Halloween comes early this year

Reviews are starting to come in for Hack/Slash and it's a bloody good time. Add your own reviews to the list of those who say the show is a great time for fans of the comic book, as well as those who have never even heard of Cassie and Vlad.

Based on Tim Seeley's comic-book series of the same name, Strangeloop Theatre and Chemically Imbalanced Comedy's punchy, bloody horror show takes us on the road with a formidable vigilante duo...with some extraordinary puppetry portraying a psychopathic teddy bear, unusual characters like a disgraced Miss America turned CEO, and a few well-paced slapstick ass kickings from Cassie and Vlad. 

— The Chicago Reader

Much like the comic, the show incorporated a lot of humor throughout.  The elevator scene was hilarious. The fight scenes were fun, and I avoided the front two rows to miss becoming blood splattered...I’m no theater critic, but I know I enjoyed myself, and I think any HACK/SLASH fan would get a kick out of seeing the show.  I also think that it would be a good introduction to HACK/SLASH to anyone that is unfamiliar with the book.

—Hack/Slash Inc. 

Hack/Slash runs through Saturday, November 1, on Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. The performances are held at C.I.C. Theater (1422 W. Irving Park Road, Chicago, IL 60613). Tickets are $15 and are available in advance through Brown Paper Tickets or at the door. Discount tickets are available on select nights (including tonight!) for industry professionals by entering the code 666 at checkout. Discount tickets are also available to the general public via Goldstar and Hot Tix.

More details are available at strangelooptheatre.org and at cictheater.com

Get a sneak peak at Hack/Slash: Preview performances are Friday,Saturday

Two preview performance of Strangeloop Theatre and CIC Theater co-production Hack/Slash are set for Friday, Sept. 5 and Saturday, Sept. 6 at 8 p.m. Discount tickets are available now at Brown Paper Tickets.

Hack/Slash is the story of horror victim survivor Cassie Hack who, together with her disfigured sidekick Vlad, travels the country (and sometimes the underworld) fighting evil slashers who refuse to just lay down and die even after being burned, impaled and shot 20 times.

The performaces are at CIC Theater, 1422 W. Irving Park Road in Chicago.

Production team announced for Hack/Slash

Blood, violence, that crazy bat with the nails — it doesn't all just make itself. To get a show like Hack/Slash ready for the stage takes an immense amount of behind the scenes work.

To do so, production manager Letitia Guillaud* has gathered together her own team of monster slayers AND monster makers. The production team for Hack/Slash is:

Director:                                 Brad Gunter*
Stage Manager:                     John Wefler
Violence Designer:                Barbara Seifert
Violence Assistant:                Christopher DeNardo
Costume Designer:                Carrie Campana*
Sound Designer:                    Keith Gatchel*
Lighting Designer:                  Chris Corwin
Projection Designer:              Jay Gish
Props and Blood Designer:    Mel Gill
Graphic Designer:                  Mike Wozniak
Marketing:                              Maria Burnham*

* Denotes a Strangeloop Theatre Company Member.

Hack/Slash is a co-production of Strangeloop Theatre and CIC Theater. The adaptation of the cult horror comic book series by Tim Seeley follows the story of horror victim survivor Cassie Hack who, together with her disfigured sidekick Vlad, travels the country (and sometimes the underworld) fighting evil slashers who refuse to just lay down and die even after being burned, impaled and shot 20 times.

Hack/Slash opens Friday, September 12, and runs through Saturday, November 1, on Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. Please note, there is no performance on Friday, September 19. The performances will be held at CIC Theater (1422 W. Irving Park Road, Chicago, IL 60613). Tickets are $15 and are available in advance through Brown Paper Tickets or at the door.

More information about the cast and show are available here.

More details are also available at strangelooptheatre.org and at cictheater.com

Strangeloop, CIC bring you horror with a dose of humor thisHalloween season

 This fall Strangeloop Theatre, in a co-production with CIC Theater, is bringing the horror comedy series Hack/Slash by Chicago artist and writer Tim Seeley from the 2D comic book page to a 3D Chicago stage.

"This production will appeal to hardcore fans of the comic book series, while still being accessible to theatre-goers coming in with little to no knowledge of Hack/Slash or Tim Seeley," said Brad Gunter, Hack/Slash director and co-artistic director of Strangeloop Theatre. "It promises to be a bloody good time — pun totally intended — for everyone who joins us."

Hack/Slash is the story of horror victim survivor Cassie Hack who, together with her disfigured sidekick Vlad, travels the country (and sometimes the underworld) fighting evil slashers who refuse to just lay down and die even after being burned, impaled and shot 20 times.

Seeley is best known as co-creator of Hack/Slash and Revival, and for his work on G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, New Exiles and G.I. Joe vs. Transformers. He also currently co-writes the weekly series Batman: Eternal for DC Comics.

This is the second time Hack/Slash has sliced its way onto the Chicago stage. The first production, which featured a different script, was produced by New Millennium Theatre Company in 2005. Both productions were done in conjunction with creator Tim Seeley.

"It's great to see Hack/Slash brought to life again," Seeley said. "I'm excited for the fans to see it and to have it introduced to a new audience."

For the Strangeloop/CIC version, Seeley's original comic book scripts were used as a basis for dialogue and action. This production pulls from several storylines giving fans and newcomers alike a glimpse into Cassie's history, the mayhem that made her what she is and, of course, plenty of slashers.

The cast of Hack/Slash is: Jean E. Burr as Cassie Hack; Tim Lee as Vlad; Miona Lee as Emily Cristy and Erika Napoletano, Christopher Prchal, Pete Navi, Richard John McLain, John Rohr, Melissa Nelson, Kara Charlton and Renee Lynn Jackson as the ensemble.

Hack/Slash opens Friday, September 12, and runs through Saturday, November 1, on Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. Please note, there is no performance on Friday, September 19. The performances will be held at CIC Theater (1422 W. Irving Park Road, Chicago, IL 60613). Tickets are $15 and are available in advance through Brown Paper Tickets or at the door.

More details are available at strangelooptheatre.org and at cictheater.com