Juxtaposition: A Selection of One-Act Plays

Image removed.
April 6-8, 2023 | 2:00pm & 7:30pm
501, Logan Center

Thursday, April 6 - FREE PREVIEW

Laika's Coffin

Laika’s Coffin, directed by guest artist and TAPS lecturer Seth Bockley, is a miniature epic faux-Soviet opera based on the biography of the doomed first animal in space. Hand-crafted wooden chests open to reveal remarkable miniature Soviet-inspired sets accompanied by operatic sung narration while puppeteers animate the sad but strangely hopeful saga.

Cast

Genevieve Ansay is a second year undergraduate molecular engineering major. She is new to acting at UChicago, and has been enjoying learning about the process of putting together a show with help from some awesome fellow actors and tech crew.

Zander Galluppi  is a sixth-year PhD candidate in the Committee on Immunology.  He has performed in nearly 20 UT/TAPS productions and recently ended his fourth term on UT Committee.  Some of his favorite UChicago credits include Peter and the Starcatcher (Smee), Animals Out of Paper (Andy), and Amazons and Their Men (The Man).  Zander also performs regionally in Chicago where his credits include work with Mercury Theatre Chicago, the Beverly Arts Center, Eclectic Full Contact Theatre, This Moment Productions, Underscore Theatre Company, and Dominican University as a professional guest artist. Zander would like to thank the Laika's team for their support and grace throughout the show process!

Nathalie Lam was voted People's "Sexiest Man Alive" for 15 years straight, beginning in 2008. Building upon her wealth and fame, this year, Nathalie has begun to engage in charity work. In January, she started "Nat's School for Sexy Men," which has since rose to the #1 spot in U.S. News and World Report's 2022-2023 college rankings. She also has started her own brand of beef jerky and anti-balding shampoo for aspiring sexy men. When asked about her charity work, she said, "I know I have changed the world." She also wanted us to highlight her newest venture – stick on muscles (adhesive tape included).

Taiz Rodriguez is a third year TAPS and Media Arts and Design Major with a minor in Architectural Studies. She previously worked on the University Theater's The Laramie Project (Actor 2). This is her first Pro show, and she is excited to work with an incredible team.

Tanima Sharma acts and devises theatre with a special interest in clowning, street theatre, and choir. In their spare time Tanima finishes up a PhD in Anthropology and plots the revolution.

Production Team

Seth Bockley (Director and Writer) is a writer of stories, plays, and screenplays, and a theater artist specializing in literary adaptation (two stories by George Saunders, the novel '2666' by Roberto Bolaño). His stage works have been seen in Mexico City, Singapore, rural Ireland, Canada and all over the USA. An inaugural member of Chicago’s Goodman Theater Playwrights' Unit, for three years he served as Writer in Residence at Goodman Theater. He is Director of Creative Engagement at the Amsterdam-based environmental nonprofit Sovereign Nature Initiative, and his first film, “The Cartographer,” premiered in 2022 at the Berlin Short Film Festival. His story “Repertorio" in Boulevard magazine was recently nominated for a Pushcart Prize. He teaches performance and literary adaptation at the University of Chicago. sethbockley.com

Kevin O'Donnell -  Composer and Sound Designer

Jack Cramer - Music Director

Johan Gallardo - Costume Designer

Janelle Smith - Assistant Costume Designer 

Quinn Chisenhall (Lighting Designer) is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago. Most recently, he was the Assistant Lighting Designer for Describe the Night (Steppenwolf) and New Stages (Goodman).

Coco Liu (Assistant Lighting Designer) is a second year Chemistry and Linguistics major. She has previously worked on Macbeth in Space (Production Manager), Romeo and Juliet (Co-Production Manager), King Lear (Co-Stage Manager), and The Light (Stage Manager). She is excited to be working on her first pro-show and has enjoyed the experience immensely!

Caitlin McCarthy (Prop Designer and Puppet Repair) is a designer based in Chicago who works in prop, costume, and production design for theatre and film. Recent work includes production design and costume design for upcoming shorts “Clambake” (Official Selection, Santa Monica Film Festival) and “Agora”, both of which she also produced. She has worked at Victory Gardens, About Face, First Floor Theater, and Raven among others.

Maya Doyle - Assistant Props and Puppets 

Oswald Avile (Stage Manager) is excited to be joining UChicago's TAPS program on this project. Born and raised in Chicago, Oswald has been working in theatre since high school. Past work includes Tatjana in Color (Prologue Theatre Co), Fefu and Her Friends (Halcyon Theatre), The River (BoHo Theatre), and Hersel and the Hanukkah Goblins 2021, 2022 (Strawdog Theatre), The Secretaries (First Floor Theater), Botticelli in the Fire (First Floor Theater). In his spare time, Oswald works an office job and loves to cook.

Yufei Chen (Assistant Stage Manager) is a first year student. She has previously worked on Marian, or the True Tale of Robinhood, and Macbeth in Space.

Sila Ulug - Dramaturg

June Villers (Assistant Sound Designer) is a fourth-year English and Creative Writing major. Her previous credits include Marian or the True Tale of Robin Hood (Director) and The Trail to Oregon! (Sound Designer). Outside of theater, she loves writing stories and watching movies. She's been really glad to be in on the process of this show!

Tom Robinson - Custom Boxes

Jesse Mooney-Bullock - Three Dimensional Puppets

Kass Copeland - Two Dimensional Puppets and Backgrounds

Scrolls - Mike Coons

At Your Own Risk

What makes an artist tick? What compels them to create? AT YOUR OWN RISK, directed and devised by guest artist Peter Andersen, investigates the life and work of Derek Jarman-queer filmmaker, stage designer, author, and gay rights activist. This devised piece uses live storytelling mixed with video design to crack open his creative process. 

Cast

Ryan Cairns (Thinker / Jarman 3) is a second year Political Science and Human Rights major. She has been in the theatre since she was six years old, but while at UChicago has thus far worked on Love’s Labour’s Lost (Assistant Director), The Light (Assistant Director), King Lear (Cordelia), Romeo and Juliet (Stage Manager), The Laramie Project (Dramaturg), and Twelfth Night (Production Manager). Outside of the theater, you can find Ryan giving tours around campus, volunteering at Chicago Abortion Fund, or curling up with a book at various Dark Matter coffee shops. She feels so lucky to be involved in this show, and really wants to thank the whole cast and crew!

Josette Chang - Fairy / Jarman 5

Billy DeVito (Gardener / Jarman 1) is a Masters student at UChicago concentrating in Theater and Performance Studies. He has previously been able to direct The Laramie Project through University Theater and is devoting his last quarter to directing his MA Thesis, Unnatural Acts / The Secret Court, as a staged reading. He wants to thank everyone involved in At Your Own Risk for such an incredible experience, and he hopes everyone thoroughly enjoys this thought-provoking piece.

Emma Linderman (Queen / Jarman 2) is a third year TAPS and CMST major. Previous UT/TAPS credits include Amazons and Their Men (The Extra), The Laramie Project (Actor 3), Marian or the True Tale of Robin Hood (Alanna Dale), Scientific Method (Makayla), and Yivdak (Zahara). She is also a member of UT Committee and UChicago’s independent improv group, Occam’s Razor.

Laura Tutondele Mahaniah (Queer / Jarman 6) is a third-year student at UChicago studying Theater and Performance Studies and Linguistics. She has worked on a variety of University Theater, TAPS, Cup of Theater, Dance Council, and Hyde Park community productions. Some of her favorite credits include The Physicists on Silks (Director/production manager), Marian or the True Tale of Robin Hood (Will Scarlett/Fight Captain), and the 2022-23 TAPS Dance Showcase. Ongoing projects include assisting research for the Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project and Beshrew Me!; choreographing for Be More Chill, a UT musical going up at the end of April; and organizing From the Ashes, a Chicago-wide open-style dance battle taking place in Ida Noyes April 28th. Email: lauratutondele@gmail.com Instagram: @lauratutondele

Valerie Zhao  (Punk / Jarman 4) is a PhD Candidate in Computer Science. She has previously worked on Macbeth in Space (Donalbain/Doctor), Ah Wing and the Automaton Eagle (Ah Wing), and Yivdak (Shevora) on campus, as well as Hyde Park Community Player's The Alcestiad (Rhodope/First Guard).

Production Team

Peter G. Andersen (Director) is the artistic director of Oak Park Festival Theatre. Directing projects include: A Midsummers Night’s Dream (Catskill Mountain Shakespeare), As You Like It (Carnegie Mellon), 21 (Carnegie Mellon), At Your Own Risk (Carnegie Mellon), The Kennedy Plays (Carnegie Mellon), Shakesqueer (Queer Shakespeare) , The Cafe Collections (Brooklyn), O/A: The Sophocles Project (Boston), As You Like it (Emerson College), Macbeth (Emerson College), Measure for Measure (Emerson College). He has also worked at TimeLine Theatre, Huntington Theatre Company, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Yale Repertory Theatre, Writers Theatre, and American Players Theatre as an assistant director. He has worked for Steppenwolf Theatre Company as the Steppenwolf For Young Adults Apprentice and Multicultural Fellow, and Writers Theatre as the Education Manager. As an actor, he has worked professionally in Chicago, Boston, the Berkshires, and New York City. This spring, he will be directing Measure for Measure for Montana Shakespeare in the Parks; At Your Own Risk for the University of Chicago; and A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Oak Park Festival Theatre. He is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University where he received his MFA in directing as well as Emerson College where he received his BFA in Acting. His website is: www.petergandersen.com

Ian Tierney (Assistant Director)  is a third year TAPS major. He has previously worked on Muscle Memory (Director), King Lear (Assistant Director), Chicago Fire (SWAT Commander), and Willy Wonka (Mr. Teavee).

Matthias Neckermann (Projections Designer) is a Media Designer, Creative Technologist, and Cultural Scientist [Kulturwissenschaftler]. After graduating with a BA from the University of Hildesheim (2015) in theater and literature studies he emigrated to New York to intern with the Wooster Group. There he learned the ins and outs of lighting tech and quickly started freelancing in the downtown theater scene as an electrician and carpenter. From 2018-2020 he explored an MfA in Technical Design and Production at the Yale School of Drama before returning to his passion for projection design for performance. Matthias is a current MfA student in Video and Media Design at Carnegie Mellon. Beside school he is a member of Pittsburgh's IATSE Local 3 stagehand union, and works as a programmer, engineer, and designer.

Spencer Ng (Assistant Projections Designer) is a fourth-year studying Theater & Performance Studies and Computer Science. His TAPS and UT credits include Macbeth in Space (Projections Designer), The Intruder (Projections Designer), King Lear (Production Manager), Love’s Labour’s Lost (Stage Manager), and My H8 Letter to the Gr8 American Theatre (Stage Manager). You can sign up to experience what he’s working on next at https://live.event.uchicago.edu.

Johan Gallardo - Costume Designer

Janelle Smith - Assistant Costume Designer 

Quinn Chisenhall (Lighting Designer) is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago. Most recently, he was the Assistant Lighting Designer for Describe the Night (Steppenwolf) and New Stages (Goodman).

Coco Liu (Assistant Lighting Designer) is a second year Chemistry and Linguistics major. She has previously worked on Macbeth in Space (Production Manager), Romeo and Juliet (Co-Production Manager), King Lear (Co-Stage Manager), and The Light (Stage Manager). She is excited to be working on her first pro-show and has enjoyed the experience immensely!

Jeffrey Levin (Sound Designer) is an award winning composer, sound designer, and musician based in Chicago IL.  Jeffrey has contributed original music and sound designs for hundreds of productions for various theatres, production companies, and universities regionally and internationally. Chicago credits include productions with Goodman, Steppenwolf, Court, Drury Lane, Northlight, Paramount, Timeline, Steep, A Red Orchid, Northwestern University, DePaul University, Columbia College, and many more. Regional works for the stage include productions with American Players Theatre, The Gulfshore Playhouse, Asolo Repertory, University of Austin, Hope Summer Repertory Theatre, Denver Center for Performing Arts, and Children’s Theatre Madison. Jeffrey has also worked on a variety of immersive theatre productions contributing many designs with the live-entertainment company Fever which produces shows in over 60 cities across Europe, America, and Asia. He also teaches Music composition for Sound Designers at DePaul University and has taught music theory and sound design with several educational institutions. Awards and recognitions in theatre several two Joseph Jefferson Award wins and many nominations for Sound Design and Original Music. Other awards include the Edes Award for Emerging Artists, Kleinman Composition Competition, and Michael Merit best Sound Design exhibit award. He has a Masters of Music degree from DePaul University and Bachelors of Music degree from Columbia College Chicago. Visit www.jeffreylevinmusic.com

June Villers (Assistant Sound Designer) is a fourth-year English and Creative Writing major. Her previous credits include Marian or the True Tale of Robin Hood (Director) and The Trail to Oregon! (Sound Designer). Outside of theater, she loves writing stories and watching movies. She's been really glad to be in on the process of this show!

Caitlin McCarthy (Prop Designer) is a designer based in Chicago who works in prop, costume, and production design for theatre and film. Recent work includes production design and costume design for upcoming shorts “Clambake” (Official Selection, Santa Monica Film Festival) and “Agora”, both of which she also produced. She has worked at Victory Gardens, About Face, First Floor Theater, and Raven among others.

Sophia Barron (Stage Manager) is an alumna of Northwestern University with a concentration in Theatre Management. Past stage management credits include Amazons & Their Men (University of Chicago TAPS), The Waa-Mu Show: State of the Art, Julius Caesar, Hans Christian Andersen, and Jane Eyre (Northwestern University Wirtz Center).

Andrea Avey (Dramaturg) is a graduate student in the Master of Arts Program in the Humanities at UChicago. Her research focuses on the affective potency of material signifiers on the early modern stage. Theater credits include: Into the Woods, Newsies, Beauty and the Beast (Theatre Tulsa). She is excited for her next project: to dramaturg Oak Park Festival Theatre's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream this summer!

TAPS  Professional Staff

Devon de Mayo - Director of Performance

Katy Walsh - Artistic Producer

Neel McNeill - Managing Director

Brian Maschka -  Production Manager

Ben Caracello -  Technical Director

Nathan Rohrer - Costume Shop Manager

Hannah Foeschler - Interim Sound Manager

Jenny Pinson - Properties Manager

Zach Perrault - Lead Carpenter