The Brown Paper Box Co.
presents

PROUD AT MARY'S: A June Cabaret
an evening of Pride-based stories and songs

Friday, June 13 and Saturday, June 14, 2014
Mary's Attic in Andersonville

Following our successful run of William Finn's A New Brain, we're thrilled to announce our next cabaret series: PROUD AT MARY'S: A June Cabaret. Ticketing information for this evening of Pride-based stories and songs can be found at www.brownpaperbox.org. Tickets on sale now!

It's Pride month 2014 and The Brown Paper Box Co. is ready to celebrate! PROUD AT MARY'S emphasizes taking pride in our identities and sharing our personal stories during such a monumental month in Illinois—June 1st being the first day every county in the state will recognize same-sex marriages. PROUD AT MARY’S is a mix of pop songs, show tunes, personal monologues, and stories about being gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer, questioning, and straight.

"After the successes of our first two cabarets in Wicker Park, we wanted to bring a brand new show to Andersonville," says Brown Paper Box Co. executive director and show coordinator M. William Panek. "Musical Director Justin Harner and I are working with amazingly gracious past Brown Paper Box Co. participants to form a touching and fun evening of personal insight and killer musical numbers."

The set list is comprised of surprise song selections from Stephen Sondheim, Andrew Lippa, Carole King, Stephen Schwartz, and more ... as well as original numbers! Tickets for the 7:30 P.M.  performances on 6/13 and 6/14 are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Additional information is posted at www.BrownPaperBox.org.

The cast includes Jeanne T. Arrigo (Godspell, The Brown Paper Box Co.; Eastland, Lookingglass Theatre), Johnny Kyle Cook (A New Brain, The Brown Paper Box Co.; Folk Bound, Duplicity Ensemble), Pamela Mae Davis (Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls, The Brown Paper Box Co.; Miss Marx, Strawdog Theatre Company), Megan Ensley (Godspell and 2012's Reefer Madness!, The Brown Paper Box Co.), Justin Harner* (A New Brain and Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls, The Brown Paper Box Co.; The Voodoo Chalk Circle, The State Theatre), David Lipschutz* (The Birds [currently u/s], Hell in a Handbag; The Glorious Ones, Illinois Theatre Center), M. William Panek* (A New Brain, Godspell, To Tree, The Brown Paper Box Co.), Stephanie Rohr* (Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls and Godspell, The Brown Paper Box Co; La Boheme, OperaUpClose), Anna Schutz* (A New Brain, Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls, and Reefer Madness!, The Brown Paper Box Co.; Circle Mirror Transformation, Oil Lamp Theatre), Nick Shoda* ( A New Brain and Godspell, The Brown Paper Box Co.; Pacific Overtures, Porchlight), and Daniel Spagnuolo* (Godspell and A New Brain, The Brown Paper Box Co.; How to Succeed..., Porchlight).

Justin Harner is the evening's pianist and musical director. M. William Panek serves as the evening's host. Original poster design by Charlie Sheets*

*Denotes Brown Paper Box Co. company member.

Bailiwick Chicago presents Rock Show(tunes), an evening of classic Broadway showtunes reimagined as modern rock songs. This event takes place one day before Bailiwick officially launches its 2012/13 season with the much-anticipated rock musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.

Rock Show(tunes) features performances by Collective Members Lili-Anne Brown, Danny Bernardo, Harmony France, Kathleen Gibson, Michael Harnichar, Aaron Holland, Ryan Lanning and Rus Rainear with guest artists Bethany Thomas, Sharriese Hamilton and Jayson Brooks of JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound. Collective Member Aaron Benham serves as Music Director and Arranger. The evening begins with performances from our current production of Godspell, as well as Assassins and NightBlue’s Avenue Q.

The inspiration for Rock Show(tunes) came when Collective Member Danny Bernardo was working on a song from The King & I with his vocal coach and mused, “What if Green Day wrote this song?” He shared the showtune/rock song mashup with Artistic Director Lili-Anne Brown, who recalled a similar experience jamming a song from Guys & Dolls in the style of R&B artist Jill Scott. Sparked by this shared inspiration, the two collaborated on curating an evening that would give hardcore rock and musical theatre fans alike something new and innovative.

The Brown Paper Box Co. will be performing:

"Turn Back, O Man" as sung by Stephanie Rohr, Andrew Lund, and the ensemble, with Stephanie Rohr and Pavi Proczko on the piano.

"O Bless the Lord, My Soul" as sung by Michelle Limon and the ensemble, with Veronica Garza & Jeanne T. Arrigo on guitar and Jake Mahler on banjo.

It's going to rock.

When: Wednesday, October 3rd
Where: Underground Lounge, 952 West Newport Avenue
Cost: $10 advance tickets, $15 at the door

For those who might have missed it, here's William Panek (Director) and Andrew Lund (Jesus) chatting about GODSPELL with Gay Chicago TV's Jenny Milkowski for "Replay."

Full given name: Matthew William Panek

Where you were born/where you were raised: Chicago, IL

Your position within the Godspell production team? Director and set designer

What does that mean/what do you do? In charge of bringing our new modern-day, actor-musician, humanistic revival of Godspell to life with as much cohesive clarity as possible... with a ton of help from our amazing production staff.

What's surprised you most about Godspell's rehearsal process so far? Besides how quickly it passed, how incredibly freeing it's been to see and hear a 42-year-old musical in entirely new ways. Thanks to the cast's hard work, you won't recognize some of the show's most famous songs initially. That's so inspiring.

Something you're REALLY bad at: Putting away clean laundry and keeping my car uncluttered.

Current local show you have been recommending to friends: It was Lookingglass' recently shuttered Eastland, but I'm always encouraging people to check out Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind at the Neo-Futurarium. Their plays, performances, and staging elements are consistently brilliant and heartbreaking. The Scene at iO Thursday night is also consistently phenomenal.

Favorite Chicago neighborhood: Something's got to be said for the place where I spend most of my free nights and money, so it's gotta be Lakeview. My current home turf of Andersonville/Edewater (I'monthecuspleavemealone!) is also relaxingly chill and offers wonderful food and drink options.

Favorite musical: Les Miserables started me off. It'll always have a special place.

Favorite play: Angels in America, The Pillowman, A Streetcar Named Desire

You personal idols: Bob Fosse, Sam Mendes, Stephen Sondheim, Tennessee Williams, Elia Kazan, Wes Anderson, Mel Brooks, John Doyle. All men? Odd.

MAC or PC? MACy lappy

Most played song on your iPod: Surprisingly, "I Found Love" by The Free Design. The key change gets me every time. A not-so-surprising #2 is Hunter Parrish's "Save the People."

Must-see TV show(s): Breaking Bad, The Simpsons, Community

Pop culture guilty pleasure: America's Got Talent, The Celebrity Apprentice, One Direction (swoon!)

Three favorite cities: Chicago, Paris, and New York. Amsterdam's a close 4th.

Three things you can't live without: My folks, music, laughter.

"I'll never understand why…": Glee got so bad. Like, so bad. It's unforgivable.

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See William's (@mwilliampanek) stamp on The Brown Paper Box Co.'s production of GODSPELL September 20 - October 7, 2012 at Collaboraction Studio 300 in the Flat Iron Arts Building, 1579 North Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago. For tickets and additional information, visit brownpaperbox.org.

Full given name: Michelle Elise Kritselis

Where you were born/where you were raised: Born in Hinsdale, IL, raised in Downers Grove and Naperville. (Western suburbs represent!)

Your position within the Godspell production team? Dramaturg

What does that mean? Ah, the question everyone asks! Basically, I research Godspell and everything surrounding it: its inception and performance history, its context within American musical theatre, important themes within the script, etc. Awesome nerd stuff. I then process this information and distribute it to the cast and production team in the form of a fun, digestible information packet, in hopes that this knowledge will positively influence everyone's performance / interpretation of the show. Dramaturgy: The More You Knooooooow!

Something you're REALLY bad at: Wrapping presents. My presents all look like they were wrapped by a drunk chimpanzee. Now, when it's time to give a present, I rely heavily on A) the aid of other people, or B) decorative gift bags.

Favorite musical: Eh, I don't really have a favorite at the moment. It's like choosing a favorite food. How can one possibly choose a "favorite" between burgers, spanakopita, and pad thai? So it changes from day to day, depending on how I feel. But I will say this: I like Andrew Lloyd Webber. I know it's perilously uncool for a Serious Theatre Person to admit this, but there it is. Deal with it.

Your personal idols: Kelly Clarkson, Taylor Hicks, Ruben Studdard. Oh, wait...

MAC or PC? If you would have asked me this question 5 years ago, it would have been vehemently "PC." But my fiancé is a total Mac-geek and got me totally hooked on Apple products, so...Mac.

Most played song on your iPod: Right now, it's a tie between "Simple Song" by The Shins and "Norwegian Wood" by The Beatles. So good.

Must-see TV show(s): Breaking Bad! I have become almost evangelical about the awesomeness that is Breaking Bad. Definitely the best show on TV right now. If you're not watching it, may God have mercy on your soul.

Performer you would drop everything to go see: The Who, if there were some way to resurrect Keith Moon and John Entwistle from the dead. (Do you like how I managed to squeeze the words "evangelical," "God," and "resurrect" into this Godspell-related blog post? I'm sneaky like that.)

Pop culture guilty pleasure: I'm getting married in less than 3 months, so I'm giving myself license to watch terrible wedding shows on TLC. After the wedding...well, we'll discuss that when the time comes.

Three things you can't live without: Biolage Gelée (my styling gel of choice for the last 11 years), Diet Pepsi, and seasons 1-10 of The Simpsons.

"I'll never understand why…": People take food out of the microwave without clearing out the time. This drives me CRAZY.

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See Michelle's stamp on The Brown Paper Box Co.'s production of GODSPELL September 20 - October 7, 2012 at Collaboraction Studio 300 in the Flat Iron Arts Building, 1579 North Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago. For tickets and additional information, visit brownpaperbox.org.

Full given name: Anna Elizabeth Schutz (still haven't changed my name since getting married)

Where you were born/where you were raised: Born in Evanston and raised in Skokie

Your position within the Godspell production team? I'm Production Manager and Stage Manager

What does that mean/what do you do? I'm in charge of all of the logistical and technical things for the show. I do things like booking space and writing notes to running the show once it's up.

What's surprised you most about Godspell's rehearsal process so far? How awesome it is to walk into a room of actors tuning their guitars and practicing piano before rehearsal starts.

Something you're REALLY bad at: Whistling & winking

Current local show you have been recommending to friends: Well it was The Great American Trailer Musical until it closed, since my husband Phil Martin, philmartindrums.com. [SHAMELESS PROMOTION] played drums for it. Now I'm recommending Night Blue's Avenue Q playing at Stage 773. I hear the drummer for that show is amazing and quite handsome.

Favorite Chicago neighborhood: Lakeview

Favorite musical: Company

Favorite play: Oh boy... from a pure enjoyment viewpoint the Bard’s Twelfth Night

Your personal idols: We’re not supposed to have idols according to the research I’ve done for this show.

MAC or PC? Obviously, Mac

Most played song on your iPod: “Keep Your Head Up” by Andy Grammer

Must-see TV show(s): Mad Men

Last good movie you saw: Just re-watched Midnight in Paris which is one of my favorite movies

Performer you would drop everything to go see: Audra McDonald

Pop culture guilty pleasure: Project Runway & Rihanna

Three favorite cities: New York, Honolulu, and Paris

Three things you can't live without: Family, chocolate, and my iPhone

"I'll never understand why…": You park in a driveway.

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See Anna's stamp on The Brown Paper Box Co.'s production of GODSPELL September 20 - October 7, 2012 at Collaboraction Studio 300 in the Flat Iron Arts Building, 1579 North Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago. For tickets and additional information, visit brownpaperbox.org.

Full given name: Thomas Joseph Anderson

Role: Herb
Song: "Light of the World"
Instrument: Synthesizer

Where you were born/where you were raised: Negaunee, MI

Special skills: Musical instruments of many shapes and sizes. Rubik's cube solving - just like Jake!

Something you're REALLY bad at: Replacing things once they're old and crappy. I can't remember the last time I bought a pair of shoes for myself. Usually somebody just takes pity on me and buys me new ones.

Did you have any particular mentors or inspirations as a young actor? My Aunt Roseanne. Her community theater performances in The Music Man and Arsenic and Old Lace (among others) are legendary in my hometown.

Current local show you have been recommending to friends: I actually haven't seen very many shows lately. Two shows I really liked (but are now closed unfortunately) were Sordid Lives (Ludicrous) and References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot (National Pastime). References in particular made me feel like I was in a David Lynch film from the moment I walked into the building. Very cool. Also, I'm super excited to see Pirates of Penzance on the Tall Ship Windy.

Favorite show tunes of all time: Pretty much anything Sondheim or (yes I'll say it) Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Favorite musical: Impossible to choose one, but... Man of La Mancha?

Your personal acting idols: Daniel Day-Lewis, Kevin Spacey, Laura Dern, Jeff Bridges

MAC or PC? Mac for the most part

Most played song on your iPod: WFMU live stream (in iTunes)

Must-see TV show(s): Arrested Development, Louie, Spaced, Rocko's Modern Life, The Office (U.S. and UK are both good in my book)

Some films you consider classics: The Godfather (of course), There Will Be Blood, The Big Lebowski, Mullholland Drive

Performer you would drop everything to go see: Louie C.K., Chris Rock, Jeff Mangum, Norm Macdonald

Pop culture guilty pleasure: Kanye West

Three favorite cities: I am not well-travelled, but let's say Chicago, Rome, and Marquette, MI.

First stage kiss: As Finch in How to Succeed...

Moment you knew you wanted to perform for a living: I was in Odyssey of the Mind (anybody remember that?) in 5th grade. I made a joke in a skit about how horrible the Detroit Lions are. Everybody laughed. It was awesome.

Pre-show rituals or warm-ups: Fretting

Most challenging role you have played onstage: Probably Daniel in The Complete Works of Shakespeare [Abridged]. Only because it involved rapping.

Leading man role you've been dying to play: Leo Bloom in The Producers, Mozart in Amadeus, Bobby in Company, the list goes on...

Three things you can't live without: Music, Laughing, Pasta.

"I'll never understand why": Most things happen. I am in a perpetual state of confusion.

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See T.J. in The Brown Paper Box Co.'s production of GODSPELL September 20 - October 7, 2012 at Collaboraction Studio 300 in the Flat Iron Arts Building, 1579 North Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago. For tickets and additional information, visit brownpaperbox.org.

Full given name: Andrew Harper Lund

Role: Jesus
Instrument: Piano

Born: Newtown, Pennsylvania
Raised: Cincinnati, Ohio

Special skills: I can lick my elbow.

Something you're REALLY bad at: Cooking rice. Really bad is a compliment.

Did you have any particular mentors or inspirations as a young actor? My high school theatre director, Stephen Skiles, was big on doing really minimal sets and challenging pieces, while maintaining pretty high production quality for a high school. He really fueled my love for reinventions/adaptations of shows. He also exposed me to acting Shakespeare for the first time. I will always thank him for that.

Current local show you have been recommending to friends: Anything The Hypocrites are doing at the time. SERIOUSLY. PLEASE GO SEE THEM.

Favorite Chicago neighborhood: It’s not really a neighborhood, but the Museum Campus and Northerly Island is my favorite place in the city.

Favorite show tunes of all time: “The Old Red Hills of Home,” “I’m Alive,” … Really anything I can belt.

Favorite musical: It fluctuates between Parade, Company, and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

Favorite play: Our Town

Your personal acting idols: Amy Poehler, Louis C.K., Benedict Cumberbatch, Kristen Wiig, Neil Patrick Harris, and anyone that plays villains.

MAC or PC? PC!

Most played song on your iPod: “Valerie” a la Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson

Must-see TV show(s): Bob’s Burgers, Parks and Recreation, Battlestar Galactica

Last good movie you saw: A documentary on Netflix called Dear, Zachary, filmed by a guy trying to preserve the memory of his murdered friend. It’s definitely sad, and fairly unnerving at times, but very much worth a watch.

Performer you would drop everything to go see: Ingrid Michaelson

Pop culture guilty pleasure: Do adorable internet animal pictures count?

Three favorite cities: Chicago; Columbia, SC; Cleveland

First stage kiss: Cabaret. It was also my actual first kiss.

Moment you knew you wanted to perform for a living: After destroying my sanity trying to comprehend Developmental Biology my junior year of college.

Pre-show rituals or warm-ups: I have a preshow playlist that I warm-up to on shuffle and I add one new song for every show that I do. It ranges from Florence + the Machine to “Colors of the Wind” from Pocahontas.

Most challenging role you have played onstage: Jean in Miss Julie. I am not even remotely that character. At all. But I had an amazing director who not let me slack off and pushed me really hard.

Leading man role you've been dying to play: The Balladeer in Assassins and Elder Price from The Book of Mormon.

Leading lady role you wish you could play: My only real dream was Juliet, and I got to cross that off my list earlier this Spring!

Three things you can't live without: Music. Bread. My friends. In that order? I don’t know. Cheese is a close fourth.

"I'll never understand why…": I can either easily open a banana on the first try, or spend another minute and a half digging smooshed banana out of my finger nails, desperately clawing at the fruit from the side. ALL I ASK FOR IS CONSISTENCY, BANANA!

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See Andrew in The Brown Paper Box Co.'s production of GODSPELL September 20 - October 7, 2012 at Collaboraction Studio 300 in the Flat Iron Arts Building, 1579 North Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago. For tickets and additional information, visit brownpaperbox.org.

Full given name: Veronica Garza

Role: Robin
Song: "Day By Day"
Instrument: Guitar

Where you were born/where you were raised: Chicago suburbs

Special skills: Bill Cosby impression

Something you're REALLY bad at: Matching my clothes

Favorite musical: The Book of Mormon

You personal acting idols: Emma Thompson

MAC or PC? Mac!!!

Must-see TV show(s): School Spirits!!! So scary!!

Last good movie you saw: Brave

Some films you consider classics: Mrs. Doubtfire

Performer you would drop everything to go see: Jim Gaffigan

Pop culture guilty pleasure: Demi Lovato

Three favorite cities: Chicago, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles

First stage kiss: Senior year of high school in some wacky play our drama teacher wrote.

Moment you knew you wanted to perform for a living: After I played Addaperle in The Wiz junior year of high school.

Pre-show rituals or warm-ups: Warming up with "meows."

Leading lady role you wish you could play: The Drowsy Chaperone or Rafiki in The Lion King

Three things you can't live without: My Mac. My orange backpack. Sleepy time.

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See Veronica in The Brown Paper Box Co.'s production of GODSPELL September 20 - October 7, 2012 at Collaboraction Studio 300 in the Flat Iron Arts Building, 1579 North Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago. For tickets and additional information, visit brownpaperbox.org.

Dork that I am, it's hard to go into one of our last GODSPELL rehearsals on 9/11 without thinking of the 1973 movie when the cast finishes "All for the Best" atop a then unfinished World Trade Tower. Amazing to think how the filmmakers finagled their way to the tippy top of the towers - not to mention the cast dancing ever-so-close to the edge.

It feels wrong finishing this entry with a ramble or a plug, so I'll let Schwartz's song and the final images of the Towers have the last word.

- M. William Panek, director