Spiel Chicago

On this episode of Spiel Chicago I speak with two artists about their upcoming projects.  Spark at 20% Theatre Company follows three sisters living in the US, caught in the mess of a recent war’s aftermath. I spoke on the phone with director Denise Serna about how the play explores how poverty affects the dynamics…

“The reason that I do theatre for young audiences is because I’m trying to save theatre.” Jacqueline Stone is the artistic director of Emerald City Theatre, which serves audiences from 0-13 all around the city of Chicago.  She has a passion for providing very young people with high quality, impactful and fun theatre to set…

Artist as Producer: This week on Spiel Chicago, we discuss DIY Theatre!  This is a special panel episode, with guests Savannah Reich, Denise Serna, Olivia Lilley and Katherine Lamb, each bringing a unique perspective on DIY theatre, theatre institutions, sustainability and how to get started putting your own work into the world.     Discussed…

“If people don’t know I’m a feminist when they meet me, they’re gonna learn pretty quickly.” Ashley Ann Woods is a scenic designer and company member at 20% Theatre Company.  Last Summer, we discussed her recent transition to freelance work (aka, being her own boss), how her feminism affects the projects she chooses and about…

“The great thing about theatre is that … we get to watch things go really, really badly for other people.” Playwright Calamity West says she is always trying to write parables, stories we can learn from.  We sat down to discuss her work, how amazing playwright Annie Baker is and how theatre can respond to…

Ireon Roach is a prize-winning poet, a founding ensemble member of The Yard Theatre and the winner of the 2016 August Wilson Monologue contest–and all before leaving for college this Fall. Ireon sat down with me to discuss her experiences as a young actor working in Chicago’s educational and professional theatre settings, as well as…

The burgeoning discussion about transgender inclusion in Chicago Theatre is encouraging.  It’s great to see large institutions like Steppenwolf and The Goodman Theatre beginning to have important conversations about trans representation on their stages.  But for the people living this struggle, those conversations can a little, well … basic.   In this episode, Avi Roque…

Ireon Roach is one of Chicago’s most promising young artists. She is a founding ensemble member of The Yard Theatre, an award winning slam poet and the 2016 winner of the August Wilson Monologue contest. I sat down with Ireon to discuss her work and what young artists have to contribute to the Chicago Theatre…

What is it like to audition as a non-binary person?  What does transitioning mean for your acting career?  What should theaters do to make sure transgender experiences are being represented authentically?  Season 2 explores all of these questions and more in an interview with Chicago actors Jojo Brown, Theo Germaine, Charlie Baker, guest hosted by…

2016 was a wild year for Chicago Theatre.  With The Reader’s expose of long term abuses occurring at Profiles Theatre, a major discussion began about conduct and safety for non-union artists.  Two Chicago actresses, fed up with the horrifying stories they’d heard over their careers, started Not In Our House, a movement to empower artists…

As we chug along with production on Season 2 of Spiel Chicago coming out in September, here’s a look back at our very first episode.  At the time, playwright Meridith Friedman was opening her show The Firestorm at Stage Left Theatre.  This season, Stage Left is producing another one of Meridith’s plays, The Luckiest People.…

Only a couple of months until Season 2 of Spiel Chicago!  Until then, we’re re-releasing some old favorites to tide you over.  Here’s an interview with the Anna Helman and Olivia Lilley, directors of Mary Shelley Sees the Future produced by The Runaways Lab Theatre.  We talk about their current Freaky-Friday style story with gothic…

After the Reader exposé and subsequent closing of Profiles Theatre here in Chicago, playwright Cassandra Rose wanted to fill the vacuum left behind with something communal and reparative, something that would eliminate barriers to people telling their stories.  In this Summer Bonus episode, you’ll hear not just about how the Chicago Theatre Marathon came to…

Spiel Chicago is on Summer hiatus, but re-releasing a few episodes to get you excited for season 2!  First up: Avi Roque! I first saw Avi in An Alamac for Farmers and Lovers in Mexico produced by The Jades.  Avi is gender neutral and uses the pronouns they/them/theirs.  We were able to talk a little about their…

Rinska Carrasco is so pumped to direct a grim Latinx fairy tale at Halcyon Theatre and after talking with her, I’m super pumped to see it.  I sat down with Rinska and Laura Stephenson, casting director for Halcyon Theatre to talk about their upcoming show THE RIVER BRIDE, their amazing cast as well as Halcyon’s…

Lavina Jadhwani is a director, playwright and casting director who is fascinated by the art of the mash-up.  She recently adapted Uncle Vanya for Rasaka Theatre Company, the midwest’s first South Asian American theatre company where she previously served as Artistic Director.  Lavina spoke with me about the kind of work that’s important to her,…

Growing up, Lauren Sivak always knew she would move to Chicago, she just didn’t know why.  In 2009, she came for an education internship at American Theatre Company.  Now she’s the Managing Director at 2nd Story, a storytelling collective located in Albany Park.  Lauren and I sat down in 2nd Story’s new home to talk…

Actress Delia Kropp took a ten year hiatus from the Chicago theatre scene. When I asked her if that was hard she replied, "it was necessary." Delia is a transgender woman and has only in the last few years returned to auditioning--now as her true gender. She spoke with me about her work as an actress, the challenges facing transgender actors in Chicago, and what she and others are doing to make our stages more inclusive. You can catch Delia's work when she directs the winner of the Pride Films and Play Trans Play Festival on June 11th and 12th. To learn more about her creative and activist work, you can visit her website.

"I have had a long and interesting life," says producer Roberta Miles. She chronicles her experiences ("Sex gone wrong stories--I have a lot of those") in one woman show and in her monologues performed at Loose Chicks, a bi-monthly storytelling performance co-produced by Jillian Erickson. Roberta began writing after she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and found herself spending a lot of time in bed. In this episode, Roberta and her collaborator Holly Beaudry discuss what it's like to hear raw and revealing stories from Chicago women as well as what makes a great monologue.

Director Erica Vannon is drawn to the kind of work that makes you "giggle into a bit of horror." Or stand up and scream like you're at a football game. Or cry (a lot (if you're me)). She produces the impossible, like a devised opera performed in a hotel room or a 3 minute piece with 47 actors.