A Tip of the Hat
Posted by Edward Sobel on 9/12/2008As summer draws to a close, and we begin a new season, I’m reminded of ways in which the challenges of doing something truly different and new may be severe, but the rewards compensate in equal measure. As I write, downstairs in our rehearsal room Frank Galati is hard at work on a brand new piece, Kafka on the Shore, which promises to be a moving and thrilling experience. Just a few weeks ago, our First Look Rep concluded successfully, with Jason Wells‘ play Perfect Mendacity already scheduled for a world premiere production at the Asolo Theatre in Florida this Spring, and some percolating world premiere interest for the other two plays from the Rep as well.
Something else happened at the end of the summer that could have significant impact on Chicago, and particularly on playwrights in Chicago, for years to come. A former agent at a highly respected agency in NY has moved to Chicago and started her own company to represent clients based here. There has not been, to my knowledge, a licensed agency representing playwrights in Chicago for many, many years. Particularly encouraging is this agent’s interest in identifying Chicago playwrights and exporting their work nationally and internationally. Imagine a Chicago where playwrights not only come to gain experience, exposure and collaborative relationships they then leave behind for the greener pastures of New York or Los Angeles, but instead come to do all those things and stay. They sustain a life and career in the theater living and writing here, because someone is working hard everyday to ensure they are getting the national attention and remuneration they deserve. In a season when many eyes turned to Chicago as a theater city, particularly with respect to a community that generates and supports new work, it’s a beautiful notion. No doubt this agent will find challenges, but a tip of the hat to her for doing something new and very much needed.
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Truth be told, tech rehearsals get a pretty bad rap. They are known for their epic length, their mind numbing stop-and-start rhythm and their all-around tedium. But in reality, it’s usually just actors who trade these disparaging remarks about the infamous tech rehearsal. The play’s design team on the other hand, probably finds the experience to be somewhat of a coming out party. The carefully crafted lighting, sound, costumes and set are all unveiled in one fell swoop, and all these elements must then wrestle with each other (and the actors) until the rocky tech smoothes out into a fluid piece of theatre. The day can feel a little like