Salonathon and Steppenwolf’s LookOut Presents
Shelley Duvall’s Women Under the Influence Theatre
Conceived by and Starring Alex Grelle
Directed by Eric Hoff
Friday, July 8th at 8pm and 10pm; Saturday, July 9th at 8pm
$15 Tickets; www.steppenwolf.org
Obsessive Homage, Meticulous Recreation, Performance Perfection. This action-packed hour of Shelley’s favorite scene-stealing actresses serves up a brand new genre of movie-moments turned theatrical spectacle. It’s a night of virtuosic performances by Chicago’s hottest talent, led by Shelley Duvall herself (creator Alex Grelle) and featuring guest appearances by Jack Nicholson, Julianne Moore, Jane Fonda, and more!
Featuring: Alex Grelle, Aileen May, Chris Chmelik, David Smith, Jyl Fehrenkamp, Marta Jean Evans, Mary Williamson, Nick Davio and Raul Callejero.
Films by: Alex Thompson, Eve Rydberg, Filip Kojic and Zoe Lubeck.
Shelley Duvall’s Women Under the Influence Theatre was developed in partnership with the Chicago Performance Lab through the Theatre and Performance Studies Program at the University of Chicago.
Shelley Duvall’s Women Under the Influence Theatre is a part of Steppenwolf’s LookOut Series – a new multi-genre performance series, presenting a wide variety of work, coming from a diverse array of voices, artists emerging and established alike.
BIOS
Alex Grelle (Creator and Performer) is a proud company member with Red Tape Theatre, where he has been seen in Taylor Mac’s The Walk Across America for Mother Earth as part of the Steppenwolf Garage Rep and The Life and Death of Madame Barker. Alex was also a part of REVIVAL at the Pritzker Pavilion with The Soft Rock Sanctuary. Other Chicago credits include include Orville and Wilbur Did It (The New Colony), The Great American Trailer Park Musical (Kokandy Productions), The Birds, TROGG, Scarrie, Limitation of Life and Sexy Baby (Hell in a Handbag Productions). Alex would like to thank his Mom and Dad for their endless support and Jane Beachy for creating the magical house of Salonathon. Shelley, this is for you.
Aileen May (Performer) has performed in Chicago theater since 2005, moving here shortly after graduating with a BA in French Language and Literature from Calvin College. Her past Chicago credits include work with The House Theater, Theo Ubique, The Side Project, The Factory, Mary Archie, Redmoon Theater, The New Colony, Red Tape, Oracle Theater, RENT at American Theater Company (Dir:David Cromer, Role: Maureen) and Hit The Wall with The Inconvenience (Dir: Eric Hoff, Role: Peg) Aileen is thrilled to have seen Salonathon grow from its humble beginnings 5 years ago to the bastion of artistic solace and ingenuity that it now is. Aileen likes sing songs while on her bicycle, play guitar while in her backyard, and dance out her feelings while on the dance floor. She thinks you should too.
Alex Thompson (Filmmaker) is a producer and director working in Chicago, and the co-founder of the production company Runaway Train with Zoe Lubeck. Thompson is in post-production on the features Our Father and King Rat as a producer and in pre-production on Heritage Park and On the Beach as a director. He’s thrilled to be working with some of his idols, Alex Grelle, Corrie Besse, Jane Beachy and Steppenwolf Theatre on Women Under the Influence Theatre in their exciting new space, and very thrilled to be crawling into the mind of director Robert Altman and cinematographer Paul Lohmann.
Chris Chmelik (Performer) graduated from The Theatre School at DePaul University with a BFA in acting and is a founding member of the multi-disciplinary arts organization The Inconvenience. As an actor Chris has worked with numerous companies in Chicago including: Steppenwolf, STEEP Theatre, The Hypocrites, Victory Gardens, Griffin Theatre, Lifeline, Redtwist, Chicago Shakespeare, Jackalope, Emerald City, The Inconvenience, Abraham Werewolf, Strawdog and The Black Ensemble Theatre. Chris is represented by Paonessa Talent and has appeared on television in SIRENS, Chicago Fire and on the ID Network.
Corrie Besse (Production Stage Manager) has been in the booth for over a decade. Highlights include: Chicago Humanities Festival (6 years), Albany Park Theater Project (Home/Land 2012 & Home/Land 2013 remounted at the Goodman Theater), Barrel of Monkeys (That’s Weird Grandma! – 2 years), Hypocrites (Our Town, Our Town Remounted) and 15+ Productions with Redmoon Theatre including Lunatique, The Cabinet and Feast… an intimate Tempest in collaboration with Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. Currently she is at the University of Chicago, serving as the Managing Director & Academic Coordinator for Theater & Performance Studies.
David Smith (Band/Saxophone) is a multi instrumentalist and composer living in Chicago. He is an original member of Mucca Pazza and can also be seen with Expo 76, the J Davis Trio, Poi Dog Pondering, Anna Soltys and the Familiar, and the Renaldo Domino Experience. He will also make appearances as “Lord Hornblower” with the Soft Rock Sanctuary and the Mr & Mrs Wednesday Night Show.
Eric Hoff (Director) is a director, producer, and writer. At Steppenwolf Garage, he directed Hit The Wall (The Inconvenience) and The Walk Across America For Mother Earth (Red Tape, with Bonnie Metzgar). With producer Jane Beachy and co-creator Jesse Morgan Young: REVIVAL, a performance art/night life/spectacle experience at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion and Bradley Center Masonic Temple (revival-event.com). Directing credits in Chicago include The Skriker and The Life and Death of Madam Barker, both at Red Tape, The Deer at Ruckus, WHAT’S THE T? at About Face, where he is an Artistic Associate. Eric produced The Woyzeck Project, a city-wide festival sponsored by About Face and The Hypocrites. In New York: Hit The Wall, Off-Broadway at Barrow Street, About A Woman Named Sarah by Lucas Hnath at 59E59, and When We Met at CAP21. He writes and directs films, including the upcoming “Mammoth Orange” and “Pop Up”. With collaborators SK Kerastas and Will Davis, Eric is creating/writing Color Guard.
Eve Rydberg (Filmmaker) is an actor, director, and filmmaker based in Chicago, IL. She is the Co-Artistic Director of The Good Night Ladies, an interdisciplinary arts collective committed to making work with a Feminine focus. She currently has two short films and a web series in post-production. Other directing credits include La Lune De Femme, a Punk-Pagan Ritual (New Orleans Fringe, Asheville Fringe), curation for the annual CUT! An Evening of Short Films (The Den Theatre), and VAGINA, an all-lady arts showcase (The Den Theatre, Red Tape Theatre). She believes that by telling stories through the lens of the feminine we can begin to bring a greater sense of balance to the world. Learn more at thegoodnightladies.com.
Filip Kojic (Filmmaker) was born in Sarajevo, during the tail end of the Yugoslav era. He now lives in Chicago, IL and works in the field of film and commercial video. His filmography includes HUH (2016), The Great Rage (2013) and Gad Fly (2012). Filip is currently working on the second title of a localized short film trilogy.
Jane Beachy (Producer) is the Founder and Artistic Director of Salonathon (est. July 2011), as well as Jane Beachy Presents. She is also the Program Manager for Art at Illinois Humanities, where she spearheads the Elective Studies series and a myriad of other performances and programs. Through Salonathon and Jane Beachy Presents, she has produced events, performances, residencies and retreats at and/or with the University of Chicago (Chicago Performance Lab), Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (OnEdge, SummerDance), Steppenwolf Garage, Metro Chicago, The Empty Bottle, Thalia Hall, The Promontory, Land and Sea Dept., The Inconvenience, The Neo-Futurists, Columbia College, MAKE Magazine, Printer’s Ball, Bottom Lounge, Berlin Nightclub, Chicago Reader, Slideluck and more. She also runs Camp Salondawega, an artistic retreat at the acclaimed Camp Wandawega in Wisconsin, and has taught as an artist in residence in the Theater and Performance Studies Department at the University of Chicago. She is looking forward to being a Visiting Artist at ACRE this summer.
Jyl Fehrenkamp, aka Jyldo (Performer) is a dancer, choreographer and soft-rock enthusiast. Her creative work often fuses dance with burlesque-inspired performance art and has been seen in a variety of seedy Chicago nightclubs and theaters. Her most recent creative collaboration – The Soft Rock Sanctuary (SRS) – an interactive Hall & Oates-inspired fellowship service, was co-created and performed with musician Nick Davio at the Pritzker Pavillion as part of REVIVAL. SRS was also supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council. Some of Jyl’s favorite adventures include curating & hosting The Bowie Showie at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago – which celebrated the opening weekend of the exhibit, “David Bowie is”; curating Poonie’s Cabaret at Links Hall from 2005-2012, co-creating (and then leaving) the Fabulous Ladies of Fitness (2009-11), a DJ collective and high-impact dance party; choreographing the SciFi-rock-musical parody Alien Queen, and curating the out-of-this-world-variety show Battlestar Fantastica (2012). Jyl is very grateful to lunge throughout the city as a yoga & dance fitness instructor, teaching classes at Cheetah Gyms, Chicago Athletic Clubs, Dovetail Studios and the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, where she also works as the Program Coordinator for the Dance Presenting Series.
Marta Jean Evans (Performer) is a singer/actress/dancer/performer in the city of Chicago. She is a Columbia College of Chicago Graduate. Past credits include Marisol, Juno and the Paycock, The Tallest Man and Landscape of the Body (The Artistic Home) and The Fly Honey Show (The Inconvenience.) You can see her next in The Fly Honey Show. She would like to thank Alex for all the high kicks, Jeff for being her rock and Robert DeNiro (the ultimate chameleon.)
Mary Williamson (Performer graduated from The Theatre School at DePaul University with a BFA in acting and is a member of the multi-disciplinary arts organization The Inconvenience. She has worked with several companies around Chicago including: Steppenwolf, The Goodman, The Hypocrites, Northlight, Victory Gardens, Next, TimeLine, Griffin, Redtwist, ATC, Redmoon, Dog and Pony, Jackalope, Red Tape, Stage Left, Emerald City, Lifeline, Strawdog, Sideshow, Haven, LiveWire and The New Colony. Most recently she could be seen in the world premiere of Ike Hotler’s Sender at A Red Orchid Theatre, and you can catch her this summer hosting The Inconvenience’s annual Fly Honey Show. When she is not acting she is working as a designer, director, visual artist, stylist, producer, curator and voice over artist.
Nicholas Davio (Band) is a Chicago-based music director, multi-instrumentalist, and teaching artist who holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Millikin University, with an emphasis in Vocal Performance. Notable theater credits as Music Director include The David Bowie Variety Hour (MCA Chicago). Frederick and A Year with Frog and Toad (Chicago Children’s Theatre). Alien Queen (Scooty and JoJo). Rent (Columbia College Chicago). Big River (Bohemian Theatre Ensemble- Jeff Nominated for Musical Direction). The Spitfire Grill and The Robber Bridegroom (Chicago Academy for the Arts). He currently holds teaching artist positions at The Old Town School of Folk Music and Chicago Children’s Theatre. Nicholas also serves as the rehearsal guitarist for the Chicago production of Million Dollar Quartet and recently performed with MDQ at United Center for Game 6 of the NBA Playoffs!
Raul Callejero (Band) is a Chicago born multi-instrumentalist and chess player. He regularly collaborates with composer/sound engineer Caleb Willitz, Rami Atassi, and artist/educator Tatsu Aoki in the Caleb Willitz Ensemble. Some performances in recent past include collaborations with Ed Wilkerson, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Jim Baker and Greg Ward. Raul continues to study music with all of his friends and he wants to hang out and study with you, too. Raul is on staff at the Old Town School of folk music.
Zoe Lubeck (Film) is a Director of Photography and co-owner of Runaway Train. Her short film Lucy premiered at the Chicago International Film Festival, and took the Audience Choice Award in the Reels Shorts Competition and a Student BAFTA in 2015. Lubeck served as Director of Photography on the feature King Rat, and produced the feature Our Father with Thompson. She is in pre-production on On The Beach, a feature on which Lubeck will serve as Director of Photography. She has recently wrapped as 1st and 2nd assistant camera on two independent features shot in Chicago; one of these features, Unexpected, premiered at Sundance. Lubeck is currently working towards her Masters in Fine Arts in Digital Cinema at DePaul university. She loves working towards building a common vision through interdisciplinary collaboration.