On a deserted stretch of highway, a police officer works his way through a web of lies after a traffic stop involving two young men. When this seemingly routine stop goes awry, a fateful decision puts him on the wrong side of the law. How far will he go to protect himself? Find out in open cage ensemble?€™s March, 2007 production of HOW TO ACT AROUND COPS.
oce presents the Chicago Premiere of this exciting, suspenseful, and darkly comedic examination of morality, self-preservation, and paranoia that will give you an experience unlike anything you?€™ve seen before!
open cage ensemble presents
the Chicago Premiere
of:
HOW TO ACT AROUND COPS
by Logan Brown and Matthew Benjamin
Angel Island Theatre
735 W. Sheridan Road
March 1 - April 7, 2007
Thursday through Saturday, 8 PM
HISTORY:
the majority of the open cage ensemble members have all paid some form of homage to the seven-foot bronze bear that stands in the middle of southwest missouri state universitys campus. most members dwelled in the same non-air conditioned dormitories while rehearsing and discovering friendships in craig halls 205 and 207. several sat in the darkness of the theatre dedicated to a fine woman named juanita and watched their peers transform on stage. many have fond memories of performing under the steamy orange and green striped tent- synonymous with a springfield summer. their individual college careers wove in and out of nearly a ten-year time span so that until recently some were strangers to one another, but theirsmsu experiences partnered with the commitment to create quality theatre from the ground up established a common bond between the ensemble members.
open cage made its chicago debut with US; a tragedy in three satiric acts, written by ensemble member, tim reardon. while lake shore drive was brought to a halt as protestors marched against the united states involvement in iraq, the ensemble performed this original work that followed the current state of america from the differing perspectives of the family, the government and the future. US debuted at the eclectic cornservatory, a starting place for many young theatre companies. A simple yellow ribbon crossed the stage and under the lights of the corn, the cage opened at 10:00 p.m., on april 4th, 2003.
the ensemble next took a comedic turn in howard korders Boys Life, a story of three buddies in their late twenties, fighting to stay on top of women, rock n roll, drug habits and each other. In its relaxed byob atmosphere, many audience members joined "the boys at the corn with a high-life as the show went on to be the bestseller in the oces brief history.
oce then moved to the viaduct theatre and its first prime time slot to produce neil laButes bash: the latterday plays, a fierce drama that takes an unblinking gaze into the destructive nature of humanity by savagely following three events that occur among everyday innocence. praised by critics and audiences alike, bash further strengthened open cages reputation as an up and coming acting ensemble.
with a desire to further grow as individuals and as an ensemble, oce recently reconfigured their organization and submitted the magical paperwork to the IRS to acquire tax-exempt status, which now means they are officially a not-for-profit theatre company.
Who I'd like to meet: IN ORDER TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ANY DISCOUNTS THAT BECOME AVAILABLE ON MYSPACE.COM, YOU MUST BE A FRIEND OF OPEN CAGE ENSEMBLE
DON’T MISS ORACLE’S 2ND TRAILER RELEASE PARTY! SAVE THE DATE: JUNE 1ST - 7PM
A premiere screening of our video trailer. WHEN: Sunday, June 1st WHERE: The Spot, 4437 N. Broadway TIME: 7-11PM $12 Admission + 1 Free Raffle Ticket + FREE DRINKS from 7-8pm $7 after 8:30 2 LIVE BANDS INCLUDING “A BRAND NEW BRAND OF ENERGY” Cheap raffle tickets & great prizes
It's Red Ink Theatre Company's first show, iAlone! Come check it out Thursday and Friday nights, April 17th - May 2nd, at 7pm. It's playing at The Spot, 4437 N. Broadway. Only $10!
Come welcome the misfits of Red Ink Theatre into the Chicago theatre community this Sunday, April 6th! It's $5 to get in, and you get a raffle, performances from our upcoming show iAlone, a Dance Off, drink specials and half off food!! It's at The Spot, 4437 N. Broadway. Starts at 8pm!
Come rock some Guitar Hero, and support Red Ink! $20 bucks to enter. Come kick some Guitar Hero ass this Thursday at The Spot, 4437 N. Broadway. $20 includes an hour of open bar. Starts at eight!
HA OPEN CAGE ENSEMBLE TAKE A NIGHT OFF AND COME DRINK AND HANG OUT WITH US!!!
When: Fat Tuesday Feb. 5, 2008 8:30pm-10:30pm Where: The Spot 4436 N. Broadway Ave Chicago, IL 60640 http://...com/2dv59f How Much: $25 for advance tickets $30 at the door
FEATURING: A TWO-HOUR HOSTED BAR from 8:30pm-10:30pm (Meaning all Well Drinks, Beers (excluding Guinness), Wines, Hurricanes, and Swamp Waters will be free) BEADS!! BEADS!! BEADS!! The Mardi Gras "Hook-Up" - a speed dating game for singles Door Prizes
More info check out: http://rogersparktheatre.org/ or call 773-613-9410
If you are around Chicago, I will be there in person opening weekend. Tickets are on sale now. They’ll make great gifts for the holidays. (Goldstar is offering ½ price tickets for opening night at: http://www.goldstar.com/events/show/138339.html Offer expires on Friday, Jan. 11, 2008 at 5:30 am CST or when all tickets are sold.) ____________________________________________
Edward Crosby Wells' FLOWERS OUT OF SEASON* Presented by People's Theater of Chicago Directed by Madrid St. Angelo At the: EP Theater 1820 S. Halsted, Chicago
Jan 11 - Feb 3, 2008 at 7:30 PM Price: $25 Box Office: 773-371-1868 http://www.peoplestheaterchicago.org
"I think I have just seen the future of American Theatre.” —Michael Bourne, Circle Repertory Company
“Spiritually barren lives given meaning by fundamentalist religion. Comfortable lifestyles devoid of passion. And the finality of the gun. All reflect what happened to American values . . . and they form the subject of Edward Crosby Wells’ challenging new play, Flowers out of Season . . . one of the best things this innovative theater has done.” —Jeff Bradley, Denver Post
*This play contains violence, sexual themes and language. There are also gunshot sound effects.
LOCATION: Prop Thtr, 3502 N. Elston Ave., just south of Addison PRICE: $30 Tickets are available by clicking https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/18 or by calling 866.811.4111
See the show, enjoy complimentary drinks, and afterwards hang out with the cast and crew and dance in our very own Las Vegas nightclub. DJ Chas will be spinning the tunes.
Can't make the party? Dirty Diamonds runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 7pm through December 1st. (No performance Friday November 23rd) All seats are $20
About Dirty Diamonds
A man in Las Vegas for the first time soon gets tangled up with a femme fatale, who entices him into a plan to recover some buried diamonds. Together, along with the woman's ex-boyfriend, they work to recover the diamonds in time to hand them over to a murderous drug kingpin. Little do they know the kingpin has other plans for them.
CAST
Stan - Mike Beyer Rita - Heather Tyler Victor - Matt Engle Fishman - Dave Skvarla
CREW Producer - Allison Cain Asst. Producer - Abbie Colton Director - Manny Tamayo Asst. Director - Eric Roach Playwright - Mike Beyer Stage Manager - Josh Graves Asst. Stage Manager - Elizabeth Bruins Lighting Design - Maggie Fullilove-Nugent Set Design - Alan Donahue Technical Director - Ron Rude Props Master - Adrienne Guldin Sound Design - Chas Vrba Costume Design - Rachel Sypniewski Fight Choreography - Anthony Tournis Graphic Designer - Arlo Guthrie
OCE people are crazy... its why I love them and am so proud to call them family. (Even those of you who didn't marry into my fam's wackiness). Anywho - just wanted to say that. Love you guys!! :)
Hey you sassy industry types! Come see Collaboraction's hit show, The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow: An Instant Message with Excitable Music. Industry night is every Thursday, with $15 tickets availalable for walk-up ONLY. Please bring a headshot, resume, or pay stub for proof of top-echelon industry status.
Hey Open Cage, what are you doing May 19th? If you don't have plans (hell if you do change them) we would love to see you out at Strawdog's Casino Night! It is our fundraiser, it is themed 1970's Vegas (so wear a costume if you have one) and come gamble, drink and dance to 70's tunes with us. It costs only $10.00 to get in (buy your ticket online at www.strawdog.org and you get a $5.00 chip to gamble) We would love to see you there.. brings some friends lets have some fun!
Oi! Listen up, you stupid fucking wankers who ain't yet come to the fucking party! Please read on for our SHOCKING press, you cunts. But know, first, that we are offering unconscionable fucking industry rates for tonight (Sunday, April 22) and all of next weekend (Thursday, April 26 - Sunday, April 29) at gang-raped-toddler-level prices. $10 for individual tickets or two-for-one for couples--that's $15 for two people, ya cheap artistic fucks. Just mention that you're industry in making the reservations (preferably) or at the door (if you're a last-fucking-minute kind of twat). Oh, right, and here's what the fucking press have been parading about town concerning us. Enjoy!
The reviews are in!!!
Here are a few zingers...
"Mercury Fur makes A Clockwork Orange look like cheery children's theatre."
"Sophocles himself couldn't have asked for a more viable catharsis."
"Outlandish and entertaining."
"Utterly raw."
"Bleak, brutal, uncompromising drama."
"All is chaos, and in this instance, it is a chaos worth seeing."
And also...
Chicago Reader
"Greg Beam's pressure-cooker production is tailor-made for the
intimate space where it's performed, and the energetic ensemble, led
by James Errico and Brian Kilborn, is appropriately intense and
scary."
"Highly Recommended!"
http://www.chicagoreader.com/listings/static/listings.html#68
Chicago Tribune
"The show works -- largely due to the layered performances of the
company and Greg Beam's modulated direction. Buried within the
gruesome narrative are pustules of humor, and Beam and cast gleefully
lance each one."
"All is chaos, and in this instance, it is a chaos worth seeing."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/stage/chi-0704180318apr20,1,3724058.story?coll=chi-ent_theater-hed
Time Out Chicago
"Utterly raw, with finely instinc
Scab opens next weekend, call 312-281-8041 to reserve your tickets now! April 27 - May 19 Wed - Sat at 8pm EP Theater 1820 South Halsted St. Visit our website for more details.
After a Wild Night in an Open Cage-be our friend too -add us to your friends list and visit us to win concert ticket to see great local and national acts, cds, and cool theatre tickets. Visit us at www.thirdcoastmarketing.com -This week we have Stevie Nicks tix so be sure and enter - we have Ricky Martin tix too
"Backed by moody live music, the outstanding ensemble cast brings the play to life with a grim reality that enhances Shepard's precise, intelligent writing" ~ Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"The production is typical Strawdog: nimble and razor-sharp with a tight ensemble capable of articulating Shepard's tightly wound characters." ~ Daily Hearld - Highly Recommended
"Nic Dimond's careful direction of an outstanding cast nails Shepard's inimitably American poetry, backed by an impeccably modulated live band." ~ Time Out Chicago - Recommended, Critic's Pick
"...their carefully styled performances make for an engaging, well-paced two hours." ~ Chicago Reader - Recommended
Jeff Recommended
If you haven't seen this amazing new production from Strawdog Theatre Co. - purchase your tickets now!
ONLY 14 PERFORMANCES LEFT!
The When: NOW - May 12th ~ Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 7pm
The Where: Strawdog Theatre Co. – 3829 N Broadway – Chicago, IL 60613
The Cost: $20.00/ticket ($10.00 Student Fee on Sundays)