Past Productions


Stage Test

An Evening of Works in Development

Saturday, February 17, 2024
4:30pm

Studio 4C at the MYArts building
1055 E Mifflin St, Madison, WI

Digital Program


Rotate Theatre Mini Fest

2022 - 2023 . Digital Program

Rotate Theatre Mini Fest celebrates short plays featuring underrepresented perspectives on whose stories are worth telling, what's funny, and how the world works! Mainstage performances offer an entertaining and thought-provoking lineup of festival favorites performed alongside new works developed in Rotate's 2022/2023 workshops and presented as part of World Premiere Wisconsin. In addition, the festival featured audience engagement opportunities, a pre-fest mini performance piece at the Overture Center for the Arts, and a post-fest mini playwriting workshop. For more info, please visit the Rotate Theatre Mini Fest page.
Postcard with collaborator headshots

(Almost) Making Let's Eat Mary

2018 - 2021

(Almost) Making Let's Eat Mary features the cast and crew of what would have been the world premiere of Brooke Allen's stage play Let's Eat Mary. Before the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered theatres across the country, the collaborators had already experienced months working on this unique production. In the 69 minute video, the cast and crew offer audiences a window into a rehearsal process designed with attention to accessibility and sustainability, discuss Allen's delightfully biting feminist comedy, and share clips from remote rehearsals. For more about the project, please visit the (Almost) Making Let's Eat Mary page.
A group of artist of different ethnicities, many of them women, smile on a virtual call

The Light, and Everything Else, is Broken

2017

A postcard with artist headshots
A postcard with artist headshots

Two character are silhouetted by the light as they kiss
Two character are silhouetted by the light as they kiss

Indie Boots Theatre Festival 2017: The Zoe Plays

2017

For more information about our festivals, including cast and crew info, please visit our Festivals page.

The fifth annual Indie Boots Theatre Festival 2017: The Zoe Plays celebrates new short plays featuring underrepresented perspectives on whose stories are worth telling, what's funny, and how the world works. The plays grapple with our unstable present and unknown future though hilarious comedy, engaging drama, biting satire, complicated realism, and a queer time traveling farce.
A postcard with artist headshots
A postcard with artist headshots

Three characters, who appear to be adult women dressed in Little Women-inspired dress, group hug
Three characters, who appear to be adult women dressed in Little Women-inspired dress, group hug

The March Sisters Carol

2016

Presented at Stage 773 One Act Festival
December 1 - December 16, 2016
Thursdays & Fridays at 8:15pm
Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont, Chicago, IL

We are happy to present The March Sisters Carol, a new comedy for the holidays. When Stage 773 invited us to participate in their holiday themed One Act Festival, "beginning with an exchange of dialogue from a well-known film, play, or story, each piece will reimagine the conclusion," we decided to lovingly rib one of our favorite holiday classics, Little Women. We think Louisa May "I have fallen in love in my life with so many pretty girls" Alcott would approve.

The March Sisters Carol, by Richard Paro, features Ashely Bagot, Katia Jackson, Alex Molnar, and Cyra K. Polizzi.


Sea Creatures and Research

2016

Presented at Bisexual Queer Alliance Chicago
Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St, Chicago, IL

We are pleased to present short plays at Bisexual Queer Alliance Chicago's Celebrate Bisexuality Day event on September 23! The program includes artists Ashely Bagot, Suzanne Bracken, Alex Molnar, Richard Paro, and Cyra K. Polizzi.


Two characters, who appear to be a man wearing an ascot and a women wearing a white handkerchief as a scarf, look intensely at each other.
Two characters, who appear to be a man wearing an ascot and a women wearing a white handkerchief as a scarf, look intensely at each other.

The Weird Between Us in 4 Short Plays

2016

Presented at Abbie Fest XXVIII, Mary-Arrchie Theatre
The Den, Chicago, IL

The Weird Between Us in 4 Short Plays features comedies about witches on an adventure, a confusing break-up, capitalist chums plotting, and star-crossed sea creatures. The plays, by Justine Krueger, Aisha Leverett, and Richard Paro, directed by Ashely Bagot, Richard Paro, and Breahan Eve Pautsch, feature Ashely Bagot, Danielle Lorae Byas, Justine Krueger, Mark Lancaster, Richard Paro, Breahan Eve Pautsch, Cyra K. Polizzi, and Jazzma Pryor, with stage management by Amy Hopkins.
A postcard with artist headshots
A postcard with artist headshots

Five characters, who appear to be women in different styles of clothing, exclaim enthusiastically
Five characters, who appear to be women in different styles of clothing, exclaim enthusiastically

Indie Boots Theatre Festival 2016: The Ava Plays

2016

For more information about our festivals, including cast and crew info, please visit our Festivals page.

The fourth annual Indie Boots Theatre Festival celebrates new short plays with underrepresented perspectives on whose stories are worth telling, what's funny, and how the world works. From hilarious comedies to thoughtful dramas, from angsty realism to sci-fi adventures, the plays and their characters grapple with love, feminism, LGBTQ communities, friendship, history, intricacies of language, activism, and a missing vibrator.
Postcard with artist headshots
Postcard with artist headshots

Three women characters in casual counterculture clothing, join hands while another character works on a laptop
Three women characters in casual contemporary clothing, disagree
Three women characters in casual counterculture clothing, join hands while another character works on a laptop

Happy May in June

2016

Presented at Skin in the Game, Stage 773 One Act Festival
April 29 - May 27, 2016 . Fridays at 10:30pm
Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont, Chicago, IL

May and her partners have an exciting announcement, but things unravel quickly as they share their news with the cooperative. The atmosphere of conscious experimentation, friendship, and love is both challenged and developed as the community engages with feminism, sexuality, marriage, religion, nudity, commodification, and dirty towels.

HAPPY MAY IN JUNE, a stand alone segment from the 2015 production THERE MIGHT BE... STUMBLE by Richard Paro.

This production features actors Ashely Bagot, Celeste Burns, Carolyn Minor, Richard Paro, Cyra K. Polizzi, Jazzma Pryor, Robin Posavetz, Eileen Tull, and Christopher Waldron.
Postcard with image of colorful lights blanketing dancing bodies
Three characters, who appear to be women in casual contemporary clothing, disagree


Two women characters look at each other with confusion
Two women characters look at each other with confusion

You Could Come Back Over Here and Rutabagas, Business Cards, & Ava

2016

Presented at Creating Change Conference
In association with Bisexual Queer Alliance Chicago
January 2016 . Chicago, IL

Featuring Ashely Bagot, Crystal Hartford, Richard Paro, and Cyra K. Polizzi.

You Could Come Back Over Here is a stand alone segment from the 2015 production THERE MIGHT BE... STUMBLE.

Rutabagas, Business Cards, & Ava is a comedy about community. Brit and Ava, both gunning for a hard to secure job at the LGBTQ advocacy office, struggle to connect over veganism and bisexuality as they await their interviews.


Between You & Me in 4 Short Plays

2015

Presented at Mary-Arrchie Theatre's Abbie Fest XXVII
Saturday, August 15, 2015 . 10:25pm
Angel Island Theatre . 735 W. Sheridan Road, Chicago, IL

Old friends, complete strangers, and post-hookup party-goers, face unexpected circumstances that take us from surreal hilarity to touching realism in plays by Sara Israel, Richard Paro, and John Weagly, directed by Ashely Bagot and Richard Paro, and featuring Ashely Bagot, Don Baiocchi, Amy Geist, Jillann Morlan, Breahan Eve Pautsch, Cyra K. Polizzi, Danielle Rennalls, and Elise Spoerlein.
Postcard with four different images from short plays in which characters who are mostly women kiss, talk with friends, surprise each other, and react to the unexpected
Postcard with four different images from short plays in which characters who are mostly women kiss, talk with friends, surprise each other, and react to the unexpected




There Might Be... Stumble

2015

June 9th - July 1st, 2015
The Side Project Theatre, Chicago, IL

Indie Boots Theatre presents There Might Be... Stumble, 10 short plays by Richard Paro, inspired by the first two Belle & Sebastian albums, Heidi Spencer and the Rare Birds, Dorothy Parker, Chicago, Love, Kate Bornstein, Internet Comments, Dr. Who, Nick Drake, TV On The Radio, Politics, St. Vincent, and Everything Else. There Might Be... Stumble runs Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7:30pm from June 9 - July 1 at The Side Project Theatre (an accessible theater at 1439 W. Jarvis Ave, just a block from the Red Line). The plays are both funny and melancholy, as the characters surprise each other, find each other, lose each other, argue, face existential crisis, and create. While touching on feminism, sexuality, religion, heath care, nudity, commodification, anti-intellectualism, marriage, and other hot-button issues, There Might Be... Stumble is more about people making personal choices in our political world, than it is about politics.

There Might Be... Stumble features actors Ashely Bagot, Don Baiocchi, Jean E. Burr, Morgan Crouch, Laura Elleseg, Carolyn Minor, Jillann Morlan, Katurah Nelson, Erin O'Brien, Richard Paro, Cyra K. Polizzi, Danielle Rennalls, Mahek Tulsiani, Christopher Waldron, Mackenzie Wiglesworth, Crystal Hartford (6/9, 6/10, 6/30, 7/1) and Breahan Eve Pautsch (6/16, 6/17, 6/23, 6/24). This ensemble of actors portrays 80 characters over the course of the evening, performing in everything from intimate two person scenes, to a full-cast musical number.


Ashely Bagot headshot Ashely Bagot is an actor, director, and costume designer. In addition to her work with mudgeonsoul productions and Indie Boots, she has frequently worked with Hobo Junction Productions, Full Voice, and Stockyards Theatre Project. Ashely also works assisting people dealing with mental illness access recovery services. Don Baiocchi headshot Don Baiocchi is thrilled to be working again with Mudgeonsoul Productions, after appearing in a short film and two audience award winners at their Indie Boots Theater Festivals. He has worked with Rasaka Theatre, The Paradeigma Collective, Pride Films and Plays, and Three Cats Productions, among others. He also completed the Studio program at Black Box Acting. Jean E. Burr graduated from University of North Carolina at Wilmington in Film Analysis and Japanese. She moved to Chicago in the midst of the polar vortex and has since worked with Gorilla Tango Burlesque, Strangeloop Theatre, Vaudezilla, and Plan 9 Burlesque. She would like to thank her friends, family, and the awesome cast for their support and awesomeness. www.jeaneburr.com Morgan Crouch headshot Morgan Crouch is a writer, performer, storyteller and aspiring raging feminist from Chicago. When she is not performing, Morgan works with Girls Fight Back!, a self-defense program that teaches girls across the country how to become total badasses. Laura Elleseg headshot Laura Elleseg is a Chicago based, Milwaukee raised actor and teaching artist who also directs. Laura graduated from The CCPA at Roosevelt University with a BFA in acting and has since worked with companies including Abraham Werewolf, Redmoon, Suffigance Shakespeare, Spartan Theater, and First Stage. Crystal Hartford heashot Crystal Hartford studied Theatre and History at Avila University. Some of her favorite roles include "Brooke" in Noises off, "Helena" in The Rover, and "Cinderella" in Into The Woods. She is also a director, as well as a musician in the bands Dust Bunnies and Hartford/Focht. Carolyn Minor headshot Carolyn Minor received her BA in Drama from UVA in 2001 and has been doing theatre in Chicago ever since. She is a company member of Knife & Fork and enjoys all her physical, devised, silliness she can fit into her schedule. Carolyn's excited to work with Indie Boots after years of admiring their work from the audience. Jillann Morlan headshot Jillann Morlan is a writer, director, producer and actor of film and theatre. She holds a BFA in Film and Television Production and an MA in Performance Studies from NYU, Tisch School of the Arts. Jillann recently completed two years at The Meisner Technique Studio in San Francisco, and she is thrilled to be pursuing her passions in a vibrant new city! Katurah Nelson headshot Katurah Nelson is so pleased to work with mudgeonsoul productions again, because the folks are really cool. She was last seen in Ella's Children, which was part of the Indie Boots Theatre Festival. Erin O'Brien headshot Erin O'Brien is an Oklahoma native. She has been living in Chicago and immersing herself in the theatre community since 2010. An up and coming performer with a whole lot of snark, you may have previously seen her in the first stage adaptation of Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea at Strawdog Theatre Company and Trip. Theatre's Finding Graffenberg. Richard Paro headshot Richard Paro is an award-winning director based in Chicago, where he's also found acting and writing. He's the artistic director of Indie Boots/Mudgeonsoul and has worked with various companies including Full Voice, Hobo Junction, Stockyards, Tympanic, Prologue, Fury, and Theatre-Hikes. In addition, his films screen at festivals around the world. Breahan Eve Pautsch headshot Breahan Eve Pautsch is a director, actor, and writer. She earned her BA in Theatre and English at UW-Madison and is a company member with Indie Boots/Mudgeonsoul and Akvavit. She has worked with Raven, Hobo Junction, Full Voice, Stockyards, Halcyon, Chicago ScriptWorks, The Side Project, Strangeloop, International Voices, and Butcher's Son Films. Cyra K. Polizzi headshot Cyra K. Polizzi graduated from UW-Madison in Theatre Acting, Gender Studies, and Environmental Studies. Cyra works full-time in theatre and film, focusing on stage acting while also engaging in directing, writing, and exhibition. Cyra is particularly interested in pieces incorporating humor and queer alternatives to compulsory behavior. cyrakpolizzi.com Danielle Rennalls headshot Danielle Rennalls wears many hats and loves storytelling. UNC School of the Arts Directing 2011. Credits: Lyric Opera, Redmoon Theater, Rising Phoenix Rep, Eugene O'Neill Theater Center and the Edinburgh Fringe. Mahek Tulsiani headshot Mahek Tulsiani Christopher Waldron headshot Christopher Waldron attended Florida State University where he studied Criminology, Psychology, and Theatre. Christopher has pursued theatre and film projects that moved him to New Orleans, England, and Ireland. Now living in Chicago, Christopher has taken classes through Improv Olympics and Acting Studio Chicago. He is a company member of Hobo Junction and Director of Visual Media with Tympanic Theatre. Mackenzie Wiglesworth headshot Mackenzie Wiglesworth received her degree in theatre from the University of Kansas. Mackenzie has worked on stage and in three feature films with Esemplastic LLC. Mother's Milk won numerous awards in festivals and her second film, Residuum will have its Chicago premiere this summer. For more information check out ResiduumTheFilm.com.

Ashely Bagot headshot Ashely Bagot is an actor, director, and costume designer. In addition to her work with mudgeonsoul productions and Indie Boots, she has frequently worked with Hobo Junction Productions, Full Voice, and Stockyards Theatre Project. Ashely also works assisting people dealing with mental illness access recovery services. Don Baiocchi headshot Don Baiocchi is thrilled to be working again with Mudgeonsoul Productions, after appearing in a short film and two audience award winners at their Indie Boots Theater Festivals. He has worked with Rasaka Theatre, The Paradeigma Collective, Pride Films and Plays, and Three Cats Productions, among others. He also completed the Studio program at Black Box Acting. Jean E. Burr graduated from University of North Carolina at Wilmington in Film Analysis and Japanese. She moved to Chicago in the midst of the polar vortex and has since worked with Gorilla Tango Burlesque, Strangeloop Theatre, Vaudezilla, and Plan 9 Burlesque. She would like to thank her friends, family, and the awesome cast for their support and awesomeness. www.jeaneburr.com Morgan Crouch headshot Morgan Crouch is a writer, performer, storyteller and aspiring raging feminist from Chicago. When she is not performing, Morgan works with Girls Fight Back!, a self-defense program that teaches girls across the country how to become total badasses. Laura Elleseg headshot Laura Elleseg is a Chicago based, Milwaukee raised actor and teaching artist who also directs. Laura graduated from The CCPA at Roosevelt University with a BFA in acting and has since worked with companies including Abraham Werewolf, Redmoon, Suffigance Shakespeare, Spartan Theater, and First Stage. Crystal Hartford heashot Crystal Hartford studied Theatre and History at Avila University. Some of her favorite roles include "Brooke" in Noises off, "Helena" in The Rover, and "Cinderella" in Into The Woods. She is also a director, as well as a musician in the bands Dust Bunnies and Hartford/Focht. Carolyn Minor headshot Carolyn Minor received her BA in Drama from UVA in 2001 and has been doing theatre in Chicago ever since. She is a company member of Knife & Fork and enjoys all her physical, devised, silliness she can fit into her schedule. Carolyn's excited to work with Indie Boots after years of admiring their work from the audience. Jillann Morlan headshot Jillann Morlan is a writer, director, producer and actor of film and theatre. She holds a BFA in Film and Television Production and an MA in Performance Studies from NYU, Tisch School of the Arts. Jillann recently completed two years at The Meisner Technique Studio in San Francisco, and she is thrilled to be pursuing her passions in a vibrant new city! Katurah Nelson headshot Katurah Nelson is so pleased to work with mudgeonsoul productions again, because the folks are really cool. She was last seen in Ella's Children, which was part of the Indie Boots Theatre Festival. Erin O'Brien headshot Erin O'Brien is an Oklahoma native. She has been living in Chicago and immersing herself in the theatre community since 2010. An up and coming performer with a whole lot of snark, you may have previously seen her in the first stage adaptation of Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea at Strawdog Theatre Company and Trip. Theatre's Finding Graffenberg. Richard Paro headshot Richard Paro is an award-winning director based in Chicago, where he's also found acting and writing. He's the artistic director of Indie Boots/Mudgeonsoul and has worked with various companies including Full Voice, Hobo Junction, Stockyards, Tympanic, Prologue, Fury, and Theatre-Hikes. In addition, his films screen at festivals around the world. Breahan Eve Pautsch headshot Breahan Eve Pautsch is a director, actor, and writer. She earned her BA in Theatre and English at UW-Madison and is a company member with Indie Boots/Mudgeonsoul and Akvavit. She has worked with Raven, Hobo Junction, Full Voice, Stockyards, Halcyon, Chicago ScriptWorks, The Side Project, Strangeloop, International Voices, and Butcher's Son Films. Cyra K. Polizzi headshot Cyra K. Polizzi graduated from UW-Madison in Theatre Acting, Gender Studies, and Environmental Studies. Cyra works full-time in theatre and film, focusing on stage acting while also engaging in directing, writing, and exhibition. Cyra is particularly interested in pieces incorporating humor and queer alternatives to compulsory behavior. cyrakpolizzi.com Danielle Rennalls headshot Danielle Rennalls wears many hats and loves storytelling. UNC School of the Arts Directing 2011. Credits: Lyric Opera, Redmoon Theater, Rising Phoenix Rep, Eugene O'Neill Theater Center and the Edinburgh Fringe. Mahek Tulsiani headshot Mahek Tulsiani Christopher Waldron headshot Christopher Waldron attended Florida State University where he studied Criminology, Psychology, and Theatre. Christopher has pursued theatre and film projects that moved him to New Orleans, England, and Ireland. Now living in Chicago, Christopher has taken classes through Improv Olympics and Acting Studio Chicago. He is a company member of Hobo Junction and Director of Visual Media with Tympanic Theatre. Mackenzie Wiglesworth headshot Mackenzie Wiglesworth received her degree in theatre from the University of Kansas. Mackenzie has worked on stage and in three feature films with Esemplastic LLC. Mother's Milk won numerous awards in festivals and her second film, Residuum will have its Chicago premiere this summer. For more information check out ResiduumTheFilm.com.
Hover over a headshot for more information about the actor.

The first of the 10 short plays completed for There Might Be... Stumble, Fox in the Snow, was made into an award-winning short film in 2011 and was performed live to an enthusiastic audience at Abbie Fest in 2014. Fox in the Snow reflects both the themes and tone of There Might Be... Stumble, as a women's bible study meeting hilariously unravels until culminating in an unexpected and touching declaration of love. While each characters' true motives are revealed, so are pieces of their lives, including underrepresented character traits such as atheism and bisexuality, in a play not specifically about these topics. There Might Be... Stumble doesn't force the characters to revolve around just one identity as they search for happiness, purpose, and connection.

The production team for There Might Be... Stumble includes stage manager Megan Chaney and ensemble members Ashely Bagot, Crystal Hartford, Richard Paro, Breahan Eve Pautsch, and Cyra K. Polizzi.

General admission tickets are $20, with discounts available for artists, industry, students, educators, low income, and social justice workers. Tickets are available here: https://stumble.bpt.me

Due to adult content, viewer discretion is advised. For more information, please email us.

Large postcard featuring a group of actors looking seriously toward the camera.
Large postcard featuring a group of actors looking seriously toward the camera.

Ella's Children production still
Ella's Children production still

Indie Boots Theatre Festival 2015: The Ella Plays


For more information about our festivals, including cast and crew info, please visit our Festivals page.

Indie Boots Theatre Festival celebrates new short plays with different perspectives on whose stories are worth telling, what's funny, and how the world works. This year's writing prompt, to use "Ella" in the title of a short script, resulted in hundreds of diverse submissions, each competing to be a finalist performed on Monday, April 27 - Wednesday, April 29 at 7:30pm at The Side Project Theatre (an accessible theater at 1439 W Jarvis Ave, just a block from the Red Line). Audiences are treated to nine short plays, fully staged by Chicago directors and actors. This year's plays, most of them seriocomedies penned by women, touch on feminism, sexuality, the American workplace, growing up, intersectionality, disconnection, friendship, and, well, zombies.
Indie Boots Theatre Festival 2015: The Ella Plays postcard
Indie Boots Theatre Festival 2015: The Ella Plays postcard

Two actors argue
Two actors argue

Jos & Brit Make Toast: Part 4.5

2014

Celebrate Bisexuality Day Chicago
Center on Halsted's Hoover-Leppen Theatre

Flatmates Jos and Brit struggle to make city living more fulfilling as they bumble through dating, jobs, and philosophies of everyday life.

Collaborating Artists Include: Ashely Bagot, Cyra K. Polizzi, Becca Savoy, and Mackenzie Wiglesworth.


Three actors sit next to each other with intense expressions.
Three actors sit next to each other with intense expressions.

Fox in the Snow - The Play and Jos & Brit Make Toast: Part 1

2014

Abbie Fest . Chicago, IL

In Fox in the Snow - The Play, a women's bible study meeting takes an unexpected turn when the members' true motives are revealed.

In Jos & Brit Make Toast: Part 1, flatmates Jos and Brit struggle to make city living more fulfilling as they bumble through dating, jobs, and philosophies of everyday life.

Collaborating Artists Include: Ashely Bagot, Becca Savoy, Breahan Pautsch, Carolyn Reynolds, Chakira Lane, Crystal Hartford, Cyra K. Polizzi, Eva Corina, Kristi Parker Barnhart, Mackenzie Wiglesworth, Richard Paro, Shadee Vossoughi, Travis Barnhart


olivia is the bread production still
Olivia is the bread production still

Indie Boots Theatre Festival 2014: The Olivia Plays

2014

For more information about our festivals, including cast and crew info, please visit our Festivals page.

The second annual Indie Boots Theatre Festival celebrates new short plays with different perspectives on whose stories are worth telling, what's funny, and how the world works. This year's writing prompt, to use "Olivia" in the title of a short script, resulted in hundreds of diverse submissions, each competing to be a finalist performed in the 2014 festival. On Monday, April 28 - Wednesday, April 30 at 7:30pm at Greenhouse Theater Center (a fully accessible theater at 2257 N. Lincoln Ave in Chicago), teams of Chicago directors and actors bring life to the scripts, having spent the past month turning the written word into fully staged plays. It's up to the savvy audience to experience these lively collaborations and determine the winning play!
Olivia Approaching production still Olivia Norwegian Wood production still Olivia's Octopus production still



Downsizing

2013

Presented at Celebrate Bisexuality Day Chicago . Chicago, IL

Flatmates Jos and Brit struggle to make city living more fulfilling as they bumble through dating, jobs, and philosophies of everyday life.

Collaborating artists include: Ashely Bagot, Breahan Eve Pautsch, Cyra K. Polizzi


Toadstools & the Mechanical Man production still
Rebecca Back to Life production still
Toadstools & the Mechanical Man production still

Rebecca Back to Life and Toadstools & the Mechanical Man

2013

Presented at Abbie Fest . Chicago, IL

Rebecca Back to Life
Written by Liz Siedt, Directed by Richard Paro
Featuring Amy Crater, Cyra K. Polizzi, Kate Gerston

Things spiral comically out of control for three friends, all incredibly unskilled in conjuring people to and from death. No one seems to stay alive, or dead, for long... and everyone's getting hungry.

Toadstools & the Mechanical Man
Written by John Weagly, Directed by Breahan Eve Pautsch
Featuring Bryan Campbell, Kevin Gladish, Cyra K. Polizzi

Toadstools and the Mechanical Man, a comedy by John Weagly and directed by Breahan Eve Pautsch, introduces us to Lord Bashum and Lady Willoughby as they take pleasure in a picnic. Determined to make this a special day, Lord Bashum brings his Mechanical Man, but something is amiss.

Toadstools and the Mechanical Man was first produced by Hobo Junction Productions in 2011. Full Voice is happy to bring many of the original artists back together for additional performances.


Rebecca Back to Life production still
Rebecca Back to Life production still

Indie Boots Theatre Festival 2013: The Rebecca Plays

2013

For more information about our festivals, including cast and crew info, please visit our Festivals page.

Indie Boots Theatre Festival celebrates collaboration and new short plays Monday, May 20th - Wednesday, May 22 at 7:30pm at Theater Wit (1229 W. Belmont in Chicago) with teams of directors and actors bringing life to world premiere scripts, all using this year's writing prompt, "Rebecca," in their titles. After a successful film festival last spring and another scheduled for May 9th of this year, two special programs last fall, and a logo contest this past winter, Indie Boots is excited to bring more artists and audiences together through Indie Boots Theatre Festival.


word cloud poster
word cloud poster

Feminist Plays about Nothing

2013

Feminist Plays about Nothing, an evening of comedic short plays, takes place Saturday, January 26, 2013 at 7:00pm at Center on Halsted, 3656 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60613. Quirky, fast-paced, and layered, the plays zip from topic to topic, finding humor in simple misunderstandings, intricacies of relationships, and the seemingly mundane. Audience members are invited to stick around after the readings to participate in a talk-back to help shape the future of these short plays. So that everyone is welcome, the performance is absolutely free and accessible via an elevator. Seating is first-come first-served once the doors open at 6:45. For more information, or to arrange for accomodations, please email.

THE ACTORS!
Ashely Bagot, Laura Elleseg, Elana Elyce, Crystal Hartford, Lauren Hearter, Jessica Kadish, Richard Paro, Breahan Eve Pautsch, Francesca Peppiatt, Cyra K. Polizzi, Ashley Sevedge, Alexander St. John, Tamara White

THE PLAYS!
Retail: When Jacky's distaste for furniture shopping doesn't sit well with her girlfriend, Jacky's day is ruined... until she meets an unconventional salesperson named Parsley... and Parsley's unconventional friends.
Outside My Cubicle: Miscommunication and mistaken assumptions abound for coworkers Marcy, Deb and Kathy. When Marcy's fiancee and Deb's boyfriend join them for a night out, all the confusion comes to a head.
"Important" Issues: In this playful sendup of the feminist fundraising scene, Astrid agonizes over a risque silent auction, Eve would rather focus on the cutie in pigtails, Vanessa is intrigued by a play about healthcare, and Karen gets excited about some organic corn.
Jos & Brit Make Toast: Flatmates Jos and Brit struggle to make city living more fulfilling as they bumble through dating, jobs, and philosophies of everyday life.

The scripts were workshopped in Stockyards Theatre Project's "Play for Keeps" program and were further developed by Full Voice.

Thank you to Francesca Peppiatt and all the "Play for Keeps" participants and audiences, as well as the directors, actors, and designers who have been involved in previous incarnations of these scripts, including: Ashely Bagot, Carrie Bain, Justin Brewer, Bryan Campbell, Madeline Chilese, Amy Crater, Gwyneth Davis, Jessica Dexter, Laura Elleseg, Elana Elyce, Naomi Finkelstein, Kate Gerston, Crystal Hartford, Lauren Hearter, Ryan D. Herendeen, Christopher Rex Jacobs, Kristi Parker-Barnhart, Richard Paro, Breahan Eve Pautsch, Francesca Peppiatt, and Cyra K. Polizzi. Also, thank you to Center on Halsted and Chris Pierce, the Bisexual Programs Volunteer Liaison. At the end of the evening, there will be an opportunity to donate $5 to Center on Halsted. Donations are completely voluntary. www.centeronhalsted.org


Outside My Cubicle

2010

Presented at Abbie Fest

Miscommunications and mistaken assumptions abound for coworkers Marcy, Deb and Kathy in this 15 minute fast-paced comedic one-act. When Marcy's fiancee and Deb's boyfriend join them for a night out, all the confusion comes to a head.

Collaborating artists include: Bryan Campbell, Madeline Chilese, Jessica Dexter, Christopher Rex Jacobs, Richard Paro, Breahan Eve Pautsch and Cyra K. Polizzi


an orange in a tree
an orange in a tree

Projecting Oranges

2009

Presented at Abbie Fest in association with Stockyards Theatre Project and SWAN Day.

In Projecting Oranges, a full-length contemporary queer relationship comedy, Elle tries to get Ivy out of her funk... but first she has to get her off the couch. As new flat-mates, their once easy banter is stressed by the close-quarters, as well as two new additions to their social circle, Peter, with his biting sense of humor, and the always good-natured (and up for a good time), Jenny. And despite this foursome's easy-going attitude about everything from non-monogamy to food politics, their relationships are anything but.

Collaborating artists include: Kate Brown, Elana Elyce, Naomi Finkelstein, Richard Paro, Breahan Eve Pautsch, and Cyra K. Polizzi.


Phoning It In

2008

Presented at Women's Performance Art Festival . Chicago, IL

Despite an upcoming season of artistically fulfilling new works, the cast and crew of the Village Preservation Theatre must once again perform their annual moneymaker, The Taming of the Shrew.

Phoning It In is a short comedic performance art piece written and directed by Crystal Hartford, Richard Paro and Cyra K. Polizzi, featuring Carrie Bain, Justin Brewer, Naomi Finkelstein, Crystal Hartford, Ryan D. Herendeen, Breahan Eve Pautsch, Richard Paro and Cyra K. Polizzi.


retro flyer for pride parade
retro flyer for pride parade

School's A Drag

2008

Presented at Cake Chicago . Chicago . Full Voice

A little drag, a little dance, and a lot of humor fill this short performance piece featuring April "Lightning" Whitworth, Crystal "Esmeralda" Hartford, Cyra "Kiki" Polizzi and special guest Kate B.

See School's A Drag on Friday, June 27, 2008 with 11 other fantastic acts at Cake Chicago's "Sassy & Proud" show. The show begins at 9:00pm at Red Line Tap, 7006 N. Glenwood, Chicago.


three people stand in front of a board filled with flyers
three people stand in front of a board filled with flyers

Stalled

2007

Presented at Women's Performance Art Festival . Chicago, IL

Stalled, a new comedy, explores the unexpected, and sometimes unwanted, communication initiated behind the gendered doors of public restrooms. Comprised of a series of vignettes, Stalled visits a diverse group of restrooms, from a bowling alley to a gay bar, from a dorm to an art museum, each inspiring a different set of humorous interactions.

Collaborating artists include: Crystal Hartford, Richard Paro, Breahan Eve Pautsch, Cyra K. Polizzi, Scott Ian Ray, Katie Rolnick, Mary Anne Rooney

Special thanks to Lucinda Alipio, Ryan Edberg, Crystal Hartford, Ryan D. Herendeen, Richard Paro, Francesca Peppiatt, Scott Ian Ray, Mary Rogers, Mary Anne Rooney and Josh Zagoren.


Laura's Bush

2004

We are pleased to present Laura's Bush, the new controversial satire by the famously pseudonymous Jane Martin. This absurd play is sweeping the country before the election and features biting dialog about gender, religion, race, and of course, politics.

The first scenes of the play will be performed at Pilot TV (www.pilotchicago.org) on Saturday, October 9, 2004 at 11:00am followed by a run at the Spareroom in Chicago through October 30, 2004.

Written by Jane Martin
Directed by Richard Paro
Associate Producers: Richard Paro, Katie Rolnick, Chris Weiher
Cast: Katie Rolnick, Cyra K. Polizzi, Ellen Peace, Nicole J. Adelman, Chris Weiher


Films

For information, please visit our Film page.

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