Won't you be mime? 'French With Me 4'

Valentine’s Day is around the corner and to help you get in the mood for romance, Strangeloop Theatre presents its annual production of French With Me, a series of vignettes written by up-and-coming playwrights that center around the theme of love.

This year’s production – our fourth – takes on a New Orleans flavor in French With Me 4: French Quarter. The mimes are back again and this year finds them wandering around the French Quarter in their continuing story of love and loss and love again.

In addition, the stories include a romance that buds outside a gender reveal party, the awkwardness of first dates and a husband and wife who fall in love with their own reflections.

French With Me 4: French Quarter is:

• Cold Lonely Gaze written by Anthony Ellison and directed by Letitia Guillaud 
• A Date With the Weird written by Keith Gatchel and directed by Zack Florent 
• French With Me conceived and directed by Maria Burnham 
• Hey, Good Lookin' written by Rich Orloff and directed by Josh Johnson 
• Kieran written by Michael Houghton Wagman and directed by Ben Campana 
• Podemos? written by Georgia Knapp and directed by Juan Castaneda 

French With Me returns to Signal Ensemble Theatre, 1802 W. Berenice Avenue in Chicago, on Tuesday, February 11.

The gala-style event includes floral arrangements by Rose Expressions and New Orleans-inspired cuisine donated by local merchants, and features a craft beer selection from Chicago’s Finch’s Beer Company. A silent auction is also planned with offerings that range from massage from Aligned and unlimited yoga from Bloom, to Louisiana coffee and beignets and tickets to Kiss Kiss Cabaret and Blue Man Group – the perfect place to pick up a last minute present for your sweetie.

The reception begins at 7 p.m. with performances beginning at 8 p.m. Live music will follow from Big Dixie & The Pelican Whisperers, a local Dixieland band featuring the talents of Corbin Andrick on woodwinds, Joe Clark on trumpet, Jeff Livorsi on trombone, William Russell on tuba and David Agee on drums.

Tickets are now on sale at Brown Paper Tickets.

The Nutcracker Nightmare: Christmas just got a whole lot spookier

Strangeloop Theatre presents

The Nutracker Nightmare

A tale of Christmas joy & horror

The stockings are hung by the chimney with care, but oh, little children, the toys beware. The Doll Queen is coming with her icy stare, into your dreams creeps the Nutcracker Nightmare.

In a world where dolls come to life and little children dream of sugar plum fairies, a new evil has emerged from the toy box. It's up to one young girl, a rag doll, a toy soldier and a ballerina mouse to prevent the total destruction of Christmas. Where's the Nutcracker when you need him?

Strangeloop's holiday production provides a sequel to E.T.A. Hoffmann's classic holiday tale, but this time Marie and the toys face an enemy far worse than mice that threaten to chew up dresses and eat sugar toys — and all without her precious Nutcracker to save them.


The cast includes: Lauren Bourke, Carrie Campana, Elana Elyce, Ticha Guillaud, Jaclyn Jensen, Tim Lee, Allison McCorkle, Carolyn Minor, Mark Edward Penzien, Holly Robison, Andrew Todaro and Chad Wise.

Written and directed by Strangeloop company member Maria Burnham, Nutcracker Nightmare runs two nights only: Sunday, December 15, and Monday, December 16, at 8 p.m. at Mary's Attic, 5400 N Clark St. in Chicago, (above Hamburger Mary's). Tickets are $10 and are available at the door or in advance at Brown Paper Tickets.

Last chance for Robots! Final four performances of R.U.R. begin

The robot revolution is nearing the end. It's the final weekend for Strangeloop's R.U.R.: Rossum's Universal Robots. The show closes Sunday and then the robots will pack up their synthetic suitcases and march off into the past.

But they're not gone yet. You still have four chances to see the "dark dystopic comedy" that the Chicago Tribune praises for its "sly wit."

Set in a not-too-distant future, R.U.R.'s world is one in which humanoid robots have been built as the new slave labor for humans determined to find cheaper and cheaper ways to make their products and to do the jobs that no one wants to do. Enter the bewitching Helena Glory, who has arrived at Rossum's island factory determined to find out if robots have a soul and to lobby for their liberation, upsetting the status quo. There's some love and romance mixed in there too for good measure, but not in the places where you're expecting. Written by Karel Čapek in 1921, R.U.R. teaches us about what it is to be human and robot, and what it means to love.

Join us for one (or all!) of our final four performances, Oct. 3-6, at The Side Project Theatre in Rogers Park (1439 W. Jarvis Ave., Chicago). The show is at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Tickets are $18 for general admission and available online at Brown Paper Tickets. Industry, student and senior citizen discounts available. 

The R.U.R. Reviews Are In

Photo by Peter Robards

"an entertaining two hours" — Chicago Theatre Review
"it's good fun" — Chicago Theatre Beat

The robot revolution is well underway and the reviews are rolling in. There may be nothing harder to love than a robot, but audiences are responding warmly to the human drama that unfolds before them — both the tragic and the tragically funny — during Strangeloop Theatre's production of R.U.R.: Rossum's Universal Robots. You have one weekend left to see the "dark dystopic comedy" that the Chicago Tribune praises for its "sly wit."

Critic reviews:

“Karel Capek's 1920 play introduced the word "robot" to the world, but productions in the cyber age remain relatively rare. Strangeloop Theatre's take, directed by Brad Gunter, has many moments of sly wit that underscore Capek's all-too-relevant observations on the value (or lack thereof) placed on human labor…The ensemble finds the right mix of sardonic and feckless, the key ingredients making up the brain trust of doctors and engineers behind R.U.R.'s creations. Matthew Lloyd's Dr. Hallemeier sips brandy and whips out raised-eyebrow bon mots with machinelike efficiency, while Rory Jobst's Dr. Gall exudes the single-minded exuberance of a socially awkward science geek.”            
          — Chicago Tribune

“If you are looking for some classic scifi ancestry, though, this is a good show to check out. As with many early such stories, the science is thin and subverted to the purpose of the larger social commentary, but it’s good fun all the same.”
          — Chicago Theater Beat

“The production was very enjoyable. The set was well designed for such a small space and really created an atmosphere…James Sparling as Harry Domin really carried the show. He was very natural in his role as an intellectual elite and pulled off the slightly absurd comedy in the piece.”
          — Chicago Theatre Review

Tickets:

Tickets are $18 for general admission and available online at Brown Paper Tickets. Discounts are now available for students, senior citizens and industry. Season passes are also available. A limited number of discount tickets for the general public also are available on Goldstar and Hot Tix.

R.U.R. runs through Oct. 6 at The Side Project Theatre in Rogers Park (1439 W. Jarvis Ave., Chicago). The show is at 8 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays.

Behind the Robots

Want to know more about the philosophy behind Strangloop's production of R.U.R.?

Read Theatre In Chicago's article on the making of our show, The Nuts and Bolts Of The Future: Looking Back on R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) . Mary Shen Barnidge takes a peak at how we take our human actors and turn them into human-looking robots. (Hint: It does not involve aluminum foil.)

See the robots in person at the side project theatre in Rogers Park through Oct. 6.

Tech week begins for Strangeloop's 'R.U.R.: Rossum's Universal Robots'

The paint is drying and the last of the trousers are being hemmed. Tech week is underway for R.U.R.: Rossum's Universal Robots as we put the finishing touches on our fall show.

Set in a not-too-distant future, R.U.R.'s world is one in which humanoid robots have been built as the new slave labor for humans determined to find cheaper and cheaper ways to make their products and to do the jobs that no one wants to do. Enter the bewitching Helena Glory, who has arrived at Rossum's island factory determined to find out if robots have a soul and to lobby for their liberation, upsetting the status quo.

Join us for our $5 previews on Sept. 5 and Sept. 6, or anytime during our full run from Sept. 7 through Oct. 6 at The Side Project Theatre in Rogers Park (1439 W. Jarvis Ave., Chicago). The show is at 8 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays.

Company members Holly Robinson (above right) and Michael Wagman (middle) join the cast of nine Chicago actors to bring this Czech classic to life. The cast of R.U.R. is: James Sparling as Harry Domin (above left); Becca Kravitz as Sulla; Michael Wagman as Marius/Radius; Holly Robison as Helena Glory; Rory Jobst as Dr. Gall; Matthew Lloyd as Dr. Hallemeier; Paul Tinsley as Mr. Alquist; Tim Lee as Consul Busman; and Patricia Tinsley as Nana.

The production team for R.U.R. includes: Glen Anderson (set and lighting designer), Maria Burnham (script editor and marketing), Carrie Campana (costume designer), Keith Gatchel (sound designer), Letitia Guillaud (production manager), Jaclyn Jensen (costuming assistant), Lisa Uhlig (props designer) and Mike Wozniak (graphic designer).

Tickets for the full run are $18 for general admission and available online at Brown Paper Tickets. Discounts are available for students and senior citizens. Season passes are also available.

Help fund the ROBOT revolution!

The Robots are coming. Are you ready?

The actors are acting. The director is directing. The robots are...shhh...don't tell anyone but the robots are on a smoke break. (You just can't get good help anymore.)

Yes, rehearsals are in full swing for Strangeloop's fall show, R.U.R.: Rossum's Universal Robots, and the futuristic, sci-fi world we are creating for you — where robots will type your letters and other lesser robots will clean up your streets — is A-MAZING. But in order to make this show "more than so much grass" we need GOOD help. We need your help.

Just a little further to go. Our Indiegogo campaign ends in less than 40 hours and we need you to help us meet our goal of $1,000. That money will make sure everyone comes out properly costumed with hats and robot bits all in place, that when a prop gun is needed that prop gun appears (instead of a piece of gun-shaped aluminum foil) and that actors aren't forced to rehearse in cardboard boxes (because we couldn't make rehearsal space rent). Plus, everyone knows, robots ain't cheap.

As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, your tax deductible contribution, whether it's $5 or $500, will help us pay for production costs. We cannot wait to bring this show to you, one we know will be a crowd favorite, but we need your help to make it happen. Click here to support the show.

You can also support Strangeloop and the robots in other ways. Help us spread the word about the show and invite your friends, family and even your frenemies. Point them to our Facebook Event for all the details. And while you're all on Facebook, make sure you check out our Robot of The Day and share your own robot-related news. You can also buy your tickets in advance at Brown Paper Tickets. And finally, make sure you hug a robot today. You might not think it to look at them, but all they really want is a little bit of love.

The robots take the stage September 7 through Octobert 6, 2013, with discounted preview performances on Sept. 5 & 6 at 8 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays at The Side Project Theatre, 1439 West Jarvis Ave., Chicago.

See you on old Rossum's Island!

We beg to remain, for Strangeloop Theatre. Yours truly.