Mitera: Note from the Playwright

For most of my life, I thought my mom was an ordinary, boring mom who embarrassed me on a regular basis in front of all the upper class Southern white girls with whom I was forced to go to private school. Yes, the photos of her from her youth were mesmerizing. She had an early 60s movie star beauty like you wouldn’t believe. But she had been just a girl working in a shop, waiting for her placement papers at a hospital in Athens when she met my dad, an American military man stationed overseas. Boring.

Then one night, out with my family in Greece, I heard my aunt say to my mom, “I saw your movie on TV the other night. It still gives me nightmares seeing you die in the ditch.” We were stunned. Mom? In movies? My dad looked at me and said, as if the biggest mystery in the world had been solved, “Well, I guess that’s where you get it from.”

 Only the mystery wasn’t solved. It just led to more mysteries. She had been a dancer. She was discovered in Italy. She left home when she was 16 to live in the city with an aunt. Her father went to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. WHO WAS THIS WOMAN? I still don’t know who she is, my mother. She is a mystery to me. She keeps her stories to herself. And it makes me feel like I don’t know my own story any more. It was the realization that this woman I had known my entire life was actually the person I knew the least that first inspired the story of Mitera. We can spend every day of our lives with someone, share the same biology, the same home, but not know them at all.

People often tell me they can see my mother in me. I wish I knew who we were all looking at.

—    Maria Burnham

Mitera Bio: Maria Burnham

Maria Burnham (Playwright) grew up Greek in Mississippi where one makes their baklava with pecans instead of walnuts and never wears white before all of the Easters, just to be on the safe side. Opa, y'all! A writer, director, sometimes stage manager, full-time theater monkey and all around jack-of-all-trades, Burnham studied creative writing and theater at Louisiana State University and now makes her home in Chicago where she has worked with such companies as Appetite Theatre Co., New Millennium Theatre Co., Stockyards Theatre Project, Nothing Special Productions, TUTA and Red Theater, where she is also a company member and the literary manager. Her mother remains very much alive and disappointed in her ongoing childlessness.

Krampus! Bio: Jaclyn Jensen

Jaclyn Jensen (Playwright) is originally from Sandy, Utah, and received her BFA in Theatre Performance form the University of Central Missouri. She has been a member of Strangeloop since 2013. Other credits include productions with James Downing Theatre, Consortium Project, Chicago Park District, Saint Sebastian Players and Shapeshifter’s Theatre. Outside of theatre she likes to travel, watch horror movies and volunteer in support of young women at high risk for breast and ovarian cancer.

Krampus! Bio: Mike Wozniak

Mike Wozniak (Playwright). Born and raised in Buffalo, N.Y., Mike is a Chicago-based graphic designer and illustrator. He is a graduate of Mercyhurst College and has thoroughly enjoyed working with Strangeloop this season.

Loopshop 8 Bio: Jeff Bouthiette

Jeff Bouthiette (Playwright, Birthday) is a Chicago-based playwright, songwriter and actor, and is currently the Head of the Training Center Music Program at the Second City. His evening-length one act, Wake, was selected for a Trellis reading at the Greenhouse on August 4, at 7 p.m. His original musical Janus was a finalist in Fine Print Theatre's 2013 Citizens Play Festival, and won in the Overall Entertainment category. His musical Miami Nice: A Golden Girls Musical was commissioned by Gorilla Tango Theatre, and was extended twice. Jeff began as a staff writer on The Ville, Bare Boned Theatre's LGBT soap opera, where he contributed to nineteen episodes.

Loopshop 8 Bio: Maria Burnham

Maria Burnham (Playwright, All The World’s An IKEA; Director, Pity & Guilt) loves running around in the adult playland known as IKEA, forcing actors to act like normal people in plays — which goes against all their instincts — and eating cinnamon rolls. All of which she got to do in the course of Loopshop 8. Maria hates paperwork and writing bios, which she, unfortunately, also had to do during the course of Loopshop 8. Maria studied creative writing and theater at Louisiana State University, has been knocking around Chicago for a few years and is a proud company member of Strangeloop Theatre. Thanks to John, Jean, Mark, everyone who immediately said yes when I asked them to do Loopshop and especially to Justin and Caitlin and Robot Caitlin.

Loopshop 8 Bio: L.M. Frank

L.M. Frank (Playwright, Pity & Guilt) is a writer and musician from Los Angeles, CA. She holds a B.A. in philosophy from George Mason University and is currently a law student at the University of Southern California, where she works as a Senior Editor for the Interdisciplinary Law Journal.

Loopshop 8 Bio: Paul Tinsley

Paul Tinsley (Playwright, Here's My Card) is excited to have his short play in Loopshop 8. Usually, he is more accustomed to acting on stage than providing scripts for on stage. At least this way he doesn’t have to memorize as much. Some of the groups where Paul has performed include Rebekah Theatre Project, Strangeloop, Remy Bumppo, Northlight, Piven Theatre and Steppenwolf. This play tonight is dedicated to bail-bondsmen everywhere.

Loopshop 8 Bio: Keith Gatchel

Keith Gatchel (Playwright, Get Back) comes to us from Rockford, IL, by way of Southern Illinois University (with a few stops in Florida). Since 2005, Keith has worked tech at a number of theatres, including The Goodman Theatre, Collaboraction, Teatro Vista, Victory Gardens, Pegasus Players and — most recently — Blue Man Group. He was also a writer for Big News at IO and Second City, and contributor to several Loopshop productions, as well as Strangeloop's Our Perfect Holiday 2012 with the cast, and just recently, Thinking Caps. Along with being the co-literary manager for Strangeloop, he is a stage manager for The Kiss Kiss Cabaret, Brass Chuckles Comedy, Uptown Live with James VanOsdol and other shows at the Uptown Underground.

Thinking Caps Bio: Keith Gatchel

Keith Gatchel (Playwright) comes to us from Rockford, IL, by way of Southern Illinois University (with a few stops in Florida). Since 2005, Keith has worked tech at The Goodman Theatre, Collaboraction, Teatro Vista, Victory Gardens, Pegasus Players, Blue Man Group and more. He was also a writer for Big News at IO and Second City, and contributor to several productions of Loopshop and French With Me, as well as Strangeloop's Our Perfect Holiday 2012 with the cast. Along with being the co-literary manager for Strangeloop, he also is the stage manager for The Kiss Kiss Cabaret at Uptown Underground. He would like to thank his family, the cast, designers and especially everyone in Strangeloop for all of their contributions to this script and production. If this were a jewel heist, I'd want you all on my crew.