'Food Show' actor from Downers Grove cooks up a recipe for success

He slices. He dices. And he dishes out dialogue while making a mean deli sandwich.

To say that Downers Grove native Bilal Dardai is a multitasker in his latest role may be a bit of an understatement. The writer and actor is one of five ensemble members of Chicago's Neo-Futurists in "The Food Show" at Metropolitan Brewing. Hearing Dardai explain the show is almost like having a waiter describe what's on the specials menu.

"It's based around the casts' individual experiences with food. How we grew up with food, our social obligations with food and our relationship with food," he said in a recent interview. "Each member of the cast has a different story to tell about food, and we actually cook on stage."

Food weaves a thematic thread through the show, with Dardai and fellow cast members, including a professional chef, preparing dishes while expanding upon food's power to bring us together and set us apart. It's social commentary with a dash of culture and a helping of comedy mixed in - a recipe Dardai has followed throughout his career.

Dardai, 39, first acted in elementary school, performing in skits with his suburban classmates. His passion for the stage kept growing, and he was active in Downers Grove North High School's theater program. The shows that stand out from those days include roles in "The Little Prince" and "The Wiz."

"Performing has been part of my life for a very long time," he said.

After high school, he continued acting as a student at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, but much of his performing education in college happened outside the classroom.

"I was studying creative writing and rhetoric, but midway through, I developed a focus on play writing," he said.

Because play writing wasn't offered as a major course of study during his college days, Dardai turned his attention to community theater groups near campus where he gained experience writing and performing.

After college, Dardai made his way back to the Chicago area and eventually joined The Neo-Futurists' company of writers, directors and performers. And after 13 years with the company, where he's also served as artistic director, he says he still hasn't settled on a particular kind of performance style.

"I don't know if I have a niche," he explained. "The thing that is very nice about the company is that we operate in a bunch of different disciplines. I can stray into dark comedy or sometimes perform without any words at all."

Overall, he says he and his fellow ensemble members "find unique ways of telling stories. We try to find the mode or tone that best fits each part, like a recipe."

And that's fitting for "The Food Show."

With his primary focus on being a dad to his 5-year-old son, Dardai says a lot of his future artistic ambitions are "simmering" for now, but he still loves to write.

"I keep writing and I am trying to work on a novel and another play. I would love to write for audio dramas, podcasts and work in writers' rooms."

“The Food Show”

Location: Metropolitan Brewing, 3057 N. Rockwell, Chicago,

neofuturists.org or (773) 275-5255Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday; through Sept. 2Ticket prices: Pay what you can on Thursday; $10-$25 Friday and Saturday