Spiel Chicago Episode Two: Adia Alli
Spiel Chicago logo designed by Jon Kurtycz This week I spoke with actress and stage manager Adia Alli about working in Chicago, representation in the theater and the kinds of shows she loves to see. Adia recently stage managed The Hairy Ape at Oracle Theatre and is currently understudying for Kristiana Rae...
Overcoming Performance Anxiety
Some folks combat their social anxiety by avoiding the kinds of situations that provoke these responses. But if you’re a performer, avoiding is not an option; you’ve chosen an endeavor that requires you to put yourself in emotional harm’s way every time you take the stage.
Inside WASTWATER Part 3: Sound
My favorite thing about designing sound is that it exists for an audience in a primal, subliminal way. They can’t see or touch it, but it’s intertwined with all of our perceptions of reality and being.
Spiel Chicago Episode 1: Meridith Friedman
Spiel Chicago logo designed by Jon Kurtycz Welcome to the first episode of Spiel Chicago, bringing you stories from behind the scenes of storefront theatre in Chicago. This week, I’m sharing some of my interview with playwright Meridith Friedman.Meridith’s play, THE FIRESTORM, was produced by Stage Left Theater in the Fall...
Hypocrites Name Their First Logan Fellow
As part of a multi-year fellowship program established by the Logan Foundation, The Hypocrites announced the company’s first Logan Fellow.
10 Things We Learned Buying HAMILTON Chicago Tickets
We, like many others, stood by our computers at 10am today, prepared for the rush to buy tickets for HAMILTON in its Chicago incarnation. Lessons were learned.
Inside WASTWATER Part 2: Dialect
The principal mistake that many productions make when using dialects is that dialect becomes an add-on, a superficial layering on character rather than the mode by which a character expresses themself. Just as our respective geographic origins affect the way that we interact with other people, a theatrical character’s cultural, regional, and class background greatly reflect how an individual articulates the value system comprised of those elements. In other words, our dialect in many ways articulates us whether we love that or reject it. So, in exploring dialect work for WASTWATER—set around Heathrow airport—my goal is to mine the dialect of the region for as many tools as possible to help our team unlock that us within the ensemble of characters of this piece.
Silk Road’s Gillani on being Gay and Muslim in the Daily News
Malik Gillani and his husband Jamil Khoury. In the aftermath of the Orlando massacre, Silk Road Rising’s Executive Director, Malik Gillani, was asked to put down his thoughts and personal reactions in an article in the New York Daily News. Gillani reached out to PerformInk in hopes of sharing his...
Profiles Theatre to Close
Profiles Theatre, the 28-year-old storefront, announced late Tuesday night that they’ll be shutting down, effective immediately. This sudden, but much called for announcement posted to their Facebook page comes amidst a stinging backlash from the Chicago community over a Chicago Reader exposé documenting allegations against Darrell W. Cox for sexual misconduct, physical and psychological...
Steep Theatre to Host Simon Stephens in July
Playwright Simon Stephens. Photo by Kevin Cummins Steep Theatre is bringing Tony Award winner and Steep Associate Playwright Simon Stephens to Chicago July 21st – 25th coinciding with the U.S premiere of his play WASTWATER. This marks the second time Stephens has visited Steep and his first visit since becoming an associate...