Act Out: The North Plan at Theater Wit (review) #Give Away

(from left) Kate Buddeke is small town redneck Tanya Shepke, Kevin Stark plays wrongly imprisoned U.S. State Department bureaucrat Carlton Berg, reluctantly guarded by Shonda, played by Lucy Sandy, in Theater Wit’s The North Plan
by Jason Wells, directed by Kimberly Senior, playing now through Apr.
1, 2012 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Tickets: theaterwit.org or 773.975.8150. Photo by Liz Lauren.

SENIOR, BUDDEKE MAKE THEATER WIT DEBUTS IN CHICAGO PREMIERE OF JASON WELLS’ HILARIOUS, SCARY, APOCALPYTIC COMEDY THE NORTH PLAN, THROUGH APR. 1



 



On Kevin Stark's actual birthday this year, he was wrongfully imprisoned, beaten, tortured with an electric prod, and ultimately shot...then serenaded in the lobby with chocolate cake and champagne.   Where else could this dichotomy exist but the fabulous Theater Wit?!   Yes, opening night of The North Plan was off with a bang and a birthday.   We had the great pleasure of checking out opening night and now we're stoked to be giving away a pair of tixs to one lucky teen.   

The revolution will not be televised, but it will end up on stage!   From now through April fools day, no foolin', you can check out this action packed, dark comedy.   Kate Buddeke steals the show as accidental anarchist, Tanya Shepke.   Every time I think Theatre Wit's creativity has peaked, they manage to surprise and delight.   I was amused by the press kits--manila envelopes stamped TOP SECRET and Classified, and far more impressed with the show.   Despite the bloody subject matter, the audience was laughing enthusiastically by final curtain call.   The dialogue and plot were simultaneously thought provoking and deeply funny.   Casting was spot on.   Highly recommended for older teens & adults.

ENTER HERE FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN

**UNDER 21?   We're giving away a pair of tickets to a lucky teen, this week.   Enter like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often and spread the word.  This one's short n sweet.   Enter through midnight this Wednesday.   Winner gets 2 tickets for The North Plan Saturday, March 10th, including pre show snacks at 7pm and a pizza party to follow!**



Theater Wit is reaching out to Chicago’s teens and crafting some unique experiences around The North Plan and their upcoming production of Tigers be Still. These evenings are designed to provide a forum for young adults to gather, exchange views, and meet the artists and each other.
 
For Jason Wells’ The North Plan  Theater Wit is making a special night for teens.  On Saturday, March 10, Wit will open its doors at 7 pm and have a pre-show reception that will have snacks and drinks before the 8 pm show.  After the show teens are invited to stay for pizza and a talk back with the actors. The tickets are just $15.  Just use the code word TEEN when reserving a ticket online or via phone. 

*Wait for Rafflecopter to load up right here (if you've gone through RSS feed or are scrolling down the blog and don't see it, click on the actual page title and it should pop right up).   Entries are easy.   Winning rocks!  

El Circo Cheapo-3-3-2012 (photo filled feature)

Check out our original show shots from The El Circo Cheapo-7pm Family Friendly Show on 3/3/2012.    We highly recommend this monthly celebration of circus arts at Aloft Loft.   They perform the first Saturday of every month and sell out, so plan ahead.   Tickets are a reasonable $10 for floor seating or $15 to splurge on a chair.   7pm is family friendly and 10pm is 18+.   Both are BYOB.    After the show, our kids gave a little impromptu circus skills demo, just for the pure joy of it.   (The kids take classes at CircEsteem, and were so jazzed to see some of their instructors perform, who are regulars in El Circo Cheapo!)  For tickets and more info, including adult classes, check out Aloft's main site right here.

Xoe Wise-#Free Download

Check it out!   ChiIL Live Shows has a gorgeous, free single for you.  Chicago singer-songwriter Xoe Wise is dropping the first single from her upcoming Archive of Illusions today, March 6.

The single, “All You Gave,” is available for free download at http://blog.xoewise.com/allyougave!


Archives of Illusion will be released on Tuesday, May 1 and Xoe will be performing live on WGN-TV on Friday, May 25. Her record release show is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, May 29 @ Schuba’s.

Aloft Aerial Arts-Under the Gaslight Show (photo filled recap)

Under the Gaslight, Aloft's student show on February 25th, was truly impressive.   Check out our original show shots above.   It's exciting to see aerial acts within a larger story line or plot, rather than just an exhibition of skills.  We were especially excited that they chose to explore the subjective elements of mental illness.  

  

Gaslighting, by definition, is a term for psychological abuse where the victim is led to doubt their own memory and perception.   Here's the Wikipedia definition:

Gaslighting is a form of psychological abuse in which false information is presented with the intent of making a victim doubt his or her own memory and perception. It may simply be the denial
by an abuser that previous abusive incidents ever occurred, or it could
be the staging of bizarre events by the abuser with the intention of disorienting the victim.

The term "gaslighting" comes from the play Gas Light
and its film adaptations. In those works a character uses a variety of
tricks to convince his spouse that she is crazy, so that she won't be
believed when she reports strange things that are genuinely occuring,
including the dimming of the gas lamps
in the house (which happens when her husband turns on the normally
unused gas lamps in the attic to conduct clandestine activities there).
Since then, it has become a colloquial expression that is now also used in clinical and research literature. 

Earlier that night, I was shooting Emilie Autumn's amazing show at The House of Blues.   It was an eerily appropriate pairing, as Emilie's concerts are a music/ performance art hybrid that take place in a Victorian era asylum!   She even performed a song entitled...you guessed it, Gaslight!   Our photo filled recap is coming soon.

Here's Aloft's show premise:

Under the Gaslight

The Aloft Loft
Chicago, IL

The Aloft Student Ensemble Performance group presents a full length
contemporary circus show exploring the line between sane and "crazy".
Aloft's signature style of using traditional circus apparatus in new and
surprising ways, and spinning clear narrative through movement and risk
come alive again through this group of 10 up-coming acrobats, studying
at the Aloft Loft, the Midwest's premiere contemporary circus school.
Trained by some of the top instructors in the country, and directed by
Aloft's Artistic Director, Shayna Swanson, the performers have created a
show based in consensus building which questions weather mental illness
is just one tragedy away from everyone.

All proceeds from the seat reservation fee for this show will go into a new scholarship fund to assist current Aloft Loft students who lose their incomes due to the economy in continuing their acrobatic training. Some money will also be
directed into mirco-grants to help professional artists-in-residence at
the Aloft Loft develop new work.

We were back there tonight to shoot El Circo Cheapo and celebrate Du-Jay's 11th birthday with family.   They've been doing the show for 3 years and sell out every show!   Some of their talented performers also work as teachers at CircEsteem, so the kids were extra stoked to see folks they know perform.   We caught El Circo Cheapo back at Brilliant Corners Fest and were thoroughly entertained.    They run a fabulous, monthly circus at Aloft's space, on the first Saturday of every month for just $10 floor seats & $15 for a chair.   Tickets tend to be in high demand and sell out, so plan ahead.    Check out Aloft's main site here for more details.

El Circo Cheapo!

“The only thing cheap is the admission!”-Santa Fe Reporter

Like circus? Like awesome things that are crazy cheap? Then have we
got just the thing for you. El Circo Cheapo Cabaret is an amazing circus
show like nothing you have ever seen. An ever changing cast of some of
the world’s most talented circus performers, as well as other
performance artists, ensures no two shows are ever the same…and seat
reservation fees are low!

Make your seat reservation for El Circo Cheapo Cabaret now by heading here.

*The 7 PM show is family friendly. The 10 PM is 18+.   Both are BYOB.  

Emilie Autumn at House of Blues, Chicago

Here are ChiIL Live Shows' original shots of Emilie Autumn's unique show at House of Blues last month on  2/25/2012.  We were delighted by the demented, daring world of a Victorian Era Asylum and the colorful characters who dwell within.  Emilie Autumn and her Bloody Crumpets put on a memorable live show and were a joy to photograph.  The music, set, costumes and underlying social commentary were impressive.

The audience was great, too.   We saw many familiar freaks from the Chicago steampunk, Renaissance Faire, and Comic Con crowds, most of whom live for an excuse to dress up.    We were enamored with the creativity, talent and passion that went into this show, and Emilie and company truly seemed to enjoy themselves and the audience just as much as the audience adored them.   

Act Out: Highly Recommended Zastrozzi Closing (Review)

 

Jason Kingsley as Zastrozzi and Dani Smith as Matilda are particularly impressive.   photo credit:   The Division

The Division knows how to make an entrance! Check out the final days of the first show of their debut season, Zastrozzi!    In a city bursting at the seams with great storefront theatre, it's rare to find a new contender worth raving about.   The Division Theatre Company is off to an impressive start.

 

We were able to squeak in and see them Wednesday, near the end of their run and we're glad we did!  They made the daring choice to introduce their company with George Walker's Zastrozzi, The Master of Discipline and the press lapped it up.

ZASTROZZI IS...

 
"Horrifying and wickedly amusing"
RECOMMENDED ~ Centerstage Chicago

"Exciting, Lively and engaging"
 RECOMMENDED ~ Time Out Chicago

"Arresting...Voluptuous"
Chicago Tribune

"Great laughs, sexual tension and surprises"
RECOMMENDED ~ Chicago Stage Style

"Handled with attention and wit"
RECOMMENDED ~ Chicago Reader

"Impressive... Riveting... Swashbuckling thrills"
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ~ Windy City Times

There's not a weak link in the cast.  And the characters are written with a delightful mix of traits, taunting the audience to love the handsome roguish, brilliant murderers and find the virginal brat and the visionary artist annoying.   The wealthy are imbecilic and the servant a genius.   The show is full of eloquent monologues, witty observations, and intriguing contradictions, as the saintly are seduced but not to self destruction, and those who wish to protect, destroy.    Even the power plays are not one sided between the protagonists, but ebb and flow in a tantalizing trade off, much like many of the characters' very insanity and lucidity.

The Division's mission statement:

...to engage the community in questions of ethics, morality, and the demands of civilization. By exploring these issues in a theatrical setting, we seek to stimulate dialogue, self reflection, accountability, and a greater apprehension of each individual's role in shaping the culture and the world we live in.

Their ambitious debut:

ZASTROZZI The Master of Discipline

Europe, 1893.  Zastrozzi - atheist, art-critic, and master criminal - has spent the past three years in the singleminded pursuit of revenge against his mother's murderer, the born-again, former performance artist and self proclaimed Messiah of caterpillars, Verezzi.

With the aid of his murderous protege Bernardo, and his sometimes lover the accomplished seductress Matilda, Zastrozzi has finally cornered Verezzi for a final showdown between good and evil, love and hate, art and mediocrity.

There are only 2 nites left to check out Zastrozzi. So Chi Town...what are you waiting for?!   I've been a sucker for sword fights since I took stage combat and fencing in college back in the day....   Victorian BDSM and witty word play well done indeed. 

“You think that a wall

 as solid as the earth

 separates civilization from barbarism.   

I tell you the division is a thread, 

a sheet of glass. 

A touch here, a push there, 

and you bring back the reign of Saturn.”  

~ John Buchan

 Zastrozzi plays through Feb 25th at Viaduct Theatre 

3111 N. Western

7:30pm nightly

Tickets $20

Check out their main site for advanced tickets and more info

Up next from The Division:

THE DYBBUK
FALL 2012 
In an isolated Jewish shtetl community, brilliant young Talmudic scholar Hannan delves deep into the mystical arts of the Kabbalah, hoping to win the hand of the beautiful Lehla.

When Lehla's engagement to someone else is announced, Hannan dies on the spot...  But his relationship with Lehla is only beginning.

In a world where the dead and the living sit side by side at table, history can not be forgotten, and love can not be ignored.

Houdini Box-ChiIL Mama's Video Interview With Blair Thomas and Hannah Kohl

Houdini Box at Chicago Children's Theatre opened to rave reviews and critical acclaim.  ChiIL Mama had the great opportunity to interview director, Blair Thomas and book/lyrics writer, Hannah Kohl.  Catch this show while you can, before it performs a disappearing act worthy of the great magician himself.
   
Houdini Box is suitable for kids 5 and up, but all ages through adults will enjoy this magical production full of puppetry, excellent music, and a mysterious, creative storyline.    Houdini Box is playing in Chicago at The Mercury Theatre through March 4th, then rematerializing in Skokie from March 14th-25th.

*Check out ChiIL Mama's Houdini Box review and photo filled feature here.   

*Check out our interview with Oscar nominee, Brian Selznick, author of the original children's stories Houdini Box, the play, and Hugo, the movie, were based on!   He's joined by Mark "Mucca Pazza" Messing, one of our favorite musical masterminds who wrote the score to Houdini Box and the recently extended Hunchback Variations, also now playing!

Click here for tickets and further information.