We held on to them for as long as we could.  But secrets, so matter how deeply guarded, always have a way of bubbling to the surface.

So many things have been buzzing around here lately, and we’ve had a very hard time curbing our enthusiasm for this last secret.  And now, we simply can’t wait any longer.  

Casting is one of the greatest joys and steepest challenges that a company undertakes each season. We take extraordinary care to select shows that showcase the talents in our ensemble, but we are also careful to select projects that also afford us a chance to enlist and learn from exciting guest artists around this exceptionally talented city.  This season is no exception.  Our cast lists are final, and they are thrilling.

Here they are.  Our first production, the Chicago premiere of Jonathan Lichtenstein’s Memory will be performed by a terrific ensemble spearheaded by our very own Brenda Barrie.  Last seen on BSTC’s stage as Dan in last season’s Aunt Dan & Lemon, Ms. Barrie is a multiple Jeff nominee and has been hailed as a New Essential Chicagoan by Time Out Chicago, and was identified as one of Chicago’s Rising Stars by Chris Jones in the Chicago Tribune.  She will be joined by fellow ensemble member (and Jeff nominee) Tony Bozzuto, whose work for BSTC has included How I Learned to Drive, and a Jeff nominated turn as Robert in On An Average Day.  Last season, Tony turned in a complex and critically acclaimed performance in Orange Flower Water.  Brenda and Tony are joined by BSTC alumni Patrick De Nicola who broke our hearts with a dazzlingly vulnerable turn as Boy in last season’s The Play About The Baby.  Joining this cast of ensemble members and alumni is Neo Futurist renaissance man and playwright Bilal Dardai, whose acclaimed adaptation of The Man Who Was Thursday for New Leaf Theatre was nominated for a Jeff award last season.  Also joining the cast is Samuel Buti, seen last season in New Leaf Theatre’s Acclaimed production of Sam Shepard’s Curse of the Starving Class.  Filling out this muscular cast are Chicago up-and-comers Josh Hambrock and Shane Michael Murphy.  Needless to say?  We are excited.

Finally, for our production of Richard Greenberg’s Three Days of Rain, we have assembled a terrifically exciting trio of actors to tell this complex and mysterious story.  We lead the cast list with our very own Rebekah Ward-Hays!  Ms. Ward-Hays is a longtime BSTC ensemble member and Jeff Award Winning actress who has been seen on BSTC’s stages in Skin of Our Teeth (in a Jeff Award winning turn), Waiting For Lefty (another Jeff Nomination),  and The Memory of Water.  Last season, her haunting portrayal of the Lemon in Aunt Dan & Lemon earned her another Jeff Nomination.  Alongside Ms. Ward-Hays are two notable gentlemen:  BSTC’s own Tony Bozzuto (see above), and Chicago veteran John Henry Roberts.  Mr. Roberts makes his long overdue BackStage debut with Three Days of Rain.  Mr. Roberts is a company member over at Strawdog where he has churned out some astonishing performances in shows such as The Good Soul of Szechaun, R.U.R, Artisocrats, and Cherry Orchard among others.  Mr. Roberts also played alongside Ms. Ward-Hays last season in the House Theatre’s production of Wilson Wants it All.

So there you have it.  Are we gushing?  You bet we are.  This was a secret that was very hard to keep to ourselves.

So!  All the secrets are out.  For now.  But our 11th Season is only just underway, and there are plenty of secrets lurking in our stories that these amazing casts will help us reveal when the house lights go down.

Subscriptions are still available, right here. Even though all the secrets are out, and our subscriptions are back to full price, subscribing is still, by far, the cheapest way to see our shows!

We cannot wait to see you at the theatre.

Matthew Reeder
Artistic Director
BackStage Theatre Company

Our season is officially underway.  We’ve already had a few production meetings for Memory, and we’ve just concluded our very exciting and very crowded Season general auditions last night.  Things are in swing.  And that means it is pretty difficult to hang onto any secrets for much longer.

So here comes another leak:

Throughout the years, BackStage Theatre Company has been known for staging challenging stories in very unique locations.  BSTC’s first production (way back in 2000) was staged in an old mansion on the North Side of Chicago.   Last season, we took over the lower level studio of the Chopin Theatre and transformed it into various intriguing environments, including Lemon’s living room for Aunt Dan & Lemon,  a series of intensely intimate bedrooms for Orange Flower Water, and a strange psychological no-space for Albee’s The Play About The Baby.

And here’s the newest secret:  BSTC’s 11th Season will be produced at the Viaduct Theatre in Roscoe Village!  The Viaduct is a unique urban cultural mecca, presenting theatre,  film, art, dance, and music for Chicago. Nestled secretly beneath the Belmont overpass on Western Ave, the Viaduct’s notorious tiny red door and famous flickering neon sign cleverly disguise the thriving arts scene inside.  The theatre houses two wonderfully unique performances spaces (we will produce one show in each space), as well as a terrific pre-show lobby bar that was named the “Best Theatre Lobby Bar” by the Chicago Reader in 2008.  The Viaduct offers its audiences a hip, intimate theatregoing experience, and we are thrilled to call it our home for the season.

So there you have it!  Only one secret remains.  Soon, our entire season and all its tawdry details will be public knowledge.  If you’d still like to purchase our subscriptions at the discounted “secret” price, you’d better get on that, and soon.  Not only are subscriptions $33 (that’s only $16.50/show), but this is the last chance to purchase the season at the lowest fees possible!  Click here to purchase.

In a little more than a week, all of our secrets will be revealed, and the subscription price will be back to full!

In the meantime, Tony would like a share a little secret with you.

See you at the Viaduct in the fall!!!