Those of you who have spent much time around us these past few seasons probably know that we are driven by stories that raise interesting questions.  Our artists at BackStage use the family dynamic as a lens through which to examine elusive questions about our human selves and the lives we construct in the world around us.  At the center of each of our stories is a family, and at the center of the family is a question.  If I were to give a succinct personal summary about what I feel makes good (or even “important”) theatre, it would sound like this:  good theatre asks good questions.

The same can be said about good criticism.  Theatre criticism (and art criticism in general) is often at the heart of some pretty contestable arguments, sometimes for strong intellectual reasons and sometimes because the artists clearly had their feelings hurt.  But in the long view, I think the most effective criticism is the kind that doesn’t tell its reader how to experience a play or a performance or work of art, but one that makes the reader think about what they saw (or will see) and finds a way to relate that experience to the everyday lives of the reader.   Good theatre criticism might pre-load the reader with a question that gives that reader a certain tool or insight that makes participation in the event they attend a bit more active.  Good criticism relates the importance of high standards in the art we claim as our own, and gives us the tools to understand why art is essential in our lives.

Like good theatre, good criticism asks good questions.

This weekend, we opened Caryl Churchill’s A NUMBER at the Building Stage.  As part of its given circumstances, Churchill’s play centers on the story of a father who has cloned his first born son.  In his review for the Chicago Tribune (a largely favorable review, I’ll admit) Chris Jones commented on something that has been ringing in my ears ever since.

” . . . one is struck anew by how much more comfortable we’ve become over the past decade with the intrusion of technology in human reproduction. I’d argue that we’re also now less worried — perhaps foolishly — that labs will suddenly start churning out folks for other folks to buy at Wal-Mart.  Thus “A Number” does not so much feel like a cutting-edge drama as almost a period piece. Which does not mean it is without interest or potency.”

Here is a moment of criticism that makes me think, that makes me start to ask questions not only about the world of our play, but about the greater world we live in.  We never approached the play as an examination of bioethics or as a morality tale about cloning.  It is and always has been a study of the dynamics of parental decisions and responsibility under extraordinary given circumstances (human cloning.)  But Jones raises a good question about an important aspect of the play that we may have taken for granted.

So let’s use the questions raised by good drama and good criticism and talk about this.  Is Jones right?  Are we really becoming less fearful of the idea of biologically engineered human beings?  Are we starting to let go of the notion that human cloning is “playing God?”

And if so, what does that say about us and the future of our most intimate relationships?

BackStage Theatre Company opens A Number this coming Saturday at the Building Stage!  This week, we’ll be introducing you to some of the artists who have contributed to the production.

Next up, it’s our very own Tony Bozzuto.  Tony was last seen as Pip/Theo in last season’s acclaimed Three Days of Rain, as well as our Jeff nominated production of Memory.  Asked about how A Number speaks to him as an artist, he had this to say:

“Of course, I love Churchill as a writer, but I admire this one in particular.  I have had a complex relationship with my own father, so any story that explores that dynamic is of instant interest to me.  What’s great about A Number, is I get to attack that dynamic from three different perspectives.  Also, as crazy as Churchill’s story sounds, the core of it is something very real and tragic.  When it all comes down to it, she asks some very deep questions…What defines who we are? and Can we make up for past mistakes?” 

This is Tony’s second season as a full ensemble member, but our audiences have been seeing him on our stages for quite some time.  Before last season’s Three Days of Rain and Memory, Tony was seen in Orange Flower Water, and in received a Jeff Nomination for his acclaimed portrayal of Robert in On An Average Day. His forst production for BSTC was in Paula Vogel’s How I Learned to Drive.  For about seven years, Tony has been honored to work his way around the Chicago theatre scene with such talented companies as Lifeline Theatre, Next Theatre, Metropolis PAC among others.  Whether on stage, television or film, Tony credits much of his skills and successes to his studies at the incomparable Hilberry Theatre in Detroit, MI, where he received his MFA.

BackStage Theatre Company opens A NUMBER this coming Saturday at the Building Stage!  This week, we’ll be introducing you to some of the artists who have contributed to the production.

First up, our guest artist Patrick Blashill, who plays Salter.  Asked about how this play speaks to him as an artist, Patrick had this to say:

“This piece has so many layers to it, the challenge of the role is what initially intrigued me.  As a father, to be able to explore the darker side of parenting was both difficult and fun…being able to really experience the emotion of the play and then be able to go home and hug my children gave me strength and perspective that allowed me to really let loose.  The play is brilliant.  It is hard to read at first but once I found the rhythm, individual sections and beats took on new meaning and changed the meaning.  I’m still learning,  which says a lot about Caryl Churchill and her particular genius.  Working with Karen, Tony, and Jen has been a real treat…they all bring so much to the production and have helped me more than they’ll know.”

We are thrilled to have Patrick with us for our season opener.  Patrick has been an ensemble member with Lifeline Theatre since 1996 and has been performing at various Chicago theatre’s for the past 20 years. His favorite roles include the Father in Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice, Old Bailey in Neverwhere, and Edgar Drake in The Piano Tuner (After Dark award for outstanding performance). Other favorite roles include Ferdinand the bull in The Story of Ferdinand, the Mighty Gorilla in The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death (later remounted for Chicago Theatre on the Air with guest star Brent Spiner), Victor in Lizard Music, Hugh Thane in The Talisman Ring, Tom in Pistols for Two (Jeff citation nomination for Best Ensemble), and Bunter in Strong Poison (Jeff citation nomination for Best Ensemble). He is especially proud to have acted in all three books of Lifeline’s Lord of the Rings trilogy that spanned The Fellowship of the Ring (Bilbo Baggins-1997), The Two Towers (Frodo-2000), and The Return of the King (Frodo-2002). Patrick has worked with numerous other Chicago theatres (including an opportunity to play Mr. Knightley in Reverie Theatre’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma) including Victory Gardens, Organic Lab, Theatre on the Lake, Stage Left, and Shakespeare’s Motley Crew. Patrick is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Come see what Patrick’s artistry brings to A Number, opening this weekend at The Building Stage!

As the holidays approach, our 12th season officially gets underway!  Our first production, A Number, opens on January 7th at the Building Stage.  In anticipation of the opening of the BackStage Season, Development Director Celene Mielcarek sat down for a conversation with Artistic Director Matthew Reeder about what is in store for BackStage in the New Year and beyond.

As Artistic Director, what are you most looking forward to in BackStage’s 2011-2012 Season?

There’s an awful lot to be excited about this season.  We’ve two wonderful, challenging plays that we are incredibly excited about.  ”A Scent of Flowers,” is a wonderfully poetic drama that was written in 1965, but feels like it could have been written last week.  James Saunders, the playwright, is virtually unknown in the States, but Tom Stoppard claims that it was watching Saunder’s “Next Time I’ll Sing For You” that made him want to write plays.  We’ve done a lot of digging, and we can’t find a production history for “Scent of Flowers,” but we think that our production is one of the first professional productions of this remarkable play in the States.  And it fits our mission like a glove.  It feels like a real find.  It’s an ambitious piece.  I’ve been quietly sitting on this play for a few seasons, and I think we’re ready.

Also, I am very excited about “A Number.”  I think that Caryl Churchill is one of the most unique dramatic voices of our time and in “A Number,” she has penned a really haunting story that examines the complex bonds of fathers and sons within the confines of a naturalistic sci-fi chamber drama.  I know, it sounds bizarre!  But the strangest thing about the play is how un-strange it actually is.  The play is (like most of the stories we tell) deeply intimate and full of questions.  And it is being directed by my good friend and mentor Karen Kessler, who is a company member at Red Orchid.  Karen is the former Artistic Director of Famous Door Theatre company, where I served as an MFA intern many years ago.  She helped me launch my career here in Chicago, and I can’t wait to have her around this season.  It feel like a circle has completed itself somehow.  And she’s a really exciting director.

What was BackStage’s greatest impact last season?

Last season was pretty significant for us on a number of levels.  With Memory, we took a challenging, relatively untested play about a contentious subject and turned it into one of our most notable productions.  Mostly importantly, however, that experience gave us a several new opportunities to engage our growing family of patrons in a vital dialogue about the kinds of stories we choose to tell, and how those stories affect our lives.  Our Sunday talkback series gave us a weekly opportunity to connect to our patrons in a very direct, approachable way.  In the process, we have begun to get to know the people who have come to know our stories.  A lot of artists spend a majority of their creative lives shouting into the void.  It is a remarkable thing when that void begins to light up with familiar faces.

BackStage is in a period of exciting change right now! What are some of the changes you are most excited about?

We have been in the process of rejuvenating our staff for quite some time now.  Just three years ago, we had a staff of just four.  There are now ten of us.  Over this past summer we have added a new Development Director, a new Associate Artistic Director and we a new Managing Director.  In the past few seasons, we have seen wonderful growth on the board level.  Three seasons ago, there were two people on the board.  Now we have a full and very active, enthusiastic board of seven who have brought more to this organization than I could possibly describe in the few minutes that I have here.

Organizational development may not be the sexiest thing to talk about, but the people really are the lifeblood of an organization.  Adding this many talented, driven people to the BSTC roster bodes pretty well for the future of the organization.  These folks will only continue to make us get better at what we do.  That’s pretty exciting to me.

What makes BackStage different from other storefront Chicago theatres?

Even though we are a small organization, we are already decidedly mission-driven.  Every decision we make, whether about programming or otherwise, is filtered through the lens of our organizational mission and our core values.  This is a clarifying process, but it doesn’t always make it easier.  The dedication to our mission gives us less room for easy decisions, and makes programming a season much more focused and particular.  It adds creative tension to the selection of a season but it has, I think, always ended up paying off in a pretty meaningful way.  Our mission is a pretty unique one, and we are learning how to navigate through the questions it asks of us.

Also, we are a direct product of the Chicago theatre scene, and very specifically the homegrown Storefront movement.  Much of what we do has been dictated by the realities of the “alternative spaces” we have produced in over the years.  These spaces vary in functionality and quality, but one common characteristic among them is their proximity to the audience.  For a long time, theatre companies like ours were looked upon as the little companies who were still waiting to grow up.  The local mythology of Steppenwolf has spawned a million like-minded start-up theatre companies who have long believed that the incredible combination of factors that lead to Steppenwolf’s unprecedented success can happen to them if they just stick it out long enough.  For a few decades now, Storefront theatres have been pointing at that famous Steppenwolf marquis and asking “how do we get there?”

At BackStage, we are asking ourselves a different set of questions.  Over the past few seasons, we have become increasingly enlivened by the possibilities that exist in the constraints of our intimate spaces.  In these small spaces, fueled by the questions that our mission compels us to ask, we have realized that we are already offering our audiences something vital and unique.  Staged in close proximity to the audience, our stories become something our audiences experience, rather than watch.  Combine that disarming closeness with our dedication to producing shows that require some imaginative and intellectual work on the part of our audiences, and a picture begins to emerge that really has nothing to do with becoming the next “big” thing.  Our central question then becomes less about how we might land our 500 seat theatre, and more about how to deepen our close engagement with our audiences as we grow.  These are somewhat uncharted waters, but they are very very exciting to us.

Hello BackStage Family! I’m writing to you in the middle of my first month as your new
Managing Director, and I can honestly say so far, so awesome! I’m looking forward to talking
to you throughout the season, mostly to update you on how BackStage is approaching its next
phase of administrative growth.

If you would have asked me ten years ago where I saw myself in 2011, writing a blog as a
theatre professional would have the last thing to come out of my mouth. At the end of college
I was truly lost; I was a kid who knew that he loved singing and acting in plays and musicals,
but I didn’t know how to turn that into a profession. I took a chance and auditioned for a
small theatre company, was hired on as a part-time employee/acting apprentice, and then
got to work learning, growing, and falling in love with the stage. Theatre transformed me. It
opened my eyes to the reality that every human being sees the world in a different way, and
that understanding of those differences comes through powerful storytelling. Theatre gave
me humility, patience, and courage. I believe that it is one of the most powerful forces on the
planet, and it is an honor to count myself as one of the few people in the world who get to
wake up and help create art every day.

I don’t believe there is a theatre company in Chicago with an administrative team that is
as hungry for growth as yours. It is time for us to evolve, and in the coming months we will
become an administrative work in progress, challenging the way we’ve done business in the
past while changing the way we connect with you. Our mission is to take bold steps forward as
a professional ensemble, to match the compelling and challenging stories we tell on our stages
with a supporting staff that presents those stories to an engaged and multiplying audience. We
want to give you the best, and in return we need your support!

Although I’m the new guy, I have learned quickly that the best way to get support in the arts
is to offer a great deal for a great show. So throughout the month of November, we are
extending our Early Bird Special for our Season 12 Subscription Package. With priority seating,
reservations, and standing discounts for friends and family, this package is a must-have! Click
here to grab yours today!

I’m looking forward to a lot more conversations with all of you, so don’t hesitate to contact me
at Brandon@backstagetheatrecompany.org if you need anything. Here’s to a great season!!

–Brandon Anderson

Managing Director, BackStage Theatre Company

It is with great excitement that I officially announce the cast of our upcoming production of Caryl Churchill’s A Number!

We are thrilled to welcome Chicago theatre veteran Patrick Blashill to our stage for the very first time!  Patrick will be playing the role of Salter in A Number.  Among many other credits, Patrick has been an ensemble member with Lifeline Theatre since 1996.  Here is a quick bio:

Patrick has been an ensemble member with Lifeline Theatre since 1996 and has been performing at various Chicago theatre’s for the past 20 years.  Favorite roles include the Father in Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice, Old Bailey in Neverwhere, and Edgar Drake in The Piano Tuner (After Dark award for outstanding performance). Other favorite roles include Ferdinand the bull in The Story of Ferdinand, the Mighty Gorilla in The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death (later remounted for Chicago Theatre on the Air with guest star Brent Spiner), Victor in Lizard Music, Hugh Thane in The Talisman Ring, Tom in Pistols for Two (Jeff citation nomination for Best Ensemble), and Bunter in Strong Poison (Jeff citation nomination for Best Ensemble). He is especially proud to have acted in all three books of Lifeline’s Lord of the Rings trilogy that spanned The Fellowship of the Ring (Bilbo Baggins-1997), The Two Towers (Frodo-2000), and The Return of the King (Frodo-2002). Patrick has worked with numerous other Chicago theatres (including an opportunity to play Mr. Knightley in Reverie Theatre’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma) including Victory Gardens, Organic Lab, Theatre on the Lake, Stage Left, and Shakespeare’s Motley Crew. Patrick is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Needless to say, We are thrilled to have Patrick on board for A Number!

Finally, Tony Bozzuto is no stranger to BSTC audiences.  Tony will be playing Bernard/Michael in A Number.  As an ensemble member, Tony has appeared in BSTC’s productions of How I Learned to Drive, the Jeff nominated  On an Average Day, Orange Flower Water, Memory, and Three Days of Rain.  Here is a quick bio:

As an ensemble member with BackStage, Tony was last seen in the crtitically acclaimed Three Days of Rain, the Jeff Recommended Memory and Orange Flower Water, and in On An Average Day. For about seven years, Tony has been honored to work his way around the Chicago theatre scene with such talented companies as Stage Left Theatre, Lifeline Theatre, Next Theatre, Metropolis PAC, and, of course, BackStage Theatre Co.  Whether on stage, television or film, Tony credits much of his skills and successes to his studies at the incomparable Hilberry Theatre in Detroit, MI, where he received his MFA.

Once again, we are honored to find ourselves in the company of such talented storytellers.  We think this is pretty exciting way to kick off an exciting season.  See you in the theatre!

In summer, we usually take a small break from producing.  But even though our stages are dark, summer often feels like the busiest time of year for us.  During the summer months, we are working quietly and diligently to prepare for next season, to set ambitious long-term goals for our growing organization, to explore the meaning of our mission and its relationship to our stories and to you, our extended family.

There are some very exciting things coming down the pipeline.  Our Listening Series is debuting this season, and we hope that this series will become a regular and anticipated enhancement to our traditional producing schedule as it grows over the coming seasons.  There are several other new initiatives in the works, and we cannot wait until the time is right to tell you about them.

As these new initiatives begin to take a step out of the theoretical and into the realm of the possible, we recognize the need to grow our organizational family.  In the past year we have added a new Director of Development, two assistant development directors, a marketing manager, a technical supervisor, and a casting director.  This is very, very exciting for us.  The new energy, enthusiasm, and expertise that Susan Hammel, David Zoltan, Karl Smith, Jana Liles and Sean Sullivan have brought to the culture of BackStage have made us better at what we do.

So now, I would like to introduce you to the newest member of our family.  In order to account for our continuing growth, we have added the position of Associate Artistic Director to our staff ranks.  It is my pleasure to introduce you to Jen Poulin, our new Associate Artistic Director.

Although, most of you may be more familiar with Jen than you realize.  For the past three seasons, Jen has served quietly but effectively in the background of some our most notable productions.  She began her relationship with us on Aunt Dan & Lemon, where she debuted as stage manager.  Since then, Jen has stage managed our productions of Memory, Three Days of Rain, and will serve as stage manager for A Number and assistant director for A Scent of Flowers.  Jen will also direct the inaugural episode of our Listening Series this fall.   Her enthusiasm, resilience, creativity, integrity and dependability have been essential to our recent successes, and we at BackStage have viewed her as part of the family for quite some time.  I am thrilled to make that relationship official.

So keep your eye out for Jen.  You will most certainly see her around here more.  In fact, her work as director for our Listening Series kicks off our 2011-2012 Season; Faraway, So Close.

Here is a brief bio, in her own words:

Jen is thrilled to join BackStage Theatre Company as Associate Artistic Director. Her journey began with a magical experience stage managing Aunt Dan and Lemon. She also stage managed Memory and Three Days of Rain. This season, Jen will be directing the first piece for The Listening Series, as well as stage managing A Number. Jen recently collaborated with 2nd Story on a solo piece, Cabinalysis, for the Minnesota and Chicago Fringe Fests.  She received her BFA in Theatre with an emphasis in directing from University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign. After graduating, Jen spent several happy years teaching drama, music, and dance to grade school children in the north and southwest suburbs. She has had the pleasure of working with many fine Chicago companies, including Strawdog Theatre Company, Eclipse Theatre Company, WildClaw Theatre, Serendipity Theatre Collective, Steep Theatre Company, Mary Arrchie Theatre Company, and Silk Road Theatre Project. Chicago stage management credits include Eclipse Theatre, Theatre Mir, Mary Arrchie Theatre Company, Rasaka Theatre Company, WildClaw Theatre, and Silk Road Theatre Project. She holds a BFA in Theatre Studies from University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign.

Welcome Jen!

Dear Friends,

These past months have been exciting ones bringing in new talent to BackStage Theatre Company. In particular, we are very fortunate, and I am overjoyed to announce, that we have a new BackStage Development Director, Celene Mielcarek.

As of this summer 2011, Celene has joined our BackStage family, filling the very big shoes that our outgoing Development Director (and BackStage Theatre Company founder) Amy Monday has left. Celene is currently a Project Associate at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Amongst her many duties there, she leads fundraising efforts for the CSO Women’s Board’s signature fundraising event and Annual Fund. A graduate of Marquette University in Milwaukee, Celene is also pursuing a Masters in Public Administration at DePaul.

As Celene told us, “I’m thrilled to be joining such a dynamic group of individuals so deeply committed to intimate theatre and powerful productions. Our BackStage family has such a dedicated group of supporters, and I am looking forward to meeting each of you in the coming season!”

Welcome to BackStage, Celene!