"[Gregor and the Squonk's] eccentric comic performances delivered with confidence and nuance; it's a promising outing for a company less than a year old." - TimeOut Chicago
EXTINCTION FANTASIES:
A deadly plague has quietly destroyed the tiny, rural town of Tarker, wiping out
nearly the entire population. Amidst the fading coughs and approaching gunfire,
several survivors spark up new romances and repair wounded relationships in this
pair of fractured love stories that begin at the end of the world.
July 2nd through July 18th
7/2 and 7/3 @ 9pm
7/4 - 7/18 - Sun @ 7pm, Thu @ 9pm
Tickets $15
@The Side Project
1439 W Jarvis, Chicago, IL [larger map]What People Said...
RECOMMENDED - What emerges is a series of intimate moments between people who have nothing else to lose, yet therefore everything to gain... The actors all find plenty of emotional action to play in scenes that are largely conversational, and humor, presumably a necessary ingredient of post-apocalyptic survival, keeps afloat with levity a thoughtful, meandering play.
- Neal Ryan Shaw, New City Stage
The playlets generally steer clear of predictable histrionics, and the well-acted, starkly lit production achieves a tone of earnest gravity enhanced by the distant sounds of gunfire and bird cries
- Albert Williams, Chicago Reader
THE CAST:
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Jennifer Betancourt
Mick Greco*Michael "Mick" Greco (Jim / Rain) appears for the third time on stage with Tympanic Theatre Company, after House of Weird Death and Splintered Crosses. TTC also staged his short play Northstar Navigation as part of Bastards of Young. Mick has performed elsewhere in A View From The Bridge (Actors Workshop, now redtwist Theatre), and in classical productions for Chase Park Theatre, LiveWire Theatre and St. Sebastian Players.
Zach Livingston
Heather Moats
Jared Nell
Chrissy Weisenburger*Chrissy Weisenburger graduated from Columbia College Chicago in 2007 with her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Acting. Shortly after, she was in an improvised production of Food then quickly jumped into Tympanic Theatre. She has appeared in Tympanic's productions of Splintered Crosses, House of Weird Death, and Gregor and the Squonk. She also worked as co-makeup and co-costume designer for House of Weird Death and make-up designer for Musing. Currently Chrissy is taking a break from performing to pursue a second bachelors degree in Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Chicago. After graduation she hopes to work as a web designer while still performing in the theatres of Chicago. - Playwright and Director:
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Dan Caffrey* / PlaywrightDaniel 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* / DirectorTimothy Bambara is thrilled to be working with Tympanic Theatre. 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.
Jamie Bragg / / DirectorComing soon
* Denotes company member
