Tympanic Theatre : Ozma and Harriet, March 25

Ozma and Harriet
March 25th-April 18th 2010, at The Side Project

Scientist Frank Younger has constructed Ozma, the world's first fully functional android. All goes well until Frank's wife Harriet develops a bond with Ozma, secretly spending her spare time watching television with the android, which becomes his primary learning tool. When tragedy strikes, Ozma finds himself alone, embarking on a TV-fueled quest of sex, death, and revenge in this dark fable for the digital age.

March 25th - April 18th

Thursday - Saturday, 8PM
Sunday, 7PM

$15 general, $12 industry/student

@The Side Project

1439 W Jarvis, Chicago, IL [larger map]

What People Said...

RECOMMENDED - [A refreshing] new play that contains wit, humor, biting satire with zinging commentary about what it is to be human. Christopher Acevedo's performance as the android, Ozma was excellent in that he is most believable as a machine that emerges as a most charming humanoid character. This is a nicely written and well staged comedy that quickly engages and holds us through it. - Tom Williams, Chicago Critic

This Tympanic Theatre offering will run you only $12, and was one of the most entertaining and intellectually stimulating nights of theatre that I've had in a long time - an example of the caliber of creative work that can be seen with only a minimal budget. - High Horse Blog

Timothy Bambara's staging of the script by Tympanic artistic director Daniel Caffrey is an intriguing if not wholly successful effort from an emerging troupe dedicated to "producing new work with fantastical, frightening, or absurd subject matter." - Albert Williams, Chicago Reader

...Olansky [is] an understated Harriet, Martinez [an] uptight Frank, and Acevedo [is a] sweetly confused Ozma... - Megan Powell, TimeOut Chicago

THE CAST:
Chris Acevedo* / Ozma Christopher Acevedo is a founding member of the Tympanic Theatre Company. He moved to Chicago in 2007 and has since appeared in Collaboraction's Sketchbook X, Pavement Group's fracture/mechanics, Red Tape Theatre's inaugural and second CFAN Festival (with Genesis Ensemble), Curious Theatre Branch's Rhinofest (with Tympanic Theatre Company), Drangoncello's And Time Runs On, Dramatis Personae's Feats of Strength and The Side Project's Splayed Verbiage (Cut to the Quick Festival). He is also an Artistic Assoicate with The Genesis Ensemble, and with them has appeared in The Secrets Project, and In Love's Bright Coils. With Tympanic Theatre Company, he has appeared in Splintered Crosses, The House of Weird Death, Gregor & the Squonk, Bastards of Young, And Then It Burst, and most recently in Ozma & Harriet. Next he is exted to be appearing with Tympanic in Muerte Del Maestro at the Side Project in November. He is so happy to be producing work he cares about, with friends he loves. He earned his B.A. in Theatre from Florida State University. Cara Olansky / Harriet Younger A Massachusetts native, Cara has been in Chicago since 2006. Before making her official transfer from the North East, she received her BA in Theatre Performance from Butler University. While enrolled at Butler, she spent a semester in London studying Comedy, and Playwriting at Middlesex University. There she wrote her original script "Rhythms of the Underground", which recently made its Chicago debut with Dramatis Personae in 2008. To further her theater practices, Cara has trained with The Actors Studio of Newburyport MA, and taken workshops with Bread and Puppet Theatre, The San Francisco Mime Troupe, Profiles Theatre, Claire Simon Casting and the Black Box Acting Studio. Some of her favorite credits include "Josie" in The Skryker (Butler University), "The Bride" in Blood Wedding (Butler University), "Mayella" in To Kill a Mockingbird (Theater in the Open), "Katherine" in The Taming of the Shrew (Theater in the Open), and "Marcia Marie" in Where's My Money? (Dramatis Personae). Cara spends her days loving her job as a Preschool Teacher. My love to the fam, Tim, and "05". Paul E. Martinez* / Dr. Frank Younger Paul E Martinez is a founding member of Tympanic who came to Chicago after graduating from Florida State University's School of Theatre in 2006. He is also a graduate of Second City's Improv Conservatory. In Chicago, he has been seen in Los Desaparecidos (Babes With Blades), as well as in Gregor and the Squonk, And Then It Burst, and Ozma & Harriet with the Tympanic. Paul has also performed with improv ensembles Tymprov and Colorado Beautification Coalition. Jamie Bragg / Sandra Jamie Bragg (SANDRA) is delighted to make her Tympanic Theatre debut. Chicago credits include Cant in The Castle (Oracle Theatre); Susannah in A Murder of Crows (GroundUp Theatre); and performing understudy for Kimberly/Doreen in JON (Collaboraction, Joseph Jefferson Best Adaptation 2008). Other favorite roles include Catherine in Proof and A in Three Tall Women. Also a dramaturg, she was a 2005-2006 literary intern at Actors Theatre of Louisville, home of the Humana Festival of New American Plays. She holds BAs in Drama and English from the University of Georgia. Jared Nell / TV Ozma / Man David Boren / Grip Ensemble Dave Boren serves as the Director of Programming at the Oracle Theatre Company and has also appeared in their productions of The Castle, Zero, Termin Vox Machina, and all of the Disturbed shows. He is damn satisfied to be collaborating for a second time with Tim Bambara, Cara Olansky, and Jamie Bragg and making his debut with the Tympanic crew. Ali Delianides* / Grip Ensemble Ali Delianides graduated from Florida State University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre. After graduation she originated the touring role of Mama in Omaha Theater Company for Young Audiences first national tour of Old Yeller. In Chicago she has been seen in Tympanic's productions of Gregor and the Squonk (Margaret), And Then it Burst (Alice), with Point of Contention in their annual CHAOS play festivals, and with Chicago Kid's Company in their productions of Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Tortoise and the Hare. Ali is also a teaching artist with Victory Gardens Theater's educational outreach program. Shelley Geiszler / Grip Ensemble Shelley graduated from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television with a B.A. in acting in 2007. Los Angeles credits include Jillian in Chronology of the Day and Tasla in The Condemned Man's Bicycle. In Chicago, Shelley most recently worked on Theater of Souls at Villiage Players Theatre, and played Charlotte in Theatre-Hike's production of Charlotte's Web. Shelley is a founding member and proprietor of The Rough House, a new rehearsal and performance space in Logan Square. Jonathan Harden / Grip Ensemble Jonathan Harden has come to Chicago from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he spent all his time with Shakespeareans and like ruffians. He is overjoyed to be working with Tympanic, especially since they have created plays of such a darkly mythopoeic nature, and looks forward to frightening the life out of any small children you happen to have with you.: Playwright and Director:
Dan Caffrey* / Playwright
Daniel Caffrey is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Tympanic Theatre Company. Writing and directing credits with Tympanic include Splintered Crosses, The House Of Weird Death, and Gregor And The Squonk. His short plays have been produced in Chicago by ARFTCO, Chicago Dramatists, Dramatis Personae, Dream Theatre Company, Hobo Junction, iO, and WildClaw. Occasionally an actor, he has performed with The Side Project (Slipping), Tympanic, and WNEP (this year's SKALD storytelling competition). He has also directed with The Side Project in their Cut To The Quick festivals. Upcoming projects include his short play "Wishbone" in Dramatis Personae's Feats Of Strength festival, "Yukon Cornelius, Greatest Prospector In The North" with ARFTCO's Christmas Spectacular, and writing and directing "Pogo" for The Ruckus' Tell It & Speak It & Think It & Breathe It. He holds BA degrees in Creative Writing and Theatre, and is a graduate of the Training Center at iO.

Timothy Bambara / Director
Timothy Bambara (Director) is thrilled to be working with Tympanic Theatre and the OZMA-MATIC Team! He has been producing, directing and acting in Chicago for the past 4 years. He received his MFA in Theatre Pedagogy from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2006. He is a recipient of the 2008 CAAP Grant and was a participant in the 2008 Chicago Director¿s Lab. Timothy is a founding member of Dramatis Personae, Inc. Favorite directing credits include Sexual Perversity in Chicago, Of Mice and Men, Glengarry Glen Ross,The Cook (asst. dir. to Henry Godinez, Goodman Theatre), Twelfth Night (asst. dir. to Jay Paul Skelton, City Lit), Den of Thieves and Where¿s My Money? (Dramatis Personae), and May is Special Time of Year, which was seen in Tympanic Theatre¿s Bastards of Young festival last fall. As an actor, he was most recently seen in Chicago Fusion Theatre¿s 12 Hungry Men. He will be directing Lost Generations with Prologue Theatre at the Landmark Festival this April and The Rise of Emperor Eric with Gorilla Tango Theatre this June.

* Denotes company member

Chris Acevedo* / Ozma Christopher Acevedo is a founding member of the Tympanic Theatre Company. He moved to Chicago in 2007 and has since appeared in Collaboraction's Sketchbook X, Pavement Group's fracture/mechanics, Red Tape Theatre's inaugural and second CFAN Festival (with Genesis Ensemble), Curious Theatre Branch's Rhinofest (with Tympanic Theatre Company), Drangoncello's And Time Runs On, Dramatis Personae's Feats of Strength and The Side Project's Splayed Verbiage (Cut to the Quick Festival). He is also an Artistic Assoicate with The Genesis Ensemble, and with them has appeared in The Secrets Project, and In Love's Bright Coils. With Tympanic Theatre Company, he has appeared in Splintered Crosses, The House of Weird Death, Gregor & the Squonk, Bastards of Young, And Then It Burst, and most recently in Ozma & Harriet. Next he is exted to be appearing with Tympanic in Muerte Del Maestro at the Side Project in November. He is so happy to be producing work he cares about, with friends he loves. He earned his B.A. in Theatre from Florida State University.	Cara Olansky / Harriet Younger A Massachusetts native, Cara has been in Chicago since 2006. Before making her official transfer from the North East, she received her BA in Theatre Performance from Butler University. While enrolled at Butler, she spent a semester in London studying Comedy, and Playwriting at Middlesex University. There she wrote her original script "Rhythms of the Underground", which recently made its Chicago debut with Dramatis Personae in 2008. To further her theater practices, Cara has trained with The Actors Studio of Newburyport MA, and taken workshops with Bread and Puppet Theatre, The San Francisco Mime Troupe, Profiles Theatre, Claire Simon Casting and the Black Box Acting Studio. Some of her favorite credits include "Josie" in The Skryker (Butler University), "The Bride" in Blood Wedding (Butler University), "Mayella" in To Kill a Mockingbird (Theater in the Open), "Katherine" in The Taming of the Shrew (Theater in the Open), and "Marcia Marie" in Where's My Money? (Dramatis Personae). Cara spends her days loving her job as a Preschool Teacher. My love to the fam, Tim, and "05".	Paul E. Martinez* / Dr. Frank Younger Paul E Martinez is a founding member of Tympanic who came to Chicago after graduating from Florida State University's School of Theatre in 2006. He is also a graduate of Second City's Improv Conservatory. In Chicago, he has been seen in Los Desaparecidos (Babes With Blades), as well as in Gregor and the Squonk, And Then It Burst, and Ozma & Harriet with the Tympanic. Paul has also performed with improv ensembles Tymprov and Colorado Beautification Coalition.	Jamie Bragg / Sandra Jamie Bragg (SANDRA) is delighted to make her Tympanic Theatre debut. Chicago credits include Cant in The Castle (Oracle Theatre); Susannah in A Murder of Crows (GroundUp Theatre); and performing understudy for Kimberly/Doreen in JON (Collaboraction, Joseph Jefferson Best Adaptation 2008). Other favorite roles include Catherine in Proof and A in Three Tall Women. Also a dramaturg, she was a 2005-2006 literary intern at Actors Theatre of Louisville, home of the Humana Festival of New American Plays. She holds BAs in Drama and English from the University of Georgia.	Jared Nell / TV Ozma / Man
David Boren / Grip Ensemble Dave Boren serves as the Director of Programming at the Oracle Theatre Company and has also appeared in their productions of The Castle, Zero, Termin Vox Machina, and all of the Disturbed shows. He is damn satisfied to be collaborating for a second time with Tim Bambara, Cara Olansky, and Jamie Bragg and making his debut with the Tympanic crew.	Ali Delianides* / Grip Ensemble Ali Delianides graduated from Florida State University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre. After graduation she originated the touring role of Mama in Omaha Theater Company for Young Audiences first national tour of Old Yeller. In Chicago she has been seen in Tympanic's productions of Gregor and the Squonk (Margaret), And Then it Burst (Alice), with Point of Contention in their annual CHAOS play festivals, and with Chicago Kid's Company in their productions of Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Tortoise and the Hare. Ali is also a teaching artist with Victory Gardens Theater's educational outreach program.	Shelley Geiszler / Grip Ensemble Shelley graduated from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television with a B.A. in acting in 2007. Los Angeles credits include Jillian in Chronology of the Day and Tasla in The Condemned Man's Bicycle. In Chicago, Shelley most recently worked on Theater of Souls at Villiage Players Theatre, and played Charlotte in Theatre-Hike's production of Charlotte's Web. Shelley is a founding member and proprietor of The Rough House, a new rehearsal and performance space in Logan Square.	Jonathan Harden / Grip Ensemble Jonathan Harden has come to Chicago from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he spent all his time with Shakespeareans and like ruffians. He is overjoyed to be working with Tympanic, especially since they have created plays of such a darkly mythopoeic nature, and looks forward to frightening the life out of any small children you happen to have with you.

Ozma and HarrietMarch 25th-April 18th 2010, at The Side Project

THE CAST:

Ozma and Harriet
March 25th-April 18th 2010, at The Side Project