It’s time for me to break with the Windy City. While Betty is warming up for more adventures to places unknown I am going to fulfill my chemical deficiencies. Since being here I have become addicted to American Spirits in the pretty yellow box. Thank you Amy Morton. Be sure and check out her PILLOWMAN at Steppenwolf momentarily. Anybody that tells you smoking isn’t cool is a liar. All the cool kids do the slow-motion suicide. Besides I need the wrinkles and the grey hairs if I am ever going to date anyone my own age.

I am without, so I pester the box office for a light. They hand me a matchbook, which I open to find an email address and a phone number. The email address belongs to Gary Wilmes. The phone number belongs to Megan Johnson. I know Gary Wilmes is an actor of much NYC downtown fame. He must have scribbled it on this little book of fire when he was in Chicago doing RED LIGHT WINTER, the Adam Rapp play currently running in Manhattan to much acclaim and wheat-paste. I don’t know who Megan Johnson is. Anyhoo, if you kids want to get back in touch, holler at me.

No sooner do I light up but Casey from the call-center comes downstairs all a bluster. Apparently she had just partaken in some verbal fisticuffs with a co-worker. I really didn’t get all the details because I am hypnotized by her teeth, which are perfect and stain free in spite of the fact that she is an avid smoker. Me likey. Hmmmmm. Don’t mess with those call-center bitches.

So that’s it for me. Here are some links to smaller companies and schtuff you might want to check out if you are here:

House
http://www.thehousetheatre.com/
This is Tracy Hotwell’s favorite theater in Chicago. She’s mushy than I am but damn bitch can cook! These guys also have there own BLOG which is not too dissimilar to culturebot.
After reading some of their postings, I wonder if all this Web Log stuff isn’t just making us more provincial, y’know???
http://housetheatre.typepad.com/
You can decide for yourself.

RedMoon
http://www.redmoon.org/yesflash.cfm
What’s refreshing about RedMoon is that they are a spectacle driven company in an actor’s town. They hold more than one free event a year, including an “Outdoor Spectacle…” They are consistently mind blowing in its pageantry.

The Hypocrites
http://the-hypocrites.com/
This is Sean Graney’s company. Sean is Mr. Chicago in case you didn’t know. The Hypocrites makes it’s bread and butter by doing interesting takes on tried and true plays. Not my idea of fun but they also have the capacity and talent to break ground with productions like PSYCHOSIS 4:48 which they recently put on at Steppenwolf. Keep it real homie.

AboutFace
http://www.aboutfacetheatre.com/
Have I ever told you guys about going to The Cuff and feeling up a bunch of dudes from Vancoover in kilts??? I feel like I’ve told that story a million times but maybe you need to get me drunk first. Regardless, I like flirting with Eric Rosen even though I’m just a lookey-loo from the other team . . . sigh . . .

Oh, here is an Uber-List in case I missed anybody:
http://www.illyria.com/theatre.html

OK, Betty, let’s roll. Thanks for the mamories Chi-town.