The Gangster Play: Circus Circus
Written by The Company
2024
ILLINOIS THEATRE
The Gangster Play: Circus Circus (Forcibly Adapted from Brecht's The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui) is a devised piece by Illinois Theatre. Aimed to confront numerous topics often pushed to the side, this piece held the stories of many company members. The show was built off of a large collaboration process with the company and the creative team to create the show's world. The sound design aimed to piece together each story, creating a continuous message throughout the show while honoring the individuality of each member of the company.
About the Tent Rising Cue
The tent rising cue was used towards the show's end as the company slowly brought a dilapidated tent from the ground back up to the theatre's grid. The cue was a driving force bringing the entire company into the space and was meant to bookend the show with the Closing Cue as both started with a thunder crack.
About the Closing Cue
The closing cue was written to play simultaneously out of 31 speakers, each getting a different set of cast recordings. In total, 140 sounds were played in the final cue, and all the vocals were recorded lines with company members. The most important lines were restated while we looked at the entire cast lifeless on the floor at the conclusion of the show.
CREATIVE TEAM
Photographer: Craig Pessman
Directed by Robert G. Anderson & Chris Gliege-Rose
Scenic Design: José Díaz-Soto
Lighting Design: Robbie Kaylor
Technical Direction: Raven Shales
Media Design: Danielle Monet
Costume Design: Wesley Price
Properties Head: Emery Smith
Sound Design: Lizi Shaul
Audio Engineer: Noah McLeod
Stage Manager: Jessica Reddig
The Company & Devising Team:
Ashanti Norals, Avery Luciano, Gabriel McNabb, Heraldo Hermosillo, Imran Rizvi, Isabella Cooper, Jimmy Cone, Konstanza Stormont, Makeda Davies, Melíza Guiterrez, Paddy Berger, Samantha Moorman, Tony Garcia, Vivien Cohen, Y'Vonne Rose Smith, Angela Tomaso, Josie Zielke, Julia Trenary, Kyglo Webb, Riley Starr McLean
Production Manager: Mary Lewis
DESIGNING THE SYSTEM
The extensive sound system used in the space for this show started as a sketch on my iPad after walking into the space with the scenic designer. I slowly added speakers in each location I thought would be helpful, and then once we had drafting and renderings created for the show, I could draft the system that we ended up using in the space.
Conceptualization Statement