My Way of Life
I am currently in PRODUCER mode for Handbag. I am like a Transformer, converting to any number of identities in my quest to spread the camp agenda throughout the city of Chicago. Right now I am finalizing show dates, rental agreements, starting the press release, looking for a wig master (THE WIGMASTER- coming April 2008), a lighting designer, a stage manager, setting up auditions, deleting the 3000 UNABLE TO SEND e-mails in our Handbag account from a recent spam attack, reading the rantings of a betrayed webmaster of a certain classic movie star site who is angry that I let myself appear on the rival classic movie star site, arranging read throughs for possible Summer Camp scripts, writing the Angela Arden song for Die! Mommie, Die!, writing music for Airport 1975, writing a Flamingo Road parody, planning The Joans strategy for 2008, and editing a certain immensely popular 70’s disaster parody that I wrote 7 years ago.
The funny thing is I don’t feel overwhelmed-yet. Somebody directed me to Don Halls’ theater blog about the Anne Frank musical. Don’s blog is popular, mainly because he says anything that’s on his mind- like Ann Coultier. He doesn’t seem to care that the Chicago theater comminuty is like Mayberry, and I guess that makes him some kind of rebel. Don says that people shouldn’t be allowed to write a musical based on any movie made in the past 45 years or something like that. Well fuck you too, Don. If only his company’s productions were as popular as his blog he wouldn’t have to write a blog, huh? Wait a minute… this is a blog- but it’s lame, so it doesn’t count.
I saw The Little Dog Laughedby Douglas Carter Beane with a bunch of Handbaggers last night. There was some very wicked dialogue in the play, which is Mr. Beane’s specialty. The play is presented by About Face Theater in the new Hoover Leppen theater at The Center on Halsted. The space is so nice and modern. I was given a tour of it a couple of weeks ago and the entire center is just state of the art. Simply lovely.
Filed under: My Way Of Life
Airport 75…Genius! Perhaps you could throw in a musical parody of seventies teens-in-trouble movies as well…seeing as how you aren’t overwhelmed yet. Sara T: Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic, Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway, Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn. So many to choose from, all ripe for the picking.
Anything with Linda Blair is bound to be a classic…
How about throwing in “The Other Side of The Mountain” for good measure? What the hell…you could use the Blanche wheelchair again…
Well, it may not count, but you have one of the most prolific blogs of any Chicago Theater, so that’s gotta count for something. I know this because I’m reading every chicago theater blog I can get my hands on right now.
I’m always excited by the gear up to production work, so I wanted to throw you a couple resources if they help you out.
1) For all your hirings: use the free jobs posting site at http://backstagejobs.com . It’s a national site with a huge Chicago following of established and brand-spanking new crew talents, and there’s a ton of recent grads and undergrads on the site looking for opportunities in the city. Be nice and help get them connected to the scene, and you can get some real rock stars who are in a place where they can work for little.
2) Let me know when you finalize show dates, I’d love to add you guys to the Chicago Opening Night Calendar project (http://nikku.net/blog/chicago-theater-calendar/) You can check your dates against the calendar and make sure that you’re not opening against say, both Steppenwolf and the Goodman on the same night, thus precluding critics from seeing your show. Of course, it’s a little early for next season yet, so I only have through the summer so far.
3) Keep breathing. And blogging!
Go Chicago Theater.