Nick Bowling ~ + Director

Will Allan * + Playwright

Cast

Tyler Meredith * Leone Baxter

Yuriy Sardarov Clem Whitaker

Jacqueline Grandt Eleanor Roosevelt/Ensemble

Terry Hamilton * ^ Frank Merriam

Dave Honigman Charlie Chaplin

Anish Jethmalani * + Upton Sinclair

David Parkes * + FDR/Ensemble

Mark Ulrich * George Hatfield

Production Team

Andrew Hansen ^ Co-Sound Designer

Maren Robinson + Dramaturg
Sydney Lynne Scenic Designer
Sally Dolembo # Costume Designer
Megan E. Pirtle Associate Costume Designer and Co-Wig and Hair Designer
Katie Cordts Co-Wig and Hair Designer
Jared Gooding Lighting Designer
Anthony Churchill # Projections Designer
Forrest Gregor Co-Sound Designer
Rowan Doe Properties Designer
Sammi Grant Dialect Director
Miranda Anderson * Stage Manager
Alka Nayyar * Associate Director
Sam Kearns Assistant Director
Katrina Herrmann * Stage Manager Sub
Gianni Carcagno Production Assistant/COVID Compliance Officer
Dina Spoerl Dramaturgical Display Designer
Jessie Baldinger Assistant Scenic Designer
Teniyah Hall Assistant Lighting Designer
Franklin Barnes Assistant Properties Designer
Blake Currie Assistant Dialect Director
Emmanuel Jimenez Scenic Supervisor
Lucy Elkin Costume Supervisor
Mark Brown Lighting Supervisor
Averi Paulsen Audio Supervisor
Mia Thomas Wardrobe Run Crew
Mackenzie Moller Marketing Consultant

Understudies

William Burdin Charlie Chaplin and George Hatfield U/S

Laurie Empen Eleanor Roosevelt/Ensemble u/s

Gabriel Fries FDR/Ensemble u/s

Paige Galdieri Leone Baxter u/s

Shane Rhoades Clem Whitaker u/s

Mike Rogalski Frank Merriam u/s

Ben Mathew Upton Sinclair u/s

Reviews

Chicago Tribune

“With a savvy sense of the moment, TimeLine has come up with a snappy, screwball, slightly salacious comedy about an intriguing piece of American political history: the blistering 1934 fight for the California governorship between the Republican Frank Merriam and the renowned socialist author Upton Sinclair…it’s great to see Bowling’s snappy style of direction in TimeLine’s long-standing intimate home… And, of course, it’s great to watch a made-in-Chicago world premiere of this quality.”

—Chris Jones

Chicago Reader

“…as a comic guidebook to how propaganda works, and how even the best candidate on paper can be demolished in three dimensions, it’s a peach. Allan has a sharp ear for ironic aphorisms—”They’re not lies. They’re different versions of the truth,” being one pungent example… Bowling, always a dab hand at midcentury pieces, brings the same sensibility and energy to a play that’s obviously paying homage to the films of the era. The ensemble is tight, with moments of gritty poignancy“

—Kerry Reid

Picture This Post

“History Comes Alive and Chemistry Crackles at TimeLine Theatre…In this author’s opinion, director Nick Bowling could not have gathered a finer cast to bring this story to life. From the ensemble to the leads, not a note is out of place…Most critically, though, are Meredith’s Leone Baxter and Sardarov’s Clem Whitaker bringing all the chemistry you could ask for as the team behind the titular company. Whether cheering each other up, tearing each other down, or just passing a quiet moment together, the two consistently embody a complex, compelling relationship.”

—Harold Jaffe

Buzz Center Stage

CAMPAIGNS, INC is brilliantly written (Will Allan), masterfully directed (Nick Bowling), and splendidly acted by the entire cast. In such an elaborate production, I think the crew deserves special notice. Scenic, lighting, and projections designers Sydney Lynne, Jared Gooding, and Anthony Churchill skillfully weave the multimedia mélange together. Sally Dolembo, U.S.A., Katie Cordts and Megan E. Pirtle design convincing period costumes, wigs, and hair. Sound designers Forrest Gregor and Andrew Hansen, dialect director Sammi Grant and dramaturg Maren Robinson replicate the ‘30’s with crackling radio broadcasts and vintage jokes…. CAMPAIGNS, INC is perfect for 2022, letting us scrutinize our preposterous times while providing comic relief from the lunacy as well.”

—Sarz Maxwell

Chicago Theatre Review

“TimeLine company member Will Allan has written a highly entertaining, fast-paced comedy…One cannot imagine a more perfectly-cast production. Spunky, eloquent Tyler Meredith is terrific as Leone Baxter, and stage and TV actor (Otis on “Chicago Fire”), Yuriy Sardarov, with all the drive and dynamics of a typical film noir newsman, is perfect in the role of Clem Whitaker…Talented director Nick Bowling has staged and guided his production with the breakneck pacing of a screwball comedy and an emphasis on the snappy dialogue of those popular b&w classic films of the 1930’s.”

—Colin Douglas

NewCity Stage

“It’s a spot-on, if somewhat on-the-nose historical tale of a lesser-known but prophetic event. Lightening things up is the screwball-comedy romance between Baxter and Whittaker, ignited by banter rather than chemistry...Director Nick Bowling and his team have put together a pitch-perfect production, especially in the use of video (courtesy of projections designer Anthony Churchill) that captures the rising influence of Hollywood glamor and the newsreel as precursor to television news, especially Fox News. It’s a device that sets the tone and advances the story without overshadowing the terrific cast at work here.”

—Brian Hieggelke

Around the Town

“TimeLine is back home at 615 Wellington ( no longer the church) and the director of this roughly two hour political comedy, Nick Bowling is at his best. They have always used the small stage to its full advantage and once again Sydney Lynne has designed a set that is both movie theater, Hollywood set, Governor’s office and even the President’s home. All of this on a stage that is about as intimate as one can get. When you enter the theater and take your seat, you will see a huge screen with ld movies on it. Yes, some newsreels, but mostly stars of the era such as Clark Gable, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin and of course little Shirley Temple. It is like taking a step back into time…a giant step for some and an even more gigantic leap for others…Those who attend Timeline’s productions know that they are as accurate as a theater company can get and detail everything to perfection.”

—Alan Bresloff