8-4-06
City Lit Ends Year in Black House
For the second year in a row, long-troubled City Lit Theater Company has finished its fiscal year in the black. The modest surplus in 2004-2005 was due to a one-time gift from playwright/screenwriter John Logan that erased the troupe’s deficit; a tribute to director Terry McCabe, Logan’s old friend, who took over as City Lit artistic director in early 2005. But this year’s small surplus is due to the success of the troupe under McCabe and business manager Brian Pastor. Hired in February 2005, Pastor was promoted to City Lit managing director as of July 1.
The 26-year-old non-Equity troupe operated in 2005-2006 on a tiny budget of under $80,000, finishing with surplus of almost $7,000 on income of $85,000. The company cut annual expenses by 14 percent, increased subscribership by 20 percent and foundation support by 33 percent. While still operating very close to the bone, obviously, City Lit nonetheless has announced an expanded, four-play season for 2006-2007 and definitely expects to attract some attention. The season opens Sept. 25-Nov. 5 with a world premiere adaptation by Frank Galati of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, to be directed by Sheldon Patinkin.
Speaking of Frank Galati, now that the good doctor has retired from his Northwestern University professorship, and set up house in Florida, he’s leading quite a relaxed and leisurely life. This fall, he stages the Broadway try-out of The Pirate Queen, a multi-million dollar musical spectacle, at the Cadillac Palace Theatre. Then he directs his own co-adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Snow Queen at the new Victory Gardens Theater (Dec. 1-Jan. 7). And then he directs his own world premiere play, Oedipus Complex, blending Sophocles and Freud, at the Goodman Theatre in the spring, shortly after The Pirate Queen opens in New York.
But other than that, Frankie doesn’t have a thing to do.
City Lit isn’t the only small troupe in town on a roll. CollaborAction, celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2006, has offered its first-ever subscription season this year, beginning with its recent world premiere of Bob McEwen’s The Pull Toy (and his Paisan) at Chicago Dramatists. The season continues with Sketchbook 6, August 10-27 at Chopin. The highlight for CollaborAction will be the season finale, a November production of Trueblinka by Adam Rapp, who also will direct.
Everyone knows where Chicago actors go in the summertime: they go to Door County, Wisc. and spend the warm months with the Peninsula Players. By last count, some 3,652 Jeff Award-winning actors were up there. But award-winning Chicago directors also get away for the summer, although to more classical havens. In recent years, American Players Theatre (APT) in Spring Green, Wisc. and the Utah Shakespearean Festival (USF) have become the summer directorial gigs of choice. At APT, William Brown staged Wilder’s The Matchmaker (opened June 17) and Remy Bumppo’s James Bohnen is staging Arms and the Man (opens August 12). USF boasts Kate Buckley’s production of The Merry Wives of Windsor and J. R. Sullivan’s Hamlet and The Merchant of Venice. Directors Peter Amster and Ina Marlowe also are veterans of the venues, although not this season.
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has selected Bill O’Brien as the new director of the Theater and Musical Theater program. O’Brien is the managing director and producer of Deaf West Theater in North Hollywood, CA, and will join the NEA on Sept. 5. With Deaf West Theater, O’Brien has been a lead producer in co-productions with Roundabout Theatre Company in New York and Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles. He received a Tony Award nomination in 2005 for a deaf-integrated production of the musical Big River-The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Also an actor, O’Brien appeared from time to time on NBC’s West Wing (playing Marlee Matlin’s interpreter).
Persnickety: The Good Book tells us, a) to destroy all our enemies perceived or actual (or so our president seems to believe), and b) that “He who troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind…” We’re not sure what the outcome will be either for our nation or for the House Theatre of Chicago, but the House-sitters have sent out a very particular request to the press about calling them names. They have asked to be referred to in print only as The House Theatre of Chicago “or the approved abbreviation, The House.” Calling them House, or House Theatre or even The House Theatre are verboten. Perhaps La Maison (that’s their approved abbreviation in French) should recall what Oscar Wilde wrote: “There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.” Perhaps when they do an adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne, we can call them The House of the Seven Gables? Or maybe when The Saints refuse to cater to their whims, we can write about The Fall of The House of Ushers? Since pride goeth before a fall, perhaps they will end up like Tennessee Williams’ final play, A House Not Meant to Stand.
Steve Hickson’s Single Box Turn Productions has taken its original show Band Geeks: A Halftime Musical to the 10th annual New York International Fringe Festival (FringeNYC). Band Geeks was written by Becky Eldridge, Amy Petersen and Andy Eninger. Band Geeks (or to use its approved abbreviation, The House) will play the Lucille Lortel Theatre in Greenwich Village, Aug. 21-26. The show, a hit last season at Live Bait, will be remounted in Chicago Sept. 15-Nov. 4 at Theatre Building Chicago.
Also on the road: 500 Clown is taking 500 Clown Frankenstein to The Acorn Theater, Three Oaks, MI, Aug. 4-6. Say, wasn’t there a 1930s horror movie called The House of Frankenstein?
There will be a memorial service for actor Wayne Brown (Curtain, July 21) on Sunday, Aug. 20 at the Upstairs Theatre of Steppenwolf, 1650 N. Halsted. The service will start at 4 p.m.