How the stars aligned for suburban, city producers to create 'Sweet Home Chicago' videoDays before Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued stay-at-home orders to address the COVID-19 pandemic, writer/producer Jason Brett, producer Scott Silberstein and author Mark Larson were mulling over a new project: producing a documentary based on Larson's 2019… Jul 23 20July 23, 2020Article at Daily Herald
Chicago theater on the pageSo you can't go to the theater because (gestures weakly toward everything). Sure, there are streaming productions galore right now—even if they lack the communal experience of live performance. But there is also a special thrill to curling up with a… Jul 22 20July 22, 2020Article at Chicago Reader
Hyde Park and the Chicago theater movementThe Chicago theater movement that has grown to more than 250 companies and garnered international recognition really started in Hyde Park, according to Mark Larson's recently published “Ensemble: An Oral History of Chicago Theater”. The time was… Jun 17 20June 17, 2020Article at Hyde Park Herald
Music video for ‘Sweet Home Chicago’ starring everyone from Rhymefest to Jim Belushi to Julia Louis-Dreyfus is a Chicago producer’s fundraising ideaThe best of us are trying to help and this current crisis has reawakened in many the impulse toward altruism, that admirable behavior that expresses concern for the well-being of others. Examples abound. You read about them every day in the… May 18 20May 18, 2020Article at chicagotribune.com
Actor Jack Wallace is dead at 86: From Chicago’s Kingston Mines, he was a tough guy for real and Mamet’s museJack Wallace may not have attained the flashy stardom and big money success of some of his contemporaries from the formative days of our now legendary local theater scene. But he managed, against considerable odds, to have a very fruitful stage, TV… Apr 21 20April 21, 2020Article at chicagotribune.com
Stuart Gordon, legend of off-Loop theater and horror films, dies at 72When current mystery novelist and former Reader theater critic Lenny Kleinfeld (aka Bury St. Edmund) first met Stuart Gordon in 1968, it was at a rehearsal for Gordon's student production of Peter Pan at the University of Wisconsin. But instead of… Mar 26 20March 26, 2020Article at Chicago Reader
COVID-19 has Chicago theater down, but not outDear Chicago Theater Community, This was not an easy article to write. I recently had the pleasure of being part of a very important bit of theater called Teenage Dick, at Theater Wit. (I was the violence and intimacy designer.) Sadly Monday, March… Mar 25 20March 25, 2020Article at Chicago Reader
Southern Gothic gave Windy City Playhouse a blueprint for immersive theaterWindy City Playhouse's 2018-2019 production of Southern Gothic was not the first and not the only immersive theater production in town, but it is among the first to achieve a sustained high profile and perhaps the longest run at some 22 months. It… Jan 22 20January 22, 2020Article at Chicago Reader
How Jim Shiflett built the church of off-Loop theaterIf you had founded a small professional theater company in Chicago before the mid-70s and wanted to open it in a storefront, you couldn’t have done it without the risk of getting closed down by the city. Before that, you had to call yourself a… Dec 30 19December 30, 2019Article at Chicago Reader
The legendary Practical Theatre Company returns for four nights only! A Q&A with Paul BarrosseIn just a few short days, if you’re in the right place at the right time, a rare comedy portal will open and you’ll have a chance to step through it. That’s the vision I had as I spoke with Paul Barrosse. I saw a capsule filled with laughter, raucous… Dec 28 19December 28, 2019Article at ChicagoNow.com
45 Books From 2019 for TheatreloversLists Find the perfect gift (for you or the theatre fan in your life) on this extensive list of memoirs, historical retrospectives, industry guides, and more. This past year has been a fruitful one for theatre—and not just on the stage. Dozens of… Dec 08 19December 08, 2019Article at Playbill
The Chicago Area Publishing Company That Discovers Overlooked TalentAgate Publishing is an unexpected gem in an unlikely place – or, more true to its name, a semiprecious stone. Its offices are unassumingly located on a quiet neighborhood corner amongst residential houses in Evanston. The Chicago area is far from a… Nov 14 19November 14, 2019Article at WTTW Chicago
Mark Larson Discusses “Ensemble,” His Definitive Oral History of Chicago TheaterRandolph Street may be Chicago’s version of Broadway, but as any theater fan knows, the touring productions that roll in and out of the Loop are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to theater in this town. The real, authentic, homegrown scene has… Nov 05 19November 05, 2019Article at InsideHook
Who Belongs on Chicago Stages? EveryoneMark Larson's new book Ensemble: An Oral History of Chicago Theater (Agate Midway), tells the stories of the town's theatre in the words of its makers, from Steppenwolf to Second City to Goodman to Lookingglass. In Chapter 26, "We Are Here and We Are… Oct 22 19October 22, 2019Article at AMERICAN THEATRE
BOOK REVIEW Ensemble: An Oral History of Chicago TheaterAuthor: Mark Larson $13; Lethe Press; 243 pages Chicago has proven itself many times over that it is multifaceted. It is a Midwestern diamond, a lake city, a food hotspot, the foundation of house music. The two American coasts might underestimate its… Oct 16 19October 16, 2019Article at windycitymediagroup.com
“Ensemble: An Oral History of Chicago Theater”★★★★★ I am not an avid reader. I do enjoy a thriller from time to time and in my younger days, I was a huge fan of the Luis Mendoza mysteries by Del Shannon. Since most of my time is spent at the theater or preparing for my radio show, my time is… Oct 02 19October 02, 2019Article at UrbanMatter
#746: Ad Astra / Top 5 Steppenwolf Member Movie PerformancesIt's always good news when an acclaimed director announces a new project, but it's somehow especially thrilling when that project is set in space. We started 2019 with two highly anticipated space missions: Claire Denis' HIGH LIFE with Robert… Sep 27 19September 27, 2019Article at UrbanMatter
‘Ensemble’ by Mark Larson Puts the Spotlight on Chicago’s Black Theater CommunityChicago’s robust theater scene is indeed a cultural force; however, when it comes to recognizing the contributions of African Americans to the city’s artistic landscape, there is still some work to do. In his new book, “Ensemble: An Oral History of… Sep 20 19September 20, 2019Article at UrbanMatter
“Ensemble: An Oral History of Chicago Theater” by Mark Larson: An inside look at the Chicago Theater CommunityThis week, Paul goes behind the curtain with author Mark Larson to discuss his new book: “Ensemble: An Oral History of Chicago Theater.” The book tells the story of Chicago theater from its roots in 1953 thru today and all through the memories and… Sep 18 19September 18, 2019Article at UrbanMatter
