A different 'Beast': Chicago's Strawdog Theatre tackles theater-film hybrid on loss and isolation

Strawdog Theatre ensemble members are resolute folks. They have to be, to have survived and thrived over more than 30 years on Chicago's storefront theater scene. But like so many of their colleagues, they had to reconsider how to continue making art when the COVID-19 pandemic forced theater closures.

Strawdog leaders encouraged ensemble members to think about projects they could produce virtually and stream online, and director Elly Green didn't ponder long. At the top of her list was “Run the Beast Down,” a one-man play about loss and isolation by her countryman, British playwright Titas Halder.

It's “a beautiful piece of writing,” she said. “It's dark. It's poetic. It's often very funny. It's often violent, too.”

An examination of the impact that results from one's support system and purpose being stripped away, “Run the Beast Down” - Strawdog's newest online production - resonates with people grappling with shutdowns, telecommuting and self-quarantining.

But Green didn't want to direct a Zoom reading. She wanted to craft a theatrical-cinematic hybrid. Strawdog interim artistic director Kamille Dawkins (who also served as director of photography), sound designer Daniel Etti-Williams and editor Kyle Hamman signed on. Joseph Jefferson Award-winning actor Gage Wallace, with whom Green had collaborated in the past, completed the creative team.

“He has an intensity and an ability to connect, which is absolutely paramount for this piece,” she said of Wallace, a veteran of the Strawdog, Red, Raven and Sideshow theaters among others.

Wallace was interested, but he had concerns, primarily about the ability to produce the play safely. At the same time, he and actress Amanda Drinkall were planning their August wedding and Wallace feared he'd be unable to learn a 75-minute monologue. Ultimately, the chance to tell this compelling story (in its digital U.S. premiere) and work with his favorite director won out.

He plays Charlie, a Londoner who's lost his job and his girlfriend during a time of civil unrest and financial instability.

“One of the predominant themes in this play is isolation ... how we as individuals deal with isolation,” he said, “and the choices we make for our survival.”

He describes “Run the Beast Down” as an intense play - “60 miles per hour, beads of sweat.”

“It's a funny, terrifying, exhilarating 75 minutes that should have you on the edge of your couch,” he said.

Initially, Green and Wallace approached the play as they would any other, except most rehearsals took place outside. For many of them, Green positioned herself behind the camera to get a feel for how the action would unfold on camera. Initially uncertain about film directing, Green found her stage skills and experience transferred to the screen.

“It made me think about how else I might want to make art in the future,” Green said of the production, which was filmed over three days.

With indoor, in-person performances a long way off, theater artists everywhere are considering the same thing. To that end, “Run the Beast Down” could provide a blueprint for how theater companies produce plays going forward.

“There's not a theater company out there that isn't having that conversation,” Green said. “How can we still tell stories? How can we engage with audiences and make virtual experience a part of that?”

Green's excited by the possibilities, as well as the inclusivity this kind of a hybrid offers.

“I'm not aware of anyone doing exactly what we've done with this play in terms of rehearsing it as you would a theater production,” she said. “I want people to join us in this experience. It really is an experimental piece of filmmaking.”

It's possible Strawdog's hybrid could usher in a new era. To that end, Wallace imagines a day when universities offer majors in digital theater-making and productions like this one become commonplace.

“My hope is this becomes part of the tool chest,” he said. “It won't replace the tools, but it will be a new tool we have in our box.”

“Run the Beast Down”

When: Oct. 2-25

Where: Strawdog Theatre Company, strawdog.org

Tickets: $5 minimum donation suggested