Chicago's pay-what-you-want storefront theatre company.

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CAST & CREATIVE TEAM

CREATIVE TEAM
PLAYWRIGHT David Drake

DIRECTOR Daniel Sappington

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR River Epperson

STAGE MANAGER Kit Ratliff

VIOLENCE & INTIMACY CHOREOGRAPHER Michael Bevis

SOUND DESIGN Samuel Fitzwater-Butchart

COSTUME DESIGN Dagny Mullins

PROPS DESIGN Judith Laughlin

ATMOSPHERIC SCENIC DESIGN Spencer Donovan

CREATIVE PRODUCER Selena Lopez

CAST

PERFORMER Elijah Cox

ABOUT

David Drake's The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me is a provocative journey through one man's self-discovery and response to the AIDS epidemic. Channeling his self-described "sissy-boy rage" into a theatrical call to activism, Drake's series of semi-autobiographical monologues offer front-line coverage from the most harrowing days of the AIDS epidemic. An exploration of love, intimacy, Queerness, grief, and rage, Daniel Sappington's immersive-activist production transports audiences to an ACT UP meeting from the early 90's, challenging them move beyond mere spectators to activists themselves.

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT

David Drake was born on June 27, 1963, in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania. He grew up in Harford County, Maryland, the only child of two public school teachers. He began performing in local stage productions at age ten. At 20 he moved to New York City to further pursue his acting career, which led to such Off-Broadway appearances as playing the title role in the Mabou Mines production of Greg Mehrten’s Pretty Boy; originating the character/contestant “Miss Deep South” in Pageant; and succeeding Charles Busch in Vampire Lesbians of Sodom. Television appearances have included Law & Order; In the Life; Day One; and dozens of talk shows, including Joan Rivers and Donahue. In film, David has taken roles in Longtime Companion; Naked in New York; It’s Pat!; and Jonathan Demme’s Philadelphia. In 1993, David won a Village Voice OBIE Award for his performance in The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me. He is currently writing a new one-actor play.

David Drake made his playwriting debut in June 1992 with the semi-autobiographical one-man play The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me at New York's Perry Street Theater. Playing a year Off-Broadway it became one of the longest-running solo shows in New York and won Drake an Obie Award, two Dramalogue Awards, and a Lambda Literary Award nomination. To date, the play has received nearly 100 independent productions worldwide in the USA, England, South Africa, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, France, New Zealand, and has also been translated into Greek, Spanish, Portuguese, and French.

DATES

Invited Dress/Preview - October 2

Performances - October 3-19, 2024

(Seating is very limited. Make your reservation now!)

TICKETS

Tickets are very limited due to this show being site specific and immersive. Regular tickets are pay-what-you-want. The suggested ticket price is $40.

All tickets are paperless and your name will be on the list at the box office. *Please be advised there is no late seating.*

RUN TIME

75 minutes with no intermission.

CONTENT ADVISORY

Homophobia, discussion of AIDS, grief, rage

PERFORMANCE LOCATION

4541 N. Ravenswood #204, Chicago, IL 60640

(Seating is very limited. Make your reservation now!)

GETTING THERE

PARKING: Free on-street parking available on Ravenswood Avenue.

PUBLIC TRANSIT: Public transportation is available on the #22 Clark Street bus (Exit at Clark & Wilson, walk ~10 minutes); the #78 Montrose bus (Exit at Montrose & Ravenswood, walk ~10 minutes); and the UP-N Metra (Exit at the Ravenswood station, walk south 0.3 miles).

FOOD & DRINK

Located in the vibrant Ravenswood corridor of Chicago, there are plenty of places to eat and drink within walking distance. These are two of our favorites (and the closest)!

O'Shaughnessy's Pub- 4557 N Ravenswood Avenue, Chicago, IL 60640

Spacca Napoli Pizzeria- 1769 W Sunnyside Ave, Chicago, IL 60640

cast

CAST

Selena Lopez

AGNETE

A Chicagoland native, Selena (she/her) holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from The New School for Drama in New York. With Three Crows, Selena was last seen as Lady M in Macbeth, Maureen in The Beauty Queen of Leenane. She was recently seen as Rosa Gonzales in Summer and Smoke by Tennessee Williams with Violet Sky. This summer she'll spend the season with American Players Theatre in Spring Green, WI. As a voice over artist, Selena has worked on over 800 projects.

Many thanks to the incredible cast and creative team.

For Sonny, who dared to share Nete's story.

selena-lopez.com

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Stephen Dunn

MADS

Stephen (he/him) has appeared onstage with Three Crows as Duncan in Macbeth and Harry Brewer in Our Country's Good. Stephen was a member of Infamous Commonwealth Theatre for 9 years and performed in several productions for them including Cloud 9 for which he received a Jeff nomination for best supporting actor.

Kit Ratliff (they/them)

MICHAEL/GUARD

Kit (they/them) received their Bachelor's in Acting from West Texas A&M (Go Buffs). They have been seen on stage with Three Crows in Macbeth as Fléance, Our Country's Good as Dabby Bryant, and These Shining Lives as Charlotte. They have also performed for Cornservatory, Live Movie Reads: Uptown Underground, and the Chicago Musical Theatre Festival. Kit is excited to work with a company who believes in the accessibility of art and dedicates their resources to producing works that are relevant, inspiring, and real.

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Lisa Stran

HELGA

Lisa (she/her) is beyond thrilled to to finally be working with Three Crows and bringing The Danish Play to life. Since graduating from Northwestern University in 1996, Lisa has been active in storefront theater, most recently appearing in It Is So (If You Think So) and Light Up The Sky with Edge of the Wood Theater. Other recent roles include understudying for The Minutes (also with Edge of the Wood) and understudying Martha in Invictus Theater's production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Lisa has been doing voiceover since 2001 and can be heard on the radio as one of the voices for Lakeside Bank (also named Lisa!). So many thanks to Selena, Kirstin, Erin and the cast and crew for creating this extraordinary play.

Mackenzie Williams (she/her)

BENTE

“to hate
is an easy lazy thing
but to love takes strength
everyone has
but not all are
willing to practice “

-rupi kaur

Dolph Paulsen

MORTEN, ET AL

Dolph Paulsen (he/him) is an artist-educator originally from Boston, MA, recently transplanted to Chicago. He has performed onstage with companies in Massachusetts (Hovey Players, Wax Wings Theater, Hampshire Shakespeare Co), in Florida (Asolo Theater), and in Los Angeles (Independent Shakespeare Co). In addition to stage work, Dolph has directed and acted in Film and TV (Actor: One Tree Hill, The Message, Fear Not, When I Was King, Stories for Dinner—Director: Stories for Dinner, On The Count Of...). Dolph is also a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist and Reading Specialist, and has authored and illustrated an instructional metalinguistic science-fiction novel for young adults, WHIRDZ. Dolph holds an MFA in Acting from the FSU/Asolo Conservatory and an MS in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the MGH Institute of Health Professions. He is super spændt på at få sin Chicago debut with Three Crows!

Madeline Wakley

LISBET, ET AL

Madeline Wakley (she/her) is thrilled to be making her debut with Three Crows Theatre. She has worked as an actor, voiceover artist, and assistant director with companies such as Forge Theater, Bard & Bourbon, The Constructivists, First Stage Children's Theater, Riverside Theatre Shakespeare Festival, Auricle, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, All In Productions, and Renaissance Theaterworks. She received her B.A. in Theatre Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, and a diploma in classical performance from LAMDA.

CREATIVE TEAM

Kirstin Franklin (Director)

Kirstin Franklin (she/her) has been a professional theater collaborating artist for over 20 years with credits from all over the country including The Guthrie, Northlight, Urbanite Theater, Actors Theater of Louisville, NY Fringe, Asolo Rep and many more. As the former Co-Artistic Director of Akvavit Theatre, Chicago's premier contemporary Nordic theater company, Kirstin specializes in Nordic-themed theater and has found 'The Danish Play' a familiar playground to explore. Kirstin has an MFA in acting from the FSU/Asolo Conservatory and a BA in Theater from St.Olaf College. Kirstin feels blessed to be working on her first production since marrying the love of her life, Dolph Paulsen, and dedicates this work to her two wonderful children Gunnar and Margot.

Erin Galvin (Stage Manager)

This is Erin’s (she/her) first production with Three Crows Theatre Company! Erin recently graduated from Ohio University in 2022 with her BFA in Stage Management. Erin’s professional and regional theater experiences include: The Workshop Theater, NYC (Stage Manager): The Postmodernist, Tantrum Theater (Assistant Stage Manager): This is Not What I Expected When I Imagined A Republic, Vibrancy Theater Company (Stage Manager): Absentia, Lyric Repertory Company (Assistant Stage Manager): Freaky Friday: The Musical, Into the Breeches!, Lyric Repertory Company (AEA Stage Manager): Twelfth Night, Break It Down, Citadel Theatre (AEA Stage Manager): Silent Sky.

Samuel Fitzwater-Butchart (Sound Design/Technical Director)

Hailing from Milwaukee, Sam (he/him) has been in theater for almost ten years and has worked for theater companies such as Skylight Music Theatre, Theatre Gigante, and Next-Act Theatre among others. With Three Crows, he's designed The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Macbeth, The Trojan Women, Our Country's Good, These Shining Lives, and Terra Nova. Other design credits include Circus Man & Curtain Call (Electric Crayon Studios), and My Fair Lady (RUSD) He is a graduate of UW-Parkside where he was the audio engineer for the university's premiere A Cappella group: Parkside RANGE.

Dagny Mullins (Costume Design)

An Alabama native turned Chicagoan, Dagny (she/her) has been working as a freelance costume designer for theatre and film in the city since 2015. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago with a focus in film and television, she returned to her theatrical roots with Three Crows' production of Macbeth and followed that up with The Beauty Queen of Leenane.

www.dagnymullins.com

Judith Laughlin (Properties Design)

Judith (she/her) has worked with such distinguished Chicago theaters as Provision Theatre, The Agency Theatre Collective, Teatro Vista, Metropolis Theatre, The Artistic Home, BrightSide Theatre, and Fury Theatre. She appeared in our productions of The Beauty Queen of Leenane (Mag), Silent Sky (Williamina Fleming), The Trojan Women (Hecuba), and Our Country's Good (Shitty Meg.) Favorite roles include Joan in At the Center, Gertie in Fuddy Meers, Berta in Hedda Gabler, Beth in Ordinary People, Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie. Judith is also the director of the popular Kids on Stage! summer theatre camp program in Glen Ellyn.

Jim Heatherly (Properties Design)

Jim (he/him) is an award-winning properties designer and he is excited to be working with Three Crows on this wonderful production of The Danish Play. Over the past twenty-five years, Jim has designed and supplied properties for more than sixty productions in the Chicagoland area. Some of his prop work has included Deathtrap, Disney’s Beauty & the Beast, Moon Over Buffalo,Cabaret, and A Christmas Carol (Brightside Theatre), The Lorax (VTG Children’s Theatre), Mornings At Seven (RCLPC Theatre), Emergency Room (JPAC),Madame Pompadour (Chicago Folks Operetta), Twelve Angry Men and The Miracle Worker (Actor Factor Theatre), and the feature film I Heart Shakey(Amarok Productions). Annamae I found the muse!

Bryan Byars (Lighting Design)

Bryan Byars (he/him) is a freelance Lighting Designer working in the Milwaukee and Chicago area. Currently, he is the Lighting Director at The Rave/Eagles Club in Milwaukee and the Theater Teaching Artist at Carmen South High School. Design credits include Stupid, F*cking Bird (Blue Bird Arts, Athenaeum), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (UW-Parkside), and Genesis (Milwaukee Ballet). He hopes you enjoy this wonderful collaboration of talented artists.

Chad Eric Bergman (Scenic Design)

Chad (he/him) is thrilled to be part of Three Crows’ production of The Danish Play. Bergman co-founded Akvavit Theatre in Chicago and is Professor of Theatre at North Park University. He earned his PhD in Theatre History and Criticism from the University of Illinois Urbana- Champaign having spent a year in Finland on a Fulbright researching the political implications of bilingual theatre. He has collaborated in the theatre as a designer, director, playwright, scholar, and translator. He lives in Chicago with his wife, Celia and two children, Karina (from Nepal) and Anderson (from China). www.bergman.space

Hannah Keeler (Scenic Painting)

Hannah (they/them) is a 2022 graduate of Indiana University with Bachelors’ of Arts in Theatre and Creative Writing. After graduation, Hannah returned to IU to continue working in the scenic studio and taking on the role of scenic charge for Into the Woods (IU Summer theatre) before relocating to Chicago this fall. As well as being a painter, Hannah also is a playwright—previous credits include Camp Redacted (University Players), I Am the Asshole (Independent Project), Moonchild (University Players) as well as many shorter works. Hannah looks forward to pursuing a career in theater in Chicago this fall with a combination scenic work, writing, and artistic administration.

Michael Bevis (Fight/Intimacy Choreographer)

Michael (he/him) holds a BFA in theatre performance from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He's worked with companies throughout Illinois and Wisconsin, including Milwaukee Opera Theatre, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, and Shakespeare in the Park. With Three Crows, he was previously the firearms consultant for Our Country's Good, the violence designer for Macbeth and The Beauty Queen of Leenane. He holds SAFD certification in multiple fight styles.

Selena Lopez (Creative Producer)

A Chicagoland native, Selena (she/her) holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from The New School for Drama in New York. She is a co-founder, co-artistic director and managing director of Three Crows. With Three Crows, Selena was last seen as Lady M in Macbeth, Maureen in The Beauty Queen of Leenane. She was recently seen as Rosa Gonzales in Summer and Smoke by Tennessee Williams with Violet Sky. This summer she' spent the season with American Players Theatre in Spring Green, WI. As a voice over artist, Selena has worked on over 800 projects.

selenalopez.com

Chicago's pay-what-you-want storefront theatre company.

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CAST & CREATIVE TEAM

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