Soul Theatre

_{by Neil Simon

directed by Kurt Naebig and Dani Prados*}

July 14th - 29th, 2006
Chopin Theatre Mainstage
Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm
$22 General Admission
$15 Industry/Students/Seniors

Soul Theatre's first production is all about wanting (and not getting)...sex. The Last of the Red Hot Lovers is about a middle-aged man who wants to have an affair in his mother's apartment. The play revolves around his attempts to woo three women (a foul-mouthed hussy, a bohemian actress, and a neighbor with melancholy)...his final epiphany is...that he'd rather stay with his wife.

_{The Last of the Red Hot Lovers features David Murphy, Ravi Batista*, Lauren McCarthy, and Caren Evers.

*denotes Soul Theatre company member}

Marvin Neil Simon was born on July 4, 1927, the second son of Irving Simon, a Jewish traveling salesman, and his wife Mamie. He grew up in the Bronx in New York City. As early as 1948 he was writing scripts together with his brother Danny for radio and television. His sketches for Phil Silvers, Gary Moore, Jerry Lewis, etc. contributed to his wide acclaim. He and his brother separated and Neil began writing for the New York theater scene. He married Joan Baim (a dancer) on September 10, 1953 (widowed 1973). He married Marsha Mason (actress) on October 25, 1973 (divorced 1982). He married Diane Lander, 1987 (divorced, 1988). He remarried Diane Lander, 1990. He has three daughters. He attended New York University, 1946, and the University of Denver. During his career he has been a producer, playwright, and screenwriter. He worked at Warner Brothers as a mailroom clerk in 1946. He served at Camp Tamiment , PA , and wrote material for revues, 1952-53. He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces, and was the sports editor for Rev-Meter, 1945-46.

(Co-Director) is excited to be working with Soul Theatre company on their very first show. Previous productions include Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, Sylvia, Fuddy Meers, The Country Club, Someone Who'll Watch Over Me, and Lost in Yonkers with Buffalo Theatre Ensemble where he is a member. He also directed Life and Limb, and Brilliant Traces with Swing For The Fences Productions. Kurt is also an actor and Juilliard Graduate and has been on stage at Steppenwolf Theatre, Portland Stage, Milwaukee's Pabst Theatre, National Jewish Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare and A Red Orchid Theatre. Favorite roles include Merrick in The Elephant Man, Stanley in A Streetcar Named Desire, Einstein in Picasso at the Lapin Agile and Joe in Golden Boy. He has also appeared in such films as Sam Mendes' Road to Perdition, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Dillinger, Howard Beach: Making the Case for Murder, and on television has appeared in ER and Prison Break. Kurt is a teacher and acting coach at Acting Studio Chicago.

(Co-Director/Lighting Designer) is tickled pink to be making her Chicago directorial debut with Soul Theatre at the Chopin. Dani has directed The Eleventh Hour, done lights for Chroma, the Minh Tran Dance Company, Taking Notes at Traffic Lights, Walking, TahiniHolt, Far and Away, and Juares, all in Portland , Oregon. She has stage managed This is Our Youth, Chicago Dance Crash's Joseph PascalŠ, and assisstant stage managed Greasy Joan's The Oresteia. She would especially like to thank Zygmunt and Lela for their great imaginations and even greater hearts.

(Barney Cashman) has made a full circle back to stage. Starting out as an actor, he ended up putting more energy into teaching and directing. He taught Improvisation a number of years for the Player's Workshop of the Second City. Worked as a casting director for Chicago's O'Connor Casting. Using his years of casting experience, started a school with partner Sean Bradley, called The Green Room Studio, which teaches acting for camera. Yet his journey began on stage. David's has been in numerous shows around the Chicagoland area. From Cervantes for Village Players Man of La Mancha, to God in Factory Theatre's Surreal World. "I am happy to be working with all the talented people involved in this production. " David wishes to give a special thanks to Jennifer Connelly, whose support is beyond measure.

(Elaine Navazio) recently appeared in The Oresteia with Greasy Joan & Company and school shows with First Folio Shakespeare Festival. She has appeared in staged readings with Silk Road Theatre Project and Chicago ScriptWorks, Maxwell Street at Donny's Skybox, short films, and other plays around town. She attended the School at Steppenwolf. She would like to thank her family, friends, and Zygmunt and Lela.

(Bobbi Michelle) is thrilled to be working on such an absolutely groovy play! She has lived in Chicagoland area her whole life, besides three and a half years spent in Bloomington , Indiana where she attended the occasional class. Lauren also studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and the Conservatory at Second City . She's worked with a few theatre companies in town (Redmoon Theatre, The House Theatre of Chicago ) and is a proud member of Money in the Pants, a kickin' new sketch comedy group. Lauren sends her love to her friends and ridiculously supportive family .

(Jeanette) Caren's credits include plays, films and improv comedy around the country. She recently directed a short film Complementary Nuts. Caren is the Treasurer and Volunteer Director for Chicago ScriptWorks, a non-profit group that produces staged readings of screenplays. Caren graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a degree in Theatre Arts.

(Stage Manager/Light & Sound Board Operator) Emily's most recent credits include stage managing for n.u.f.a.n.'s The Cemetery Tree and The Value of Horses, as well as set design for Horses and technical designer for n.u.fa.n.'s 7 Plays in 7 Days festival. She is an artistic associate with n.u.f.a.n. and a junior at Roosevelt University . She would like to thank David, Ravi , Lauren, Caren, Kurt, and especially Dani, for all of their amazing talent and dedication, as well as Zyg and Lela at the Chopin for being the best host and hostess in the world. I love you all.

(Co-Sound Designer)is also the webmaster for Silk Road Theatre Project and can be reached at dave@d4v3.com. He liked the idea of working with a new theatre company whose mission is swallowing souls.

(Co-Sound Designer)

(Master Electrician)

(Props Designer)

'Lovers' a bit dated
By Kerry Reid
Special to the Tribune
Published July 21, 2006

Soul Theatre makes its first appearance in Chicago with Last of the Red Hot Lovers, Neil Simon's decidedly dated comedy about Barney Cashman, married proprietor of a fish restaurant who is desperate for a midlife affair. The play unfolds in three acts--one for each stereotype of womanhood. Elaine is the hard-as-nails opportunist, Bobbi is the flaky bubbleheaded singer/actress who goes from being a freak magnet to an outright freak, and Jeanette is the neurotic, uptight wife of Barney's best friend. For the Freudians in the crowd, each of these assignations takes place in the Manhattan apartment of Barney's mother, a space beautifully realized on the Chopin stage by set designers Sebastien Grouard and Daniel Pellant.

This play premiered at the tail end of the '60s, and it feels like Simon's desperate attempt to cash in on the sexual revolution without losing his Borscht Belt-to-Broadway credibility. But if one can get past the misogyny and the mustiness of the storyline, there are still some laughs to be wrung out of the script. The performances are excellent across the board, particularly David Murphy's suitably shlumpy Barney and Ravi Batista's piranha-witted Elaine. "Are you as cold as you seem?" Barney asks Elaine. "I need gloves to take off my underwear," she replies. Directors Kurt Naebig and Dani Prados keep the show on track, never winking at the age of the material.

_{Through July 29 at Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St. Tickets are $15-$22 at 312-777-1245.}

_{by Suzan-Lori Parks

directed by Cindy Savage*

Saturday, March 31st, 2007

Noon

At the Peace Museum

Garfield Park Conservatory, 2nd Floor

100 N. Central Park Ave.

FREE Admission} From November 2002 through November 2003, Pulitzer Prize winner Suzan-Lori Parks wrote a play every single day for one year. Now, each week for an entire year, a different Chicago theater company is mounting seven world premiere short plays as part of 365 Days/365 Plays. Every one of these plays is FREE and open to the public. Soul Theatre is proud to present the world premieres of Possum, House to House, The Beach, The Sea, The Sea, Something for Mom, George Washington Slept Here, Black Dog, and George Bush Visits the Cheese and Olive. Cindy Savage* directs Caren Evers*, Kasey Foster, Lila Frazer, Amber Rae, and P.J. Schoeny in eight new plays by Suzan-Lori Parks. Featuring choreography by Kasey Foster, scenic and prop design by Dan Pellant*, sound design by P.J. Schoeny and costume design by Julia Zayas-Melindez and stage managed by name>Anna Ashley.

_{*denotes Soul Theatre company member}

Named one of Time magazine's "100 Innovators for the Next New Wave," Suzan-Lori Parks is one of the most exciting and acclaimed playwrights in American drama today. She is the first African American woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize in Drama for the Broadway hit Topdog/Underdog and is a MacArthur "Genius" Award recipient, among her many other honors. Her numerous plays include Topdog/Underdog (2002 Pulitzer Prize), In the Blood (2000 Pulitzer Prize Finalist), Venus (1996 OBIE Award), The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World, Imperceptible Mutabilities in the Third Kingdom (1990 OBIE Award for Best New American Play), and The America Play. Her first feature-length screenplay was Girl 6 written for Spike Lee. She's also written screenplays for Brad Pitt, Denzel Washington and adapted Zora Neale Hurston's classic novel Their Eyes Were Watching God which starred Halle Barry and premiered on ABC's Oprah Winfrey Presents. Suzan-Lori's well-reviewed first novel Getting Mother's Body (Random House, 2003) is set in the west Texas of her youth and follows the scrappy Beede family as they embark on a riotous road trip in hopes of recovering a fortune of jewels rumored to be buried with a long-dead relative.

(Director) is excited to be in the director's chair again. She made her directing debut with One Hand Clapping for Stockyards Theatre Project's Busting Out: An Evening of Voluptuous Comedy. In addition to running Soul Theatre with Ravi and Dan, Cindy has had the pleasure of working with Remy Bumppo, the Goodman, Redmoon, Greasy Joan & Co., About Face, TUTA, Prickly Pear Productions, Theatre at the Center, the Bailiwick, Theatre Building, L'Opera Piccola, HyperWorld Theatre, and CPA Theatricals. She has been a stage manager, stagehand, wardrobe crew member, costume designer, production manager, sound designer, lighting designer, technical director, box office manager, carpenter, electrician, scenic painter, and general doer of whatever needs doing. She is a company member of TUTA, where she is the operations and special events manager. Cindy holds a BA in Theatre from Loyola University.

(Choreographer/Ensemble) moved to Chicago nearly three years ago, after receiving her BA in theatre and dance. Since her arrival, she has happily worked with Redmoon Theater, the Anatomy Collective, Red Tape Theater Co., Dance Chicago, and Irreverence. Last summer, Kasey teamed up with the Anatomy Collective and made her choreographical/directorial Chicago debut with their production of ...and a lack thereof. Kasey looks forward to creating more in the very near future. She is currentlyperforming in Redmoon's Once Upon a Time. Thanks to Cindy Savage for being who she is, and thanks to you for being here.

(Sound Design/Ensemble) Sound design credits around Chicago include work for The Library Theatre and A Reasonable Facsimile Theatre Company. Acting credits include shows with TUTA, Reasonable Facsimile, Circle Theatre, The Library Theatre, European Rep, Side Project, and many others. P.J. is a proud company member of TUTA and Reasonable Facsimile. This is his first show with Soul Theatre. Thanks to Cindy, Ravi, and everyone for bringing him in on the project!

(Ensemble) Caren's credits include plays, films and improv comedy around the country. She recently directed a short film Complementary Nuts. Caren is the Treasurer and Volunteer Director for Chicago ScriptWorks, a non-profit group that produces staged readings of screenplays. Caren graduated from Eastern Ill. University with a degree in Theatre Arts. She is a company member of Soul Theatre, and recently appeared as Jeannette in The Last of the Red Hot Lovers.

(Ensemble) Lila is honored to be an ensemble member of 365Days/365Plays. With a BA in Theatre from San Francisco State University she moved to Chicago to pursue her acting career. This is her debut performance onto the Chicago scene. Thanks to the inspiration of Susan Lori-Parks, Lila is currently collaborating with her Mom and Sister Sarah to write a compilation of plays, poetry and short stories every week over the next year. Stay tuned for Writer's Cramp in 2008! Much love to friends and family for all of their undying support and warm praises. Thank you Sarah for the marathon phone calls and making me laugh! A special thank you goes out to my Mom who will always be my hero. Much love to Mom and Sarah!

(Ensemble) is a BFA graduate of North Dakota State University where she could be seen in such roles as Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible, Li'l Bit in How I Learned to Drive, and Amanda in The Glass Menagerie. After college, she co-founded a small non-profit theatre company where she appeared as Lanie in Two Rooms, Callie in Stop Kiss, and Roseanna in Brilliant Traces, among others. Additional credits include Hermione in A Winter's Tale, First Witch in Macbeth, and Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet. A recent import to Chicago, she presented a scene in the Women's Theatre Alliance Actor's Showcase this fall. Amber Rae is thrilled to be working with these talented artists in this exciting production, and sincerely hopes that you enjoy this unique experience!

(Stage Manager) Anna Ashley is pleased to be stage managing this week of Suzan Lori-Parks' awesome festival. Anna is currently a second year student majoring in stage management at the Theatre School at DePaul University. Thus far, she has worked on four productions at the school, and has taken advantage of the professional theatre world and stage managed for Hypatia Theatre Company and Redmoon Theater. She is currently the house manager for Redmoon Theater's Once Upon a Time, which she encourages all of you to come see.

(Scenic/Prop Design) likes his props lists, yes he does.

(Costume Designer) Primarily a stage manager by trade, Julia has rarely had the opportunity to showcase her artistic side. Having focused on design in her college years, she dabbled in scenic, costume, and technical design, and graduated with a degree in stage management before anyone got a chance to see her work. Since moving to Chicago, Julia has added a few design credits - assistant scenic designer for Pinafore! at the Bailiwick, scenic designer for Brothers Grimm at the Free Associates, and scenic painter for Bingo at the Apollo. This is Julia's first costume design, and she's proud that it's part of this exciting, nationwide event.