From the Desk of the Executive Director - April 2014

CONGRATULATIONS to all the 2014 Jeff Nominees. Your hard work and passionate commitment to Chicago Theatre is one of Chicago's biggest treasures. I am so proud to work with you, and so happy to be a part of such an extraordinary community of artists.

Welcome to April - Welcome to Spring

After surviving a record-setting winter in Chicago, I am so relieved to finally celebrate Spring. BoHo Theatre Company Members have been a flutter with activity! Sean Thomas has just recently closed Sandalwood with Tympanic Theatre while our fabulous Casting Associate, Stephanie Sullivan has been hard at work with Fox Valley Rep working on Cheaper By The Dozen. Greg Foster, who recently garnered a Jeff Nomination for his role in Spamalot, is also  heading towards his opening of Kokandy Production's Assassins, playing Charles Guiteau. Meanwhile,and our own Peter Robel will be starting rehearsals for our summer musical of Myths & Hymns in just a few short weeks.

Announcement: BoHo Theatre Welcomes New Company Member 

Eleanor Katz

I'm pleased to announce that BoHo recently on-boarded a new company member. Many of you may remember Eleanor Katz from her role as Anna Hauptmann in our production of Hauptmann in 2013. Eli will be working along side our Space Coordinator, Greg Foster, to assist our renters at the Heartland Studio. Look for Eli around the city - she'll be seen with the Signal Ensemble Theatre in the premier of The Next Thing, "a new musical spanning six years, five movies, four deals, three significant others, two Oscars, and one combustible relationship".
We are so happy to welcome Eli on board!

Arts & Business Council - Business Volunteers for the Arts

As you may recall, last Fall BoHo partnered with the Arts & Business Council - Chicago to participate in their Business Volunteers for the Arts program (BVA). The company and board has worked diligently alongside our fantastic BVA's to craft a three year strategic plan. As part of this initiative, we have identified and explored how to help on-board new faces to help us with this ambitious plan. Keep your eyes on our website for information on open positions, and how to get involved.

Upcoming Events:

Myths & Hymns
June 13 – July 13, 2014
presented at Heartland Studio
Directed by Peter Robel
Music Direction by Nick Sula

Parade
Oct 18 – Nov 16, 2014
presented at Theater Wit
Directed by Linda Fortunado
Music Direction by Matthew Deitchmann
(look for information on auditions in the coming weeks!)

2015 Season Reveal Party - Coming Summer, 2014!

Being Bohemian: Sean Thomas

BoHo Theatre Company Member Sean Thomas, on what it means to be bohemian:

Since I can remember, I have always been my happiest and most fulfilled when being around art, artists and lovers of art in all it's forms. I grew up in a very conservative area of Virginia and took refuge in the freedom that the arts allowed me. Although not an area filled with those comfortable expressing themselves openly, I sought out other artists that could make me feel whole.

I moved to New York City in the early 1990s and found all the fulfillment a young artist could possibly hope for but was living in a major city which had financial restrictions. I was fortunate enough to be allowed to make a living in the theatre but always felt that my artistic voice had been stifled due the necessity of taking more commercial work to pay the bills.

A brutal attack in 2002 stopped my acting and made me re-evaluate my life. I moved to Chicago in 2005 and was surrounded once again by so much culture. Chicago, however, had a different feel in all of the productions I was seeing produced by resident companies. It was an ensemble effort. It was about groups of artists who respected one another, knew one another and who wanted to enjoy each other's artistry. I knew immediately that I wanted to be a part of this unified experience.

BoHo was my second acting job in Chicago in 2010 with Ibsen's Ghosts. I knew immediately that I had found an artistic home. I became an ensemble member later that same year.

Being Bohemian to me has meant finding a supportive and safe group of fellow artists and lovers of art. It has meant having a group of friends that I can agree and disagree with passionately while pursuing the same desire for excellence in storytelling and love of the process and craft. It has meant challenging myself to be part of a collective group and not just an individual. It has meant being a family and welcoming all artists from the community to be a part of us whether in a single production or in multiple productions. I am proud to be a part of BoHo's 10-year tradition. I look forward to seeing what wonderful things BoHo will become in the next 10 years and what new artists I will meet and who will become family.

Truth, Beauty, Love and Freedom!!

Throughout BoHo Theatre's milestone 10th Season, BoHo company members will be revealing what being "bohemian" means to them. What does Bohemianism and BoHo Theatre mean to you? Let us know in the comments or on Facebook!

Company Member Update: The Adventures of Sean Thomas

Ruby Wilder is opening this weekend at Teatro Luna produced by Tympanic and directed by my buddy James Palmer (who recently directed me in Red Tape Theatre's production of Elephant's Graveyard ). Brooke Allen has written a non-linear piece that races along much like our memory and feelings do. This is a wonderfully dark and sometimes humorous dive into the human psyche as told by a survivor of an abduction by a serial killer.

I've had a great time exploring my role, Ozzie and discovering what makes him tick while avoiding the trap of playing him as "evil".

Right after Ruby opens, I will be delving into to the abuses and atrocities of communist Romania in Theatre Y's production of Porn by Andras Visky. It's a beautifully written poetic telling of a true story by one of Romania's most celebrated artists. I will be playing the role of Anti who is the father figure, artistic sponsor, and omnipresent conscience of Porn, the heroine. We are slated to take the show to LaMama in NYC in the Fall of 2013.

And lastly, I will be jumping into A Christmas Carol this holiday season at Drury Lane Oakbrook playing Old Joe and Charity Man while understudying Scrooge. What an exciting Fall and early Winter!

Hope to see everyone while House Managing for Pygmalion at Theatre Wit or monitoring auditions for Hauptmann and Kiss of the Spider Woman with my home team, BoHo Theatre.

-- Sean Thomas is a company member of BoHo Theatre. Past credits include Big River and last seasons production of Tartuffe. Keep an eye out for Sean and his theatrical adventures through the holidays.