DREAMS IN THE WITCH HOUSE -Biological Effects

By J David Moeller


Fraser Coffeen created the "biological effects" -the blood splatter, squirts, oozes and gushings- for the show. He's been involved with such work for quite a while, having had his guts removed, been beaten with chains, shot, etc., all on stage in front of witnesses.

Ron Kuzava (as Brown Jenkins) does his
part in spreading the gore around the stage.

Dani McKenzie pre-loads a device to deliver some blood.

Fraser Coffeen mixes some of his super secret home recipe
that'll soon be coating somebody after a beheading, slashing,
disembowelment, pummelling or gnashing.

DREAMS IN THE WITCH HOUSE -The 2 Kesiah Masons

By J David Moeller

Carolyn Klein is Kesiah Mason, the witch. So is Michaela Petro, only Michaela is the understudy. Carolyn is in rehearsals for the Scottish play opening January 2 at Chicago Shakespeare. She must be in rehearsals the final two Sundays of our run, thus giving over the role to Michaela, an equally accomplished actress I appeared with in "The Great God Pan" earlier this year. Carolyn and I were in "Scenes From the Big Picture" just prior to "Dreams..."

"Dreams in the Witch House" closes December 21, 2008.

Carolyn Klein - Witch makeup by Aly Greaves -

Michaela Petro

DREAMS IN THE WITCH HOUSE -Learning the Lines

Probably the easiest dialogue to memorize was evidenced in Mel Brook's "Silent Movie" when he, ingeniously, got "Bip" -the masterwork clown character of world renowned mime Marcel Marceau- to say aloud- the solitary word in the film, "No".

Everyone else has to study. And that means hours of late nights, and coffee, and tugging at hair, and groaning, and thumping the temples, and pacing and repetition of the words the playwright's provided until they become as if casual conversation between the cast members.

DREAMS IN THE WITCH HOUSE -Fights

by J David Moeller

Chicago; -There are some action filled moments in the show that need careful choreography. Murders, stabbings, gorings, and the such (it is a horror show after all) and Scott Cummins is in charge of maintaining the actors' life and limbs, if not those of the characters they are portraying.

Cummins is currently appearing as Mortimer in the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre's "Edward II" through November 9 and is the acclaimed director of Seanachai Theatre's recent "Scenes From the Big Picture".

Scott Cummins (L), fight choreographer for "Dreams...", discusses a

sequence with playwright/director Charley Sherman.

Chris Hainsworth (L) is about to deliver a blow to Sean Bolger.

It's Scott Cummins' job to make sure the blow never connects but looks like it does.

"DREAMS IN THE WITCH HOUSE" ---Rehearsal cast shots

By J David Moeller


Chicago; -The rehearsal process for an original script/play is long and gruelingly intense as both the playwright and cast are seeing the work "enlivened" for the first time. Changes are made and concentration is crucial to glean the exact context and structure of each morsel of dialogue.

It's an exciting process, as the actors are creating their individual roles (in this show, most actors portray more than one character) and breathing life into them is a muchly rewarding experience.

Herewith are some of the actors in "Dreams..." actively engaged in their craft. Some, perhaps, more actively than others.

{click pictures to view original size}

Ron Kuzava takes a nap waiting for his cue.

Director/Playwright Charley Sherman (L) doing the directing of
Brian Amidei and Thomas Whittington

Casey Cunningham plays Lillith, who is on stage most of the play.

Brian A. and Kate Brown

A possible re-write in the new script for Thomas.

Thomas Whittington plays Walter Gilman -one of the central characters.

Chris Hainsworth (R) is threatened by Sean Bolger.

Ryan Patrick Dolan confronts Brian A.

Casey C. has a few Dreams of her own going "in the Witch House"

Opening November 16 at Chicago's Atheneaum Theater and running through December 21.

"Dreams in the Witch House" -The 4th Dimension

by J David Moeller

Thomas Whittington plays Walter Gilman who discovers

a way in and out of the Fourth Dimension in WildClaw Theatre's
"Dreams in the Witch House"

Chicago; -"Dreams in the Witch House" takes place on "May Eve" in Arkham, Massachusetts.

The local police have instigated a "Walpurgis Curfew" to protect the townsfolk from the strange goings on that occur annually on April 30...around midnight.

Seems a newborn baby dissappears...never to be found. A serial killer? Witchcraft? Magic?

Gilman seeks answers to why he's having certain disturbing dreams from Prof. Upham, his geometry professor who advocates keeping an open mind vis-a-vis the study of higher mathematics and the link to folklore and mythology.

But there are other questions that perplex Gilman as well. Who is Maurewicz, the quirky neighbor? Or Keziah Mason, long dead these two hundred years. Why does everyone shudder at the mention of the name Brown Jenkins? What is the strange connection to Lillith, the young pregnant woman he met on the bus to Arkham?

"Dreams in the Witch House" -the accents.

J David Moeller, reporting.

-Chicago; "Dreams in the Witch House" takes place in H.P. Lovecraft's mythical town of Arkham, Massachusetts at the equally mythical Miskatonic University.

There are ten cast members, some of whom are playing multiple characters. Accents are flying all over the place. There's a German lodger in the Witch House as well as various characters (priests, policemen, librarians, witches, familiars, mothers and fathers, university students) from around the area using varying degrees of regional and middle American dialects.

Wrangling all these sounds into a cohesive melange is Jason Kirk Martin.

Jason watches as actors go through their paces in the dialect workshop.

The cast had it's first meeting with Jason Wednesday. He began his coaching with the physicalization of the accents and sounds; and by having the actors move about the rehearsal space while listening to examples of the accents being worked and then having them imagine and exagerate the physical characteristics of the recorded voices while echoing what they heard.

Kate Brown exaggerates one of her characters in a dialect workshop.
_______

Poster design by Charlie Athanas

--Running November 16 thru December 21 at Chicago's Atheneaum Theater Studio 3--

"Dreams in the Witch House" -It Begins...

J David Moeller, reporting:

-Chicago; WildClaw Theatre's Charley Sherman has adapted H.P. Lovecraft's horror tale "Dreams in the Witch House" into a four act play and is directing 10 highly skilled actors playing 29 roles. Set to open November 16th in Chicago's Atheneaum Theater, the play examines folklore, witchcraft, betrayal, murder, coincidence and horror in a quest to scare the bejeebies out of it's audiences.

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Cast members at the first read-through of the script. Dir. Charley Sherman (c.)

The WildClaw Theatre company was formed specifically to bring horror, science fiction, and fantasy works to the live stage. It's premier production was another of Sherman's adaptations; the horror master Edward Machen's "The Great God Pan".

Play posters by Charlie Athanas

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