Arlene's play

Today I had the pleasure of seeing a reading of Arlene's Aiming for Sainthood which 16th Street is producing this summer (starting July 10). The reading was at Chicago Dramatists and Oh, you are in for a treat. Seriously. Only Arlene's first draft and she is already giving a performance so touching, funny, beautiful and transformative. I don't want to give any details away right now, but again let me just say, you are in for something special this summer.

Wow - two excellent readings in just one week. And our third playwright-in-residence Tanya Saracho is hardly out of the picture. In fact, it was on her set that Arlene performed today. Tanya directs Teatro Luna's next show Solo Tu beginning tonight at Chicago Dramatists.

Carlotta first read - staying out of the way

Pictured left: Gintare measures Galen while playwright Will looks on and sound designer Tom studies his script.
Stay out of the way. Directors, myself included, often state this at the first rehearsal as the smart thing to do, less we screw up the play, but I'm not sure how often we really mean it. I direct cause I love to direct right? But this time when I said it, I knew I really need to mean it.
Will's words really need to fly off the page without too much encumbrance. And tonight they really flew. The actors were perfectly in line with them. And now, as with most plays, we spend the rehearsal period trying to get back to that "perfect" first read. Working towards capturing each uninhibited, spontaneous moment over and over again. Stay out of the way, Filmer.

This Blog

This here blog...
Thought this would be a good place to archive thoughts and comments on 16th Street Theater and the work we do. These thoughts will be from myself, other artists and from others of you in the community. Just starting this today so having a little stage fright currently. But I'll get the hang of it. Thanks for your interest and I hope you return and add your own comments.

Welcome to 16th Street

I am so proud to welcome you to Berwyn’s new professional theater and our inaugural season. Here at 16th Street we have chosen to begin at the beginning: with the writer. Our first season of plays will center on three diverse voices: Will Dunne, Arlene Malinowski and Tanya Saracho. I invite you to subscribe now to guarantee your tickets to these excellent plays.

We also are proud to bring Teatro Luna’s hit show MACHOS to our intimate space in the Berwyn Cultural Center for a limited engagement beginning January 25. Their Chicago run sold-out very quickly. I saw it at Chicago Dramatists, and it was the most fun I’ve had in the theater in a long time. Don’t miss it.

I have always loved the theater. While I sit in a dark room surrounded by "strangers", a door opens and I choose to step out of my life giving myself over to someone else’s. At the end those people around me are strangers no more. We have shared an experience unique to that particular night. And it only exists if you are there to witness it. YOU make the theater live.

I hope 16th Street Theater stimulates your mind, engages your imagination, and enlivens your spirit.

I also hope it encourages debate, discussion and compassion. I invite you to sit in a dark theater with me. Become a subscriber, take a class, volunteer, get involved. This is your theater and I look forward to experiencing it with you.