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!

Company Member Update: Charles Riffenburg designs Hero the Musical

We like to think we keep our staff pretty busy over here at BoHo, but Media Director/Graphic Designer Charles Riffenburg is too great a commodity to keep to ourselves. For the past few months he has been diligently working with the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire on the new musical currently being produced, Hero, The Musical.

Charles was hired by the Marriott to not only design a show-specific website, but also to create a full comic book based on the story of the main character in the musical! Charles' comic book is available for sale in the lobby of the Marriott Theatre, and there has been quite a rush on them.

But the website and the comic book are not his only contributions to the brand new production. Charles has also been blogging weekly for Hero, The Musical. You can follow along with his blog and receive a behind-the-scenes look at how the show, the props, and the Hero comic book were made.

Hero, The Musical is playing through August 19 at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire - it's too good to pass up!

-- Charles Riffenburg, IV is BoHo Theatre's Media Director. In addition to his work on Hero, The Musical, he also owns his own Media Design company, Grab Bag Media. His clients include Remy Bumppo Theatre Company, Emerald City Theatre, the Chicago Fringe, and Backstage Theatre Company. 

From Artistic Director, Peter Marston Sullivan: A Note of Thanks

Peter Blair (left) and Peter Marston Sullivan (right)
during Tech Week for BoHo Theatre's
Floyd Collins

"I just want to make sure you understand what you're getting in to..."

I distinctly remember the moment when I received the phone call asking me to be the next Artistic Director of BoHo Theatre. I suppose it's not something you easily forget. After surviving the initial phases of elation and fear, I realized that I was tasked to unearth an Executive Director; a partner that would challenge, collaborate and create with me as BoHo ventured into a new era. The decision was immediate and obvious, but the task of convincing would, surely, be a daunting one. It is a role that requires an intense amount of passion, time, leadership, intelligence, and most importantly... patience.

I was taken aback by the willingness of Peter Blair to step into the Executive Director position after minimal convincing. Perhaps it was the company itself that drew him in. Or, perhaps it was an opportunity to do something truly remarkable as a team that we had considered many years ago when I was but an intern and he a stage manager. Even with my words of warning about the workload, the stress, the heartache and the often thankless work that lay ahead... he accepted the position, and at that moment I knew BoHo's future would be bright.

Two Peter's in an award winning picture

The two years that followed are now a blur, but in that time we created a multitude of stories and memories together. We've shared long days building sets and painting walls, and even longer nights debating shows, casts and budgets... From the first sound collage of GHOSTS, to the final silhouette of FLOYD COLLINS... the moments of anguish, sorrow, strife and stress are greatly overshadowed by those moments of joy, revelry, laughter and success. As the lights dimmed down on Floyd, I knew it was the end of this chapter, and I could not be more proud of what we've achieved.

Though we are an ensemble, there are those that pass among us that provide the kind of leadership and friendship that allows us to learn, to grow, and to become exemplary through their guidance. It has been an honor and a joy to work alongside Peter these past two seasons, and while I look forward to this new chapter for BoHo, I cannot help but to look back at the accomplishments and, most importantly, the friendship this past chapter has fostered. To an amazing leader, artist, and friend... thank you.

-- Peter Marston Sullivan - Artistic Director, BoHo Theatre


Click here to read the full press release.