Spitfire Grill: Nancy Kolton, On Healing Old Wounds

“You think if a wound goes real deep, that the healing can feel just as bad as what caused it?” -- Percy

Through the course of ones life we all must go through a healing process at some point. From early childhood when we get a boo-boo, which often can magically be healed with a well placed kiss from a loved one. As we grow and learn we sometimes suffer broken bones, broken hearts, even broken spirits, which can’t always be healed with a well placed kiss.
I work for a clinical psychologist, so this theme really struck a chord in me. Day in and day out, I watch wounded souls begin their journey to well being in mind and body through healing and redemption. Some are so injured that they cannot bear to even acknowledge the wound. To do so is far too painful, so they must deny its existence, guarding it from discovery, and wearying of its care.

The healing requires that we let go of our denial and reopen the wound. Which, as Percy says, “can feel just as bad as what caused it.” The brave souls willing to take that journey are not unlike those we encounter in this show. The sorrows and wounds of their lives are deeply felt. Their hearts cry out for the chance to begin again and find healing for their souls.
There is an old hymn that states: “There is a balm in Gilead, to heal the sin-sick soul. There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole.” All the characters in this show experience that healing balm through the love and care of, sometimes the most unlikely of people, who eventually are willing to open their hearts to others in need of a new chance to begin again.

May all your wounds find the magic of a well placed kiss from a loved one!

-- Nancy Kolton is a Chicago based actor who is proud to say, unlike her character, that she has never waited tables in her life! Come join us at the Grill!

Spitfire Grill: Laura Savage, Inside the Process of the Actor & the Yogi

 “Did I mention that I spent the last five years in Prison? And I only got locked up solitary three times. Imagine that.” -- Percy

People are often curious to know how actors relate to the characters we portray. For me, it’s all about observation: what does it take to imagine a prison sentence? When I received the role of Percy, I was unsure of where to begin. How could I possibly comprehend everything that this woman has gone through? I will admit that I watched a few episodes of “Beyond Scared Straight” which features inmates giving at risk teens an up close and personal prison experience. This was a great start for me- to see the isolation that Percy endured. But incarceration is not the worst of Percy’s harsh past. How was I to delve into her darkest secrets, and more importantly, how was I to bring her experiences to life? The path for me, believe it or not, is through yoga.

“I will positively receive what the universe brings to me.”

This has been my mantra for the past five years. Living day to day with this thought has had an enormous impact on my creative process. It has made me what I call a “hyper-observer”. Yoga allows me to release daily stressors and see the world more openly. The batman tattoo on your husband’s arm, is it on the right side or the left? Your co-worker with that boisterous laugh, does the inflection rise or fall? These are the observations that help actors to create fully realized characters. Whether we know it or not, we are all learning from each other all the time. So next time you order that cup of coffee, take a glance at your waitress. She may just be your next inspiration.

-- Laura Savage is a Chicago based actor and yoga instructor. She is grateful to everyone who inspires her daily and cannot wait to share Percy’s journey with you. The Spitfire Grill runs September 14- October 14 at Boho Theatre’s Heartland Studio.

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.

BoHo Theatre Welcomes New Executive Director - Kaela Altman

Coming off of their successful 2011/2012 season at Theater Wit, BoHo Theatre today announced its new Executive Director, Kaela Altman, who will be taking over the position from Peter Blair. Blair served as the company's Executive Director for two seasons following the tenure of founding Executive Director Tom Samorian in 2010. Blair will remain an active company member with BoHo.

Under his leadership, Blair helped steer the company through a dramatic period of growth and recognition. Having performed primarily in its intimate 30-seat home at the Heartland Studio in the Glenwood Arts District in Rogers Park for its first six seasons, BoHo Theatre became one of the inaugural resident companies at Theater Wit in Lakeview following its renovation in 2010. At Wit, Blair produced such hits as Big River, Pippin, The Rainmaker, and the recently acclaimed Floyd Collins, as well as the remounting of Big River at last summer's Theater on the Lake.

Floyd Collins, which closed its successful run on July 15th, was for Blair a high point and defining moment in his time as Executive Director. He and BoHo Artistic Director Peter Marston Sullivan had been enthusiastic fans of the show for years, prior to their involvement with the company, and BoHo's production and the overwhelming response to it was the perfect ending to his time as Executive Director. Floyd Collins garnered both regional and national acclaim, with the Wall Street Journal labeling it "a major event" and "a masterpiece," the Chicago Sun-Times declaring it "utterly enthralling," and WBEZ's Eight Forty-Eight proclaiming "BoHo's production is absolutely perfect."

Reflecting on his time with BoHo and the impact he has made, Blair remarks, "Even more than the shows, my relationships with the company members mean the most to me. Peter Marston Sullivan is a great leader and a great friend... I believe in the company and I want to stay affiliated with BoHo"

Remarking on their artistic partnership, Sullivan believes that BoHo "has proven itself capable of producing incredibly challenging shows in all categories, and we have continued to build our reputation as a successful company. Our 'success' is in both the process and the product. Yet the family we've fostered at BoHo is what is most successful to me."

Blair is stepping away from the Executive Director position to spend more time with his family and allow for a new voice in the company's leadership. "I think that as an ensemble," Blair says, "the responsibilities (and rewards!) of the company should be passed around. My successor, Kaela Altman, is extremely smart and capable and I can't wait to sit back and enjoy her productions. "

Kaela Altman

Incoming Executive Director Kaela Altman's professional background is rooted in non-profit administration and she is currently completing a Master's Degree in Arts Management. She joined BoHo's board in 2010 after experiencing BoHo's production of Big River at Theater Wit. "Chicago's theater scene was one of the reasons I moved here and I had always enjoyed BoHo's work," Altman says. "Volunteering for the BoHo Board was the best way to mingle my passion for the performing arts with my professional skills in non-profit management." In her time on the board, she has been a pivotal member of the company's marketing team and helped lead BoHo's successful fundraising campaign "Make It Rain" during this season's production of The Rainmaker.

Her first goal in her new position will be to focus BoHo's strategic plan for the future and strengthen its ties to its community, including partnering with local schools to introduce more students to the power of the performing arts. "I think BoHo is an important pillar in the Chicago Theater Community and I'm excited to broaden our reach and champion our contribution in the coming years," she says.

Artistic Director Sullivan is also excited to begin the next chapter in BoHo's story. "Kaela's vast knowledge in arts management and marketing will be invaluable to the company," he says. "Her drive, passion, and leadership boosted her quickly to the top, where she can implement a multitude of strategies to make BoHo even more successful."

"We've also been a company largely run by men in leadership positions," he continues. "This is an opportunity to have a female voice guiding how BoHo evolves in the coming years."

Altman's first production as Executive Director and lead producer will be The Spitfire Grill by James Valcq and Fred Alley, which will open BoHo's 2012/2013 Season on September 16th and represent the Bohemian Pillar of Freedom. The Spitfire Grill will be produced at BoHo's old home at the Heartland Studio in Rogers Park. "One of our strengths is the intimate quality of our productions, and returning to the Heartland Studio is the best way to serve the art in this production," explains Sullivan.



Read more: http://chicago.broadwayworld.com/article/-BoHo-Welcomes-New-Executive-Director-20120731#ixzz22EZFMRbD

Rebecca Mauldin: The Benefits of Improv

Here at BoHo Theatre, we love it when our company members are out and active in the local theatre community. What better way than to take classes? 

From the desk of Casting Associate, Rebecca Mauldin: The Benefits of Improvisation 

I've been taking improv at the Second City since the Fall of last year, and I have to say it is one of the most exciting acting adventures I've embarked on of late.

I'm always of the mind that as artists, we should do something that challenges us. And improv has always been that for me. In a play, we have lines to memorize and blocking and structure. In improv, nothing is set. Is it scary? YES! Is it absolutely thrilling? YES! I am in love.

Acting teachers have enocuraged me to take improv classes in the past, to which I have always responded, "Why would I do that? Oh, God!". However, I have completely changed my mind. It has made me a more flexible, creative actor. I am able to listen better and live in the moment more fully.

Also, if you take improv, your agent will love you. True story.

Anyway, this is my long-winded way of saying that improvisation will strengthen your acting abilities and is also super fun! And who knows, you may find you want to explore this art even more. I'm hooked.

-- Rebecca Mauldin is a Casting Associate at BoHo Theatre. Keep your eyes pealed for her as she continue to explore her talents throughout Chicagoland.

Announcing the 2012-2013 Season!

 On Tuesday, March 13, the Bohemian Theatre Ensemble gathered at COOPER'S CHICAGO to celebrate the announcement of the 2012-2013 Season. With the announcement now official, and the pizza put away, we wanted to share our announcement with our online community. Keep your eyes on BoHo Theatre's website as more information about the coming season will be posted soon!

BoHo Theatre strives to examine how love, truth, beauty and freedom thrive in our everyday lives. Focusing on the larger events to the everyday regularities, our stories focus on these four pillars.

They are seemingly simple, yet so wonderfully complex. 

And now...The 2012-2013 Season (listed in order of production):

Ordinary Days - LOVE

Music and Lyrics by Adam Gwon

Ordinary Days is a perfect example of searching for something so simple in a world so complex.

 

The story is about 4 people struggling to connect; searching for fulfillment, happiness, beauty, love, friendship and simplicity in an overly complex, confusing and often impersonal world.  The production centers on two couples – one dealing with their past in order to find love in the present, the other an unlikely pair of companions lost in the complexity of the everyday searching for a simple story they can share.  All come to find that the pieces of our lives, as jumbled as they may seem, do fit together (even if it doesn’t feel that way sometimes). 

 

Funny, charming, witty, with a huge heart…  and a lot of LOVE…

Pygmalion – Beauty

By George Bernard Shaw

The production will be directed by Stage Left Artistic Director Vance Smith, and BoHo Theatre's Peter Robel acting as Associate Director.

This co-production with Stage Left will explore the bohemian themes of identity and perception of BEAUTY. As Eliza suggests, the difference between a lady and a flower girl lies not in how she looks or speaks, but rather in how she is treated. Shaw asks us to examine how each of us perceives BEAUTY in our lives -- not simply in the conventional, but also in the ordinary and mundane. This openness to discovery and appreciation allows beauty to flourish, where it otherwise might never have been revealed.

This is an extremely exciting opportunity to join with venerable Chicago theatre company Stage Left theatre to mount this as a co-production. This will allow both companies to pool our talents and resources to tell this story in our unique way on the 100th anniversary of the first production in Vienna.

 

Hauptmann - TRUTH

John Logan

March 1, 1932: a 20 month old toddler was abducted from his home in New Jersey.  Two months later his body was discovered a short distance from his home. Cause of death? A massive skull fracture. 

 

After an investigation that lasted two years, a suspect was arrested and charged, and the “Trial of the Century” was held in 1935. That trial found Bruno Richard Hauptmann guilty of the murder in the first degree of Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr and was executed in 1936.  Hauptmann proclaimed his innocence till the end. 

 

Whether or not Hauptmann was guilty of the so-called crime of the century, one verdict is clear from the play: his trial was a disservice to the judicial system.

 

BoHo Theatre's production doesn't seek to answer the question of innocence or guilt, but looks at the trial of the century in a personal and theatrical way.  As Hauptmann retlls his story, the guards turn into characters, allowing the audience to relive the critical moments. Hauptmann is a dark investigation of TRUTH.

Kiss of the Spiderwoman - FREEDOM

Music and Lyrics by Kander and Ebb

Book by Terrence McNally

 

Winning the 1993 Tony Award for Best Musical, our final show explores the question: What happens when a gay window dresser and a straight Marxist guerrilla are thrown together in jail?

 

The lead character, Molina, lives in a fantasy world in order to flee the reality of torture, fear and humiliation, and Valentin is happy to introduce this fantasy world to his new cellmate, a revolutionary that’s a key to eliminating a political terrorist threat to the state.  The only part of his fantasy world that scares him is the presence of the spider woman, who kills with a kiss. 

 

Playing with the contrast between the gritty reality of police-state torture and the beautiful fantasy world Molina creates, Kiss of the Spiderwoman is all about FREEDOM. 

 

From the obvious desire to be free from prison, to the more complex ideas of freedom from a reality that’s immersed in political and social strife, and freedom of personal identity, Kiss is theatrical, comedic, charming, and brutal.  It is, as the NY Times says, “the story of an uncloseted, unhomogenized, unexceptional gay man who arrives at his own heroic definition of masculinity.” 

 

Thank you to everyone who came out to support BoHo Theatre! We look forward to welcoming you next season.