Imagine exploring room upon room of dream-like reality inspired by The Bard.  One room is full of people, each wearing white, tattered, sheet-like clothing.  A woman is wiping lipstick off her lips and throwing hoards of stained tissues to the floor, another is speaking a Shakespearean monologue into a mirror acting as speaker and receiver, and another is nursing a child made of finely crafted hemp string.  A man berates you as you pass through the threshold of the room.  The next room you come to is jovial, earthy, and celebratory.  The floor is covered in dirt and they are dancing and singing accompanied by a fiddle, guitar, and drums.  You join in.

As you pass through these worlds you begin to understand a story, and just as you forget where you are you are welcomed back to reality by way of a party complete with bar and music.

The State's Crowded House: An Explosion of The Winter's Tale is directed by Taylor Bibat, Alexis Randolph, Jessica Hudson, Matthew Ozawa, Josh Sobel, Casey Searles, Kasey Foster, Gillian Hemme, and Mark Viafranco.

Click here to buy tickets.

Talk Radio was written in 1987, as a biting commentary on the nature of media in the late 80’s, particularly (at least thematically) in regards to the role of producer vs. consumer of mass media, and the reception/interaction with such an audience. In short, it’s about an analog radio host in a digital age. 

In 1987 JVC introduced a new format of VHS, the Super VHS in an attempt to win the war against the dreaded Beta Max. To compare to present day, it could record television quality of 480 P (the low end of the YouTube quality spectrum). Of course you would use these in a VCR, a device that by 1987 could record television without lawsuit in regards to copyright infringement. (It took several court cases to establish the legitimacy of consumer home video recording). Not so shocking, the fundamental arguments of the VCR battle are still in contest today, as file-sharing and the rights to reproducing digital media have been debated for pretty much the last decade.

A few other tidbits to think about. In 1987, The personal computer was on the market, but really only used by enthusiasts and early adopters due to its high price point. Windows 2.0 debuted that year and it was probably less advanced than the operating system software on a Motorola RAZR.





The internet did exist, but the average person was unaware(unless you were really into newsgroups and “telemail”)---it would be a full 7 years before Mosaic(the first consumer-oriented web browser) would be available.  Back then, radio stations had more power (although by then, they were in full competition with cable television) Pay phones were as stylish as Walkmans, and if you wanted to purchase something from your home or find a book in a library, both would probably require a print catalog.

To say our daily routines between 1987 and 2010 have been changed by communications technology is a laughable understatement.

Talk Radio matters more than ever... right now, because we are the middle of a complete media revolution.

And it is a revolution....the only elements missing are an angry crowd shouting in French and a busy guillotine. Old media is not taking this shift very well either. In Chicago alone both the major newspapers (Tribune and Sun-Times) have recently filed for bankruptcy. Radio stations have become consolidated to reduce overhead. And the remaining news media that managed to hang on are still unable to figure out how to beat out the millions of other websites and blogs who vie for your attention every day.

It can be hard to understand exactly what is happening at times, even for legitimate scholars(which I am not). We are inundated with a plethora of buzz words like Tweeting, blogging, podcasting, web 2.0, social media, new media, and chatroulette (note: do not go to chat roulette).

The fundamental change is this. Web 2.0 means we can talk back. Web 2.0 makes all of us a star, we are now the PRODUCER of content, not just the consumer. YouTube gives you a personal channel. A blog makes you a news source. Facebook let’s you choose your audience.

It’s at this strange intersection of new media, old media, and old old media (performing arts), that Talk Radio lives. Once again we will allow our audience to use their mobile phone to photograph, text, and communicate with friends during the performance. Even further, we will incorporate a back channel Twitter feed in the production: allowing Talk Radio’s audience to play the part of the "Night Talk" audience.

We aren’t the first people to come up with the concept of a backchannel----technology conferences/presentations in particular have adopted the practice somewhat recently with divided opinions. But as far performing arts goes, there isn’t a better production or a better time, then Talk Radio, right now. The truth is that this technology is here to stay, and we can pretend it doesn’t exist (for fear of it destroying our art), or attempt to harness it to create a more meaningful experience for our audience.

It’s a bold risk. The choices we make with this production go well beyond Eric Bogosian’s masterpiece, as we will be taking a stand in the overall discourse on how new media can exist(or not exist) with theatre. We don’t know how integrating these technologies will change the way our audience views our work. And for that reason, we simply must explore the consequences.

Talk Radio opens this Friday.

For more I suggest you watch this video::

Social Media Revolution on YouTube

So in a nutshell, I take the load of managing the nuts and bolts of going from page to stage off of the executive and artistic heads so that they can focus more on the macro views of the company as a whole.And the exciting part is, I facilitate the growth and maturity of the company which in turn grows and matures what I do. It's like the symbiotic thingy in Spiderman... The show itself is looking great. Shaun, our scenic designer, is transforming the Boho space into an immersive parallel dimension. Yonit is making awesome costumes. Alexis is sculpting a beautiful set piece. John is getting our audio professionally voice-acted. My job is so easy because I am surrounded by such talent.

So for now, I'm just keeping my hand on the rudder and steering the show towards opening with confidence that it's going to really be something to see! More to come but for now, so much (and yet so little) to be done...

Ok, everything looks good here...

Spike is now apparently a circuit-board ninja thing...

What is this?  Pirate Medusa?  I approve.

What else is gonna go down with this show?  Pick up some tickets and see for yourself!

It appears that the shows protagonist, Barry Champlain, has joined Twitter. He'll be active right until the show closes and he would love it if you followed him (although he'll never admit it). Barry also has a webpage for Night Talk.

And apparently his increased presence on the internet has sparked some outrage in the community of Cleveland. An anti-Barry Champlain protest website has emerged as well.

Naturally Barry has a Facebook fan page too. I hope you'll check it out! There's no better way to get pumped up for Talk Radio than to tell Barry directly on Twitter that you think he's an asshole. I did!

The radio booth is a bit of an island.  The radio booth is raised 8" off the floor, Megan and I have talked about putting under-lighting in it so it looks really cool.  We'll have a suspended ceiling that will have openings for lights and vents and all that shiznit.  There will be a door in Spike's room on the upstage wall as well as a projection screen for video chatting and Tweeting purposes.  We can just use the existing theatre walls, putting in columns and beams.

Today saw its fair share of animal riding:

 Team "Citizens Champaigne Brigade":

Team "PeBe" (abbreviated for something super long)

Team "Sparkle" consistently had the best smiles:

Team "Face Biting Monkeys" took a break from biting faces to get in the romantic mood:

Team "Fitness Freaks" practiced a traditional Aborigonal 'one-sandaled dance':

While Team "Uncle Grumbles" took a break for a Chicago Dog:

Best part of the day: Team "Loose Seals" doing some smack-talking at the Harold Washington Library:

And it wouldn't be a Chicago scavenger hunt without some American Girl pics:

Team "Beaner":

And Arrested Development fans Team "Loose Seals":