Conjured Worlds/ Embodied Terrain; Embodied Composition: movement theatre laboratory

Above an example of a score for a work in progress by the Lisa Fay and Jeff Glassman Duo, who bring a wealth of experience and years of practice in a number of crafts together to lend a seldom seen virtuosity of composition and execution of movement based performances.  A delight leading audiences to euphoric participation in their taking apart "natural looking" behavior and what follows in a moment - subjecting these to contortions, subversions and convolutions, letting 'what's natural' show its socially constructed fa(r)ce.

"...dazzling sophistication, virtuoso level of characterization..." wrote Kyle Gann in The Village Voice


Lisa Fay and Jeff Glassman Duo
A composing and performing movement based theatre duo since 1991, who apply composed structures to ordinary human behavior. Contradictions play out with an air of stubborn continuity.

LINKS HALL has joined with the Prop Thtr to offer two extraordinary workshops led by this Duo, a valuable opportunity to experience the well founded craft they have refined:

1. Conjured Worlds/ Embodied Terrain, a one day workshop on Saturday October 1st which introduces both their compositional and their performance work. They will demonstrate and then allow participants to experiment with, the relationship between score, performer and audience.  Compositional propositions (conjured worlds) and performance techniques (embodied terrain) will coax forth new ground for live performance and present challenges to the performing body.  This workshop is open to all.  Materials provided.  


2. Embodied Composition: movement theatre laboratory, Oct 4th-8th is an intensive which immerses participants in an experimental movement theatre laboratory.  The work is meticulous while open to surprises, counter-intuitively small, analogue, acoustic and on a fine scale - leading to performance pieces by the participants best seen in intimate settings -like that of Links Hall - where what seems impossible, is undeniably live.  Composition and timing of each frame is needed for the whole to work, like with animation.  Then those will be developed into movement theatre pieces: embodied composition.  Participants should be ready for a rigorous hands-on compositional laboratory with an emphasis on the performance of laboratory generated work.  This workshop will culminate in an open performance at Links Hall on October 8th.

See The Lisa Fay and Jeff Glassman Duo perform from their repertoire at the Prop Thtr, 8pm Thursday, September 29th, Friday, September 30th and Saturday, October 1st.  $15 or pay what you can! 

"Surreal Vaudeville, Lisa Fay 

and Jeff Glassman belong in 

some kind of genius category.

One is reminded of silent film

comedians and European circus

clowns, who hone their material

to its essence"

                               David Cuthbert 

                              New Orleans Times-Picayune 

www.lisafayandjeffglassmanduo.org
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October 8th at 10:30pm Prop Thtr presents the second of four nights honoring and looking at the video, film, painting, graphic, photographic work of Tom Pallazzolo, our Lolapalooza. Our lobby is at its historic finest as a gallery of his work and we will show his media work that Saturday night as well as the second Saturdays of November and December.  A gifted Chicago Artist!

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Our October guest Company: the Consortium Project with Den Of Thieves:

What: Den of Thieves 

Why: Maggie is a newly single, junk-food-binging shoplifter looking to change her life and herself-hating ways. Paul is her passionately convicted, formerly four-hundred-poundcompulsive-overeating sponsor in a twelve-step program for recovering thieves. Maggie's jealousex-boyfriend is a charismatic wannabe Puerto Rican small-time thief of uncertain ancestry namedFlaco who spins a grammatically challenged but persuasive yarn about seven hundred and fiftythousand dollars in unprotected drug money sitting in a safe in a downtown disco guarded by aneasily distracted crackhead. This dubious and ragtag would-be criminal crew is rounded out byFlaco's new girlfriend, the fabulous Boochiea malaprop-slinging topless dancer who refuses to lether troubled childhood or her third-grade reading level stand in the way of her inevitable path tofame, fortune and fur. When things don't quite go according to plan, this bickering quartet ofhapless thieves finds themselves at the mercy of Louie "The Little Tuna" Pescatore, a reluctant,

donut-ingesting heir to the criminal empire run by his father"The Big Tuna"who has left him incharge for the weekend. The penalty for stealing from the Tuna is death"Ba Da Bing, Ba Da Boom." ButLouie offers them a break: "I need one body and three thumbs, you can choose the who, whys andwherefores among yourselves." Tied to chairs and able to move only their mouths, they must now fightfor their lives by out-arguing each other as to who deserves to live. Verbal gymnastics and thestruggle for self-awareness, self-acceptance and self-love produce a high-octane battle for survivalthat's not resolved until the last donut falls. - Dramatist Play Service, Inc. 

When: Oct 06, 2011 8:00 PM - Oct 23, 2011 2:00 PM 

Where: Prop Theatre, 3502 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 

Followed by: Point Of Contention's   "All The Girls Love Bobby Kennedy"  look out for that opening Friday October 28th!

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Coming in 2012:  The longest running fringe festival in Chicago, January 13th - February 12th, 2012.

rhinofest.com

Coming January 13th - - February 12th, 2012

Still In Play - in many more than one way!

This September 15th, Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art sees the opening of three days of a scripted and devised play, "Still In Play, a performance of getting ready", which the Curious Theater Branch has developed over a year long residency, text and lyrics written by Jenny Magnus, music by The Crooked Mouth (who will give a special RELEASE concert after the Friday September 16th performance of "Still In Play") and directed by Prop Thtr Artistic Director and Curious Theater Branch founding associate artist Stefan Brün with Jen Moniz and Briana Finegan and with Choreography by Jayita Bhattacharya and Judith Harding.  Featured are many of the performers who make up the Curious Theater Branch: Jayita Bhattacharya, Jeff Bivens, Sidonie Greenberg, Judith Harding, Cat Jarboe, Troy Martin, Nia O'Reilly-Amandes, Beau and Colm O'Reilly, Matthew Rieger, John Starrs, Matt Test, Vicki Walden and, of course, Jenny Magnus.  Acoustics are designed by Joseph Fosco, lights are designed by MCA and Trap Door resident designer Richard Norwood, Videography and documentation by Jeffrey Bivensand Costumes are designed by Prop Thtr Managing Director Diane Hamm. 
"Still In Play, a performance of getting ready"

BACK at the PROP THTR, our very valued guests from the Silent Theatre Company, who have offered Chicago a distinctive vision and style for over six years now and have become regular presenters at the Prop Thtr, with their Wild Party Variety Hour every final Saturday night of the month, now join forces with us to present two amazing productions in the inimitable Silent Theatre Style:  "NOIR" and "ACME"

ACME: (live) Action Cartoon with Music and Entertainment
pays homage to the cartoon genre. From classical tomfoolery to neo‐animation, this
production is sure to strike a chord with the child inside you. Comedy, satire,
whimsy and parody all band together for a nostalgic evening of stylized vignettes. ACME: (live) Action Cartoon with Music and Entertainment features
Chelsea Brand, Jenna Dalgety, Gillian Hastings, Matthew Massaro, Nathan
Thompson and Samuel Zilitch. Created and Directed by the ensemble.
Production Stage Manager: Shannon Evans

How do you find hope in a city that doesn't want to be saved? It's Chicago in 1930. The city revels in its celebrity, refuses to play by the rules and scoffs at
the rest of the country's distaste. When his ex partner shows up with a plan which would thrust him into the thick of the mob, private investigator Frank
McClellan must decide to walk the line between trust and hope. At stake is five thousand dollars, the life of an old friend and a final chance to help take down public enemy number one.
NOIR: city of big shoulders was written out of love for the detective story and fascination with Chicago's most recognizable era. Of the cinematic styles that have crossed over to the stage, film noir remains one of the most compelling. This is Silent Theatre's second venture into this genre and pays homage to the city of the gangster while it delights in asking the most spine tingling question in literature: "Who done it?"
NOIR: city of big shoulders features Brendan Balfe, Chelsea Brand, Scott Coyne, Joanne Dubach, Brian Parenti, Nathan Paul, Evan Sierminski and Joe Vonderhaar. Written and directed by Brendan Balfe. Videographer: Krzysztof Piotrowski. Costumes by Stephanie Schultz. Production SM: Shannon Evans.

And that is not all....

From the very first days of the Prop Thtr, way back in 1981, an artist we have admired and whose work we have shown is Tom Palazzolo
Throughout the rest of 2011, the lobby of Prop Thtr has been turned into a gallery of paintings, print work, photography by Tom Palazzolo.  The second Saturdays of September, October, November and December will feature showings of the many films and videos he has created, in a wide array of styles, over the years.  We call this whole series Lolapaloozza and we are kicking it all off with a reception, Gallery Vernissage, special showing of his newest movie and other special surprises on Sept 10th starting at 7pm and going late!

 

 Also do not miss our longtime resident, FACTORY THEATRE'S "Black and Blue" which is having the final performances of this hit summer play right NOW!