Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Industry Ticket Offers

Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls - The Brown Paper Box Co. at the Heartland Studio (7016 N. Glenwood Avenue) is offering $10 industry tickets at the door for all performances through June 16 with headshot and resume or other proof of industry. For more information, see www.brownpaperbox.org.

H.M.S. Pinafore - Light Opera Works at Cahn Auditorium, 600 Emerson in Evanston, is offering half-price industry tickets on June 8 and 14 at 8pm, and June 9 and 12 at 2pm. For tickets call 847-920-5360 or visit www.LightOperaWorks.com and use code "ship." Tickets must be purchased in advance. No door sales.

First Look 101 - Steppenwolf Garage Theatre, 1624 N. Halsted, is offering $45 student tickets ($100 regular ticket price). Sign up now by calling Audience Services at 312-335-1650. First Look 101 takes enrolled participants on a behind-the-scenes journey through all stages of the new play development process—from the first rehearsal to the final performance. Participants will be invited to: • A script reading bootcamp • Discussions with the creative team • A Book club with the Steppenwolf staff • Rehearsals, including first rehearsals and technical rehearsals • Performances of all three First Look plays You can still sign-up to join First Look 101 after it starts on June 1.

The Invasion of Skokie – Presented by ShPIeL Performing Idenity, 5050 W. Church St. in Skokie in the theatre at the Meyer Kaplan Jewish Community Center is offering a limited number of $12 industry tickets for the 7:30 performance on Thursday, June 6. Just mention this industry offer at the door and bring a playbill with your name,  a business card, or a head shot/resume.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Yippee

Chris Jones wrote this about a week or so ago and I’m just now getting around to responding to it. He says about a couple of theatres “there is no fall marquee show.” And “We are seeing some significant retrenchment among some Chicago theaters: fewer productions, smaller productions, more restagings." I don’t think I’m disagreeing with Chris – I think he’s just noticing the phenomenon, but I say Yippee. I also say Finally. I have many times wondered (sometimes aloud) why so many theatres stick to a model developed a long time ago for regional theatres. Why in the world would everyone open their seasons at the same time with their big blockbuster? I love that it creates so much buzz about theatre but it is very difficult to claim any space with so many blockbusters going on at the same time. Plus, sometimes, the critics can’t get to your show because there are so many opening at the same time.

I’m jumping for joy that ATC is touring Columbinus. It has long been my fervent wish that more Chicago theatres would tour their shows both here and abroad. It brings more recognition to Chicago, to the theatres themselves and I believe that a new business model can be developed around touring.

Re-mounting a show? – more whooping. A whole new generation of kids gets to see FROG AND TOAD. Awesome. Kids theatre is different. New audiences are coming along every year because kids get old enough to go. And, as a total aside, how come operas can remount shows all the time but not theatres?

And don’t get me started about chasing after subscribers. It takes so much time, energy and money to get a subscriber. I would much rather see those resources spent on developing a community around a theatres work. It sometimes feels like we aren’t in the business of creating theatre at all but we are making theatre in the service of this model that, in my opinion, is not going to work for a small company anymore. I think there is a place for subscribers but not for a small company in Chicago. Energy and resources are much better spent elsewhere.

Resources are scarce and we all need to find new ways to make it work and I applaud thinking that goes beyond we must do x number of shows and we must have subscribers and we must have a blockbuster Fall show and we can’t do a remount…why is that again? Yippee.

Deb

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Space Rental Availability at Collaboraction

Collaboraction has two blackbox theaters in the Flat Iron Arts Building in Wicker Park available for rent! Spacious, raw, and extremely flexible, our spaces are perfect for plays, rehearsals, and parties. The Pentagon seats up to 75, and the Room 300 Theater seats up to 90. Current availability for Room 300 is from August 12-September 30, and the Pentagon is available from August 19-October 6 for performance or event rentals. For more information, including rental rates, tech specs, and contract details please contact Corinne Neal at corinne@collaboraction.org or call 312-226-9633.

Industry Ticket Offers

Lear - Red Tape Theatre, 621 W. Belmont, is offering $15 industry tickets to all performances  through June 22. Tickets are available online at www.redtapetheatre.org or at the door with code STUIND. Contact Myah Shein at boxoffice@redtapetheatre.org with questions.

Next Up (Fat Pig, The Drunken City, The Internationalist) - Steppenwolf Garage Theatre, 1624 N. Halsted St. is offering $10 tickets May 28 – June 16. Reserve your $10 tickets by calling the box office at 312-335-1650 or visiting steppenwolf.org/nextup and using code 13766. Offer Valid for performances May 28 – June 9.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Cultural Tourism Asset Survey

Over the next several weeks, Choose Chicago is launching a project with Civic Consulting Alliance to inventory Chicago's cultural assets and to ultimately develop a positioning strategy to frame Chicago as a cultural destination. This process will analyze assets by number of attendees and highest spending level; whether assets will attract new tourists, extend tourist visits, or increase average daily spend; summarize the opportunity among Cultural tourists, globally, nationally and regionally for Chicago; and examine what are other cities doing, what's working, and what we can learn.

As many of you know, the Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events unveiled its new cultural plan in October 2012 outlining a strategy for the city of Chicago to utilize arts and culture to bring communities together, boost economic development, generate jobs, cultivate innovation, and attract tourists.

With tourism identified as a key contributor to this plan's success, Choose Chicago, the official destination marketing organization for Chicago, has taken the lead on the eighth priority responsible for increasing awareness and visitation to Chicago's cultural assets by leveraging the rich and diverse resources of Chicago's arts, culture, and neighborhoods.

As we build this strategy, we would like to learn more about our partners in the arts and culture community. Please take this survey to let us know about your organization. Your participation is key to shaping a cultural tourism strategy for Chicago. Please complete this survey by May 17. Your participation with this important cultural initiative is appreciated.

Follow this link to take survey: http://sgiz.mobi/s3/Chicago-Cultural-Asset-Survey

TDF National Open Captioning Initiative

Theatre Development Fund offers a limited number of two-year regional theatre partnerships to sponsor open captioned performances and increase attendance by people who are deaf or hard of hearing. We have already impacted 19 different states around the country, helping to introduce open captioning for theatre. For our 2013-2014 regional partnerships we have just a few slots remaining and would like to see them go to venues in areas where open captioning is still not available to patrons with hearing loss.

More information on how to apply for a TDF regional theatre partnership is on our website at www.tdf.org; left hand column, “For Your Production,“ “National Open Captioning Initiative;” as well as a brief summary of the basics below. The deadline for interested venues is Monday, June 3.

Theatre Development Fund provides:
• Cost of service: Payment of expenses for contracting open captioning services through a professional theatre captioning company, which includes captioning fees as well as any travel expenses incurred by the caption operators during the preparation process and performance. Our service provider is c2 - Caption Coalition, for any OC sponsorship as we have a long standing partnership with them in modeling best practices on a national level. c2 is specific to TDF funding.
• Assistance with Promotion: Listing of TDF-sponsored open-captioned performances at the partnering venue on TDF's website, with links for ticket purchasing; and publicizing these accessible performances on email and regular mail notices to TDF theatregoers with hearing loss.
• Expertise: Readiness to share experience on audience development, equipment options and funding; and to serve as a liaison, when needed, between producing entity and venue in regard to queries that may arise, such as obtaining scripts or support involved in accommodating these accessible performances.

Partnering Venue provides:
• Tickets: Designation of a minimum of 25 seats in the front orchestra, side section, within comfortable reading distance of the captioning unit, made available to people with hearing loss and sold through the venue box office.
• Marketing: Acknowledgment to TDF as caption provider in print and website listings notifying the public of these accessible performances; and on production credit page, in same size and format as union acknowledgments, acknowledgment to TDF, with TDF logo, substantially as follows: “Partial support for open captioning provided by Theatre Development Fund.”
• TDF credit: Insertion of one-page program stuffer (copy supplied by TDF) listing appropriate acknowledgments; and distribution of TDF-supplied questionnaires to a random sampling of at least 50 audience members on the captioning side of the orchestra for two TDF sponsored open captioned performances, several months apart, during the first season of a possible two-year pilot project.

If you have any questions about our National Open Captioning Initiative please contact Sarah Aziz, our TAP Program Manager, at SarahA@tdf.org.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

VGT Christmas Light Request

Victory Gardens Theater is currently looking for Christmas lights, fairy lights,any kind of strung lights and paper lanterns for our upcoming Progressive benefit on Friday, June 14.These lights and lanterns will be an integral part of the decor for this event and contribute to the atmosphere of each room. If you have any lights you would like to either lend or donate please email Caroline Timmer at ctimmer@victorygardens.org. If you would like your lights returned, no problem! Just attach a piece of masking tape near the plug with your name and phone number written clearly on the tape. You can drop off your lights to the Box Office, located in the Biograph at 2433 N Lincoln or to the Administrative Offices at 2445 N Lincoln. The Box Office is open 12-6pm every day except Sunday, 12-4pm. The Administrative offices are open Monday - Friday 10-6pm. Click here for more information about Progressive and Victory Gardens. Thank you in advance for your generosity!

Monday, May 13, 2013

Industry Ticket Offers

The Electric Baby - Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, 5779 North Ridge Ave. is offering $15 industry tickets to opening weekend performances May 23rd through May 25th (Thursdays - Saturdays at 8PM and Saturday matinee at 4PM) with code INDUSTRY, subject to availability. Industry tickets may be purchased online via www.rivendelltheatre.org or by calling the box office at 773.334.7728.

The Silent Language - TUTA Theatre Chicago at TUTA Studio Theatre, 2010 W. Fulton, is offering a suggested donation of $15 for all industry and free spots to theatre interns/apprentices for performances 4/19 – 6/9, Fri and Sat at 8pm and Sat and Sun at 4pm (no shows June 1 & 7). Extra show on Sun, June 2 at 8pm. In exchange, please bring H/R or business card, and a willingness to sign up on our mailing list. Spots are extremely limited. Reservations are required and must be emailed to boxoffice@tutato.com stating your name, the date you are requesting, and the password “INDUSTRY” or “INTERN”. Spots are based on availability and must be claimed 15 minutes before show time or they will be released. For more information www.tutato.com.

The Misanthrope - Court Theatre, 5535 S Ellis Ave, is offering $10 rush tickets starting one hour before performances to industry professionals to all performances through June 9th. Offer is subject to rush ticket availability and is limited to one per industry member with proof of industry.

Ganesh Versus the Third Reich - Back to Back Theatre Company at  MCA Stage, 220 E. Chicago is offering $22 industry tickets for two performances, Thursday, May 16 and Friday, May 17, at 7:30 pm. To purchase tickets, call the MCA Box Office, 312.397.4010 and use the code BACKTOBACK.

Lear - Red Tape Theatre, 621 W. Belmont, is offering $10 tickets to our industry night performance on Monday, May 20 at 8:00. Tickets are available online at www.redtapetheatre.org or at the door, no code required. For questions, contact Myah Shein at myah.shein@redtapetheatre.org.

The Invasion of Skokie – Presented by ShPIeL Performing Idenity, 5050 W. Church St. in Skokie in the theatre at the Meyer Kaplan Jewish Community Center is offering a limited number of $10 industry tickets for the 7:30 performance on Wednesday May 22. Call 847-814-8206 and mention this offer or rsvp to ben@shpieltheatre.com for instructions on how to purchase online.

Washington Heights - FAM Entertainment at Kennedy-King College Theater, 740 W. 63rd St. is offering $10 off tickets to League of Chicago Theatre members to the performance on June 1 at 7 p.m. For discount just mention "League of Chicago Theatres member" at the box office.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Free Tables and Chairs from Oakton Community College

Oakton Community College is currently undergoing a major classroom renovation project as part of our Master Plan. We have classroom furniture to donate as noted on the attached document.

We currently have the following items in our Skokie campus storage area.
132 stackable chairs
55 tables 20" x 6'
3 tables 30" x 5'
136 tablet chairs
These items are ready for pick up right now.

In May, we will have the following items available for pick up at our Des Plaines campus:
20 tables 20" x 6'
22 tables 30" x 5'
219 tablet chairs
These items will need to be picked up by May 10. If you are interested in these items but cannot pick them up by May 10, we can probably work something out.

In early July, we will have the following items available for pick up at our Des Plaines campus:
88 stackable chairs
9 tables 20" x 6'
15 tables 30" x 5'
56 tablet chairs
These items will need to be picked up between July 1 and July 5.

If you are interested in any of these items, please e-mail Doreen stating the items and quantity you would like.

Please note:
No charge for the furniture. This is a donation from Oakton Community College.
Items are available for inspection
The stackable chairs, tablet chairs, and 30 x 5 tables are Steelcase furniture.
The 20 x 6 tables are Krueger International (KI) furniture.
First come, first served.
Everything "as is"
Tablets are available in right and left handed.
You are responsible for removing the items from our building and must provide transportation, workers, and labor.

Please do not hesitate to contact Doreen Schwartz via e-mail at doreen@oakton.edu or 847-635-1632 if you have any questions.

The Two Pence Lab: It’s Not A Workshop - It’s A Workout

You Bring: 10 - 15 lines of Shakespeare’s text, Comfy Pants, A Generous Spirit
// Two Pence Brings: A Guided Warmup, Space to Play, Fresh Perspective
NEXT LAB IS: Sunday May 12th 7:30-9:30pm
HOW MUCH: By donation, every time
WHEN: Every Second and Fourth Sunday, 7:30-9:30pm
WHO: Anyone interested in their inner Shakespeare RSVP to Kathryn@twopencetheatre.org
THEN: Show up. or check out: facebook.com/TwoPenceTheatre www.twopencetheatre.org

Monday, May 6, 2013

Industry Ticket Offers

Lear - Red Tape Theare, 621 w. Belmont, is offering $10 industry tickets to preview performances 5/9-5/11 at 8PM. Tickets are available online with code STUINDP or at the door. For tickets and more information visit www.redtapetheatre.org. Contact Myah Shein at myah.shein@redtapetheatre.org for questions.

Speech & Debate – American Theater Company, 1909 W. Byron, is offering $15 industry tickets for performances Friday May 10 at 8pm, Saturday May 11 at 8pm, and Sunday May 12 at 2pm. Available in-person at the box office or by calling audience services at 773-409-4125. $20 industry tickets will be available for all Thursday performances between May 16 and June 23. Available in-person at the box office starting at 7pm. For more information, call audience services at 773-409-4125.

Rodin: The Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg - Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress Parkway, is offering half-priced industry tickets in Sections IV ($26.50), III ($32.50), and II ($38) for performances May 17-19. Use code INDUSTRY. Tickets available online at AuditoriumTheatre.org, by calling (800) 982-2787, or at the box office at 50 E Congress Pkwy.

Music + Movement Showcase: featuring Giordano Dance Chicago - Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress Parkway, is offering $15 industry tickets for the performance on May 15. Use code INDUSTRY. Tickets available online at AuditoriumTheatre.org, by calling (800) 982-2787, or at the box office at 50 E Congress Pkwy.

By The Way, Meet Vera Stark by Lynn Nottage - Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn is offering FREE industry tickets for tonight’s performance (5/9 @7:30pm) using promo code INDUSTRY or  half off select remaining performances through June 2 using code STARK at GoodmanTheatre.org/VeraStark*. *Not valid on previously purchased tickets, partial view seating, matinees, Saturday evening performances or in combination with other offers. Limit of 4 complimentary tickets with code Industry. Please note that promo codes are not available through our mobile site. Expires 6/3/13.

Friday, May 3, 2013

Steppenwolf Garage Rep 2014 Application

Innovative.
Thrilling.
Irreverent.

Is this you?

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is now accepting applications from storefront theatre companies for Garage Rep 2014.

Garage Rep 
Three Plays. Three Companies. One stage.
Steppenwolf’s Garage Rep presents the work of three of Chicago’s most innovative storefront theatre companies in rotating rep under Steppenwolf’s banner.

Visit steppenwolf.org/apply4grep to download the application. Applications are due by May 31, 2013 at 5pm.

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Industry Ticket Offers

Stella & Lou - Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd. is offering $10 tickets for theatre industry professionals for performances May 3-12 (Excludes Opening Night). Offer available by phone or walk-up, must mention the code INDUSTRY to reserve. Proof of industry (headshot, business card, etc.) requested upon ticket pickup. Box Office 847.673.6300.

Circus in Progress: An Evening of Daring New Work - The Actors' Gymnasium at Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes St. in Evanston is offering 10% off industry tickets for performances on May 18th. Use the online code: INDUSTRY at www.actorsgymnasium.com.

Stock Donation from LiveWire Chicago Theatre

LiveWire Chicago is looking to donate some of the stock from our set of A Permanent Image closing May 5. Stock includes: 2 flats that are 4x8, 2 flats that are 2x8, 4 jacks at 10ft, 1 jack at 12ft, 3 platforms at smaller than stock sizes - create a entryway platform, 20 flats in non-stock sizes. Additional information available if you are interested. Pick would need to be this Sunday, May 5, after 5pm at Storefront Theater, 66 E. Randolph. Contact us at livewirechicago@gmail.com.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Director/Dramatist Exchange at Steppenwolf Theatre

Tuesday, May 7th, 2013, 7pm to 9pm
Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Administrative Offices
758 West North Avenue, 3rd Floor

The event will be co-hosted by Douglas Post (Chicago Regional Rep, DG) and Elizabeth Margolius (Co-Founder and Artistic Director of DirectorsLabChicago).This two-hour networking session will introduce directors to dramatists who are working on new plays and/or new musicals in the Chicago area. After a brief introduction, dramatists and directors may mingle and talk further.

If you would like to attend, please e-mail us at: info@directorslabchicago.com no later than this Thursday, May 2nd, 2013.

The first 15 directors who respond will receive a reservation to the event. In order to secure a reservation, you must submit a statement with your initial e-mail. Please include this statement in the body of your email. This one-page statement should consist of three things: (1) your contact information, (2) your professional biography (one paragraph only, written in the third person) and (3) a brief directorial statement describing your aesthetic and the kind of work that excites you. After we receive these materials, your reservation will be confirmed. Then, prior to the event, you will receive statements from all the dramatists as well as statements from the other attending directors.

There is no fee to attend this event. Drinks will be served!!

Gorilla Tango Bucktown seeking Producers

Gorilla Tango Bucktown Under New Management. Seeking artists of all stripes to produce at our Bucktown location. New contract options available including a free off-night contract (Sundays - Wednesdays) and premium contract. Audition, rehearsal, performance space still included; box office, online ticketing, basic marketing also provided. Email gwen@gorillatango.com for more information or call 773.598.4549.