Busy, Busy, Busy

It's been a month since my last post. Why, you ask? Well, three things:
• The Devil's Candy Store and the San Diego Comic-Con 2008
• WildClaw Theatre's second season promotion
• The First Fear



There will soon be a new website for The Devil's Candy Store as we venture into the selling of exotic contraband from impossible worlds. We are working with author, LA Banks, and using her Vampire Huntress novel series as our first impossible world. Tony Swatton of Sword and Stone building the vampire killing sword, Madame Isis, and its sister dagger, both to be displayed in San Diego this July. We'll be auctioning off the one of the kind hero sword and you can pre-order the dagger.



Craig Elliott, a Devil's Candy Store artist, is designing some Vampire Huntress based jewelry for the show and will be one the concept artists contributing to our limited edition book featuring characters, Damali Richards and Carlos Rivera of the Vampire Huntress series. Other artists planning to be in the book are:
• Dave Dorman
• Craig Elliott
• Tom Baxa
• Peter Bergting
• Cyril Van Der Haegen
• John VanFleet
• Eric Battle
• Alex Wald
• Ray Frenden
• and me



A new website is in the making for WildClaw Theatre as we gear up for our next set of productions and a couple of benefits. The first benefit will be June 22nd at The Four Moon Tavern. Stay tuned for the Pagan details.



And lastly, I had an excellent story consultation with Charley Sherman on my comic book (and possible play), The First Fear. The story is finally coming together into a solid narrative. Yeah, baby!

WildClaw

The Great God Pan has completed it's run. For a first production of a new theatre company it was an unqualified success. Thank you to everyone who saw the show and to the many, many folks who helped behind the scenes.


Striking the Pan set. Michaela is on the ladder cleaning blood off the walls.

It has been a smooth venture of creativity, problem-solving, passion, and fun. It's been nice to work on a drama without the drama. Hats off to Charley Sherman for creating an atmosphere to work in that invited collaboration and gave people room to breath and grow.

The Final Four - Pan Performances That Is

What do you mean you haven't seen it?!

Okay, it's now or never. There are four more performances of The Great God Pan at the Athenaeum Theatre.

Don't be one of those folks who asks us if we videotaped the show for everyone who missed it.

We didn't.

"This is a major achievement as a piece of horror theatre...engaging and scary"
-ChicagoCritic.com

"fantastically executed"
-Killer_works.com

"It delivers the guts and gore you crave and you may actually get blood splattered on you"
-The Chicagoist

"spooky fun in the vein of the classic Hammer Films thrillers of the 1950s and '60s"
-Chicago Reader

My WildClaw Interview with Clive Barker

Tuesday I had the good fortune of interviewing Clive Barker for the WildClaw Theatre website. Always charming and an effortless interview (you just sort of mention a subject and Clive is off and running), Clive was gracious enough to talk to me during a very hectic schedule. He is a creating machine. You can read the interview here.



Clive helped us out with an interview before when Steve Pickering adapted William Gibson's Burning Chrome. He interviewed William Gibson for our Chrome website and the two of them went on for one and a half hours. It was great.

My thanks again to both authors for supporting the arts at all levels. I was a fanboy before I met them and I'm still a fanboy now.

Killer-works and The Great God Pan

"Fantastically executed... It would be impossible to tell the story literally from Machen's text, but Charley Sherman (adaptor/director) does an excellent job of creating a narrative flow that makes sense. Lighting and sound skillfully move you around the stage, help set the tone and punctuate the moments of tension. The acting is also of high caliber and the female leads Lily Mojekwu (as the many faces of evil) and Michaela Petro (as Mary) are particularly captivating."
-Jude Mire, Killer-works(for full review)


Lily Mojekwu in The Great God Pan


Michaela Petro in The Great God Pan

ChicagoCritic.com

Another review is in for The Great God Pan. This one is from Tom Williams of ChicagoCritic.com.

"Recommended

This is a major achievement as a piece of horror theatre...(a) well acted and eerie work (with terrific lighting by Paul Foster with outstanding mood setting sound design by Adam Kozlowski), delivers Machen’s relatively unknown work quite effectively. This production of The Great God Pan is an outstanding evening of horror/mystery theatre. Chicago needs a “horror theatre” and Wildclaw Theatre sure makes an impressive debut in that realm.

Let me state that The Great God Pan aptly explores the nature of evil and the search for evil’s true identity that unfolds with several unique twists. This major work is engaging and scary. The low budget production delivers several well-time moments that make you jump out of your seat. Tom Hickey, Lily Mojekwu and Peter Corey were terrific. Kudos to Charley Sherman for attempting and succeeding with a complex horror classic. I await more."
- Tom Williams

2 for 1 Student Tickets For Pan -Thu & Sun

2 for 1 tickets for students for Thursday and Sunday performances of The Great God Pan. Now you have no excuse not to see horror theater in Chicago. If you get scared during the show, you'll have someone to hold onto.

The Great God Pan Opens!

If you're in Chicago come see us. We opened our stage adaptation of Machen's The Great God Pan and the show is off and running. We've gotten a couple of reviews so far and both are good:

"If this is the WildClaw standard for horror, we'll gladly be horrified again."
-Kris Vire, TimeOut Chicago

"Our take: next time you're in the mood for a spine-tingler, put down the Netflix and give this play a shot. It delivers the guts and gore you crave, and you may actually get blood splattered on you. Score."
-Ali Trachta, The Chicagoist


Tom Hickey, Steve Hersen, and Michaela Petro

Come see us at the Athenaeum Theatre. It is rip-roaring horror in a blackbox theater Chicago-style. All the info you would want is at our WildClaw Theatre website: http://www.wildclawtheatre.com

Painting and Sculpting

I have been painting and sculpting this week. Acrylics and plaster. I haven't done that since 1978. And then it was mostly oils. Much fun. Big challenge was to produce these images in the manner requested by the director. Not my style, at all. (The paintings, not the taking direction part.)

I would show you more of these pieces, but they are part of The Great God Pan set and I wouldn't want to spoil any surprises (just yet.)

Prada Envokes Via James Jean

Ever wonder what a James Jean illustration would look like if it came to life? Well, wonder no longer. Prada has utilized Jean as a concept artist for this short promotional film by James Lima. And yes, Pan makes an appearance as a fashion god.

PRADA - Trembled Blossoms
Uploaded by BloGraphiC

Thank You For Your Support

WildClaw Theatre: Charley Sherman; Paul Foster; Catie Foster; Anne Adams; Aly Greaves; Brian Amidei; Charlie Athanas; and Aaron Christensen (kneeling)

The shot above was taken at 4AM immediately after our blowout Wicked Winter Carnival Benefit. A tired, but hardworking and grateful crew.

Thank you to everyone who came and had fun, gave us money, performed or just said, "Go kick some horror ass, WildClaw." I would like to thank some of them here. Please support them, too. You won't be disappointed.

The Friends of Arthur Machen Society
We appreciate the tremendous support and encouragement we have gotten from the Arthur Machen Society for this adaptation of The Great God Pan and for providing materials on Arthur Machen for the benefit.

The Bands:
Ingenious Whittler featuring Jeff Christian
The Pat Smillie Band
The Jujubes
The Hormones (Ramones Tribute)

The Performers:
James Anthony Zoccoli
Steve Pickering of Shanghai Low Theatricals
Andy Lawfer, Esteban Cruz, and the Game Show Show Girls of the Game Show Show

The Venue:
Strawdog Theatre of Chicago

The Food:
Chalkboard (Mac and Cheese with smoked gouda...mmm...)
Cy's Steak and Chop House

Silent Auction Donors:
Clive Barker
Kevin Anderson
Dave Dorman
Stuart Gordon
Comix Revolution
Maia Rosenfeld Photography
Improv Olympic, otherwise known as IO

Raffle Prize Donors:
Cinequest
Comix Revolution
Sourcebooks

Publicity:
Denise Dorman of WriteBrain Media

And to the beautiful Maria Bortell and our friends who helped us all night long!!!

For those unable to attend who would like to make a donation, a check or money order can be made out to WildClaw Theatre, 312 N. May #3L, Chicago, Il 60607, or send via PayPal at http://www.wildclawtheatre.com.

Pat Smillie Band - Free Chicago Blues

A big thank you to all of the entertainment at WildClaw's Wicked Winter Carnival this past Saturday night (and Sunday morning, we stopped at 3AM!)

The Pat Smillie Band did a kickass acoustic blues set that rocked the house. Pat is going to be with same lineup in Wrigleyville this Friday night for FREE. Check them out for a great blues night:

PAT SMILLIE BAND (Acoustic set)
Friday (12/14) - 10pm
BRODY'S ON CLARK - 3369 N Clark - corner of Clark & Roscoe

FREE ADMISSION

Clive Barker Donation

Mr. Barker has been kind enough to donate a signed copy (with a one of a kind sketch) of his new demonic sampling, Mister B. Gone, to our upcoming silent auction at Wicked Winter Carnival 2007. This is our big benefit for WildClaw Theatre's inaugural production of Arthur Machen's classic, The Great God Pan.

If you can make it, come join us on Saturday, December 8th at Strawdog Theatre (3829 N. Broadway, Chicago). Starting at 8PM until the wee hours of the morning we will have many bands (4 at the last count), stage readings, B-Movie Queen Scream Contests, 50-50 raffles, a kick-ass Silent Auction, and more! Multiple rooms so you can pick your entertainment or just catch up with old friends (or, heaven forbid, make new ones.) See you there!

Wicked Winter Carnival

Okay, this is the big one I want all of you to attend. If you can't attend, send us a $10 or more donation via PayPal at WildClawTheater.com. I'm not kidding.

This is our BIG benefit for The WildClaw Theatre. It's our version of entrepreneurial "friends and family" bootstrapping in the grand tradition of Chicago theater companies.

The Wicked Winter Carnival will help fund our theater company dedicated to tales of the fantastique. Scary theater with a capital "S". The company was born out of the mind of director Charley Sherman who brought Chicago Clive Barker's "In The Flesh". To quote Clive on that particular production - "This show kicks ass!"

So please come out on Saturday, December 8th to Strawdog Theater at 3829 N. Broadway. If you attend one cultural event this year, this is the one. And if you haven't attended one yet this year, get up off your ass and get some culture.



Then next year come see our first production, The Great God Pan. It is an adaptation of Arthur Machen's seminal horror story that influenced generations of writers.

WildClaw Howling At Four Moon

I hope you were there at WildClaw Theatre's first benefit bash, which took place at The Four Moon Tavern on October 29. Much fun and great prizes greeted the folks who joined the WildClaw crew on Monday night. If you missed it, I insist you join us at our Masked Ball Benefit on Monday, December 10th. Really, I insist.




The Great God Pan director, Charley and casting director, Anne




Aaron and Catie gleefully giving away MAR-velous prizes


Paul took this one guy for everything he had


Intently taking the Horror Quiz


Anne and Charlie attempt to give away MAR-velous prizes


Brian is a shy, shy man


Thank you to everyone who contributed to the benefit and the fun

The Great God Pan WIP 10: I'm Happy

Thank goodness the director, Charley Sherman, speaks his mind. We got to a good place in this poster for the play. Up until now we had several posters, but none of them were quite right for this upcoming production nor the style of the theater company. A change in background, fonts, text placement and we were able to fit everything in and capture the mood of the play.


Here's a much bigger version.

The Great God Pan WIP 9: Director Is Happy

Okay, we are closing in on an image that is close to the intent of the play. I like the feel of it now in relation to the play, because it is more like a dark, Italian, Dario Argento poster at this point and I like that.


See a really big version.

The Great God Pan Poster WIP 9: Another Tack

Well, the director wanted something different than the direction this piece was going, so after some delay at working on the poster (a new company to plan, out of town guests, etc.) I have returned to work it some more.