Musical 'Company' opens Village Theater Guild's season
Doug Orlyk got his first taste of acting in local theater at age 23.
In a 1988 production of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's 1969 musical "Company," Orlyk began to learn the craft he still enjoys during his spare time.
Now, 21 years later, the Bloomingdale native's theater career has come full circle.
Orlyk is serving as director of the first production in the Glen Ellyn Village Theater Guild's 46th season - "Company."
"The whole vision is all about whatever you want to do," Orlyk said of his preference for directing over acting.
The performance begins a season that will include four productions at the small black-box theater. "Company" tells the story of Bobby, a bachelor in his mid-30s who observes his married friends' relationships. Over time, he slowly develops an idea of what he thinks marriage should be.
Orlyk, 44, began working with the Glen Ellyn theater in 1993 and has worked closely with much of the cast in the past.
"It's a well-oiled machine at this point," Orlyk said.
The show opened to two sold-out crowds in the small black box theater the weekend of Oct. 16 and will continue for two more weekends. The next show in the theater's year-round production schedule will be in January.
In "Company," the group works off a script the original playwright modernized in 1996. The Glen Ellyn version of the musical includes three formally choreographed numbers, which are not always easy to pull off in the small theater located on the northwest corner of Park Boulevard and Butterfield Road.
"Each show is sort of a different challenge to figure out how to make the most use of a small theater," Orlyk said. "Because the audience is right there, it's so intimate."
Tickets to the show are $20. Proceeds go back into the theater - the actors and crew are all volunteers.
"In the city, it becomes very competitive because people get paid," Orlyk said. "But here, it's much more about work and taking risks and developing relationships."
For ticket information and availability, call the theater at (630) 469-8230.
<p class="factboxheadblack">If you go</p> <p class="News"><b>What:</b> Glen Ellyn Village Theater Guild's production of 'Company'</p> <p class="News"><b>When:</b> 8 p.m. Oct. 30-31 and Nov. 6-7; 3 p.m. Nov. 1</p> <p class="News"><b>Where: </b>Northwest corner of Park Boulevard and Butterfield Road, Glen Ellyn </p> <p class="News"><b>Tickets: </b>$20</p> <p class="News"><b>Info:</b> (630) 469-8230</p>