Arts Alive

The Fifth Sun: Performance for the End of the World

Gabrielle Caputo — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:23 +0000

As you’ve probably heard by now, the world is set to end sometime in 2012 after the conclusion of a notorious Mesoamerican calendar. Including this end-of-days myth with the creative and technical process of a theatrical work, Loyola professor emeritus, Nick Patricca is offering a unique Theatre Masterclass at University of Chicago’s Rockefeller Memorial Chapel.

Along with director Cecilie Keenan and producer Elizabeth Davenport, the three will conduct a Saturday afternoon masterclass series February 25, March 3, and March 10 that examines the context of these myths while learning about theatrical production processes. After the third class, preparation for The Fifth Sun‘s performance will begin for those interested. Performances will be held at 7:30PM on March 30 and 31.

For more details and information on costs, click here.

Through Tech and Back

Victoria Bain — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:11:27 +0000

We are coming so very close to opening!

A photo from tech.

Hello, friends and Loyola Theatre enthusiasts!

It hasn’t been very long since my last blog post, yet many things have happened in this short period of time! This weekend, we went through the long process of “tech.” Tech is a period of time, usually before previews or opening night, where all the elements of a show finally come together. For our production, that period of time included Friday night, all Saturday, and most of Sunday (although the actors were released early enough to see the Super Bowl). We spent this lengthy amount of time going through the entire play, cue-by-cue. Meaning, every time the lights change or sound is played, we stop and add it to the play by writing down its cue and saving it in either the sound or light board. The process is usually long and tedious, but for Measure for Measure, it was relatively easy (which is why the actors were released on Sunday).

The lights look gorgeous with lovely blues contrasting with warm yellows and oranges. The sound is excellent with much traditional music from the 1930s. Both wonderfully weave together, fully supporting our production in its artistic goal.

On Monday night we had our first dress rehearsal (when all of the costuming elements are added to the production). The costumes are clean and crisp, entirely realized in black and white material, helping to tell the story of the era we set the play in, 1930s Vienna.

I was able to watch Measure for Measure on Tuesday night, and was very impressed at how all the elements came together seamlessly. We have one more dress rehearsal before our preview. If the show even stays at the level it is now, it will be excellent.

Wish us luck on our last dress rehearsal!

Love and Money at the Steep Theatre Co.

Gabrielle Caputo — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:31:39 +0000

Recommended by Chicago’s very own Jeff Awards, the Steep Theatre Company‘s Love and Money has been recognized as a must-see in the city theatre circuit. Written by English playwright, Dennis Kelly, this thought provoking piece exposes the pressure materialism puts on our everyday relationships.

Told in a non-linear fashion (think 2000′s Memento), the play profiles David after his wife, Jess, commits suicide. Left with a massive amount of debt, David is forced to crawl back to an ex-girlfriend to ask for employment. A sometimes profile of desperation, this highly introspective play leaves the audience with more than just a way to occupy a Saturday evening.

Performances are every Thursday-Saturday at 8PM until March 10th. Click here for ticket information.

Feast on The Tempest

Alyssa Vitale — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:01:39 +0000

While we’re preparing to open Measure for Measure as a part of #3USHAK3SF3ST, you can get an early dose of Shakespeare at Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s The Feast: an intimate Tempest. This innovative production of one of the bard’s later plays will feature traditional actors juxtaposed with original music, puppets, and animations. Tickets are $35 per person, and it’s sure to be a wonderfully unique experience for anyone who loves Shakespeare as much as we do.

The Feast runs through March 11, but many shows are already sold out, so be sure to reserve tickets today!

This Week

Alyssa Vitale — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:32:01 +0000

Measure for Measure Rehearsal–Photo Credit: Jazzie Bernabe

Whether or not you actually watched the Super Bowl, you’ve probably been inundated with sports talk over the past week. If you were overwhelmed with all the football jargon (and bad commercials), you can revert to the other end of the performance spectrum this week with two of our events: the Annual Student Art Competition and the opening weekend of Measure for Measure.

Don’t forget that Measure for Measure is a part of our collaborative Shakespeare festival with Bradley and Western Illinois Universities. Groundlings Passes are still available for admission into each of the three schools’ performances.

If you have any questions about these events, please contact the box office at 773.508.3847 or BoxOffice@LUC.edu.

Measure for Measure Actor Profile: Tommy Spears

Victoria Bain — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:50:35 +0000

This is one more installment of actor profiles for Measure for Measure. Click the Read More button to read more about sophomore theatre major Tommy Spears.

Name

Tommy Spears

Year in school

Sophomore

Major(s), Minor(s).

Theatre and English, Spanish Minor

What character do you play?

Lucio, the Fantastick!

Tell us what excites you most about playing this character and a bit about him/her.

Lucio is a libertine nobleman from Vienna who takes his chief joys in life from punning, mocking authority and anyone else he runs across, and the company of “disreputable” women. He drives forward the early events of the play by inciting Isabella to come to the aid of her recently imprisoned brother, Claudio. Throughout the play he pokes fun at the (seemingly) absent duke. What most excites me about playing Lucio is that there are several moments in the play when his chief goal is to have fun, and while he is present for many of the play’s dark and serious moments, this element of fun is present throughout.

Tell us about working on Measure for Measure.

Okay, I will. The experience has been great so far, and we have a wonderful cast and production team who have made the whole rehearsal process electric. We started with table readings of the show, then moved on to blocking and are currently working on our giant set, which has been one of the most fun parts of the process.

What excites you most about this show?

There’s something very sensational about this show: there are many reveals, secret plots, and several twists and turns that could come straight from an M. Night Shyamalan film. Shakespeare had a real penchant for exciting an audience. One of the best parts is that this play is so rarely performed, so the audience will get to be shocked and surprised by the whole thing along with us.

What are you most nervous for?

I worry that some of the more dated Elizabethan jokes will go over the audience’s heads, but all things considered that’s better than having the jokes land in their faces.

What is something you’d like to tell the audience of Measure for Measure or the readers of this blog?

Come see the show; we have a talented cast, a great director and a playwright who’s not half-bad. If you’re really worried about understanding what’s going on, read the play (it should be in the library), but honestly it ain’t hard, and odds are you’ll get it, and you’ll love it.

Measure for Measure Actor Profile: Brian Tochterman Jr.

Victoria Bain — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:34:25 +0000

Here’s another actor profile from Measure for Measure. Click the Read More button in the bottom right corner to find out more about another of our student actors.

Name

Brian Tochterman Jr.

Year in school

Junior

Hometown

Phildelphia, PA

Major(s), Minor(s).

Theatre Major

What character do you play?

Claudio

Tell us what excites you most about playing this character and a bit about him/her.

The great thing about this role is that the character of Claudio is so three-dimensional and so very human. He’s forced to come to terms with his own mortality and there’s a great sense of internal struggle that develops from that.

Tell us about working on Measure for Measure.

The rehearsal process for this show has been great. We spent the first weeks doing table work; sitting down and going through the script moment by moment to really flesh things out. By the time we got on our feet, we were able to get our scripts out of our hands which freed us up to really start digging into individual relationships to make this show come alive. It has been a fantastic experience up to this point.

What excites you most about this show?

Measure for Measure is definitely one of Shakespeare’s lesser known plays and I’m excited to give people a chance to experience it. The questions it raises about justice and politics are immediately applicable to our modern lives. I also love the design of our specific production. Everything about this show is gorgeous: the set, the costumes, the lights, and the music. Don’t take my word for it; see for yourself.

What are you most nervous for?

The biggest concern with performing Shakespeare to modern audiences is making sure they understand what is going on during every moment. This is something that we’ve been working on during every rehearsal but it’s always a concern.

What is something you’d like to tell the audience of Measure for Measure or the readers of this blog?

Come see our production of Measure for Measure but stay for the other two productions from Bradley and Western Illinois universities!

On What the Action Happens

Victoria Bain — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:12:20 +0000

For those of you thirsting for knowledge on Loyola’s production of Measure for Measure, or for you who want an “in” on all the juicy tidbits of what goes in to putting on one of our mainstage productions, here is something to feast your eyes on.

Let me pose some questions for you. What is usually the first thing you see that is part of a show when you go to a production? What usually creates the world the play is set in? What is the first thing designed for most productions? The answer to all of these is the set. The set is where the world of the play takes place. It can visually show an audience so many things that are about to happen in a show. It can tell time of day, mood, atmosphere, era, and so many more things. I think that people often overlook the complexity of a well-designed set, because a well-designed set blends seamlessly into the concept of a show and is in perfect unity with the other elements of a production. If a set has a drastically different feel than the costumes, for example, then an audience can recognize the disconnect.

On Measure for Measure, we are lucky to have a beautiful set that we are able to work with. The set is very large, with a second-story floor and multiple first-floor entry ways for the actors to use. There are two cascading staircases that flank either side of the symmetrical set that the actors can use for dramatic entrances into scenes. This set was a very large project; many materials and labor were needed for the completion of its structure. The building of what turned out to be a masterpiece started over our winter break, with multiple people coming in to the workshop to work in order for us to be on schedule and finish the build in time.

Here at Loyola, we have a resident scenic designer, Timothy Mann, who designs the set of nearly all our mainstage productions, but as part of our partnership with Bradley University and Western Illinois University, a scenic designer for Western designed a set for all three schools participating in our Shakespeare festival.

This same set will be built at all three schools for use in the touring that each school will do to perform its respective show for each of the other schools. It will surely be a delight to see other performers grace our stage with their presence in order to share with us their talent and hard work.

When you come to see Measure for Measure, be sure to take special note of the set, because many people put much work into making it the best it could be–from students working on their theater practicums to students on set-building work study. Even our freelance set painter put in extra hours to paint the set beautifully.

We hope you enjoy Measure for Measure and think the set is incredibly cool, as well as an excellent choice for our festival.

Contemporary Jazz Hailing From Luxembourg

Gabrielle Caputo — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:00:34 +0000

As part of a 10 concert series, Luxembourg’s very own RDW Trio will be performing for the Sounds of Luxembourg II concert, Monday, March 12th.

Consisting of pianist Michel Reis, bassist Marc Demuth, and drummer Paul Wiltgen, the band formed in 1998 while the three were high school students. After a hiatus beginning in 2003 when each member pursued music study, the band is ready to perform for American audiences.

For more information, please contact Kevin Wester, LACS Executive Director, via email or by calling 262.355.5758.

Measure for Measure Actor Profile: Fiona Austin

Victoria Bain — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:51:21 +0000

Another look in to the life of one of our actors, Fiona Austin. To read her full profile, click the Read More button in the bottom right corner.

Name

Fiona Austin

Year in school

Junior

Hometown

Long Beach, CA

Major(s), Minor(s).

Theater and Political Science

What character do you play?

Pompey: Tapster/Bawd/Clown

Tell us what excites you most about playing this character and a bit about him/her.

I’ve done several classic and Shakespeare productions before. But I’ve never before had the opportunity to play a clown. Pompey is so absolutely brilliant and funny and has such joie de vivre. It is absolutely fantastic to get the opportunity to play a character that has so much spunk and who has so much fun; It’s nearly impossible not to have fun myself!

Tell us about working on Measure for Measure.

This has been and doubtless will continue to be such a fantastic experience. I had the pleasure of working with mark my Freshman year on Loyola’s production of As You Like It and have been waiting since then to have another opportunity to work with him again. The cast is absolutely fantastic and it is so much fun to play with them on and offstage. It seems that everyone has given a part of themselves in the production process with the movement sequences, and even just in characterization. And this production of Measure for Measure is truly starting to feel like “ours”.

What excites you most about this show?

Shakespeare is unique in its ability to be translated into so many different settings and time periods (though sometimes it can be counterproductive to the play as a whole). At first, I had reservations about setting the show in 1930s Austria during the rise of fascism. But upon looking into the time period and locale further it is absolutely perfect! It also adds such a great atmosphere to the play that directly correlates with some of its more prominent themes. Beyond that the addition of Tango adds an element of mystery and sensuality that it might otherwise be difficult to convey.

What are you most nervous for?

I suppose the thing that makes me most nervous is that moment on stage when I’m alone and talking to the audience: nothing to distract the eye, no one else to work off. . . But I feel confident it will all turn out well in the end!

What is something you’d like to tell the audience of Measure for Measure or the readers of this blog?

Measure for Measure was never one of my favorite Shakespeare plays but our adaptation of it has given it a special and much higher place in my heart and it is certainly a must see for anyone who likes Shakespeare, Theater, for it has an interest in the human condition.