An Interview With The Team Behind Icarus

We asked the cast and crew of BoHos's 2010/2011 Season closer Icarus about challenges that the show has brought to the table. We hoped to get a glimpse into how each person has faced those challenges and embraced them!

Tom Chiola (Mr. Ellis) answered:
"What's challenging about playing a character who lives under the porch with his stuffed cat and has a suitcase full of dreams...you tell me! Which is better/worse—having the painful memory of a lost loved one or forgetting him/her altogether?—that's part of Mr. Ellis' dilemma."

Nicolas Gamboa (Primitivo) answered:
"The biggest challenge will definitely have to be doing flips and break dancing. Primitivo and I share an addiction to imagination that connects us deeply. But the biggest connection I find with the character is how we both put family above all."

Director P. Marston Sullivan answered:
One of the most challenging aspects to directing this show is allowing the myth of Icarus to expose itself almost naturally, rather than focusing too much on broadcasting the inner meaning behind every moment.  There is the element of myth, of grandeur, of beauty and love; but it is hidden within the story in a manner that should be brought out with great craft and care.  Finding the reality of the characters, the great need and desire that each of them have - that is the key to bringing this story to life.  Sanchez has provided us with a very distinct and powerful framework, and a quintet of characters that are almost so odd they are hard to believe.  Making them real and believable, however, is what makes the show so emotionally powerful.  Finding the reality of the characters and entwining those realities with the mythological framework is the great challenge in Icarus.

Scenic Designer Sally Weiss answered:
For starters, it takes place on a beach, so the big question from the beginning was how do we create a beach? We don't have the means to bring in tons of sand, so we played with a number of options of suggesting sand and beach.  Peter, the director, wanted the space to feel intimate, since we're exploring very personal stories, but also wanted the expansive feeling of the beach and horizon.  In the end, we decided to allow the natural elements of beach and sky to fill the space, but keep the architecture of the porches intimate and clean.

Icarus run June 24 - July 24 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave, Chicago. Visit the BoHo Theatre website for tickets and more information.

How does BoHo choose its seasons?

It’s that time of year again. You can almost feel it in your bones as the daylight grows longer and snow begins to melt. Yes, once again, we find ourselves gearing up for that most sacred of yearly theatrical rituals, second only to the annual benefit or fund drive. It’s season announcement time! The company elders, having spent weeks locked away in seclusion, have sent up the plume of white smoke, and it is time to ring the bells and proclaim to the world: we have a plan for next season!

Choosing a season for a theatre company is, make no mistake, an arduous task. It is filled with hours of reading and piles of submissions. In some companies, decisions are made based on opportunities for their resident ensemble. Some choose their seasons by their expected budget, planning spectacles when funds are high and one-person shows when they are not, or choosing known crowd-pleasers when the budget is tight and riskier fare when they can afford to alienate a few regulars. Every season must reflect the mission of the company and, hopefully, growth in some way.

BoHo has quite a unique structure for choosing plays. We’ve always advertised our core principles alongside our mission and vision; those principles are the bedrock of the Bohemian philosophy: Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and Love. Beginning in the Bohemian Theatre Ensemble’s third year, the company has chosen four plays per season, with each play corresponding to one of our four pillars. Certainly, no play worth staging has only ONE dominant theme, but we choose the theme we wish to cast light on in any given selection.

Simple, right? Oh, we’re just getting started. In addition to the four pillars, BoHo requires a season to contain four genres: a play, a musical, a language-driven piece, and an eclectic piece. This often results in two musicals (or a musical and a play in which musical plays an integral part, such as this season’s Dirty Blonde), and two non-musicals. The language slot was originally designated for classics, but that category become limiting, so it was expanded to a more general idea. On top of this, the company must consider if a selection fits the general BoHo aesthetic, and if the rights are even available and affordable. In some ways, all these requirements can appear constricting, but they also demand that BoHo stays eclectic, artistic, and always in search of new and unique work.

The season selection committee is chaired by the Associate Artistic Director, and all company members are welcome to participate, with the requirement that any participant must enter the process with AT LEAST a full season or more for consideration. Often, participants bring upwards of 20 plays apiece. You see how this becomes a massive undertaking? The committee then enters into several arduous rounds of reading and spirited discussion (and passionate oratory and dismissive rhetoric). According to AAD Peter Robel, one memorable incident from about four years ago occurred when a committee member's reaction upon reading a show was to bluntly state, "This is shit." A succinct phrase, which has now become regular parlance in the selection process.

Once there is a final list of less than 20, the team of the Artistic Director, Associate Artistic Director, and the Executive Director recluse themselves to make the final choices. And when the decision is finalized, we throw a party, because what is more appropriate in the art world than throwing a party to display the fruits of your intense labor? In fact, we’re throwing just such a party this upcoming Monday, February 21st, at Cooper’s across from Theater Wit. We’d love to see you there, so check out our website or Facebook page for more info.

So that’s how BoHo does it: with verve, determination, and swearing. But everyone’s process is different. Got a story to tell? Let us know!

Elephant Man Actor Blog, Part 2: "When I Reach It, I'll Know"

We continue our series of behind-the-scenes glimpses from actor Mike Tepeli, who is playing John Merrick, the title character in BoHo's production of The Elephant Man, opening January 7th.
12/07/10

"Listening. Every professor, actor, and good director will talk about it. Its such a basic concept, and yet it’s the most difficult ‘phase’ of the process to reach. If my process were laid out in a pyramid, with the foundation being script work; the middle being movement work, acting exercises, and every tool we use to explore; the cap stone is simply listening. Everything else is used to inform how you react.

"This final stage always takes me a while to get to, but that’s why we rehearse, and why it’s called a rehearsal process; characters mature over time, and if I keep grinding along eventually I’ll reach ‘the moment’ That’s when I stop thinking about how things ‘work’; I’m not focusing on how Merrick moves, or how he talks, or how he gets from any point A to any point B. I’m just listening to my fellow actors, and reacting. I mean this in the most humble sounding way, but I know that moment happens because it’s explosive. Others may not even notice it, but I’ll know. It hasn’t happened yet, but I’m beginning to feel it. For now, lets just say it’s a series of tiny pops, that I’m hoping will become a large bang. I just gotta trust I’ll get there."

-Mike Tepeli, Dec 3.

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