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by Mark A. Ridge
performed at Inspiration Studios
October 18-20, 25-27
Directed by Mark E. Schuster
It’s a dark and stormy night at the mansion on Westmount Estate. As the guests arrive for the reading of a will, the mysterious housekeeper declares, “The relatives are swooping in like a wake of vultures ready to pick the carcass clean.”
Who will ultimately inherit the fortune? Will it be the charming realtor, the handsome male model, the dimwitted nail technician, the bitter old woman, the endearing hairdresser, or the mild mannered accountant? Throw in a priceless pocket watch, an androgynous housekeeper, an escaped mental patient, and a pair of reunited lovers and the result is murder, with a hefty dose of laughs. The Vultures puts a comedic, modern day, gay spin on the classic murder mystery genre.
CAST - in order of appearance
Talbot - Jillian Smith
Mr. Crosby - Scott Sorenson
Harrison Blythe - Kevin J. Gadzalinski
Mary Roberts - Kelly Simon
Ashley Hopwood - Madison Van Allen
Charles Willard - Danny Slattery
Paul Jones - Christopher Orth
Hunter West - Nathan Broege
Rinehart - Matthew Umstot
Dr. Avery - William Kirsch
PRODUCTION STAFF
Scenic Designer - Mark E. Schuster
Stage Manager - Debbie Volden
Lighting & Sound Designer - Aaron J. Robertson
Props Designer - Carly Irland
Costumes from - Sharon Sohner & Cast Closets
Photo Credit: Carly Irland
by Christopher Durang
performed at Inspiration Studios
June 14 - 23, 2024
Directed by Mark E. Schuster
Middle-aged Vanya and his adopted sister Sonia live a quiet life in the Bucks County, Pennsylvania farmhouse where they grew up. Their peace is disturbed when their movie star sister Masha returns unannounced with her much younger boy toy, Spike. Old resentments flare up, eventually leading to threats to sell the house. Three siblings. One hot mess. Also on the scene are the sassy maid Cassandra, who can predict the future, and a lovely young aspiring actress named Nina from next door. A weekend of rivalry, regret, and raucousness begins!
CAST - in order of appearance
Vanya - Mark Neufang
Sonia - Jillian Smith
Cassandra - Jaleesa Joy
Masha - Lesley Grider
Spike - Kevin J. Gadzalinski
Nina - Madison Van Allen
PRODUCTION STAFF
Scenic Designer - Mark E. Schuster
Stage Manager - Debbie Volden
Lighting & Sound Designer - Aaron J. Robertson
Costumes from - Sharon Sohner & Aleta Bernard & Cast Closets
Box Office Manager - Teresa Alioto
Photo Credit:
by Jeff Talbott
performed at Inspiration Studios
February 16 - 25, 2024
Directed by Mark E. Schuster
This is the story of Shaleeha G'ntamobi's stirring new play about an alcoholic black mother and her card sharp son trying to get out of the projects. It has just been accepted into the nation's preeminent theater festival, but the trouble is, Shaleeha G'ntamobi doesn't exist, except in the imagination of wannabe-playwright Danny Larsen, who created her as a kind of affirmative-action nom-de-plume. But a nom-de-guerre may prove more useful as the lies pile up, shaky alliances are forged, and everyone dear to Danny must decide whether or not to run for cover as the whole thing threatens to blow up in his lily white face. The Submission is "a raw, unsentimental play about race and gender that exposes the quiet prejudice and intolerance among even our most progressive thinkers. It is both uncomfortable and impossible to not watch".
CAST - in order of appearance
Danny - Christopher Orth
Trevor - Matthew Umstot
Pete - Kevin J. Gadzalinski
Emilie - Jaleesa Joy
PRODUCTION STAFF
Scenic Designer - Mark E. Schuster
Stage Manager - Teresa Alioto
Lighting & Sound Designer - Aaron J. Robertson
Costumes from - Cast Closets
Props Designer - Carly Irland
Box Office Manager - Teresa Alioto
by Harvey Fierstein
______________
performed at Inspiration Studios
October 20 - 22 + November 3 - 5, 2023
Directed by Mark E. Schuster
In Torch Song – the two-act revival of Harvey Fierstein’s award-winning Torch Song Trilogy – the life of Arnold Beckoff, a torch song-singing, Jewish drag queen living in New York City, is dramatized over the span of the late 1970s and 1980s. Told with a likable, human voice, Torch Song follows Arnold’s odyssey to find happiness in New York. All he wants is a husband, a child, and a pair of bunny slippers that fit, but a visit from his overbearing mother reminds him that he needs one thing more: respect.
CAST
Arnold - Kevin J. Gadzalinski
Ed - Mark Neufang
Laurel - Kelly Simon
Alan - William Salinas
David - Eugene Strei
Ma - Paula Garcia
PRODUCTION STAFF
Scenic Designer - Mark E. Schuster
Stage Manager - Debbie Volden
Lighting & Sound Designer - Aaron J. Robertson
Costumes from - Sharon Sohner & Cast Closets
Props Designer - Teresa Alioto
Virginia Hamm’s wig - Margot Lange
Box Office Manager - Teresa Alioto
Production Photos - Sara Risley
by Terrence McNally
performed at Soulstice Theatre
April 29 - May 14, 2016
Directed by Mark E. Schuster
Alternately hilarious, painful, and sexy, SOME MEN presents a kaleidoscope of characters set within some of the events that bent the arc of gay history in America. Scenes are set in 1969 during the Stonewall riots, in St. Vincent's hospital at the height of the AIDS crisis, on a beach in the Hamptons in the 1920s and again 70 years later, in an AOL chat room, in a bath house and many other locations which provide the texture to our lives. The play begins and ends with a contemporary gay wedding, relating interconnecting stories of generations of men. When taken together, they constitute a salute to the 20th-Century gay men who survived “the years of secrecy and oppression” to reach the astonishing point where gays can now joke nervously about marriage just like everyone else.
CAST
in alphabetical order
Clarence "Sammy" Aumend
Kevin J. Gadzalinski
Jesse Kaplan
Jim Lautenbach
Bill Morris
Chuck Morrea
Jim Santelle
Keith R. Smith
Oliver Wolf
PRODUCTION STAFF
Scenic Designer - Mark E. Schuster
Lighting Designer - Kristopher D. Jones
Costumes from - Sharon Sohner, Chuck Morrea and Cast Closets
Sound & Light Board Operator - Teresa Alioto
Sound Effects - Kevin J. Gadzalinski
Box Office Manager - Jacob Dougherty
Box Office - Chris Wisniewski
Poster & Logo Designer - Jim Lautenbach
By Diana Son
Performed at Soulstice Theatre
March 13 - 28, 2015
Directed by Mark R. Neufang
After Callie meets Sara, the two unexpectedly fall in love. Their first kiss provokes a violent attack that transforms their lives in a way they could never anticipate. "A poignant and funny play about the ways, both sudden and slow, that lives can change irrevocably," says Variety.
CAST
in order of appearance
Callie - Amanda Carson
Sara - Amber Smith
Detective Cole - Thomas Nastachowski
Mrs. Winsley - Joan End
George - Raymond Sartler
Peter - Joel Marinan
Nurse - Amie Losi
PRODUCTION STAFF
Director / Scenic Design Concept / Props - Mark R. Neufang
Stage Manager / Production Run Crew / Props - Teresa Alioto
Technical Director - Mark E. Schuster
Original Music - Anthony Doubek
Sound & Soundtrack Design - Mark R. Neufang
Audio Assistance - Jake Mace & Jacob Dougherty
Costume Coordinator - Levi Miles
Costumes - Cast Closets
Lighting Board Programming - Jacob Dougherty
Construction & Painting Crew - Kevin Gadzalinski, Mark Hanson, Tom Nastachowski, Don Lobacz, Donna Lobacz, Jake Mace, Mark R. Neufang, Mark E. Schuster
Production Photography - Sara Risley
Production Art/Poster Design - Jake Mace
PRESS & REVIEWS
Stop Kiss upcoming at Soulstice
- Russ Bickerstaff, Curtains/Shepherd Express, February 8, 2015
Theatrical Tendencies' Stop Kiss urges taking a chance on love
- Mike Fischer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 15, 2015
- Russ Bickerstaff, Shepherd Express, March 17, 2015
By David Sedaris
Adapted by Joe Mantello
Performed at the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center
December 5 - 14, 2014
Directed by Mark E. Schuster
THE SANTALAND DIARIES is an outrageously funny one-man play (from National Public Radio’s well-loved humorist David Sedaris) about the author’s experiences as an unemployed actor/writer taking a job as an elf at Macy’s department store in New York City. This delightfully tart tale takes a wry look at how the holiday season brings out the best – and the worst – in us all.
CAST
David Sedaris (THE SANTALAND DIARIES) - Jim Lautenbach
Jocelyn Dunbar (SEASON'S GREETINGS) - Donna L. Lobacz
PRODUCTION STAFF
Director & Scenic Designer - Mark E. Schuster
Crumpet's Elf Costume - Levi A. Miles
Crumpet's Millener - Andrew Beyer
Jocelyn's Costume - Donna L. Lobacz
Act 2 Props - Jim Lautenbach
Production Run Crew / Audio Assistance - Jacob Dougherty, Kevin J. Gadzalinski
Box Office Manager - Kofi Short
Construction / Painting Crew - Jacob Dougherty, Kevin Gadzalinski, Mike Grover, Mark Hanson, Chris Lee, Donna L. Lobacz, Jake Mace, Mark E. Schuster
PRESS & REVIEWS
More Sedaris Next Month: Santaland Diaries with Theatrical Tendencies
- Russ Bickerstaff, Curtains/Shepherd Express, November 23, 2014
By Jon Marans
Performed at Soulstice Theatre
March 7 - 22, 2014
Directed by Mark E. Schuster
Written in 2009, The Temperamentals tells the story of the founding of the Mattachine Society, the first gay rights organization in the U.S. The time is the 1950s, with the backdrop of McCarthyism and an environment of conformity a few brave men led by activist Harry Hay and fashion designer Rudi Gernreich decide to step out of the shadows and the closet and form an organization that can allow all gay men to be themselves. This "intellectual, emotional, and sexual" (The New York Times) play also tells the story of the blooming romance between Hay and Gernreich, and their struggles to keep their love alive. The play is described as 'Mad Men' meets 'Milk', and "combines savvy context and ascending flights of bittersweet fabulousness" (New York Newsday).
CAST
in order of appearance
Harry Hay - Mark R. Neufang
Rudi Gernreich - Joshua Devitt
Chuck Rowland (and others) - Jacob Dougherty
Bob Hull (and others) - Jake Mace
Dale Jennings (and others) - Jim Lautenbach
PRODUCTION STAFF
Scenic Design - Mark E. Schuster
Costume Designer - Sharon Sohner
Wigs - Anthony Mackie
Vocal Coach & Music Direction - Kaye Mehre
Run Crew - Kevin Gadzalinski
Rehearsal Prompter - Jacob Dougherty
Projections - Kevin J. Gadzalinski
Box Office Manager - Kofi Short
Construction Crew - Jacob Dougherty, Mike Grover, Mark Hanson, Mark E. Schuster, A.J. Simon
Production Photography - Mark E. Schuster
REVIEWS & PRESS
"The Temperamentals" this March with Theatrical Tendencies
- Russ Bickerstaff, Curtains/Shepherd Express, December 28, 2013
"Temperamentals" dramatizes the founding of the Mattachine Society, an early gay rights group
- Matthew Reddin, Wisconsin Gazette, March 8, 2014
Theatrical Tendencies' "Temperamentals" examines being gay in '50s America
- Mike Fischer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 8, 2014
The hard fight for gay rights in '50s America
- Russ Bickerstaff, Curtains/Shepherd Express, March 12, 2014
...and one further note...
During performances of THE TEMPERAMENTALS, we were privileged to have the ongoing support of local author Will Fellows, who generously donated copies of his book, Gay Bar: The Fabulous, True Story of a Daring Woman and Her Boys in the 1950s to our audience members. This fascinating book tells the story of Helen Branson, who operated a gay bar in Los Angeles in the 1950s - perhaps the most anti-gay decade in American history. The narrative and situations described in Gay Bar are not unlike what many men faced during the era of THE TEMPERAMENTALS.
We are in deep gratitude to Mr. Fellows for his generosity, encouragement, support, and friendship during this production. To order your own copy of Gay Bar, we encourage you to visit the Amazon page here.
By Moises Kaufman & Members of the Tectonic Theater Company
Performed at Soulstice Theatre
October 11 - 26, 2013
Directed by Mark E. Schuster
In October 1998, a twenty-one year old student at the University of Wyoming was kidnapped, severely beaten, and left to die, tied to a fence in the middle of the prairie outside Laramie, Wyoming. His bloody, bruised, and battered body was not discovered until the next day, and he died several days later in an area hospital. His name was Matthew Shepard, and he was the victim of this assault because he was gay. Moises Kaufman and fellow members of the Tectonic Theater Project made six trips to Laramie over the course of a year and a half in the aftermath of the beating and during the trial of the two young men accused of killing Shepard. They conducted more than 200 interviews with the people of the town. Some people interviewed were directly connected to the case, and others were citizens of Laramie, and the breadth of their reactions to the crime is fascinating. Kaufman and Tectonic Theater members have constructed a deeply moving theatrical experience from these interviews and their own experiences. THE LARAMIE PROJECT is a breathtaking theatrical collage that explores the depths to which humanity can sink and the heights of compassion of which we are capable.
CAST
in order of appearance
Paul Pfannenstiel
Donna L. Lobacz
Marty L. McNamee
Kath Vandenberg
Nathanael Press
Kristin Johnson
Danielle Levings
Roger Rivas
Kevin J. Gadzalinski
Rachael McLafferty
PRODUCTION STAFF
Scenic Design - Mark E. Schuster
Stage Manager/Rehearsal Prompter - Jacob Dougherty
Projections - Kevin J. Gadzalinski
Box Office Manager - Kofi Short
Sound Cue Programming/Technical Assistance - David B. Carter
Construction Crew - Mike Grover, Patrick Schuster, Mark E. Schuster
Production Photography - Sara Risley
REVIEWS & PRESS
Theatrical Tendencies to stage "The Laramie Project"
- Russ Bickerstaff, Curtains/Shepherd Express, July 31, 2013
Theatrical Tendencies opens with "The Laramie Project"
-Russ Bickerstaff, Curtains/Shepherd Express, September 27, 2013
Theatrical Tendencies returns to "Laramie", 15 years after
- Matthew Reddin, Urban Milwaukee Dial, October 9, 2013
By Larry Kramer
Performed at Soulstice Theatre
April 5 - 20, 2013
Directed by Mark E. Schuster
The story of a city in denial, THE NORMAL HEART unfolds like a real-life political thriller as a tight-knit group of friends refuses to let doctors, politicians and the press bury the truth of an unspoken epidemic behind a wall of silence. A quarter-century after it was written, this outrageous, unflinching, and totally unforgettable look at the sexual politics of New York City during the early days of the AIDS crisis remains one of the theatre's most powerful evenings ever.
CAST
in order of appearance
Craig Donner - Kevin Gadzalinski
Mickey Marcus - Joel Marinan
David - Jacob Dougherty
Ned Weeks - Mark R. Neufang
Dr. Emma Brookner - Donna L. Lobacz
Bruce Niles - Marty L. McNamee
Felix Turner - Brian M. Firkus
Ben Weeks - Robert J. Liebhauser
Tommy Boatwright - James Nathan
Hiram Keebler - Jacob Dougherty
Grady - Kevin Gadzalinski
Examining Doctor - Tairre Christopherson
PRODUCTION STAFF
Scenic Design - Mark E. Schuster
Lighting Designer - Kevin Czarnota
Costume Designer - Sharon Sohner
Stage Manager - Kristin Raduenz
Rehearsal Prompter - Jacob Dougherty
Projections - Kevin Gadzalinski
Recording & Sound Cue Programming - David B. Carter
Construction Crew - Jacob Dougherty, Joel Marinan, James Nathan, Mark R. Neufang, Patrick Schuster, Mark E. Schuster
Special Effects Makeup - Brian M. Firkus
House Manager - Char Manny
Publicity Photography - Kevin Kucharski
Production Photography - Sara Risley
REVIEWS & PRESS
Theatrical Tendencies' "Normal Heart" beats strongly
- Matthew Reddin, Urban Milwaukee Dial, April 6, 2013
Drama from the dawn of a plague
- Russ Bickerstaff, Shepherd Express, April 6, 2013
By Geoffrey Nauffts
Performed at Soulstice Theatre
October 10 - 25, 2014
Directed by Mark E. Schuster
NEXT FALL takes a witty and provocative look at faith, commitment, and unconditional love. While the play's central story focuses on the five-year relationship between Adam (an atheist) and Luke (a Christian), NEXT FALL goes beyond a typical love story. This timely and compelling new American play forces us all to examine what it means to "believe" and what it might cost us not to. "The funniest heartbreaker in town! NEXT FALL embodies something theatergoers have been sorely missing, perhaps without knowing it, for years." - The New York Times "Deeply moving and surprisingly funny." - The Hollywood Reporter
CAST
in order of appearance
Holly - Amanda Carson
Brandon - Kevin Gadzalinski
Arlene - Donna L. Lobacz
Butch - James Santelle
Adam - Mark R. Neufang
Luke - Raymond Sartler
PRODUCTION STAFF
Director & Set Designer - Mark E. Schuster
Sound Design & Original Music - John Gromada
Production Run Crew - Jacob Dougherty
Audio Assistance - Kevin Gadzalinski
Costume Assistance - Sharon Sohner
Costumes - Cast
Lighting Board Programming - Jacob Dougherty
Box Office Manager - Kofi Short
Construction & Painting Crew - Kevin Gadzalinski, Donna L. Lobacz, Jake Mace, Mark R. Neufang, James Santelle, Raymond Sartler, Mark E. Schuster
Production Photography - Sara Risley
PRESS & REVIEWS
Theatrical Tendencies to present Milwaukee Premiere of Geoffrey Nauffts' "Next Fall"
- St. Francis/Bay View/Wauwatosa/West Allis/Waukesha Now, September 6, 2014
Theatrical Tendencies will open with Next Fall
- Russ Bickerstaff. Curtains/Shepherd Express, September 13, 2014
Next Fall examines faith with an even hand and a dose of humor
- Matthew Reddin, Wisconsin Gazette, October 2, 2014
Theatrical Tendencies' Next Fall asks tough questions, ducks answers
- Mike Fischer, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, October 12, 2014
Love thy neighbor: Theatrical Tendencies' magnanimous drama
- Jeff Grygny, Milwaukee Examiner, October 14, 2014
Music & Lyrics by Jeff Bowen
Book by Hunter Bell
Performed at Soulstice Theatre
September 28 - October 13, 2012
Directed by Mark E. Schuster
Jeff and Hunter, two struggling writers, hear about a new musical theatre festival. However, the deadline for submissions is a mere three weeks away. With nothing to lose, the pair decides to try to create something new with the help of their friends Susan and Heidi, with Larry on the eighty eights. With the cast in place, Jeff and Hunter begin a conversation about what to write. Eventually Jeff suggests they write about what to write about. They make a pact to write up until the festival's deadline and in the meantime, dream about the show changing their lives. [title of show] - taken from the space on the festival's application form which asks for the [title of show] - follows Hunter and Jeff and their friends on a journey through the gauntlet of creative self-expression. In the span of 90 minutes they write and perform their show at the festival and learn lessons about themselves as people, friends and artists. [title of show] is, above all, a love letter to the musical theatre - a uniquely American art form - and to the joy of collaboration!
CAST
in order of appearance
Jeff - Mark R. Neufang
Hunter - Jake Mace
Heidi - Amanda Carson
Susan - Mara McGhee
Larry - Chris Wszalek
PRODUCTION STAFF
Scenic Design - Mark E. Schuster
Music Director - Chris Wszalek
Lighting Designer - Kevin Czarnota
Costume Designer - Robert Liebhauser
Stage Manager - Kristin Raduenz
Rehearsal Prompter - Jacob Dougherty
Projections - Kevin Gadzalinski
Sound Cues - Jacob Dougherty, Kevin Gadzalinski
Audio Engineer - Aaron Schmidt
Construction Crew - Kevin Czarnota, Kevin Gadzalinski, Jack Kuhl, Jake Mace, Kristin Raduenz, Mark E. Schuster
House Manager - Char Manny
REVIEWS & PRESS
[Title of Show] - The return of Theatrical Tendencies
- Russ Bickerstaff, Curtains/Shepherd Express, September 1, 2012
By Douglas Carter Beane
Performed at Milwaukee Gay Arts Center
October 7 - 22, 2011
Directed by Mark E. Schuster
Yes, we love the cinema for its great auteurs, its glorious faces and its daring images. But in this tabloid age where big stars go on Oprah and jump around like heartsick schoolboys, what we really love is all that dish! The players here include a hard-driving Hollywood agent, her budding screen idol client, a sexy young drifter, and the drifter's naive, needy girlfriend. THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED follows the adventures of Mitchell Green, a movie star who could hit big if it weren't for one teensy-weensy problem. His agent, Diane, can't seem to keep him in the closet. Trying to help him navigate Hollywood's choppy waters, the devilish Diane is doing all she can to keep Mitchell away from the cute rent boy who's caught his eye and the rent boy's girlfriend (wait, the rent boy has a girlfriend?). Will there be a happy ending as the final credits roll?
CAST
in order of appearance
Diane - Allie Beckmann
Mitchell - David Franz
Alex - Nathanael Press
Ellen - Karissa Lade
PRODUCTION STAFF
Scenic Design - Mark E. Schuster
Lighting Designer - Kevin Czarnota
Costumes - Sharon Sohner
Special Music/Original Score - James Abbott
Stage Run Crew/Rehearsal Prompter - Jacob Dougherty
Poster Digital Photography - Keith Kucharski
Promotional Hair Stylist/Men's Hair - Randi Brassel of His and Hairs Salon, Muskego
REVIEWS & PRESS
Theatrical Tendencies' "The Little Dog Laughed" - Cast list announced
- Russ Bickerstaff, Curtains/Shepherd Express, August 22, 2011
"The Little Dog Laughed": Happiness, with a price tag
- Matthew Reddin, Urban Milwaukee Dial, October 8, 2011
- Russ Bickerstaff, Curtains/Shepherd Express, October 8, 2011
THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED Trailer
By Terrence McNally
Performed at Milwaukee Gay Arts Center
March 11 - 26, 2011
Directed by Mark E. Schuster
This most controversial and talked about play begins: "We are going to tell you an old and familiar story." But from that point on, nothing feels quite familiar again. What follows is a story that parallels the New Testament's, and its subject is nothing less than the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus. But McNally's Christ figure is a character named Joshua, a young man born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas, in the early 1950s. Different from the other boys because he is homosexual, Joshua grows up in isolation and torment, an object of scorn. He flees Corpus Christi in search of a more accepting environment, gathering along the way a group of disciples who are bound to him by his message of love and tolerance. Joshua delivers his Sermon on the Mount, and officiates at a gay marriage ceremony, but, inevitably, his radical teachings (like Jesus') will not deliver him from his fate. Returning to Corpus Christi, he is betrayed by his lover, Judas, and crucified in front of the jeering throngs who hated him as a boy, and still do. His plea, that we look upon all souls as equal in the sight of God, falls unattended.
CAST
in order of appearance
Matthew - Roger Rivas
John - Charles Lynch
Andrew - Keith R. Smith
James - Joel Marinan
Bartholomew - Tairre Christopherson
Simon - Mark Neufang
Thomas - James Lautenbach
James the Less - David Goines
Thaddeus - Jeffrey S. Berens
Philip - Brian Firkus
Peter - Michael Endter
Joshua - James A. Skiba
Judas - Joshua Devitt
PRODUCTION STAFF
Scenic Design - Mark E. Schuster
Lighting Designer - Kevin Czarnota
Costume Designer - Sharon Sohner & Cast
Sounds Effects - Dan Harmon
Sound Board Operator/Rehearsal Prompter - Jacob Dougherty
Publicity/Program Cover Photography - Keith Kucharski
Joshua's Makeup - Brian Firkus
REVIEWS & PRESS
Terrence McNally's "Corpus Christi" to be revived in Milwaukee
- Thomas Peter, Playbill.com, January 26, 2011
Troupe tackles controversy with "Corpus Christi"
- John Quinlan, Wisconsin Gazette, March 10, 2011
Theatrical Tendencies stages Terrence McNally's take on Jesus
- Rosy Ricks, Milwaukee Urban Dial, March 12, 2011
Ensemble Finesse: Theatrical Tendencies' "Corpus Christi"
- Russ Bickerstaff, Curtains/Shepherd Express, March 12, 2011
Theatrical Tendencies Present "Corpus Christi" at Milwaukee Gay Arts Center
- Paul Masterson, Quest Magazine, Volume 18/Issue 3, March 11-24, 2011
Meet the Cast of CORPUS CHRISTI
Book, Music, & Lyrics by Stephen Golginoff
Performed at Milwaukee Gay Arts Center
September 17 - October 2, 2010
Directed by Mark E. Schuster
A musical thriller that recounts the chilling true story of the legendary duo who committed one of the most infamous and heinous crimes of the twentieth century. Focusing on their obsessive relationship and utilizing Leopold's 1958 parole hearing as a framework, THRILL ME reveals the series of events in 1924 Chicago that led about-to-be law students Leopold and Loeb to be forever remembered as "the thrill killers." Nathan Leopold was passionate about Richard Loeb, who was passionate about crime and excitement. They created a secret agreement to satisfy each other's needs. Soon Richard convinced Nathan that they embodied Nietzsche's idea of the "Superman" and were above society. Then he drew him into his plan to lure a young boy to his death just to prove they could get away with it. But soon their perfect crime unraveled due to a careless mistake. Or was it so careless?
CAST
Nathan Leopold - Matthew Walton
Richard Loeb - Marty McNamee
Parole Voice #1 - Jonathan West
Parole Voice #2 - Joel Kopischke
Radio Announcer - John Cramer
PRODUCTION STAFF
Scenic Design - Mark E. Schuster
Music Director & Accompanist - Donna Kummer
Gallery Exhibit - David Carter
Costume Designer - Sharon Sohner
Lighting Designer - Kevin Czarnota
Sound Designer - Dan Harmon
REVIEWS & PRESS
Thrill Me: The Debut of Theatrical Tendencies
- Russ Bickerstaff, Curtains/Shepherd Express, August 16, 2010
"Thrill Me": Theatrical Tendencies makes a strong debut
-Jeff Grygny, Milwaukee Examiner, September 19, 2010
Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story Opens at MGAC
- Quest Magazine, Volume 17: Issue 13
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