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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.

Private Life Reversed
00:00 / 01:04
Mixed Strings
00:00 / 01:12
Scurrying Ghosts
00:00 / 00:48
Tent Rising
00:00 / 00:35

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.

Closing
00:00 / 00:35

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.

Arturo Ui Notes(1)_edited_edited.jpg
combinepdf-images-0_edited_edited.jpg

 

Conceptualization Statement

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