8-18-06
Veteran Actress in Bike/Car Battle
E-mails have been buzzing with the news that Adrianne Cury was struck by a car on Aug. 1. Cury, who was in Oak Park Festival Theatre’s production of Picnic, was riding from her home in Oak Park to the theatre on her bicycle when she was struck. She had a compound fracture of her right leg in two places. As of press time, she’s had four surgeries at Loyola Medical Center in Maywood (presumably nowhere near Cardinal Frances George’s rooms).
Cury will miss a lot of work and have a lot of medical bills. To help defray those expenses, Actors Studio Chicago is holding a benefit for her on Aug. 25, at the studio (10 W. Hubbard). Rachael Patterson said there will be free Goose Island beer, and a raffle with prizes such as a free class at Acting Studio Chicago, lunch and career consultation with casting director Mickie Paskal (now THAT would be fun) and other great prizes. The benefit will begin at 4 p.m. with a $10 minimum suggested donation. Raffle tickets are $5 each. Call the Acting Studio at 312/527-4566 for more info.
While Cury is in the hospital, the Picnic has gone on. The Aug. 1 show was cancelled due to the accident, but Cury’s understudy, Katherine Keberlein, showed up at the theatre at 8:30 p.m., script in hand, having only seen the show once, and did a read-through with the cast. The next night, when a rain-out gave the cast a chance to have a put-in rehearsal, Keberlein was totally off book, according to director Kevin Theis. “I cannot exaggerate my awe at her ability to cram all those lines in her head VERBATIM in such a short amount of time,” said Theis. “Plus, I might add, she was also able to PERFORM the role, which makes it all the more staggering.” Keberlein will stay in the production till Aug. 19, when the show is scheduled to close.
“Whatever debt we had has been retired,” announced League of Chicago Theatres board president Roche Schulfer at the group’s annual meeting earlier this month. A deal was made with Kelvyn Press, which was owed the bulk of the money, but both sides agreed to not disclose the details. Kelvyn printed ChicagoPlays, which ceased operations last month (PerformInk, June 23). The printer also put out the League guide, which is being done in-house until new executive director Lyle Allen can find a printing partner.
The League is looking into online ticketing, but Schulfer stressed that could be a two or more year undertaking. “In the meantime,” said Schulfer, “we get Hot Tix online.”
Wallace Smith, longtime executive director of the Illinois Theatre Alliance (ITA), is stepping down after 30 years of bringing mostly educational theatre artists together. Smith is temporarily being replaced by former Jeff Committee chair Jerry Proffit, who was also a president of the ITA board. Proffit will helm a search committee to replace Smith, known to all as “Wally.” The transition comes at a pivotal time for the ITA. The group’s Oct. 8 convention will look at reinventing the organization.
“It’s still a very strong organization,” said Proffit, adding that Wally was planning to leave next year, but the recent fire at the Theatre Building (which started in the ITA offices), was a catalyst to making the transition earlier.
American Girl actors in New York have gone back to work after a two-day walkout over what they say were penalties for wanting to join Actors’ Equity (PerformInk, Aug. 4). Equity filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on Aug. 7 requesting that an election be held that would allow American Girl actors to vote on whether they want to unionize or not. As a result of the petition, an NLRB-mandated conference was scheduled for Aug. 15, at which American Girl and Equity will attempt to agree upon which actors would be eligible to vote. The Equity petition was filed just four days after American Girl said that they felt the best way to resolve the unionization issue was via a secret ballot election conducted by the NLRB.
Actors’ Equity spokesperson Maria Somma, however, said that the election could come too late.
”Most of [the actors’] contracts are up in September, so their contracts could, in fact, not be renewed,” Somma said. “That’s one of the tactics that has happened in other industries where contracts are not renewed until much later, so the people who would be voting have left the firm. This is a common scenario. So the union would be forced to start over again. But we’re hoping American Girl doesn’t put in place any delays.”
As we were going to press, we got word that Apple Tree Theatre is officially moving to the Karger Center in Highland Park. The Karger Center, at 1850 Green Bay Rd., is two blocks away from the current location at 595 Elm Place. Apple Tree director of marketing, Cheryle Caplinger, points out that it’s a mere 482 steps. Probably a few less for taller people with longer strides.
The Apple Tree move is temporary. The city of Highland Park “has allowed the use of the [center] for two years while Apple Tree plans for a new, permanent location,” according to the release sent by Caplinger. But Apple Tree was in the midst of moving and no one could return photos calls by press time as to how much the city is charging them for the Karger Center, or where this new permanent location might be. Look for a story in the Sept. 1 issue.
Meanwhile, because of the move and renovation of the Karger Center to accomodate a theatre, the Apple Tree season will be starting later. Mountain, by Douglas Scott, opens in November.
Season of Concern wants Chicago theatre folk to know that the AIDS Walk/Run is coming up, and this year 75 percent of the money pledged for Season of Concern walkers or runners will go back to the organization. The event will be on Sept. 16 at Grant Park. To join the walk or 5k run, call Season of Concern at 312/332-0518 or go to www.aidsrunwalk.org, fill out the new participant registration, then click “join an existing team” to walk with Season of Concern. SOC also gets $15 of the $20 registration fee.
And, just a note that the terrorists have won, at least on a musical theatre level. Legendary lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman were scheduled to appear at the ASCAP songwriting workshop at Northwestern last weekend. But, because of the terrorist threats, they decided to stay in Los Angeles.