The Ruckus

Ten Activities of Merle While Playing Hooky BY LIZ GOODSON

2012-02-10T12:52:00.001-06:00

-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

Puppet Martin: ON ACTING by Jennifer Roehm

2012-02-07T12:04:00.004-06:00

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?

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

2012-02-01T15:42:00.001-06:00

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?

BE GENTLE, IT'S MY FIRST TIME (the actor speaks about acting, rereads his words, dislikes them, but leaves them as is) By Derek Van Barham

2012-01-25T13:48:00.002-06:00

This has been my first experience working with The Ruckus. It has also been the first time that I have worked on a new script, and had the playwright around for much of the rehearsal process. It's been so exciting to really discover the world of the play as part of an ensemble. With the playwright there, I could ask questions about the meaning of a line and get an answer directly from the source. Its valuable to be able to discuss the script and see how one line can have a different meaning to each person in the room. Having done a lot of university productions of classics and well-worn territory (things like Earnest and Streetcar), it's been great to really create and originate. There are no models for these characters, no precedents. The script has such imagination. I like imagination.

Rob Grabowski on Killing Time and Taking Names

2012-01-10T15:07:00.003-06:00

There are no small parts, just small actors. Someone famous said that once. I think Matt Le Blanc. And when it comes down to it I have one of the smaller parts in "Little Triggers." And there's nothing wrong with that. But to discuss the process of acting, finding you're character, etc with a smaller role can be tricky. So I'll let Kevin, Derek or Neal discuss the finer points of acting.

From me you'll get some tips on ways to pass the time.

In Act one, once my scene is done I have roughly 40 minutes to myself. Try one of these suggestions next time you have 40 minutes:

-Reading: Reading is dying in America. Prove the news wrong by bringing a book or a kindle along. Thanks to rehearsals I'm almost done with "An Object of Beauty" by Steve Martin and looking forward to "Neverwhere" by Neal Gaimen and 'Being There" by Jerzy Kosinski through the run of the show. These books have been sitting on my shelf for months! MONTHS!

-Nap: grab a quick twenty winks! Helps get rid of those nasty bags under your eyes.

-Write: I just say you're writing stuff. People will be impressed.

-Re-Cast popular TV shows: One of my personal favorite games. Pick a show (Cheers, ER, ice road truckers) and re-cast it using friends or family. But never other celebrities.

-Make Fun of the Actors on Stage: Make fun of someone not in the room. We all do it. Including your co-workers when you leave a room

-Flirt: practice your flirting skills like Swiveling your hips, wink seductively, pulling your what-nots out smoothly, etc

-Leave Early: British stage rules state that if you're done before intermission you can go home. Do it so you catch the beginning of Conan

In Act two, I have scene where I'm under a sheet for 20 min. Try one of these suggestions next time you're under a sheet for 20 minutes:

-Shopping List: Go over what you have in your fridge and cupboards and what you can pick up on the way home

-Sweat Lodge: It's gonna get hot under there. Use it to your advantage! Drop a few pounds and clean our your pores

-Nap: See Nap under suggestions for things to do with 40 minutes

-Consider the big things: Take a moment and ponder about Life, The Universe and Everything!

-Coin Tricks: no pressure cause no one can see your hands

-Card Tricks: see above

-Ghost noises: self explanatory

-Enemies List: Make a ist of your enemies. Always useful to have especially when the assignation attempts begin to happen.

Hope that helps faithful readers!

Vortex: A Chewing Gum Retrospective by Neal Starbird

2012-01-06T14:10:00.003-06:00

Vortex is a chewing gum in the 5 line from Wrigley. It is promoted as a "juicy green apple." The first two words are appropriate, but probably more on their own than together. The "apple" is a bit of a stretch. I should say here that I'm not a gum man, so take this for what it's worth. I would say that this gum should be avoided, except that I have found myself encouraging friends and colleagues to try it to great satisfaction, so perhaps you should as well.

The effect of Vortex is fascinating. First there is a flood of fake green apple flavor. Unfortunately, it is sweet like crap wine instead of being in any way tart. I have to admire the folks at Wrigley for being able to squeeze so much flavor into the gum. The flavor of most sugar free gums fades pretty quickly leaving you with a chew toy to gnaw on for a while (did I mention I'm not a gum man?). However, the cloying fauxpple flavor of Vortex just seems infinite with but one minor change. About 10-20 seconds after chewing begins, the original taste moves somewhat to the upstage so that you can receive a full frontal assault of spearmint. You can still definitely taste the lead-off flavor, though, because the spearmint camps out mostly in your nasal cavity while the fauxpple pummels your soft palate.

You probably are thinking "sounds pretty gross, but I'm sure I could get used to it after awhile." That's what I thought too. I believe that is what everyone has thought that I have seen try this product. It's on their faces when they first lift the stick to their lips. "These others are little bitches. I'm the only real man in this room." And then you see the expected look of annoyance at the suitable-only-for-young-children fake apple flavor, and then the tell-tale discomfort as the spearmint gas starts pumping in their sinuses. Then the grimaces as they come to realize the full, discordant cacophony at play in their passageways. They try to tough it out for a few seconds, desperately believing the assault will wane or they will become acclimated to the effects. Finally the panic as they surrender and head for a trash can, or fumble for the original wrapper, desperate to get rid of it and aghast that it could possibly have been released to the public.

After some deliberation, we decided to go with a different gum for this production.

ANNOUNCEMENT! The Ruckus: Season 3

2011-09-06T11:36:00.002-05:00

CONK AND BONE by Joe Musso | directed by Kyra Lewandowski
September 18, 26 and 27, 2011

Somewhere in Louisiana, two men and a triggerless trombone await Death, who brings the cargo they are to ferry across the river Styx. This time, though, things are different. There are two souls instead of one—a headless girl with wings, and a fallen and furious hero. While Conk and Bone wait to make their perilous passage, Achilles finds a sword, the girl disappears, and a long-dormant secret creeps closer to the surface. Help playwright Joe Musso, director Kyra Lewandowski and The Ruckus take Conk and Bone a step further on their journey toward a special kind of hell during this workshop staged reading. Audience talkbacks led by guest dramaturgs follow each performance.

DUMB ANGEL by Seth Miller | directed by Katie Canavan
September 19, 20 and 25, 2011

A chord is a complex thing. It changes and grows, and more often than not, it’s the discordant note that brings it to life, for better or worse. Part transcript, part collage and part explosion of the American image of happiness, Dumb Angel explores madness, meaning and the torment of an artist on a quest for auditory joy—beginning with the tumultuous recording session for The Beach Boys’ 1965 number-one hit single, ‘Help Me, Rhonda’. Join playwright Seth Miller, director Katie Canavan and The Ruckus as we tumble into a rabbit hole of Brian Wilson’s phantasmagoria, and watch the boys of summer try to get the syncopation right. Audience talkbacks led by guest dramaturgs follow each performance.

LITTLE TRIGGERS by Daniel Caffrey | directed by Allison Shoemaker
January 13 – February 12, 2012

Once upon a dark and blustery Christmas Eve, a young man named Martin sits waiting. In the corner of the office, a printer spits, smokes and hisses in a way that would seem malevolent if Martin didn’t know better. He waits for the repairman and watches the clock tick, and wonders what it is that he’s doing with his life. Little does he know that before the evening’s out, a series of mysterious strangers will force him to confront his ideas about success, happiness and failure—and they’re starting with what’s hidden in the back of his drawer. Martin has to find the through-line for his story, and he had better do it fast, because the snow won’t stop falling, and the printer’s out for blood.

PERFECT CRASH by Aaron Dean and Allison Shoemaker | directed by Brian Ruby
RUNG by Matt Test | directed by Timo Aker
April 8 – 11, 2012

These two very different one-act plays explore in tandem the necessity of progress. Perfect Crash. In a windowless room, two people sit on an ugly green couch and plot their next move. How much momentum will get the wheel down the track, and how much more is needed to walk out the door? Playwrights Aaron Dean and Allison Shoemaker, and director Brian Ruby devise themselves out of a corner and discover the best kinds of failure in a marvelous machine. Rung. A body needs a voice—verbal or nonverbal, we require communication. But what happens when a voice needs a body, and you can’t keep sharing yours? Playwright/composer Matt Test, director Timo Aker, are helping Norbert Grover Norquist uncover what to do with this spare voice he’s got rattling around in his head.

Big things happen, strange and sad and wonderful things, but still—the machine needs building. Help The Ruckus and these talented artists make progress with these two new plays. Audience talkbacks led by guest dramaturgs follow each performance.

THE THING ABOUT CHEKHOV
devised by the Company | written by Calamity West | directed by Karie Miller
June 22 – July 22, 2012

Life is a story, but it’s not a short one. It has many acts, and they never quite end the way we predict. Built through a collaborative six-month process, The Thing About Chekhov prompts playwright Calamity West, director Karie Miller and a band of fearless actors to try to see the Cherry Orchard for the trees in this company-devised work: an exploration of realism, tragicomedy, and never quite arriving in your personal Moscow.

The Ruckus seeks...

2011-08-21T21:03:00.000-05:00

DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

The Development Manager oversees all fundraising, grant writing and event planning efforts for The Ruckus, under the supervision of the Managing Director. The Development Manager also serves as liaison to Ruckus Board of Directors, and plays a key role in strategic planning for the organization. This is a part-time volunteer position within the organization with a great deal of flexibility and room for growth; a commitment of approximately 8 hours a week is expected. The successful candidate will be goal- and deadline-oriented, trustworthy, enthusiastic and passionate about new work and have the ability to ask people for money. [MORE INFO]

COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

The Communications Manager develops, implements and evaluates all programs and systems designed to meet or exceed The Ruckus’ ticket revenue and attendance goals, under the supervision of the Managing Director. The Communications Manager plays a key role in planning and executing all marketing and publicity plans, serves as a spokesperson to the media for the company and collaborates with The Ruckus’ leadership on the continued strategic development of the company’s brand across all media. This is a new, part-time volunteer position within the organization with a great deal of flexibility and room for growth; a commitment of approximately 8 hours a week is expected. The successful candidate will be goal- and deadline-oriented, trustworthy, enthusiastic and passionate about new work, have the ability to think strategically and creatively—and sell lots of tickets. [MORE INFO]

Please send cover letter, resume and two writing samples to jeffrey@ruckustheater.org. No calls please. Game on.

15 MINUTES: A Love Story, by Stevie Chaddock Lambert

2011-06-22T16:03:00.001-05:00

I entered into this partnership almost exactly a year ago, and let me tell you, it started like any budding relationship. Dramatic. The constant texting, the late night phone calls, the not sleeping, the not eating and subsequent over-eating once you get into the comfortable stage (around month four)…

Don’t you just love new relationships?

And then everything changes. The fantasy ends. The veil is lifted. You see each other for who you really are – imperfect. You notice that 15 Minutes chews with his mouth open and almost always misses the toilet bowl while peeing and sounds like a growling Muppet monster when he sleeps. You realize that this relationship won’t continue to grow with just warm, fuzzy thoughts and carnal attraction. It’s going to take work…a lot of work.

So the work begins, and it’s grueling - in a truly exhilarating way. It’s exciting and new all over again. You learn things about each other that can’t be discovered in only a couple months; you dig deeper. You both grow and change - together and separately. 15 Minutes helps you through some very difficult, personal events in your life, and you are stronger together because of those hardships.

Finally, through it all, you realize why you began this relationship in the first place. You realize how truly rewarding a partnership, such as this, can be. You introduce 15 Minutes to your parents and friends, who of course love him, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Playwright Aaron Dean say...

2011-06-09T20:34:00.000-05:00

Son of Man, direct your face towards Blog, of the land of Mablog, the prince, the leader of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy concerning him.

Eziekiel 1: 38-39

Imagine you live in a little village. Its a happy place. Prosperous and gentle and fair and lovely. The thatch roof cottages sit nestled in buttery yellow wheat fields. There are festivals and dances and it seems the recent Typhus outbreak is fast becomming memory But there is one problem, there is an ogre, up the hill not two miles away, and he gambols down that hill every now and again and scoops up the most apple-cheeked, cherubic, five year old and rips opens its guts and feeds upon the leaky red entrails therein, while the mothers watch and ring their hands in grief. Then he gambols back up the hill, jump roping with the babe's lower intestines and singing Mid-period Moby songs.

Everyone in the village curses and cries and rends their burlap duds and then maybe they burn a goat and by morning they look out at those buttery wheat fields and understand the price of prosperity, they get over it and plan another barn dance.

Then a wandering knight, looking to impress his lady love back home rides into town. Not only is he gorgeous and charming and well-read, his record as a wandering knight is impeccable. Dragons vanquished, riddles solved, spells broken...you could go on forever baby.

He offers to solve your ogre problem. "Heck yes," you say.

You and your buddies armour up and you sing battle songs and play grabbies in the public shower and you head out, the golden knight leading his corn-liquor fueled posse.

You stand at the gates. Weapons poised. The clouds gather, somewhere an ominous bell is wringing. Where's it coming from? A solemn looking raven purches on a denuded tree branch.

You are unphased.

You hear the low, rumbling laugh of the creature.

You stand firm, confident in the knight.

Then over the black, iron gates, breaking the gray sheet of sky comes...a something...it hits right at your feet and when you get a closer look you see it is the head of that little five year old cutie, minus the eyes of course.

The ogres laughing becomes hysterical.

You miterate in your itchy breeches. Making them itchier.

Your knees knock together.

"Hold," Sayeth your captain.

You hold, he's just that good, in his golden helm and mighty sword, his cross draped shield and his...

Wait...wait a sec, what's that being hurled over the wall?

You find yourself in a shower of human body parts. The last thing that falls is the head of another knight, handsome face, golden helm, the works.

Minus the eyes of course.

And the ogre laughs till the earth at your feet shakes.

So what do you do? You run, you run like heck, back to the village. Will the knight and the posse take the gate? Slay the ogre. Who knows! Who cares!

So too is it with a devised piece. Our company was doing good. We had our share of success in a brief existence. But there is always the nagging to do more, to risk more. Then we decided to do a devised work. Which, most sensible people have a fear of. And we were on board, even the sensible ones.

And then come the heads.

Late nights, fast approaching deadlines, rehearsal after rehearsal waiting for the script, blocking waiting, designers waiting. And the ogre laughs and laughs.

Its scary. Reputations may be on the line, and you have started a process, without a play. You rehearse as you write, you have bull sessions and improvs, and they are all wonderful. And then its easy to let up and loose control. And then you scramble!

And you could run back to the village and be comfortable until the next time the monster comes down and then go back to being comfortable again after that. Or you could charge the gate, and risk becomming an eyeless head, thrown out of a gate to scare other posse's. You may fail. You may succeed, but to do the latter you must stay behind your knight.

We did.

We stormed the gate and brought that ogre down.

And now we have a dandy little play.

I love my wheat field. I always have, but what I love more is what it took to earn it. And who I earned it with.

So join me, raise your flagon of mead to the devised work, whether deemed successful or not. But drink not too much. For you never know what comes next to challenge you and your knight.

Juniper Hawk's Methods of Flying

2011-06-02T23:57:00.012-05:00

We have long known of the phase of human history where our ancestors traveled by aircraft. Many of us have watched the Network footage, and I have even walked down the aisle of a now-defunct vessel. It is possible, and I can verify, that people can travel down the street, to other areas of the country, and even underwater. I alone can testify to that and have done so a great many times.

What we have not discussed is the now-rare phenomenon of human flight. Our mode of living is confined to supposedly provide safety and calm in an otherwise unstable world. But there are a great many sacrifices we’ve made to live this way. Our People to People peers have been examining and testing these different methods for about three years now and they’ve given me permission to share their findings with all of you, to perhaps encourage your interest in the outside world. None of these methods are possible in current Cube arrangement.

1) FALLING DOWN: Due to the confined nature of our living arrangement, the most anyone can fall is from their Mirror unit onto nearby floor or adjoining wall. This is a fairly minor fall and in in no way matches the destructive and wonderfully painful tumbles our ancestors experienced. From what I’ve seen, there are many different styles and shape a typical fall can take. The most I’ve ever traveled is the occasional stumble over uneven pavement on my many day trips. I have yet to encounter a set of stairs or a railing high enough to allow a moment of flight as I’ve seen in my research.

2) BASKETBALL: The rules of this game still elude me, but examining the former playing grounds and footage, there is evidence of a goal positioned at least 10 feet into the air and individuals would have to travel from the ground to the goal with a ball in their hands. The air over the playing ground was only thick enough to support one player at a time, and not everyone was strong enough to sustain such a long flight.

3) DANCE: Though I've long been ridiculed for my immense compact disc collection, my appreciation for disco in particular brings me one step closer to defying gravity.

Disco is not a flight dance(but a delicious series of movements across a dance space). It requires the body to move in ways it wouldn’t move for everyday purposes, which is a key element of any dance. Some forms specialized in leaving the ground for various periods of time.

Allow me to repeat: there is no way any of us can fly in a Cube. We will forever attempt to recreate the thrills and marvels that were once available to us(proof that we are meant for different living arrangements), but we will not be capable of actual human flight until we leave the Cubes. I encourage you all to find other methods once employed and attempt them in the limited floorspace you have available. I guarantee you’ll fail, much like Sebastian’s original mustache.

2011-06-01T20:44:00.001-05:00

Rayne’s Dos and Don’ts of Exercising, Eating Right and Leading an All-Around Healthy Lifestyle

DO measure yourself everyday. I realize using a measuring tape seems antiquated, but it works! Weighing yourself is inconsistent and not helpful in determining how good or bad, thin or fat you look on your mirror.

DON’T skip even a day of exercising. Not only does it keep you looking your best, but also, people like to watch so chances are you will gain some Knowns.

DON’T get discouraged because of your lack of space. Get creative. Use everything you have. Do wall push-ups. Use your ottoman for one-legged lunges or tricep dips. I once ran an entire marathon in place. It can be done!

DO watch what you eat. I know our portions are small to begin with, but really think about what and how much you’re putting in your mouth. Also, try and limit yourself to ONE tasty bin a week.

DO get a friend to workout with you. You’ll be held accountable to another person, and it’s really fun to have someone to talk to and help pass the time. Plus, you can encourage each other will simple gestures like smiling or waving. My best friend and workout buddy is Ivy Brock!

DON’T hesitate to ask for my help or my advice! Also, don’t forget to become a member of L.E.E.F.F.R., the League of Extraordinary Exercisers Fighting Fervently for Recognition, of which I am Founder and President.

IVY BROCK say...

2011-05-31T20:08:00.004-05:00

Ok, listen up, b*****s.

Gah….ok, I hate typing. No, like seriously, I hate typing. And this new keyboard ap is beyond lame.

I’m pretty sure this is totally pointless since you all know who I am already, and if you don’t, then you’ve been living under your desk like a Loser McLoserson.

So, I found one of those stupid surveys from like forever ago, and I figured it might be a good way to present you with a few little known facts about moi.

A - Age: Mind your d**n business. I look good and you know it.

B - Bed size: Like you don’t know. My sleep sessions are legendary.

C - Chore you hate: Letting in the drones (barf) for mirror maintenance

D - Dog's name: One time I had a virtual puppy named Fluffles. I bought her the most adorable pink rhinestone collar, but I forgot the puppy chow. Oops.

E - Essential start your day item: My hand. JK LOSERS! A hair brush, I don’t know. Whatever.

F - Favorite color: pink

G - Gold or Silver: PLATINUM, Baby.

H - Height: Again, I look good and you know it.

I - Instruments you play: Are you effing kidding me? Shut the eff up. Who does this anymore?!?

J - Job title: HBIC/ Flirt at Canoodle. (Like you don’t know…psh…)

K- Kids: I am not nor never will be a breeder. My genes are way too awesome to share.

L - Living arrangements: CUBE

M - Mom's name: Who the hell knows?

N- Nicknames: Why don’t you make up one for me?

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: What?

P - Pet Peeve: Lame guys who request gratification rendezvous with me. Get on my level.

Q - Quote from a movie: “Sometimes you have to show a little skin. This reminds boys of being naked, and then they think of sex.” Cher from Clueless

R - Right or left handed: Whichever you’d like.

S - How many siblings: Who knows?

T - Time you wake up: Whenever I feel like it. It’s not like you don’t love to watch me sleep anyways!

U- Underwear: ;)

V - Vegetable you dislike: I don’t know, but I do like cucumbers.

W - Ways you run late: I have never been late a day in my life. I have an impeccable sense of timing.

X - X-rays you've had: everywhere

Y - Yummy food you make: Who makes food? I just get a delivery every week.

Z - Zoo favorite: I just had to Google that. I hope those don’t still exist!

Ok!!!! Thanks for reading!!!! If we aren’t friends yet and you’re way awesome, you should totally request me!!!!!!!! Or you can find me on CANOODLE!!!!!!! J J J J J

LOVE,

IVY BROCK

Alyse Kittner had this to say a while back...

2011-05-30T23:16:00.001-05:00

i don't know if you heard the news, but i am going to Vegas - in a matter of minutes. The main reason of going is to skydiving. Yup, I am paying someone to push me out of a plane. While there, i am also jumping into the world of RISK. Financial risk, emotional risk, physical risk, and moral risk (it is Vegas after all).

how far are we willing to push ourselves out of our comfort zone and into the world of risk? I love physically risky things. let me climb to the top of anything, throw me around like a beach ball, i am also good a balancing things on my head. I don't have enough money to worry about being financially risky. I think that is one of the sad problems only rich people have to deal with. Moral risk- i am just going to let that one go.

But emotional risk? Like letting my guard down? Or, god forbid, exposing faults and fears? My heart races, chest tightens, mind races, and i have this uncontrollable giggle. If you know me, even a little, you know i don't giggle. I smirk. I belly laugh. I am not a giggler unless very uncomfortable. emotional risk makes me very uncomfortable...teeheeheehee.

As an actor working on 15 Mins, i have taken my fair share of risks. Some easy, some hard, some that are still TBD. But the character's choice of to take a risk or not...that is compelling. what is the difference between risk and stupidity? what is the difference between safe and boring? what is it that makes all the risk worthwhile?

For me and Henry it is the opportunity to experience something completely new. After I jump, I will never be the same. When Henry risks it all, nothing will be as it was. Feeling new things makes the risk worthwhile.

A little something from playwright Aaron Dean...

2011-05-11T20:24:00.000-05:00

Yip yip yip yip yip yip yip yip

Bum bum bum bum bum bum

Get a blog

Shan na na na nanana

Get a blog

I have a strange relationship with technology. I always have. Here is me. I am 29 years old. I wear fuzzy sweaters and smoke pipes and schedule time to take walks. All without irony too.

I hate using the phone. I don't like to drive; I never had an interest in automoblies,unlike most Americans who find driving akin to breathing. I didn't really use a computer until I was probably 18, in high school I would visit releatives to write term papers. Although I do like the promise of the personal computer, I still don't know my way around one, and would rather be doing just about anything else than sitting in front of a screen.

And it's not like I hate technology, just the opposite. I find it miraculous! We are living in an age of pure magic, and although I think it has it's merit, I have come to terms with the fact that it just isn't a world I fit into. I'm fine with this. And if you become close to me, eventually you will have to deal with the fact that while you're sweating bullets trying to get a hold of me, because its soooo important to be able to get ahold of me because I'm sooooo important, I am probably watching geese swallow stuff at the park, I can spend close to two hours watching stuff slide down those long, graceful necks. I don't know why! And I have given up analyizing it.

That's not to say that I am stubborn about it (I kinda am though) I'm pretty open minded. I am for whatever reason, just really indifferent to technology.

What I am not indifferent to however, is what it all means for us as a human race.

I'm no reactionary, when I see all the headphones, and screens and see everyone talking to the angels via tiny headsets I don't shake my tiny fists and say "You damn kids...blar, blar.." because it's cool, it's cool stuff. And there is so much talk about what it is doing to us. And I agree that it is doing something to us. And it's not cuz its evil or whatever, we just don't have the maturity, as a society, to balance it out with the rest of our lives yet that's all. It's a tool and a toy, and I love that. But we are not really treating it that way, there is something quasi-religious about the culture of technology right now, and if you don't believe me listen to people get together and talk about their phones. But that's just cuz it's all so new. When you were little and you get a badass new toy, your stuffed animals sat in the corner for a while. But you pick 'em back up and snuggle them again. We'll snuggle again gang, we just need to get all the electro-ecstacy out of our collective system first. So until you do my friends I will be watching the geese. Come join me, and I dare you to leave your phone at home.

Simon Lee and Tips for Virtual Pets

2011-05-02T20:39:00.006-05:00

Hi…um…

My name is Simon Lee.

I…um… Well, I’m not…I’m a people person. I like to watch people and to talk to them. They don’t…um well they don’t always talk to me, but I think that it’s just a bit of a slump for me right now. I’m getting better at--I mean I’m improving. I think, in the ways that I communicate.

I have a pony. A virtual pony. His name is Simon2 and he is very popular with the ladies. Well, the lady horses. Here is a picture:

It’s an old picture, but you get the idea. He has been with me for as long as I can remember. Which… Well, I guess that’s rare. I could give you some tips if you like, but you don’t have to take them, but I do pretty well with my pony upkeep…so it might help you with your stuff…or whatever. Here are some rules to follow:

Go to a RELIABLE virtual pet shop. Often times you’ll find that people will over charge you for your animal and they will already be on the verge of death or starvation or are just plain not good. The virtual animal ring in this country is cut throat. Don’t trust people who make huge offers for a small price. I myself was forced to visit a number of undesirable pages for a good two years before I had earned the right to my virtual pet and even then I was forced to nurse Simon2 back from his previous owner who left him on death’s door. Don’t settle. I suggest Takio, Bastingo’s Animal Hideout or Ain’t No Thing but a Chicken Wang for Animal Lovers.
Feed you pet 3 times a day. Again, I visit a number of undesirable pages in order to have the credits for Simon2’s food. I make sure that he is always well fed and healthy, even if this means that I must go hungry. A virtual pet is privilege. His needs must come before your own.
Play with your animal. He needs love and respect. I, myself, give Simon2 my attention for at least 4 hours of the day. He is always well brushed and muscular and happy. There is no excuse for a lack of this level of commitment. He is an actual living virtual pony. Treat him with the respect he deserves.
And lastly take your animals to a virtual vet once a week. Again I visit many undesirable pages in order to have the credits to make this happen, but I know that the health of my virtual animal is a direct indication of the mental health of me. If he is sick I must be a sick person to let that happen. Don’t be a mentally ill person. Take care of your animal. I suggest Bastingo’s Animal Hideout, The V.E.T, or Fix’er Up or Bury ‘Em for Animal Fanatics.

I hope this has been helpful or- - Well hopefully this has been enlightening. I work very hard on Simon2 and he means the world to me. I don’t know what I would do without him.

I um… bye.

Rayne Droppe: The Person (not the stuff that’s been falling from the sky all April)

2011-04-27T23:57:00.004-05:00

When you hear the name “Rayne Droppe,” what kind of person do you think of? Probably some tie-dye wearing, peace sign flashing, go-with-the-flow hippie, am I right? Hmmm, not quite.

So who is Rayne Droppe? No, really, who is she? We’re still writing here, folks. Your input would be really helpful. Ok, ok, enough joking around! Yes, we are still writing this beast, but we have pretty good idea of who this gal is and (not that I’m attached or anything) she’s pretty great.

I’d say she’s a mix of Max Fischer (ala Rushmore) and Rachel Berry (for all you Gleeks out there). Some say she’s more akin to a Disney princess. However you’d describe Miss Droppe, I think you’d all agree on one thing; she’s endearing as hell.

Rayne’s insecurities shine through as she strives for perfection, and if you asked her to describe herself, she’d give you a list of all her “qualifications” (i.e. breeding, soccer, macramé, scrapbooking, taxidermy, portraiture…I think you get the point).

Obviously, Rayne has a lot to learn about who she truly is, including the fact that her identity is not comprised of self-assigned accolades. What she doesn’t realize is that only through other people, actual human-to-human interaction, can she discover these truths about herself.

Sebastian Duder and an episode of BYTES!

2011-04-26T21:42:00.009-05:00

FIRE

FIRE
FIRE

And no, that isn’t what you think. Or maybe it is.

Soon, very soon you’ll all have your suspicions confirmed.

Or denied.

Or something.

Look at these!!!!

The abs. Of steel. And American.

This is patriotism at its best. Explosive and sexy.

By the way, Happy Easter.

Cute right? Cuddly, right?

This is what people want to see.

This is what people want to experience, sex followed by cuddling. It’s comforting, it’s routine, it’s expected.

In other words: it’s ideal. This is what we’re fighting for, Warriors.

Ideals.

We keep things together, we honor ourselves and those who came before us by living up to these ideals.

Fuck the Commies.

Also, who’s hungry?

You want this. I can tell your salivary glands are salivating.

That’s what happens when you want something delectable, something that’s gonna tantalize your senses, assault your reason and quench your thirst.

That’s what I give you,

just like those before me.

Boom. Look at his

determination. His

resolve. His cockiness at

knowing he’s the rightest

person in the world.

He was an amateur.

What I’m gonna show you is a million times more explosive.

Happy Easter.

From Kristen Ahern: "To Build a Testicle, The Costume Designer’s Perspective"

2011-01-14T11:11:00.003-06:00

I love this show. It has everything I love about theatre, it’s clever, bawdy, musical, historical, fantastical and many other adjectives; in short, I was thrilled to be asked to design it. I had planned on sharing my sketches for the show with you but sadly, my sketchbook has run off so here’s a brief description:

The design has one foot in history, one in modern day, and one in a Grimm faerie tale. It’s the largest show I’ve done so far without having a costume shop at my disposal, I counted costume pieces for my Mum over Christmas and I was up to 130 individual items and that included things like “suit” or “socks” which technically are each two pieces. It also has used many different techniques: corsetry, dying, distressing, paper mache, painting, tailoring, thrifting, altering, renting, millinery. In short, this show uses almost every costume creation technique possible.

I am being helped by some lovely ladies, Katie (who is pulling double duty by also being in the band) and someone not even associated with the company but a willing friend of a member of the company, Ruth. I would not be able to do this without help; I should also mention that of my boyfriend, Michael, who has kept me fed and functioning during the sprint to the finish since Christmas.

To conclude, here is a picture of my sewing room at 7:30 AM after a night of paper mache, January 3^rd, 34:30 to first dress rehearsal:

From Kate Black, ESCAPE FROM THE HALTSBURG BOYS CHOIR's plucky mastermind Johanne

2011-01-14T10:49:00.004-06:00

This is a great story. Might be one of my favorite blog posts ever.

Kate Black leads the Escape (center). Also pictured: Liz Goodson (top) and Alyse Kittner (shot with an arrow).

So, funny story... I had no idea what I was getting into when I went to the audition for Escape from the Haltsburg Boys Choir. Like... seriously. No idea. I thought it was a straight play where the characters periodically spoke in prose. Does that make sense? No. Of course not. However, this is what I thought I was auditioning for when I awkwardly walked into the Side Project Theatre back in August. My first indication that something was amiss was the man walking in with a giant keyboard and being referred to as the "accompanist." "Accompanying what?" I thought. My second indication were the girls coming in with sheet music and quietly practicing scales. Even my slow brain comprehended the significance of that. I wanted to turn around and run. Unfortunately, I had already checked in with a really nice guy in the front and they had my name. Maybe the only thing worse than being a no show is showing up and *then* dashing for the door. So that was it, I was stuck. I looked down at the check in sheet and saw at the bottom of a list of questions about our scheduling conflicts the request to "Tell us a joke." I thought only briefly and then wrote, "I didn't know this was a musical! HAHAAA...ha..."

Being called into the room was sort of a blur, doing my monologue is still a very hazy memory, but what I remember quite clearly is the look on everyone's faces when I sheepishly said, "I don't have a song...?" I saw a lot of confusion and puzzled, "How could we have been clearer?" faces but not a SINGLE face of judgment- which may be the only reason I didn't run out of the room crying like a psycho. It was that moment that it occured to me- this may be the moment that my year of taking voice lessons had prepared me for. While I still had a momentous fear of singing in front of people, I had the forsight in the summer of 2009 to start taking voice lessons in an effort to conquer my fear. This was the moment I had procrastinated: singing in front of a group of people who weren't my voice teacher. The truth is, I may have never gotten up the balls to go to an audition for a musical if I hadn't stumbled upon it so strangely. So I looked at those puzzled faces and said, "Can I sing something a capella?" Suddenly enthused by the idea they all agreed and couldn't have been nicer about it.

I don't remember singing. I remember having a moment in the middle where I thought, "This doesn't sound terrible!" but that was about it. The next thing I vividly recall was walking to the Jarvis red line stop and calling my mom and telling her I just made the biggest ass out of myself at an audition and after hearing my story, she somewhat jokingly suggested I move out of the city immediately to protect my image.

Today, I am Johanne. The boy with the "golden voice." This experience has made me a stronger person and certainly a braver artist. Life has a way of surprising you, and if you don't actively seek out challenges, it will periodically demand you stand up to them when it throws them at you. And thank God/Buddha/Karma/Fate for that.

See, what did I tell you? Great story. Come see Kate sing (rather beautifully, I might add) between now and January 30th. She's the tops.

From scenic designer Nick Shaw, ESCAPE FROM THE HALTSBURG BOYS CHOIR's Maker of Gates

2011-01-09T11:06:00.002-06:00

Nick's fantastic set for ESCAPE FROM THE HALTSBURG BOYS CHOIR

Welcome to the New Year Everyone!!!

I am excited to be working on my second show with The Ruckus!! I am very thankful to have a theatrical family in the great city of Chicago. I think the work that they/we are doing is extremely important and exciting. It is a welcome and dangerous change from the kind of theatre I am a part of at my day job.

I would like to tell a little story about my history with The Ruckus.

I graduated from Western Michigan University in 2005 with a double emphasis in Performance and Technical Theatre. I luckily was accepted into the Graduate Program of Scenic Design at University of Missouri, Kansas City. Upon the completion of my MFA (Mutha Fuckin Artist) I promptly received a position at Eastern Illinois University, teaching technical theatre and designing scenery for half of their season (bear with me, I am almost to the part where I reunite with the people of The Ruckus) I was bored during the summers and looked for a creative outlet outside of the university. I was scanning backstagejobs.com for a little summer design work and there was a notice from The Ruckus. They were looking for a scenic designer for The Gay American. I opened up the notice and the contact person was one Allison Shoemaker and I was like WHAT??? ALLISON SHOEMAKER??? I wonder if that is the Allison Shoemaker I know. There really can't be more than one Allison Shoemaker in theatre?? I promptly went the The Ruckus's website and discovered that I knew more than half of the company(cue music: "It's a Small World) I was super relieved when some of them remembered me and was even more relieved when they wanted me to play theatre with them.

This story is for all you young designers, directors, and actors reading this. Be GOOD!!! Be a warm and nurturing collaborator!! You never know when or where you or your colleagues are going to end up. You may have to work with the asshole sitting next to you, sometime in the distant future.

I would like to thank the entire company of The Ruckus for making me feel welcome and letting me sleep on their floors or couches or beds(Dan) I would also like to thank them for giving some of my students at EIU a chance to do some theatre outside of EIU.

-Professor Shaw

From actor Sarah Bockel, ESCAPE FROM THE HALTSBURG BOYS CHOIR's Witch

2011-01-05T09:16:00.005-06:00

Happy tech week, Blog!

You just heard from managing director and sometime villain Jeffrey Fauver, and now, the wonderful Sarah Bockel. Sarah gets into all kinds of mischief in our little corner of the world, and we love her for it. Here's how she works her magic.

Why I spent an hour watching crazy people speak in tongues on youtube but decided on Milla Jovovich instead

Let me catch you up a little here. Back in September when I saw The Ruckus' posting for Boy Choir I was terribly excited. The project was original, a bit twisted, and most of all, a good story. I wanted to be involved and I loved the idea of boys playing girls, but when I heard there was a also witch character in the story I knew I was sold. I had just gotten back from a gig where I understudied the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz, but never got to go on. It was like fate. I had another chance at being a creepy, bizarre, witch. IT WAS MY TURN. So here I am, the luckiest girl, my wish came true and I get to play a witch. and not just any witch. A witch that speaks in TONGUES. YES my friends, tongues. I was daunted by this task. Did I need to have some kind of religious experience? Did I need to speak to a

Jesuit priest? What about chanting? would that help? But director Dan Caffrey and writer Aaron Dean soothed my fears and gave me some advice.

So, what does one do when presented with the task of playing a witch that speaks in tongues?

one goes on youtube.

DUH. that's the solution for everything. They gave some a few suggestions of where to start and here's where it led.

I started here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fkn1BilNhmc
This guy was basically useless. He goes on for about 9 minutes talking about...whatever hes talking about, then FINALLY "speaks" in tongues for about 30 seconds. which does seem authentic, i guess, but not really the sound I'm looking for. Not helpful. After a few more similar videos i found this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tuJEi255Kk&feature=related

useless.

So then my search took a turn for the scary and I stumbled upon this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4n9vK0_mdk&feature=related
The Exorcism of Emily Rose is based on this chick. That's a recording of her speaking while possessed. I...don't want to talk about this anymore, I'm getting creeped out.

At this point I needed to watch something light. Not anything to do with The Exorcist.

It was then i found my muse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fII9hH2UH8o

and this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8WLYzA0lCs&feature=related

and this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax6vcY2P_OQ&feature=related

and just for fun. this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHfpMUDrQCs&feature=related

Sigh. I think I'm in love.

It would appear that Jeffrey wrote his blog post... in character.

2011-01-05T08:50:00.003-06:00

The Choirmaster is…lots of things. A swirling mass of contradictions.

He is perfect. Never question that. He has worked very hard to attain this perfection, and he deserves your respect.

Embroidered on his gown are some of the finest brooches and jewels from across Europe. He is beauty.

Relax, he is also kind and gentle—a cuddly teddy bear loved by all his pupils. He is admired throughout Haltsburg for his soft touch and winning smile.

Really, he is friends with all who know him.

Choirmaster is a maestro—a master of music, specializing in Austria’s most brilliant, and divinely-inspired composers.

He rewards the hard work of his pupils daily with a warm bed and nutritionally-sufficient meals.

On the other hand, he does reprimand laziness, lack of musicality and losing performances.

Ingles is his servant. Good for almost nothing, he does execute directly all punishments. Choirmaster has never laid a hand on a pupil. But--beware and always

Remember, he

Might filch from you what you cherish most,

Apprehend your young ones,

Steal them in the night and

Take from them any chance at a normal childhood or healthy adulthood.

Everything he does is for himself.

Repulsed by him you may be. But he’s got your son, and he’s never giving him back.

Jeffrey practicing!

2011-01-05T07:48:00.000-06:00

Christine!

2011-01-05T07:47:00.004-06:00

Again!

2011-01-05T07:47:00.003-06:00

More tech photos!

2011-01-05T07:47:00.001-06:00

Backstage boys choir tech week

2011-01-05T07:46:00.001-06:00

On Inspiration and Influence, by Jason Rico

2011-01-04T01:04:00.004-06:00

The cast and band of Escape from the Haltsburg Boys Choir get musical-y.

"Musical compositions, it should be remembered, do not inhabit certain countries, certain museums, like paintings and statues. The Mozart Quintet is not shut up in Salzburg; I have it in my pocket." - Henri Rabaud

It’s somewhat hard for me to know how to explain this from anything other than a composer’s standpoint since that is all I know, but I’m going to give it a damn good try.

Music is what feelings sound like. This is why when you hear particular pieces of music they invoke certain emotions and reactions that often times you can’t explain. As someone who creates music I feel these same things and often store these feelings in my brain for later use. This is how I get inspired by this music at a later time when I’m writing my own. It’s similar to you as an individual becoming who you are as a result of all your experiences and the people in your life who have influenced you. You are still a solitary being but people say “you have your mother’s temper” or “you have your father’s devilish humor.”

Considering we start listening to music at birth and start absorbing it and remembering it long term around the age of six or seven, I have about 25 years of aural input stored in my brain. It’s somewhat funny to me that I have become this flesh and blood encyclopedia of music. I get texts and phone calls all the time asking “what’s this piece?” And I usually know what it is and how the rest of it goes. All this wonderful knowledge that the human brain can store is waiting up in there with bated breath to pop out and influence what I put on a page.

So when you listen to the music in Escape from the Haltsburg Boys Choir, keep this in mind. Listen for Mary Poppins, South Pacific, Bach, Hill Street Blues, Samuel Barber, Kurt Weill, Gypsy, Mozart. Their notes, their rhythms impacted my life just enough to convince my pen to reuse them, reinvent them and make them relevant in a new and different way. I hope you enjoy discovering them and perhaps get some inspiration of your own to listen when influences speak to you. They make us who we are.

That's great advice, you should absolutely listen for all of that. It's wonderful. Jason's musical written with Aaron, Escape from the Haltsburg Boys Choir, opens this weekend. Don't miss it.

Aaron Dean Gets Sentimental: a blog entry by Aaron Dean

2011-01-04T00:49:00.006-06:00

December 26th

How much is that bloggy in the the window? The one with the pompous and diluted tail? How much is that bloggy in the window, I do hope that bloggy can expound on a bunch of stuff they have no business foisting on a public sick of everyone's constant flood of half considered opinions.

Ahem. Ahem. I have been summond again, blog stars. This will be a sincere and sentimental one. Focus up the camera on my glistening, teary eyes. I am going to tell a story that will make Ryan Seacrest, Nick Cannon and even that light loafered Englishman on the dancing show do more rehearsed crying than a Godly and Creme Music videooooo!!!

My niece turned three yesterday. Yes, she was born on the Christmas, no halos, but a nice shock of red hair that is turning strawberry blonde and will no doubt be pee-wee football participation trophy gold in some time.

After a good dinner of freshly caught Northern Pike (never frozen, except if you count its time alive in the cold waters of Lake Michigan) and opening of gifts and such, my niece and I got bored with the usual red and greenery, and we picked up flashlights and crawled around on our hands and knees throughout my brother's house, and hunted creatures. When creature hunting you must crawl on your hands and knees as creatures always look straight in front of their own eyes, never down. And then you grab them by the ankles and pull. Then you put them in a sack or something. We didn't have a sack. But we didn't find any creatures either.

My niece told my sister (her ma) that she hates creatures, which she pronounces "teachers" and my sister frowned at the child's exclamation. After that misunderstanding was cleared up, we resumed our search.

We looked in the closet, the computer room, the bedrooms and the basement. We turned on no lights as this is repellent to creatures and makes them difficult to spot. Okay, we did turn on lights in the basement cuz, ya know its scary down there, and we..um...well we walked upright too cuz the floor is cold. But I'm pretty sure their were no creatures in there anyway, so...

But it was cool, becuase there were moments in her big brown eyes of sheer terror and exhiliration, because my god, what if there really are creatures. There might as well be at her age!

The line between reality and fantasy is so blurry for one so small. That flashlight she carried was really a wand. And I wish to everything that I could see what she imagined the creatures to look like.

I bet the were horrible, just horrible.

And of course I got tired, I went back to the red and greenery to sit. Mmmm, sitting.

But there were creatures to catch. And she needed me. She tugged at me, forcing my wand back into my hands, begging me to get back in the game.

I, to my shame, declined.

And so, they're out there.

She went home with her parents to bed, I stayed at my brother's (where I am blogging now) leaving her to fend for herself.

Cuz see, I'm coming back to Chicago, where I don't really need to worry about creatures.

And I have left her here.

Where her mother thinks she is saying "teachers"

I have abandoned her.

But she has her wand and her halo.

And she knows to stay low, so they can't see her.

Aaron still believes there are creatures. He put some in his play. It opens this week, and it is called Escape from the Haltsburg Boys Choir. It's wonderful. Come see it.

From actor Alyse Kittner, ESCAPE FROM THE HALTSBURG BOYS CHOIR's 'Nils'

2010-12-27T11:47:00.006-06:00

Happy almost New Year, Blog!

Here comes the Boys Choir bonanza. Up first, the delightful Alyse Kittner. Alyse is really kicking the sh%t out of this little musi-cale of ours, and now I know why -- it's all because of Google! Also, anything that conjures images of Adam West-era Batman villains is a-ok with me. Take it away, Alyse.

Alyse Kittner in a promotional photo for ESCAPE FROM THE HALTSBURG BOYS CHOIR

Sunday Fun with Google Images

As a part of my “process” (I know that sounds pretentious – deal with it) I like to use images. It may be a picture of how I envision my character, the setting, something that visualizes my relationship to other characters, lots of stuff.

Thanks to the brilliance of Google Image search, finding images for inspiration has never been more easy or fun. The actual algorithms of how Google searches and ranks images and websites is a highly guarded secret. I have no idea how they do it, but the results are fantastic and most often hilarious. My favorite search has been “creepy choirmaster.” Below are the results. Thank you Google Images.

Bonus: “funny boys choir” – I don’t know who these kids are, but I love it.

Ladies & gentlemen, Josh Davis

2010-12-18T20:14:00.001-06:00

January 1, 2010 - A lot can get done in a year.

2010-12-18T12:15:00.003-06:00

Here we go. Set building today.

Ding dong.

2010-08-22T04:11:00.008-05:00

On the writing of music, by the wonderful Jason Rico.

2010-08-05T16:28:00.005-05:00

Gustav Mahler once said "If a composer could say what he had to say in words he would not bother trying to say it in music."

And that's what I'm usually doing. I write these little black odds, lines and squiggles all over pieces of paper. I give these pieces of paper to someone who either hits, taps on, blows in or runs some hair along a device that makes sound. If all goes as planned, the sound you hear matches the squiggles I put on that piece of paper. That is how I write a perform my plays. I call them movements instead of acts, and instruments instead of actors, but to me, the concept is the same and I have the extra advantage of writing in a language everyone understands.

Once in a while, a composer reads a book or a poem and thinks, "Hey, this would sound great set to music!" That's how songs and operas are born.

Occasionally, a composer is gifted with not only music, but story writing ability and can create a great play or book himself so he can add a musical line to it.

But sometimes, a composer is selling computers and a coworker runs up to him, so excited he thinks she may explode and she says:

"Oh my gosh, you have to read this play, because I know the playwright and he is conceiving it as a musical and I know you'd be perfect for it because the play is perfect for you and this needs to happen as soon as possible."

Or something to that effect.

And that is how a straight play entitled "Escape From the Haltsburg Boys Choir" becomes a fantastic musical produced by The Ruckus.

"Escape.." is a wonderful project to work on for many reasons. The Ruckus is all over some new stage work. Aaron Dean is a fantastic playwright and perfection to work with. The material is so well written that the songs (almost) wrote themselves.

I got lots of influence from pop music and 17th century choral music to name a few sources and had the unique opportunity to be able to craft some of my own lyrics, which isn’t always the case for a musical. I also have the honor of having seen the type of production The Ruckus puts on which helps me adapt my ideas to their stage ideals.

The official blurb can be read on a preceding entry, but I'd like to give you a little more insight, without ruining the story. Imagine yourself a kid with not much memory of your parents, if any. Imagine you have one of the most beautiful treble voices in Europe. Imagine someone wanting to cut your balls of to keep you that way. Do you remain a choirboy forever or search for what else is out there, be it fantastic, grotesque or life threatening?

Come to the world premiere in January and find out, cause lemme tell you… you better use 'em or lose 'em.

Born in 1978, Jason Rico is an American composer of instrumental, vocal and theater music. He has created a body of work in multiple genres including symphonic, wind ensemble, choral, art song, chamber music and opera. Rico studied composition with Michael Schelle at Butler University and with Andrey Kasparov and Adolphus Hailstork at Old Dominion University and completed the doctorate program in music at Manhattan School of Music. Rico’s compositional style has been praised for it’s complex and truly American style. He is currently Music Director for Quixotic, a sketch comedy troupe based in Chicago.

Workshoppe. A blog, by Aaron Dean of the Michigan Deans.

2010-08-05T16:09:00.005-05:00

[Editor's note: much of the charm of Aaron's bloggery lies in its haphazardness. Much is retained, for authenticity's sake, bless it.]

[Blogger's note: I tried to do this legit, and of course it did not work. We must teach this man to fish. Most spelling errors are intentional. ]

Hello again blog,

Today I have been commanded to write to you on the workshop process for Escape From The Haltsburg Boys Choir. I think every playwright dreams of hearing her words spoken on stage by actors. I have to say, it is a nice old time. I have been lucky enough to see it done about three times or so.

So that would make EFTHBC my fourth play written with intent to perform. But this was neat, this time, because I had the added bonus of doing a workshop.

A workshop [editor's note: at least, as we of The Ruckus do them] is where you almost do the play. It is like a full on performance in many respects except you hear comments and impressions from the people who are good enough to brave yellow skies and share breathing space with shady people who leave five minutes into the performance because of the show's lack of "young boys" therein.

[Editor's note: That really happened. "I was told there would be boys!" Also, the actors hold scripts and work from music stands and someone reads stage directions and the focus is on rewriting. Just sayin'.]

Sleep tight, blog readers.

I cannot blog to you how valuable this process was to me. I was three drafts into the show when we put that workshoppe uppe.

After we finished, I blogged two more drafts. Two days after it closed. I sat up there in the dark, blogging like a real playwright. What a cast, what a director, what a composer, my goodness what a group. I am so thankful. This workshop stuff, if all goes well, fills one with much confidence, and inspiration. And not just for me, but for all involved. One seldom gets the chance to hear candid and constructive comments in the actual performance, and one is not as heady with their achievements, so we actually listen. And want to.

A treat indeed, nothing short of it. Workshops ain't for Santa's elves any longer. This I speak truly.

Thank you all who came to see it, and say stuff about it. Thank you to all who helped make it happen. And thank you ahead of time for your work in what lies ahead!

Photo: Lucas Gerard Photography

ANNOUNCEMENT! The Ruckus: Season 2

2010-07-29T01:11:00.002-05:00

Making the Video: The Gay American trailer #2

2010-05-07T13:49:00.006-05:00

Or what one might call 'Stevie, Neal, Julie and Aaron unleash their inner Britneys'. Trailer forthcoming, photos below. Big thanks to Ruckuser Byron Melton, who produced, actors Stevie Chaddock, Julie Cowden, Aaron Dean and Neal Starbird, who thoroughly brought it, and Jared Ewing of LJE Productions, who generously donated his time and considerable talents. Give him yer bizness! LJEproductions.com.

Product placement!

Hell of a family portrait, don't you think?

Oh, poor Morag.

Straight gangster.

Stage Manager Lizzy Powers has her turn in the stall.

Byron is such an auteur.

It's Britney, b*#ch!

Brian Ruby costars as the Statue of Liberty.

Thanks again, Jared!

Fin.

You know your playwright is onto something when:

2010-05-07T13:41:00.003-05:00

Final draft, courtesy of some index cards and a little shrine of sorts.

Circa April 25th-ish: Kristian O'Hare maps out all three acts by scene in the shadow of Liberace (from the Liberace museum, which Kristian calls 'the only good thing about Vegas), Jim McGreevey's book 'The Confession' (or as I like to call it, 'The Confession-ish'), and a vinyl copy of David Bowie's 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars' (which we both call 'awesome'.)

This cannot possibly be happening. Is this really happening?

2010-04-20T00:39:00.007-05:00

Oh. My. God.

Dig this:

Join The Ruckus and Pandora Boxx for Biscuits & Mangravy: a filthy, naughty, witty, not-for-the-faint-of-heart fundraiser benefiting the company's world-premiere production of The Gay American. “The Lizard King” and Freddie Donovan host an evening of cocktails, lip syncing, celebrity judges and a performance by Ms. Pandora Boxx herself. So bring your cash and your cutest pumps (wigs are provided) and join us for a ruck of a good time. Doors open at 10pm ($10 cover). Free Colt beer from 10pm – 12am; $3 Mini-Teas benefit The Ruckus.

I know, right?

PS - Boxx Forever. Love, The Ruckus.

"It made me want a hot dog, real bad."

2010-04-20T00:37:00.001-05:00

From Freddie Donovan, appearing as Philly Buster in THE GAY AMERICAN:

I was sitting at work, not sure what I was working on, probably a spreadsheet, when my phone buzzed on my mouse pad. I always have my phone on my mouse pad. One time it buzzed while my boss was sitting at my computer showing me something. That was embarrassing. Anyway, it buzzed, and tearing myself away from Excel, I saw that my friend Allison had texted me. She wanted to know if I would be interested in coming to Chicago for two months to do a show called The Gay American, in which I would play a Congressional page named Philly Buster who moonlighted as a go-go dancer and had a penchant for older male politicians. Given my own sordid past as Private Dancer for the Cheney family, I was intrigued.

After reading the script, I decided that the insane story of a gay governor, his strange estranged wife, their disturbed daughter and a pedophile Congressman was a little hard to swallow. If you know what I mean. It was too outrageous when it wasn't being hilarious and bizarrely heartwarming. There was no way a cast could make this story believable. But then I found out that the story was TRUE. I was apparently the last person to hear about Jim McGreevey when I Wikipedia'd him in February. But that's beside the point. I knew I had to be a part of something this biting, outspoken, real, and most importantly, important.

Upon arriving in town, I knew one of the first orders of business would be to find Buster's footwear, as he is often found within the pages of the script wearing rollerskates and go-go boots. The first time I skated was when I was on a third grade field trip, and I was the proud recipient of the Most Bruises Award, which consisted of a cheap certificate and a package of glow stars to stick on my ceiling. The second time I skated was Easter Sunday 2010 on a sidewalk by Lake Michigan. The x-rays showed that the damage was minimal. Onwards and upwards!

As for the go-go boots, Allison and I scrounged around Boystown one sunny day looking for the perfect pair. I wanted a pair that exploded with neon pink or orange and went up to my knees. After an afternoon of zero leads, I went out a few days later, once again in the town of Boys, for an altogether unrelated purpose, when I saw them: shiny, slick, and although not neon pink or green, they did explode with the patriotic fervor of a thousand Fourth of Julys. It made me want a hot dog real bad.

The perfect pair of go-go boots.

Watch out, Rodgers and Hammerstein.

2010-03-09T00:00:00.002-06:00

Aaron Dean and Jason Rico at the first reading of 'ESCAPE...'

"Trade a coffee shop for a dive bar."

2010-03-04T08:40:00.006-06:00

The last of our new five to make a blog appearance is Kate Holst. Kate makes the trains run on time, but she also tries to make the trains party trains. She isn't on board with Battlestar Galactica yet, so instead I'll speak her language and make a Deadwood reference: "This is her f*#^king blog entry, pardner."

Bloggtastic! Alright kids – I’m Kate, formally Katie, sometimes K-Ho. I’ve known Allison since we were in High School and the word on the street is hated one another for a majority of it. Seriously though, we didn't really become friends until we worked on our senior year production of Kiss Me Kate (I only wish I had a picture to include here).

[Editor's note: Kate -- you're welcome.]

After that our friendship was sealed after many conversations about where the best spinach and artichoke dip existed in Grand Rapids and whether or not one should eat it with chips or bread. Today we prefer pita bread, never fries.

So yeah…I grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan (well Jenison, but Grand Rapids is much more interesting, trust me or ask Allison) and for me Chicago was the place I always wanted to be. When I was a freshman in High School my teacher asked us to write a paper about where we saw ourselves when we were 30 years old. Mine said that I would be living in Chicago, working in the theatre and married to an Art History Professor. We would eat Chinese food on the floor of our studio apartment and hang out at our favorite coffee shop on the weekends. My teacher told me that it was a bit idealistic, but he wished me luck. So here I am being a bit idealistic and not quite 30. For clarity's sake I think I should mention that a few key differences to this earlier plan: not married, no longer think Chinese food is the most exotic or interesting thing to eat, and trade a coffee shop for a dive bar.

My mom also likes to tell a particularly silly little story about bringing me on a trip to Chicago when I was twelve years old - I begged her to take me to the Art Institute immediately. Apparently, I couldn’t bear to be close to a Picasso without seeing it in person. My mom can be a bit dramatic in its retelling, however the truth is The Old Guitarist still has this affect on me when I am at the museum.

Needless to say, I have always been interested in art in its many forms and have been passionate about finding my place in this world for as long as I can remember. I didn’t start working in theatre until the end of high school and didn’t get to Chicago until just a few months ago – however I know that this is the place for me, even if (as they say in Avenue Q) it is only for now.

Kate Holst is a Chicago based theater professional and artist, and is one of the newest members of The Ruckus. She's worked with theater companies all over the country, from The Alliance in Atlanta to Vermont's Weston Playhouse and many in between. She's currently the Audience Services Manager at Evanston's Next Theatre and is working her way through all of Chicago's dive bars and spinach dips.

"Shout out to nerds in their twenties and thirties."

2010-02-26T10:51:00.006-06:00

Our latest in the series of posts I'm affectionately calling "better-know-a-Ruckuser" comes from production manager and bad-joke-teller extraordinaire Brian Ruby. Brian's the guy who can always get you what you need -- like the guy in The Shawshank Redemption that gets Tim Robbins the Rita Hayworth poster, only theater-related. Brian is also the only new Ruckus member who appreciates the Cylon jokes I've been making. Take it away, Brian!

Following in the footsteps of my fellow new additions to The Ruckus, allow my to start by blogging about blogging for a moment. Unlike the others, I must admit that I have a past that includes blogging. I had a blogger account; in college I was on LiveJournal; hell, I even had a blog of sorts on my old Angelfire website (Shout out to nerds in their twenties and thirties). I was of course not a real blogger per se, but rather I rambled somewhat self-indulgently in a manner none would care to read. (Side note: Microsoft Word does not recognize the words blog, blogger or blogging, but why should it, those word have only been in the lexicon a scant ten years or so). [Editor's note: iWork recognizes those words. Just sayin'. -- AS]

I suppose my involvement in theater technically began at summer camp when I was young, performing in plays crudely written by our counselors, and dealing primarily with the events of that summer. Looking back I suppose it was all rather Brechtian considering that due to a general lack of acting ability we mostly wore signs around our necks with our character names on them, though I’m guessing that was not a conscious choice on behalf of the camp and rather a happy accident I later realized.

In high school I reconnected with theater, acting in my schools play and musicals, as well as building sets, and becoming involved in local summer productions. At the time I viewed all this as merely a hobby, a belief I carried with me into college and my initial participation in the theater program there. It was over my first few summers home from college that I gained the certainty that theater was what I would pursue as a career. Returning home from my first year at college I found that the summer theater I had been involved with in the past was no longer in existence and took it upon myself to fill the void. Through mounting multiple productions with a company I created over the next few summers I realized that my passion was theater. That belief was only cemented by the time I spent studying theater in London and getting the chance to see approximately 75 plays in one of the most amazing cities for theater in the world.

I’ve worked with a number of theaters in Chicago, and while my experiences with them have ranged from wonderful to horrible, The Ruckus is the first group that’s made me feel like I have a home. I’ve been thrilled to work with them in the past, and look forward to everything I will do as one of them in the future.

Brian Ruby is a Chicago based director, designer and generally awesome guy. He was one of several talented directors that made TELL IT & SPEAK IT & THINK IT & BREATHE IT possible, and he'll be working tirelessly on The Gay American this spring. Brian is also an avid fan of bad movies; if you've got a great one, email brian@ruckustheater.org.

Friends of The Ruckus!

2010-02-25T23:28:00.003-06:00

I just launched the latest edition to The Ruckus' website: Friends of The Ruckus. Check it out!

Our first Featured Friend: ElvisBride.

Wanna be friends with The Ruckus? Come and join the fun.

The Gay American - Teaser Trailer #1

2010-02-20T13:56:00.002-06:00

Etcetera IX here we come. [Byron Melton]

2010-02-20T12:33:00.007-06:00

I got in touch with my old pal Chris Rutherford, (exceptional playwright, actor and producer who’s been making his living in the Tampa scene for the past few years) and borrowed a script.

The first time Chris and I worked together we put up a small art show in the “gallery” on the first floor of our dorm.

It was a concept piece based around a hip-hop record cover from 1989. The Album and the show shared the same name:

“What is it, Yo?!”

The show mostly included garbage and found art. Scene shop dumpster diving will reveal some real treasures. We dressed up in suits, invited the press, and help court at the grand opening. Many people suspected it was a joke. We had no comments for them. The only thing we told people was that:

To this day I still really don’t know if it was a joke. And all this was done before I had ever done any drugs or drank heavily.

Chris and I teamed up a few times over the years, and later our projects turned to short films. He wrote a great script called “What Lies Ahead” and we never got to shoot it.

I thought it might be perfect for submission when Allison approached me about getting something together for this.

It’s a great script – I think with the right tweaking it might make a pretty cool short play. And given that Etcetera this year is billed as “four nights of contemporary, experimental, progressive, and interdisciplinary live performance”, I think we can show those sword swallowers and acrobats that theatre isn’t always cherry orchards and cancer.

So we’ll see if it wants to fly as a short play. Film on stage Byron? You swore off projectors. They never work! Well, maybe it’ll be different this time. I read somewhere that if Shakespeare was alive today he’d be doing films. Maybe this humble project can bridge the gap.

Also, I have no shortage of good actors around me. Who doesn’t have time to memorize 15 pages of dense, rapid–fire dialogue?

Further bulletins as events warrant.

Birthday Party!

2010-02-11T00:35:00.005-06:00

We celebrated the second birthday/reading of our upcoming play, The Gay American by Kristian O'Hare this evening. We learned a lot--both about the play and the maximum length of audio recordings in GarageBand--and can't wait to punch you in the face with this awesome new "farcudrama" (c) The Ruckus, 2010. Watch us Ruckusers and our co-conspiring friends work to make this play better one slice of red velvet cake at a time.

Want in on the action? E-mail us at theruckus@ruckustheater.org or visit ruckustheater.org.

Intrigued, enticed and excited to see the thing? Get in line. Tickets go on sale soon.

"Flugelbone (yes, it's a real instrument)."

2010-01-31T13:04:00.004-06:00

Our next little getting-to-know-you moment comes from Timo Aker. Timo is definitely not a Cylon. A Cylon would never play the flugelbone.

Ummmmmmmmm. Ok. I have a confession to make: I've never blogged before. Also, I don't usually read blogs. So. I feel a little like:

Anyway. Enough apologizing, it’s boring.

Oh, and let’s just put it out there that I go by the nickname Timo because my full name is Timuchin, and my parents liked calling me Timo. Maybe it makes sense because my dad’s from Istanbul, Turkey? Maybe I just have strange parents…

So, I grew up playing the piano (my mom’s a concert violist). My favorite composers are Beethoven, Chopin, and Arvo Part. I was a band geek in high school. I played trombone during the winter season, and flugelbone (yes, it’s a real instrument) while we were in marching band mode. We were a competition marching band. I was section leader for my last 2 years. Geek.

The first time I did theater was when I was a sophomore in high school. My friend said I should try out, and she was cute. I was cast as Horace Vandergelder in Thorton Wilder’s The Matchmaker. I had no clue what I was doing, but I thought it was pretty cool that I got to yell “Hell and damnation” a few times without repercussions.

Before continuing to get into theater in college I got into hiking and backpacking. I’ve done a lot of both in Killarney Provincial Park in Ontario, and I’ve also done some of the Appalachian Trail, and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. I got some bitchin’ pictures from that…

I’ve never really had an enlightened hallelujah moment of calling to do theater. It’s snuck up on me over the years. Maybe because it’s a way of combining experiences and other forms of art into one thing, and I like putting all sorts of things together to create something. I was REALLY into legos.

And I’m really glad to be surrounded by people who want to make new things and think about them.

Timo Aker, one of the newest members of The Ruckus, is a Chicago based writer, actor, musician, and man about town. He appeared in this fall's Tell It & Speak It & Think It & Breathe It. He also takes great photos and wears jaunty hats, both with great regularity.

"Blog, meet Aaron. Aaron, meet blog."

2010-01-28T08:04:00.006-06:00

We've asked the five newest Ruckusers - Kate, Brian, Byron, Aaron and Timo - to write something about who they are and what they do and post it here. Left-handed? Right-handed? Human? Cylon? You'll find out in the coming week. First up is Aaron Dean.

To begin with. I hate the term "blog," gross. It sounds so gross. Bllooooahhhgggg. I don't wanna seem like a sourpuss, but who wants to read this anyway? Not I said the Lance. I have not seen the Juno. But I am hesitant, because word 'round the campfire is they say 'blog' in it a lot for no reason, and I don't think I can handle that. I am also not too keen on this sudden onslaught of movies about the joys of unwanted pregnancy.

So, blog, meet Aaron. Aaron, meet blog.

When I was six, my ma and grandma took me to see 42nd Street at the Frauenthal Theatre in downtown Muskegon, MI.

I really enjoyed it. I was really jazzed up about all the singing and dancing and energy. And from then on... I was hooked. Gross. I hate those stories. But, it is a true story.

Theater did not resurface again until I was fourteen and and I auditioned for my first play. But I was hooked on storytelling. I spent all my time outside when I was little, acting out the stories I had read or imagined to myself. We never had money for camps or little league, but I had an allowance so I had comic books, so I had stories, and a lot of space. Fields and rivers and forests and lakes. Then I won a scholarship to art camp. And that was neat, because I was with all these kids who had taken lessons all their lives, and had been in lots of plays. They were all really depressed all the time. I am sure it was affectation. But I bought it, and it made the girls seem sort of sexy. Of this I am sure they were aware.

Then I did high school and became the "drama guy" at a rural high school that did one musical a year. And that was nice because all anyone wants in high school is niche, and I found it.

Then I went to college and it was art camp again. Only instead of pretending they were depressed, they pretended they were deliriously happy all the time, and by that time I was actually depressed. But in real life, they were too.

Then I came to Chicago, and have been working with adults who are in a little more control of their identities. And that has made theater, for the first time, tolerable.

Aaron Dean, one of the newest members of The Ruckus, is a Chicago playwright, actor, musician and novelist. He also babysits and gives drum lessons. Catch him in The Gay American this spring.

Johnny Ten Bones, Johnny, Johnny Ten Bones...

2010-01-27T09:21:00.017-06:00

An afternoon of existentialist, tragi-comic, children's theater...

Jeffrey and I had an almost indescribable experience on Saturday. We had the privilege of seeing Brain Surgeon Theater's vibrant and astoundingly energetic production of Johnny Ten Bones (which is part of Chicago's twenty-first annual Rhinofest at Prop Theatre.

Brain Surgeon Theater is a theater company like no other. They create original ensemble-based plays, rock musicals, dance shows, and other performance events that confuse, excite, and usually bring the audience uncomfortably close to wetting their pants from laughter. They work with artists from all backgrounds, including children, who, as they say, "wish to collaborate on highly unusual pieces with strong stories and strong actor-generated character work."

Gwen Tulin, the artistic director of Brain Surgeon, and I went to school together at Brandeis University just outside of Boston. She is...unique. I've worked with her as a director twice now. The first was in a production of CAVES!, Gwen's senior thesis, which was often referred to as the best, and yet most confusing production that the school had ever seen (CAVES! was later presented as part of their first season in Chicago, and featured Jeffrey as Professor Nerdwollap). The second, and much more recent was in Brain Surgeon's Two Evenings of Summer Dance in which I was asked to wear a set of pajamas that were sized women's medium. I am a men's large. Though the production made some serious bank, I think the real reason that the company put it up was because they had never done anything like that before and Gwen thought it would be hysterical. It was.

Anyways, back to the production...

Johnny Ten Bones was first produced by Brain Surgeon Theater in May of 2008. After a very successful initial run, the company decided to remount it this year for Rhinofest. The story leads us through a montage of dreams and nightmares, apparently based on the real nocturnal musings of the cast. We are introduced to a secret underground world ruled over and manipulated by a tortured little boy named Johnny.

Though conceived by the cast of the original production, the script was penned by one of the newest members of the Ruckus family, Mr. Aaron Dean. Now, it is possible that my opinion may be slighty tainted by my admiration of him, but I'm gonna say it anyway. The script is wonderful. In this unapologetic, frightening tale, Dean manages to splice the feel of The Donna Reed Show with A Nightmare on Elm Street. Once you add in Tulin's music which is at once comedic and eerily haunting, you have a fantastic night of theater.

The best part: this production is scary. I firmly believe that art should expose people, including children, to a wide range of experiences and emotions. This includes fear. Bravo to Brain Surgeon for having the guts to put nightmares on stage and invite kids of all ages.

Johnny Ten Bones features actors Chase McCurdy, David Weiss, Henry Barrett, Katie Canavan (from The Ruckus' Heist Play), Layla Kornota, Lily Moore, Liz Ladach-Bark, Maureen Allen, Ulana Coutts and Ethan Link (as the terrifying Johnny Ten Bones). Though a full set of Ruckus props must go to all of the actors for doing such a superb job with this macabre fairy tale, I must say that the highlight of the evening was Liz Ladach-Bark's belt-tastic "I Go Walking." While sung in a child-like manner, it was a perfect juxtaposition to the action on stage. The moment was well directed and extremely well-acted.

Opening day seemed a little rushed, due to the understandable excitement that comes with it I'm sure. I must say that both Jeffrey and I had a blast. Go see this show. It's good times.

"Eat your heart out Betty Davis!"

Johnny Ten Bones performs at Prop Theater and runs until February 14th at 2pm on Saturdays and Sundays. For more information and tickets click here.

2010: Now, with more Ruckus.

2010-01-26T15:50:00.009-06:00

Well hello there. Did you miss us?

We of The Ruckus took a breather for most of November. Well, we did do this:

Zombies for MONEY MONEY MONEY video shoot, song: "Dollar Signs on my CAT Scan." L to R: Paul DuPont, Aaron Dean, Jes Mercer,

Byron Melton (center, not a zombie), Mark Goldfarb, Cory Wolf, Jenny Westervelt. Photo: Jeffrey Fauver.

The video isn't up yet, but we assisted MONEY MONEY MONEY in the creation of their video for "Dollar Signs on my CAT scan." You can hear the song at their website. Many thanks to everyone who came out to zombie or to be an 80s hipster (yeah, weirdest party ever) and especially to makeup artist Nora Hess, who made the gruesome faces you see here with basically no time or money. We loved working with her. Check out the rest of her stuff on her Facebook Fan Page.

Anyway, we spent November doing the things you do after you've produced 13 plays in a 36 seat theater -- we napped. A lot. And ate a lot. Then December hit and we went back to the business of getting awesome. As a part of that getting awesome, we made a lot of big, terribly exciting decisions we want to tell you about. We're very fortunate to be smack in the middle of a successful first season in Chicago, due in no small part to the remarkable Chicago artists we've met and worked with along the way. Five of them in particular were integral to the creation of our first two productions, and we got great big art and administrative crushes on them, so we thought it was time to make our move and seal the deal. We yawned, pretended to stretch while reaching for the popcorn, and cozied up to Timo Aker, Aaron Dean, Kate Holst, Byron Melton and Brian Ruby, whom we now gleefully welcome into the fold as company members. We're now thirteen in number and couldn't be more excited to work shoulder to shoulder with such a talented, smart, clever, and good-looking bunch.

Seriously, go look at their company pages. They're an attractive group.

We're also bidding a sad and fond farewell to two of our founding members, Ryan Dolley and Mitch Vermeersch, who've decided to depart to pursue other projects. They'll succeed wherever the wind may take them, we're sure, and we'll always be indebted to them both for their creative efforts and for the role each of them played in getting us moved to Chicago. They will surely be missed.

We're also positively glowing about some changes we've made to our season. The first big change is the addition of Kristian O'Hare's remarkable world-premiere play, The Gay American. Kristian is a remarkable talent, and I'm honored to be directing his work again. Here's the official blurb:

Farce meets docudrama in The Gay American, an unblinking and provocative investigation of the sexual politics of sex and politics. We follow the rise and fall of former New Jersey governor James McGreevey through the impact it has on those around him-an Everyman-like Congressional Page, his miserable daughter Morag, silently simmering wife Dina, and ambitious aide Golan-and watch his carefully-crafted rising star go supernova in the crucible that is the American political theater.

Cool, right? We're totally stoked. Look for casting information soon.

The second addition is a workshop.... of a musical. Yep. New company member Aaron Dean is working with gifted Chicago composer Jason Rico (fan page here) on an original musical winningly titled Escape from the Boys Choir. Official blurb for that one:

Escape... sends us on a perilous journey with a group of boys on the verge of adulthood. While the boys are not unlike those you might meet on a Chicago street corner today, the world in which they exist is more akin to that of The Brothers Grimm. To our intrepid young escapees, the Tatzelwürm is nearly as terrifying as their heartless choirmaster, the Witch as mysterious as the first pangs of love and lust, and the sweet smell of freedom as lovely as a beautiful young face. Escape... combines the fantastical with the all-too familiar, and the result is a painfully honest, surprising, affecting and seriously funny portrayal of the pain and beauty of adolescence and the beginnings of sexual awakening. If that weren't enough, there's a sadistic groundskeeper, a hallucinogenic mountain-dwelling invertebrate, shape-shifters, kidnappers, and more testicular humor than you can shake a stick at.

They had me at "hallucinogenic mountain-dwelling invertebrate."

The original work of these three remarkable artists will be seen at our home for the season, Rogers Park's The Side Project Theatre, and replace the previously annouced Linear A by Ryan Dolley and the postponed 11-Detroit, to be developed by the company at a later date.

You'll be hearing more from our new company members and these talented writers in the coming weeks -- right here, in our super awesome blog.

To break it down for you: we of The Ruckus feel like the luckiest kids on the block. Five new remarkable faces have been added to our little family, two really killer pieces of new work added to what we think is an already stellar season, and we've many many more months of awesome ahead of us. We're grateful for your support, your interest, your comments, and for all the beers you've drunk with us at Poitin Stil. The Gay American is up next. Hope to see you, at the show and after, in May.

Love love,

Allison Shoemaker and the rest of The Ruckus

(Ghafir, Timo, Joshua, Aaron, Katie, Jeffrey, Joel, Kate, Byron, Seth, Melissa & Brian)

PS - More MONEY MONEY MONEY hijinks below.

Associate Artistic Director Joshua Davis, being super professional.

The dance routine. Yep. Dance routine.

Best. Party. Ever.

(Company member Timo Aker with the lovely Jes Mercer, who was really very hungry.)

Money on my mind. Dollar signs on my CAT scan. Thanks, MONEY MONEY MONEY, for letting us play.

And.... done

2009-11-06T11:18:00.003-06:00

Thanks to everyone who came out to see Tell It! We had a very sucessfull run, with many full and appreciateive houses, and many beers consumed following the show.

After five straight months of either rehearsing or performing a play, The Ruckus gets a bit of a breather.

Keep checking in here to see what we're up to. Linear A opens in May, keep your eyes out for tickets.

Game On!

We of The Ruckus

"Every middle child's being sent into the wild, like a dingo finding wombats finding wombats being assholes."

2009-10-21T13:28:00.004-05:00

And now, more about the music.

Elvisbride (l to r): Matt Test, Tom Vale, Taylor Bibat, Casey Cunningham and Troy Martin.

The backstory of Elvisbride is far too intricate to be conveyed by an outsider to the world they're creating, and while I am an epic fan, I am most certainly an outsider. I'll let one of their number fill you in.

The band began as a play:

Last winter, my friend Jayita Bhattacharya and I wrote a piece for the Curious Theatre Branch's Rhinoceros Theatre festival, compromisingly titled ElvisBride: Some Prepared Notes to Clarify the Impending Jubilation. It was a widely ambitious mix of surreal kitchen sink dialog, Robert Ashley drone opera, video monologing, and live music. To quote The Hunchback Variations, "our collaboration was doomed." My apartment had just flooded out, leaving me transient for the bulk of the rehearsal/writing process, and Jayita broke her leg opening night. Needless to say, there was slight tinge of albatrossity to the project.

Luckily we had compiled, mostly through begging, strong arming, and tantrum throwing, a tremendously talented team of performers, musicians, and tech folks who were game for whatever dumbass thing we threw at them. That's the extent of both my sucking up and alliterating, but you get the point. Beau O'Reilly, the curator of Rhino, asked us to perform a few songs at the Viaduct theatre to promote the show, and in a castoff-turned-fortuitous moment, my friend Michael Martin suggested we become a band. He claims we still owe him a quarter for taking him up on it.

After a couple week post show cooling off period, I proposed the idea to the group, because nothing entices veteran performers quite like the prospect of an unending rehearsal process with no fixed goal and only a vague notion of what the hell you're doing. And that's basically what starting a band is. But its also totally awesome, because you're in a band, and who doesn't want to be in a band? Almost everyone from the show said yes. I'm still shocked.

We've spent a lot of time since then stumbling around, rehearsing, playing gigs when we weren't quite ready, rehearsing some more, writing more, playing more, playing better, figuring out a balance between the theatricality and musicality, playing really well, casually swearing, coordinating our outfits, buying matching sweat bands. The stuff you do when you're in a band. The important stuff.

-Matt Test, ElvisBride

We of the Ruckus stumbled upon Elvisbride rather fortuitously, having performed on opposing nights of this year's Et Cetera festival (thanks a bunch, The Mill!) We were all hooked right away, and I think you will be, too. This is a remarkably talented bunch, and they've found a pretty fascinating blend of gothic folk and theatricality that is unlike anything else I've seen. They all have some serious game musically, are entertaining as hell to watch, play a slew of instruments, and have really rockin' sweatbands. It's a truly unique sound, paired with lyrics that veer from comic to terrifying and explore subjects as diverse as the malevolent spirits of otters and self-cannibalism.

They also have the distinction of being far-and-away the largest band that'll be playing in TELL IT. They might all fit on our little platform... but I have no idea where the cello and the saw are going to go.

Catch Elvisbride all over Chicago, all the time -- bars, theaters, coffee shops, rooftops, etc -- but if you want to see them work the banjo into a Flaming Lips tune, you'll have to see them in TELL IT & SPEAK IT & THINK IT & BREATHE IT. They'll be going on Tuesday October 27th and Tuesday November 3rd. Tickets here.

Oh, and for the curious: here's a preview of the-play-that-begot-the-band:

Not A Music Person...

2009-10-19T10:55:00.002-05:00

Okay, here is the uncomfortable truth. I have avoided this reveal my entire life. My world, until now, has been a series of lies covering up lies in order to block anyone from finding out this unthinkable horror that I am about to divulge. Can your heart handle the reality that I am about to expose? You asked for it…

I am not a “music person”.

Not one bit.

See, with music, I cannot help but feel like there is something that I’m missing out on. I always feel as if I am the one in the room who “doesn’t get it”. When faced with the challenge of this production, sheer terror swam over me. The panic of impending judgment lingered in my fingers, and I almost decided to not even submit an entry.

Then, I remembered a song. The first time that I heard “Tea for the Tillerman,” by Cat Stevens, it was as title music to one of my favorite shows, Extras. I remember listening to it over and over, consumed by its brevity, its simplicity, and most importantly, the fact that the other person in the room had no idea what it meant either.

To me, the great thing about this song is that no one can really define it. I have never found anyone who could give me a definitive answer, in person or online, as to what this song was truly about. Although the main theme is quite apparent, it has a sort of “take from it what you will” quality that I love. And, I can only hope that this was its original intention.

To me, this song represents simplicity. It characterizes the gracefulness and beauty of the basics in life. When I listen to this song, I revel in its fuss-free straightforwardness: Bring caffeine to the diligent. Feed backbreaking labor with meat. Give a carefree toast to the woman who made you cry. And, when it’s all said in done, play with the heart of a child.

I think that in today’s world, we all go through a period in life where we either choose to accept the complexities of life for what they are or to rebel against them. Neither choice is wrong and both are very specific to the person.

I chose to go down one path with this song. Some people may be right there with me. Others may think I have it all wrong. Either way, I’m going my way because, luckily, no one can prove me incorrect.

I wanted to present this song’s message of simplicity in the form of ridiculous complexity. And, I hope it is fun.

- Jessie Spear, Tell It... playwright

Older and Responsible

2009-10-19T10:49:00.004-05:00

I still go to record stores. This is where I buy my music. Luckily, I live in a city where these places still exist. I've bought stuff online but it just doesn't feel right. Part of the pleasure derived from record (or cd) shopping is the discovery of a new band or rediscovery of an old treasure. And this, I’m sorry, can only happen while browsing through the dusty dollar bins of a record store. Lately, I’ve been buying all the shit I used to listen to when I was a teenager. Shit I had on cassette. Forgotten bands, like Madder Rose, Bettie Seveert, Pale Saints. I’ve been revisiting the music of my youth for a couple of reasons: 1) because the shit that came out of the early 90s was so incredibly good; and 2) I’ve been missing my youth.

As a kid, I was obsessed with creepy things like bugs and horror films. By my teenage years I was obsessed with AIDS and Lyme Disease. So, of course, I’d become obsessed with the dark, lovely songs of The Cure. In the summer of 1991, I was hanging out with my cousins watching some modern rock (pre-"alternative") video show on Chicago local access TV. There were videos by R.E.M., Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Depeche Mode, but it was the Cure's video for the song "Lullaby" that changed it all for me. In the video, Robert Smith is lying in bed, looking a little like Delta Burke, from Designing Women, with his chubby face all painted up. Robert is trying to fall asleep, but he is unable to because he is being tormented by his doppelganger: "The Spider Man." At some point in the video, Robert is eaten alive by a giant hairy spider. The spider mouth looked like an enormous hairy pussy. Horrifying.

In 1993, I would see the Cure. My first concert. I had to go with a cousin of mine because she was "older and responsible." And she could drive. Well, this older and responsible cousin invited like 8 or 9 of her not so responsible friends. They were all smoking dope and tripping balls. First time I'd seen that sort of thing. I, being the 15-year old dork I was, just said no to all the drugs offered to me. One of the dudes was a dealer. He was selling E or X or whatever Ecstasy was referred to as back then. I remember watching the dealer friend of my cousin sell a handful of Ecstasy to some old guy— “old” to me meant “in his 30s” —and the dealer made him take the whole fistful right then and there. I'm sure that person is dead now.

This play is about all those things that excited and scared me back then. Whenever I listen to the Cure or dive through the dollar bins at a record store, all the hopelessness and hope, the fear and desire come rushing back.

- Kristian O'Hare, TELL IT... playwright

Do You Love Me Now?

2009-10-18T14:18:00.005-05:00

Sung to “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm” by: The Crash Test Dummies.

Once there was this girl who,

Couldn’t think of anything to do for her directing scene.

And when the due date came ‘round.

She, stayed, up way too late with her ipod.

This song came on by Kim Deal the bassist from the Piiii-xieeeess

Hmmm Hmmm Hmmm Hmmm

Once this girl had listened

She felt she knew much more about what Kim Deal was singing

And when she looked at the words.

She, saw, a woman in love but hurting.

What if she had killed him? Then it could get creeee peeee.

Hmmm Hmmm Hmmm Hmmm

All night she dreamed of the fact

She could go much farther then that

Then when she woke up

She thought oh man the hurt woman will hold on to the body.

And then it would show that

She, was, never able to touch him.

She couldn’t quite explain it she really liked deeeaaaad guuuuy.

Hmmm Hmmm Hmmm Hmmm

Cue church choir fade out to crickets

I would like to thank the wonderful actors and director who are kicking ass on this piece and also the 90’s alterna-drone movement. You inspire so much.

Does any one else feel like wearing flannel?

- Allie Gruner, Tell It... playwright

2009-10-16T15:00:00.002-05:00

This past August 23, I saw Pearl Jam in concert at the United Center, and as I was impersonally guided to my parking place in one of the venue’s sanctioned lots, I was reminded of one of the great lost heroes of my childhood: “Wally Green.” While I have a lived the past six years in Kalamazoo, Michigan, I grew up in the city of Chicago. My family lived in West Rogers Park and my dad owned drugstores on the Southside. Thus, I attended a lot of shows at the old Chicago Stadium. Pearl Jam is one of the only acts who I still see in an arena—the other is Bob Dylan—and being back in the vicinity of the razed Stadium brought old “Wally” to mind.

I was probably fourteen or so when I first started attending shows at the Chicago Stadium. And for whatever reason, before I understood entirely the role money plays in these sorts of things, my dad was able to get me ridiculously great concert tickets to the Stadium because of what seemed this extraordinary connection he had there. I mean, this was when my dad was still driving me to shows. The source seemed the most unlikely guy: His name-tag said “Wally” and he waved the flags that directed us into the parking lot at the Stadium. And thanks to “Wally” (and my dad), for a couple of years, before I became obsessed with punk rock and wouldn’t step foot into an arena if Wally had paid me (except to see Dylan), when my father pulled into that lot, I could be assured that I would be sitting on the floor, in the center, right by the stage.

One particularly memorable show paired Eric Clapton with Muddy Waters. I had become a huge blues fan because of my dad’s store on the Southside, and the chance to see Muddy teach Slowhand the blues promised to be an incredible treat. My dad pulled into the parking lot; Wally called my dad, “Mr. Gordon” (his first name); and my Dad called him “Wally Green.” They exchanged money, and my dad drove around to the front to let me out. I asked my Dad how he knew that his last name was Green, and my dad, who passed away twenty years ago now, said one of those things that I can still hear him say: “You give Wally--green--and he gives you concert tickets.”

I got my tickets to the Pearl Jam concert from Ten Club, the Pearl Jam Fan Club. It was a real good show. My seats were pretty good. There were based on my seniority in the club and that seems fair. It's quite easy and convenient. But during those years, Wally Green and my dad sure seemed to make some magic happen in that parking lot outside the "Madhouse on Madison."

-- Steve Feffer

Steve Feffer's play "My Brother, the School Shooter" is a short play inspired by Pearl Jam's "Jeremy".

"I know that you've been wandering around this town looking for a cure, but you just better shoot me down."

2009-10-14T21:25:00.014-05:00

When we started getting ready for TELL IT..., one thing was clear to me.

IF: a play is a 'music play',

THEN: there must be both play and music.

I mean, I love plays, and I love music, and if we're going to create plays about music we had better have an awful lot of both. You've been hearing from some of the people who are bringing the former. Here's one of the latter.

Louis and the Hunt, aside from having a great name, are a really killer band. A three-piece that can go from the most delicate, lyric sound you could imagine to wall-to-wall rock and roll at the drop of a hat, they are frankly not to be trifled with. They will trick you into whistling and then steal your metaphorical lunch money. They'll make sounds so ethereal that you'll swear you've gone to church and then they'll blow the doors off. If it were appropriate to use expletives on this, our faithful blog, I would say that they will eff your ess right up.

People are drawn to different bands, singers, writers for wildly different reasons. I can be drawn in by any number of things: a great and surprising percussionist, a vocalist with a unique and effortless sound, a killer horn section, a remarkable turn of phrase or two, inventiveness in structure, a great marriage of technical skill and unabashed rock and roll abandon -- all of these things can hook me. Well, Louis and the Hunt have yet to throw trumpets my way, but otherwise that list pretty much sums it up. They've got seven or eight tracks up on their MySpace, including the brand-new and seriously lovely 'The Wolf and I', a lyric from which appears as the title for this blog-entry-thing.

It's been a busy month for these three gentlemen. This Saturday they're playing a fundraiser for Wunderkammer Magazine alongside another band, two poets and a visual artist. Apparently October is the month of multidisciplinary collaborations that involve Louis and the Hunt. They'll be playing the first Sunday and second Monday of TELL IT..., they're (I think?) recording an album, and along the way played a hell of a show at Schubas. Check it, along with a brief but really interesting interview with vocalist/songwriter Ryne Estwing:

Wunderkammer Artist Series: Louis & The Hunt from jmharper on Vimeo

I think you'll love them as much as we do. And I mean, really -- who doesn't want to see that guy sing an Elvis Costello song, a Paris Hilton song, and six or seven others in one night?

Catch Louis and the Hunt all over Chicago, all of the time -- but specifically at the side project on October 25th and November 2nd as one of three bands taking part in TELL IT & SPEAK IT & THINK IT & BREATHE IT. Go see them before they get huge and you can't afford to. Tickets here.

Case of You

2009-10-12T21:21:00.003-05:00

I am an actor, singer, painter, and a homosexual. I once was even 2 feet away from a wild moose and yet, having a play produced in Chicago is the scariest experience of my life.

When I was writing this play, I had the intention of creating this horror story about a young woman who becomes obsessed with a man with a social disorder. The story ended in the woman resorting to cannibalism to be close to him. I know, right? Well, that didn't happen.

With cannibalism on the brain I started writing. As the characters began to relate to one another, I realized that giving them a predetermined voice just wasn't working. Instead, I decided to look at the play as I do a piece of art. I let it be whatever it wanted to. Screw the story. If a plot emerges, great. If not, well at least I tried. However, when I finished I realized that the story that was created was much more interesting than anything I could of imagined. I'm proud of what I created and I hope that I have in some way honored both Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. Come see the plays. Game on!

Project PKD

2009-10-12T08:46:00.012-05:00

Unrelated to TELL IT...

I'm embarking on a new literary project: To read the entire bibliography of Philip K. Dick in the order in which the works were written. That's 36 novels and 121 short stories. I have imposed a deadline on myself of October 10, 2010. 10.10.10 - this was unintentional.

I am a great fan of sci-fi, and PKD may be my favorite author in this or any other genre. He was no technological visionary (See: Arthur C. Clarke), but more than any other writer of speculative fiction, PKD inhabited the head space of the future - presenting a vision of mankind's forthcoming alienation, not a litany of his greatest toys.

I invite anyone interested to join me. I will be purchasing all the novels, and am happy to loan them out to careful comrades.

Don't know who PKD is? Have you seen the film Blade Runner? Minority Report? A Scanner Darkly? These are all adaptations of his work. If you're looking for a place to start, I suggest Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, the novel upon which Blader Runner is based, or Ubik, a story with perhaps the most interesting premise in the storied history of the premise.

Game On. Or in this case, Read On.

Edit: Project PKD now has its own blog, http://projectpkd.blogspot.com/. Follow along as I drive myself inexorably mad...

2009-10-07T16:44:00.004-05:00

submitted by Bridget, one of the directors for "TellIt.."

I love that I got access to this blog directly. I am wondering how to abuse that power somehow. Maybe I will become one of those random blog spammers who posts comments about travel websites and teeth whitening packages. Maybe I will just stick to writing about the festival.

What I am really stoked about right now, other than that my apartment really IS big enough to rehearse in (I will never doubt that again), is how rehearsal went last night. The show is a silent one, so trying to draw the actors in when the script is basically telling you what to do seemed a challenge. But then we got the show on its feet last night, and a wonderful thing happened - the "script" wasn't as fleshed-out as it appeared at first glance, so without thinking the actors were filling in moments that took us from beat to beat, while the playwright sat revising things based on what was happening organically. It was rather awesome and exciting so now I am bummed that we have another week to go before the next rehearsal.

At the first read through, Annie, who plays the "Wife", brought up a really bizarre tale of a woman that murdered her husband and then sealed off the room in the house that she killed him in AND LEFT THE BODY IN THERE FOR OVER A YEAR! Incidentally, Annie knows this because she watches Oxygen. Not judging...
Here is the link to the Iowa news station with articles about her case and trial -
http://www.kcci.com/news/3254468/detail.html

A creepy/weird side note is that these people have kids. So kids were living in the house where the bedroom is sealed off because it holds their dead dad and they are living with a mom that committed the murder. Can't find much info on this part of the story, just think that it is really awful and can't figure out how, if she wasn't the only one living there, why none of the kids spilled the beans that "dad's dead behind that door. we don't go in there anymore"?!

Reach out and touch faith.

2009-10-05T21:48:00.005-05:00

It was one of those weekend evenings when I happened to be at the office downtown for work. I don't remember exactly what I was doing at work that Sunday (was it a Sunday?), but I do remember vividly the trip home on the Red Line. In typical Sunday CTA fashion, I had been waiting longer than I'd like to have for the northbound train at the State/Lake subway platform. In a not-so-typical fashion, when the train arrived I got one of those seats I love: a single facing sideways so you don't have to pretend you're skinnier than you are to share a seat when you were just trying to get home at the end of a seven day work week.

As I pulled out my book--What is the What was it?--i noticed almost immediately the woman across from me: a pleasant looking woman of Asian descent in a red t-shirt, sitting in CTA's version of a love seat, facing forward. As any metropolitan-ite will tell you, after a month or so riding public transit you've pretty much seen everything. Having been a faithful Red Liner for going on four years, this is doubly the case. Being a not-so-typical Sunday afternoon, however, what this woman was doing captivated the hell out of me.

I let my book rest on my lap as I watched this person diligently learn the prayers of the rosary. With a brand-new set of prayer beads and a shiny new prayer pamphlet, she memorized portions of the prayer, quizzed herself, put the pamphlet away to practice and started all over again. This women's newfound sense of faith, or perhaps newfound sense of Catholicism really perked up the atheist in me.

I don't know if the upcoming "music plays" (as we called them at the time) for The Ruckus were in my mind at that point or not, but Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus" began to play as if it had replaced the announcements everyone has memorized booming from the train's loud speaker.

I didn't write my short play based on that song and commute until several weeks later. This was my first foray into the world of playwriting. It scared the shit out of me. I like the end result. Come see Tell It & Speak It & Think It & Breathe It Let me know what you think.

The Ruckus gets ready to TELL IT...

2009-09-09T23:29:00.002-05:00

Game on.