Saturday, November 19, 5 PM
Studio 1, Walgreen Drama Center, North Campus, University of Michigan
Blood (1994), guest staged reading by Akvavit Theatre: about a wife and husband tormented over their missing son and the husband’s male lover, who are eventually brought together in a heartrending denouement as the unbearable truth of their lives is revealed.
Akvavit Theatre is a collaborative voice in the Chicago theatre scene. Taking as our inspiration the striking landscapes of the five Nordic countries—harnessing the force of the glacier, in its powerful seeming stillness, the volcano, in its sudden white-hot eruption, and the arctic silence in between—we strive to find the universal through the voices of the Nordic world. This is our contribution to the American mosaic. And like our namesake drink, Akvavit brings a “strong spirit” to the plays, workshops and events that we produce.
Chad Eric Bergman, Producing Artistic Director:
Chad Eric Bergman actively collaborates in the Chicago Storefront scene having worked with Stage Left, Live Bait, Chicago Dramatists, MPAACT, parker, Plasticene and Akvavit in various artistic ways. He has been an artist in residence at the Ragdale Foundation and the University of Chicago’s Summer Incubator. He spent a year in Finland on a Fulbright exploring bilingual theatre. At North Park University, he has been developing a theatre curriculum that is based on the Chicago Storefront Theatre model.
Breahan Eve Pautsch. Literary Manager:
Breahan Eve Pautsch is originally from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. She earned her BA in Theatre and English at UW-Madison and has been working in Chicago as an actor and director since 2003. She is a company member with Akvavit Theatre, where she serves as Literary Manager, and she is also a company member with Indie Boots Theatre. As a director, she has worked with Akvavit, Raven Theatre, Wildclaw Theatre, The International Voices Project, Hobo Junction Productions, Full Voice Productions, Mudgeonsoul Cinema, Broken Nose Theatre and Stockyards Theatre Project.
Kirstin Franklin, Casting Director:
Born and raised in Colorado, Kirstin is an actor, director, playwright and educator based in Chicago, IL. She has been a professional theatre maker for over 13 years, performing and directing in regional theatres across the country from Minneapolis to New York City. She has also taught a broad range of theatre classes at various colleges throughout Chicago and has lead students abroad to study Theatre in London. Kirstin holds a BA in theatre from St. Olaf College and an MFA in acting from the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training. Kirstin is a company member with Akvavit Theatre.
Mark Litwicki has appeared in Akvavit’s Frozen on the Square (1982), Mishap, and Autumn Dream. Other recent projects include co-directing They Died Where They Lied for Akvavit in 2013 and directing En las sombras de Colján for Spanishlanguage theater company Colectivo el Pozo in 2012.
Amber Robinson is a director, actor and devisor, and a member of TUTA Theatre in addition to Akvavit. Most recently Amber performed in New York at Roundabout and The Signature Theater with Emma Stanton’s award-winning play, “No Candy”. In Chicago, Amber has worked with many storefront companies including Strange Tree, Forks & Hope, Strawdog, Collaboraction, Redmoon, and Emerald City, as well as directing several projects for Grey Ghost Theatre, of which she is a co-founder. Amber is a graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University and the Moscow Art Theatre’s American Studio.
Josh Zagoren is from Iowa, schooled in Boston and has been a writer/actor in Chicago since 2006, performing in four WildClaw productions (Legion, Carmilla, The Shadow Over Innsmouth and the 2015 remount of The Revenants) as well as hosting our annual Deathscribe. On the sly, he performs every Saturday as Chad the Bird of The Paper Machete at Chicago’s Historic Green Mill Lounge. Terrified of airplanes, totally has a collection of skulls and falls asleep to The X-Files, he is very happy to be home.
Blood Cast:
Rosa: Breahan Pautsch
Eric: Mark Litwicki
Madeleine: Amber Robinson
Luca: Josh Zagoren
Voices: ensemble
Stage Directions: Kirstin Franklin
