Suburban actors help bring new works to Chicago Musical Theatre Festival

Glen Ellyn native John B. Leen's wife is pregnant, so the actor and singer hadn't planned to take on much theater work this winter, particularly since he spent a busy holiday season performing with three different caroling groups. Then director Joan Mazzonelli asked him to be part of bringing a new musical to the stage for the first time.

“I really enjoy it,” Leen said. “I like being able to add whatever I want. You're not copying anyone else. No reviewer is going to say ‘This is just like Broadway.'”

Leen, who lives in Chicago, will be performing as part of the ensemble of “Cancerman” when it premieres at The Edge Theater in Chicago as part of Underscore Theatre Company's fifth annual Chicago Musical Theatre Festival, which runs from Feb. 4 to 24. The show follows a man diagnosed with terminal cancer.

“The most interesting part of the show is his interactions with family and friends,” Leen said. “He's kind of estranged from his daughter and wants to write a song for his granddaughter's wedding. He's got limited time. He's been given six months to live.”

“Cancerman” is one of nine shows that will premiere at the festival. The selections were chosen from more than 30 submissions.

“We take all those submissions and read through them one by one, no matter how many are submitted, and decide based on completion, competency and interesting content,” said festival producer Rachel Johnson. “Traditionally shows that are completely written and have scores are the ones we look at right away, but we have had shows where they don't have scores and we use this process for development for them.”

This is the first time “Cancerman” has been workshopped, and Leen said he and other actors played an active role in shaping it.

“There are a few things that we've encountered in our initial dealing with the show that some of the actors weren't comfortable with and then the actors are able to have their say and then the playwright and music director can say ‘We didn't think about that' and ‘Here's why we did this,'” he said.

Batavia native Kelsey Skomer said she's also enjoyed being part of producing a new work through her role in “An Artist in the Ember,” which explores artists' relationships with their inspiration.

“I think there is such a different level of passion in the room when you're working on something that's brand new because everyone in that room has a sense of responsibility and a voice in creating something that's never been seen before,” said Skomer, who lives in Chicago. “It's been an awesome learning experience.”

Audience members can also be part of the process, providing commentary during post-show feedback sessions.

“These are works that are literally changing every day,” Johnson said. “You're part of the creative process. In the course of one month you can see nine shows that no one else in the world has seen and do it for a fraction of the cost of a normal production.”

The festival has grown significantly since it began. Last year was the first time it featured judges, who went to every show and voted on their favorites. The winner was announced at an awards ceremony.

“When it first started, it was very small and it was more of a showcase than a festival,” Johnson said. “We started to realize that because we're the only company in Chicago that focuses on new musicals we had the opportunity to help new writers get their shows produced.”

The top show of last year is now being fully produced by Underscore Theatre, and others have received publishing deals for the script and score so they can be produced at other theaters.

“We take a look at these shows for our potential main stages,” Johnson said. “We believe in taking a show and producing it at the fully actualized level the writer wants. We're a place for world premieres. We're doing exactly what we do in our normal season for nine shows at once. For us it's a chance to give an opportunity to a large group of people and pull in new audiences. It gives us a chance to let people see what new musicals can do.”

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Chicago Musical Theatre Festival

Location: The Edge Theatre, 5451 N. Broadway and 1133 W. Catalpa Ave., Chicago, cmtf.org

Showtimes: 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 7 and 10 p.m. Friday, 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 3 and 6 p.m. Sunday. Additional performances at 8 p.m. Feb. 11 and noon Feb. 24; from Feb. 4 to Feb. 24.

Tickets: $20; $150 for a festival pass