Most Recent Collaborators:
Lily Emerson (Artistic Director & creator/performer), Gone or 'Who is it that can tell me who I am?', Monster/Girl, A Humechanical Nightmare, Up From the Earth, i'm worried my body is falling apart) is a Chicago-based performer and freelance teaching artist. Lily founded Lucid Street Theatre in order to create new, innovative public work outside traditional theatrical conventions. Over the past few years she has developed a series of original performance works with Lucid Street and its collaboration with The Anatomy Collective as Lucid/Anatomy. Throughout 2008 and 2009, she explored improvisation as a contributor to Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting, a weekly meeting of Chicago-based experimental movers. In 2010, Lily was awarded a Lisa Dershin LinkUp residency at Chicago’s Links Hall, and has been the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum's Artist in Residence since 2009.
More information on Lily's work in performance and teaching can be found here.
Charlie Universe (Musical & Conceptual Director, composer/musician) Finding Bialowieza Puscha, Gone or 'Who is it that can tell me who I am?', Monster/Girl, i'm worried my body is falling apart, Up From the Earth) is a native Chicago musician. He is a composer, audio engineer and recordist and performer. Some examples of his work can be found through his website.
Stephanie M. Acosta (director, Gone or 'Who is it that can tell me who I am?'): Founding member and artistic director of the Anatomy Collective. Strong interests in translation, adaptation and re-interpretation of found texts have been the driving force behind many Acosta’s projects including her St. Louis productions of ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’, ‘Woyzeck’ and ‘Blood Wedding’ before moving to Chicago and starting TAC. With the Anatomy Collective Stephanie has directed MANY THINGS ARE DESTROYING ME, an Evening of Installation Performance, adapted/directed the multi-disciplinary performance the Prometheus Myth, directed Orphan Works Series: Dumpster Land in conjunction with Chicago Underground Library, and directed I Haven’t Checked My Voice Mail Yet (But F**k You), a ritual exploration of the world of internet networking written by TAC Artist in Residence Lizz Edele. For Monster/Girl, Acosta collaborated with Emerson and Malave, facilitated as an 'outside eye,' and created and performed the show's shadow puppetry. Acosta is also a proud alumni of Chicago’s Director’s Lab ’08.
Past (and perhaps future) Collaborators:
Brooke Christensen (director, A Humechanical Nightmare) graduated with a BFA in Directing from Millikin University. She also trained with The Rude Mechanicals, a Commedia dell' Arte based troupe in Eastbourne, Great Britain, as well as with professors from Trinity in Dublin, Ireland. She company managed a tour of a student-devised piece in Asuncion and Ciudad del Este, Paraguay with Millikin University. Brooke has worked on a number of interesting physical theatre productions including a contemporary adaptation ofMedea and a original devised work, entitled, The Inexact Actual Truth of Commedia.
Kenneth Morrison (technical construction, A Humechanical Nightmare): Community events and collaborative art-making have played a major role in Kenneth's desire to effect change. He founded and runs a couple of art-related non-profits. The primary mission of one is to demystify the elitism of the art world, and encourage group participation in art-making regardless of specific training. The other is to exhibit work created by people who have experienced sexual abuse as children believing that art is a useful tool for communicating complex realities within a thoughtful community. He is drawn to found objects, the thing cast off, people, histories and ideas that have been tossed side. A major theme in his art has been the human body. He has found the figure a necessary beginning to all destinations.
Some examples of his work can be found athttp://www.4artinc.com/artists/featured_artists.html
Jefferey Thomas (composer/musician, A Humechanical Nightmare) graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a Bachelors of Music, studying composition with Gustavo Leone and Ilya Levinson. He currently lives and works in Chicago as a composer and musician working with the Redmoon Theater and Maestro-Matic Studios. Some of his work can be heard in the short film Girls Room, (dir. Maria Gigante, nominated for MTV Movie Award 2007), and Lemmings, (dir. Ron Fleischer, Winner of ‘Chicago Award’ at the Chicago International Film Festival 2005). He also regularly performs with the ‘circus-punk’ marching band Mucca Pazza, and organizes and leads the Hideout Make-out Party Band.
Some examples of his work can be found at http://www.myspace.com/brokenwingstudio
Nat Ward (technical construction, A Humechanical Nightmare, musician, i'm worried my body is falling apart) comes from a rich background of sculpture, theatre arts, and material studies. An active collaborator within the Chicago underground arts scene, Nat has fabricated work for artists such as Christine Tarkowski, Patrick Dougherty, and Kenneth Morrison. Some of his pieces have been shown at Iron Studios in Pilsen and at the annual Version Fest. He is interested in building, taking apart, and reconstructing mechanical workings from electrical circuits to large, gas-powered machines. In addition to his sculptural work, he has worked with many theatre artists, and shot and directed a rock opera staged at the Hideout. He is a graduate of School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Sharon Lanza (costume design, A Humechanical Nightmare) has worked as an actor, writer, director, dancer, choreographer, singer, costume designer and stagehand. With Redmoon Theater, she performed in Hunchback, Deciphering Moonshadows, Nina andSeagull as well as many stiltwalking parades, Winter Pageants and All Hallows Eve Celebrations. As Artistic Director of The Rescuers, she has written and directed original work including: Architecture, Just Desert, Laika, The Mermaid + The Astronaut (dir. by Joel Moorman), The Survivors, The Tree and most recently The Sifters at the Chicago Cultural Center. As a costumer, Sharon has outfitted many Chicago shows including The House of Yes, Red in Tooth in Claw, Hamlet as well as anyone who has set foot in her apartment... Sharon is also an Artistic Associate of Collaboraction and a Mathematical Unicorn in the punk rock marching band, Mucca Pazza. She has degrees in Theater and Art History from Northwestern. Her work with Rescuers Theater can be found at www.rescuerstheater.com
Katey Lawton (set design, A Humechanical Nightmare) is a painter, designer, and jeweler. Some examples of her work can be found at http://teamabunai.org/katey/
Lily Emerson (Artistic Director & creator/performer), Gone or 'Who is it that can tell me who I am?', Monster/Girl, A Humechanical Nightmare, Up From the Earth, i'm worried my body is falling apart) is a Chicago-based performer and freelance teaching artist. Lily founded Lucid Street Theatre in order to create new, innovative public work outside traditional theatrical conventions. Over the past few years she has developed a series of original performance works with Lucid Street and its collaboration with The Anatomy Collective as Lucid/Anatomy. Throughout 2008 and 2009, she explored improvisation as a contributor to Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting, a weekly meeting of Chicago-based experimental movers. In 2010, Lily was awarded a Lisa Dershin LinkUp residency at Chicago’s Links Hall, and has been the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum's Artist in Residence since 2009.
More information on Lily's work in performance and teaching can be found here.
Charlie Universe (Musical & Conceptual Director, composer/musician) Finding Bialowieza Puscha, Gone or 'Who is it that can tell me who I am?', Monster/Girl, i'm worried my body is falling apart, Up From the Earth) is a native Chicago musician. He is a composer, audio engineer and recordist and performer. Some examples of his work can be found through his website.
Stephanie M. Acosta (director, Gone or 'Who is it that can tell me who I am?'): Founding member and artistic director of the Anatomy Collective. Strong interests in translation, adaptation and re-interpretation of found texts have been the driving force behind many Acosta’s projects including her St. Louis productions of ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’, ‘Woyzeck’ and ‘Blood Wedding’ before moving to Chicago and starting TAC. With the Anatomy Collective Stephanie has directed MANY THINGS ARE DESTROYING ME, an Evening of Installation Performance, adapted/directed the multi-disciplinary performance the Prometheus Myth, directed Orphan Works Series: Dumpster Land in conjunction with Chicago Underground Library, and directed I Haven’t Checked My Voice Mail Yet (But F**k You), a ritual exploration of the world of internet networking written by TAC Artist in Residence Lizz Edele. For Monster/Girl, Acosta collaborated with Emerson and Malave, facilitated as an 'outside eye,' and created and performed the show's shadow puppetry. Acosta is also a proud alumni of Chicago’s Director’s Lab ’08.
Past (and perhaps future) Collaborators:
Brooke Christensen (director, A Humechanical Nightmare) graduated with a BFA in Directing from Millikin University. She also trained with The Rude Mechanicals, a Commedia dell' Arte based troupe in Eastbourne, Great Britain, as well as with professors from Trinity in Dublin, Ireland. She company managed a tour of a student-devised piece in Asuncion and Ciudad del Este, Paraguay with Millikin University. Brooke has worked on a number of interesting physical theatre productions including a contemporary adaptation ofMedea and a original devised work, entitled, The Inexact Actual Truth of Commedia.
Kenneth Morrison (technical construction, A Humechanical Nightmare): Community events and collaborative art-making have played a major role in Kenneth's desire to effect change. He founded and runs a couple of art-related non-profits. The primary mission of one is to demystify the elitism of the art world, and encourage group participation in art-making regardless of specific training. The other is to exhibit work created by people who have experienced sexual abuse as children believing that art is a useful tool for communicating complex realities within a thoughtful community. He is drawn to found objects, the thing cast off, people, histories and ideas that have been tossed side. A major theme in his art has been the human body. He has found the figure a necessary beginning to all destinations.
Some examples of his work can be found athttp://www.4artinc.com/artists/featured_artists.html
Jefferey Thomas (composer/musician, A Humechanical Nightmare) graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a Bachelors of Music, studying composition with Gustavo Leone and Ilya Levinson. He currently lives and works in Chicago as a composer and musician working with the Redmoon Theater and Maestro-Matic Studios. Some of his work can be heard in the short film Girls Room, (dir. Maria Gigante, nominated for MTV Movie Award 2007), and Lemmings, (dir. Ron Fleischer, Winner of ‘Chicago Award’ at the Chicago International Film Festival 2005). He also regularly performs with the ‘circus-punk’ marching band Mucca Pazza, and organizes and leads the Hideout Make-out Party Band.
Some examples of his work can be found at http://www.myspace.com/brokenwingstudio
Nat Ward (technical construction, A Humechanical Nightmare, musician, i'm worried my body is falling apart) comes from a rich background of sculpture, theatre arts, and material studies. An active collaborator within the Chicago underground arts scene, Nat has fabricated work for artists such as Christine Tarkowski, Patrick Dougherty, and Kenneth Morrison. Some of his pieces have been shown at Iron Studios in Pilsen and at the annual Version Fest. He is interested in building, taking apart, and reconstructing mechanical workings from electrical circuits to large, gas-powered machines. In addition to his sculptural work, he has worked with many theatre artists, and shot and directed a rock opera staged at the Hideout. He is a graduate of School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Sharon Lanza (costume design, A Humechanical Nightmare) has worked as an actor, writer, director, dancer, choreographer, singer, costume designer and stagehand. With Redmoon Theater, she performed in Hunchback, Deciphering Moonshadows, Nina andSeagull as well as many stiltwalking parades, Winter Pageants and All Hallows Eve Celebrations. As Artistic Director of The Rescuers, she has written and directed original work including: Architecture, Just Desert, Laika, The Mermaid + The Astronaut (dir. by Joel Moorman), The Survivors, The Tree and most recently The Sifters at the Chicago Cultural Center. As a costumer, Sharon has outfitted many Chicago shows including The House of Yes, Red in Tooth in Claw, Hamlet as well as anyone who has set foot in her apartment... Sharon is also an Artistic Associate of Collaboraction and a Mathematical Unicorn in the punk rock marching band, Mucca Pazza. She has degrees in Theater and Art History from Northwestern. Her work with Rescuers Theater can be found at www.rescuerstheater.com
Katey Lawton (set design, A Humechanical Nightmare) is a painter, designer, and jeweler. Some examples of her work can be found at http://teamabunai.org/katey/