BoHo Welcomes New Company Member: Meg Love

At the opening night party for The Rainmaker, Peter Sullivan asked me why I wasn't a company member yet. I remember quickly scanning my brain- Why wasn't I a company member yet? I've been hanging around BoHo so long, I already felt like I was one of the family. I just hadn't made it official.

I started my journey at BoHo with the remount of Songs for a New World at The Theatre Building (now the site of Stage 773) in 2008. When the show remounted at Theatre on the Lake, I was excited to be a part of it. After that, I jumped at the chance to work with BoHo any time I could. After stage managing Bernarda Alba, La Cage Aux Folles, The Glorious Ones, Hello Again, Dirty Blonde, Icarus, and Tartuffe, I accepted The Rainmaker. While I have been very proud of every single production I've been a part of, I have to say that Rainmaker took the cake. Every show has been a step up in some way. Each time, new goals have been set and BoHo continues to exceed them.

So in the midst of the celebration of the opening of the Rainmaker, it dawned on me that this is where I belong. Between the aforementioned artistic integrity and the fact that I adore the company members and others that BoHo surrounds itself with, I knew that I couldn't go wrong. I said yes and I was home.

It is almost needless to mention that the next show was Floyd Collins, which once again went above and beyond the bar that had been set. Gaining national acclaim from critics, I, once more, could not be prouder to be a part of this company and it only cemented my decision to officially hop on board!

Before joining the company, I was only able to work on so many shows per season due to the time demands of stage managing a show. Now, I get to do every show! I'm sure that you'll all see me around - house managing, papering the town or running around at special events, but fear not, you will still see me in the booth. I'll be stage managing The Spitfire Grill and Kiss of the Spider Woman this season and I can't wait to see where another year will take us!

Please join us in welcoming Meg Love to the BoHo Family!

The Rainmaker: Building a Family with Strangers

Relationships are one of the most important aspects of a play for me. A play is also about theme and plot and conflict, sure, but it is the people who inhabit the play; their individual personalities and beliefs in relation to one another that create the heart of the story.  One of the most challenging relationships to create on stage is that of a family unit; complete with a sense of life long history and personal interaction with all its quirky banter, ugly warts and love for one another.


After being cast in BoHo Theatre's the Rainmaker, my mind instantly jumped to these questions: who will play my father, my brother, my sister? Who are these people, these strangers; and will my personality and style fit in with theirs to make this family work? Thankfully both the playwright and the director did an amazing job, and most of the hard work; Mr. Nash, by writing four wonderfully unique yet intertwined characters, and Steve, by casting three wonderfully talented actors to comprise the rest of the family unit.


As I read through the script for the first time and in our initial rehearsals, one of the most challenging aspects of Noah was that, on the surface, he seemed very archetypal.  I discovered I had to try to avoid playing the obvious with Noah, not allowing him to become only grumpy and angry.  I had to find the love.  As he is written, he is very literal and opinionated in his interactions with others. So, how do I find the love in Noah and not betray the way he is written?  My hope, as you watch this play, is that you will be able to see the wonderfully deep relationships that have been forged between these characters - this family, and the incredible love they bare for one another in times of need.  And that in Noah you see a concerned son and brother who, despite his rough nature, truly does love and care for his family.


-- Daniel Gilbert, who plays Noah, is originally from Oklahoma. He moved to Chicago from Nebraska, where he attended grad school at UNL, in the fall of 2010 with his lovely wife Sara and their disingenuous cat Electra. 

The Rainmaker: Bill Starbuck, A Peddler of Dreams

Bill Starbuck is a liar and a con man.

…Right?

For me, the biggest challenge with this show has been trying to understand this Rainmaker, this peddler of dreams. He arrives in a whirlwind of fast-talk and misdirection, telling people what they want and need to hear. He offers hope to the hopeless… for a nominal fee. How can anything be trusted that comes out of the mouth of such a man? How do you trust a man who tells you he can do the impossible? A man who believes he can do the impossible?

Everything we know about Starbuck comes from Starbuck himself. The man and the myth are so intertwined can they really be separated from each other? How would you even try? Most of this process for me has centered on trying to discern the lies from the truth, and the why behind each; because to a man who deals in dreams, there is nothing more dangerous than the raw, unadorned truth.

At the end of the day, it’s simply a matter of figuring out how the card trick works. Because no one can make rain.

…Right?

 -- Matthew Keffer will be playing the role of Starbuck in BoHo Theatre's production of the Rainmaker. 

The Rainmaker, Designing a Drought With Theresa Ham

When I first heard that BoHo would be producing Richard Nash's The Rainmaker, I knew I wanted to design it. I had been in love with this story of discovery, chance and hope for years.

At the first production meeting the director, Steve Genovese, made the statement that the world of this play is "desolate, not desperate." The idea that, even in these difficult times, this family still has $100 to give to Starbuck says they may be down, but they are certainly not out. The challenge then became how to represent their extreme situation, while maintaining a stronghold on hope. These characters are experiencing both a literal drought and a symbolic drought, so we decided to use the symbolism of rain in a drought to inspire the design.

We decided that the costumes needed to have color and texture that helped the audience feel the dryness and hopelessness of the drought. The outer garments all have rough textures, such as leather and denim, and bland colors that would match the dry earth. Yet, if you were to dig beneath the surface, you will see cool tones of water beneath. This helps us see the hope that lies at the core of all of these characters.

When Starbuck appears, he looks and feels different than the other characters. The color and texture of his clothing is light  to  symbolize the hope that he brings to this family. Lizzie also goes through a significant color change, she sheds her dry outer shell and dons a dress that is lighter and brighter showing how the hope of change lightens her life.

I am so fortunate to be working with such a talented team, both production and cast. I hope that as the audience watches the play unfold, these subtle costume touches allow them to get more deeply connected to these characters. I hope that as people walk away, they are inspired to take a chance on hope even if it means taking a great risk.

-- Theresa Ham is a Chicago based costume designer and adjunct faculty member at Wilbur Wright College. She has been working with BoHo since 2005. In 2010, she won the Joseph Jefferson Award for Outstanding Costume Design for The Glorious Ones. She lives in Beverly with her husband Patrick and their son Cole.

The Rainmaker: Anna Hammonds Explains Why Everyone Needs a Rainmaker

Every person needs a Rainmaker. Whether it be a friend who encourages, an advocate who gives confidence, or a significant other who unconditionally loves beyond faults, we are all in search of someone who will make us believe we are worthy of having simple, wonderful things.  Such is the case with Lizzie Curry, a girl past the prime of courtship, on the brink of losing hope that her dreams will come true.  I have had a wonderful time rehearsing this role, and I have found that at the heart of who Lizzie is, lies every woman’s story.

From my perspective, this piece is a sort of homage to a time when women were given worth solely by their roles as a homemaker and a wife.  Lizzie has a wonderful honesty that sets her apart from other women of her day, but at the heart of who she is, she secretly longs for someone to know her and consider her beautiful apart from her two brothers and loving father.

Now, in the year 2012, I am a woman who is enjoying the independence and luxury of choice that so many women have gone before me fought hard to gain.  A woman’s worth is no longer found in only her husband or how she stitches a dress.  However, over the course of history, nothing has changed the fact that women are still in search of someone to believe in them, outside of those who are seemingly obligated to want good things for us.  We want to be considered beautiful by an outside source. But more importantly, in Lizzie’s case, we need a rainmaker to help us believe it within ourselves that we are, in fact, beautiful.
I am overwhelmed to share Lizzie’s story in this simple, timeless story!

Hope to see you there!

-- Anna Hammonds is thrilled to portray her real-life family dynamic as she is the sister to two brothers and daughter to a loving father.  Her amazing mother taught her how to clean a house, but also encouraged her toward her dreams.  She dedicates this show to her family, and to the Rainmakers in her life who help her believe.

The Rainmaker: The Three Perspectives of H.C.

I enter the rehearsal process for The Rainmaker bringing at least three perspectives to my role as H.C., Lizzy Curry's, father. One brings to bear my two previous experiences with this play, both as Starbuck. The second relates to my personal experience on a quarter-horse ranch. And the third perspective is my 24 years as a father. I’m anxious to see how they will help me.

The first thing that hits me as we read through the script for the first time is my love for this play – the story of hope, dreams, love requited, family. I also realize that every time the director talks about Starbuck, I slowly start to shift mentally from the purveyor of dreams (Starbuck) to a safe harbor for dreams (H.C.).

The first couple of weeks are spent in blocking – learning where and when to move. It’s a small set – an implied ranch house and a tack room. We learn that we’ll be playing to an audience of sixty in a three-quarter thrust and that means it will be a very intimate night of theatre. I love this kind of acting – where every eyebrow twitch means something. It reminds me of my days on the quarter horse ranch – the small house where I shared a room for a year, the heat and hay-scented air, mucking stalls and walking horses. It feels at once familiar and comfortable.

I’m working with three terrific actors playing my two sons and a daughter. In real life – I have the same!  I can feel that my role of father in this new family will mean balancing the needs of each child as they work through their dreams and obstacles. Not so different than my real life. And with the chemistry we’re building nightly, our family is steadily growing.

Tickets are on sale now - please join us for this magical production BoHo Theatre's the Rainmaker.


 -- Robert Frankel, will be playing the role of H.C. in BoHo Theatre's production of the Rainmaker. Originally from Chicago, Rob is returning from Minnesota where he’s acted and written plays for the past 25 years.
www.robertalanfrankel.com

The Rainmaker: A Director's Dream

When choosing a show to direct, so many things play into the decision to do so. There are the logistical elements (i.e. does this fit into my life, time-wise? Will it be difficult to commit?), but more important are the artistic ones: Does the story interest me? Are there actors who can handle the roles? What do I do with the piece to make it my own, while honoring the integrity of the work? 


Every once in a while, a show comes along that answers those questions quickly and easily. For me, The Rainmaker is one of those shows. Not only is it a rich and beautifully written piece, but I have been fortunate enough to have a cast that embodies the characters fully and with gusto.

A director’s dream.

From the minute the show was cast, I had the idea that these actors needed to have a stage space that was intimate enough to allow their nuanced-yet-dramatic performances to shine. By seating the audience on the stage itself (instead of using the house seating that is in the space), we are bringing the actors and the text up-close and personal. This is the kind of theatre that many actors relish, and directors like me long for. A director’s dream.


Working with a group of designers that I not only respect, but am challenged by allows all of us to bring a heightened sense of drama to The Rainmaker. With bold colors in lighting, and sound design that is as environmental as the dry, parched setting of a dustbowl-era farm, this story is being told with grit and honesty that is indicative of those tough times. It also has a wonderful sense of humor to it. It is an honor (and a bit of a stroke of luck) to have such a piece, and group to work with.

Truly, a director’s dream.

 

-- Stephen Genovese is a founding member of the Bohemian Theatre Ensemble as well as the Director of the Rainmaker, coming soon to Theater Wit .


Tickets now on sale - we look forward to seeing you soon.