UPENDED PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS ALICE

JUNE 1 & 2 | JUNE 22 & 23, 2019 Main-Dempster Mile Evanston, Illinois THE CHAPTERS

CHAPTER 1

Your Chapter 1 depends upon the rabbit to whom you are assigned. All rabbits are performing original monologues based upon the character they created.

THE RABBITS

CAITLIN SAVAGE (Teacher Rabbit) is a children's librarian, a tv addict, and a borderline hippy. She is not afraid to shove her hand in a puppet and shake, shake, shake her sillies out.

CORBETTE PASKO (Miffy) is an actor/writer/singer person in who does loads of things, and all too often does five of them at the same time. Find her and her stuff at corrbette.com and on social media @corrbette.

DINA MARIE WALTERS (Hostess Bunny) is thrilled to return to Alice. She has been a performer, writer, director and producer in the Chicago theater community for more than fifteen years. Dina also performs annually in an audience-interactive adaptation of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, called UPTOWN SCROOGE, near Columbus, Ohio. Her favorite color is purple!

PHIL RIDARELLI (Chicago Rabbit) graduated from The Theatre School at DePaul University with a degree in Acting, so you know he’s good. He is an alum of the Neo-Futurist ensemble and currently... (you have something on your chin... no, there... yeah, you got it...) serves as a board member. Phil has worked all over Chicago and the Midwest in theatre and film (really, his resume is *quite* impressive. Ask him about it some time) but these days he's more focused on drinking whiskey and smoking meat. He’s happy to be wearing the rabbit ears again.

JOHN GREGORIO (French Rabbit) is not actually French.

CHAPTERS 2 & 3

Written by BILAL DARDAI Directed by NOELLE KRIMM Performed by THE DODOS

BILAL DARDAI is an Artistic Associate of Upended Productions, as well as an ensemble member with and an alumnus of The Neo-Futurists. He is a writer of plays, poetry, and prose, and has been seen performing on a number of stages throughout the Chicagoland area.

NOELLE KRIMM is the Artistic Director of Upended Productions. Let’s be real - she is also currently the Managing Director and Box Office Manager. Let her know if you want to volunteer. She’s tired. Before Upended, Noelle was a writer/director/performer with The Neo-Futurists for nine years and before that, she did several tours as a musical theater type actor all over the US, Canada, and Japan. Sleeping on a bus is not as glamorous as it sounds. THE DODOS

KEVIN ALVES is a man. He’s seen some things. Mostly with his eyes. He’s not from Chicago, but he lives here now. He is an actor. An actor of stage and (some) screen. He’s performed in plays, some of which you might have seen, but maybe not. Who knows? I don’t know what you do with your time. Did you know that, although it appears white, a polar bear’s fur is actually transparent? It’s true. Look it up. I’ll wait.

KIM BOLER is an actor in Chicago. You might have seen her sitting on a bench in a Llama mask from last fall’s Alice. She’s excited to share her face with you.

RYAN GALLERANI graduated from Marshall University a few years ago with a BFA in Theater Performance. Chicago is colder than West Virginia.

RISHA TENAE HILL is a graduate of the Alabama School of Fine Arts, Miami University B.A. and California Institute of the Arts M.F.A. Theater Programs. Full credits are available at RishaTenae.com. She is excited to be appearing in Alice for the second time. Featured credits are: The Seagull (Masha), Julius Caesar (Portia), Taming of the Shrew (Curtis/Widow), Blues for an Alabama Sky (Angel), In the Blood (Welfare/Bully), Three Sisters (Irena), The Colored Museum (Woman #3), King Henry V (Kate), Don’t Make Me Over (Cissy Houston), Single Black Female (SBF #2). Risha is also a Teaching Artist who taught K-12 Theater in Los Angeles and is currently teaching at ChiArts, Writer’s Theatre, , Emerald City Theatre and Black Ensemble Theatre.

CHAPTERS 4 & 5

Written and performed by JOSH ZAGOREN (6/2 & 6/22) and DAVID KODESKI (6/1 & 6/23)

JOSH ZAGOREN (Chad the Bird) is into pizza, Star Wars, and You! For 8 years, he has been the Avian Op-Ed columnist for Chicago's Finest Live Magazine THE PAPER MACHETE live from the historic Green Mill Lounge every Saturday at 3pm. You can be a part of the Chadsperience by subscribing to his weekly podcast CHAD THE PODCAST on iTunes and get at him on Facebook and Instagram (ChadBurd) and Twitter (ChadtheBird).

DAVID KODESKI lives in Chicago.

CHAPTER 6: INTRO

Written by NOELLE KRIMM Performed by MICHAEL ROSS

MICHAEL ROSS has been seen around Chicago in Music On Stage’s ANYTHING GOES and HELLO DOLLY, along with Big Noise Theatre’s NOISES OFF and BIG FISH THE MUSICAL CHAPTER 6: FILM

Directed by LOGAN KIBENS Cinematography by NORBERT SHIEH Production Sound by GORAV KALYAN Original Song by MAESA PULLMAN

GORAV KALYAN: Frog-Footman SHARON GREENE: Alice TIM REID: The Duchess ALEC JONES-TRUJILLO: The Cook MAESA PULLMAN: The Cheshire Cat

LOGAN KIBENS is a filmmaker currently living in Los Angeles. She likes the Neo-Futurists so much that she married one, Sharon Greene. Together they created the feature film Operator, which has been supported by the Sundance Institute, Film Independent, The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and Forest Whitaker’s JuntoBox Incubator. Logan has worked as a projections designer at Steppenwolf, Goodman, and Lookingglass, and is very happy to be a part of Alice for a fourth trip down the rabbit hole.

CHAPTER 7

Written and performed by SHOWPARTY Stage Mermaid: ALEX DAHM

SHOWPARTY creates unique theatrical experiences that combine storytelling, dance, visual art, and food! Mind- warming and heart-blowing - come join the ShowParty at www.showparty.org! CHAPTER 7: THE MAD TEA PARTY was devised and realized by:

Alex Dahm Beth Richards Brad Brubaker Candice Conner Christine Harrison-Frei Clifton Frei David Finseth Emma Casey Kate Healy Logan Conner CHAPTER 8

Written and performed by VANESSA VALLIERE (6/1 & 6/2) and QUINN OF SADHAUS (6/22 & 6/23)

QUINN (Quinn Hegarty) thrives on the queer, the quirky, and the quixotic. Originally from Massachusetts and transplanting to Chicago to study Performance Studies at Northwestern, Quinn has also worked in France with the Theatre of the Oppressed Paris. With SADHAUS, Quinn creates immersive long-form lipsync theater productions around Chicago, in addition to regular nightlife appearances. Quinn has performed and appeared at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the Lyric Opera, Northwestern University, Salonathon, The Den Theatre, and The Frontier.

CHAPTER 9

Created by ANDREW BILITER, JOHN TAFLAN, and KRISTA D'AGOSTINO Performed by ensemble members of MUDLARK THEATER Rotating cast: FOSTER PRATT, HANNA LINDROTH, LAUREN GUEVARA, and VINCENT PEREZ

MUDLARK THEATER is a not-for-profit organization where children are taken seriously as artists, and learn theater by making it. As a rule, the general public expects little of children’s theater. Mudlark's goal is to raise that expectation and keep it there. By holding children to a higher standard and empowering them to make strong artistic choices, we create the possibility for great theater—vibrant, funny, compelling shows that erase the boundary between youth and professional theater.

CHAPTER 10

Written and performed by LAURA MCKENZIE (6/1 & 6/2) and NAOMI ASHLEY (6/22 & 6/23)

LAURA MCKENZIE is a writer, performer, musician, composer whose work has been seen at Lifeline Theater, , Barrel of Monkeys, Neo-Futurist Theater, The Paper Machete and the Laura on Laura Comeback Tour.

NAOMI ASHLEY is a singer-songwriter who has been performing in Chicago for over 20 years. She has many albums & collaborative works to her name. You can see her and her band perform every last Wednesday at Wire in Berwyn. www.naomiashley.com CHAPTERS 11 & 12

Written by NOELLE KRIMM Directed by CHLOE JOHNSTON Performed by BIZ HYZY, BIANCA SHAY SHOFNER, and REMY SYLVAIN

CHLOE JOHNSTON is an actor, writer, director and long-time ensemble member of the Neo-Futurists. She is an associate professor of theater at Lake Forest College, and the co-author of ENSEMBLE-MADE CHICAGO: A GUIDE TO DEVISED THEATER from Northwestern University Press. She is thrilled to be working on ALICE with these fantastic artists.

BIZ HYZY (6/1 and 6/2) is thrilled to be making her Upended debut. Her favorite previous credits include THE CHICKEN BONE and 44 PLAYS FOR 44 PRESIDENTS. She thanks her ever-loving friends and family for their constant support.

BIANCA SHAY SHOFNER (6/22 and 6/23) is a recent graduate from Lake Forest College with a B.A. in Communication and Theatre. Previous credits include: HIDEOUS PROGENY (Mary Shelley), 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE (Vice Principal Panch), EVERYMAN (Vanity), and JAMES & THE GIANT PEACH (Spider). She is represented by Stewart Talent Agency.

REMY SYLVAIN is an actor hailing from Middleburg, FL. Previous credits include roles in 44 PLAYS FOR 44 PRESIDENTS for the President’s Festival, Dennis in Theresa Rebeck’s MAURITIUS, and Luigi in LUCKY STIFF.

STREET AMBIANCE

Performed by THE BILLS

THE BILLS are a group of local artists, art and theater students, and really fun community members who come together to turn a neighborhood into Wonderland. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon, really. The Bills, much like Bill the Salamander in the book ALICE IN WONDERLAND, appear where you least expect them and make things considerably more silly in the process. The Bills are:

Piper Bailey Lily Benjamin Ariana Bayiates Maya Marling Rachel Claff Leah Johnson … and more. Perhaps they are even you. THE VENUES Small, local businesses are so important. All of these businesses let us disrupt their lives because they want to participate and they love this community. This show exists because of their generosity. Please help keep them here. You won’t find any experimental theater in a Target or an Amazon warehouse.

SKETCHBOOK BREWING CO. TEN THOUSAND VILLAGES 821 Chicago Ave, Evanston, IL 915 Chicago Ave, Evanston, IL www.sketchbookbrewing.com www.tenthousandvillages.com

FOLLOW YOUR NOSE SQUEEZEBOX BOOKS & MUSIC 917 Chicago Ave, Evanston, IL 743 Main St, Evanston, IL www.followyournosehere.com www.squeezeboxbooks.com

CULTIVATE URBAN AUGUST LACAPRA RAINFOREST & GALLERY STATE FARM 704 Main St, Evanston, IL 829 Chicago Ave, Evanston, IL www.cultivateurbanrainforest.com www.myagentaugie.com THE STAFF

Creator/Curator: NOELLE KRIMM UPENDED PRODUCTIONS Media Relations: KARIN MCKIE Artistic Director: NOELLE KRIMM Web Design: RACHEL CLAFF Artistic Associates: RACHEL CLAFF, BILAL DARDAI, Photography: JENN-ANNE GLEDHILL JOHN RANDLE Poster Design: JAY TORRENCE Website: www.upendedproductions.com Tech and Moral Support: DESIRAE PHILLIPS Facebook: www.facebook.com/upendedproductions/ Box Office: EDWARD THOMAS-HERRERA Email: [email protected] SPECIAL THANKS This show would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of KATHERINE GOTSICK of the Main- Dempster Mile SSA. Special thanks also to JOSEPH MEYER, Manager of 10,000 Villages, who will provide anything from a DVD cable to a rain tent at a moment’s notice and probably get someone to carry it for you.