On Not Seeing Theatre

As some of you know, I haven't been in Chicago since the 14th--I've been in my hometown of Cleveland Heights, helping out my mother's after her surgery last month. (She's recovering wonderfully, I'm happy to say.) And I haven't seen a play since February 10th.

I think it's been years since I've had such a long period between shows, and it's a little odd. I did get the chance to see two movies--the Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts, which I liked quite a bit, though animation connoisseurs found them underwhelming, and Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call: New Orleans, a truly insane and bizarre film, and worth checking out for anyone who has an appetite for extremely uncomfortable laughs and darkness. I've also eaten meals, read some scripts, and slept. Oh, sleep.

So this is basically an explanation for my lack of posting. I'm very excited to return to Chicago on Sunday, and start seeing shows soon. And we're in season announcement season (not many other than the Goodman have so far, and I do need to write them up there), so I'll be talking about those too.

How are things for you guys out in internet-land?

A Personal Announcement

I just wanted to let you all know that I have been invited to join the ensemble of Stage Left Theatre in Chicago. I am already dramaturging their upcoming production, the world premiere of David Alan Moore's The Day of Knowledge, and I will continue to work in a mostly literary/dramaturgy capacity, along with the usual duties of load-in, box office, and more. I'm incredibly excited to get the chance to work more with the people at Stage Left, who I think are pretty wonderful. It's also amazing to be in an ensemble 18 months out of college--especially of a company that has been around for so long--since 1982, which is an eternity in Chicago. We've produced some exceptional work over the years, and I am sure we will do more in the future.

And those of you who act or write political plays: Submit your material! I promise nothing, but I'd love for some of you to come along for the ride--and we do a few full productions and plenty of workshops and readings over the course of the season.

I can't wait to see you all at 3408 N Sheffield!

Exciting Personal News

I am happy to report that tomorrow I will be starting a Literary Management/Dramaturgy internship for Northlight Theatre in Skokie. I will be there through the end of the year, putting together dramaturgical packets, reading script submissions, and doing whatever else they like. It's a very highly-regarded and well-attended theatre, and one that's known for actually giving their interns interesting work and helping them in their careers afterwards.

I will try to keep plugs out of this blog, and clearly label them as such when I put them in. I beg your indulgence in advance.

I only found out I had gotten this internship on Thursday, so things are still a bit whirlwind. I can't wait to start, and I hope this will be the start of something big!

Introduction

My name is Zev Valancy, and I love Chicago theatre.

I moved to Evanston in 2003 to study theatre at Northwestern, and after graduation  in 2007 I moved into Chicago itself.

I work as a critic at centerstagechicago.com, and will post links to reviews there. I also work, variously, as a dramaturg, literary manager, assistant director, and  actor, and hope to do more of all of them in the future.

How did I get here? This summer, I was lucky enough to attend the National Critic Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center, where two of the teachers were my friend Leonard Jacobs from Backstage (see his blog at http://clydefitch.blogspot.com) and Andy Propst, of the invaluable americantheaterweb.com. Andy was so impressed with our writing that he offered to set up blogs for all of us. I jumped, and here we are.

On this blog you'll find links to my reviews, theatre news, and my thoughts on all things theatre-related (and maybe an occasional off-topic post). I also want to hear your thoughts, so make sure to post comments!