The Power of Giving

From the Desk of the Executive Director, Kaela Altman

As 2014 starts to wind down to a close I find myself feeling nostalgic and grateful. When BoHo closed Parade on November 16, our Company members gathered together to toast the season, and celebrate what an incredible 10th year we have had.

• We produced four shows over the course of 16 months.
• We received another record year of Jeff Nominations, which reminded us of our power to create incredibly thoughtful theater.
• We saw over 1,000 people at general auditions throughout the year.
• And we shared our artistry with well over 3600 patrons who came out to support Live Theatre in Chicago.

Last night, in Times Square, a "Bono-less U2" presented a surprise concert in honor of World AIDS Day. After an introduction from former President Bill Clinton, the stage was glittered with A-listers from Bruce Springsteen, Carrie Underwood, Kanye West, and many, many more in honor of those who have lost their battle with AIDS, and in celebration of those who have survived. President Clinton said that in 2013, more people received treatment than were diagnosed, an incredible feat given the state of this crisis some twenty years ago.

And that got me thinking about the Power of Giving. Whether it's $5 or $5,000, every single contribution makes an impact. Contributing doesn't just build a bottom line, or close a revenue gap.

Giving, in it's purest sense, unites a Community of people in support of a common cause.

Giving and Theater are similar in that regard and is representational of a Community of People, a Community of Artists, coming together to share their gifts, their hearts, and their passions which can collectively effect change.

BoHo is incredibly lucky to share this space with our fellow artists and we are incredibly grateful to everyone who gives to storefront. On this #GivingTuesday, I ask that you share your support for your cause today. Whether it is BoHo, your local food pantry or animal shelter, or perhaps another cause near and dear to your heart, celebrate the Power of Giving today and remember the spirit of the season.

To those who have been a part of BoHo's 10 years, Thank You.

From the Desk of the Executive Director: February, 2014

Welcome to February:
On Saturday, February 15, BoHo Theatre proudly opened the second show of our Landmark 10th Season: AMADEUS, directed by our Artistic Director, Peter Marston Sullivan. The show opened to a sold out house and so far it’s been very well received. The cast, production team, company, and board then met up at Cooper's, located across the street from Stage 773 for an after-party to celebrate this phenomenal opening event. 

Producing at Stage 773 has been a wonderful experience thus far. Their welcoming lobby and concession stand has been an outstanding place for our guests to meet, mingle, and share their BoHo experience before, during, and after the show.

Have you seen AMADEUS? Consider sharing your thoughts with us in the comments section below. We’d love to hear your feedback about the performance.

AMADEUS runs through March 16 at Stage 773. Get your tickets today!





Welcome New Company Member: Molly Layton.

Molly came on board as a pilot company member and immediately jumped into her new position as BoHo's newest Casting Coordinator. She, alongside our Casting Associate Stephanie Sullivan, supervised the casting process for both AMADEUS and our upcoming production of MYTHS AND HYMNS. Later this year, Molly will join our production team for MYTHS AND HYMNS as a Production Assistant and will support our efforts to bring this extraordinary musical from inception to performance. 

Please join me in welcoming Molly to our family!

BoHo Is Now Hiring

BoHo is currently accepting directing proposals for our final production of the 10th season: PARADE. Please visit our ad on OffStageJobs.com for more information. Be sure to submit soon! The deadline is fast approaching.

Additionally, BoHo is currently seeking a Scenic Designer/Technical Director for MYTHS & HYMNS. Interested persons should contact us directly. Please include a copy of your resume and a link to your online portfolio (if applicable). We will follow up with an interview in the coming weeks.

Stay tuned for more updates!

BoHo Announces Its 10th Season!

BoHo Theatre is excited to announce its milestone 10th season line-up for 2013/2014. For this landmark anniversary, BoHo renews its artistic focus towards the Bohemian Pillars— Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and Love— and how they are experienced through the lens of human relationships. The season will explore Freedom with Ira Levin’s Veronica’s Room, Truth with Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus, Beauty with Adam Guettel’s Myths and Hymns, and Love with Alfred Uhry and Jason Robert Brown’s Parade.

A MILESTONE YEAR

Tom Samorian and Stephen Genovese at the opening of Yerma in 2006.


Peter Robel helps renovate the Heartland Studio in 2006.

Bohemian Theatre Ensemble was first conceived in 2003 by a group of friends— including founding Artistic Director Stephen M. Genovese, founding Executive Director Thomas Samorian, and Associate Artistic Director Peter Robel— who were looking to fill what they perceived to be a void in the Chicago theatre scene: multi-disciplinary, artistically rich non-Equity theatre. The mission for the company was to bring together diverse forms of art, including music, dance, and poetic language, in a nurturing theatrical environment that put the artists’ process front and center. Fittingly, the company’s first production was Yasmina Reza’s Art, which ran March 18 through April 17th, 2005, at the Bailiwick Studio, followed by the Chicago premiere of Andrew Lippa’s musical The Wild Party and William Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale.

As the company grew, it found a home at the Heartland Studio in Rogers Park. Balancing the intimacy of the small space with runs of larger productions at the Theater Building (now Stage 773), Bohemian Theatre Ensemble rose to acclaim with such shows as Side Show (which received six Joseph Jefferson Awards), Jekyll & Hyde, Songs For a New World, and The Glorious Ones. In 2009, the company, now known primarily by its nickname BoHo Theatre, became an inaugural resident theatre company at the Theater Wit space under the leadership of new Artistic Director Peter Marston Sullivan and new Executive Director Peter Blair. BoHo went on to receive national attention the following year with its revival of Floyd Collins, which the Wall Street Journal called “a masterpiece... BoHo Theatre’s revival brings [Floyd Collins] to impassioned life for the first time in far too long.” Last year, with new Executive Director Kaela Altman producing, BoHo found continued success with a popular co-production of Pygmalion with Stage Left Theatre, universal praise for its staging of John Logan’s Hauptmann, and 14 Jeff nominations—more than any other non-Equity company in the city for the 2012-2013 season.

THE SEASON REVEALED

Looking to the future, the company has reaffirmed its dedication to creating a nurturing and supportive artistic environment for directors, designers, and performers to create their best work. By using bold and innovative theatre to examine Truth, Beauty, Freedom and Love, BoHo seeks to create a shared community of artists and patrons in which all members are moved through art to make thoughtful, well-examined, caring relationships the highest priority in their lives.

To this end, BoHo’s 2013/2014 Season will include:

VERONICA’S ROOM

By Ira Levin
September 28 – October 27, 2013 at the Heartland Studio
Representing the Bohemian Pillar of Freedom

This thriller from the author of Rosemary’s Baby and Deathtrap explores the thin line between fantasy and reality. Students Susan and Larry find themselves enticed to an old New England mansion by its dissolute caretakers to meet Cissie, the sole surviving member of the family. They insist that Susan bears a striking resemblance to Veronica, Cissie’s long-dead sister. If she will agree to briefly impersonate Veronica, they believe it will comfort the dementia-afflicted Cissie and allow her to die in peace. But what begins as a simple errand of mercy quickly spirals into a nightmare cycle of guilt, sacrifice, and murder.

AMADEUS

By Peter Schaffer
February 15 – March 16, 2014 at Stage 773
Representing the Bohemian Pillar of Truth

BoHo presents Peter Schaffer’s masterpiece about genius, jealousy, and lies. In his twilight years, the composer Antonio Salieri explores his tempestuous rivalry with the boorish but brilliant Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Alternating between trusted confidant and devious backstabber, Salieri wrestles with his place in a conflict that may have resulted in murder. Amadeus is a rich period drama, told as much through music as it is dialogue, questioning the reliability of memory in the search for truth.

MYTHS AND HYMNS

Music and lyrics by Adam Guettel
June 13 – July 13, 2014 at the Heartland Studio
Representing the Bohemian Pillar of Beauty

A seldom-produced song cycle from the composer behind Floyd Collins and The Light in the Piazza, this sophisticated work explores nothing less than man’s search for meaning in the universe. Guettel has drawn inspiration from Greek mythology and Christian hymns, as well as electronic jazz, piano ballads, gospel, and musical theater, to create a work steeped in longing, fear, doubt, and transcendence. The loose structure of the piece will allow BoHo’s artists to craft an intensely personal and intimate piece which explores the beauty in our search for the eternal.

PARADE

Book by Alfred Uhry, music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown
September 13 – October 12, 2014 at Theater Wit
Representing the Bohemian Pillar of Love

BoHo’s tenth season culminates in Uhry and Brown’s heart-breaking musical about race, prejudice, and violence in the American South. When Leo Frank, a northern Jew, is accused of raping and murdering a young girl in his factory, the entire town turns against him, and if they cannot be appeased, they threaten to take justice into their own hands. Against insurmountable opposition, Leo finds his only solace in the love of his wife— who is herself unsure of her husband’s innocence. Following on its success with complex musicals such as Floyd Collins and Kiss of the Spider Woman, BoHo will deliver this epic real-life story with attention to the relationships that help us keep our world together.

TICKETS ON SALE SOON

As part of BoHo’s 10th season, the company will be launching a new membership subscription program to connect the company’s patrons to the art in a more meaningful way. The program will feature flexible discount tickets, access to the artists through exclusive events, and more. Memberships will be available to purchase beginning in August.

BoHo Theatre’s mission is to create bold theatre that challenges convention through innovative storytelling and unites artist and audience in the examination of Truth, Beauty, Freedom and Love through the lens of human relationships. Its vision is to create a shared community of artists and patrons in which all members are moved through art to make thoughtful, well-examined, caring relationships the highest priority in their lives.