Stage Left Theatre

Notes from the Downstage Left Residency — WARPED

vsmith — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 07:26:55 +0000

In April of last year, my partner and a good friend of mine had a conversation – more like a disagreement – regarding a recent news story about a woman who was taken home by a couple of cops and came out of her apartment screaming that she had been raped. None of the three of us knew anything more than what we read in the newspapers, and yet all of us had an opinion as to what had really gone down. One of us immediately took the woman’s side, the other the cops’ and I just flip-flopped.
This disagreement inspired me to write a play that explored the various perspectives of the same event much like the Japanese film Rashomon. My thesis is that our truth in every event is skewed by our perspective, our past and our own need to make ourselves attractive and likeable. Immediately after coming up with the inspiration for Warped, I thought of Stage Left. Not only was the play idea fitting for Stage Left because of the debatable subjects (What constitutes sexual assault? What is truth?), I knew several company members that I felt would be perfect for the characters.
In July or August last year, shortly after Vance called me to let me know that I was chosen for the Stage Left residency (Yay!), I met with Jason Fleece, my director, for the first time. In the two weeks following, I expanded the 40 pages originally submitted into my first draft of the play. We met at a diner in Uptown and talked a lot about the characters, the news stories that were inspiration for Warped and the tribulations of living in iffy neighborhoods. All of it was helpful and pieces of our first conversation continue to emerge as I rewrite drafts of the play.
I find that the best collaborators ask the right questions, and that’s how the process has worked for me with Stage Left. Jason asked me to tell him what had motivated me to write this play, and why I wanted to tell this story. He also asked me the main crux of the story and who we were following. He listened carefully to my objectives and offered suggestions about how to continue to raise the stakes.
As I wrote the first and second draft of the play, both Jason and Zev, Stage Left’s Literary Manager, told me what they observed in each draft, always helpfully, and asked more and more specific questions. Each draft was in answer to those questions.
As I started to work with the cast in read-thrus and the initial public reading I had the opportunity to have the extremely talented actors Anita Chandwaney, Brian Plocharczyk, Zev Valancy (later James Scott), Lisa Cordileone, Lisa Herceg, Mark Pracht and Mouzam Makkar provide their voices and thoughts to these characters. I love collaborations…I thrive on them, so this kind of give and take is exactly what I needed. Warped is a play about so I find it ironic and exciting that the process has echoed the play in that respect.
The actors have been instrumental in helping me ground and refine these character’s voices. They also have made it easy to see when things are working just as I expected and when they flop miserably. Not because the actors have ever done a bad job – quite the contrary – but because they have so totally commit to what I have written. The actors have also helped me discover, along with Jason, Katie Horowitz (Assistant Director), and Alex Fliess (Dramaturg) the way to integrate both my initial idea of showing changing perspectives, truths and the way that memories and circumstances change as we change.
Once I had the first Stage Left public reading, Jason encouraged me to find ways to make the scenes with the Internal Affairs officers even more active and compelling. His questions and suggestions along with the feedback of many audience members led me to more dramatic and active choices with my leading character. They also helped me see how to better fold two stories into one.
In the last few weeks, we read my fourth draft of the script. Mark, one my actors, again asked an important question. I had chosen an ending that gave my lead a bit of an escape. It was a little less heart breaking. Because I get very attached to my characters and the actors who work on the characters make them even more real for me, I have a hard time as a writer letting them be destroyed at the end of the play. He asked me… “How do you want to leave the audience? How do you want them to feel? Do you want to let them off the hook?” For me, this was an excellent question. And one I hope I have answered in my latest draft for LeapFest. If not, I’m sure one of the Stage Left Theatre company members will propel me forward by asking just the right next question.

Barbara Lhota wrote WARPED, appearing in LeapFest 9

Jess Harpenau

vsmith — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 05:05:38 +0000

Jess is a freelance Lighting Designer and Electrician based in Chicago. Stage Left productions include FARRAGUT NORTH and HERE WHERE ITS SAFE. Favorite lighting design credits include THE MAMET REP: OLEANNA and SPEED-THE-PLOW with American Theater Company, KILLER JOE (Winner of the 2010 Jeff Award for Outstanding Production), MEN OF TORTUGA, and GRACELAND with Profiles Theater, SPIN with Theater Wit, RUBY WILDER at the NYC Fringe Festival with Not Waiting Productions. She has also worked with Chicago Children’s Theater, Sinnerman Ensemble, Artistic Home, CityLit, Balliwick, and many others.

Lisa Herceg

vsmith — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 23:39:45 +0000

Lisa is thrilled to be joining Stage Left Theatre in 2012. She most recently appeared here as Blitzen in The Eight: Reindeer Monologues and was seen as Dr. Fitch in Make Sure It’s Me in Leapfest 8. Other recent work has been at Redtwist Theatre playing multiple roles in The Laramie Project and The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later and as Rosalind Rollins in The Double with Babes With Blades Theatre Company, where she is also an ensemble member. An Artistic Associate with GayCo, she has also worked with companies such as Curious Theatre Branch, the side project, Bailiwick Repertory Theatre, and Premiere Theater and Performance.

Megan Shuchman

vsmith — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:07:09 +0000

Megan serves as Education Manager for Steppenwolf Theatre Company. As a freelance director and dramaturg, she has worked for Northlight Theatre, TimeLine Theatre, American Theatre Company, 16th Street Theatre, Chicago Dramatists, Lifeline Theatre, XIII Pocket, 2nd Story, and the side project. Her most recent projects include Dental Society Midwinter Meeting by Laura Jacqmin (Chicago Dramatists, 16th Street Theatre and Theatre on the Lake; Honorable Mention, Best Theatre of 2010, TimeOut Chicago; Top 5 Plays of 2010, NewCity); Dead Pile by Laura Jacqmin (XIII Pocket); Una Mae’s Freak Boutique by Brooke Berman (Theatre Seven of Chicago). Megan will be directing Julie Ganey’s Love Thy Neighbor at 16th Street Theatre this summer. www.meganshuchman.com

Meghan Beals McCarthy

vsmith — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:26:53 +0000

Meghan Beals McCarthy is the Associate Artistic Director for Chicago Dramatists, and the 2012 co-curator for Theater on the Lake (with Michael Patrick Thornton). Previously, she served as Literary Manager and Resident Dramaturg at Northlight Theatre, as Project Assistant for the First Look Repertory of New Work at Steppenwolf, and as Interim Artistic Director for Caffeine Theatre. Before Chicago, Meghan was the Artistic Associate at the Pearl Theatre Company, a classical theatre company in New York City. As a director, she has had the pleasure of working with companies such as Goodman, Steppenwolf, Northlight, Chicago Dramatists, Stage Left, Collaboraction, Pavement Group, Caffeine Theatre and Theatre Seven (Chicago) and the Women’s Project, Abingdon Theatre, Ensemble Studio Theatre and The Pearl (New York), among others. Meghan earned her B.A. in Theatre at the University of Southern California and her M.F.A. in Directing at The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago, IL.

Krisitin Toerpe

vsmith — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 01:45:00 +0000

Kristin’s Stage Left credits include production managing Kingsville, Leapfest 8, and The Fisherman, and stage managing The Eight: Reindeer Monologues. Her management experience also includes working with theaters such as LiveBait, Lincoln Square Theater, Dragoncello Theater Co., Grippo Productions, Simple Theater, Mortar Theatre, Provision, and Oil Lamp Theater. She received a B.A. in Spanish and a B.A. in Technical Theater and Design from Coe College in 2009. Kristin is originally from Naperville and currently lives near UIC with her fiance, Tim, and their three crazy cats.

Alex Lewin

vsmith — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 23:53:55 +0000

Alex’s plays have been developed and presented at the O’Neill Playwrights Conference, Chautauqua Theatre Company, Geva Theatre Center, MCC, The New Group, Ensemble Studio Theatre, the Alliance Theatre, Arena Stage, the New Harmony Project, and New York Theatre Workshop, where he is an Artistic Associate. He is the recipient of the Ted & Adele Shank Professional Playwriting Fellowship, and commissions from Ensemble Studio Theatre and the La Jolla Playhouse. Alex has been a finalist for the L. Arnold Weissberger Award, the Heideman Award, and the Kendeda Graduate Playwriting Competition, among others. Alex holds an MFA in Playwriting from the University of California at San Diego. He was 2009–10 Playwrights Realm writing fellow and a member of the 09–10 P73 writers group. He is also a member of the MCC Playwrights’ Coalition and the Dramatists Guild. Alex co-authors the film-review blog They’ll Love It in Pomona. He lives in Manhattan with his cat, Charlie Chaplin.

Shayne Kennedy

vsmith — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 23:52:31 +0000

Shayne is the mother of three and the wife of one. She is a graduate of Creighton University (BA) and Governor’s State University (MA) and has had readings and productions of her work in Nebraska, New York and Illinois. She lives on the south side of Chicago and works as an audio describer for the blind at venues such as Chicago’s Victory Gardens Theater and The Hinsdale Center for the Arts and is a member of the Dramatist’s Guild. Shayne would like to thank her parents, her husband and her children for being excited about what she does.

Penny Penniston

vsmith — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 23:48:10 +0000

Penny is the author of the stage play now then again, which won a Joseph Jefferson Citation for “Best New Work” and is published by Broadway Play Publishing. Her screenplay adaptation, titled Love is Brilliant, won the Sloan Award at the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival. Additional stage plays include The Roaring Girl, which received a Joseph Jefferson Nomination for “Best Adaptation;” 7 Years at the Mayfair Mall, a one-act commissioned and premiered by Milwaukee Repertory Theater; and Spin. Coming this February, Penny’s commissioned adaptation of Miss Julie will have its world premiere in New York with Gorilla Rep.

Jayme McGhan

vsmith — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:26:03 +0000

Jayme is the author of fourteen full-length plays including Mother Bear, The Methuselah Tree, Damn the River Deep, The Sweet Stuff, Hellfire and Autonomy. His work has been produced and developed across the country at theatres like Irish Repertory Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Washington Shakespeare Co., Cleveland Public Theatre, Stage Left Theatre, Mortar Theatre, Hot City Theatre, Yellow Tree Theatre, Cockroach Theatre, Forestburgh Playhouse, Chased by an Elephant Theatre and many more. Four of his plays are published. Jayme is the former Regional Representative of The Dramatists Guild to the Twin Cities and is currently an Assistant Professor of Theatre at Concordia University, Chicago where he also serves as Resident Designer and Technical Director. He holds an M.F.A in playwriting from UNLV. Jayme is blessed to be married to his beautiful wife Julie. For more information visit www.jaymemcghan.com