The Gay American - Teaser Trailer #1

Etcetera IX here we come. [Byron Melton]

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!

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)."

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."

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...

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.

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

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."

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: