The Nine

Faces, Exhibit Z: Lots of Other People!

2011-05-06T07:19:00.000-07:00

It's the day of the show, y'all! We've done the introductions and we're ready to put this bad boy on its feet, but before we do, one final thing needs to be said: lots and lots and lots and lots of thanks. Thanks to all of you who have continued to read this and play along with my Facebook and Twitter silliness, to all of you who plan on coming out to see what we've done with Part Two: Radio Silence, and to all of you who came out in support of Part One: subUrbia, whether or not you are able to make it again. Serious, serious thanks. I don't care how free it is, you are still devoting your time and energy and opinions to support the work we are doing with The Nine, and that is truly badass.

And extra, extra special thanks go out to the following for their assistance with Part Two: Radio Silence:

Nathan Robbel & The Right Brain Project
Ronan Marra, Joseph Stearns & Signal Ensemble Theatre
Matt Early & Gotta Groove Records
Oscar Salinas
Meredith Bell Alvarez
Stephanie Ehemann
Erin Fox
Erica Barnes
Lloyd Mulvey
Heather Cowper at www.heatheronhertravels.com

and last but not least, to Admiral Toot in the role of Fritz!

Thanks everyone -- now let's open this bitch!

Faces, Exhibit Y: Words & Music

2011-05-05T14:16:00.000-07:00

Boy, this blog sure has been all Eiffel Tower/Peculiar Way all the time, hasn't it? Wasn't there a third piece to Radio Silence? A little something by a guy who goes by the name 'a Samuel Beckett? Well sure, enough, and here's the big reveal -- what you can expect when you show up all eager beaver-like!

Beckett's 'Words & Music' being about, y'know, words and music, and me not being someone who tends to create on that canvas, I plotted and planned and plotted and planned and here's what I came up with. I've been in touch with four Chicago musicians also tied into the theatre scene. I sent them a copy of the script and asked them for their interpretation. The only stipulation I made is that the text had to stay intact. Beyond that, anything and everything was fair game. The four (Elizabeth Bagby, Noah Ginex, Mike Przygoda, and Andrew Yearick) each came back with a recording of their own devising (and with remarkable variety between them!) for inclusion in this project. What I will be doing is introducing and presenting one of the four interpretations at each performance, setting a very different tone for the evening depending on which night you attend, sort of roulette of creativity for the first piece of the show! UPDATE: It's been confirmed that there will be an extra special guest recording played on the closing night performance. Details to be announced soon!

But no worries if you have a particular version you were dying to hear and those performances are already sold out -- we have also made up USB drives containing all four versions that will be available to the audience free of charge at each show. (That's right, you get all four versions AND a flash drive for free! It's because we love you.) So hey, without further ado, here are the four musicians participating, as well as the schedule of the pieces!

Elizabeth Bagby and all of the news that's fit to dish can be found here: www.eabagby.com.

Noah Ginex and most of the news that's fit to dish (plus maybe some that's not) can be found here: www.noahginex.com.

Mike Przygoda is a composer and multi-instrumentalist around Chicago. His biggest accomplishment in life has been getting his two favourite people in the world (Myles & Barry) in the same room at the same time for Words & Music. Thanks to Stephen, Anthony, Brian, and Seth for their unwitting assistance and Chuy and Bries for getting me involved.

Andrew Yearick is happy any time he can combine his acting and musical talents. Such was the case with his last show in which he played George Harrison in Signal Ensemble's "Aftermath". Andrew is the frontman for the art-rock band Athens, and is diligently working on his first full length album with the group, in addition to other musical and writing projects.

----------------

And here's yer schedule!

Friday, May 6th: Elizabeth Bagby (artist in attendance!)

Saturday, May 7th: Andrew Yearick (artist in attendance!)

Sunday, May 8th: Mike Przygoda (artist in attendance!)

Monday, May 9th: Noah Ginex

Friday, May 13th: Noah Ginex (artist in attendance!)

Saturday, May 14th: Elizabeth Bagby

Sunday, May 15th: Andrew Yearick

Friday, May 20th: Mike Przygoda

Saturday, May 21st: ZOMG, a special guest TBA!

Hooray!!! Which one are you coming to see?

Faces, Exhibit X: The Usher/Friend 3

2011-05-04T10:41:00.000-07:00

Remember way back when? When I introduced you to Meghan Reardon's Bridesmaid in Exhibit A? Well, little did you realize there was the *tiniest* bit of structure to this whole thing! Today we have our very last Radio Silence face, and in true bookend fashion, it's Nick Mikula as The Usher in The Eiffel Tower Wedding Party and Friend 3 in Peculiar Way.

And just like that (and by 'like that', I mean over several weeks of perusal), you've met our Radio Silence cast and crew! Aren't they every bit as lovely as I said? But just you wait -- there are two days until opening ANNNNND two more letters in the alphabet. We're not quite done yet! Stick around, y'all!

"Nick Mikula is proud to be working with The Nine! A graduate of Illinois State University's Acting Program, he was last seen in Halfshut at the Right Brain Project and has worked with Chicago Shakespeare, Signal Ensemble, Ka-Tet, the Abbie Hoffman Festivals at Mary Arrchie, Gift, Greasy Joan, and New Leaf Theatre. Also, he can be seen performing with the improv groups Octavarius and Sam Hill. Nick would like thank his parents, Caroline, and John for all their support."

Faces, Exhibit W: The Lighting Designer

2011-05-02T22:41:00.001-07:00

Will you look at how far we've come? We're already on letter 'W' -- that's, like, almost to the end of the alphabet! We're not quite done yet, though; there's a couple of very important people who still haven't been introduced, one of which is Michael C. Smith, our tried and true lighting designer. It ain't easy lighting insanity with near zero space and near zero equipment. Unless Mike's on the job. 'Cuz he makes it look like a snap. (But, believe you me, it's not. He just makes it look that way. He's good like that.) (He doesn't, however, have a picture for his blog post. He's also covert like that.)

"Michael C. Smith is thrilled to be working on Radio Silence. He has designed the last two Right Brain Project showsHalfshut and My Filthy Hunt, and will be working with them again in the summer for The Archivist. Michael graduated from Knox College where he primarily focused in theatrical lighting design. He is also an artistic associate with Brain Surgeon Theatre where he is their resident lighting designer. He has worked with several professional theater companies in the Chicago area including Vitalist, and Point of Contention."

Faces, Exhibit V: The Director

2011-05-02T12:15:00.000-07:00

That's right, I get to have a face, too. We've got one more Retro Monday to give you, and I'm the other guy still around in this piece, so it's my turn! So, here you are -- for anyone who's been wondering what goofball has been behind these things, here's your answer. This goofball:

"Bries Vannon is the creator and director of The Nine, but he's assuming you already knew that. Elswehere, he is an ensemble member with Signal Ensemble Theatre, where he also serves as Literary Manager, and a company member with WNEP Theater. An actor and director about town, Bries has also worked with companies such as Mary-Arrchie, The Right Brain Project, the side project, and The Building Stage. Next up (aside from Part Three of The Nine), Bries will be directing the Chicago premiere of Sheila Callaghan's We Are Not These Hands for The Right Brain Project this fall. Bries is also an avid culture junkie and always wants to give you his latest music, art, and internet recommendations. So be careful."

Faces, Exhibit U: Mason

2011-05-02T08:34:00.000-07:00

Second up in the Peculiar Way double feature is fearless leader Michael Dice, Jr. Mike is playing Mason, the astronaut at the axis of the piece. (Mason, you'll notice, has been given a character name. This is because he's in every scene. j/k, but only kinda j/k.) Mike also has the challenge of acting as though he's an astronaut, which if you were ever five years old seems like a dream, but is actually really not all that easy. Space is a serious place, doncha know...

"As the weird guy in the bathroom, Michael Dice, Jr. bared all last summer in the Mary Arrchie production of Cherrywood. A newcomer to the Chicago stage, Dice has spent the last six years as a writer and development director for Chicago Dance Crash. He loves ice cream, The Stone Roses, silent movies, pro wrestling, and Indian girls with British accents that are only ticklish on the right side of their body."

Faces, Exhibit T: Friend 2

2011-05-02T08:22:00.000-07:00

So, we missed out on our faces updates over the weekend because of all the busy days and late nights of tech going into previews, but believe me when I say it was all worth it -- the show is in great shape and couldn't be more ready for opening night this Friday! Normally I'd be all lax and say we can just catch up on those two days later, but if I'm gonna get everyone's face in before opening, I need that time, so we've got three faces for you today -- a Peculiar Way double-feature to cover the weekend and the very last Retro Monday!

First up in our Peculiar Way callback, it's Rudy Galvan as Friend 2. That's right, Rudy has the thankless job of playing a generic numbered character. Don't be fooled, though, Friend 2 is nothing like Third Tree from the Left; the only thing generic about this is the title of the role. Hit it, Rudy!

"Rudy is very happy to be working on Radio Silence. He is currently a Junior at Columbia College Chicago where he is pursuing his BA in Acting. He is also an intern at Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co. where he has appeared in Cherrywood and Gas Mask 101. Big ups to Bries for this great oppurtunity, and love to his always supporting family and friends."

Faces, Exhibit S: Phonograph 2

2011-04-29T01:21:00.001-07:00

Remember alllllllll the way back to Monday, when you were introduced to Austin as Phonograph 1? Well, that '1' was there for a reason. He's got a partner in crime, and her name is Danelle Wildermuth! As Phonograph 2 in The Eiffel Tower Wedding Party, Danelle is the other mastermind behind this whole menagerie of crazies. Watch in awe as she pulls the strings! Makes lions roar, scolds ostriches, buys a painting! So much to do, so much to do!

"Danelle Wildermuth is very excited to be joining The Nine for the first time. Chicago productions include Hangar 9 Theatre, Hobo Junction, Black Ensemble, and Village Players. Regional: The Lost Colony, Waterside Theatre, Great Plains Theatre, and Prairie Repertory. National Tours: Troupe America, Inc and Hampstead Stage. Much gratitude to Bries and the Nine for such an unexpected and great experience. Enjoy!"

Faces, Exhibit R: The Manager/Friend 1

2011-04-28T10:07:00.000-07:00

Look at Anthony DeMarco! He's drinking a big ol' mug of beer! Could it be this is how he preps for his roles as Friend 1 in Peculiar Way and The Manager of the Eiffel Tower in The Eiffel Tower Wedding Party? (Disclaimer: this is not how he preps for his roles as Friend 1 in Peculiar Way and The Manager of the Eiffel Tower in The Eiffel Tower Wedding Party.) No, in reality, it's just that Anthony DeMarco is a fun-loving extra-wittical human bein'. Here, see for yourself:

"After a brief hiatus of several years, Anthony could not be happier than he is right at this very moment with where his artistic journeys have taken him. The past few years have seen him working at Mary-Arrchie Theatre, Lights Out Theatre Company, New Beast Theater Works, and Playing Space Theater as an actor, stage manager, director, and general roustabout. His talents are certainly many, but his passions are slightly more discriminating. Chiefly among those are the cast and crew and inner workings of The Nine, who have all made the past few months a joy to experience. He would also like to thank his mother and father and siblings and nephews, and all those who have supported his development - they happen to be worth their weight in gold... or platinum... or bird seed... or whatever the hell it is Glenn Beck advised DeMarx to purchase."

Faces, Exhibit Q: The Choreographer

2011-04-27T00:25:00.000-07:00

I've been doing allllllllll this talking about dancing; I think it's about time I introduce the lady behind it all. Thanks to Lyndsey Rhoads, our Radio Silence choreographer, we have four, count 'em four, showstoppin' numbers by turns sultry, silly, somber, and infectious. (Yeah, infectious doesn't exactly start with an 's', but like Mama always said, alliteration can only take you so far, and then you're on your own.) So when we're shakin' or slidin' or stompin' or snappin' (there -- happy?) during the show, you know who gets the thanks!

"The pride of Ada, Oklahoma, Rhoads moved to Chicago after studying from birth at the Central Oklahoma Dance Center. The Senior Company Member of Chicago Dance Crash, Lyndsey has been performing with the company since 2004 and presented her choreographic debut, closing out the 2010 Duets for My Valentine Festival at a sold-out Park West."

Faces, Exhibit P: The Ostrich/Trouville Bathing Beauty/Art Collector/Radiogram 1

2011-04-26T02:09:00.000-07:00

We've got another all-star character track on our hands, and this one belongs to Michelle Carlene Roth! First of all, she gets to play an ostrich on stage, which is hands down cool as ice. But she's not done yet! Mere minutes later, she returns as the Trouville Bathing Beauty for her very own solo dance number. Add a little Radiogram and Art Collector action, and you've got a regular Lady of 1,000 Faces. But you can call her Michelle.

"Michelle is thrilled to be working with this amazingly talented group of artists on the second installment of The Nine. Originally from Sioux Falls, SD, Michelle studied at North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND where she earned her BFA in Theater before relocating to Chicago in 2006. After being seen as Latrelle in The Easy Street Players production of Sordid Lives, Michelle decided to take a hiatus from the spotlight and attempt stage management. She is currently the Managing Director of The Right Brain Project and has recently stage managed their productions of My Filthy Hunt, Halfshut, Pretty Penny andThe Modern Prometheus. Michelle is so incredibly excited to be back on stage and wants to thank Bries for the opportunity, her family for traveling all the way from SD to see her and especially Colby for encouraging her to get back on stage!"

Faces, Exhibit O: The Stage Manager

2011-04-24T23:20:00.001-07:00

Annnnnd, Retro Monday continues with part 2 of 2 and our stage manager, Mark Hurni, the sanest man in show biz. Mark also stage managed for Part One: subUrbia and he's back again, despite my seeming insistence on always forcing him to be a part of the onstage action. Mark's the yin to my crazy, and also knows all about the google stuff -- calendars and sites and spreadsheets and things that I should be checking much more than the one time when I'm initially set up for them. (Shhhhh!)

Mark's a big part of the reason that each part of The Nine hasn't melted into a puddle of disorganization and defeat. Give him big ups, eh?

"Mark is very excited to be working with The Nine, again. Most recently, he’s designed lights for the Signal Ensemble’s Accidental Death of an Anarchist, Aftermath, The Ballad of the Sad Café and Six Degrees of Separation, as well as Right Brain’s Modern Prometheus. His Chicago stage manager credits include the Nine’s first installment of subUrbia, the independently produced Sandoval at La Costa Theatre, Bohemian Theatre’s Gross Indecency and Right Brain’s A Devil Inside. Thanks to the cast for making this a fun experience. Thanks to Bries for including me in this great project. And thanks to Rach for her support."

Faces, Exhibit N: Phonograph 1

2011-04-24T13:30:00.000-07:00

We took Easter off (hey, it's not every day that giant bunnies hand-deliver chocolate and jelly beans), so we're gonna make it up to you with an extra special two-fer of Retro Monday! First, you may remember Austin D. Oie as Tim in Part One: subUrbia. He was drunk, angry, and a bigot there. Here, he's a phonograph. Normally, you'd think playing an inanimate object is a pretty major step backward, but it worked for the dinosaurs on The Flintstones! No really, though -- the Phonographs (there's another who you'll meet her soon enough!) are the hub of The Eiffel Tower Wedding Party. Everything, and I mean literally everything, happens because of them.

That's right; we've put the machines in charge. Are we fools? Have we not seen Terminator? Are we spelling our own doom? Probably not. BUT WHO KNOWS?!?

"Hi friends!

Part Two of the Nine. Last time it was SubUrbia. I was angrytown. Now its Eiffel Tower Wedding Party. This time, I am crazytown. I'm an actor. Church/Pullman, WA (Red Tape Theatre), The Last Night of Ballyhoo (Project 891), The Man Who Was Thursday (New Leaf Theatre), Some Show I Haven't Yet Been Cast In (Steppenwolf Theatre Co). I take photos too. They're everywhere. I generally don't have people take their clothes off though. I dunno... I mean, don't get me wrong... that's pretty cool. I have some friends that like to do that. But I like taking photos of other things. Like people with clothes ON. Usually acting. Or headshots. I do those too. You wanna see? www.austindoiephotography.com Fair warning though, there isn't any nudity. So you'll have to seek that elsewhere. Let's see... what else... shout out to Meghan Reardon. This is show #5 for us. I think thats what? The cardboard anniversary? We're registered at 7-11. So, ya know... pony up. And don't be stingy with the fake cheese on that fake hot dog.

Love,

Phonograph 1"

Faces, Exhibit M: The General

2011-04-22T23:25:00.000-07:00

What can you expect from a fine upstanding military man in Cocteau's world? Life lessons about mirages, epic orchestrated combat stories, fierce lion battles, and resurrection. If you know of a better character arc, I'd like to see it. And you lucky bastards get the pleasure of watching Dennis Newport take this crazy journey as The General in The Eiffel Tower Wedding Party, but only if you grab your ticket quick before they disappear! Do it to it!

"I've come far from my first role as a courtier in an Off-Off-Broadway production of Romeo and Juliet, where a homeless man ran the lights and a cat wandered to and fro on the set during crucial scenes. It's all been up from there. I'm grateful to be back on the North Side with The Nine -- thanks to Bries for the opportunity. What a great cast and crew! Thanks to Kathy -- I will be home soon. I want to dedicate this performance to my grandchildren, Nate, Rodger, Aislyn, and Logan. May they inherit the best of all possible worlds. For complete resume go to www.dennisnewport.com ."

Faces, Exhibit L: The Assistant Director

2011-04-22T12:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Good Friday! I've got the 'Spring Holiday' off from work, so me and assistant director Jesus Contreras have been running all over town picking up hardware and props and all kindsa shit as we get ready to head into tech week. So I figure what better day to introduce you to the man himself? Not only is he a great second set of eyes, he also knows where Micro Center is and has a helluva burrito hook-up. The man, the myth, the legend: Jesus Contreras!

(He's the one one the left. You'll meet that dude on the right in a minnit.)

"Originally hailing from the Second City, Chuy was born a poor black child under a bridge during a summer storm in Indiana. He overcame his fear of unicorns and cooked spaghetti using only a pot and sheer force of will. Chuy traveled to the underworld, clutching a stone of imperial greatness, which would one day wake princess Glenn Beck from her everlasting slumber. He then trekked across the country, helping small sparrows take flight from tall trees, scraping bubble gum off the bottom of desks, and at every stop, planting the seeds of burrito trees. Chuy has passed the Ramen Retention Barrier. He is also the first mate to the daring Han Solo who pilots the fastest ship ever, the Millennium Falcon. Although he is a master of the written word, he can best be described by the emotions of music. Chuy knows which side his bread is buttered on."

Faces, Exhibit K: The Wife

2011-04-20T23:42:00.000-07:00

This here's Susan Myburgh. She's a tricky one. 'Cause, see, here's the deal: despite her taking on the role of the Wife in Peculiar Way, you will never actually get a chance to *see* her during Radio Silence. Oh, you'll *hear* her, but unless she just so happens to be in audience that night, Susan will be that one mystery actor who is only a voice to you. These are the strange and mystifying ways of working with radio plays!

Except I just ruined all of that 'only a voice' mystique by putting her headshot up here so you know exactly what sorta face to put to that voice. I've got a sneaking suspicion you're glad I did, though. Amirite or amirite?

"Susan Myburgh is a founding member of The Tympanic Theatre Company. Her directing credits include Alice in Wonderland, Gregor And The Squonk, Morality Play, The Great Black Vulutre, and Tea. She has been lucky enough acted with some of her favorite Chicago Theatre's inlcuding; The Mammals, Oracle Theatre, Redtwist Theatre, and The Right Brain Project. Next she can be seen in Verse Chorus Verse with Tympanic Theatre, and Sketchbook with Collaboraction. She is thirlled to be a part of this second installment of The Nine and hopes ya'll enjoy it as much as she enjoys working with this gang of hooligans!"

Faces, Exhibit J: The Lion/Cyclist/Art Dealer/Radiogram 3

2011-04-20T00:27:00.000-07:00

Holy jeezus, will you look at all those parts? This is Angie Steffens, and she is what we call a multi-tasker. A super-multi-tasker. Come on out to Radio Silence and during the course of The Eiffel Tower Wedding Party, you will see her play a Radiogram (#3 to be precise), a Cyclist, back to a Radiogram (still #3, but this time with dancing!), a Lion (!!!RAWR!!!), and an Art Dealer! How on earth does she keep them all straight? And what's the transformation process from Lion to Art Dealer like, exactly? And when she's dancing as the Radiogram, does she ever have the urge to break out in a timely RAWR? All excellent questions from the reader grab bag, but you'll have to come to the show and ask her yourself if you *really* wanna find out!

(Once more for good measure: RAWWWWWR!)

"Angie Steffens is elated to be back on the Chicago stage after a too-long hiatus. The fact that she gets to make her debut with The Nine is icing on the cake! After appearing with Signal Ensemble in their production on The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, she took a break to pursue film projects, travel, and to begin a career in the fashion industry. However, the thrill of doing a live show was too good to pass up, and hopefully this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship with The Nine. Much love to Anders, the Hills, and the Zipps for their unending support. It's all happening!"

Faces, Exhibit I: The Costume Designer

2011-04-18T22:54:00.000-07:00

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE CREW, BRIES?!?!

Glad you asked. Let's hop over to that side for a hot second. You know all about those actor-type people, but let me relay the tale of a mystical person know as the Costume Designer. You see, there's a person in this process (let's refer to her as Carla Hamilton, eh?) who took a whole bunch of the ideas in my head, went away with them for a few weeks and then came back to return them all perfectly realized in clothing form. Those mysterious weeks may never be fully explained, but I tend to think Carla has some sort of magic loom that can translate Bries. And let me tell you, that's ruhhhl heavy magic. Or maybe she's got a Rumplestiltskin hanging out at her place. That's what he did, right? Spin nothing into a whole lot of something? Then again, it could be that she's a supercool Costume Designer and is just very, very good at her job.

Sure, if we're gonna get technical, the last answer's the correct one, but in the long run, it's just more fun to pretend it's all of the above. I mean, can you imagine the resale value on a Rumplestiltskin? Yeah, think about that...

"Carla is tickled to be working with The Nine! She graduated with a degree in psychology, but has found that she cannot stay away from theatre. She is now pursuing costuming in the city. Carla spent last summer sewing for the Black Hills Playhouse in South Dakota and recently finished designing for Goat Song Theatre's 'The Balcony.'"

Faces, Exhibit H: The Photographer

2011-04-17T22:27:00.000-07:00

Alrighty, let's take it retro again on a Monday morning. Odds are you haven't forgotten Greg Wenz's bouncing off the walls as Buff in Part One: subUrbia. Well, he's back again, this time as The Photographer in The Eiffel Tower Wedding Party! Funny thing is, this time he might be the only normal character of the bunch. Which means one of two things: either Greg's got him some range, or this play is tricked out with absolute nutters. My guess is a lot of Column A and a lot of Column B.

But don't let his headshot fool you. He has a beard. #secretsrevealed!

"Greg is extremely psyched to be a part of Radio Silence. Last year, he had a blast playing Buff in subUrbia in The Nine: Part One. Greg has been on many stages, playing many parts, throughout many years. He originally hails from the murky shores of Lake Erie in Cleveland, Ohio making him a severely traumatized sports fan but a loyal fan nonetheless. Greg would like to thank the cast of Radio Silence for making rehearsals ridiculously hilarious, Mark Hurni for allowing him to constantly steal pens without too much backlash, Chuy for always telling it like it is and in particular Bries for allowing him to be a part of such an innovative and exciting piece of theater. Think for yourself, question authority. Spiral out, keep going...."

Faces, Exhibit G: The Child

2011-04-17T08:34:00.000-07:00

Alright then, we've put our Bride and Bridegroom together. If you put any stock whatsoever into playground rhymes (and let's be honest, who doesn't?), the next step would be the baby in the baby carriage, right? Oh goodness, you have no idea just how right you are!

Today's face is dear Stephen Gawrit, who is playing the role of The Child in The Eiffel Tower Wedding Party. Now I figuratively hear you saying that Stephen doesn't look like a child at all, much less the Child of our Bride and Bridegroom. And, figuratively, I may agree with you. But I have seen this man walk around carrying an oversized lollipop. And that, ladies and gents, is a little game-changer we call THE MAGIC OF THEATRE! Revel in it!

"Stephen, a native Chicagoan, is extremely excited to be working with The Nine channeling his cheeky childhood characterizations. He’s a graduate from both the Chicago Academy for the Arts (Theatre) and Illinois State University (B.A. Acting). Stephen has also trained with Profiles Theatre and the National Institute for Dramatic Arts Australia (NIDA). Recently Stephen has been seen, as an actor, in such productions as: SAINTS AND SINNERS (Goat Song), PRETTY PENNY (Right Brain Project), CHARLEY’S SONATA (On the Spot), GARDEN OF THE THREE (Gorilla Tango), COMEDY OF ERRORS (Chase Park Theatre), and TROILUS AND CRESSIDA (Tafety Punk Theatre). Stephen is a Company Member of The Right Brain Project and starting July 13^th 2011 his new SciFi play THE ARCHIVIST will premiere. Stephen can also been seen as Brutus in CAESURA: A BUTCHERY this August at New Rock Theater. Special thanks to his family, friends, teachers, and Amanda for their constant support."

Faces, Exhibit F: The Bridegroom

2011-04-15T22:15:00.000-07:00

So, the initial thought was that I was only going to put up new faces on weekdays from now until opening. You know, give you guys the weekend off and all, 'cause it's like Lent and it only seems proper or something like that. However, I sat down and did the official math for the first time today, and between cast and crew, there are twenty-four faces that need to be blogpostified. Twenty-four! That's almost a whole alphabet full of exhibits!!! Who's gonna be Exhibit I? Or Exhibit P? Or the elusive Exhibit Q? You'll have to wait and see...

Anyways, the moral of the story is that if you're going to have any hope of meeting all of these people before we open, there's no rest for the wicked. And by the wicked, I mean the guy writing these blogs. No rest for him. Because obviously, he's putting SO MUCH time into them and they're not just coming off the top of his head. Obviously.

So now look here! In the interest of continuing the whole 'introduce the wedding party by pairs' thing as well as the whole show you just how amazeballs this cast and crew are, I present our very first special weekend introduction: Mr. Christopher Perez, soon to be appearing as The Bridegroom in The Eiffel Tower Wedding Party! Rock and roll, team! Rock. And. Roll.

"Chris is a Chicago native and has managed to still do theatre all over. His favorite is outdoor theatre. His favorite role was Touchstone with the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival. He has enjoyed working with this group of people very much, and hopes you enjoy the show half as much as Chris does."

Faces, Exhibit E: The Bride

2011-04-14T23:54:00.001-07:00

I mean, the play's called The Eiffel Tower Wedding Party -- you knew there was gonna be a bride at some point, right? Well, here it is, the moment of truth! Allow me to unveil (Get it? Unveil??? Yeah, I'm gonna make that joke about a bajillion times, so get used to it.) our beautiful, blushing, Cocteau-spouting Bride: Erin Elizabeth Orr!

**Hooray! Fanfare! Limos with cans tied to the bumper! Elvis impersonators in cramped Vegas cathedrals! Confetti! Not rice because the birds will eat it and then explode! Unveiled!**

"ERIN ELIZABETH ORR is tickled to be playing with this fantastical group of talented and beautiful people! She has been lucky enough to work with such wonderful Chicago companies as the Right Brain Project, The Factory, Speaking Ring Theater, WNEP Theater, InFusion Theater, Per Diem, Point of Contention Theater, Silent Theater, Bootstraps Comedy Theater, and The Mammals (where she is a proud company member!) She also had the magical opportunity to play with Don Hall and Joe Janes in this year's Sketchfest 2011! Originally from Texas, she spent time as an acting intern at Milwaukee Repertory Theater before making her move to the Windy City. Her next projects will be working on the Chicago premiere of "Bonegrinders" with BENDSINISTER THEATRE, Joe Janes' 50 PLAYS PROJECT, and The Mammals' "Put My ____ In Your ______", "Mexican Wrestling Macbeth" and "All Girl Moby Dick". Erin is also one of the founding members of the Ex-Pats. In her free time, she likes to play her banjo and smooch a cute boy named Adam. Thanks to Bries and Chuy for being the coolest of the cool! xo"

Faces, Exhibit D: The Hunter/Radiogram #2

2011-04-13T21:55:00.000-07:00

Today today today! That's when you get to meet Nick Freed. He's pulling off two roles in The Eiffel Tower Wedding Party, playing both The Hunter (think Elmer Fudd without the speech impediment, the male pattern baldness, and whose rival is not a Bunny but an Ostrich -- who you'll be meeting soon enough) and Radiogram #2 (which means he dances, and let me tell you, he does a mean ballerina)!

Take a look at that hunka hunka dancing man. Fuh serious.

"Nick is a proud Missourian who has been transplanted in Chicago. After college he worked as a time traveling tour guide in Rhode Island before moving to Chicago three years ago to star in NachtKabarett at Gorilla Tango. Since then he has worked with The Building Stage (Dracula), Filament Theater Ensemble (Legend of Sleepy Hollow), The Right Brain Project (Hesperia), Chicago Fusion Theater (Proof), and Chicago dell'Arte, where he has done numerous shows including The Literati, A Christmas Carl, A Commedia Christmas Carol, and Much Ado About Nothing (Director) and of which he has been newly appointed Artistic Director. He loves Chicago more than he can express, and couldn't be happier to be working with Bries Vannon again and on this project with this fantastic cast. Nick wants to thank his friends for being there no matter what, and lastly his incredible family. If it weren't for their support and dedication and love, he would be a much lesser person."

Faces, Exhibit C: The Father-in-Law/Dad

2011-04-12T22:45:00.000-07:00

Oh, don't worry, there are boys in this show, too! Here's one of them! Charles Schoenherr is playing The Father-in-Law in The Eiffel Tower Wedding Party and has provided the voice of the Dad in Peculiar Way. Now, if you're paying attention, you'll remember that yesterday's face (it was Mary Jo, remember?) was responsible for The Mother-in-Law and Mom... 2 and 2 equals Charles and Mary Jo being married in two shows in one evening! Happenstance? Coincidence? Casting decision? What are the odds? No really: what are the odds? My bookie's waiting.

Ohhhh, ok. Enough with the crazy funny jokes. Put your meeting people caps on for one Charles Schoenherr!

"Charles Schoenherr is thrilled to be working with The Nine. A graduate of the Acting Studio at the University of Illinois Urbana/Champaign, Charles has been performing in Chicago for nine years. Previous roles include "Rainey Brother #2" in The Ballad of the Sad Cafe, "Lucky" in Waiting for Godot, and "Don Jon" in Much Ado About Nothing all with Signal Ensemble Theater. While a company member with A Crew of Patches he has played multiple roles in many Shakespeare productions including: All's Well That End's Well, Julius Caesar, Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, and Macbeth."

Faces, Exhibit B: The Mother-in-Law/Mom

2011-04-11T22:40:00.000-07:00

Hey look, another darling face! This one belongs to Mary Jo Bolduc! Not only can you come see her as The Mother-in-Law in The Eiffel Tower Wedding Party, but you'll also get to *hear* her as the Mom in Peculiar Way. You see? Sight, sound, ALL THE SENSES! Or at least TWO of them!

Also, it's a little-known secret that MJ is functioning as our impromptu dance captain for The Eiffel Tower Wedding Party. What's that I say? Dances? Yes, and there are four of them, and they are so much fun you'll pee, and I'll tell you all about them in a future Faces post (hint: dances = choreographer). But first, you need to be feasting your eyes on this lovely lady:

"MJ is very excited to be a part of the second installment of The Nine, and has had a blast with this cast and crew! She is thankful to have performed with great theatres all over Chicago: WNEP, Mary Arrchie, New Leaf, Timeline, Provision, Trapdoor, Lifeline, Second City National Touring Co., Red Tape, Jackalope, Annoyance, ComedySportz, etc. Some credits include: “The Edward Hopper Project”, “MUD People”, “Six Years”, “Metaluna & the Amazing Science of the Mind”, “Beggars in the House of Plenty”, “Time of Your Life”, “Invasion of the Minnesota Normals”, “Amerikafka”, “The Shadow” (Jeff nominated - Best Supporting Actress), “Co-Ed Prison Sluts”, “365 Sketches”, the improvised “DanseMacabre”, “ScrewPuppies”, & “Dinner4Six”. Also, she thinks you look great in that shirt!"

OMG, the faces of Radio Silence! Exhibit A: The Bridesmaid

2011-04-10T22:30:00.000-07:00

Well, Jesus H. Christ! It's Nine time again! I guess that means time to dust off the ol' blog, too, hunh? I have two birds that need killin' and one stone to throw, so let's lay this out. Last go around, I did a bad job at a) keeping this blog updated with production info, and b) giving you a place to go to peep the pretty and talented faces you saw at the show. (For the newcomers, we don't do programs at The Nine. Sorry.... kinda.) But the lightbulb went off, and I finally realized that this might be the perfect place to provide a go-to who's who! And since we have twice the cast that we did in Part One, I gotta get started early!!! So here's the first of many, many cast/crew members as we lead into opening on May 6th, where the awesomeness lurks.

First up, we have one of our very familiar faces from Part One: subUrbia. You might remember this lady from her stint drinking Jack Daniels on the roof of a 7-11... Ladies and gents, put your hands together and cheer with your faces for the one, the only, the Meghan Reardon -- soon to be rocking Radio Silence as The Bridesmaid in The Eiffel Tower Wedding Party!

"Meghan Reardon is proud to be a part of the second installment of The Nine, having played Bee-Bee in SubUrbia during the first production of this cycle last winter. She is a company member at Red Tape Theatre, where she has been seen as Tory in Church/Pullman, WA, Salvia in Obscura and Philomele in The Love of the Nightingale. Elsewhere, she has performed with Signal Ensemble, The Building Stage, Redmoon Theatre, The (a)Symmetry Cycle and more. Currently, she is workshopping the new play Aunt Susan by Seth Bockley at The Goodman Theatre. Meghan is a 2008 graduate of Knox College, home of the Prairie Fire. Special thanks to Bries for allowing her to come out and play with this talented group of rogues and rascals!"

Rehearsals - In Progress

2010-01-30T13:38:00.000-08:00

Hey kids...

Tim here. Also Austin. Also photographer. Here's a brief sampling of what we've been up to, y'all.

Bootleg!

2010-01-24T23:11:00.000-08:00

First, an announcement: there are officially less than 300 seats remaining for Part One: Eric Bogosian's subUrbia. And, based on my very unscientific research, there are another 100 or so who have replied 'yes' to the Facebook invite who also have yet to reserve. You probably want to beat them to the punch, especially if you're looking to come on opening or industry night, which are each over 1/4 sold, or (somewhat randomly) February 27th, which is already half sold.

Bottom line? It's time to e-mail theninechicago@gmail.com and get you some tickets!

So, we're hot and heavy into rehearsals for Part One: subUrbia, and one of the big the biggest discoveries is how to deal with the reverse round staging we are using for the show. It wasn't until halfway through the first blocking rehearsal that I even stopped to consider that this idea might not have worked -- I've never used it anywhere before and honestly had no good reason to be so certain it was going to pan out. Luckily enough, it did, and we don't have anything to worry about in terms of our entire conceit falling through.

One of the things we've learned about putting up a reverse round show, however, is that staging comes first, character second (speaking solely from a directorial scheduling standpoint). That isn't to say that any less focus is being placed on the characters. What it is saying is that before we can allow time for the cast to settle into the skin of these characters, we have to shake them out of proscenium style movement and into this 360-degree world. It also means that my cast is packed full of tremendously wonderful actors for being game to be moved about like pinballs as we work out ways to ensure that all sides of the audience are played to as often as possible.

We finished the initial blocking for the entire show on Saturday. This week we get to start truly finessing the ground plans we've worked so to hard create. And I couldn't be more ready. There was a moment last week during which we inserted a two-person scene that we had already blocked into a larger group scene that it is a part of. Possibly more exciting than learning that the reverse round staging is going to work, what we discovered is that the scene, which was solid when we initially staged it, instantly grew emotional legs the second time around. Confident in the basic structure of the scene, they were newly able to explore the character intricacies of the scene without having to worry about which side of the audience may or may not be out of the line of sight.

And sometimes... well, sometimes it just clicks right away. The following video is from the initial blocking rehearsal for this scene. Granted, it was at the end of the night after we had worked it a while, but still -- first night this was on its feet. This is why I love my cast. What follows is rehearsal footage combined with in-show footage. An impromptu parking lot concert by Pony (Sam Quinn) is caught on tape by Buff (Greg Wenz). When you come see the show, keep this footage in mind -- this is what it looks like through the camera Buff is hauling around. Also appearing in the scene: Sooze (Emily Shain), Jeff (Alex Hugh Brown), Bee-Bee (Meghan Reardon), and Erica (Katie Genualdi). Enjoy! Enjoy and then reserve your seat!

Bries.

I've got two steps for you.

2010-01-20T22:44:00.001-08:00

Step 1: Take a listen to this cut from the pre-show mix for Part One: Eric Bogosian's subUrbia:

Makes you wanna get up and dance? Shake yo' groove thing? Be pretty much amazing? Awesome. Hold onto that feeling. You'll want it for the show. Especially that dancing part. And that pretty much amazing part. Okay, now that you're in the right state of mind, the second step.

-------------------------------------------------

Step 2: If you haven't done so already, e-mail theninechicago@gmail.com and make your subUrbia reservations now. For real. We've set up a Facebook invite for this guy and the Yes count is already over 120 -- that's not even counting any Maybes. You might remember that magic 360 number? Yup, we've got a yes count over a third of our entire run capacity, and we're still a month out from our Feb. 19th opening! (Speaking of which, Opening Night and our Monday, March 1st Industry Night are going twice as fast, so get in that line, like, yesterday.)

We'll be back this weekend with a full report on all of the awesome happening in rehearsal, and there is much awesome, but I thought you might want the heads up while there's still a few tickets for you left to grab.

You can thank me later. At the show. When I see you there.

Bries.

Here we go!

2010-01-11T10:22:00.000-08:00

Alright, the holidays are now long over, it's for real time to get back to business -- business being Part One: Eric Bogosian's subUrbia, of course. What did you miss in the past couple of weeks? Quite a bit, actually!

First, personnel: We've added one new cast member and done a little shuffling with two others. I'd like to first introduce you our new Erica: Miss Katie Genualdi! We couldn't be happier to have Katie on board with us and ready to roll. Also in the way of cast changes: Aimee Bello, initially our Pakeesa for the second half of the run, will now be taking the role for the entire run, while Amrita Dhaliwal, who had been listed as our first half Pakeesa, is sliding over behind the scenes as our Language/Dialect Coach. Little bit of last minute settling before we begin...

And begin we shall, in full force! I've been meeting with the cast individually over the past couple of weeks to discuss the changes in the script. (By the way, have I mentioned that there's a new script? Bogosian's revisions from the from the 2006 Broadway production were published on December 1st. How convenient is that?) And tonight begins rehearsals proper!

So expect blog content to pick back up and expect it to change quite drastically. Where I was giving you lots of talking and philosophizing before, be keeping an eye open for the nitty and the gritty. Maybe some rehearsal photos from our very own Austin D. Oie! Maybe a couple of guest blogs from cast 'n crew! I even hear rumblings of a video! Lots of exciting stuff, and a lot more in the trenches just for you.

Also, now that rehearsals are starting, the reservation lines have been opened completely. I'm working on getting a ticket counter set up so you can have a real-time look at how few seats are still available, but for the time being let me tell you that it's less than 350. Repetition: there are less than 350 seats available for the entire run of subUrbia. Looking to plant your fanny in one of them? E-mail theninechicago@gmail.com or call 312-772-4014. And do so soon, 'cause that counter keeps ticking down!

Bries.

What Is The Nine? Pt. 3 -- It's Experimental!

2009-12-21T19:13:00.000-08:00

I promised to tell you what exactly that green cross is all about last time, but that would be putting the cart ahead of the horse, so I'm gonna put the final leg of The Nine tripod up first.

There's a bugaboo around the big 'E' word. Call your work experimental and something remarkable happens: the first images in everyone's mind are the exact sort of experimental work that they don't like. Like the glacial? "Experimental work" calls to mind the hyperactive and neon. A big fan of movement? Suddenly "experimental work" is purely textual and overly wordy. It's the natural human reaction to consider work that we enjoy the norm and, therefore, anything that fucks with what we enjoy is experimental, or at least falls within that umbrella that we call experimental. Problem is, there's no real substitute word that both gets the message across and avoids any of these built in connotations.

If I had to use any one word to switch out for experimental to describe the attitude and style of The Nine as a total product, it would be 'new'. I'm a huge proponent of new work, but an even bigger proponent of the idea that new work does not always equate to new words. Original work, world premieres, new and emerging playwrights, they've got their supporters -- that half of 'new work' has a pretty dedicated watchdog network. No, I'm a stickler for the other half: the idea that it is still possible to make new and exciting decisions that effectively transcend plays and other art that are otherwise engrained into us as an audience. I'm sure you will have made curious note by now that not only is Romeo & Juliet part of The Nine, but it also falls in at Part Seven, definitely on the more experimental end of the spectrum. It's one of my favorite parts to explain to others for that very reason. (Seriously, hit me up sometime, I dare you.)

Even more importantly than that, and still under that new work heading, I revel in the idea that it is possible to find thousands (thousands!) of works of theatre that have been forgotten and/or left by the wayside for whatever reason. Walk into the seventh floor of the Harold Washington library downtown and you can't throw a rock without hitting a play that hasn't been done in Chicago in a decade or more, if ever. Curious note you may not have made: as far as I have been able to gather, Part Six, Caesar Antichrist, will be a Chicago premiere. The play was written by Alfred Jarry of Ubu Roi and proto-surrealism fame... in 1896! It seems like a claim too bold to be true, and I certainly encourage anyone with information I might not have to correct me, but the idea that it is possible for a play to exist and be readily available and to still have not been performed in a major theatrical center more than a century after it has been written both horrifies and delights me. Delights because, in all of the pissing and moaning that happens about the warhorses being trotted out yearly (and believe me, I am pissing and moaning just as much as the next guy about Chicago's 2010/2011 Orgy a la Arthur Miller), the problem is not that old work is old hat. The problem is that we've forgotten how to dig for it.

I love to do exactly that sort of digging, and I'm more than happy to be the guy to resurface Adamov and Tardieu and Caesar Antichrist. And I'm more than happy to be the guy to roll out standards like subUrbia and Romeo & Juliet not because they are crowd pleasers but because they fit the reframing I have pulled for them like a glove without falling apart within. And I'm also more than happy to be the guy to bring in the new words with two world premiere full lengths and one world premiere one act. But what I'm most happy to do? The sort of thing I am not able to find other people doing in the contemporary theatre scene in Chicago. That is bottom guideline in my mind to not only experimentalism, but also to art in general: Is someone else already creating what you want to create? Then don't add to the clutter; find that someone else and work with them to do it better and with more reach. Is no one else creating what you want to create? Then it's more imperative than ever that you do.

The Nine, both as a sum and its parts, are that something that I don't see others creating. I'm taking that first step and hoping that the others that currently aren't will join me to make it better and to give it more reach.

Bries.

Because you don't exist until you're on a t-shirt.

2009-12-14T21:35:00.000-08:00

After that whole "The Nine is temporary" post, aren't you just jonesing for a chance to assert your permanence? Itching to find a way to prove that you were around for The Nine even after The Nine is a memory? Some sort of keepsake, like, I dunno, maybe a t-shirt or a mug? Well then, let me point you in this direction: www.cafepress.com/theninechicago!

Yeah, we're shilling ourselves. We've plastered our name and image on a bunch of shit and are putting it out there for you to buy. We're shameless... what can I say? But here's the thing: we know we're shameless, so we're gonna make it up to you. We know that setting up a cafepress shop takes little creativity and even less effort and you, good friends, deserve better than that. (It's the same reason you'll never see a The Nine bar fundraiser. A house party, on the other hand, is worth preparing for -- I'm serious -- but that's a motherfucking house party, amiright?) So we're taking our cafepress shop and using it as a springboard to give you the better that you deserve. Allow me to illustrate:

A) First of all, this ain't just any logo that you're pasting on your cute lil' patoot. If I do say so myself, our green cross is a pretty sweet image. Simple, sturdy, and with just the right amount of brickhouse attitude, it stands up and announces itself without saying "Hey, I'm a theatre t-shirt!" Because, as much as we love what we do, we'd rather you look good than like a billboard. Then, when you're beating off all the guys and gals with a stick, you can casually slip our name and website into the pillow talk. It's like being part of a street team, except you also get laid as part of the deal. *Please note, this is all conjecture. But you're a good bunch, I've got faith.*

B) What I will guarantee you is the best customer service you could ask for on our part. You'll see we have a couple of variations on the image -- there's the cross with text, without, a couple of slight variations in size, and that fun smaller 'you are here' image. Those things can each be put on any of the items shown. Want a shirt with a different version of the cross than we're displaying or an image on back instead of front? We'll take care of that for you! Want a cafepress product that we don't have listed? We'll look into getting it up there! (Though, I'll warn you; much as I love the cross, there's a couple items/colors it just doesn't work with.) Have questions or comments? We'll listen to them! Just drop us a line at TheNineChicago@gmail.com. The world's your oyster.

C) We'll keep taking care of you even beyond that! Wear/bring your Nine swag to the show and get a free gift! A free gift that all of those suckers who don't have your sweet threads will have to pay for! Really, though, I'm serious. Granted, it'll be smallish, but anyone with their Nine merchandise at the show will get a free goodie bag that we would charge anyone else for. Apparently, I just like to give stuff away...

D) I'm a little serious about that keepsake stuff. As I mentioned last time, anyone who comes to see subUrbia is part of a very exclusive group. Anyone who comes to the entire nine show cycle will be part of an extremely exclusive group. And when it's done, it's done for good. Have something to remember us by. I've got my own little plans for a special souvenir for each show. If you're looking to be one of the magic 180, why not do the same? Get creative! We're just the enablers here.

E) And finally, yes, it will help us financially as well. 100% of the profit we make from all sales on cafepress will go towards the next show. In this case, that's Part Two: Radio Silence (an evening of radio-esque shorts: Words And Music by Samuel Beckett, Peculiar Way by Paul Rekk, and The Eiffel Tower Wedding Party by Jean Cocteau). Because again, if you want to help, we don't want you to pay for something already done, we want your support in making something new.

There, I unleash you unto the world of commerce, go and purchase freely! Next time, I'll even tell you what the cross is all about...

What Is The Nine? Pt. 2 -- It's Temporary!

2009-11-30T19:46:00.000-08:00

Let's start this post with a fun little tidbit: for the entire run of subUrbia, Part One of our shindig, only 360 people will be able to see the show. And this is assuming that everyone who sees the show only does so once. (For the record, I fully plan on staking out an honest to god seat for myself both opening and closing night, so we've already blown that little hypothetical all to hell.) The show has a forty seat max. capacity for a nine show run. And that's that. I don't know if an extension is in the realm of possibility or not and that really doesn't matter because that ain't happening. There will be no extensions. There will be no standing room. There will be no pulling in extra chairs (as a matter of fact, the space will have forty-four seats, but four of those will remain empty, for reasons to be divulged at a later date). And this is an important point to make for everyone now, with plenty of warning, because once one of these bad boys sells out, it's sold out. I don't care if Chris Jones or even Terry Teachout is on the waiting list. Or my mother. Or someone offering to bankroll the rest of the project if only, if only I'll pull in one extra chair for them. (So please take note of this Chris, Terry, mom, and artistic guardian angels -- make reservations now.) Granted, the show is free, and my experience is that free = plenty of no-shows, so the waiting list probably won't be the terrible purgatory I'm making it out to be here, but the point remains. 360 people. And done. Forever.

Granted, the 360 people won't be a constant in The Nine. Each part will only run for nine performances with a very strict seating capacity, but that capacity will change. Forty to sixty seats is probably a good estimation of the average, but for some of the shows (i.e. Caesar Antichrist), I'd love to get a much bigger crowd. On the flip side, a show like BlueGrass is going to be much more intimate -- probably around 20 seats, meaning a total run capacity of 180 people. 180 people! Most actors I know, myself included, have performed to more than that in one show, much less an entire run!

Why? I want to break out talk about community, but that's talk that's always felt false to me. Though maybe there's something to it here. I also want to talk theatre vs. film, a conversation which has also felt false. So let's try to combine them and make something make sense.

There's always plenty of talk about how theatre should stop trying so hard to be like film. About how film will always do what it can do better, so we should embrace what film can't accomplish. I don't always necessarily agree, but that's neither here nor there, because one of areas of that argument I agree with most is the temporality, the ethereality of theatre. The fact that when you are sitting at a play you can be absolutely certain that there aren't others watching this production at the same time in theaters around the nation is pretty damn cool. And on an even smaller level, the fact that you are within spitting distance of every last person that will see this specific performance with its specific intricacies is really damn cool. Theatre is a limited engagement affair, by necessity yes, but why not also by choice? Why not embrace this idea of the once in a lifetime chance with the desire for the 'real thing'? A combination of the reason next year's Pavement reunion show in Central Park sold out in two minutes with the reason people travel to the Louvre instead of trading postcards of the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo.

Actually, you know what? Let's do one better and point to an artist who has been doing this exact thing for decades: Christo. I've never seen a Christo installation; I was too young to know about most of them and wasn't able to make it to NYC until about two months after The Gates came down. I won't miss another; seeing the next one is in my top five life goals. I only hope both Christo and I are around long enough to make that happen. (Especially considering the recent loss of Jeanne-Claude. Rest in peace, dear lady.) There's something about having to travel far and wide at a very specific time to witness this marvel of human creativity and ingenuity because, dammit, this is the ONLY place and the ONLY time you will ever be able to witness it. And if you miss it, you will never be able to know what it felt like to bask in this creation. Maybe it's because I've always been a fan of the hard to find corners of the world, of the rare and limited experiences that we can only have if we choose to find them, but I love Christo's work, and I wish more theatre would try to find a way to embrace that aspect that is so naturally built into it.

It's also where the community aspect comes into play. It's a tricky word that community, because it's so rarely defined. We as humans want to speak to/with and feel a part of a community, but we also so often want our communities to be universal or at least as all-inclusive as possible. And yes, sometimes that's good. And sometimes, sometimes communities benefit from being small. From the fact that for the millions and billions of people who did not see The Gates, there are thousands who did. That for the millions and billions of people who do not see subUrbia, 360 can. And those 360 will have an experience that they can share that the other millions and billions can not (a community that I'm already brainstorming on further ways to promote through the run). And that, too, my friends, is something special. Something special that is an essential part of theatre and not of film, or of television, or of so many other forms. Frankly, I think we need to flaunt that from time to time.

And while I'm here, let's end this post with a different fun tidbit, this one about communities within communities: Let's just say that the max capacity for BlueGrass does end up being exactly 20 people, for a 180 person run capacity. While that won't be happening until Part Five, keep in mind that 360 people may be able to see subUrbia, but only 180 will be able to see The Nine as a whole project. Each show will be able to stand alone, so there's no worries there. But in the best of all possible worlds, only 180 people will take the full journey with us. You want to be one of them.

Keep that in mind when you make your reservations... early.

Bries.

And who exactly is in this thing?

2009-11-23T18:30:00.000-08:00

A whole buncha rockstars, that's who. As promised, the official cast list!

Tim: Austin Oie

Buff: Greg Wenz

Jeff: Alex Hugh Brown

Norman: Glenn Stanton

Pakeesa: Amrita Dhaliwal [Feb. 19th - Feb. 26th]

Bee-Bee: Meghan Reardon

Sooze: Emily Shain

Pony: Sam Quinn

Erica: Saren Nofs-Snyder

Two actors will be sharing duties in the role of Pakeesa -- details are still being finalized on who will be performing the role from Feb. 27th - Mar. 6th, but that will be announced as soon as it's confirmed.

You'll get to be well-acquainted with these folk in the coming weeks, but first I'm gonna let the sheer awesome in that list marinate your brain for a bit.

Simmer, simmer, simmer...

Bries.

The origin of the species. (Plus, a Nine of your own!)

2009-11-19T20:55:00.001-08:00

Here's a question -- where the hell did The Nine come from?

In addition to the other two cornerstones of the project (temporary and experimental, 'member?), I'm gonna be tossing out quick breakdowns of each part of The Nine, both the play and the conceptions we are approaching them with. (I'm also officially announcing the cast early next week, so stop back for that!) But first, how did this whole idea come about?

Back in 2007, I was one of the founders of a short-lived company called Per Diem. During an early company meeting, as we were getting into the nitty gritty of mission statements and what we wanted to do and why we wanted to do it, we decided to engage in a little exercise. The three of us agreed to each slate our ideal first three seasons. If we had complete artistic freedom and were to program three three-show seasons, what would they look like? We would go our separate ways and come back to the next meeting, three seasons in hand and ready for discussion.

I remember spending a happy hour at Monk's Pub the next week with my best friend and a few sheets of paper, scribbling and talking and drinking. I was tossing around names of obscure shows that I had fallen in love with and weren't being done anywhere, random concepts that may or may not have potential but that had me curious and weren't being done anywhere, and a certain degree of taking the piss, of the sorts of things that just aren't supposed to be done anywhere. You'll note that there was (is?) a running theme of things that I wasn't finding done anywhere else. We sat there going over this list for at least a couple of hours. When we emerged, I had what you might call the fetus of The Nine in my hands. I had separated the difficult concepts from the stupid ones, honed the obscure shows into a good cross-section of work, and come up with what was probably a good 75% of The Nine you see today.

Per Diem didn't last much longer; I had to pull the first show (which was Radio Silence, now Part Two of The Nine) and eventually drop out of the company, largely for personal issues on my end. The rest of the company transformed into Tip Your Waiter Productions and I held onto the scraps of paper with my three seasons. There was so much in that plan that I was excited about, so much that seemed like it needed to be done, so many ideas that I was not seeing offered in a city with soooo much theatre that I couldn't bear to toss it aside as a pipe dream. Another couple of happy hours as well as a number of late night conversations and this three season plot started to become more and more solidified and more and more a single project. I remember at one point talking about where this was all going and saying, "If I could put up these nine shows, I don't really know where I'd go next. This is a whole cycle right here." Somewhere along the line I started talking about actually putting all nine of these up myself and somewhere along the line that turned into an actual decision to do so.

After that decision I did some rearranging of shows to fit the greek cross motif that I had applied (yes, there's rhyme and reason behind that, but that's a whole 'nother blog post) and a couple of substitutions -- for example, Ping-Pong was at one point Peter Handke's Kaspar. But, for better or worse, The Nine was in place. And now that this snowball is a-rolling, who knows where it stops?

So now I'm curious -- if you had to make your own Nine, what would it be? What nine plays/concepts would you limit yourself to? No limits, no holds barred. What's your nine?

Bries.

What Is The Nine? Pt. 1 -- It's Free!

2009-11-15T21:46:00.000-08:00

How to kickstart a blog about the project that has the potential to take up a fair amount of the next decade of my life? What it's all about might be a good starting point.

The Nine is a whole lotta things and even more ideas all rolled into one epic tapestry, but when I really boil it down, there are three big components that anchor both the sum and the parts, the means and the end, the forest and the trees:

A) It's experimental.

B) It's temporary.

C) It's free.

The order of importance is negotiable, so let's start with the one that has the most people concerned for my mental well-being: that whole free thing.

Simple answer: The Nine is free. Period. It's as easy as that.

Detailed answer: No really, The Nine is free. There's no catch to this. There is no suggested donation, I'm not asking you to pay what you can or what you want. We are sharing this work with you, and sharing is free.

Why would I do such a thing? Well, first of all, theatre pricing is not doing us (collectively) any favors. I'm not talking about ridiculous Broadway prices or even the big Equity houses here in Chicago. I'm talking all the way down the line. Let's work off the assumption that the average storefront ticket price in Chicago is $20. You can find cheaper, but $20 seems to be about normal. Transfer that to any other art form, and it goes from normal to somewhere between overpriced and exorbitant. You might find exceptions in opera, visual arts (if we're talking collecting, but for this example, I'd argue that museum fees are a better guideline), and perhaps dance. Notice that in addition to that, these are largely the temporary arts -- that we are charging more with no promise of replay value. And we're the little guys! We're the ones that are supposed to be trying to get new butts in the seats! And we charge people $10-15 an hour to come out and watch what we're doing? Sure, it's accepted, but it's also silly.

In an age where film and music and television are dealing with technological advances and production and distribution costs lowering to the point of negligibility, we're going about our merry way. Even if the Internet hasn't had made a major dent in our assumptions about distribution yet, we should be learning from the dents it has been making in other spheres. Art is becoming more and more omnipresent and thus cheaper and cheaper. Theatre is a form that has the dis/advantage of not being as widely affected by the 21st century D.I.Y. tsunami, but in order to use that to our benefit, we need to market the exclusivity of that fact (this will play into the temporary aspect of The Nine as well), not overcharge for it and become collectibles and eventually relics. Free theatre needs to exist in the world of the $20 average every bit as much as the $100 Broadway ticket does. When your bargain basement price for theatre ($10, I'd say; it's hard to find cheaper than that outside a very small handful of companies) is still average to high for a movie or CD, we're doing it wrong. And Non-Eq companies charging more than $20 for a ticket, you're pissing industry theatregoers off. For God's sake, stop it. Or at least start getting more generous with your industry offers (if I were king, every night would be industry night everywhere). If none of the above matters to you at all, at least start taking care of your own, ya jerks.

So that' s a big part of it, but the real bottom line even beyond the market approach is that I've got some, let's say... unique ideas about art. Namely, I think it should all be free. Always. It's lofty, it's idealistic, it might be a bit pretentious, but to me, art in all of its forms seems beyond, more important than cash value. Of course, it takes money to create art, but to my mind, money given to an artist should not be an exchange for goods and services received, it should be an investment to ensure the continued supply of those goods and services. And that sort of investment shouldn't be made until you know that a continued supply of those goods and services is something you actually want. There's no sense in paying for art you don't enjoy.

Don't give me money for something I've already made. If you really want to pitch in; help me make more.

Bries.

We are go!

2009-11-13T13:42:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the massive web launch of The Nine!

We have a website (thanks, Mike!). We have a Facebook page. We have a Twitter feed. And we have this here blog. We will be working hard to avoid excessive content overlap and repetition between the four, so familiarize yourself with each one now. It's the best way to keep up on our process, inspiration, goals, questions, hurdles, breakthroughs, and all that other fun stuff from now until you are partying down with us on Feb. 19th.

Rock and roll. And how.

Bries.