| Share your thoughts on DYING CITY
by Chelsea Keenan on 2/19/2009 02:33:00 PM
 Our Chicago Premiere of Dying City is really getting audiences talking! As you may know, every Sunday matinee is followed by an in-depth talkback. They are always popular, and for this show, nearly our entire audience stayed to discuss this emotionally riveting production.
It's clear this show gives you a lot to talk about! Some of the most captivating questions we've heard surround the character's motivations. Why does Peter come to Kelly's house on this night? Did he plan to come? Did he plan to read the emails from his twin brother to her?
And still more address the unique backstory surrounding the unusual twin bond. Though Peter and Craig seem worlds apart, how are they bonded as brothers? What about their lifestyles is more alike than different?
Please share your thoughts on these and any other topics you contemplated, discussed and debated after Dying City. If you haven't yet seen the show, join us soon (perhaps at one of our Sunday matinees) and share your thoughts with us and your fellow audience members!Labels: Dying City
Post a
Comment
Subscribe to
Posts [Atom]
1
Comments:
Six of us were privileged to see Dying City last week. The 85 year old active writer in our group was extremely impressed on the way Christopher Shinn was able to slice and dice the unfolding of the story in such a complicated but ultimately coherent manner. It works ultimately due to Jason Loewith's capable direction of two outstanding actors, Nicole Wiesner and Coburn Goss! I saw the inital reading by the two and never before did I see such professional preparation prior to the first go-around. They are real pros!
Another couple in our group was taken by the wide swathe that war cuts, beyond those in the military, to those who live and die from afar and in some ways more difficult place. At least a soldier feels he might have a modicum of control and understanding of his plight. Our group hopes this tremendous theatre at such a difficult time fills every seat for the remainder of the run!
Dying City is Jeff Awards Reccommended!
by Chelsea Keenan on 2/10/2009 12:43:00 PM
Dying City opened Monday February 9th and is Jeff Awards Recommended.
Have you seen Dying City? Share your thoughts on the show in our comments below.Labels: Awards, Dying City
Post a
Comment
Subscribe to
Posts [Atom]
4
Comments:
We thought this was a poor play filled with gratuitous smut irrelevant to the plot, a lack of character development and basically pointless. On the other hand, the acting was superb.
The acting was excellent. I found Peter and Craig both to be self absorbed users who weren't interested in commitment. The biggest mystery to me was why Kelly
thought she loved Craig. She also was nicer to Peter than he deserved. Maybe he came to hurt her because he had been hurt by the comment that was made to him
during his play that day. I found him to be nosy and not caring of her. She was too passive in both relationships.
A master class in acting. The performances were phenomenal in a very thought provoking play.
I thought the acting was really good. But I thought the play really needed work - too many undeveloped angles - throwaway line from brother about wantign her to have his baby (say what?) Was that why she hated him and wanted to avoid him? Why was she so distraught about her jerk of a husband having sexual encounters in army if he already said he didnt love her (what an SOB the way he handled it). I dont know but I was sort of annoyed by all the characters (especially the men) and thought they didnt deserve Kelly at all. Pretty contrived entances and exits for brother change too. Sorry.
DYING CITY Technical rehearsals
by Jim Davis - Managing Director on 2/03/2009 09:27:00 PM
Greetings from Technical Rehearsals of DYING CITY. It takes a lot of talented theatre professionals to put up a show here at The Next and we're so very fortunate to work with some of the best in the Chicagoland area.
This amazing team of designers and technicians have been hard at work over the past few days putting the final touches on the technical elements for the play and we've certainly come a long way since we started pre-production in early December. From design meetings where we decided as a creative team what we wanted the world of the play to look and feel like, to scheduling the load-in of lighting and scenery to making sure that the costumes, sound and props departments all stay within their budgets... there are thousands of details to work out and it's my job to coordinate the minutiae of all of it.
We're very lucky to work with the likes of Lighting Designer Keith Parham and Costume Designer Kristine Knanishu (both back in town from their amazing work on the Off-Broadway production of THE ADDING MACHINE) as well as Sound Designer Nathan Leigh who joins us for the first time from Boston. As Production Manager I'm enjoying serving double-duty as Scenic Designer to work with this amazing creative team, led by our old friend (and new Washington DC resident) Jason Loewith, who is directing the show.
Properties Master Michael Groth and Assistant Scenic Designer Diane Fairchild at work re-upholstering the show's sofa.
It always amazes me what a wonderful and talented team of resident technicians I was able to assemble to work with us on our shows. Erin Diener is now in her second show with us as Production Stage Manager and she's assisted again by Susie Pelayo. Our Master Electrician Mac Vaughey has been with us since my first show here two seasons ago and Matt Hallock, our Sound Engineer is doing his fourth show with us. Grant Sabin is back again as our charge Scenic Artist who painted the show to very careful specifications and Properties Master Michael Groth has done amazing work rigging our onstage kitchen to do some pretty cool things. My Associate Production Manager Patrick Fries and Assistant Scenic Designer Diane Fairchild have both been hard at work to make sure that I keep my sanity while serving double duty.
For now, I should get back to work... there's still much to do to make sure that we're ready for our first preview.... in 45 and a half hours!Labels: Dying City, Production Department, Rehearsal, Technical
Post a
Comment
Subscribe to
Posts [Atom]
2
Comments:
I thought this play was excellent and the acting superb. The brothers, I felt, had an unsatisfactory and unhealthy relationship - though they each clearly wanted more. The wife was truly victimized by both of them. I did feel as though I was left hanging - that the play was a work in progress. I couldn't help feeling I wanted more answers.
Our group of four viewers found much to discuss in this play. I personally was too aware of all the facial and arm gestures of the wife: I almost never felt that I was unaware of the acting. That was disappointing. None of us felt that the comparison to Bagdad or any other city was clear and stand-alone. I was not clear whether the flashbacks were intended to be what the widow remembered as opposed to what actually happened; grief could alter the widow's perception of reality greatly. We wondered if the warrior twin was a closet homosexual. It also was not clear whether Peter's motivation was his hope that he might be able to father a nephew as a link to his twin. These ambiguities did not strengthen the play in my mind.
DYING CITY First Rehearsal
by Chelsea Keenan on 1/07/2009 12:21:00 PM
After staff's various vacations East, West, South and abroad, Next Theatre is back in full swing! Last night we dove head first into our next production, Christopher Shinn's remarkable drama, Dying City. Jason Loewith is back in Chicagoland to direct the two-hander, which features Coburn Goss and Nicole Wiesner.
(L to R): Artistic Director Jason Southerland, Coburn Goss, Nicole Wiesner (foreground), and Jason Loewith check out the set model for Dying City.Labels: Dying City
Post a
Comment
Subscribe to
Posts [Atom]
0
Comments:
|
