The Designers' Biographies
Below the photo are the individual designers biographies, interviews, production renderings and photos for Burning Chrome. Click on the designer's name to find out about them.
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Mia Livas (Chrome, standing) |
DIRECTOR/CO-ADAPTOR/ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Steve Pickering
DRAMATURG and CYBER-PROPS DESIGN Charlie Athanas
SCENIC DESIGN Scott Cooper
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Peggy Dunne
SOUND DESIGNER/ORIGINAL MUSIC Barry G. Funderburg
STAGE MANAGER Dan Michel
DEVELOPMENT AND FABRICATION OF CYBER-PROPS Scott Padiak & Associates
ASSOCIATE SOUND DESIGNER/SOUND ENGINEER Teff Uchima
MANAGING DIRECTOR/TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Peter Rybolt
DIRECTOR/CO-ADAPTOR/ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Steve Pickering continues his fourth season as Next's Artistic Director. For the last 12 years, he has worked in the Chicago area as an actor, designer, adaptor, and director. As an actor, he has appeared in over 35 productions in Chicago, including 19 at the Goodman Theatre. Credits include the world premieres of Steve Tesich's On The Open Road directed by Bob Falls and Wendy McCleod's Sin directed by David Petrarca, both for the Goodman, and Keith Reddin's Big Time, directed by Larry Sloan for Remains. He appeared in Frank Galati's productions of Good Person of Sezchaun and The Winter's Tale, as well as Michael Maggio's productions of Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Goodman, and Titus Andronicus at the Public Theatre in New York. Last season he received critical acclaim for his performances in Light Up the Sky and Keith Reddin's All the Rage. Other recent credits include Iago in Othello for Shakespeare Repertory and the title role in Kate Buckley's production of Macbeth at Next. As a designer, he has received two Jefferson Citations, one for costume, mask and puppets of Bailiwick's 1987 production of Animal Farm, and one for set design (with Greg Ballman) of the Organic Theatre's 1992 production of Clive Barker's In The Flesh. For Next he has played in the title role in Eric Simonson's production of Coriolanus and Walter Burns in The Front Page last season, and directed his own adaptations of Lewis Carroll's The Hunting of the Snark, Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea, and Clive Barker's Son of Celluloid (co-adapted with Charley Sherman). He co-directed Henry V with Kate Buckley in 1995, directed the world premiere of Keith Reddin's Almost Blue the following year, and last season directed the American premiere of Clive Barker's The History of the Devil.
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DRAMATURG and CYBER-PROPS DESIGN
Charlie Athanas is the owner of Burning City, Inc., a popular culture design/analysis firm in Evanston, Illinois. He has produced poster graphics for Clive Barker's In The Flesh (Organic Theater), Coming Attractions (Powertap), and for Next Theatre - Son of Celluloid, History of the Devil, Almost Blue, Macbeth, The Front Page, Love's Labour's Lost. Projects range from London-based Kudos Productions preliminary design work for a U2 interactive CD-ROM title or pushing new media boundaries at Paul Allen's Interval Research Corporation in Palo Alto. Recent clients include Perceptual Robotics, Inc., Next Theatre Company, Inner Solutions Corp., and the development of Technopolis Evanston. As studio director for both D.C. True and Aura Technologies, Charlie helped create critically acclaimed computer game titles like John Madden Football II, CyberJudas and Shadow President, as well as producing award-winning live laser shows. His graphics have been showcased internationally: Print Magazine's First Computer Art and Design Annual; SIGGRAPH's Evening Show (Laser Show), Animation Screening Room (Music Video), Traveling Art Show (Music Video/Interactive Game) and their Annual Video Review; World Tattoo Gallery; plus SHATTER, the first computer generated comic book, are a few examples. In addition to graphics, Charlie has worked extensively in audio, both live and recorded, as a musician, composer and producer.
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SCENIC DESIGN
Scott Cooper is very pleased to be working again at The Next Theatre Company where he has previously designed Snow, The Front Page, and Losing Father's Body. Scott has also designed The Glass House (Northlight), Gettin' Down With The Jonses (American DreamWorks), The Real Thing and Three Viewings (Next Act Theatre, Milwaukee), Guys and Dolls (Pheasant Run Resort), and the Chicago premiere of The Kentucky Cycle (Pegasus Players). Other designs include: Escape From Paradise at the Goodman Studio Theatre and many productions for the Steppenwolf Arts Exchange including Our Town, The Glass Menagerie, Twelve Angry Men, Crumbs From the Table of Joy, The Crucible, the critically acclaimed For Colored Girls... (also seen on the WGN special A Stage Of Our Own), and the world premiere of Nikki Giovanni: A New Song For A New Day. Scott has also served as an assistant set designer for The Steppenwolf Theatre, The Goodman Theatre, and the National Tour of Angels in America (costumes). Scott received his MFA in Scenic Design from The Theatre School at DePaul University. Thanks to Alden for everything.
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ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Peggy Dunne is excited to be on the director end of things again. Some past projects are The Razor's Edge, by W. Sommerset Maugham, which she also adapted for the stage, A Perfect Analysis Given By A Parrot, by Tennessee Williams, Mad Dog Blues, and Cowboys #2, by Sam Shepard and The Dimmed Heart, which she co-developed, directed and acted in with writer Patricia Duff (cited "Best of the Fest" at Bailiwick Director's Fest and invited to Seattle Bumbershoot Fest). She also co-directed The Unseen Hand, at Theatre of the Reconstruction. Peggy's acting credits include a recent stint at Drury Lane Oakbrook in Run For Your Wife as Sergeant Kipolski, Away as Vic at Northlight, for which she was also the recipient of the Jack Springer Scholarship Award, Bailiwick Rep's Dark of the Moon, City Lit's The King as Guinevere, Bailiwick's Splintered (Scraped), and Diane in the critically acclaimed The Moonshot Tape). Prior to this, Peggy had the opportunity to play Lady Croom in Arcadia at The Goodman and perform in Lookingglass Theatre's S/M. Other favorite productions are Julie Johnson (Bailiwick); Birdsend (Theatre By Design/Victory Gardens); Next's Old Man and the Sea; St. Joan of the Stockyards (Bailiwick), in which she also played the drums--her other passion; Orpheus Descending as Carol and Moony's Kid Don't Cry as Jane (Theater of the Reconstruction). Ms. Dunne also ventured to the Edinburgh Theater Festival with Latino Chicago's Prospect as Liza. She has performed at Steppenwolf, Body Politic, Shakespeare Rep and works in film and television. This past summer marked the completion of a screenplay called Painted Dream, of which she plans to produce an independent film. Her latest real life adventure was her "hitchin'" to the wonderful Peter Rybolt. It was a blast!
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SOUND DESIGNER/ORIGINAL MUSIC
Barry G. Funderburg is pleased to be working again with Steve and the rest of the family here at Next, where he is currently resident sound designer. This show marks the beginning of his third year in Chicago, where he has designed such productions as Macbeth (1996 Jeff Award for Sound Design), Snow, The Ice-Fishing Play, Yellow Heat, The Front Page, The History of the Devil, and Love's Labour's Lost at Next; and The Vanishing Twin for Lookingglass. He has worked extensively with designer Rob Milburn, recently co-designing Angels in America: Millennium Approaches with him at Milwaukee Rep, serving as associate sound designer on Steppenwolf's A Streetcar Named Desire, and as assistant sound designer for the national tour of Angels in America, as well as Sin and A Christmas Carol at the Goodman Theatre. In addition to theatre, Barry works as a freelance recording/post-production engineer for albums, video, and film, and his recording work for Purdue University has been heard on radio and television nationwide. He holds a BA in Theatre and Music Theory/Composition and an MFA in Theatrical Sound Design from Purdue University, where he has also served as guest instructor.
BARRY FUNDERBURG INTERVIEW WITH ROBIN SCHORR
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IDEO Chicago is a professional services firm helping clients achieve strategic competitive advantage through product development and innovation. With a track record of successfully developing over 4,0000 products, IDEO is a proven innovator.
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Kristine Knanishu went to Edinburgh, Scotland last summer where she designed the costumes for Great Jones theatre co. production of Boy's Life at the Assembly Rooms. She is delighted to be back working here at Next on this year's productions of Snow and Burning Chrome after having designed costumes for last season's The Front Page and The Ice-Fishing Play. Other credits include: Was, Ecstasy, and The Planets for Roadworks; Viper's Opium for Great Jones in association with Starving Artists theatre co.; Locked-up Down Shorty's for Steeltown Productions; The Napoleonade for Eclipse; and Greenland for Famous Door. Kristine holds an M.F.A. in costume design from Illinois State University.
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Agnieszka Kunska is honored to be working with Steve Pickering at The Next Theatre Co. She studied both art and theatre at Towson State University in Baltimore, where she worked with Liberty Showcase, Mongrel, and New Century Theatres. Design credits include A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Bacchae, Quilters, The Front Page, and The King and I, among others. Recent Chicago credits include Danny and the Deep Blue Sea at Strawdog Theatre, Principia Scriptoriae at Circle Theatre, Arms and the Man with greasy joan and co., and The Young Playwrights Festival with Pegasus Players. Aga co-designed Next's remount of The Front Page at Theatre on the Lake this past summer. Assisting credits include Poor Super Man and Nagasaki Dust, both at Bailiwick Rep. Theatre. She seems to be getting used to the weather around here; rumor has it she's starting to go native.
AGA INTERVIEW WITH ROBIN SCHORR
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STAGE MANAGER
Dan Michel is ecstatic to be working with The Next Theatre Co. for the second time, after stage managing Snow here earlier this season. Previous credits include Peace4 (premiere) with Healthworks Theatre, Pope Joan with Orlok Productions and directing The Foreigner with the Lillian Russell Theatre in Clinton, IA. He has done extensive work with the Bailiwick Theatre including Hello Again, Animal Farm and The Christmas Schooner. Dan holds an MFA in Directing from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and originally hails from Minneapolis. During the day, he works in his own Cyberspace as webmaster at Second Harvest, the nation's largest domestic hunger relief organization.
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DEVELOPMENT AND FABRICATION OF CYBER-PROPS
Scott Padiak & Associates is a Chicago Based Product development and prototype firm. Furniture, computer equipment, consumer goods and merchandising systems suggest the range of their work. SP&A has been materializing the concepts of Designers and Engineers since 1978.
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ASSOCIATE SOUND DESIGNER/SOUND ENGINEER
Teff Uchima This is Teff's third season as sound engineer for Next, and her second production as part of the sound design team, having co-designed Next's production of Snow. Previous engineering credits at Next include the world premieres of Keith Reddin's Almost Blue and Allan Bates' Yellow Heat; the U.S. premiere of Clive Barker's The History of the Devil; and the Jeff award winner for sound design, Macbeth. Outside credits include sound design for Shattered Globe's production of In a Pig's Valise through One Bedroom Productions and Love in the Catskills. She has also engineered for the Neediest Children's Fund, showcasing some of the finest folk musicians in the midwest. Teff would like to thank Petey, Steve, Barry, Lisa, and Adrian for their continued support, and her mother, who always thought she had it in her.
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MANAGING DIRECTOR/TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Peter Rybolt continues his fourth season as Next's Managing Director. He has worked in professional theater since 1979 as an actor, teacher, fight choreographer, designer, and director with companies including The Goodman Shakespeare Repertory, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Actors Lab Arizona, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Milwaukee Chamber Theater, and off-Broadway in New York. His acting credits include the role of Ellard in the world premiere of Larry Shue's The Foreigner at Milwaukee Repertory Theater and, later, at the Astor Place Theatre in New York and the Candlelight/Forum in Summit, as well as Scott McPherson's Marvin's Room at the Goodman (Studio and Mainstage), and Amlin Gray's Kingdom Come for Milwaukee Rep. Previously at Next, Mr. Rybolt appeared in The Ice-Fishing Play, directed Yellow Heat: Vincent van Gogh in Arles, and choreographed fights for Henry V. He is a graduate of Webster College Conservatory of Theatre Arts in St. Louis.
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"Burning Chrome Live" home | Gibson | The Play | Next Theatre | Burning City, Inc.
SCENIC
DESIGN RENDERINGS
COSTUME
DESIGN RENDERINGS