Non-Player Character
by Walt McGough
Red Theater at the Athenaeum
April 20 – May 18, 2019
Non-Equity Jeff Recommended!
Reviews
“A narrative dynamic occurring predominantly on a computer screen makes for a stage picture in constant motion, whether depicting a tree assembled from flat-shape collages, a swashbuckling sword-and-sorcery skirmish with stick-puppet icons, or a swarm of angry posters descending on their prey like wolves taking down a deer. Director Beth Wolf and an ensemble of actors and technicians (in particular, projection designers Aaron Sawyer, Clare Brennan and Beth Wolf, and fight/movement choreographers Chris Smith and Maureen Yasko) ensure that every second of the 90 minutes needed for McGough to deliver his lesson on the scourge of cyberbullying remains coherent and comprehensible to audiences of all ages, both net-fluent and gaming-illiterate.”
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Mary Shen Barnidge, Windy City Times, 04.24.2019
“This Chicago premier, now enjoying an intimate and very creative production, at the Red Theater, is guided by Beth Wolf. A freelance director from Chicago, this is her Red Theater debut. Ms. Wolf’s spirited production should be a great draw for and provide an evening of wild entertainment for those into the adventurous, youth-oriented world of video gaming…. The production is imaginatively staged by guest director [Wolf], who brings the action to within just a few feet of her audience. She’s guided her splendid ensemble to perfection.”
RECOMMENDED
Colin Douglas, Chicago Theatre Review, 04.20.2019
“In Beth Wolf’s staging for Red Theater, it’s packed with clever touches for the video-game astute. … Both McGough’s script and Wolf’s staging are at their best in depicting these in-game experiences. Wolf sets Wu and Schnitker at opposite edges of the stage at their respective computer desks, while the Spearlight action plays out in a larger field between them. … There’s much to recommend in Red Theater’s production.”
Kris Vire, Storefront Rebellion, April 22, 2019
“Director Beth Wolf has assembled a strong cast, with careful, passionate performances from Alice Wu as Katja and Matthew Schnitker as Trent.”
Justin Hayford, Chicago Reader, 04.25.2019
Cast and Crew
Cast: Tracey Green, Margaret Kellas, Dre Marquis, Michael Saubert, Trevor Strahan, Matthew Schnitker, and Alice Wu
Production Staff: Beth Wolf (Director), Clare Brennan (Assistant Director), Becky Warner (Stage Manager), Wyatt Kent (Dramaturg), Catherine Miller (Casting Director), Chas Mathieu (Scenic and Prop/Puppet Design), Sanja Manakoski (Costume Design), Stefanie Senior (Sound Design), Marissa Geocaris (Lighting Design), Chris Smith and Maureen Yasko (Fight Directors/Movement Coaches), Amelia Seidel (Production Manager). Projections designed by Beth Wolf, Clare Brennan, and Aaron Sawyer.
Beth Wolf 