Theater Undreground

2011-10-26T09:37:00.003-05:00

So, you think you've seen all the sidewalk has to offer? A light in the attic? A giving tree?

Well folks, Not even close...

We're at it again! Yup! Pretty soon we will be bringing you dead ponies, prostitutes speaking in prose, a tennis shoe, a live auction, original music by Ian Hall (yes the Ian Hall of Woodstock, IL.) ,and many, many more TUG pleasures!

It's gonna be a crazy awesome sauce filled time, hyped with laughs and tears (well, hopefully not tears) so here is what you need to know:

Theater Undreground presents An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein written by Shel Silverstein, on November 4th, 5th, 11th & 12th, 2011 at the Memorial Hall in Richmond, IL.

ABOUT THE SHOW:
Sass and sexuality—that 'adultness'—is what An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein is all about. It's a collection of 10 short plays about the darker side of parenthood, sexuality, and everything else. Moving outside of your comfort zone and traversing unexplored territory is a constant theme of Silverstein’s adult and children’s works. This play does the same. The series challenges the everyday decisions we make and the paths we choose to take on extreme level in ten vignettes.

Directed by Timothy R. Curtis, David Baker, and Brian Heinzelmann, and orignal music by Ian Hall.

This show is adult themed and should be viewed as a rated R production. This show contains adult language and adult situations. You must be at least 17 years old or accompanied by a parent to attend.

Ws:
WHO: Theater Undreground & Ian Hall
WHAT: An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein written by Shel Silverstein
WHERE: Memorial Hall Civic Theatre -10308 Main Street - Richmond, Illinois
WHEN: November 4th, 5th, 11th & 12th, 2011 at 8pm
WHY: Because the sidewalk ends, and we've seen it without the attic light. (spoiler alert: it doesn't end where you think it does)

TICKETS:
$10 (with $2 of every ticket sold donated to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of Richmond, IL)

RESERVATIONS ACCEPTED:
Please contact theaterundreground@gmail.com or call (or text) at 815-575-9TUG (9884). Or even visit www.theaterundreground.com - Space is limited.

2011-08-01T10:57:00.003-05:00

Dinner, drinks and our very First Annual Comedy Fest! All at the Memorial Hall! BOOM!

Here's the deal. I wanted to go see some Chicago stand-up comedy. 2 reasons. They're funny, and they're from Chicago, which is a cool, kick-butt comedy town. Are you with me? Then I saw where I was sitting—Woodstock, Illinois. There's no Chicago stand-ups here, and Chicago is over 60 miles away. Do you know what it costs just to drive to Chicago? It's a 120-mile round trip, and even at 30mpg and 4 bucks a gallon, I'm already in the hole $16. And that's not even factoring in driving time, traffic, stop lights, power outages, flashing stop lights, toll booths, puddles, pot holes, fix-a-flat, not texting and driving, hands free head sets, looking like a dork, not enough freon, sweaty ass syndrome, that noise your passenger side window makes, that thing that's clicking in the vent that you just cannot get to and if you could you'd destroy it, and that guy who cuts you off on the way there (exhale). So now you're all mad, which leads to more aggressive, lead-foot driving, and before you know it now you're getting like seven and a half miles per gallon. Do some quick math—miles per gallon, pain and suffering, divide by 3, carry the one—and yes, yes, now it costs $243.21 just to go to Chicago and back. Then by the time you get there you forgot what you went there for, so you go home and tell your friends that you went to Chicago and you watch them "oooh" and "ahhh" and tell you how lucky we all are that we live so close to the city. Well, we're not letting you fall for that, so that got us thinking. Wouldn't it be better if Chicago comics came to you? And what better way to do that than to invite our Richmond-native, Chicago stand-up comedy friend.

Chicago comedian and Richmond native, Kelsie Huff, will be featured for this night of extraordinary stand-up comedy, as 5 Chicago comedians come to you here, in Richmond, Illinois. She brings with her, the kates, an exclusive, all-female comedy group (that Kelsie founded) that encompasses the distinct voices of several up-and-coming Chicago performers. The hilarious kates provide an intimate night of comedy different from anything you'll see at a typical Chicago club or late night bar. Center Stage Chicago writes, "This informal evening of sharp, stand-up features a rotating cast of Chicago's best female jokers. Critics praise the cozy, sugar-fueled feel and the hosting skills of ringleader Kelsie Huff."

And, as you read earlier, it's not just comedy that's in store. For the first time ever Theater Undreground will dive into the foray of having dinner and drinks available at the Memorial Hall, and in doing so this Comedy Fest will also feature a couple of local Richmond businesses. When the doors open at 6pm, guests will have the opportunity to mingle with other comedy lovers during the cocktail hour, provided by the Olive Black Martini & Wine Lounge. The cash bar will available both for the initial cocktail hour and throughout the entire evening. This will be followed by a dinner served at 7pm by the Sherman Catering Company. Then, at around 8pm the show will begin when the kates take the stage and showcase this Comedy Fest.

Here's the W's
WHO: Theater Undreground
WHAT: 1st Annual Comedy Fest
WHERE: Memorial Hall Civic Theatre - 10308 Main Street - Richmond, Illinois
WHEN: August 13th, 2011. 6pm Cocktail Hour, 7pm Dinner, 8pm Show
WHY: You don't have to spend your gas money to see Chicago comedians. Instead Chicago comics come to you!

TICKETS: $25 (Includes dinner & show. The cash bar is separate.)

Since it's our first time doing this, and since we have to get an accurate count for food purposes, we're going to be selling tickets prior to the show. There will be 2 ways to buy your tickets.

1. Find a TUG person and give them money. Then that TUG person will either (a) give you tickets, or (b) hold your tickets for you at the Will Call window when you walk into the Memorial Hall. on Aug. 13th. And by the way, we'll have tickets for this Comedy Fest with us for our July 23rd free Improv show at Olive Black and at Stage Left Cafe, August 4th, in case you'll be there and want to purchase your tickets then.

2. Pay with credit card through PayPal (including the additional PayPal fees). Once we receive payment, we'll email you to confirm we got it and then we'll hold your tickets for you at the Will Call window when you walk into the Memorial Hall on Aug. 13th. If you're going to pay with this option, you should probably email us first so we can properly set it up for you.

Okay, that's that. Thanks for reading and thanks for all your tremendous support. Oh, by the way, all the proceeds of this event will be going to one of McHenry County's newest 501(c)3 organizations. Yep, that's us! Theater Undreground is proud to say that we're a 501(c)3 organization. Woohoo! Even though we've always been a non-profit company, we've now finally achieved tax-exempt status. Which also means that if you're in desperate need of finding a place to donate your money to, in order to write it off on your taxes, we'd be more than happy to oblige. We will even provide you with a receipt. How about that, eh?

For more information on anything above, you can email us at theaterundreground@gmail.com or call and leave a message at 815-575-9TUG (9884).

Cheers!
Tim Mosbach

And Now It's Over

2011-03-02T09:37:00.005-06:00

Scoring for TUG's production of Dog Sees God : Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead was one of the most satisfying productions I've done since starting in the theater scoring business.

Taking on this theme was important to me because I have several friends that are gay and have a difficult time with their ability of self-expression. Or the family members not accepting their sexuality.

I've always been for equal rights. And this play needs to be seen and heard.

PFLAG was the perfect cause for the donation. I will say it again, I was very happy when the chapter president came up to me and personally thank me for suggesting them. How often does that happen? Most charities will just take the donation, but PFLAG really supported the show. Got the word, wrote letter's to the Editor's of the Woodstock Independent and the Northwest Herald. They came out to the shows and showed their support to TUG, the cast and crew and being a representative of their organization.

How much could you ask for?

Writing the score for the play was an interesting challenge (as I mentioned before) but how I wrote it was something else. I read the script from the time I got it in early December. Wrote ideas down. Met up with Tim and Tim. Talked about ideas for the play. But A LOT of the score for the play came from being there at rehearsals. Capturing the emotions of the play with the music right on the spot.

I fed off the actors. Their emotions of the character. They fed off of me.

Also playing the Beethoven and Chopin pieces was another challenges. For one, I'm the polar opposite fan of the B&C. I played them as a part of the self-learning process. However, I'm a Mozart & Liszt fan. Give me any Sonata and Transcental Etude and I'll run my fingers among the keys.

The kicker is, that, I haven't played any classical music in over 13 years.

That means all the classical music I played at the show came back to me in seconds plus some practise.

I'm no prodigy or natural. I'm just Frances.

With an "e" not and "i" cuz I'm a girl.

It was fun revisiting the classics.

I hope that anyone who watched the play recognized the Beethoven's Pathetique Sonanta Mvt 2. Which I added in because if you remember Schroeder played often.

It also gave more meaning and emotion to the specific scenes for the characters of Beethoven and Matt. Particularly the scene with "moonlight sonanta." and having me play it live also allowed for character recognition for Matt prior to the bullying.

The response from the audience was equally positive. Several came up to me and told me how wonderful of a job I did. One person emailed me and said that I made a huge contribution to the play.

My favorite moment was on closing day when these young girls came up to me and told me how great I did. One of them, an Asian girl asked my advice on writing. I gave her some, and told her my information was in the program and she can contact me whenever she'd like. Her face lit up.

I felt so amazing that I can be inspiring. I never thought of myself as being in such a position.

The cast was also responded to my music in such a positive way.

It was a new experience for the cast to have music specifically written for each scene.

In the end, I did what I've done in the past. Recorded the performances and created an album for the TUG producers, the Cast and Crew.

I created artwork and liner notes to go along with it.

Each person received an envelop with a copy of the liner notes, with a personally note from me along with a SPORK that included a URL to download the album.

Anne said, that "setting up the soundtrack for us- there is no better way to relive show memories than listening to the music that went with each scene."

I plan to perform some of the music in my future concert sets.

To end. Thanks again to Tim Curtis and Tim Mosbach for thinking of me. It was a great re-union to work with them on a production. And look forward to what the future for TUG to bring.

I renewed friendships and made new friends. Eric even enjoyed himself through the entire process and it was his first time ever seeing a theater production come together. So it was a new experience for him.

To close... I know the everyone who was a part of the show would like to show their thanks and gratitude to everyone who came out to the show.

This should annimate (if anything try it in IE)

until next time.

o/o

To The Moment

2011-02-17T09:05:00.010-06:00

I'm so thrilled with this production.

I love working with my 'ole buddies on something groundbreaking, never done in this area before theater. I've been part of a lot of theater productions since I was, well, a long time. I'm not talking about my life being show business when I was 10 days old. I'm talking actual theatrical

productions in the form of plays. From my days working as a events assistant, Stage production, management, set construction to design and ultimately my favorite position as COMPOSER.

Every production I've scored music for has brought a challenge and I met each challenge with a wide scope and creativity. I tackle it like problem solving with no clear answer in sight until I personally have solved it on my own.

This is what makes me as a creative artist flourish and grow.

In the past week, I've made some changes and add a new song to introducing scenes that I wasn't sure would pull off. But I tried it and because I didn't want to take away from the message, I wanted to accentuate the comic lilt ... like foreshadowing. I think I pulled it

off.

YOU BE THE JUDGE.

For those of you coming to the show, I hope you like what I have created. And brought this production of 'Dog See's God' a one of a kind uniqueness that hasn't been done eva!

Any of you hesitant in coming I'll calm your mind and make reasons why you won't want to miss it.

1. There are only 4 (FOUR) shows.

2. I'm playing Chopin's "Prelude #4" and the 'Revolutionary Etude'

3. I'm playing Beethoven's "Pathetique Sonata Mvt 2" and 'Moonlight Sonata'

4. I wrote music that works with scenes, between scenes and also before the production begins and after the production ends.

5. The Director made awesome choices when casting and directing this production.

If you looked up about this production and saw something online and made your mind up.

CHANGE IT. This is a 100% best better bestest production than all of them.

6. The Cast is awesome. They have brought each character to life. That being said, both their

former qualities of the "gang" and the later qualities in which you could expect to have happened to the "gang" are represented so extremely well.

7. The Crew is awesome. Working with them is like Carnac the Magnificent. Between lights, sound, stage and me we are like one. We seem to just know.

8. I love how Michael play's the casio like he's a real Beethoven. He does an awesome job and we

sync great with the acting and music when playing.

9. This is a rare opportunity to hear me perform PUBLICLY. And new music as well.

I don't perform in public venues as much, as I once did.

10. You'll be supporting the cast and crew, local theater, artistic growth and members of the PFLAG and similar community.

Lastly... to put any fears to rest...

If you like SHOWTIME or even HBO and watch any show on any of those channels

then you have no reason why you can't see this production.

If you are a fan of "The L Word" or "Queer As Folk" ... You'll love it.

Also, if you've seen the movie "Easy A" then you're familiar with Bert Royal.

Because he wrote the screenplay.

No excuses. Come out.

You'll regret it if you miss it.

And I'll feel awful that maybe I didn't do a good enough job with the music.

With that said...

I can't wait until opening night!

I'll see YOU there promptly at 7:40 pm.

o/o

some photos and a short video

2011-02-09T09:21:00.003-06:00

I took some photos from Tuesday nights rehearsal and did a short

video of playing the piano and what it sounds like.

The photos aren't the greatest because the lights on stage are

so bright and they are taken off a phone.

But it's better than none...

o/o

almost there

2011-02-08T17:11:00.001-06:00

Last night's rehearsal went really well.

I was super tired from all the laughing I did last night.

It's a must see production.

I think I have the music pretty much done.

The end song is almost there and now it's

tweaking out key pieces that work with the

actors and connect the emotions.

I wrote a Requiem type piece.

A special song for CB's sister that is heard during

the scenes "Drama" & "...Platypus"

I performed a couple of pieces at a concert today.

They went over well.

I hope that those who see the play see the emotional

value of the music I am writing with the scenes.

And that the classical pieces I playing are good enough

for any classical lover.

Time to eat some supper and then get ready for

tonight rehearsal.

I need to get my cues down firm!

o/o

...and I took photos with my cell phone

2011-01-30T19:08:00.003-06:00

and had posted them on my twitpic page via twitter

But since most people who follow this blog don't follow

my twitter I'd thought I'd post them here and xpost them

at my LJ too.

I'll have Eric's fancy smancy camera next time and take photos

with that. So they will be of better quality.

Tonight we ran through the entire play. The first half being

off book. The actors are doing a wonderful job. I can't wait

until Tech Week.

I think I have all the music pretty much the way I want to do it.

and I'll be doing a short duet with the director, Tim. Which

will be super fun... If I don't screw it up. Trust me I might!

I need to find an app that can import the play into my iPad

where I can make markings and notes. The one Eric found

isn't allowing it to import. Or I'll have to do on my computer

some how.

So if anyone has any kind of suggestions please comment

or email me!

We got the front of the piano open so I can make string and other

extraneous sounds during certain scenes. I am very happy with

my ending song and the rest of the pieces I'm playing.

Including Chopin and Beethoven. I wish the play included

Mozart or Liszt, but when I am projecting Mozart in some pieces

and Liszt through Chopin.

I got the opening song down somewhat and need to start writing

the finale.

I was going to post what I had plan to write for the next entry as

I mentioned after the first, but I'd rather post photos. Something

to wet your appetite for the actual performance. It is done, so

next time.

Here's the photos...enjoy!

o/o

Passionate Director

2011-01-25T14:56:00.003-06:00

Passion.

It’s what drives us as people. We tend to work harder on what we are passionate about.

I have been passionate about theater since I was a young’un; my first exposure was watching a telecast of the Off Broadway play, You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown. I realized that that is something I wanted to do. Doing small plays for classes and lip synching to old Allan Sherman records led me to be in my first play in high school, My Fair Lady. I soon after discovered community theatre (where I met my future wife) and my love of “treading the boards” was solidified…

Then the lure of directing raised its head.

I have been lucky over the years to have worked with some really great directors; both locally and in college. And I have had the displeasure of working with some not so good ones. It was the ones who felt that they needed to push psychological buttons or resort to yelling and threats to get their casts where they needed to be that fueled my desire to do it. I ended up taking some one on one instruction with a local director and was lucky to have a local company in Woodstock give me the opportunity to direct my first one act play.

Since then it has lead me around McHenry County working with both large and small companies and even to New York to work as a director/instructor at a well known theatre camp.

Passion took me through this. And passion will keep me going.

Regardless of what happens in your life: job loss, friends drifting away, family crisis’s, whatever. You will always have your passions. Sometimes it’s the only way to get through life.

I have been doing some on stage work since I have been directing, but nothing can compare with watching a cast during a performance; when it’s cooking, the pace is great and the audience is just pulled into it. That is the ultimate reward.

Hello .... My Name is Mai-Ling

2011-01-21T19:21:00.004-06:00

This is my first entry on the TU blog here.

I write in my Live Journal as regularly as I can,

although, I twitter more these days.

Micro blogging has become more conveinant but from

time to time, I do write at my LJ.

I'm really excited to be part of TU as my long

and ongoing relationship with much of the

actors, director's and some of the playwrights

go as far back to the day's of "Theatre Hut"

where I wrote music to my first play 'Evil Little

Thoughts.' Then working with the"Shakespeare

Project" and writing music for 'The Tempest' &

'Taming of the Shrew.'Eventually working on

Moiliere's 'The Miser.'

I've been really good friends with the director for

"Dog See's God" for many years. Our common

connections extend back to when Tim wrote for Chicago's

'Bozo Circus.' Where my father was the first magician to

perform on the show in 1964 when Bob Bell wore the red

Bozo costume. You can view video of my father on my press kit website.

I've also accompanied Tim's wife, Pam, a super fabulous singer on occasion.

It was Tim, who got me the opportunity to do the music for the

Improv-comedy 'My Funny Valentine' with "Stage Crafters

Theater." It was my first opportunity to write and perform

music for more of a improv style production.

"Dog Sees God" is my 7th theatrical production. Inbetween not

doing plays, I've been writing music for short films in drama and

horror genres. Most recently Bryan Wolfard "Shadows." I also do a

lot of concerting around the Southern Wisconsin and Chicagoland area.

I perform original concert music in the genre I created called

Alternative-Classical. And also the writer and graphic designer of

the "Portraits of American Veterans Project" with artist and

founder Jeanine Hill-Soldner.

Among many other things which you can learn more about on my

website www.mai-ling.net

I'm busy...

However, I'm having a wonderful time with working on the play thus far.

It's a joy to be part of TU.

It's also nice to come back to Richmond Memorial Hall for something different.

When I was a child growing up, it was once my library.

Yeap, I grew up in Spring Grove and graduated from RBCHS. It's old

stomping grounds for me. Kinda strange but in a new kinda way.

In my next entry I will write about what inspires me when it comes to

working on a play.

o/o

It was Heaven Sent to be "Sister Mary"

2010-04-19T21:44:00.002-05:00

This is my first blog ever so please be kind. I wanted to take this time to say a few words on what it was like to be in a leading role for the first time ever in my life. First off I can say that it was the best experience I have had in my entire life. It was full of ups and downs, laughter and sorrow, mostly laughter.

From the moment it was announced what the play was going to be for the spring I knew this would be the part for me. Call it a heavenly intuition, if you will. And I'm serious when I say that. Just to give you a little background about myself, I converted to the catholic faith in 1997. So I knew that I would be perfect for this part. And I wanted it like no other.

Last year I auditioned for Not What You Expected and I was absolutely terrified. I mean I was shaking, and thinking to myself, what am I doing? Why am I putting myself out there like this? Of course it turned out to be wonderful and I fell in love with Theater all over again, and with Theater Undreground. Then I went to audition this year for Sister Mary Ignatius. I was not nervous at all. I think its because I found the courage somewhere deep inside and knew this is what I wanted. And wouldn't you know, I got the part! Someone (Anne Dowd-Fisher, first time co-director) saw something in me that told her I would be good for this role.

Now comes first time read through. Not bad very fun. And even 2nd read through. Then was told to drop the accent. One of many "blankets (woobies) I would have to drop. Turned out to be sound advice since I eventually found my "Sister" voice. Then I got my very own script, and as I was highlighting all my lines, I said to myself, OMFG what did I get myself into? So, so, so, many lines. It was like Purgatory, it went on for a very, very, very long time! But that was just a split second thought and I said to myself, this is what you wanted. Have confindence, don't worry, you'll get it. And I did!

I know in rehearsals, there was a time when many people might have been a little worried if they made the right decision casting a first time actress in a big role like this. But I never lost confidence. With hard work and a "little help from my friends" (you know who you are) It finally clicked. And on Thursday of Tech Week, my fellow castmates finally saw what I was capable of.

Then came opening night. And it was just as I had dreamed it would be. I was a little nervous going on stage even with the curtains closed. But I got ready, and I said a little prayer and made the sign of the cross. Then the curtains opened and I went to the front of the stage and said my first opening lines. I walked out on the pier and I BECAME HER!

It was as if someone entered my body and I could hear myself speak but it wasn't my voice. Sounded like me, looked like me (in costume of course) but it wasn't me. It was Sister Mary Ignatius. And the whole thing was just surreal. And it became the best experience of my life.
The curtains closed and I was on cloud nine.

Now of course I could not have done what I did without GREAT directors and a WONDERFUL talented cast. And they made it even better than I could have dreamed.

My advice to anyone who thinks about acting or doesn't know if they are good enough. TRY IT! ITS NOT SO HARD! Take that leap. You won't know until you try.

You never know, you might even get a cookie if you do a good job!!!!

Poetry Submission by Jhon Baker - 002

2010-04-12T21:41:00.000-05:00

BLANK PAGES

I once shaved my head
to save money on combs
and shampoo.
it didn’t last – due
to vanity and the
expense of razors.

now we no longer
use paper towels or
Styrofoam cups.
replaced by hand size towels
& steel tumblers.
and this is to get
ahead of an economic
depression
when I’ll begin to use
blank pages from books to
write on.

--J. Baker

The Review Is In - Only 3 Shows Left

2010-04-10T15:31:00.004-05:00

Guess who came to our show last night? Yep, Stephen D. Sullivan. And since he likes blogging, he decided to offer up a review. You can check it our here. Dig on it and support the local artists. If you want.

And speaking of local artists, next week we'll be posting another poetry submission by Jhon Baker. Stay tuned.

New Poster's Here - For Our April Show

2010-03-25T09:02:00.013-05:00

(click the poster below to blow that mutha up!)

Now send this link - http://theaterundreground.blogspot.com - on to 6 people and maybe you'll go to heaven. Maybe. That's just our way of saying, "Spread the f***ing word!"

If you still want to go, check out our website for reservation info.

Poster designed by Marlena Wagner.

Poetry Submission by Jhon Baker - 001

2010-03-22T14:16:00.007-05:00

WHY DON’T THEY SHOOT MORE POETS?

I don’t mind getting older;
there’s no penalty for death,
only death.
they don’t shoot poets anymore.
they’re unafraid and we’re
powerless –
that is our penalty.

saying you love me is
your penalty.
nobody is envious for
your love of a poet.

that’s half what I meant.

or –

that’s half what I meant.

I don’t mind getting older,
there’s no death penalty for it.
only death,
a poet’s death.
they don’t shoot poets anymore;
considered unfashionable.
people walk unafraid of poets
so we are powerless,
this is a penalty.

“I love you.”
and that is a penalty.
loving a poet,
nobody is envious.

and that’s half what I meant.

-‐ it’s one of the two isn’t it?

-‐ J. Baker

Another Lover? Or Two?

2010-03-12T08:30:00.009-06:00

Looks like TUG found some new lovers.

Please welcome the latest additions to our Local Artists That Love TUG link: Andy Saputo & Jhon Baker.

Andy is a local artist who enjoys drawing with pen and ink and graphite and maybe a watercolor or two. You can take a look at his work on his website. Maybe we can get him to draw/sketch the Memorial Hall stage. Or, heck, while we're at it, maybe even the ENTIRE MEMORIAL HALL. MUAHAHAHAHA.

Jhon Baker is a local poet. His blog is titled - The Platitudes of Willful Resemblance - and on it, Jhon offers his daily thoughts and inspirations, mostly in the form of poetry or artwork or just storytelling.

The best part about the new additions is that all it takes is an email to us (professing your undying love), asking if you could get a link on that side of the page (actually that first parenthetical portion, 12 words to the left, is not true - no need to be a professor). And it's really that simple.

So, in the future - and if you're reading this (that's a big IF) - if you want to be a part of this blog, let us know at theaterundreground@gmail.com. It looks like that between some of the local artists we have on the side over there (and when I say over there, imagine that I'm next to you pointing at the Local Artists That Love TUG column [without pants on {whoa! that was a bracket inside parenthesis inside one of these '{' things}]), we should have a good mix of posts coming in the future.

And speaking of future, here's what we may (or may not) have in store for you on this blog:

Another blog entry by Anne Dowd-Fisher, chronicling her experiences as a first-time director.
A short story by Stephen D. Sullivan, a renowned author (what's renowned mean?)
A short video by Jason Madeja (who's Madeja?)
A nice picture by Andy Saputo
A poem by Jhon Baker

For those of you on the above list , that's me asking if you'd be willing to offer up some stuff for this blog. You can even put links on your blog to your site. We don't give a sh*t. Oh, and you don't have to bleep yourself out, I don't know why I did that. If that's the case, then email me and we'll chat, or correspond, or whatever - you know what I mean.

Cheers!
Tim

We Want You to Blog Off! Seriously.

2010-03-01T08:32:00.003-06:00

Did anyone know we had a blog? We didn't even know, so don't feel bad. That's a joke. I think.

Anyway, we want to invite anyone to it. Seriously. If you have something to say - in the form of a poem, or a short story, or a diary entry, or a reaction to a show, or even just how stupid we are - it doesn't matter, just email us at theaterundreground@gmail.com and let us know. We'll give you access and you can write your heart out.

And actually, first-time director, Anne Dowd-Fisher (of our new April show), is going to kick start this experiment off with some first-time director, diary-type blogs. Pretty sweet, huh? Stay tuned. I think we'll figure out a way to let you know with something called Facebook or Twitter. Heck, you can even follow this Blogger if you want, and can come to think of it, that's probably the most convenient. But if you're not hip to that, we can even email you.

Could you imagine us trying to do something like this 20 years ago - we'd be handwriting stuff, licking stamps, and drinking a lot of booze. Well, I guess checking off 2 out of 3 from that list ain't bad.

April 2010 Show

2010-02-06T23:47:00.005-06:00

You ready for The Actor's Nightmare? You ready for Sister Mary? You ready for a Theater Undreground show about the church? Auditions are Feb. 10th & 11th - http://bit.ly/aVGAxO

Theater Undreground hits Twitter!

2009-08-05T15:31:00.007-05:00

And then there was Twitter.

Theater Undreground just joined the Twitter nation! Let's see where this takes us. If you want to follow us, you can either click here or just look over to the next column on the right. You'll see the header TUG Tweets and a link that says "Follow me on Twitter."

You'll always remember where you were when you began following Theater Undreground on Twitter. And if that's really a true statement, we're very, very sorry. And you should probably try out for our next show - it's slightly more fun.

Auditions Are Coming!

2009-07-24T16:08:00.004-05:00

Yes indeedy do, we have auditions for a new show coming to a theater near you. Actually in Richmond, IL, so we hope it qualifies as "near."

Here's the lowdown:
July 30th - 7pm - Memorial Hall - Richmond, IL
August 4th - 7pm - Woodstock Library - Woodstock, IL

With callbacks scheduled for -
August 5th - 7pm - Memorial Hall - Richmond, IL

The dates for the show will be the last two weekends in October (23, 24, 30 & 31) with our closing night being Halloween.

There's no need for prep work, either, which is sweet. Just show up, we'll give you something to read and then you read. Hopefully with feeling.

That's all we got for now. For more details visit our Website or our Facebook Page. Or both.

That's it, we're out.

Theater Undreground is giving back!

2009-05-18T09:12:00.001-05:00

Theater Undreground is committed to the community. We understand that our success depends on the community and, to us, that means to provide them with the best possible entertainment for the most affordable price that we can. Which is exactly why we've decided to crank up the prices of our tickets! No, seriously, we're jacking 'em up--by 2 bucks! That's a 25% hike up.

BUT, and it's a big 'ol but, we're not keeping a dime of the increase. Or a nickel. Or even a penny. That's because, from this point forward, Theater Undreground will donate $2 from every ticket sale back into the community byway of local charitable donations. And it all starts with our next show in June.

This June, Theater Undreground is putting on a show that will help benefit the American Cancer Society - Relay For Life of North McHenry County. Our show, A Quartet of Comedies: A Concoction of Clowns, Cacophony, Conditions and Cows, is a series of 4 one-act plays that will be combined to make up one evening of Theater Undreground zaniness. The show will be performed on June 12th, 13th, 19th and 20th at the Memorial Hall Civic Theatre in Richmond, Illinois. Tickets will be $10, $2 of which will be donated to Relay For Life of North McHenry. For more information, visit our website or check out our events page on facebook.

Who says you can't go out for some good 'ol entertainment AND give back to the community at the same time? Not us, that's who.

We hope you can join us in our efforts to give back.

We Gots Us a REVIEW! Yee-Hoo!

2009-05-09T12:41:00.002-05:00

We just got ourselves a real review by a real writer. Not too shabby.

Check out Stephen D. Sullivan's review, either on his homepage or his blog. It's good fun!

Opening Night for "Ripe"

2009-05-09T11:49:00.002-05:00

It was a wonderful opening night, last night. Some great work friends came out to see the show and I got a good genuine feeling that they enjoyed it. That kind of thing makes me and, I'm sure, the rest of the Undregrounders, feel real good about what we've accomplished.

The shows should only continue to get better. Can't wait for round 2 tonight!

2009-04-22T10:54:00.001-05:00

And now I can text to the TUG Blog and inundate everyone with Theater Undreground stuff. I hope I just didn't say something naughty.

"Ripe Conditions" is coming! Are you ready?

2009-04-17T10:54:00.002-05:00

Take two bumbling, farm boy brothers, add in the long lost love of their lives, mix in a tornado, a chicken and a dash of Theater Undreground and you get Ripe Conditions by Claudia Allen. Plop that on the wood burning stove for about two months and on May 8th you should get something resembling another hilarious Theater Undreground production. We'll probably have enough for left overs on May 9th, May 15th and May 16th. Dinner will be served at 8pm. (NOTE: this is not dinner theater and the terms here are merely metaphorical and used only to entice you to come see our show.)

For more information visit www.theaterundreground.com or call 815-206-4759.

The show will be performed at the Memorial Hall Civic Theatre, 10308 Main Street in Richmond, Illinois.