern Gothic” Begins Performances February 7

Windy City Playhouse is already on our short list for top favorite Chicago storefront theaters and we're beyond excited for their latest production. “Southern Gothic” is their first attempt at an immersive theatrical production and a world premiere too. Due to the small audience size, they're hosting press over a span of the first few weeks of the run, and we're slated to review “Southern Gothic” on February 28th. Back in the day, I was cast in a long  running series of immersive 1920's murder mysteries, so I have an affinity for the style, and can't wait to catch this!

Windy City Playhouse announces an expansion in programming with a world-premiere immersive theatrical production, “Southern Gothic,” premiering February 7, 2017 in an open-ended engagement. Written by Leslie Liautaud and directed by David H. Bell, “Southern Gothic” gives audiences the opportunity to be a “fly on the wall” at a cocktail party in Ashford, Georgia in the 1960s where four couples gather together to celebrate a birthday. As the evening progresses, tensions rise and longtime relationships are tested as they soon realize that even the best of friends keep the darkest of secrets. Due to the intimate nature of the show, audience size for each performance is limited to 25 patrons, giving audiences freedom roam every room of the home at will, exploring various spaces and eavesdropping on clandestine conversations, providing each audience member their own unique perspective on the evenings proceedings.

Tickets for “Southern Gothic” ($65 - $85) are now on sale and will be released on a rolling basis. To purchase, visit the Windy City Playhouse Box Office online or call the Box Office at (773) 891-8985. Windy City Playhouse is located at 3014 W. Irving Park Road. 

Unlike some immersive theater experiences, “Southern Gothic” is plot-driven, with each audience member experiencing various aspects of the party, yet still taking in the arc of the story line. The cast of “Southern Gothic” will not interact with the audience, leaving patrons free to watch the scenes happening around them like an invisible guest, traveling from room to room and sampling period-appropriate cocktails and canapes throughout the duration of the performance.

“Since the Playhouse’s debut in 2015, our goal has been to re-imagine the theater-going experience, always looking for ways to break down barriers between the audience and the performers. Immersive theater is something we’ve wanted to do for a long time, since it seems like such a natural extension of that mission,” noted Artistic Director and “Southern Gothic” Co-Creator Amy Rubenstein. “Immersive theater is just one way we are trying to deconstruct the formality of being at the theater, but it’s not our only tactic. Later in 2018 and beyond, you’ll see more of the plays you’ve come to know and love, always presented with the signature Playhouse twist.”

Following “Southern Gothic,” Windy City Playhouse transitions to a school-year aligned 2018-2019 season, which will run from September through June. The complete 2018 – 2019 season will be announced in the spring of 2018.

Four couples—who have known each other for decades—come together to celebrate Suzanne Wellington’s 40th birthday and as the evening progresses, celebration leads to disaster as relationships are heavily tested. The cast of “Southern Gothic” includes Brianna Borger as Suzanne Wellington, Paul Fagen as Jackson Wellington, Sarah Grant as Ellie Coutier, Brian McCaskill as Charles Lyon, Michael McKeogh as Tucker Alsworth, Mickey O’Sullivan as Beau Courtier, Christine Mayland Perkins as Lauren Lyon and Ariel Richardson as Cassie Smith. The creative team for “Southern Gothic” includes Carl Menninger (Dramaturg and Co-Creator), Amy Rubenstein (Co-Creator), Scott Davis (Scenic Design), Elsa Hiltner (Costume Design), Jeffrey Levin (Sound Design) and Logan Boyd Jones (Production Stage Manager).

The performance schedule for “Southern Gothic” is as follows: Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.  For a detailed performance schedule visit Windy City Playhouse’s Events Calendar. Capacity for each performance is limited; prices and showtimes are subject to change.


About the Artists in “Southern Gothic”
David H. Bell (Director) returns to Windy City Playhouse after directing last season’s Jeff Award-nominated “The Explorer’s Club.” He is a professor and Director of the Music Theatre Certificate program and Artistic Director of the American Music Theatre Project at Northwestern University. Bell has worked all over the world as a director, choreographer, and author. His work has received 44 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations, for which he has won 11; the Dramalogue Award (L.A.); the Helen Hayes Award (Washington, D.C.); five Carbonall Award nominations (Florida); a Laurence Olivier Award Nomination (London); seven Atlanta Journal and Constitution Awards; the Atlanta Circle of Dramatic Critics Award; and three National Endowment writing grants. He has served as Artistic Director for the historic Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and as Associate Artistic Director for Atlanta’s Tony Award-winning Alliance Theatre. He has had more than 40 new plays and musicals produced internationally, including the Laurence Olivier-nominated musical “Hot Mikado.” Recently, he collaborated with Northwestern University and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in presenting “Atlantic,” a pair of new musicals at the Edinburgh Festival last summer. He has collaborated on world premiere musicals with Craig Carnelia, Cy Coleman, Russell Baker, Jimmy Buffett, Herman Wouk, David Crane and Marta Kauffman, Bob Gaudio, Henry Marsh, Barry Mason, Jim Stafford, Eddie Seago, and Mike Leander, among many others. He directed and coauthored “Knute Rockne: All-American” at The Theatre at the Center. His adaptation of “The Boys From Syracuse,” for which he was nominated for three Jefferson Awards, played at the Drury Lane Oakbrook. He directed his musical “The Bowery Boys” at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire and directed and choreographed “Once On This Island” at Marriott and “Hot Mikado” at Drury Lane. In summer 2011, Bell directed his own “Fanny Brice” musical at Florida’s Asolo Rep Theatre; wrote a program of musicals to accompany the AIDS Memorial Quilt to Washington D.C.; directed “Hamlet” at Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival and a World Premiere of “Hero” at the Marriott Theatre and Asolo Repertory Theatre; and wrote “The Rules of Love” in Istanbul with Turkish rock stars Sertab Erener and Demir Demirkan. Bell opened “Shakin’ the Rafter”s for Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre in Atlanta; directed “South Pacific,” “9 To 5,” “Cabaret,” and “On the Town” for the Marriott Lincolnshire; and directed “The Comedy of Errors,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Pericles” for Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. For Northwestern University’s Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts, Bell has directed “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and six Waa-Mu Shows: “Another Way West,” “Beyond Belief, What’s Next?,” “Off The Map,” “Flying Home” and “Gold.” He is currently writing and directing “The Museum of Broken Relationships” with composer Daniel Green.

Leslie Liautaud (Playwright) has worked for more than 30 years in professional theater as actor, director, choreographer and playwright. She is the author of “Midnight Waltzes” (2006), “He is Us” (2008), “The Wreck” (2009), “Saligia” (2011) and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream: The Millennial Edition” (2012). Her screenplays/webisodes include “Taj Mahal” (2006), “Web” (2010) and “Jimmy John’s/Whateverhollywood” (2010) parody web series. Liataud directed her one-act play, “The Mansion” (2010) and Tennessee William’s play “The Chalky White Substance” (2011) for the “Tennessee at 100” series in Champaign, IL. She wrote “Spectacle Lunatique” for Redmoon Theatre in Chicago in 2012. Liautaud’s plays have been produced throughout the Midwest and her plays “Midnight Waltzes” and “The Wreck” received translations for the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent where they are used as classroom curriculum and are archived at the Opendoek Library in Antwerp. She has performed and choreographed for various theatres and organizations such as Ibsen Theatre, Exposure Inc., Liberty Symphony Orchestra, Worlds of Fun and Westport Ballet Company. Liautaud co-founded the “People in Motion” high school youth performance program (1995) in Kansas City, MO. She is the author of the coming-of- age novel, “Black Bear Lake,” the psychological thriller, “Butterfly Pinned” and is currently writing her third novel.

Carl Menninger (Dramaturg and Co-Creator) has lived and worked in Chicago for many years and directed the 2016 production of “This” at Windy City Playhouse. Currently, he serves as an Artistic Associate to the Playhouse and is an Assistant Professor of Theatre at American University, in Washington, D.C., where he ran the Theatre and Musical Theatre programs for eight years. While in Chicago, Menninger worked with Victory Gardens and Chicago Dramatists. In addition to working at D.C.’s Studio Theatre and Adventure Theatre, his play “Everything But You: A Modern Romance” received a staged reading at the Keegan Theatre in D.C. His play “Dysfunction Spelled Backward Is Family” was also presented in D.C., and he is currently working on a play about the silent film stars Ramon Novarro and Billy Haines. Menninger is the author of “Minding the Edge: Strategies for a Fulfilling, Successful Career as an Actor.”

Amy Rubenstein (Co-Creator) is originally from Chicago and graduated from Brandeis University’s Department of Theater, Magna Cum Laude. Upon graduation, she worked as an actress in Chicago, Los Angeles, and regional markets, earning her Actors Equity Association membership at the Human Race Theater Company in Dayton, Ohio. She has been working in real estate for the past thirteen years specializing in development, adaptive reuse and financial and legal structuring of assets. Rubenstein was thrilled to have the opportunity to combine her business and artistic skills together to form Windy City Playhouse, which has produced ten shows in three seasons, six of which were Jeff Recommended. This fall, Rubenstein appears as Suzanna in “Becky Shaw.”

Brianna Borger (Suzanne Wellington) makes her Windy City Playhouse debut. Her Chicagoland credits include “Parade” and “A Little Night Music” (Writers Theatre); “The King & I” (Jeff Award Nomination - Best Actress) and “Into the Woods” (Porchlight Music Theatre); “The Christmas Schooner” and “The Bardy Bunch” (Mercury Theatre); “Billy Elliot” and “Bye Bye Birdie” (Drury Lane); “The Three Musketeers” (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); “Evita” (Marriott Theatre); “The American Girl Revue” (American Girl Place); and “The Secret Garden” (Light Opera Works). Borger’s regional credits include “The Full Monty” (Peninsula Players); “Always... Patsy Cline” and “Nunsense” (The Armory); “Beauty and the Beast” (Northern Stage); and “Assassins” and “Love's Labour’s Lost” (Alaska Shakespeare Festival). Borger’s touring credits include “The King & I” (Broadway Asia).

Paul Fagen (Jackson Wellington) makes his Windy City Playhouse debut. Chicago credits include “The Temperamentals” (About Face Theatre); “Feathers and Teeth” (u/s, Goodman Theatre); “Since, I Suppose” (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); “Fun Home” (u/s, Victory Gardens); “The Metal Children” (Next Theatre); “The Language Archive” (Piven Theatre Workshop); “Company” and “The Burnt Part Boys” (Griffin Theatre); “The Attempters” and “The Nutcracker” (The House Theatre of Chicago); “Late Company” (Cor Theatre); “Bright Room Called Day” and “The Crucible” (Speaking Ring Theater) and multiple performances at Quest Theatre Ensemble. Fagen has also been a proud member of Strawdog Theatre Company since his 2009 performance in “Red Noses.” Other Strawdog credits include “Quiz Show,” “Once In A Lifetime,” “The Good Soul of Szechuan,” “Petrified Forest,” “Big Love,” and “The Duchess of Malfi.” In 2008, Fagen received a CAAP grant from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs which he used to study in New York under Ruth Maleczech, founder of Mabou Mines. Film credits include the indie short “Making the Bed” and Stephen Cone’s “Princess Cyd.” Television credits include “Chicago Fire” (NBC).

Sarah Grant (Ellie Coutier) makes her Windy City Playhouse debut. Chicago credits include “The Upstairs Concierge” (Goodman Theatre, understudy): “A Very Merry Madrigal” (Theo Ubique); “Sleeping Beauty” and “Godspell” (Provision); “Hamlet is Dead: No Gravity” and “Hedda Gabbler” (Red Tape); and “Death and Harry Houdini” (House Theatre, understudy). Her regional credits include “The Dos and Don’ts of Time Travel” (Phoenix Theatre). She is an ensemble member at Red Tape Theatre and holds a master’s degree in the humanities from the University of Chicago.

Brian McCaskill (Charles Lyon) previously appeared at Windy City Playhouse in “Chapter Two.” Other theatrical credits include Court Theatre, Lyric Opera, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Shattered Globe Theatre, TimeLine Theatre, and Raven Theatre. He has received one Jeff Award, four Jeff Award nominations, and two After Dark Awards for his theatrical work. Film and television credits include “Chicago P.D.” (NBC); “Crisis” (NBC); “Prison Break” (FOX); and numerous commercials.

Michael McKeogh (Tucker Alsworth) makes his Windy City Playhouse debut. Other Chicago credits include “The Skin of Our Teeth” (Remy Bumpo); “A Wrinkle in Time” and “The Killer Angels” (Lifeline Theatre); “Pocatello” (Griffin Theatre); “The White Road” (Irish Theatre of Chicago); “Hamlet” (Oak Park Festival Theatre); “Concerning Strange Devices From The Distant West” (TimeLine Theatre); and “Freshly Fallen Snow” (Chicago Dramatists). In 2014, he co-hosted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s holiday show “Welcome Yule!” Other regional credits include “The 20th Century Way” (The Know Theatre, Cincinnati) and “The Importance of Being Earnest” (Play Phare Theatre, NYC).

Mickey O’Sullivan (Beau Courtier) makes his Windy City Playhouse debut. Chicago credits include “Chad Deity” (Red Theatre); “Dying City” (The Comrades); “D.O.A.” (Strawdog); “No Beast So Fierce” (Oracle); “Hair,” “The Royale,” “Humans,” “Mercy Strain” and “Javeneeh” (American Theatre Company); “Miracles in the Fall” (Pet); “3 Soldiers 4 Sisters” (Rtc); and
“Henry Moore is Melting” (Cold Basement). O’Sullivan is currently recurring on “The Chi” (Showtime), appeared recently on “Chicago PD” (NBC) and “APB” (Fox) and on the indie festival circuit in numerous films, and just wrapped on Rupert Wyatt's sci-fi thriller “Captive State.”

Christine Mayland Perkins (Lauren Lyon) makes her Windy City Playhouse debut. She was most recently seen as the Scarecrow in “The Great and Terrible Wizard of Oz” at the House Theatre, where she is a company member. House Theatre credits include: “Revel,” “Rose and the Time,” “Ploughed Under,” “Nutcracker” (‘12 and ‘13), and “Kitty Hawk.” Other Chicago credits include “Psychonaut Librarians” (New Colony); “Titanic: The Musical” (Griffin Theatre); “Pirates of Penzance” and “Princess and the Pea” (Marriott Lincolnshire); “Mill Girls” (Etopia); and “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” (Open Door Rep, Light Opera Works, and American Music Theatre Projects). She is a graduate of Northwestern University.

Ariel Richardson (Cassie Smith) makes her Windy City Playhouse debut. Richardson received her BFA-Acting from Oklahoma City University. Her recent credits include “An Octoroon” (Definition Theatre); “Twelfth Night” (Montana Shakespeare); and “Shaken” (Route 66 Theatre). Richardson currently plays Terry on Showtime's “The Chi.”


About Windy City Playhouse
Windy City Playhouse, Chicago's most sophisticated not-for- profit Equity theater, aims to expand beyond the traditional theatergoing experience by offering audience members a night of high-quality entertainment with a welcoming full-service bar in a lounge-like atmosphere with a fireplace and luxurious seating designed to foster pre and post-performance conversations.  Windy City Playhouse commits itself to audience-first programming and to presenting contemporary, diverse and humorous plays. Every aspect of the theater—the bar, décor and overall atmosphere—breaks down the formality and rigidity of the typical theater going experience. Lauded by audiences and critics alike, Windy City Playhouse promises to rock Chicago's theater scene.

For more information, visit WindyCityPlayhouse.com and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  

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