SiNNERMAN

SiNNERMAN’s 3rd Annual SiNFEST is rapidly approaching!

Friends, Summer is almost over.  Why not have one more good time, one last indulgence before Old Man Winter returns.  Join us on Sunday, September 5th, the guilt free night before Labor Day for a little Sinning.

Once again, a mere $20 donation gets you delicious food, refreshing booze and great tunes.  And a chance to win awesome raffle prizes!  Best of all you’ll see old friends,meet new friends and support the worthy cause of making great theater. We can’t wait to see you there!

Where: The Den, 1333 North Milwaukee, right in the heart of Wicker Park!

When:  Sunday, September 5th, 7PM-Midnight, the night before Labor Day!

What:   A night of good times and bad behavior.

Why:    SiNNERS know how to have fun.

All proceeds support SiNNERMAN’s 2010/11 season that will begin with “Too Much Memory” by Keith Reddin at The Side Project in October.

Can’t make it to SiNFEST?  Still want to help?

Donating to SiNNERMAN has never been easier.  Check out the SUPPORT section on our website!  We are entering our most exciting season yet.  A donation of any size is enormously appreciated.

Your support makes what we do possible.

We thank you, from the bottom of our sinful hearts!

Hello dear friends!

It’s finally summer in Chicago, and the SiNNERS are spending it the only way they know how– working like dogs.  For starters, we are in the process of planning our third annual SiNFEST!  The party of the year is on Sunday night, September 5th.  That’s the night before Labor Day, so there’s your excuse to stay out late.  Stay tuned for more details about drinks, eats, the fabulous loft we’re taking over for the party and your chance to win some great prizes!

The SiNNERS, as usual, have also been keeping busy with their individual pursuits:  In between teaching gigs with Barrel of Monkeys, Calliope is traveling the world– North Carolina, France and a stop in Switzerland to say hi to her Mom!  Speaking of Moms, Dominica is enjoying being a mommy to her tiny tot.   Johnny is busy being a daddy to his tot, and also teaching acting in Ohio.  And our other SiNNERdad, Ryan is acting with Ebony in David Cromer’s CHERRYWOOD with Mary Arrchie!  Us SiNNERS like to stick together when we can.  Another SiNNER duo, Stefin and Sue, are traveling down south to Charleston, SC to work on Stephen Cone’s feature film, THE WISE KIDS.  Stefin is costume desiging and Sue is producing (for the first time)!  An additional SiNNER first: Anna is embarking on her maiden directing voyage at The Artistic Home’s CUT TO THE CHASE Festival.  In other news, Howie is finishing up an extended (and extended and extended) run of KILLER JOE with Profiles Theatre.  Levi, usually stationed in LA, is heading home to Louisiana to perform in Lagniappe Theatre’s production of, SEE HOW THEY RUN. And Cyd and Jeremy are taking things easy for once– Jeremy is traipsing around Chicago on his bike, and Cyd says, “Doing absolutely nothing has never felt so good.”

We’ve also been busy finalizing the details for our upcoming season (more on that soon!), and pondering what a beautiful experience our last show was.  DAYS OF LATE was a great show for us– we got the chance to work with a whole slew of talented and generous artists (whom we’ve just fallen in love with), we got some great reviews (which you can check out here), and, perhaps most importantly (definitely most gratifyingly), we had countless audience members approach us to say how moved they were, how inspired and surprised and touched they were by the play.  We can’t thank you enough for attending, folks, and we’re just so grateful that this was an enormously satisfying experience for you, as well as our team.  It was a powerful show that remains very close to our hearts, and moving on has been bittersweet.

Stay tuned for updates on our next season!  And in the meantime, check out these photos of ‘DAYS’ by photographer, John Morrison.

Posted by: Sue Redman

Image by nk Mooneyham

Tickets are now on sale!

And don’t forget, Saturday, April 19th is our big opening weekend celebration: Wine, Cheese & Chat Night!  We call it our “fancy night” because it’s a chance for us to get dressed up nice and drink some good wine.  But really, Wine, Cheese & Chat Night is pretty laid back.  Post show, we invite our guests to join us for a delicious wine and cheese spread while we hang out and mingle in the theater.  A little later, we’ll have a more formal talk-back with the actors and director of DAYS OF LATE.  And after that, it’s just more wine, more cheese, more chatting!

Tickets for this special event are $30, and all proceeds go towards helping SiNNERMAN Ensemble continue to create compelling, innovative theatre.

Come help us celebrate the opening of our daring new play!

For tickets call 773-296-6024 or visit www.viaducttheatre.com

Better late than never, friends.

We’d like to officially welcome our newest company members to the family (and the website)!

Folks, we feel like the luckiest bunch of SiNNERs in the world.  We are so grateful to have these three amazing guys as part of the gang.  And we’re thrilled to finally be able to tell you a little more about them!  What does Howie Johnson sing when no one is listening?  What could Ryan Martin simply not live without?  What is Stefin Steberl’s favorite vice?  Check out their bios and get the dirt.

In other news: our upcoming world premiere play, DAYS OF LATE,  is just around the corner.  And it’s gonna be so good.  Like, laugh-your-ass-off, grab-your-lover, hold-your-breath good.

From April 15th to May 22nd, Thursday through Sunday, we’ll be at The Viaduct Theatre.  Will you be there, as well?  We sure hope so!  You’re not going to want to miss this sexy, daring, quick-witted spitfire of a show.  Trust us.

Waiting is hard, we know.  But April 15th will be here before you know it.  And in the meantime you can check out the SHOWS section for more details.

See you soon!

Posted by: Sue Redman

Photo by nk Mooneyham

“We choose to work on projects that both scare and ignite us. In this way, we give ensemble members constant opportunities to learn, grown, indulge their passions and uphold their artistic integrity. As for our audience—we don’t want to make them feel, we want to allow them to feel. We want to reinforce the idea that there is no right way to respond to theatre. We want to excite people, to entertain them, and to illuminate life in front of them, inviting them to experience the full spectrum of humanity with us.” - from The SiNNERMAN Way

SiNNERMAN has been busy at work on our next show, Days of Late. Gathering of the design team and finalizing the cast is almost finished, next we will be doing script workshops (shaping new plays is one of our truest loves), finding rehearsal space, and as always, fund raising!

Braden LuBell is the playwright and director of Days of Late, a play that, with comedy, eroticism and harrowing drama, finds eight twenty and thirty somethings stumbling through the hardest times of their lives. Eight inhabitants of an American metropolis attempt to navigate the mine fields of love, sex and professional aspirations. The play explores the situation of our generation: we have so many new things to deal with in the way of looking for love, including growing up in a world with sexual liberation, anonymous sex, craigslist, and the growing acceptance of bisexuality and homosexuality. Our generation is spending their twenties and thirties differently than the traditions of our parents and grandparents: we’re pursuing careers, living far away from our families, being completely independent and thus struggling not to live frantic and isolated lives. As they pass the ages when their parents were settled with children, these characters are commonly bonded in the need to believe that it’s not too late to find their own type of happiness.

Days of Late is shaping up to be a hybrid of raw, naturalistic, fast-paced dialogue and slower, more poetic sections of ensemble movement. We are aiming to create an overwhelming experience that leaves an enormous, arresting and lasting impression on the audience and allows them to consider their own situation, beliefs and choices.

Exciting, huh?  We think so, too.  Happy New Year to all of our fans, and see you soon!

Photo by nk Mooneyham

Posted by: Sue Redman

Hope to see you there!

Alright, people.  Dust off your funniest, sexiest and most politically current costumes.  It’s time.  Everyone’s been asking about our Halloween Bash which has continuously proved to be one of the most raucous parties of the year.  Don’t miss it, friends!  We’d love to see you there (even if we won’t remember it the next day).

And why not come see the show on Halloween night?  You can get in for $15 with code word: HALLOWEEN.  Plus, if you see the show that night, you can get $5 off the cover to the party!  Sweet deal, right?  See you soon…

Posted by: Sue Redman

“These two-and-a-half hours are about all you need to understand why Chekhov, theatre and life matter.” –Justin Hayford, Chicago

Ensemble members Jeremy Fisher, Sue Redman and Anna Carini (photo by nk Mooneyham)

“…A riveting exploration of the tragic and farcical flounderings of the human heart.  The inquisitive, passionate, disarmingly young cast are so in tune with Chekhov’s nuanced style…” –Justin Hayford, Chicago Reader

Ensemble members Ryan Martin and Jeremy Fisher (photo by nk Mooneyham)

“Inspired… That tightrope between low despair and high comedy is traversed here with neat aplomb.” –Kerry Reid

Ensemble members Jeremy Fisher and Cyd Blakewell (photo by nk Mooneyham)

Check out the rest of our amazing reviews on the PRESS page!

If you haven’t seen the show yet, get your tickets soon before they sell out!  Call 773-296-6024.

Ivanov runs until November 7th

at The Viaduct Theatre (3111 N Western)

Thursdays - Saturdays @ 7:30pm, Sundays @ 5pm

Tickets are $20 ($15 Student/Industry tickets are available at the box office with ID)

This weekend, you can catch a show and contribute to a cause, all in one night.  October 15th -October 18th is Charity Weekend.  25% of our ticket sales will go to the Center for Economic Progress.

Supporting local charities is an important part of SiNNERMAN’s mission.  Every play we stage is partnered with a deserving charity that is relevant to the story we are telling.  With this act, we hope to strengthen the community in a small but significant way.

The Center for Economic Progress helps hard-working, low-income families move from financial uncertainty to financial security.  To find out more about this incredible organization, check out our SUPPORT page.

Posted by: Sue Redman

Greetings friends!

Our hugely anticipated show, IVANOV, adapted and directed by Chicago’s own Sheldon Patinkin, is about to open!  This week we move into The Viaduct Theatre, build the set, hang the lights, try on the costumes and make the magic happen.  We open on October 1st… get your tickets now!

Ensemble members Calliope Porter, Anna Carini, Sue Redman, Jeremy Fisher, Cyd Blakewell and Ryan Martin.

Featuring eight ensemble members, this passion-filled production of a classic tale swings wildly from comedy to tragedy. In a community obsessed with gossip and greed, the brilliant Ivanov has fallen out of love with his wife and his friends and bankrupted his land, only to be dangerously attracted to the beautiful young daughter of his creditor. Chekhov’s most accessible play asks the burning question “How do you live without hope?”

IVANOV

Adapted and Directed by Sheldon Patinkin

Running at The Viaduct Theatre

3111 N Western Ave (Parking lot across the street, and right of the Belmont and Western Buses)

October 2nd through November 7th: Thursday-Saturday @ 7:30pm, Sundays @ 5:00pm

$20 General admission

For tickets go to www.viaducttheatre.com or call 773-296-6024.

***Saturday, October 3rd is our Wine, Cheese and Chat Night!  A $30 ticket includes the show, as well as complimentary wine and cheese during our post-show talk-back with the actors and director.  Come out and chat with us!  We’re a good time.

A special thanks to everyone who came out to our wildly successful SiNFEST, and those who donated despite their absence.  We’re so glad to have you on our team.  None of this would be possible without you, friends.  Hope to see you at the show!

Photos by nk Mooneyham

Posted by: Sue Redman

Go ahead.  Sin a little.  We won’t tell.

SiNNERMAN’s 2nd Annual SiNFEST is here at last!

Friends, you may have noticed: Summer is rapidly coming to a close.
Celebrate the last few days by getting in your last few sins: Sunday,
September 6th, the night before Labor Day. What better night to do a
little Sinning?

Don’t worry.  Monday’s a holiday.  It’s not a school night.

A $20 donation gets you delicious food, delicious booze, delicious tunes
and the company of delicious folks. Fun times guaranteed.  PLUS some sinful surprises.  AND a chance to win incredible raffle prizes. Do you like massages?  Hotel rooms?  Fancy dinners?  So do we. But we’re giving’em away.

When: Sunday, September 6th, 7pm — Midnight
Where: Studio Be — 3110 N Sheffield (Just around the corner from the Belmont L Stop!)
What: An evening of good times and bad behavior
Why: Because the SiNNERS have much more fun
How Much: A mere 20 dollars

All proceeds go towards SiNNERMAN Ensemble’s 2009/2010 Season, our  first
ever multiple-show season, which begins on October 1st with the rarely done Chekhov play, Ivanov, adapted and directed by Sheldon Patinkin.

Stop by!  Say hello! We’ll be the ones who are up to no good.

Can’t make it to SiNFEST?  Still want to help?

Donating to SiNNERMAN has never been easier.  Check out the SUPPORT section on our website!  We are entering into our first ever three-show season.  This is groundbreaking for us.  And for our bank account.

A donation of any size is enormously appreciated.

Your support makes what we do possible.

We thank you, from the bottom of our sinful hearts!

Friends!

The SiNNERs have been hard at work and play this summer.  Since last we spoke, we’ve cast Ivanov (which features EIGHT ensemble members and TEN guest artists!), we’ve traipsed around Chicago in our conspicuous 1890’s costumes, turning heads and taking photos (of which there is evidence below), we’ve completed a 4 week Voice/Shakespeare workshop (with the phenomenal Gigi Buffington), we’ve begun planning our annual parties– SiNFEST and our Halloween Bash (September 6th, and October 31st, respectively) and up next we’re doing a workshop reading of our Spring ‘10 play, Days of Late by Braden LuBell.  Huzzah!  There is much to look forward to, dear ones!

All of that great news aside, we are especially happy to announce the addition of two new SiNNERS to the gang!  We’d like to introduce you to Ryan Martin and Stefin Steberl!  They’re good ones.  You’ll see.  More to come on that.

Individually, we’ve been busy having babies (both Dominica and Ryan have welcomed precious little ones into the world since April!), writing plays and screenplays (Anna and Sue respectively), and working with other theatre companies around town (Jeremy with Steep, Ebony with Eclipse, Stefin with Boho and both Cyd and Calliope with Theatre Seven of Chicago).  Levi’s been holding down the fort on the West Coast, Marisa’s been holding down the fort on the East Coast, and Johnny’s getting ready to return to us in the Middle Coast!  Our lives are full of good stuff and we’ve ever-so-happy, friends.  And it’s about to get even better, to the tune of one epic Chekhov play which director Sheldon Patinkin describes as, “A hilarious comedy… until suddenly it’s not.”

Stay tuned for more info on SiNFEST, Ivanov and our brand new ensemble members!

Posted by: Sue Redman