Loopshop 8 Bio: Gage Wallace

Gage Wallace (Jimmy) is thrilled to be back onstage with his arch-nemesis. Gage is a proud Founding and Company Member with Red Theater (Chicago, Lincoln and Omaha), as well as a member of the Associate Ensemble with Trap Door Theatre. Chicago Credits: Irish Theatre of Chicago (The White Road, Blackborrow), Trap Door Theatre (Cookie Play, Tommy), Red Theater-Chicago (Red Hamlet, Hamlet; Dylan, Dylan Thomas), Red Tape Theatre (Mnemonic, Ensemble). Regional: Nebraska Shakes (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Peter Quince; Romeo and Juliet, Romeo), Flatwater Shakes (Two Gentlemen of Verona, Proteus) and Haymarket Theatre (Orphans, Phillip). As a performance poet, Gage has been seen on regional and national stages. He is represented by Paonessa Talent.

Loopshop 8 Bio: Christopher Paul Mueller

Christopher Paul Mueller (Billy) is excited to be working with Strangeloop for the first time. He graduated from Roosevelt's Theater Conservatory and has been seen all over town working with companies like Red Theater, Collaboraction, Red Tape, Scooty and JoJo and many more. Chris also co-founded the former clown troupe Les Enfants Terribles. Thanks to everyone!

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.

Casting announced for Loopshop 8

Casting is complete for Loopshop 8 and we've packed a lot of amazing talent into these bit-sized plays.

Check back next week for a more detailed look at each piece, but in the meantime let this wet your appetite.

• All the World’s An Ikea, written by Maria Burnham and directed by John Morrison,  crams massive relationship issues into a tiny "Living In 377 Sq. Ft." display space.  
• Birthday, written by Jeff Bouthiette and directed by Emmi Hilger, shows us the unexpected struggles of a lesbian couple trying to adopt. 
• Get Back, written by Keith Gatchel and directed by Spenser Davis, tells the story of two boys determined to make a potato-powered time machine that will let them right a playground wrong.
• Here’s My Card, written by Paul Tinsley and directed by Breahan Pautsch, warns us not to talk to strangers at bus stops.
• Pity & Guilt, written by L.M. Frank and directed by Maria Burnham, follows a married couple struggling to leave their past marriages behind.

Actors for these pieces include: Jean E. Burr, Alison Dornheggen, Linsey Falls, Justin Fill, Joe Giovannetti, Caitlin Jackson, Mark Lancaster, Christopher Paul Mueller, Taylor Raye and Gage Wallace.

Performances for Loopshop 8 will be at 8 p.m. on Monday, July 27, and Tuesday, July 28, 2015, at The Charnel House, 3421 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago. Tickets for the show are $10 at the door or online at Brown Paper Tickets.

Strangeloop welcomes three new Artistic Associates

Strangeloop Theatre is thrilled to announce the addition of three new Artistic Associates to our company. All three are veterans of past Strangeloop productions.

The new members are:

Jean E. Burr is originally from Greensboro, North Carolina, but moved to Chicago in the midst of the 2013 polar vortex. Although always in pursuit of theatrical endeavors, she graduated from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington with a major in Film Studies and a minor in Japanese. She is an actress, singer, and dancer, but she also enjoys costuming and set design/construction. You can find her under the alias Harley Darling, performing with burlesque companies like Gorilla Tango, Vaudezilla! and Plan 9. When not performing or solving problems at her muggle job (customer service), Jean loves superheroes, her cat, mozzarella sticks and trying to live every day like she's Furiosa from Mad Max: Fury Road.

Justin Fill is extremely excited to be joining Strangeloop Theatre Company. Justin studied acting and digital storytelling at Ball State University, and is a member of the Society of American Fight Directors. Chicago credits include Theatre-Hikes and Forget Me Not Theatre. Justin's focuses are theatrical violence, music and integrating and interpreting technology into stage and film. When not immersed in the world of Theatre, Justin is a part of the pet-care industry, a courier and yogi in training. If you have time for an epic story, ask him about his WVO-powered RV.

John Morrison has worked as a director in Chicago for close to ten years. He is a proud member of the Bruised Orange Theater Company. He is an associate artist of Strangeloop where he assisted on Thinking Caps and directed last year's Loopshop play Spake. Favorite directing credits include Shuttle To Home, Autumn Leaves, Wyrd Sisters, The Bugaboo Room, Daddy Long Legs, Determination, The Nebraska Project, Geeks Vs. Zombies and Heft. jmorrisondirect.com


Currently, there are nine Company Members and three Associate Company Members in Strangeloop.

Scripts, directors announced for Loopshop 8

Loopshop 8 kicks off Strangeloop's eighth season this July with an array of bite-sized plays on topics ranging from Swedish furniture to time travel. Scripts and directors have been selected and casting is underway.

The annual series, which showcases short plays or scenes from full-length scripts in development, is set for 8 p.m. on Monday, July 27, and Tuesday, July 28, at the Charnel House in Logan Square.

The selected pieces are:

• All the World's An Ikea written by Maria Burnham and directed by John Morrison
• Birthday written by Jeff Bouthiette and directed by Emmi Hilger 
• Get Back written by Keith Gatchel and directed by Spenser Davis 
• Here's My Card written by Paul Tinsley and directed by Breahan Pautsch 
• Pity & Guilt written by L.M. Frank and directed by Maria Burnham

Tickets for Loopshop 8 are $10 and on sale now at Brown Paper Tickets. Check back here soon for casts and summaries of each piece!

Save the date! Loopshop 2015 in Logan Square

Loopshop 8 is coming up this summer with a whole slate of new works in bite-sized portions.

The annual series, set for 8 p.m. on Monday, July 27, and Tuesday, July 28, at the Charnel House, showcases short plays or scenes from full-length scripts in development.

Strangeloop is committed to producing new or newly adapted work, and Loopshop gives Chicago audiences the chance to see a number of new works by emerging playwrights in one sitting.

Our development process focuses on production-oriented collaboration between writers and artists, as well as readings and performances of scenes that allow audiences to experience and react to the work.

The Charnel House is located at 3421 W Fullerton Ave, in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago. More information on the plays involved in this year's Loopshop will be available soon.