Wet

I've been here nearly two months and have yet to go to the lake. Having spent seven summer right on it, I forgot how much it was attached to my meaning of Chicago. I spent the majority of the afternoon canvasing Lincoln Park and rewarded myself by sinking my feet in the water. Best to take as much advantage of this city before leaving.

The State of Contemporary International Theatre in America

It is my great regret to inform the general public that the most successful New York run of an international production in recent memory is taking a summer hiatus. But not to fear, the Moscow Cats Theater will be back in the fall for a return engagement and then mount a national tour. Finally, the entire country will have the opportunity to bask in the glory of the best Russian work since Chekhov. In an age where all of the plays on Broadway are closing, leaving us with only cotton candy musicals, we can at least take solace in the fact that world drama is alive and well. Meow!

Memorial Day Slump

Well, the weather is beautiful and the bars/restaurants are cleared out. Wherever Midwesterns go to 'get away', they went there. I remember doing Pains of Youth back in '02 during Memorial Day weekend, and that was in a four floor walk up in lower Manhattan with air conditioning we couldn't run during the show because it was so loud. Oh the good ol' days.

It's hard on the actors when they're performing for only a dozen people. They still give it their all, but it's exhausting. We've done what we can do get people in the seats. We went on a bar crawl the other night with postcards. We've offered discounted performances and even gave them away last weekend for the movie shoot. What more can you offer than a free show and then to be in a feature film? The answer is clearly Dancing Girls.

digiddy

DuhVinci Code

OK, so I didn't read the book (I figured anything so popular couldn't be well written), but on my 'night off' I went to see the movie of the DVC. I like Tom Hanks and Amile and Gandolf and Dr. Octopus and the dude married to the Labyrinth chick. So little Richie Opie Ronnie Howard hasn't made a good movie since Splash, but we still love'em. All I gotta ask is: What the hell is all the hubbub about? People are protesting this? Of all the screwed up things the Catholic church has done over the ages, this is what gets joe blow off the couch? For Pete's sake, I'm doing a play about two kids who want to commit suicide. How about spreading some of that controversy my way? No press is bad press.

digiddy

Camera Rolling

Ahhhhhh!

The sense of relief felt after a successful opening. I have been waiting for this feeling for nearly three years. That's how long I've waited to direct this darn play. It's almost not real. Is real even real? We had a wonderful reception afterwards and got to talk with a number of people from all over the world. And the wine the Swiss Consulate donated didn't hurt either.

The actors are really beginning to hit their stride. This play is a 2 person, 90 minute marathon. It's imperitive that they take off like a bullet and set a strong pace. Drama is easy, Comedy is hard.

digiddy

Opening

The moment has arrived. The programs are printed, the screws have been tightened and the actors have actually had a brief chance to catch their breath. We've got a good reservation turn out for tonight. Lord knows they're all showing up for the free wine and cheese, but we'll have an audience. It's a beautiful, warm, sunny day here in Chicago. No reason not to head out this evening. May Dionysus bless us!

digiddy

TecHell

How ironic that all of the technical equipment in a show about 'nature vs. technology' is giving us trouble. We're gonna be able to work it out, but it just reminds me that the more cables you have to hook up, the more complications you're going to face. When it works, it's a wonder of the modern world, but when it fails, it makes you realize how dependent you are on all the bells and whistles. We've got a long day ahead of us, but I'm confident that by tomorrow night's preview we'll have it all running. If everything crashes, the show can still go on. The actors are good enough to do it in the dark if they have to. Let's just hope it doesn't come to that.

digiddy

Countdown

Six days until our first preview, ten till our opening. Martin's been in town for nearly a week now and after two trips to the Home Depot, our monster set is finally taking shape. Richard got up on the nine foot platform last night and almost lost sensation in his feet. Talk about being 'Method'. Guess it doesn't hurt that our actors are a bit afraid of heights. As long as they don't actually fall off the edge or forget their lines being up so high, the effect should really work.

digiddy