Chicago (northwest suburbs, for those actually from there) native Shaunessy Quinn received his BFA in Theater Directing from Millikin University.
He works as a freelance background casting director for Rich King Casting where he has worked on such films as "The Fighter", "Sympathy For Delicious", "Hesher", "Jewtopia," and many more. (If you are so inclined, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3083897/ that is his IMDB page.) Rich King is one of the nicest background casting directors around and a good friend.
Shaunessy is a freelance director; he directed seven productions at spaces in IL, such as The Theatre Building Chicago, The Beacon Art Gallery and The Found Space Theatre Festival. Most recently he has directed the staged reading of Toll at Your Theater, and is excited to announce the full run to come this summer. Shaunessy directed the staged readings for I Wanna Hold Your Hand and The Pilo Family Circus with the Playwrights Arena’s: New Pages Lab, along with Hassle Free Delivery, Parlour Games, and Feeling Up staged readings at Various Locations around LA. Shaunessy has assistant directed The Sonneteer, Lemon Durang Pie and Equus within the greater LA area, and is lined up to assistant direct Helen at the Getty Villa this fall.
He is also a freelance stage manager, and is currently a technical and event coordinator for the LAGLC's Renberg and Davidson Valentini Theaters where he stage manages and assistant directs the majority of their plays (Currently Production Stage Manager and Assistant Director for "Deathtrap" in the Davidson Valentini Theater.) Past Stage Manager credits include, but are certainly not limited to: the west coast premiere of Why Torture is Wrong and the People Who Love Them by Christopher Durang, the 25th anniversary of The Normal Heart at the Geffen Playhouse, Stones In His Pockets at the Zephyr Theater, Freak Machine (monthly) with Circle X, There Comes A Time, Paved Paradise, and Pride Comedy Jam in the Renberg Theater, and Girls Talk at the Marilyn Monroe Theater.
He is currently a director for Flash Theater LA through the Playwrights Arena and is directing two Flash Pieces this year, one in June and one in October.
Shaunessy is an Associate Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society aka the SDC.
There has only been one problem that I have been thinking about since immediately after the performance of LoveSick, and that was; “how do I possibly describe this production?” Put quite simply, I can not.
You’ll just have to go see it.
LoveSick is:
- dark and twisted
-innovative and creative
- beautiful and well crafted
-relatable and emotionally stirring
-and impossible to describe in a way that will do it justice.
Even these pictures, each worth a thousand words, don’t quite sum up what a treat you are in for:
Gabrielle McClinton (Whatserame) and Van Hughes (Johnny) in AMERICAN IDIOT Photo credit: Doug Hamilton
Part of any theatrical project includes the major challenge of sending a message to the audience and having the audience experience an emotional reaction. This challenge for many can be complicated due to the multitude of cultures and generations seeing live theater today. For many, they have to choose which culture/generation they are going to attempt to reach. American idiot does what few productions are able to do. They successfully send different messages to the audience based upon their own personal life experiences, in such a way that everyone, no matter the culture/generation finds a way to relate to, and take something away from, the production.
Different generations of theatergoers walk away from the play experiencing different reactions from personal direct similarities to the three main story lines, to having friends that experienced those things, to having children or parents that went through those trials. Whether or not we are about to experience, are currently experiencing, have experienced, or have simply viewed other people experiencing things similar to the plot lines, the emotional reactions caused by American Idiot are substantial. They tend to linger to the extent that, as time passes and the audience member dwells on the experience, the love and understanding for this great production grows. Whether or not you are a green day fan or not, this show has something for everyone. There is only one person I have met that didn’t ‘get it,’ and ironically it is a theatre person that is trying to relate to the ‘young people’ today, something we talked about before here.
Some people I’ve spoken with that have yet to see American Idiot tend to think the show is just a tribute to Green Day. It is not. The show takes the music from Green Day’s ‘American Idiot’ album, which already has a kind of story, fills in the holes, and presents a musical with full and rich plot lines onto the stage. In this way, whether or not you are a fan of Green Day, you will still be able to enjoy this musical. American Idiot is truly a great theatrical experience in every aspect. If you have not gone yet, see the national tour of American Idiot at The Ahmanson Theatre, or where ever you can.
For the normal person audience member:
If money is tight, you have a few options, we went there at about 5:30pm and signed up for the lottery, you fill out a form, and at 6pm they announce the winners. The winners get $30 tickets for the first and second rows of the theatre. If you go on a slower day, like a Tuesday like we did, everyone that signed up for the lottery won. If you for some reason don’t win you can ask the box office to purchase Hot Tix. Hot Tix are $20 last minute tickets, generally seated in the balcony. Not great seats, but who’s complaining since they were $20. The $30 lottery is definitely the way to experience this show so you can see the plethora of details that make this production the success that it is. (You could also attempt to get goldstar tickets ahead of time here.) I know I know, you are thinking, “but if we go out to see a show at Center Theater Group there is no place for cheap food or drinks anywhere near there!”
Let me just say, oh ye of little faith, would we ever do that to you?
We have finally found an amazing solution to this. The restaurant is McCormick & Schmick’s and they have happy hour Mon-Fri from 3pm-10pm. What does this mean for you? $3.95 ½ lb cheeseburgers. Which was one of the best cheeseburgers I’ve had in some time, and I’m from the Midwest! That, along with $3.50 14 oz. draft beers, a good selection I might add, makes this the perfect pre-show drinking hole. Here is their happy hour menu.
We had just enough time to win the lottery, run to McCormick and Schmicks, order and eat a 4-buck awesome cheeseburger and fries, down a Sam Adams and a whiskey and head back to the theater just in time to sit down and enjoy an amazing show! No more overpriced theater drinks for you, now you know the secret… shhhhhh…. Don’t tell too many people, or everyone might actually enjoy himself or herself without breaking the bank.
One more thing I want to mention, American Idiot is also participating in “Broadway Cares” Which is a charity that awards grants to AIDS service organizations nationwide. As a man who has ridden in AIDS Lifecycle, (which is still looking for more riders this year, BTW) I am all about the cause. PLUS if you donate $40, you get a window card (some refer to them as posters) signed by the whole cast! A normal, unsigned, window card generally goes for around $20 bucks. So if you shell out $40 clams, then you get to help an amazing organization fight AIDS, as well as walk home with a great souvenir. It’s a win win!
I know that we generally write about the Los Angeles Theater community, however the City of Chicago is scheduled to lay off the entire staff of the DCA Storefront Theater (Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events) on June 30th. Storefront theater can be compared to 99-seat theater’s here in LA. The space is funded by the city, yes, but in that way it is able to provide those companies with a free venue, front of house staff, and marketing. It is a place for artists to do art without having to worry about the funding. If only such a place existed here in LA. Smaller companies who don’t pay their actors much (ahem, 99-seat theater) get to produce work that otherwise would not be able to be produced. This is a space that provides artist a place to do art. It’s not about making a profit, it’s all about the art, and they are making that road a bumpy ride by getting rid of a competent staff that loves their work, and I’m sure the DCA staff isn’t getting rich off of working there either. I’m sure we can all relate to the staff there as well as the companies and artists producing work in that venue.
When I asked my good friend Mikey Laird, Artistic Director of Nothing Special Productions in Chicago, IL what he knew about this issue he said, “Basically, due to the city dissolving/merging departments that concern art and culture, a city funded theatre, called the DCA (Department of Cultural Affairs, which was merged last year) Storefront Theater is being laid off because of governmental policies on hiring. Essentially, the programs have to have their staff cleared out in order to prevent any sort of nepotism or favoritism. Which makes sense, but honestly, this is just some horseshit. the staff of the theater had no say in the decision to merge these departments, and when you have a dedicated staff for a theater, you don’t just dump them and start from scratch. It’s extremely difficult to find a balanced staff that can do their jobs well, and I’ve only ever heard good things about their staff and had positive interactions with that theater. It’s silly to me: not only are you disrupting these people’s lives by laying them off, but you’re bound to disrupt the work that’s contracted to go up at the theater. There won’t be a staff there to support them, and the folks in charge will be tied up hiring and familiarizing new staff.” Well put Mikey.
I then told him that I loved interviewing him because I only had to ask him one question and he replied with, “Hey man, I’ll talk about theatre endlessly any time.” My kind of folk. I think he is your kind of folk too, so you should probably sign the petition.
This is important, not just to the City of Chicago, but to the nations theater scene as a whole. Chicago has an amazing theater community, that does great work out of sheer passion. They do some of the best work in the country, and nurture up and coming plays, theater companies, and theater artists. It is vital to all of us to allow this theater community to continue to thrive and function. Chicago based playwright, Jeff Helgeson, on the Change.org petition comments section said, “Chicago’s “Off Loop”/storefront theatre movement beginning in the early 1970′s has vitalized the Chicago community and created such institutations as The Steppenwolf, Organic, and Victory Gardens theatres. The acknowledgement and support for this significant, grass roots movement that is demonstrated by the downtown Storefront Theatre is something which the city, in its efforts to vitalize the arts community in Chicago, should actively seek to sustain.” Allison Amidei, Artistic Director of WildClaw Theatre posted in the Time Out Chicago article (where you can find more information on this issue) in the comments section, “My theatre, Wildclaw, is slated to produce in the fall and we are just sick thinking about making our show happen without the wonderful DCA Staff…Jim and Nate especially…who were so wonderful when we did Carmilla in January 2011. This program has been crucial to the growth and success of small theatre companies like mine and these wonderful people are a BIG part of why the DCA Storefront is an integral part of the Chicago cultural scene.”
There are many more comments on the Change.org petition that are relatable to any theater practitioner in any part of the country, check them out and support your fellow theater artists!
Now is the time to come together, sign the petition here to help save the Chicago Storefront Theater!
[Blank]ing is a time honored theatrical tradition. Here are some memorable quotes from plays through the ages… including a hell of a lot of Shakespeare… he’s [Blank]ing dirty!
[Blank] in:
Williams Shakespeare’s As you like It
“That her [Blank]s may henceforth be bestowed equally.”
“Hereafter, in a better world than this, I shall desire more [Blank] and [Blank] of you.”
“My pride fell with my [Blank].”
“O, how full of [Blank] is this working-day world!”
“[Blank] on, you fat and greasy citizens.”
“I can suck [Blank] out of a [Blank] as a weasel sucks eggs.”
“Blow, blow, thou [Blank]er [Blank]! Thou art not so unkind As man’s [Blank].”
“[Blank] me in one word.”
“I do desire we may be better [Blank]ers.”
“I am not a slut, though I thank the gods I am [Blank].”
Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia
“It’s the wanting to [Blank] that makes us matter.”
William Shakespeare’s All’s Well That End’s Well
“Oft [Blank] fails, and most oft there Where most it promises.”
“It is like a [Blank]er’s [Blank] that fits all buttocks.”
“They say miracles are [Blank].”
“A young man married is a man that’s [Blank].”
“Make the coming [Blank] o’erflow with joy, And pleasure drown the brim.”
William Shakespeare’s,Antony and Cleopatra
“I love long [Blank] better than figs.”
“The nature of bad [Blank] infects the [Blank].”
“There’s a great [Blank] gone!”
“[Blank] was in our lips and yes, Bliss in our [Blank] bent.”
“Give me to drink [Blank] That I might sleep this out this great gap of [Blank]…”
“Where ‘s my serpent of old [Blank]?”
“I do not much dislike the [Blank], but The manner of his [Blank].”
“I [Blank]ed him out of patience; and that night I [Blank]ed him into patience; and next morn, Ere the ninth hour, I drunk him to his bed.”
“It is shaped, sir, like itself; and it is as broad as it hath breadth: it is just so high as it is, and moves with its own organs: it lives by that which nourisheth it; and the elements once out of it, it transmigrates.” – This quote didn’t need any [Blank]!
“O! my [Blank]s have Corrupted honest men.”
Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
“Just staying on it, I [Blank], as long as she can…”
“Silence about a [Blank] just magnifies it.”
“You can be young without [Blank], but you can’t be old without it.”
“[Blank] is important. There’s nothing else to hold on onto.”
“[Blank] just outran me, Big Daddy, got there first…”
Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard
“My mistress has come home; at last I’ve seen her. Now I’m ready to [Blank].”
“My love is like a [Blank] tied round my neck; it’s dragging me down to the [Blank]; I love my [Blank]. I can’t live without it.”
Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac
“He’s famous for his long–[Blank].”
“My [Blank] is Gargantuan! You little Pig-[Blank], you tiny Monkey-[Blank], you virtually invisible Pekinese-[Blank], don’t you realize that a [Blank] like mine is both scepter and orb, a monument to me superiority? A great [Blank] is the banner of a great man, a generous heart, a towering spirit, an expansive soul.”
“My [Blank] is more polished than your mustache”
“You’re a genuinely good [Blank]. There aren’t many of you left.”
“Yes, it is perfect. Your white [Blank]…”
“God’s whiskers! Your [Blank] is hideous as the demon’s in my storybook!”
Just to end on an overused phrase:
William Shakespeare’s,Hamlet
“To [Blank] or not to [Blank], that is the question.”
Fill In The Blank
In the future, we are going to post some quotes from plays we review, formatted like these quotes, and whoever can come up with some of the most creative responses will win some cool stuff! Keep a look out at a [Blank] near you!
If you feel inspired from any of our quotes, feel free to send us your creative responses.
We’re glad we were able to make your day a little bit brighter and able to feel a pleasant emotion, please allow us to continue to do so.
Whether you picked up the smile because you were having a bad day, or a good day, because you’re lonely, or surrounded by friends, or because you were hungry and wanted to eat the piece of paper, we are glad that you did and that you made your way to our site.
We review plays. I know I know, you’re not ‘a theater person.’ That’s where we come in, and why we are here!
Allow us to tell you why you should go see a play:
1-We go to the plays and tell you if they are worth seeing so you don’t have to take the risk of seeing one of the bad ones.
2-We bet you will experience more emotions, similar to the emotion you had when you found the smile.
3-You may just interact with people, in a live setting, crazy and rare… we know…
4-If you are lonely, you might make a new friend, if you are surrounded by friends, you will have something to talk about.
5-If you are hungry, we will tell you what close by is good to eat.
6-If you are having a good or bad day, we can recommend plays that will either enhance or contradict those feelings.
7- We will even tell you where the good seats are AND if they serve ALCOHOL! WIN!
With any luck, someone else will see your smiling face at the play and they will say this:
We hope you come back and visit us often and share your smiles with us if you see us in person, we’d be glad to return the favor. Whether or not you go see a play, we hope you will keep smiling, because you never know who will see it. After all, smiles are contageous.
Feel free to leave a Comment Here with anything that will make us smile or if you know of a place that would like some smiles.
-Shaunessy and LL
[Blank] the Audience
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I went to see “Our Town” based on a few friends’ suggestions; they had seen it in Chicago/New York and praised it highly. Playwright Joel Kim Booster said, “See it see it see it. Cromer is a goddamn genius, and this show is pretty great.” Another friend, director Derek Bertelsen said, “Do see it! I saw it in NY and it’s the best thing I’ve ever seen. And I hate everything.” After reading a few reviews that mirrored these opinions I went to see it this evening.
I enjoyed Helen Hunt’s portrayal of the Stage Manager in a contemporary setting and how interactive she was with the audience. I also enjoyed the lighting design. The fixtures effectively created the atmosphere of an assembly hall in school. I have seen better George and Emily monologues, particularly the monologue when George is expressing his feelings for Emily, and Emily’s final monologue. This could have something to do with the fact that every theater student who attends Millikin University (where I attended), no matter what the major, has to perform these monologues. So lets just say that I am an audience member with some expectations as I have seen some terrible versions of these monologues, and some excellent ones. James McMenamin’s delivery of George’s monologue was very relatable. We could feel his uncomfortable vibe and everyone in the audience was smiling with reminiscent thoughts. All in all actor James McMenamin did a terrific job. In general, Jennifer Grace did a good job with Emily, but the ending Emily monologue delivery was only about average. That monologue has the potential to be a very powerful piece, but my emotional response to it was minimal. The ending set choice saved the show for me.
David Cromer’s staging was clever, interactive, and the ending set reveal, though predictable, was a great spectacle. Rather than appearing from behind a simple black curtain, a more interesting choice could have been made. The base of the idea, however, was both logical and unique. So logical, that I can’t believe the ending hasn’t been done like that before. I commend Cromer for that and can see how my friends had the reaction and recommendations they had. All in all I enjoyed the show as well, but an extra burst of emotion at the ending would have made my night.
The tickets are a bit on the expensive side, so if you do go, make sure you shell out just a little bit more to sit in the main area and NOT in the balcony or ‘Level B.’ Speaking with someone during the show who switched seats at the first intermission, (he saw an open seat) he said it was a completely different experience and way more enjoyable. I spent $80 bucks on my ticket, and that was with a discount, I was sitting in ‘Level A’, which were great seats. The ‘Premiere’ seats are the best, considerably more expensive, but you sit directly on the stage, so that’s neat.
Poor Beck, by Joanna Laurens, is a post-apocalyptic retelling of the Greek fable of Myrrha, which is based on Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Joanna Laurens is an English playwright working for the Royal Shakespeare Company; her work is deeply influenced by both her position within the RSC and the post-colonial society in which she resides. Poor Beck is a true exploration of the boundaries of human existence and love in the most extreme of circumstances. It is a tale of pain and betrayal as well as the hope of humanity and survival. It is a tale of sight, both being able to see what has happened to the characters, and being unable and unwilling to see what is currently happening and what is still to come. In a time of politics and war it is difficult to see what truth is and what is fiction based upon what is told to us by political figures as the head of the population, which is a main theme within Poor Beck. Often times they are told things with proof, and an expert (Poor Beck the character) to support it, that ends up being the population’s ruin when it would be easy to use their common sense to see that these things aren’t going to come to pass, even if they want them to. It is often the want that blinds them from seeing the truth. It is important to emphasize the political themes within Poor Beck, in addition to the humanistic survival and sexual themes, and these can be emphasized by the addition and adaptation of the Greek chorus and the many functions its performance provides as well as the addition to live oboe as opposed to the Greek flute. The Greek chorus’ performance can create a link between the characters’ dialogue and the emotion and drama they are portraying in a way that is visually pleasing to the audience. They can also serve as a populous within the script, make certain spectacle/theatrical devices and effects possible, serve as a character within themselves, as well as serve as a metaphor for some of the primary characters. Instead of trying to recreate a traditional Greek chorus they should be adapted in such a way that it will be applicable to today’s audience, be able to be used in conjunction with current theatrical technology, as well as serve some of the functions of the traditional Greek chorus; this will enable the chorus to be able to grow and become its own unique entity fit for the contemporary stage.
“The most conspicuous element of Greek tragedy, the Chorus, was not a conscious invention of the Greek artistic genius. The Chorus was simply there from the beginning, whenever or wherever the beginning is placed, and it always had to be there, even though its presence might be something of a nuisance. At their best the poets made of it a superb dramatic instrument. With the accompaniment of music and dance, it made possible grand operatic effects that we can scarcely appreciate in reading and never reproduce exactly, since Greek music and choreography is lost. Beyond such effects, the poets made various uses of the Chorus, to relieve, amplify, intensify, or complicate their drama—and to mislead simple readers, who habitually look to it for the “moral” of the tragedy” (Muller, 41). Muller, has it exactly correct, the Poor Beck Chorus was used as a dramatic instrument that creates grand theatrical effects as well as intensifies certain scenes. `The Classical Greek pieces of theatre had certain theatrical devices that they used to attain the affects they wished; such as a Greek chorus. “The Chorus was the bond between the lyric and dramatic elements: having connection with the dramatic plot as the hero’s confidants, and taking part (through their Coryphæus or Leader) in the dialogue of the episodes, while the lyric parts they had wholly to themselves” (Moulton, 65-66). The chorus will still maintain the bond between the lyric and dramatic elements, but they will do so through modern dance (as illustrated in photograph A). For this reason the Greek chorus for Poor Beck was referred to as “the Poor Beck swim team;” for they are not an exact recreation of a Greek chorus, which would be impossible, but a modernized version of one without the use of verbal language, purely physical. This is not an unheard of philosophy for the use of a Greek Chorus: “The centre of all the dancing was the coryphaeus, the leader of the chorus; when two semi-choruses acted separately each had its leader. As was natural, choric dancing flourished mightily in the early days, and went down with lyrical performance in general. Thus Phrynichus congratulated himself on having devised ‘as many figures of the dance as are the billows on the sea under a dread night of storm’. Aeschylus too was a brilliant ballet-master” (Norwood, 78).
A
Poor Beck is an ideal script for the addition of a chorus for it is based on a Greek myth, is written with a lyrical quality, and does not have large changes in time or location. “Although the poets knew of no rules about the unities of time and place, they usually observed these unities if only because a chorus of townspeople could not readily be moved about; no single tragedy has a wide-ranging action or a protracted development in time” (Muller, 41).
![Fill In The [Blank]](http://blanktheaudience.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/no-good-deed-contest-b.jpg "Fill In The [Blank]")
