Cast Announcement – A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

TheaterWorks announces the cast of the hilarious classic, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

Senex (and Prologus) – Gerald Thomson
Domina – Kathleen Berger
Hero – Thomas Smith
Hysterium – Jesse Berger
Pseudolus (and  Prologus) – Hector Coris
Erronius – Dan Stroud
Miles Gloriosus – Teddy Ladley
Lycus – Peter Cunniff
Philia – Kathlynn Rodin
Tintinabula – Delaney Spanko
Panacea – Delainey Phillips
The Geminae – Thea Eigo, Anna Sell
Vibrata – Deserae McCall
Gymnasia – Hayley Hickley
The Proteans – Thomas F Graca, Griffin LeBlanc, William Rippenkroeger

Director – Peter Hill
Musical Director – Steve Hilderbrand
Choreographer – Paul Pedersen
Stage Manager – Courtney Stevens

Cast Announcement – A Christmas Carol, 2018

TheaterWorks announces the 2018 cast of A Christmas Carol.

Scrooge – Rob Evans
Bob Cratchitt – BJ Garrett
Fred – Dave Hurley
Mrs. Barley / Charwoman – Jessica Fishell
Mrs. Port / Shelley – Brianna Funk
Young Boy – Casey Bagley
Ghost of Christmas Past / Ghost of Christmas Future – Clara Bentz
Ghost of Christmas Present – Joey Cavazos
Fezziwig – George Peterson Karlan
Mrs. Fezziwig – Phyllis Deany
Ebenezer – Charlie Rabago
Belle – Lindsay Gagnon
Alice – April Rideout
Jacob Marley – Alexandra Utpadel
Headmistress – Kathryn Katsikis
Young Ebenezer – Marlee Trent
Fan – Tyrstynn Burt
Dick – Jonah Fried
Bragg / Undertaker – Peter Hart
Janie / Rose – Kathryn Katsikis
Martha Cratchitt – Delainey Phillips
Belinda Cratchitt – Tatum Sosnowski
Wendy Cratchit – Chelsea McComb
Tiny Tim – Grayson Feeney, Logan Stockwell, Cooper Stone
Old Joe – Dillard Taylor
Laundress – Wendy Warwick White
Young Man – Cory Kalman
Carolers – Abbey Spanko, Delaney Spanko
Ensemble – Sierra Cuellar, Cailan Billings, Jenae Hirsch, Jeff Viso, Marlee Trent, Wendy                           Warwick White, Ronlyn Griggs, Amelie Fisher, Tyrstynn Burt

Director: Richard Powers Hardt
Stage Manager: Courtney Stevens

A Christmas Carol runs on the Gyder stage December 7-23. Tickets are available online or by calling the Box Office at 623-815-7930.

Penny Dreadfuls: A Brief and Dark History

Literature of the 1800s, at first glance seems devoted to the romances of Jane Austen and the many political writings that marked the post-monarchy and revolution stages of the United States and France. These books can often seem stuffy and prim, much like the corsets and high collars that dominated fashion of the time. Morality and virtue were discussed at length in intellectual circles, and were highly sought-after characteristics in all walks in life—from finding a suitable partner to how well you covered your ankles, everything was viewed through a highly judgmental lens of moral value. However, we mustn’t overlook the good ol’ Victorian fascination for the macabre. Combine an infatuation for the ghoulish with rising literacy rates and affordable printing, the result is one of the most sensational publishing fads of the 19th century: The Penny Dreadful.

These books were exactly what they sounded like. Cheap and dramatic, these episodic publications became the go-to entertainment for a population that benefited from the time and money the Industrial Era afforded the common man. With people moving into cities to work in factories, the middle class was developing more cash and free time than they had before, and that came with a demand for entertainment.

Taking advantage of the fruits of technology, publishers were able to print faster and more inexpensively than they had before, and they did. In the 1830s, you could purchase a “Penny Blood,” as they first were known, with illustrations of tombstones and terrifying scenes of murder– for only one cent! The illustrations not only added to the drama of the stories, but they also functioned as a sort of advertising. The more blood featured on the cover page practically guaranteed higher sales. And the fact that each chapter would end in an unbearable cliff hangar also helped the promise of future sales. 

The first “Penny Bloods” were exciting adventures that featured pirates, highway men, gothic castles, evil dukes, and even vampires. In fact, a lot of the modern Vampire myth exists thanks to “Varney the Vampire,” a popular serial of the time. Other characters and stories you might recognize from Penny Dreadfuls are Dick Turpin, Gentleman Jack, and (of course) Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.  It truly was escapism at it’s finest, a highly profitable outlet for those living in the prim setting of the mid-to-late 1800s. 

“Mysteries of London,” by G.M. W. Renyolds, was first published in 1844 continued for 12 years over 624 issues containing 4.5 million words. This particular arc not only stands as testament to the popularity of the Dreadfuls, but also represents a shift in the stories being told.

By the 1860s (now officially “Penny Dreadfuls”) had begun to feature true crime and detective stories. These stories fell much closer to the reader’s lives, telling of the struggles of the slums right under the noses of Victorian England’s absurdly ignorant wealthy. Marketing in the Penny Dreadfuls had also shifted to younger audiences, especially working class males.

And yet, as the world shifted further into the turn of the century, the Penny Dreadful began to fade from popularity. “Good” writing was becoming more accessible and easier to print large volumes. Newspapers and magazines began to drive out the short books by featuring dramatic stories of their own at half the cost. The Great War and it’s paper rations finished off the want and need for bloody dramas.

And for most people, good riddance. Many had feared that Penny Dreadfuls were responsible for spikes in crime and filling young people’s heads with dramatic nonsense. So, why care about the Penny Dreadful? It was cheap, sensational, and marketed to the poorer classes of a bygone era. What do they matter now?

Well, firstly, you can thank Penny Dreadfuls for encouraging literacy and helping grow libraries for the common man. They made reading exciting and a necessity if you wanted to keep up with the latest in entertainment.

It’s also important to know that a fascination with the dark and dreadful seems to be part of the human condition. Think about it. The Penny Dreadful of today is probably pretty familiar; think Riverdale, Teen Wolf, Pretty Little Liars, and even the show Penny Dreadful itself. Have you ever watched or listened to a true crime show or podcast? What about Arron Menke’s Lore? If you’ve sat through all 14 seasons of Greys Anatomy or all 287 episodes of Supernatural you’re just as guilty of those who waited patiently for the next issue of their favorite Penny Blood. There’s no shame in a guilty pleasure of a serio-drama, no matter how dreadful the plot may be.

And these cheap and sensational books opened the door for a lot of icons of literature. Think Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, Charles Dickens wrote in serials, and even comics as we know them today were aided by the cheap-paper book format. Penny Dreadfuls also served as an outlet for up and coming authors to get a variety of work out and develop writing styles.

The great Robert Louis Stevenson, the novelist that brought us such time-honored classics as Treasure Island and Kidnapped, wrote “a dam dreadful” Penny Dreadful in the autumn of 1885. This Dreadful of his was probably studied by you in high school, it’s discussion on the natures of good and evil establishing it as a great literary classic. This short novella influenced storytelling and detective novels as we know them today– can it really have been considered a Penny Dreadful? The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, however lofty or boring your high school English teacher made you think it was, was an immediate sensation in its time.

I’ll tell you more about Stevenson and his most successful novel later. But for now, I encourage you to sit back and indulge in a modern Penny Dreadful. I personally have a weakness for Riverdale, but I know that there’s a lot of options out there. Perhaps you can look into tickets for TheaterWorks’ production of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This modern adaptation brings the foggy streets of London 133 years ago to life through a fast paced and exciting use of modern theater conventions. See you October 12!

 

Clara Final-2

Clara Bentz is your local nerd who loves theater and writing blog posts about theater. You can catch her onstage in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde here at TheaterWorks and also on the ‘gram @clarabeeee. She has a website if you want to stalk more of her theater career, check out clarabentz.com. It’s probably updated…probably.

 

Exploring Captain Nemo with Jessica Kupillas

A discussion with Jessica Kupillas about the process and challenges of portraying a traditionally male role in the current YouthWorks production of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

What had first enticed me about 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was the fact that Jason Washburn and Kyle Olson had chosen to turn the iconic Captain Nemo into a female. I’ve always been a huge fan of gender-bending, especially in media, as I think it allows for a lot of interesting character tropes to be explored through the gender that might not be the most conventional to that trope. Getting to tackle that in a character I played was an absolute dream come true, and of course presented its own set of challenges.

When the incredible Jason Washburn offered me the part of Captain Nemo after what felt like the longest audition process of my life (even though it was only a few days), I was absolutely ecstatic. It would be my first time taking part in a major community theater production, and more importantly, portraying a character in an original adapted piece based on a novel published over a hundred years ago. How intimidated I was could just about rival the joy I felt—regardless, I was definitely not about to decline such an exciting opportunity.

Being female and playing a traditionally male character offers a unique perspective many may not be expecting. What I had been most concerned about was some being unwilling to embrace this new take on a classic story. Nemo is flawed, sometimes arrogant, wildl

y intelligent, full of love and passion, and has moments of both power and powerlessness—all of this is laid out on the stage for audiences to take in and it is beautiful. It is absolutely beautiful to me that we live in an age that brings about characters like her who are both imperfect and powerful and vivid, and also happen to be female. Nemo does not need to be dignified or completely in control—she’s so incredibly human, and I feel like women in media are not always portrayed in that truth. However, I think Nemo’s portrayal as a woman is more relevant than ever since strong, female characters are more frequently being seen at the forefront of stories like this one. It is refreshing to see it and exhilarating to play it.

I actually refused to watch the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Disney movie or read the novel while trying to develop my own version of Nemo. I didn’t want to feel any pressure to try and emulate what previous actors had done, nor what Jules Verne had intended, because this was not Jules Verne’s version. This was Kyle Olson’s, and Jason Washburn’s, and my brilliant,

special cast’s version. I wanted to pull inspiration and ideas from all of them, not from the classics. We were trying something new, in our own small way, and I wanted to make sure I was honoring that prospect as best I could.

Developing my Nemo was (and still is, truthfully) one of the most joyous and rewarding processes I’ve ever had the pleasure of taking part in. It is so very rare, especially in youth theater, to have the writer so close by and involved in the process—having the ability to ask Kyle anything about the piece was tremendously valuable. Having Jason as the director to discuss ideas with, or to discuss motivations or nuances with, was also incredibly helpful. Talking to the cast about our different ideas for backstories,  character traits, or line readings was a blessing as well—in short, I did not cultivate this character all on my own. Just as Nemo needed a crew to help create and assemble her Nautilus, I needed my own crew to help me build this powerful woman I was supposed to become.

I have learned so much about my own inner thoughts and workings throughout this process. Through the Nautilus flows such human distinctions: supreme love, countless words, and divine breath. I am endlessly lucky to demonstrate that alongside the best crew I’ve ever been a part of.

I’m not promising that 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea will change audiences’ lives, by any means—but I can confidently say that it will offer them a unique energy and strength they might never have seen before in a theater setting.

Jessica Kupillas (Nemo)

Come see Jessica Kupillas expertly portray the role of Captain Nemo in the YouthWorks production of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Playing through October 7 at the Peoria Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are available online or by calling the Box Office at 623-815-7930.

Cast Announcement – Elf Jr.

TheaterWorks announces the YouthWorks cast of the hilarious Christmas classic, Elf Jr.

Buddy The Elf – Josh Pike
Jovie – Ainsley Orozco
Santa Claus/Jogger – Jacob Shipley
Walter Hobbs – Max Mendoza
Emily Hobbs – Anna Koth
Michael Hobbs – Dane Shepherd
Shawanda – Bella Padelford
Charlie – Sage Mitchell
Mr. Greenway – Wes Owen
Deb/Comforting New Yorker/Caroler – Emma Gass
Matthews/Caroler – Tatum Sosnowski
Sam/Caroler – Allyson Reichling
Chadwick/Sarah/Caroler – Jaely Damasco
Charlotte Dennon/Caroler/Finale Solo – Kendra Goodenberger
Darlene Lambert/Caroler/Finale Solo – Jazlynn Damasco
Emma Van Brocklin/Caroler/Finale Solo – Kiera Crouch
Saleswoman/Caroler – Bella Swope
Manager/Caroler – Mackenzie Prazak
Security Guard – Vivian Bedah
Santa’s Helper/Caroler – Madison Fulmer
Macy’s Employee – Paige Mayo
Fake Santa – Brian Shahenian
Policewoman Ginni (1) – Carolyn Heinzer
Policewoman Dawn (2) – Ellie Hegarty
Flyer Girl (1) – Calista Quint
Flyer Girl (2) – Isabella Del Rosso
Business Woman  – Gwendolyn Craw
Teenager – Claire Lance
Mother – Mackenzie Marshall
Child – Zachary Eisman
Elf 1, Tinsel – Sophie Cavazos
Elf 2, Merry – Jaden Schwab
Elf 3, Holly – Savanna LeNguyen
Elf 4, Noel – Charlee Shaver
Elf 5, Berry – Dakotah Beck

Elf/Children Ensemble:
Lila Shipley
Julia Goto
Hayden Morales
Jocelyn Ovalle
Harley Cavazos
Sunny Barry
Grace Craw
Dakotah Beck

Director: Brenda Goodenberger
Musical Director: Ken Goodenberger
Choreographer: Nathalie Velasquez
Stage Manager: Chloe Blinn

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