2021-2022 Productions
Second Stage
Twelve Olympians
FALL 2021
Underground Laboratory
"Twelve Olympians" is a series of twelve 10-20 minute devised solo performance pieces written from the perspective of each of the twelve Olympian gods. The ensemble will come together to research solo performance pieces, with the help of a faculty mentor, in order to gain a better understanding of the form and begin developing a cohesive style for the group. A similar process will take place for the gods, with each ensemble member bringing in a piece of classical text or some other documentation of a myth. The ensemble will then collaborate to find the overall plotline or theme of the piece; in this third phase of the project, things like costumes and aesthetics will also be decided. Only then will the ensemble actually decide who will portray which god and begin writing.
WIT Ensemble
SEPT 16, 2021
MUND 125
Inspired by the community established in Maegan Pate’s Spring ‘21 project It’s All Just a Bunch of Hocus Pocus, the Women in Theatre Ensemble is meant to be a safe space for female-identifying theatre makers to create and share their experiences as artists. WIT’s activities this semester will consist of two parts: first, a speaker series where we discuss the experiences of individuals with femme identities in the theatre industry and how to create a more welcoming and inclusive space; second, a devising process through which we will develop and workshop an original play about historic women theatremakers.
Painting Music
Outside Performance
OCT 2, 2021
In theatre, music composition is inspired by an existing plot. What if the plot was inspired by music, instead? In this project, small groups of writers/actors will take inspiration from a musician in their group to write and act a scene. To celebrate our return to campus we will rehearse and perform these scenes outside being accompanied by the beautiful lakefront of Chicago.
The Colored Pencil Plays
OCT 6, 2021
Do you remember moments in childhood where you realized the world was much bigger than you thought? Moments when you were amazed/horrified/confused/ delighted by discovering the complex realities of being human? Write a story about it!
Sophia Agusta will be leading a writing workshop exploring storytelling through the various forms of children’s theatre. Sophia is looking for writers who are willing to share personal stories from their own childhoods, whether they be stories of humor, loss, growth, or learning. It can be a story about the formative experience you had riding a bike for the first time. It can be a story about the billboards you routinely encountered on the way to your grandma’s house. It can be mundane or extraordinary— be prepared to make it theatrical!
Fight Workshop
SPRING 2022
Workshop
Newhart Family Theatre
Come over to the Newhart Family Theatre and see what it takes to raise a one-person army in the theatre world. Join Will Cheeseman, Rick Gilbert, and others as they embark to teach you the basics of stage combat. With a firm basis and the gumption to show for it, learn how to advocate for oneself in space while also gaining a leg up on the competition. Follow along on the first day to learn the basics of unarmed combat, from throws to pushes to falling on the ground. Then come back and join us for the second day as we go over the basics of sword combat on the stage, the do’s and don’ts of what to do when wielding a weapon on stage. Learn what it takes to fight the man, and gain an understanding of what it means to know stage combat!
Voice Workshop
Workshop
SPRING 2022
Gabel Rehearsal Studio
In this workshop, students will explore different aspects of the voice-over industry. Working with Loyola theater professor Carrie Hardin, students will learn about commercial voice-over work, soundproofing and recording setups, as well as other voice-over areas such as cartoon and videogame work. Over the course of 2-weekend workshops, students will leave with a basic understanding of voice-over work and have a start to their reel.
Intimacy Workshop
Workshop
Spring 2022
MUNDY 125
The goal of this project is to expand the DFPA's awareness of the burgeoning intimacy professional world by teaching consent exercises, best practices for independent student rehearsals, and sharing language so that performers can learn how to advocate for themselves. Friday, March 18th will be a demonstration of how to approach intimacy in auditions, the classroom, performance, and post-show. Participants in the workshop will have the opportunity to learn the foundations of theatrical intimacy, including consent and boundary work, terminology, and best practices..
Subverting Slashers
Workshop
Subverting Slashers is a horror film-based immersive and interaction murder mystery performance. The show will be devised by Kalliope, Téa, and the chosen collaborators throughout the semester, meetings will be chosen based on participant availability. The show will take place in Mundelein, with some parts being recorded beforehand and some scenes taking place live in front of an audience. Participants should be comfortable with performing as well as writing. Most recording sessions will take place on Zoom. The goals of this project are to take stereotypes that are typically presented in horror movies, specifically slasher films, and subvert audiences' expectations with diverse casting and storylines that uplift marginalized characters and voices
Does It Feel Like Home
SPRING 2022
Underground Laboratory
Sometimes home is as simple as a feeling, tucked away in a fragment of time that we don’t or actively choose to not remember. DOES IT FEEL LIKE HOME, led by Minh Hà (Millie) Lê, is a reflection of home, its complexity, comfort and permanence. Through a two-week workshop, collaborators will use moment work to create and perform original scenes, spoken word and suitcase puppetry, examining the home we came from and the home we have now.
Women In Theatre Ensemble: Pretty Little Fools
By Lily Cate Gunther-Canada, Maegan Pate, and Elise
Mitchell
FEB 5, 2022
Underground Laboratory
Pretty Little Fools is an adaptation of the lives of notable female theatrical and literary characters written by men from the Western World including Juliet from Romeo and Juliet, Eliza Doolittle from Pygmalion, Lady Macbeth from Macbeth, Ophelia from Hamlet, Hester from the Scarlett Letter, Medea from Medea, and Daisy from The Great Gatsby. The play focuses on love, loss, motherhood, friendship, and camaraderie between these women and the respective men in each of their plays. Through these women and their stories, we as theatre makers can reflect on our own work and work towards a more unified and equitable industry. Supported by the Women in Theatre (WIT) Ensemble, Pretty Little Fools will be produced for a one-night performance, featuring a cast and design team of femme-identifying Loyola students.
Saint Louise, Pray For Us
Written by Maggie Smith
March 19, 2022
Underground Laboratory
This project is a play reading of a new play written by Maggie Smith. Saint Louise, Pray for Us follows Gen and Toni, two young women grieving the death of their youngest sister, Louise. Through their mourning process, the two choose to attempt to canonize her as a saint, all while navigating their own lives. During this process, the two find information about their sister hidden away that would prevent Louise from being canonized, leaving her sisters to sift through this information without her. Through these themes, this piece explores what it means to know the people we surround ourselves with, the concept of unconditional love, and whether or not it truly exists.
Pick It Up! Open Mic WOrkshop
Workshop
APR 3, 2022
Palm Court
Open Mics are a great way to perform original work in a public setting for the first time. Whether it’s some stand up material or an originally poem or song, it is exciting to get to share your work. However, the open mic world can be intimidating and nerve-wracking if you have never done it before. The Pick It Up! Open Mic Workshop is meant to provide a space pre-public show that allows for comedians, musicians, songwriters, poets, or any artist to explore their original work and be given the opportunity to perform and practice their original work before sharing it with a public audience. The workshops will include guests artist(s) coming in to share their own public performance experience as well time for material development and rehearsals. The project will culminate at an internal open mic simulator in Palm Court, followed by a public show at Irelands, and perhaps an venture off campus. Whether you’re a veteran to the open mic world or want to try it out for the first time, please consider joining to develop a new skill, engage with a hobby, and share your amazing talents!
36 Monologues about Urban Planning (To Be Performed In A Cul-De-Sac)
April 3, 2022
Underground Laboratory
36 MONOLOGUES ABOUT URBAN PLANNING (TO BE PERFORMED IN A CUL-DE-SAC) is a play by Grey Smith in which four performers will perform 36 monologues in a semi-random order, as determined by a deck of cards. The performers will need to be able to navigate the text, willing and ready to throw themselves into a moment at each draw of a card. They should be comfortable with a haphazard and generative approach to acting in this context, rather than traditional acting and deep textual specificity.