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bullet The Willing Participant  
 

By Matt O'Neill
Directed by Steve Walker

Appeared in 2006

 
     
 
  The Willing Participant  
 
     
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Show Info

 
 


PREVIEW: Friday February 17 @ 8pm $10.00
SPECIAL FACTORY BENEFIT GALA PERFORMANCE
Saturday February 18th @ 8:00pm $40.00
OPENING NIGHT: Sunday February 19th @ 7pm
Continuing Fridays and Saturdays @ 8pm
Sundays @ 7pm. through March 25th

Factory Theater at the Prop Thtr 3504 N. Elston Ave, Chicago.

TICKET PRICES
$10.00 Preview February 17th
$ 40.00 FACTORY BENEFIT GALA
$20.00 general run
$5.00 Industry Night March 13th

Click here TO PURCHASE TICKETS or call 866.811.4111

 
     
 
     
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Synopsis

 
 


A cop. An investigation. An affair. An abduction.Ray Shepard, a Chicago police officer, is being questioned for the death of Jim Farzo. Complicating matters is his romantic entanglement with Annette Farzo, Jim's sister. Meanwhile, an insane dispute within Ray's condo association escalates to astronomical proportions. When in the midst of all this aliens from a far-off galaxy abduct Ray, thrusting him into the middle of their civil war, worlds collide. The Factory Theater presents the World Premiere of Matt O'Neill's dark comedy in which different universes battle for truth, autonomy and galactic balance.

 
     
 
     
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Review

 
 

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  Willing Participant Review  
 
     
bullet The Cast  
     
 

Ray Shepard- Manny Tamayo
Annette Farzo/Sheila- Heather Tyler
Wong/others- Rick Lazarus
Agnus/Jim Farzo/others- Laura McKenzie
Charlie Sutten-Eric Roach
Pat- Chas Vrba
Ben/Tim-Ernie Deak
Eric/Bartender- Matt Engle
Dominick/ Heto- Ziggy Olson
Tessie/Tyne- Pamela Pierro
Robots- Jason Lubow/Dan Tamarkin

The Staff

Playwright: Matt O’Neill
Director: Steve Walker
Producer: Scott OKen
Sound Design: Chas Vrba
Set Design: Dan Tamarkin
Lighting Design: C.W. van Baale
Costume Design: Jennifer Zielinski
Technical Director: Dan Tamarkin
Props: Ziggy Olson
Stage Manager: Joe Gehr
Assistant Director: Jason Lubow
Graphics/Poster Art: Ben Utley

 
     
  Ernie Deak - (Ben/Tim)
 
 

This cat is damn proud to be a Factory ensemble member. Most recently he was seen prowling the stage in a variety of roles in Top Shelf ...
Previous sightings include Surface Dwellers, Factory Match Game '99 and Toast of the Town. He even co-wrote Win, Place or Show, Surface Dwellers and Toast of the Town! Seriously! I'm not hot-doggin' ya! Thanks to "Stone Cold" Steve Walker! Additional thanks to Nick Digilio, Scott OKen and Allison Cain. Love to Tracy.

  Allison Cain
 
     
     
  Matt Engle – (Eric/Bartender)  
 

Matt has worked with various companies around town (The Free Associates, Open Eye, Hi-Volt, & Steep) but you can mostly find Matt jackassing it up here at the Factory, where he is a proud company member. Some of his favorite roles include: Octopuslips (Top Shelf...), Cy Curnin (Toast of the Town), Brian Nowlan (Being At Choice), and frat boy zombie, Grave Matthews (Among the Dead). And, here's a little known fact about Matt Engle: by day, he teaches the future of America to speak Pirate. Seriously.

  Matt Engle
 
     
     
  Rick Lazurus - (Wong/others)  
 

Rick Lazarus last performed with the Factory in Captain Raspberry. He's also worked with the Curious Theatre Branch and the Magpies, playing roles in My Name Is Mudd and White Suit Science.

  Rick Lazurus
 
     
     
  Jason Lubow– (Robot, Assistant Director)  
 

01001100 01110101 01100010 01101111 01110111 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01110110 01100101 01110010 01111001 00100000 01101000 01001100 01110101 01100010 01101111 01110111 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01110110 01100101 01110010 01111001 00100000 01101000

  Jason Lubow
 
     
     
  Laura McKenzie – (Agnus/JiFarzo/others)  
 

Laura is no stranger to aliens. When she was in third grade, her parents decided it was time they have “the talk”. They informed her that they were not from planet Earth, that they were aliens with special blue tails (only appearing when asleep), and that their Beagle (named Bilbo Baggins) was not only the best dog ever, but also an outer space antenna. As an earthling, Laura was last seen poling it with a whoopee cushion in Top Shelf. Other Factory credits include: Toast of the Town, Ménage à Trailer (co-writer and performer), Being at Choice, and Chicagostyle. A native Texan, Laura has lived and performed all across the country, including doing her one woman show Laura McKenzie Feels Like Makin’ Love in Chicago, New York and Seattle. Other writer-performer credits include: Alice with the Neo-Futurists, Funk Cloud: Fight the Stank! and Waiting On Godot (co-written with Kate Hawley). Laura is a graduate of Northwestern University, and does not have a job that offers health insurance. G5. (If you’re from her planet, you’ll know what that means.)

  Laura McKenzie
 
     
     
  Ziggy Olson - (Dominick/ Heto, Props)  
 

Charlie "Ziggy" Olson recently went to Medieval
Times and has now become thoroughly convinced that ALL theatre, nay, ALL entertainment should be enjoyed while gnawing on a giant piece of chicken
with your bare hands. Here at the Factory we are working to make this dream a reality, so be sure to check back in the future. We do have beer.

  Ziggy Olson
 
     
     
  Pamela Pierro - (Tessie/Tyne)  
 

Ms. Pierro is thrilled to be making her Factory debut performance in The Willing Participant. She has served on the Factory's Board of Directors for the past year. Back in the day you may have seen her in other shows elsewhere, but she took time off to travel and go to law school, where she realized just how handy acting can be. She is currently a litigation attorney - want a card?

  Pamela Pierro
 
     
     
  Eric Roach - (Charlie Sutten)  
 

Eric Thomas Roach is excited and thrilled to be in this production of The Willing Participant. You may have seen him at Simon's, Konak, or possibly Chief O'Neill's. Please take note that this production is the first and possibly only time that Eric is not wearing a silly wig, a crazy costume, or doing a silly voice. He is attempting to "act," so be gentle. Big ups to his Factory peeps. Love to Angel.

  Eric Roach
 
     
     
  Dan Tamarkin -
(Robot, Lighting Design, Technical Director)
 
 

Dan is a fifteen-year veteran of Chicago theater, having worked and played with The Annoyance's Metraform, Sweetback, The Journeymen, European Repertory, National Pastime, Chicago Park District, Prop Thtr, Teatro Luna, HeadCheeseFatBoss, and many others. A Factory Theater member, and founder of Why A Duck Theatrical Productions, Dan consults & designs for, rents to, and remains generally infatuated with Chicago theater. When he's not in tech, Dan rides Trek/Bontrager, climbs Petzl, Chouinard & EMS, and believes completely that collaboration is king. Thanks to everyone here tonight, and to Walker, Jason, and Jean.

  Eric Thomas Roach
 
     
     
  Manny Tamayo – (Ray Shepard)  
 

Manny is a proud memeber of the Factory. He also serves as Ensemble Director. He hails from Joliet.

  Manny Tamayo
 
     
     
  Heather Tyler (Annette Farzo/Sheila)  
 

Returning from the throes of rebellion in the frigid Siberian terrain, Heather is overjoyed at being back on the Factory stage here in warm, sunny Chicago. Previous credits include Top Shelf, Toast of the Town, Menage a Trailer and the summer of wine and cheese...wait, that last one might not be real...Heather would like you to know that she is an alien virgin. Wait, make that a virgin alien. Whichever. Regardless, she would like to thank her Trekkie friends, the sci-fi geeks of the world, MeTv's Twilight Zone Sundays and the Chicago police force for inspiration for this evening's performance. Love to matao (note: not an alien virgin).

  Noah Simon
 
     
     
  Chas Vrba - (Pat, Sound Design)  
 

Chas has appeared in many Factory Theater productions. He has served as the company’s Managing Director for the past four years. He is an avid music collector. He once had an aquarium with many fish, but they all died. He had his appendix removed in the third grade and missed Thanksgiving Dinner. He has never seen an alien or a ghost, but he has seen the films Alien and Ghost (Alien-good, Ghost-not so much.) He thanks you for coming to see the show. If you have any questions, feel free to ask him, and he’ll try to answer them. He has nothing more to say at this time.

  Chas Vrba
 
     
 
     
bullet The Crew  
     
  Matt O'Neill (Playwright)
Been a while since I wrote one of these. God, I hate referring to myself in the third person.

Matt has been working with The Factory since 1995 and has appeared in way to many productions to list. Of these many great experiences, Matt appeared in The Vinyl Shop, which got him a Joseph Jefferson nomination for best performance in a supporting role, and a Best Supporting Performance award and the 3rd annual New York Fringe Festival. That being said, the best show in Factory history that Matt was a part of was Herb Stabler; Wandering Spirit, written my Michael Beyer. If you missed it, too bad. This is Matt's second play to be produced by The Factory. The first, Captain Raspberry, was also his directorial debut (co-directed with Steve Walker). Matt has had other plays produced around town, most notably by the now-defunct Studio 108, of which Allison Cain, President of the Factory Theater, was a founder. Matt has appeared in a number of other shows with numerous other companies throughout the city and has appeared in several commercials, print ads, some voice over, and, occasionally, will show up in a movie.

C.W. van Baale (Lighting Design)
C.W. van Baale most recently designed the lighting for Factory's Top Shelf last fall. He is also the technical director for Open Eye Productions, who will be producing Assassins this May at the Storefront Theatre. Formerly a lighting rental supervisor, he currently teaches science at the Chicago Academy for the Arts.

Joe Gehr (Stage Manager)
Joe Gehr likes boobies. Yours, his, hers, theirs, hers and his own. Why don't you put your hand on her shoulder. Yeah, that's it. No, no don't be afraid, it's okay to like it. Now give her a hug. Yeah, nice and close, yeah. Now smell her. Milk, Milk, Lemonade around the corner Fudge is made. (773) 555 - 6666,
Call me.

 
     
     
     
 
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