American Agency

This past weekend marked the 23rd Abbie Hoffman Festival at Mary Archie Theatre Co.

I had the opportunity to perform at this festival for the first time since coming to Chicago six years ago.

I was e-mailed by a friend of a friend to be a part of the show American Agency by Alexandra Bassett and I had nothing going on at the time so I decided to take the opportunity.

At first I just though it would be a fun experience and allow me to act and keep fresh with no long term shows in the immediate future.

In the end it became much more than just a time filler. First and foremost I had the opportunity to work with a wonderful young director Josh Sobel who I really think is going to do wonderful things in Chicago and who is directing a new show with The Fine Print Theater Co. this fall. He had such a great vision for the play and was extremely dedicated to making sure the story was told in its entirety even with a short and varied rehearsal process.

It was an absolute joy to work with him and I cannot thank him enough for helping to make the experience what it was.

I also had the opportunity to work in a fun and safe environment with wonderful cast mates who allowed me to make choices for my character that, in a quick rehearsal period, sometimes get overlooked. I found myself really living in the world of the play and felt comfortable making choices that personified my character in a very real way.

Overall what was to be a cool opportunity to meet new people and do some acting ended up teaching me things and broadening my outlook of the plays I'm working on and the characters that live within them.

Of the festival itself, I will say that I am glad opportunities like this exist in Chicago. It is a constant reminder of how much this city loves theater and why this city of actors is a great place to live.