(l to r) Michael Ingram,
Stephanie Ferrell,
Steve Pickering, Ted Koch.
DIRECTOR'S NOTES:
We have taken to describing William Gibson's Burning Chrome as "hard-boiled sci-fi," because that is essentially what it is: a Hammett-like noir heist tale set in the future. A graphic novel for the stage. And because of that, you don't necessarily have to have a complete working knowledge of the world of computer technology in order to enjoy the story. The basic thing I think that you need to understand is that instead of tunneling up through a steel vault like Sterling Hayden in The Asphalt Jungle, the two thieves in Burning Chrome have to travel through a neurological representation called The Matrix (Cyberspace) in order to bump off the bank. Or, in this case, the gangster's database. Anything beyond that is gravy, as they say: explained here, or within the context of the play.
Mr. Charlie Athanas, our sometime poster artist, and an old school chum of mine, brought the idea of staging a William Gibson story to us almost ten years ago, and we are delighted to be a part of what I know for him is a small dream come true. I think you will be able to judge his enthusiasm for this author from the special toys he has designed for the production. Charlie and Jim Currie from the Evanston Research Park Incubator also have worked many, many weeks together inviting technological companies from the Park to participate in this project. So, it is directly due to them that we have this rather amazing group of new sponsors and advisors from our community for Burning Chrome. And I don't think we could ever thank them properly for it.
And, of course, we are enormously grateful to Mr. Clive Barker, Ms. Anna Miller, and Mr. Gibson himself for taking their valuable time to make the interview happen for our special Burning Chrome web site.
Steve Pickering - Artistic Director