BOOTH ONE - Celebrating Culture and Conversation

Booth One proudly welcomes back to the program writer and teacher Stuart Dybek. Stuart previously appeared on Episode 37, where he spoke about the art of the short story and his approach and inspirations for writing fiction and poetry. During that podcast, Stuart referenced a number of notable stories that have come out of his Northwestern University undergraduate writing course called "Fabulous Fiction." Here is the NU course description: ENG 307 – Advanced Creative Writing: Fabulous Fiction Course Description: Fabulous Fiction focuses on writing that departs from realism. Often the subject matter of such writing explores states of mind that are referred to as non-ordinary reality. A wide variety of genres and sub-genres fall under this heading: fabulism, myth, fairy tales, fantasy, science fiction, speculative fiction, horror, the grotesque, the supernatural, surrealism, etc. The aim in 307 is to discern and employ writing techniques that overarch these various genres, to study the subject through doing—by writing your own fabulist stories. Many of these genres overlap. For instance, they are all rooted in the tale, a kind of story that goes back to primitive sources. They all speculate: they ask the question, What If? They all are stories that demand invention, which, along with the word transformation, will be a key term in the course. The invention might be a monster, a method of time travel, an alien world, etc., but with rare exceptions the story will demand an invention and that invention will often also be the central image of the story. In discussing how these stories work we will also be learning some of the most basic, primitive moves in storytelling. To get you going I will be bringing in exercises that employ fabulist techniques and hopefully will promote stories. These time-tested techniques will be your entrances—your rabbit holes and magic doorways—into the figurative. You will be asked to keep a dream journal, which will serve as basis for one of the exercises. Besides the exercises, two full-length stories will be required, as well as written critiques of one another's work. Because we all serve to make up an audience for the writer, attendance is mandatory. This time, Stuart has brought two short stories written by Fabulous Fictions students - "Come Up Here" by Rex Shannon and "Mirror" by Katilin Jennrich - and we offer the rare and thrilling treat of having Stuart reading these works during the episode. First, though, we discuss Frank's recent trip to downstate Illinois where he judged the State Drama Finals in Peoria. While there at the Civic Center, Frank stumbled upon the National Alpaca Show presented by the Alpaca Owners Association. After spending time among these furry animals, Frank is now somewhat of an expert in types and breeds. No souvenirs were brought back, but Frank does have a new-found appreciation for these warm and fuzzy creatures. Gary is happy to say that the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities have been refunded by Congress, despite the efforts of the Trump White House to gut these cultural organizations, which as Stuart says are critical to our humanity. Both endowments saw a slight increase of about $3 million dollars in their funding levels, to about $153 million dollars each for the fiscal year. Great news indeed for these necessary and vital organizations and the art institutions they support. Read more about this story

Gary welcomes back to the Booth author Mark Larson, whose oral history is a chronicle of the past, present and future of Chicago Theatre. Having recently turned in his manuscript to date, Mark had interviews come through with Pulitzer Prize winning playwright and actor Tracy Letts, and actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus. It truly is a never ending story. Julia attended Northwestern University and worked briefly at Second City before being scooped up by Lorne Michaels for Saturday Night Live, along with her husband Brad Hall and the two other members of their storefront Practical Theater Company. Four people asked at once is remarkable. Check out some footage of this here. Woven throughout this update of Mark's progress on his book, "Ensemble - An Oral History of Chicago Theatre" are anecdotes and quotes from amazing artists about what it's like to have Chicago roots. And how the fun part was really before big success for many of them. Gary and Mark also discuss seeing recent productions of Traitor at A Red Orchid, An Enemy of the People at the Goodman, and The Beauty Queen of Lenane at Northlight. Michael Shannon directed Brett Neveu's Traitor, which was an adaptation of Enemy of the People. Mark describes the trip the audience took for this performance and we are very sorry to have missed it. He also talks about Michael, who was a major supporting actor in Best Picture award winning movie, The Shape of Water, skipping the Oscars to come to the closing night performance of Traitor, then watching the awards on mute at the legendary Old Town Ale House. Gary and Mark talk about theatre in these times of Trump. Mark points us to an excellent article in the New York Times in which Rachel Schteir describes several productions of An Enemy of the People as "timely as a tweet." Mark will teach a seminar to the 10 winners of the Golden Apple awards. If you haven't read about this amazing project, started by Mike and Pat Koldyke, it is absolutely inspiring. Speaking of inspiration, Mark was blown away when he sat in on one of Studs Terkel's interviews at WFMT. His astonishing archive of radio interviews, what Gary and Mark call "A walk through the 20th century" will be available to the public on May 16. The website will be studsterkel.org. Gary shares a New Yorker Talk of the Town piece about Extreme Theater Goer and hoarder of shows, Joanne Veniziano, along with excellent commentary from friend of the show, Nancy Needles. Mark speaks eloquently about Emma Gonzalez and the other student speakers at March for our Lives. Listen and watch these breathtaking speeches. Kiss Of Death: Russ Solomon, Founder of Tower Records. His legacy was so great for so many of us. Read his NYT obit here.    

Aerialist, circus performer and actor Javen Ulambayar visits Booth One this week with Gary and Frank, as we celebrate our 3rd Anniversary on the air! Javen is a native of Mongolia and emigrated to the United States when he was 17 with his parents. His mother is world-famous contortionist Oyunchimeg "Oyuna" Yadamjav, one of Mongolia's most decorated contortionists, winner of the Silver Clown Award at the International Circus Festival of Monte Carlo. Javen became interested in the circus arts only after moving to the US, where he first studied at the famous Circus Juventas school in St. Paul, MN. After receiving a degree in Kinesiology from the University of Minnesota, Javen continued his training and has been hooked on circus performance ever since. Now a resident of Skokie, IL and a faculty member at the famed Actors Gymnasium in Evanston, Javen's specialties are the Straps and the Chinese Pole. He put both these skills to remarkable use while performing in the Lookingglass Theatre's production of Moby Dick. Javen was integral to incorporating circus arts into the production, working with Moby Dick's choreographer Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi and Lookingglass director, David Catlin. Sylvia and David have both been featured guests on Booth One. Gary and Frank discuss the new Antoinette Nwandu play Breach, which they just saw at Victory Gardens Theatre. Nwandu describes the play as "a love letter to black women." From the author of the recent Steppenwolf play Pass Over, Nwandu's Breach is a funny, moving and revealing look at the life of a young black woman as she navigates the ups and downs of relationships and life. With marvelous and memorable characters, she takes us along as Margaret "recovers from self-hate" (from the sub-title). Beautifully staged by director Lisa Portes, Breach cements Nwandu's reputation as one of America's best emerging playwrights. She recently won the 2017-2018 Paula Vogel Playwriting Award. This production runs through March 11 and is highly recommended. Listen to a great interview with Antoinette and Pass Over Director Danya Taymor on episode 59 of Booth One. Honorable mention goes to the August Wilson Monologue Competition, held at The Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place. The regional competition is open to all students from Chicago Area High Schools. Producer Betsy Ingram reports that all 21 competitors were stellar! The number one and two finishers will be competing in the National Finals held at the August Wilson Theatre on Broadway on May 7 and are open to the public. Best of luck to these two wonderful performers who will represent Chicago. Friend of the show and previous guest

It's Oscar season, and Gary and Frank delve into the nominees, snubs and surprises for the 90th Annual Academy Awards. On a sad note, Gary announces that our dear Roscoe, founding co-host, will not be re-joining us in the Booth any time soon. Life happens and Roscoe continues to deal with some health challenges. We are wishing him the best and hope he can appear as a guest sometime soon. Gary gets down on one knee to propose to Frank Tourangeau that he becomes our new permanent co-host. And guess what? He said "Yes"! Frank is the best and we hope you enjoy this partnership. BTW, Frank was our producers's theater mentor...How lucky are we that he is willing to be our new co-host. Though snubbed for Best Director consideration this year for The Post, Steven Spielberg has announced a casting call for a remake of the classic musical, West Side Story. All you aspiring Marias, Tonys, Bernardos and Anitas, get yourselves out to Hollywood and you too could make movie history by starring in the new Tony Kushner adaptation. Jets and Sharks wanted! We address the recent dismissal of long-time (34 years!) Chicago Sun-Times theatre critic Hedy Weiss. Sun-Times officials are apparently not going to replace this position, and instead use stringers and freelancers to cover the theatre scene in Chicago moving forward. This will undoubtedly result in reduced coverage for off-Loop companies and those trying to create a niche for themselves. This is a void that we at Booth One are anxious to fill with more episodes devoted to the burgeoning Chicago theatre scene and the artists who create it. But the crux of today's episode is devoted to reviewing the Oscar nominees and those that missed out. Frank and Gary have seen all the nominated Best Pictures and several other films of note throughout the year.  We cover the following categories: Best Actor and Actress in a Leading Role Best Actor and Actress in a Supporting Role Best Director Best Adapted Screenplay Best Original Screenplay Best Picture We do our best to give our listeners a glimpse into each nomination, and our personal takes on what we think and who we feel will win. Frank's own favorite picture is Call Me by Your Name, though he's skeptical about it winning the big one. Gary's choices are Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Get Out. The Shape of Water appears to be the current front runner. Gary's biggest snub? Holly Hunter in The Big Sick. Frank's? Martin McDonagh as best director for Three Billboards. And they both agree that I, Tonya was robbed of a Best Picture nomination. Kiss of Death Bob Smith - Widely regarded as the first openly gay comic to perform on "The Tonight Show" Mr. Smith's humor was gentle but smart. What he brought to his stand-up comedy was the point of view of a gay man that wasn't a victim, wasn't the butt of the joke. He was making the joke.

Actresses Delia Kropp and Penny Slusher join Gary and Frank in the Booth this week. Penny, a longtime favorite of ours, recently appeared in the Steppenwolf Theatre production of The Minutes, the new play from Tracy Letts. Delia was seen last season in a remarkable re-imagining of the Doug Wright play I Am My Own Wife at About Face Theatre, where the 30 characters were played by four actors rather than just one. Hers was a tour-de-force performance as Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, born Lothar Berfelde, who survived the Nazi and Communist regimes in East Berlin as a transgender woman, and the first time the role had been played by a transgender actress. Listen to hear the great story about how and why Delia proposed changing the way this Tony & Pulitzer prize winning play was presented. Penny talks about growing up in Bristol, Tennessee, the "birthplace of country music", and the one-woman show she is writing about her childhood experiences and the extended family that raised her. With a working title of "A Porch Song", Penny hopes to capture the essence of Appalachian Bristol and her amazing upbringing among an apartment building full of relatives. Including her Memaw, who was the best friend of Mother Maybelle Carter. Click on the Bristol link above to read about all the cool things happening there. Penny is an acting and auditioning coach with an approach that sounds like it would be not just effective, but fun too. She also does Intuitive Readings, using her innate gift for intuition and the things she learned watching her grandmother do "fortune telling." She is down to earth and positive about people's opportunities and challenges. If you'd like to schedule a session with Penny, go to www.pennyslusher.com and send her an email. Readings are usually done in her home, and she hopes you like cats (she has 2!). Delia speaks candidly about her gender transition, her 10-year hiatus from acting, and the types of roles and opportunities she is now pursuing. Having known Penny since 1991, Delia credits her with helping ease and facilitate her transition, particularly within the Chicago theatre community. The group discusses gender in casting. Here at Booth One, we wonder whether there might be a place for Delia on Amazon's Transparent alongside her friend, the brilliant Alexandra Billings. Delia is at work on an exciting web project to help trans and cisgender theater artists to meet. An online resource site for actors and other members of creative teams to learn about each other. Find out more about Delia on her website Therealdelia.com. Though we didn't talk about it on the episode, part of our Booth One research was to watch a great National Geographic documentary called

Gary and Frank welcome two of the great leaders of Chicago's Pride Films & Plays to Booth One. Nelson Rodriguez is Artistic Director of Pride Films and Plays. Filmmaker Dan Pal is running the Pride Film Fest, which happens on the second Tuesday of each month. Check out the line-up for February's festival here. Pride Films and Plays brings a 4-show season of excellent LGBTQ programming to the Chicago theatre community. Housed at the Pride Arts Center at 4139 N. Broadway, PFP also hosts the aforementioned Pride Film Fest and rents its two spaces to other theater companies. Dan Pal is an award-winning filmmaker and professor at DePaul and Moraine Valley Community College. Check out his website to see the fabulous Scotty & Josh trilogy and more. Here is Dan winning an award for his direction of Counting, which is the first film produced by Pride Films & Plays. It is on the festival circuit now and headed to the Santa Fe Film Festival in February, where it will open for Melanie Mayron's new movie. We got a chance to screen this beautiful and moving short film. We'll keep you posted when it becomes available to the public. Nelson recently starred in a feature film called En Algun Lugar, which we can't wait to see. He has performed in a one-man show depicting 7 gay immigrant characters called "Men on the Verge of a His-Panic Nervous Breakdown." Would love to see this and hoping for a remount. Nelson has been featured as one of "30 Under 30" in the Windy City Times. Looking forward to all he will continue to bring to our community. Pride Films and Plays was founded by David Zak, longtime artistic director of Bailiwick, who brought us so many memorable productions, including The Christmas Schooner, in which Roscoe, our founding co-host, created the role of Gus. Chita Rivera and Seth Rudetsky did what sounded like an amazing show at Steppenwolf. We had to miss because of a conflict, but sent our friends and loyal listeners with only one request: that they write a short review. Gary shares the a few observations made by Virginia Gerst, Nancy Needles, and Kay Ellwein. We appreciate the excellent reporting and wish we'd been there with you. BTW, we interviewed Chita in episode 32. Check it out. Frank Tourangeau, our new regular guest host, geeks out on I Love Lucy in a fascinating way. If you didn't already know how the DesiLu empire started, you'll hear it on this show. They also invented the rerun. Geniuses both. Kiss of Death: We close each episode with a tribute to a fascinating person who has recently passed a...

Mentor, Educator and Theatre aficionado Frank Tourangeau (Episode 54) returns and joins Gary as this week's co-host in the Booth. Gary and Betsy have just returned from a glorious Thanksgiving week in New York, and we recount the shows we saw and get Frank's take on his recent Broadway experiences. In addition, we look in on the Chicago theater scene with such shows as Escape to Margaritaville (the Jimmy Buffett musical); Tracy Letts' new play at the Steppenwolf Theatre, The Minutes; a local Victory Gardens production of Fun Home; Significant Other at the Theatre Wit; and A Red Orchid Theatre's production of Wallace Shawn's Evening at the Talk House. But back to Broadway - we first tell about seeing Donna Murphy, Bette Midler's alternate, in the splendid and beautiful Hello,Dolly! Frank and Gary both agree that this is one of the finest productions of a classic musical they have ever seen, regardless of who's playing the lead. The Band's Visit, recently opened at the Barrymore Theatre, elicits slightly conflicting opinions from Gary and Frank - Gary was a bit underwhelmed from his front row seat, while Frank from the mezzanine found the show charming and very moving. They agree that it may have been a difference of perspective. Other New York shows we discuss are Time and The Conways with Elizabeth McGovern; Torch Song starring Michael Urie and a luminous Mercedes Ruhl; and the unseen but well-reviewed revival of Once on This Island by Flarety and Ahrens. Frank tells us about his experiences at Film Festivals (he goes to a lot of them), like Toronto and Telluride. And he relates a brush-with-greatness story about running into Meryl Streep while standing in line to see one of her latest pictures. The Golden Globe nominations will be out just after this episode publishes. Gary and Frank talk about their choices for front-runners. Christmas in San Diego will bring Frank close to one of his life-long dreams - SUMMER: The Donna Summer Musical, now playing at the La Jolla Playhouse. LaChanze stars as Diva Donna in this pre-Broadway engagement. Frank's excitement for this show is audibly palpable! Kiss of Death: Jim Nabors - Goofy Gomer on The Andy Griffith Show and Gomer Pyle - U.S.M.C Nabors, a native Alabaman, found an entertainment niche playing clubs like The Horn in Santa Monica in the 1960s, with an act that mixed folksy Southern charm with a rich and unexpected baritone singing voice. Andy Griffith decided he would be perfect for a new character on his already-hit show, and Gomer Pyle, cousin of Goober, was born. Gomer proved immensely popular with the viewing public and appeared on and off for four seasons before being given his own show in a spin off. He later hosted a variety show on CBS, showcasing his splendid voice with songs like The Impossible Dream from Man of La Mancha. Mr. Nabors lived in Hawaii for nearly thirty years and owned a macadamia nut ranch in Hana on Maui. Jim Nabors was 87. Read full obituary here.  

Gary's guest this week is photographer, explorer, and theatre artist Stephan Mazurek. Stephan  is a storyteller - on screens, on stages, on buildings and on the web. He is a director of photography, still photographer, playwright, theatre director and projection designer. His clients include The Discovery Channel, National Geographic Channel, Food Network and ESPN, as well as spot work for Skittles, Nikon, Oscar Mayer, McDonalds and Goo Gone! Stephan is an acclaimed documentary photographer. His favorite long form documentary project was the award-winning Louder Than a Bomb, which followed 10 Chicago area high school students for a year as they prepared for a poetry competition. He also spent more than a year in Turkey, Somalia, Iraq and Bosnia shooting Love is a Verb, which tells the fascinating story of Fethullah Gulen, the exiled religious leader of the transnational social movement that began in Turkey in the 1960s, and bears his name. Gulen has been in the news recently because Mike Flynn was offered $15 million if he could bring him back to Turkey. Here is a photo of Stephan filming in Somalia with an armed body guard. Documentary film-making has taken Stephan all over the world. He tells Booth One about a favorite place - Northern Ireland. He says there is something about "the pace, the color, the light" that make him feel comfortable there. Though he has never taken a photography class, still photography remains Stephan's first love because "I know when I have it." He tells us how he gets inspired "just walking around." As a theater artist, Stephan has worked on numerous productions, designing projections for plays and musicals, including Shining Lives at Northlight Theatre. He also designed projections for The Remembered City, part of the Tim Evans' Traffic series at Steppenwolf, which featured Tony Fitzpatrick and Steve Earle and was directed by our producer, Betsy Ingram. Stephan is currently working on a screenplay. We can't wait to hear what it's about and see the film! Gary and Stephan discuss the infinite variety of theatre experiences available these days in Chicago, and what memorable stage encounters stay with them through the years. Stephan's was in Spain, Gary's in Hamburg, Germany. Stephan admits to being highly selective when choosing to take on a theatrcal project, knowing that he will want to fully dive into the work. He's looking to be challenged, inspired and wholly committed to the process. Having gone to some of the more troubled spots in the world to "get the shot", Stephan relates a harrowing story about his interpreters in southern Turkey near the Syrian border while filming Love is a Verb. After getting him lost and then lying about their exact location, Stephan has decided that in future, he will demand translators instead - someone who will repeat his conversations word for word and not "interpret" what he is saying or asking. A good lesson learned. Kiss of Death:

Our guest in the Booth this week is the multi-talented Robert Cornelius. Singer, Actor, Songwriter, Band Leader, Educator, Activist, and Writer - he excels at them all! And...we learn that he can design and construct costumes as well. A long-time friend of the show, we were finally able to work it out with his busy schedule to have him on. Robert grew up on the South Side and studied theatre and psychology at Western Illinois University. When he came back to Chicago, he got cast in Rosencrantz & Gildernstern Are Dead at Stage Left. He quickly became a company member. Other highlights of his career include acting and designing costumes for A Member of the Wedding (also at Stage Left), and playing the lead in Blues for an Alabama Sky by Pearl Cleage at Madison Rep. Robert tells us about recent favorite acting projects, including appearing in a new play called Lottery Day by Ike Holter for the Goodman Theatre's New Stages project. Robert is also a successful musician, whose "unattainable goal" when he was young was to become a backup singer. When Poi Dog Pondering's band leader Frank Orall met Robert when both were performing in Brigid Murphy's Milly's Orchid Show, Frank asked him to come sing a couple of lines for a Poi Dog recording. Soon after, he was asked to join the group for a show outside of the Field Museum in Chicago. There were 10,000 people in attendance! Later he went on tour with the band for several years. Robert is still a proud member of the Poi Dog Pondering collective. They'll be performing five shows this December at City Winery in Chicago. Their live shows are joyous and not to be missed! On this episode, you'll hear a couple of short clips from one of Poi Dog Pondering's great albums, Pomegranate. Robert is the founder and leader of the musical group RC7, which started as a Soul and R & B cover band. Later, Robert started writing songs and they've produced a CD called To Your Soul. Both Poi Dog Pondering and RC7 have performed marvelous outdoor free shows at Petrillo Music Shell and at the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, one with the Grant Park Music Festival's sublime orchestra. The great Don Cornelius, creator of Soul Train, was Robert's uncle. Robert and a friend won one of the weekly dance contests with a cash prize, but he had to give it back because it was his uncle's show. Still he earned a place as a regular (unpaid) dancer for 2 1/2 years. The legend King of Soul Sam Cooke was married to Robert's dad's step sister. So being around huge talent and fame was par for the course when he was growing up. Director of Arts Education for

Colin Cordwell, proprietor of the The Red Lion English pub, brings his uncanny insights and encyclopedic knowledge to Booth One this week. Colin has seen it all in his 40 years watching "a conveyor belt of humanity go past me" behind one of Chicago's great bars. He regales Gary with tales of his father John, an architect who became a POW in WWII. John designed a theatre in his prison camp and became a forger who was part of The Great Escape. Colin describes some of the many memorable characters who have walked into the Red Lion, including Christopher Hitchens, with whom he had an extended conversation about WWI poetry. Calling the exchange "a labyrinth of obscurata," it's an astonishing glimpse into just one small corner of Colin's ability to speak eloquently about so many subjects, including history, poetry, philosophy and war. A fine actor earlier in his career, Colin has a soft spot for those who walk the boards. Colin and his father have generously given free rehearsal space to nascent theater companies over the years. When Barbara Gaines brought them her vision for a major Shakespeare company in Chicago, they believed in her and provided a venue for her first project back in the early 80's. That memorable production of Henry V started Shakespeare Repertory, now known world-wide as Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Colin talks movingly about how he could see that Barbara's "soul was ignited" by Shakespeare's work and how proud he is that his dad and he helped her get CST off the ground. Gary gives a glowing recommendation to go see the Goodman Theatre's production of A View From the Bridge, the stunning Ivo van Hove conception that played on Broadway a couple of seasons ago. Done in the style of a Greek tragedy, this interpretation gives deeper meaning and understanding to one of Arthur Miller's most famous plays. An absolute must see - running only until October 22! Looking for a "higher" education opportunity? Look no further than Northern Michigan University in Marquette, MI. This small Midwest college is offering the first degree of its kind at a four-year undergraduate college in "medicinal plant chemistry", effectively a major in marijuana, that will prepare students for careers in the burgeoning marijuana industry. Now's your chance to make that career change you've dreamed about! Read more here. Like many properties and buildings that date to the 19th century, The Red Lion has its stories of haunting, ghosts and inexplicable events. Colin chillingly recounts a few encounters over the years with specters, voices and objects moving by themselves. Gary talks about what a magical place the Red Lion is and how he learns something every visit. It's a place that awakens the imagination. Want Harry Potter and the Cursed Child tickets on Broadway next year? You'll have to register as a "verified fan" with Ticketmaster and give up your personal information for their marketing use - forever! While consumers surely benefit from these anti-bot techniques,

We welcome actor, director, audiobook narrator, and author Kevin Theis back to Booth One to talk about his new book, Invading Nirvana, A Chicagoan in the City of Angels. This hilarious and informative book serves as a blueprint for any actor considering moving to L.A. to try to get work in show business. It's available at bookstores or on Amazon. Kevin has also narrated the audiobook. Longtime Chicago critic and theatre professor Albert Williams has this to say about it: "A smart, witty, but also incisive and candid chronicle of Theis's experiences and observations as a Chicago actor who decided to head west to crash the TV, film, and surprisingly lucrative audiobooks markets." In this book, Kevin explores every aspect of the entertainment industry, including stand-up comedy. Treating the project like a journalism assignment about what it's like to live there, he also talks about other L.A. weirdness, such as the pervasiveness of Scientologists and cannabis. Check out this site to see the big blue Scientology Center and one of the videos Kevin saw in person. Kevin has a book signing on October 20 at City Lit Books and on October 24 at the Den Theatre. Gary and Kevin have just seen The Rembrandt at Steppenwolf, starring John Mahoney and Francis Guinan. They, along with their 3 supporting actors, are sensational. As Kevin says, go to this show to see "two pros get up on stage with the right material and the right director and just knock it out of the park!" In his "Good Times & Bum Times" segment, Gary recounts two amazing tales of woe and good fortune. The bum times is particularly astonishing. Gary has recently done an audio book narration workshop with Kevin, which was a lot of fun. Kevin will come to your home to do the workshop! Go to this site if you'd like to sign up. Our producer gave Gary a shark picture book as a "present." It includes graphic photos and "danger ratings", along with proof that at least one 5 star danger-rated shark can live in fresh water. Good to have your phobias validated. Kevin announces a new project he is doing at Oak Park Festival Theatre. A world premiere play called "A Dickens Carol" by Ned Crowley. The premise is that A Christmas Carol is based on actual events from Dickens' life. Opens November 26. Speaking of A Christmas Carol, this will be the  40th anniversary of Chicago's Goodman Theatre production. Kevin enjoyed being part of that cast for seven years. Kiss of Death: Celebrate the life of magician Eugene Burger. What a story. A master of close-up illusions and mentor to many at the The Magic Castle. Gary has been lucky enough to get invited in the past and recalls it as one of the great experiences of his life.  

It was thrilling to welcome to the Booth two of the stars and the Assistant Director of Writers Theatre's world premiere production of Trevor the Musical. Eli Tokash, who plays Trevor, is magnificent on stage and off. He just lights up the room. He has met his match with co-star, Tori Whaples, who is terrific as Cathy in the show. And what can we say about Tyrone Phillips, who is doing amazing and exciting work in every aspect of his career. Trevor began as a monologue written and performed by James Lecesne for his Drama Desk award-winning one man show Word of Mouth, directed by Eve Ensler and produced by Mike Nichols and Elaine May. He then adapted it into a screenplay for a short film directed by Peggy Rajski that won an an Oscar! Watch the film on YouTube here. This story, set in 1981, is about Trevor, an exuberant middle school kid who is wild for Diana Ross. He has a great "cool" friend, Pinky Faraday (Declan Desmond), who likes him a lot. When one of Pinky's friends insinuates Trevor may be gay, he tries to prove he's not by making out with Cathy, who has a huge crush on him. However, when Trevor's adoration for Pinky (documented in a notebook) is revealed to classmates by his best friend, Trevor gets bullied and shamed at school. Trevor's emerging sexuality is confusing for him and he is getting no support. This kid who is so full of light winds up attempting suicide. When James and the film's producers realized that a resource for kids dealing with the issues Trevor raises didn't exist, they started the Trevor Project, a life saving non-profit organization. The goals of the project are "to provide crisis intervention and suicide prevention services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people ages 13–24, as well as to offer guidance and resources to parents and educators in order to foster safe, accepting and inclusive environments for all youth, at home and at school." Since it's inception in 1998, The Trevor Project has helped hundreds of thousands of kids. This world premiere musical is produced by Writers Theatre by special arrangement with U Rock Theatricals, a group of young producers making new shows aimed for Broadway. Director Marc Bruni has done a wonderful job of leading this tremendous ensemble and creating a vibrant and important piece that is full of so much heart. We are so lucky to have seen it here first and to have had a chance to talk with these three superstars. They give us an inside look at the process of creating a new musical. The immensely talented writing team of Julianne Wick ...

Booth One welcomes Mary Jo DuPrey, who recently visited Chicago from Los Angeles for some meetings about possible directing projects. Mary Jo trained as an actress at Vassar. She then worked with her sister Katie Agresta, a legendary vocal coach, managing her "rock & roll vocal studio" on the upper west side, where she also learned how to teach singing with Katie's amazingly effective approach and exercises. Check out this list of notable students! Mary Jo then moved to L.A. where she had a successful acting career. She also taught acting and singing in UCLA's musical theatre program, and tells us about how she came to be such a sought-after vocal coach for spoken and singing voices. She tells great stories about working with her clients, including how she got connected with Daveed Diggs through their mutual friend and collaborator, composer and sound designer Jonathan Snipes.  Mary Jo worked closely with Daveed while Hamilton was being developed. Read his description of working with her here. Don't miss her spellbinding story about being invited by Alex Lacamoire to Hamilton's  first music stand read! She made two bold predictions that day that came true. Mary Jo gives Gary a short voice lesson and offers to work with him via Skype! She is a master at her craft and approaches the voice in a totally holistic manner. Interested in scheduling some lessons? Contact her here. Mary Jo is the only certified West Coast teacher of the Katie Agresta Vocal Technique. She cites Patsy Rodenberg, Head of Voice for the Royal National Theatre as another major influence. Mary Jo recently got an MFA in Directing at UCLA and is loving directing there and at professional theaters in L.A., such as the beautiful outdoor repertory theater in Topanga Canyon, the Theatricum Botanicum. She directed our friend and recurring guest co-host Paul Stroili in August: Osage County and he thinks the world of her. We are looking forward to her first Chicago-based project and will let you know when that happens. Other topics of interest in this week's episode: Elephant Rescue at Sea off the coast of Sri Lanka 36 Questions - The Musical Podcast The Fair Maid of the West in Oak Park directed and adapated by Kevin Theis Kiss of Death: Barbara Cook - Legendary actress, cabaret and concert star receives a final musical tribute on her deathbed from some of the great entertainers she worked with during a 7-decade career.

Gary and popular co-host Paul Stroili, welcome special guest Mark Larson to the Booth. Mark is an educator, writer and oral historian, currently working on a book of interviews called Ensemble Chicago: The Making of a Theater Town, An Oral History. Mark has spoken to literally hundreds of theatre professionals, spanning the Chicago theatrical eras from the early 1950s to the present. From Joyce Piven and Alan Arkin to Michael Shannon and Evan Linder, Mark has recorded the stories of playwrights, actors, critics, designers, stage managers, teachers, comedians, artistic directors, producers, executives, and everyone in between. We know you will enjoy hearing our lively discussion about the birth and growth of the Chicago theater scene and the players who made it possible. Mark's book will be released in 2018. You might also enjoy reading more about the incredible story of the rise of theater in Chicago in legendary critic Richard Christiansen's book A Theatre of Our Own, A History and Memoir of 1,001 Nights in Chicago. A follow up to last episode's teaser on Michael Phelps swimming against a Great White Shark. Sadly, Phelps didn't win! - no limbs were sacrificed, but he lost by 2 seconds! More from the Hollywood Reporter here. The 36 Questions - also know as the Experimental Generation of Interpersonal Closeness study - is now a MUSICAL PODCAST! Starring Jonathan Groff (of Hamilton fame) and Jessica Shelton. Gary, Mark and Paul play some of the questions from the study, designed to make the participants fall in love! Learn more at Entertainment Weekly, and listen to the full musical at the Two-Up Productions podcast studio. Kiss of Death: Dr. Shigeaki Hinohara, Japanese Longevity Expert, Dies at (or Lives to) 105. What a remarkable life. Not only was he a pioneer in Japanese medicine, but he wrote a best seller at 101! Read the full NYT Obituary here.

Chill out with a mid-summer edition of Booth One! Gary's good friend and storyteller extraordinaire Julia Maish joins us in the Booth this week. Julia is Manager of Media Relations for WTTW and WFMT and has worked as an actress and jazz singer in Chicago. We ask Julia about her early days working with The Second City. She was the sole administrative employee when she was there and tells an hilarious story about how on her last day, her boss swept all the cash from the safe into a paper bag to compensate her for the many vacation days she never took. A dramatic and thoughtful gesture. Though she never had the desire to jump into the improvisation scene, Julia made a fine career out of doing scripted theater with the likes of Frank Farrell and Paul Sills. She relates her experiences with site-specific Shakespeare and the physical demands and dangers of acting. Also the 24-hour Shakespeare Marathon, the first of its kind in Chicago. Julia talks about her meeting President Barack Obama on several occasions, including during his run for Senate. At a debate organized by Julia, Obama arrives late and is ascended upon by a gaggle of press. There is apparently a photo of Julia and the aspiring senator out there somewhere, but alas, a lengthy search proved fruitless. Listeners, please forward to us if you should come across it. For many years, Julia was part of a vocal jazz trio know as Three A.M., and later changed to Moonglow. Her suggestion to the group that they change their name again to Cakes Men Like (from a cookbook title that was given to her by a friend) was met with little enthusiasm. Gary praises a marvelous new play called At The Table, produced by Broken Nose Theatre Company at the Den Theatre. It's one of the finest examples of ensemble acting we've seen in a long while, and though the extended production is sold out through its current run, this fine piece is sure to find a long life in regional theaters across the country. Broken Nose is a "pay-what-you-can" company, where you set your own ticket price, which makes seeing this great work affordable for many more people. You can read the rave reviews of the play here. After falling for his voice on American Idol, Julia spent many years as a Clay Aiken fan, traveling the country to see him in concert with a group of like-minded Aiken-ites. She fell into this group almost by accident, but after seeing nearly 40 concerts, and ten performances of Spamalot when Aiken was in the Broadway cast, she grew to appreciate his talent, showmanship and wit. Julia was selected to read one of her stories on stage several times during various Aiken performances, and by all accounts stopped the show with her rendition of the time her dress caught on fire while performing with Moonglow. Gary recalls seeing Julia do her story at the historic Genesee Theatre when he book...