COYDOG closes, more on the way

COYDOG had a great run in the Rhino Fest.  Thanks to everyone who came out to see COYDOG, along with Jessica Wright’s Under Ground, we were fortunate to sell out every show!

Remount?  Hmm…

In other news, the last two Saturdays, THE BODY SNATCHER and BREWED had stellar readings at Chicago Dramatists.  Stay tuned for more on these plays, there was a lot of excitement surrounding both, so I’m hopeful each will find a home.

And there’s the acting. The (edward) Hopper Project (not to mention Nighthawk Sandwich) is still running at the DCA.  We have 2 more weekends, so come check us out.

Then, it’s on to Legion…

COYDOG nearly sold out for closing

UPDATE, 12:14pm: Coydog/Under Ground is now officially SOLD OUT.  Thanks everybody!  Please check out some other Rhino shows, a full schedule can be found at RhinoFest.com, the festival runs through Valentine’s Day, with a special closing night Vaudeville hosted by Jenny Magnus, 2/14 at 7pm.  ElvisBride, Crooked Mouth String Band, Vernon Tonges, and many more theatrical and musical delights.

The Chicago Reader had this to say about COYDOG:

“…a smart, buoyant, compassionate exercise in the Mojave Cracked genre epitomized by Sam Shepard’s True West——not to mention The Hills Have Eyes——about three young women marooned in the desert with a nice old lady who may be criminally insane.”
~ Tony Adler

I love that The Hills Have Eyes was referenced in a review of one of my shows.  I just love that.

At the time of this update, there are 4 tickets remaining for this Monday’s closing performance of COYDOG, along with Tooth and Nail Ensemble’s Under Ground, at the Rhinoceros Theater Festival. If you want to snag one of them, visit Brown Paper tickets via RhinoFest.com. Thanks to everyone who has come and helped us sell out every show, your support is greatly, greatly appreciated!

COYDOG at Rhino Fest

COYDOG is up and running in the Rhino Fest, paired with Under Ground by Jessica Wright.  You can catch it the next two weeks, February 1 and February 8, 7 pm at the Prop Thtr, 3502 N Elston.

Go to Rhinofest.com and reserve your seats.  We were sold out on Monday and already filling up for next Monday!

Hopper is OPEN

The (edward) Hopper Project opened on Friday. I’m thrilled to be a part of this cast and looking forward to a great run. Come check us out, go to WNEPTheater.org or DCATheater.org for more info.

Me and Erin Orr in The (edward) Hopper Project
Photo by John Sisson

Projects for 2010

Happy New Year!  The Steelers have missed the playoffs, but 2010 still looks bright and promises to be busy in the best way.  Here’s what’s on the calendar so far:

UPCOMING WRITING PROJECTS

COYDOG – At Prop Thtr, 3502 N Elston Ave (part of the Rhino Fest)
Mondays Jan 25-Feb 8, 7 pm

THE BODY SNATCHER – reading at Chicago Dramatists Saturday Series, 1105 W Chicago Ave
Saturday, January 30, 2 pm (part of New Resident Showcase)

BREWED – reading at Chicago Dramatists Saturday Series, 1105 W Chicago Ave
Saturday, February 6, 2 pm

JET BLACK CHEVROLET – to be produced by Curious Theatre Branch
Space TBA, Fall/Winter 2010

Other playwriting/screenwriting projects in the works…

***

UPCOMING ACTING WORK

The (edward) Hopper Project – WNEP Theater
Thurs-Sat at 7:30, Sun at 3
January 15 – February 21, no show 2/12
DCA Storefront Theater, 66 E Randolph St
(Wednesday nights during the run I’m directing a scene for the Nighthawk Sandwich series)

Legion – WildClaw Theatre
Thurs-Sat at 7:30, Sun at 3
March 15 – April 18
Viaduct Theatre, 3111 N Western Ave

4 degrees of Brad Dourif!

Head on over to WildClaw’s Blood Radio blog for a look at how closely linked my career is with Brad Dourif’s!  (I mean, we’re pretty close…) Check out some of the other recent activity on Blood Radio while you’re at it.

This spring I’ll be playing “Sunlight” in WildClaw’s production of William Peter Blatty’s Legion.  Sunlight is the character Brad Dourif originated in the 1990 film The Exorcist III (in tandem with Jason Miller).  Big shoes to fill, certainly, but I’m really excited for the challenge.  Brad Dourif is a favorite actor of mine, so I’m pretty thrilled to be playing a character he once played.

EP Holiday Show

A 10-minute play of mine, called HOLIDAY PARADE, will be featured as part of EP Theater’s Holiday Special. AJ Ware directs Craig Cunningham and a kickass supporting cast of Ruth Bistrow, Wayne Brumgart, and Sierra Dufault.

The Second Annual Holiday Special
December 7th-21st

LIMITED ENGAGEMENT: 9 SHOWS ONLY!

EP presents, along with Jackalope Theatre Company, 3 new short holiday comedies written by Shawn Pfautsch, Scott T. Barsotti, and Andrew Swanson. A different musical act each night playing both original and holiday tunes. Check out EPTheater.com for more information including a lineup of the musical guests.

Mondays, Industry Night, $10 for service & entertainment industry

Thursdays – Saturdays, $15 (Complimentary Holiday Beverages and Treats)

RSVP by calling 312.850.4299 or emailing info@eptheater.com

COYDOG at RhinoFest and Nighthawk Sandwich

Check out these projects I’ve got happening on off-nights early in 2010.

There’s one I wrote:

COYDOG
part of the 21st annual RhinoFest
Directed by Kate Brown
Featuring Casey Cunningham, Nora Fiffer, Melissa Riemer, and Kimberly Wiczer
Mondays at 7 PM, January 25, February 1 & 8
Prop Thtr, 3502 N Elston Ave, Chicago
$15 or pay-what-you-can
(double-bill with Underground by Jessica Wright)

And one I’m directing:

Summer Evening
by Joe Janes
part of WNEP Theater’s “Nighthawk Sandwich”
in conjunction with The (edward) Hopper Project
Featuring Casey Cunningham, Ethan Dubin, Troy Martin, Rakisha Pollard, Debbie Safeblade, and Thomas Whittington
Wednesdays at 7:30, 1/20 – 2/17
DCA Storefront Theater, 66 E Randolph St, Chicago
Cheap!  $10 I believe.  And a free party afterwards hosted by the City of Chicago Dept. of Cultural Affairs!

Come see!

WNEP Theater and The (edward) Hopper Project

I was recently cast in WNEP Theater’s next production, which is titled The (edward) Hopper Project, and will be directed by the AWG himself, Don Hall.  Performances will take place at the DCA Storefront Theater, 66 E Randolph in downtown Chicago.

There’s lots more info about the project and how it came into existence over at WNEP’s website, so I won’t go too much into detail here, except that 9 writers in the WNEP family (Mary Jo Bolduc, Jen Ellison, Bob Fisher, Tom Flanigan, Don Hall, Merrie Greenfield, Joe Janes, Cholley Kuhaneck, and Rebecca Langguth) wrote pieces inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper.  The result is a lovely, episodic script about brief encounters, long-awaited reunions, missing pieces, and burning subtext.  The kinds of moments whose importance can’t be known until days, months, years later.  Or, as I phrased it at an early reading: “This is life, as you missed it.”  (I don’t even really know what that means, but I thought it sounded apt somehow.)

WNEP Theater presents:

The (edward) Hopper Project

Written by
Mary Jo Bolduc, Jen Ellison, Bob Fisher, Tom Flanigan, Don Hall,
Merrie Greenfield, Joe Janes, Cholley Kuhaneck, Rebecca Langguth

Inspired by the Paintings of Edward Hopper

Directed by Don Hall

January 15 – February 21
Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.; Sundays at 3 p.m.
(No performance on Friday, February 12, due to the holiday)
Storefront Theater, 66 E. Randolph Street
Tickets: $20 general admission; $15 for seniors and students

www.dcatheater.org or (312) 742-TIXS (8497)

Photo: Mary Jo Bolduc and Erin Orr

Exploring the genre of Fear – F News

I was recently given a profile in F Newsmagazine, a student pub at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Many thanks to Rita DeAngelo for a thoughtful and well-written article!

“More than comedy or drama, Barsotti explained, the fear genre is transcultural. Everyone is afraid of the unknown, the supernatural, the Other. As he sees it, decent horror is viscerally frightening, good horror is psychologically frightening, and great horror is both. By creating relatable scenarios, Barsotti’s horror is heightened. The audience members then can associate with it, recalling fears and projecting them onto what they are watching unfold. In this way, the viewers fill the unanswered with their own thoughts, inciting fear in a more personal way.” Read full article