Behind the ‘Line

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Better Than Broadway

On his recent trip through Chicago, the Wall Street Journal‘s drama critic Terry Teachout came to see The Farnsworth Invention. Today we got to see what he thought about the show, and well, it was great moment. This is how any theatre company hopes a national review will read, that’s for sure! An excerpt: What is it that makes Chicagoland theater so special—and so different from theater in New York? If I had to sum ...
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TBA no longer

TimeLine announced weeks ago that Frost/Nixon, Mastering the Art and The Front Page would be part of our 2010-11 season. But as sometimes happens, when we announced those three we also had to announce that one of our productions was still “TBA.”  Well, today we ...
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Art and History

** Note: A few spoilers ahead if you have not yet seen The Farnsworth Invention ** Philo T. Farnsworth examines an image dissector Frequently at TimeLine we grapple with the issues surrounding the intersection of art and history. The act of dramatizing some part of ...
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Digging deeper

Often when I do post-show discussions, audience members ask me about books that will allow them to dig deeper into the historical events that inspire a play. For The Farnsworth Invention, this is particularly important since there are many vital differences between Aaron Sorkin’s play ...
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Share your thoughts

TimeLine’s Chicago premiere of The Farnsworth Invention starts performances this week! The professional reviewers will weigh in soon but we want to give you a chance to share your own review, comments or questions about the production below. Pictured (from left): Zach Kenney, Bridgette Pechman, ...
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My Step Into Time speech

On Friday night I had the honor of speaking to guests at our Step Into Time benefit. Here’s what I said: Most of you have been to our intimate space on Wellington Ave. and know that we normally can accommodate an audience of about 85 people a night. This season that changed. The success of “The History Boys” meant that we produced “All My Sons” at the Greenhouse Theater Center, where we regularly played to ...
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10 days left. 29 to go.

I know you are sitting there saying to yourself, “There are only 10 days until TimeLine’s annual Step Into Time benefit. I wonder what is going on over at 615 W. Wellington Ave.” For those who know me, it should be no surprise that today I’m talking ...
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Another beginning

“The Farnsworth Invention” by Aaron Sorkin Every few months, we get to start again. A new show. Another first rehearsal. A new group of people coming together at TimeLine to make new magic on stage. For The Farnsworth Invention, the group is really a crowd! ...
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That maddening box

Monday night was the first rehearsal for Aaron Sorkin’s The Farnsworth Invention. Wow! There were 16 actors, the director, assistant director, dramaturg and 3 members of the stage management team on stage — the ‘Master Harold’ set.  There were more actors in the audience (our ...
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Can I have your vote?

This is a bit of a pleading blog post. But I need your help. As some of you may know, in 2006 I was on the TV show Check, Please! on WTTW Channel 11 – a restaurant review show where each week they have 3 ...
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