DOCTOR’S DILEMMA production history

Posted by DCA Theater on April 16, 2010 in January-June 2010 Season, Doctor's Dilemma

This is the second production of The Doctor’s Dilemma at ShawChicago. The first was in 1994 during the Clinton administration’s fight for health care, and launched ShawChicago as a program of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. The current debate about the same topic seemed a good reason to take a second look at this remarkable play.

The Doctor’s Dilemma had its world premiere at the Royal Court Theater in London, opening on November 20, 1906.  It starred Lillah McCarthy as Jennifer and Harley Granville Barker as Louis Dubedat.  The play was revived at London’s Haymarket Theater in 1942 in a production that starred Vivien Leigh and Cyril Cusack. That production ran for 474 performances. It was the second longest run ever for a Bernard Shaw play (exceeded only by the premiere production of his Fanny’s First Play in 1911).  The first American production of The Doctor’s Dilemma was in New York in 1915.  It again starred Lillah McCarthy and Harley Granville Barker.  Other New York productions featured Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne (1927), Katherine Cornell and Raymond Massey (1941), and Roddy McDowell and Geraldine Fitzgerald (1955).

The first Canadian production was in Toronto in 1923 at the Princess Theater by the Cameron Matthews Players.  The Shaw Festival has produced the play three times in the past and will include it in the 2010 season.

Cabaret dance rehearsal

Posted by DCA Theater on April 14, 2010 in January-June 2010 Season, Cabaret

Choreographer Marissa Moritz and cast members

Doug Pawlik and Marissa

Dance cast

Cabaret rehearsal photo blog

Posted by DCA Theater on April 14, 2010 in January-June 2010 Season, Cabaret

Director Matt Hawkins and cast members

Rob McLean, Jessie Fisher, Doug Pawlik and Eric Schroeder

Lindsay Leopold and Michael Peters

New Colony presents their work-in-progress

Posted by DCA Theater on March 30, 2010 in January-June 2010 Season, INCUBATOR Series: The New Colony

The New Colony entertained a crowd of about 75 people last night in the DCA Studio Theater with excerpts from their new musical script in development, That Sordid Little Story.  Click here to see a video of a song performed live at the event by the band of same name, That Sordid Little Story, featuring Tara Sissom, Chris Gingrich, Thea Lux and Henry Riggs.

The event was presented as a part of INCUBATOR, a series designed to support the creation of new work by emerging Chicago theater companies. Utilizing Chicago DCA Theater space and resources, participants explore new projects, develop and refine styles, and share their process with the public during a special showcase event.

Don’t miss the next INCUBATOR series showcase performances in Fall 2010.  See our Fall 2010 season release for more details.

Giving Birth to the Character

Posted by DCA Theater on March 29, 2010 in January-June 2010 Season, INCUBATOR Series: The New Colony

by Andrew Hobgood, The New Colony Artistic Director and Director of That Sordid Little Story

So once again, I’m going to refer you to the story. You have some basic plot elements, minimal description, basic character names, and nearly no backstory for the characters. So you know just as much as the actors did going into their first workshop. They know nothing but what is on that written page. If a detail is not included in the short story, then it’s not available to give them. For example, we know that Caleb and Abby are brother and sister, but we don’t know their last name yet. So that’s up to the actors to decide. When I asked Wes Needham (Caleb) and Caitlin Chuckta (Abby) to decide on a family name, they chose Calhoun. How was this name chosen? Because when Wes lived in Charleston, SC, Calhoun was a very common last name.

This gives you a little insight into how our characters are formed. Before we even see a second of the character on stage, before the actors even work on voice, physicality, etc, they begin with research, personal experience, and story-telling. Their job is to inform the playwrights and the director of who these people are. Every detail that they develop becomes critical to the story.

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