Janus Theatre pulls back the curtain, opens rehearsals
As Janus Theatre prepares to stage the second show in its 18th season, the company is opening its doors and pulling back the curtain, so the public can see a live rehearsal up close and personal.
The open rehearsals are scheduled for Friday, Feb. 12, inside the basement at Rediscover Records, located at 9 S. Spring St. in Elgin. The rehearsal begins at 6:30 p.m. and will run for an hour.
The second open rehearsal is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 13, upstairs at Next Door Theater, located at 15 ½ Ziegler Court, right next to Side Street Studio Arts. The rehearsal begins at 4 p.m. and will run less than two hours. Seating is limited and reservations are required by emailing sean@janusplays.com.
The idea to invite people into a rehearsal is not new, but taking them to alternate locations adds an element of mystery and discovery for the audience and the actors, said artistic director Sean Hargadon.
"You can rehearse for weeks in one space and it becomes a vacuum and you really have only a limited sense of how everything is working within the play," he said. "When you invite people in to watch you perform - even if it's only a small number - the energy in the room can change dramatically. When you couple this with a unique space, a whole new set of variables come into to play."
It's almost like unlocking Pandora 's Box because everything you've work toward up to the point will change according to the new space and the audience, added Hargadon. "These are adventures in space and you have to adapt to the confines of the room and the people watching you," he said. "We hope we're able to learn more about the play and what we're doing as actors. And we hope the audience enjoys the chance to see how a play is made, which can be a messy and sweaty process."
"An Iliad" is directed by artistic director Sean Hargadon and stage manager/assistant director Tara Schuman, with design elements by Joseph Schuman, and technical elements by Rob Switzer. The cast includes Joe Cattoggio (Chicago), Sean Hargadon (Elgin), Lori Holm (Batavia), and Ann Marie Nordby (Arlington Heights).
The open rehearsals for Janus Theatre's upcoming production of "An Iliad" will be presented at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12, at Rediscover Records and 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, at Next Door Theater. The rehearsals are free to the public but reservations are required by emailing sean@janusplays.com.
To learn more about "An Iliad" and purchase tickets to the full production, go to www.janusplays.com. Or purchase tickets directly at www.theiliad.eventbrite.com. Check out the Facebook page at Janus Theatre's "A Iliad."
Janus Theatre's season is sponsored, in part, by the Elgin Cultural Arts Commission, the City of Elgin and the Elgin Art Showcase.