Friday, February 10, 2012

Ten Activities of Merle While Playing Hooky BY LIZ GOODSON


-Watch the Paula Deen show
-Bake Gingerbread Cookies
-Eat half the Gingerbread cookies with a small glass of milk
-Checks out the photographic supply store. But probably won't buy anything
-Walk around the park with her camera
-Visits the various art museums
-Attends a matinee (is an avid fan of Lon Chaney Sr.)
-Finishes knitting a pair of Christmas mittens for Melissa and Martin
-Enjoys a glass of cordial while watching television reruns
-Before bed, blows a kiss to the picture she took of her fiancé

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Puppet Martin: ON ACTING by Jennifer Roehm

The buzz is building around the Chicago theatre scene’s newest breakout star – the Shadow Puppet version of Martin Crown, leading man of The Ruckus Theater’s current production, LITTLE TRIGGERS. I sat down with Puppet Martin to find out what it is that makes him tick.

JR: Hi Puppet Martin! Thanks for being here today. I’m a huge fan.

PM: It’s no problem. I’m always here. They store me in the plastic bin in the corner.

JR: That’s so great. So what are your major inspirations?

PM: Gosh, where do I even begin? Cereal boxes, definitely. Thin sheets of cardboard in general… Oh, and those boxes that frozen pizzas come in? I guess you could say they’ve all made me who I am today.

JR: Wow, awesome. Let’s talk about your epic battle scene in the first act. It looks so intense! How did you prepare?

PM: I guess you could say I was born to do it. I mean, it’s the only thing I really know how to do. Look, my hand is permanently attached to this sharpened letter-opener.

JR: I see that!

PM: Thanks. It makes dating awkward, though. The last girl I went out with, she tried to hold my hand and got stabbed.

JR: Oh Gosh! Is she alright?

PM: Yeah, she’s fine. We’re still Facebook friends.

JR: Okay. So, um… what’s next for you?

PM: Oh, I’ll probably just take it easy and slowly disintegrate in storage somewhere.

JR: You heard it here first, folks… Puppet Martin, coming to a storage facility near you in summer 2012! I can’t wait for that trailer. Well, that about wraps things up for us today. Thanks for taking the time to talk with me, Martin!

PM: Hey, it was my pleasure. …can you please put me down now?

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Tooth Fairy: Friendly Sprite or Local Mob Boss, by Suzanne Keyes

Hey, Tooth Fairy signing in.

So, when Allison contacted my agent to ask if I was interested in Little Triggers, I was a little hesitant at first because I was working on a few other projects at the time. I will admit that we didn't have time to read the script before the read thru, but I thought, you know, where's the harm in that?

Well, I get to the read thru and my eyes almost fall out of my head because there I am, the Tooth Fairy, in black and white, all mixed up in 'The Incident', again. People, it's been almost twenty years, can we drop it? Please.

Anyway, I had already signed on and the last thing I needed was the bad publicity associated with a breach of contract. I need that like a hole in the head.

So, is it true? 'The Incident' between me and the Tooth Troll portrayed in 'Little Triggers'? I'm not going to say that it didn't happen, but...let's just say that I didn't NOT do those things that I portray in this show. Capiche?

Really, who's side are you on, anyway?