Eureka!

The Living Canvas: Eureka has something for every taste—serene solo pieces, whimsical action sequences, haunting operatic arias, sensual dances, and light-hearted segments that are just plain fun. The overarching theme of this year’s Living Canvas show is the notion of discovery, and the audience will be challenged to look for the connections as they witness this wide variety of performance pieces. Eureka is fun, serious, evocative, and sensual. Above all, it is a celebration of the beauty of the human body, and it is a mesmerizing experience to watch the nude performers move gracefully through projected patterns and textures as they work around the stage just a few feet from members of the audience.

Every year, Pete Guither and his talented production team come up with new innovations that take the Living Canvas concept to new artistic and technological levels. In the early years, banks of slide projectors with faders filled the stage with colorful images. This technology eventually gave way to more versatile LCD projectors mounted at the back of the theater and in the lighting grid above the heads of the performers. LCD projectors are still being used this year to fill the stage with colorful patterns and textures, but with an exciting new dimension—small hand-held units that allow the performers to bring the light right down to the stage within a few feet of the action. The result is incredible since this innovation gives Guither the ability to bring his projections to places in the performing space that could not have been lit with the stationary projection units.

It is an amazing experience to watch a Living Canvas rehearsal. The ensemble has only been rehearsing together for a few weeks, but to see them work together so smoothly, it would be easy to assume that they had been together for a much longer period of time. The entire cast is actively involved in all phases of the production and they freely offer suggestions about the concepts underlying each of the performance pieces, the choreography of the dance movements, and the projected images that work best in each segment of the show. Each performer has many responsibilities, but when new tasks or challenges arise, ensemble members generously offer to help. For many of the members of the cast, this is the first time they have ever performed nude on stage, but their poise, confidence, and enthusiasm remind us all that it is natural and empowering to celebrate the beauty of the human body.

Audience participation has always been an important element of each Living Canvas performance, and this year the popular segment has been slotted in the middle of the show rather than at the end where it has been many times in past years. The segment involves a routine that is best done with many participants, and any intrepid members of the audience who might want to try the Living Canvas experience are invited to shed their clothes at this point in the show and join the cast onstage as they watch the beautiful colorful projections play on their bodies. The new National Pastime stage is larger than the stage used in past years, so there is plenty of room for volunteers!

The Living Canvas: Eureka opens at 10:00 pm on Friday, June 29, and will run until August 11. It’s an outstanding show with a group of very talented performers who will amaze you with their originality, energy, and grace. Individual tickets for this show are available at the Brown Paper Tickets site, but if you plan to see all of the shows in the Naked July festival this summer, you will save money by purchasing a Festival Pass that will admit you to all of the shows and other special events that are scheduled. The fun starts on Friday—see you at the National Pastime Theater.

It's Getting Hot at the National Pastime Theater

All of the shows to be featured at the upcoming Naked July festival are in their final week of rehearsal, and once again, Keely Haddad-Null has done a masterful job of crafting a play for the festival that is mystical, sensual, and thought-provoking. She is the director of Jose Rivera’s References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot, and she has challenged her actors to look deep into their own experiences to dredge up the passions and the hostilities that fuel Rivera’s story.

When she was recently asked why she felt that the play by Jose Rivera was a fitting selection as the headline show for Naked July, Haddad-Null offered this explanation: “Naked July: Art Stripped Down is a festival that celebrates the naked body as natural, beautiful, and true. Strip away the layers of clothing - items that appear to indicate a person's culture, values, or style--and you discover a human being--nothing more, nothing less. References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot centers on this search for truth. The story revolves around a series of events that occur over and over again. Gabriela awaits her husband's return home from the war. Benito enters and the husband and wife attempt to reunite, but small everyday occurrences keep pushing them apart. The cycle of fights to the death, hot sweaty sex, and search for the primary and real love continue.” 

Since Jose Rivera’s play is filled with dreamlike and surreal elements that set it apart from more traditional plays, Keely Haddad-Null reflected on some of the biggest challenges in capturing the full power of Rivera’s language and vision to maximize the magical experience for the audience. “Of course there are technical challenges to creating a magical world in which the moon plays a violin, a cat and coyote discuss their fears and desires, and a refrigerator rains sand. Still the biggest challenge is taking a surreal world and putting it into a concrete world that everyone understands. Each individual has a different idea of what a 'surreal' or 'dreamlike' world looks like, sounds like, or smells like. Creating this world in theater, which is by necessity a collaborative process, requires everyone to have a strong foothold in the tangible elements of this world in order for it to become a cohesive unit as opposed to a jumbled mess of ideas. This has forced our team - both cast and crew - to work in tandem and, as a pleasant side effect, this has brought everyone involved closer together.”

Michael O’Toole sits perched atop an old refrigerator through much of the play and offers his observations of life and love as the Moon when he is not playing his violin. Alison Chemers and Cameron Peart are the Cat and the Coyote, strutting the stage with only body paint covering their nude bodies--a fitting way to suggest their animal identities. The real heat is generated by Gabriela and Benito, the main characters played by Virginia Marie and Ernesto Melchor, Jr. Their dreams and disappointments are played our before our eyes as well as those of an oversexed neighbor boy (played by Nelson Rodriquez) who wants nothing more than to lose his virginity to the woman who occupies his thoughts and dreams.

This is an extremely entertaining production that works well as the foundation show for Naked July 2012. References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot opens at 8:00 pm on Friday, June 29, and Individual tickets for the show as well as Festival Passes good for all of the Naked July shows and special events this summer are available online at the secure Brown Paper Ticket site. Experience the passion and the sensuality at Naked July 2012.

Cameron Peart (center) gives some fighting tips to Virginia Marie and Ernesto Melchor, Jr, during a recent rehearsal.

Naked July Preview Night on June 23!

If you are among the many people who are anxiously awaiting the 2012 edition of the Naked July Festival, the artistic team at the National Pastime Theater has the perfect solution for you—a special “sneak peek” night featuring short segments from all of the shows that will be included in the Naked July 2012 celebration. This preview has become a much anticipated event each year since it allows audience members to get a first look at each of the shows, meet with the performers and directors, enjoy live music, and view the gallery of artwork on display in the theater lobby. It’s also a great opportunity to get a look at the great new performance space in the Preston Bradley Building on Lawrence Avenue in the Uptown neighborhood. Credit goes to Warren Winter/PSG for the photo of the new performing space shown here.

The Preview Night festivities begin at 8:00 pm on Saturday, June 23, and admission is free for people who have purchased a Naked July Festival Pass. A Festival Pass is a great value for people who plan to attend all of the shows this summer since it includes a ticket to each of the featured shows as well as special events that are scheduled throughout the run of the festival. If you have not yet purchased a Festival Pass, just click this link to go to the Brown Paper Ticket secure online ticket site:

Individual tickets for the Preview Night may be purchased at the door on the night of the event for $10.

If you have not attended Naked July events in past years, you should mark this event on your calendar and join the celebration. Naked July is about celebrating the beauty of the human body, and what makes this festival special is that there are many opportunities for audience members to get in the spirit and participate. In this sense, Naked July is a perfect manifestation of the self-stated vision of this bold theater company—“National Pastime Theater ensemble has the courage and the artistic vision. We are a company with a new reason for theater: setting to rights the jaded viewpoints of generations weaned on passive entertainment forms. No other theater in Chicago can offer such fearless exploitation of your senses. Where else but the National Pastime Theater lives the promise of the impossible?”

The clothes start coming off on June 23 and the celebration lasts until the beginning of August. Don’t miss the fun!

Richmond Jim--A Classic is Revived

One of the real benefits of attending the Naked July Festival hosted by the National Pastime Theater each summer is the opportunity to see bold and thought-provoking performances that are not likely to be staged in other venues around the city. Some shows get their premiere staging at NPT during the month-long Naked July festival, while others, such as the classic play by Cal Yeomans titled Richmond Jim, are revived after a long absence to entertain and challenge new audiences. Richmond Jim is directed by David Zak and is produced by Pride Films and Plays as part of the 2012 Naked July schedule.

Richmond Jim was the first successful play by Cal Yeomans. It premiered in San Francisco at the newly formed Theatre Rhinoceros and was selected as the Best Gay Play of the Year in 1979. Yeomans wrote several other plays over the next few years, but then turned his attention to poetry and photography in the mid-1980’s and specialized in creating artistic male nude images.  When a curator prepared an exhibition of some of his photography and lauded him for his groundbreaking plays, Yeomans replied that "my pictures say it better than my words ever did." Looking back, it is clear that his words and his images opened new frontiers for a generation of creative artists to follow.

Richmond Jim provides a compelling look into the gay community before the AIDS epidemic changed the landscape forever. PFP's Executive Director David Zak explains the project like this—“As we explore our mission to develop 'what's new and who's next' in LGBT plays and screenplays, we have also had the chance to explore important writing that has come before. When I first read Richmond Jim, I felt strongly that this play - which is a wonderful reflection of gay life before AIDS - would touch those who lived through this period, and teach those who have been born since."

The production includes performances by Kris Hyland (Jim), Jamie Smith (Biddy), and Chris Kossen (Mike). The Friday and Saturday performances start at midnight, but shows are scheduled for 8:00 pm during weekdays and at 6:00 pm for some special Sunday performances. More information about the Pride Films and Plays project can be found on their website. Thanks to David Zak for providing the photos used in this article.

Collaboration and Discovery

We have all experienced “eureka” moments at times in our lives when the figurative light bulb comes on in our heads and we grasp solutions or gain new insights to the mysteries in our lives. It is this spirit of self-discovery and epiphany that supplies both the title and the central theme of the 2012 Living Canvas show at the National Pastime Theater. Eureka will amaze audience members as they watch the talented cast of fifteen nude performers move across the stage bathed in colorful projected patterns and textures, and it will invite viewers to experience the liberating sensation of self-discovery for themselves at one point in the performance.

In one sense, Eureka takes the Living Canvas ensemble back to its formative roots. When Pete Guither staged his premiere Chicago performance of the Living Canvas on the Strawdog Theater stage back in the summer of 2001, the concept consisted of a series of short and visually compelling performance pieces. As the project evolved over the years, shorter vignettes gave way to full unified stories such as those told in the more recent memorable performances of Rain, Demons, and Nocturne. This year, the artistic team and the talented cast of performers have chosen to create a variety of individual pieces that will allow them to focus on those powerful moments of self-discovery that help to define and enrich our lives. Some of the segments will be solo performances or showcase the talents of a small group of performers while others will feature the full cast filling the entire performance space.

The notion of full collaboration has always been at the core of the Living Canvas concept, and the ability of the performers to work together creatively is a key consideration during the audition process. That collective spirit of creativity and innovation is even more apparent in this year’s production since ensemble members are responsible for developing the concepts and working with other ensemble members to bring their visions to the stage. Meagan Piccochi (pictured below leading a recent rehearsal) is working as a choreographer for the show, and she is joined by other members of the artistic team that includes Pete Guither, Adam Fox, Lisa Adams and Bill Daniel—all veterans of previous Living Canvas shows.

Since the new National Pastime Theater performing space is larger than the stage used for Naked July events in past years, the Eureka cast and artistic team have many new options as they develop both the dance moves and the projected light images to fill the space. As always, Pete Guither has promised some new technological innovations to make good use of the new performing space and to create the most powerful and memorable visual experience for the audience.

As noted above, each Living Canvas performance gives audience members an opportunity to experience the liberating sensation of shedding their clothes and discovering what it is like to be a “living canvas” as they move through a landscape of colorful projected patterns. The audience participation segment is completely voluntary, of course, but it is a unique chance to experience a marvelous “eureka” moment in the voyage of self-discovery.

You can use this link to read more about The Living Canvas or to see galleries of images from past performances. Eureka opens at 10:00 pm on June 29 and runs until August 11.

Surrealism and Sexual Desire

Picture a lonely and isolated woman living alone in a desolate desert region awaiting her husband’s return from a military deployment. Mix in the dreamlike musings of an all-seeing moon, a gentle house cat, a lustful coyote, an oversexed teenage neighbor, and a sexually frustrated husband who craves sex after months of abstinence, and you have the makings of an intensely heated drama. These are the essential ingredients of the play titled References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot, the headline show at the 2012 Naked July Festival at the National Pastime Theater.

Like the paintings of Salvador Dali, Jose Rivera’s play has a surreal quality. The dialogue is often dreamlike and poetic, and the suggestive language reveals the intense sexual yearnings that drive the actions of several of the characters who surround the woman named Gabriela who is more interested in emotional passion than physical pleasure. Rivera’s language is both intriguing and challenging, and the result is a theater experience that will cause audience members to examine their own views of personal relationships and sexual desires.

References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot opens at 8:00 pm on Friday, June 29, and will run until Saturday, August 11. Cast members include Virginia Marie (Gabriela), Ernesto Melchor Jr. (Benito), Michael O’Toole (Moon), Cameron Peart (Coyote), Alison Chemers (Cat), and Nelson Rodriguez (Martin). Under the direction of Keely Haddad-Null, this show mixes desires of the unconscious with the stark reality of alienation in a foreign desert and adds a thick layer of surrealist aesthetic to the naked body—qualities that are at the core of the Naked July concept. Don't miss this great show and all of the other performances and special events that are scheduled as part of Naked July 2012.

Naked July 2012 is Coming Soon!

Plans are already underway for the immensely popular Naked July Festival at the National Pastime Theater, an annual event that features bold and exciting productions that explore new creative boundaries and challenge audience members to rethink their notions about the human experience. Performances for the Naked July 2012 Festival will be held from June 29-August 11 at the new location—941 W. Lawrence.

Jose Rivera's References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot is the headliner for The National Pastime Theater's fourth annual Naked July: Art Stripped Down festival. NPT is an experimental theater company that pushes the bounds of live theater. This festival celebrates the human body in its most natural form. This year's theme is “Rising from the Embers”.

Returning to the Naked July Festival for another year is the Living Canvas ensemble under the artistic direction of Pete Guither.  For the past several years, audiences have been treated to some amazing performances as bold and talented nude dancers tell their story as they move gracefully across the stage bathed in a colorful kaleidoscope of projected images. The title of the 2012 production is The Living Canvas: Eureka.

Be sure to watch for new posts on the NPT web site and this blog in the weeks ahead for news about the 2012 Naked July Festival and a variety of events that will be scheduled as a part of the annual summer celebration.

Last Weekend for Naked July 2011

Another very successful Naked July Festival is drawing to a close at the National Pastime Theater, and now only one weekend of performances remains on the calendar before the festival comes to an end. With three different shows scheduled for the NPT stage this weekend, there is still time to see these outstanding shows for the first time or to return for one last look before they are gone.

Salome (August 19 and 20, 8:00 pm)

Many theater companies have staged Oscar Wilde’s classic tale of lust and greed employing a wide variety of interpretations. While some directors have opted for gothic or contemporary settings, sometimes with kinky overtones, Laurence Bryan has crafted his NPT production in a no-nonsense manner that remains true to Wilde’s original intent. Many critics have praised the current production of Salome that is one of the anchors of the Naked July Festival this summer, but Brian Kirst in a recent issue of Sheridan Road Magazine sums up the strength of Bryan’s show as well as any writer:

“Oscar Wilde’s Salome recounts the biblical tale of the privileged and spoiled stepdaughter of a king who demands the head of John the Baptist for a seductive dance. And, indeed, Salome’s dance is a whirling marvel, here, delivered with pout and criminal intent by her young portrayer, Rebecca Wolfe. What stands out the most in this simply elegant production, though, is the beauty of Wilde’s language. Whether exploring the tormented complexities of passion or the blank beauty of the moon, Wilde’s words are poetically intriguing and frankly honest. Director Lawrence Bryan thankfully lets them speak for themselves and guides his cast to subtle, honest portrayals.”

The Living Canvas: Rain (August 19 and 20, 10:00 pm)
Much has already been written on this site about the incredible Living Canvas multimedia experience, and audiences this year have been especially intrigued and amazed by the addition of water to the story this summer. Rain features one of the larger Living Canvas ensembles in recent history, and the fourteen talented men and women who perform nude while moving through an ever-changing kaleidoscope of colorful projected patterns draw the audience into a compelling story that will create indelible memories that will persist long after the house lights go up. The audience participation segment is as popular as ever, so if you are looking for relief from the summer heat, you have two more opportunities this weekend to toss your clothes, get wet with the cast onstage, and become a part of the “living canvas” experience.

Carnival of Curiosity and Chaos (August 19, Midnight)
This late-night show by some of Chicago’s most outrageous and intrepid performance artists has something to offer for audience members who are interested in acts that are beyond the realm of the ordinary or traditional. This unique concept is best summed up in the words of performer Tom Hill:

"The freaks display their acts for peoples’ unquenchable curiosity for the outlandish and the unknown. Witness these human attractions for yourself--you will not see anything like this. The dangers are real; therefore, this is not for the faint of heart. It is an 18 and older show. Throughout the show, audience members will be given opportunities to assist with the freak performers."

Remember also that the Naked July art auction will continue until the final performances on Saturday, August 20, so plan to arrive at the theater early so you have time to look over the paintings, drawings, and sculptures that fill the NPT lobby. Don’t miss out on the final days of Naked July 2011—call the NPT box office at 773-327-7077 or visit the secure online ticket site to reserve your seats.

Rave Reviews for Rain

If you have been following the theater reviews for the Naked July shows this summer, you have probably noticed that several reviewers have heaped praise on the current show by the Living Canvas ensemble titled Rain. If you have missed them, here are some excerpts from several reviews with links to the full versions of the stories. There are only four more performances for this great Living Canvas show on the schedule this summer (August 12, 13, 19, and 20), so if you want to be mesmerized by this marvelous multimedia experience, be sure to get to the National Pastime Theater in the next two weeks before the shows close on August 20.


Writing in a recent issue of New City, Zach Freeman writes “Rain is the eighth Living Canvas show in Chicago and it’s clear that artistic director Pete Guither has really made this one a collaborative effort. Working with a script by Bill Daniel, sound designer Isaac Mandel and director/choreographer Gaby Labotka (along with the talented cast) have created a moving, funny and visually striking piece that plays out beneath Guither’s projected images. Like the water that the show constantly references, Rain effortlessly flows from one vignette to the next till it reaches its impressively splashy finale. Most notably, Rain succeeds in its mission of letting the audience see the (non-sexual) beauty in bodies of all shapes and sizes.” Read the full article in the online version of New City.

Tom Williams wrote an extensive review of Rain in the Chicago Critic blog and he gives the show a “recommended” rating. After presenting a detailed synopsis of the plot of the show, Williams sums up the spirit of Rain with his final observations: “The fun culminates with a funny rendition of “Singing in The Rain” that found the cast splashing water around while spinning their umbrellas. The audience roared their approval. The show was fun especially for those adventurous audience members who eagerly stripped naked and joined the cast on stage upon an invitation from the cast. The fun show has a visceral appeal for more than the voyeuristic; it is a pleasant and tasteful expression of the human body. The cast and the audience have fun and no one is getting exploited- all play homage to the natural beauty of the body. If you’ve never been to a Living Canvas show – try this one – it’s fun.” The full review is available at the Chicago Critic site.

Likewise, the reviewer for the Sheridan Road blog had praise for the technological qualities of the lighting and sound that are at the core of this multimedia show, and concludes with this observation: “Because of this technical ingenuity, The Living Canvas: Rain ultimately offers itself up as one of the most unique and intensely beautiful stage shows that one is lucky enough to experience in their lifetime.” Click here to read the full article on the Sheridan Road site.

Don’t miss the final shows this summer and, when you do come to National Pastime Theater to immerse yourself in this amazing experience, don’t forget that you are invited to join the cast onstage at the end of the show to shed your inhibitions (and your clothes) to find out what it feels like to be a “living canvas.”

Vagina Monologues and a Curious Carnival

As the 2011 Naked July Festival at National Pastime Theater winds down, there are still several special events and performances left on the schedule before closing night later this month. Both Salome and Living Canvas: Rain have been extended until Saturday, August 20, and two other special performances have been added to the schedule as well.

The Vagina Monologues, the groundbreaking play by Eve Ensler, will be performed in a staged reading at 6:00 pm on Sunday, August 7. Since the first version of this play was performed in 1996, Ensler’s work based on interviews with more than 200 women has received critical acclaim and has spawned a national movement known as VDay that has helped to raise awareness and funds for rape crisis centers and other resources for women. Kaitlen Osburn directed this staged reading which was added to the Naked July schedule as one more means to advance the themes of the festival this year.

Another recent addition to the Naked July schedule is a completely unique and outrageous performance piece titled The Carnival of Curiosity & Chaos: Male Review Show. With acts including trapeze silks, “human bulletin board,” bed of nails, and “block head,” this event is sure to satisfy those who seek courageous and unusual live entertainment. Tom Hill, Jeffrey Pressley, and Eric Green are the scheduled performers for this special event that will be staged at midnight on Friday, August 19.

The true nature of this unique performance piece is revealed on the Carnival of Curiousity and Chaos Facebook page:

"Witness These Human Attractions For Yourself, You Will Not See Anything Like This. The Dangers Are Real Therefore These Performances Are Not for the Faint of Heart And Are 18 And Older Shows. Throughout The Show Audience Members Will Be Given Opportunities To Assist With The Freak Performers, Talk About An Up-Close Experience!"


Only two weeks remain for Naked July 2011, so if you have not yet made your way to National Pastime Theater, be sure to check out these special shows and get your tickets for Salome and Rain before they close on August 20.

Special Events at the Naked July Festival

In keeping with the underlying themes of the Naked July Festival and the celebration of the human form in all artistic media, the producers have once again scheduled a series of special events throughout the month of July so that artists and audience members can experience a variety of creative efforts.

As part of the Preview Night festivities on June 24, a group of artists and models got together in the NPT performance space and gave audience members a chance to mingle with them and observe the creative process as they created nude figure studies. Male and female models posed for the group of artists, and the dress code was clothing optional for artists as well as the models. Gary Schirmer, the curator of the fine art gallery in the NPT lobby, shared this photo from the event and was the organizer of the figure drawing special event. Don't forget to check out the outstanding fine art drawings, paintings, and sculptures in the lobby before and after you see the shows--the art pieces are all up for auction, so ask about the bidding process and the reserve prices when you pick up your tickets.

On Sunday, July 10, audience members were treated to a special multimedia performance by a group called the Impending Behavior Orchestra. The musical group is led by Barry Bennett who was pleased to return to National Pastime Theater where he performed many years ago, and he was joined by musicians Toru Hironaka and Edward Reardon. Kristin Reeves created the video segments and worked with the musicians throughout the evening as they created an “improvised splendor of sound and sight.” Reeves is a multimedia artist whose work always involves bodies and space and has been contributing moving images to live solo and collaborative performances in Chicago since 2005. You can read more about the creative work of these performance artists on their web sites—Barry Bennett Sounds and Kristin Reeves: Artist.


Be sure to watch the Naked July web site for information about upcoming special events and news about the shows that are appearing on the NPT stage this summer—Salome, Rain, and the Beast Women. You can also find the screening times for the Naked July cinema series on the web site.

The Naked July Fine Art Auction is Open

As noted in the previous post, the lobby and front windows of the National Pastime Theater are filled with drawings, paintings, sculptures, and ceramic pieces that challenge viewers to consider the human form in new and different ways. As you explore this collection of art, please remember that all of the pieces on display are for sale through an auction process that will continue through the entire run of the Naked July Festival. The artists have set reserve or minimum prices for their pieces, and the items will be sold to the highest bidders at the end of the festival if the final bids meet or exceed the minimum prices set by the artists. Be sure to ask for information about the auction when you arrive at the theater. Here are more examples of the great art on display:

Steven Hudson has two very striking and thought-provoking pieces hanging on the gallery walls in the NPT lobby this summer. Here are some thoughts that Hudson shared about his art concepts: “My dramas offer a fantastic view of humanity existing after some unspecified cataclysm. Here, the apocalypse is a conceit dulled by reiteration. Revealed in an unforgiving light, the pulpy and flawed inhabitants convulse or grope about, naked, as if on display. Glances are averted, gestures are uneasy. Names and places are no more. Their time of judgment has long been forgotten. Littered about them are token remnants of our own materialism, it’s meaning stripped away and replaced with something cryptic.” Be sure to visit Hudson's amazing web site to see more examples of his work.

Clare Rosean is a Chicago native who received her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2010. Rosean is currently pursuing her MFA at the University of Chicago. She describes her work as “good clean fun” and she has posted a variety of her imaginative drawings paintings online. You can click this link to visit her web site to view more images or to purchase cards, stationery, and prints.

Mila Ryk is an immigrant from Ukraine who writes that the “most vivid memories I have of my childhood were the many days I spent painting, sculpting and drawing. My immigration from Ukraine to the United States changed many things for me. I am thankful for the opportunity to do something I love and be able to express myself in a way that is, I hope, inspirational to others.” Ryk has formed a company called Art & Beyond Studio, Inc. that was established in 2003. She is an Honored Member of the Cambridge Who's Who Registry of Executives and Professionals, and the Hamilton’s Who's Who in the “Artist” field. Ryk is also a member of the Chicago Artists Coalition, the Skokie Art Guild, the Elmhurst Artists' Guild and am a member of the Morton Grove Chamber of Commerce. Images of many of her art pieces are posted on her web site that she calls “Imaginary Expressionism.”

Ron Bork is an honors graduate of the University of Illinois School of Fine and Applied Arts, and continues studies at the American Academy of Art, the Palette and Chisel Academy and the College of DuPage, as well as various workshops. His work includes historical narrative subjects as well as figural and landscape work.


Be sure to ask for the auction list when you come to National Pastime Theater to see the performances during the remaining weeks in July. You can help to support local artists and add a new piece of art to your own collection.

Don't Miss the Naked July Fine Art Gallery

Once again, the theater lobby and front windows of the National Pastime Theater have been transformed into a fine art gallery featuring the work of some of the most talented artists in the Chicago metropolitan area. As you might guess, since this gallery was created during the annual Naked July Festival, figure drawings and paintings as well as other works that celebrate the beauty of the human body are the primary focus of the exhibit. All of the pieces will be on display during the festival in July and are available for purchase.

Patty Davoust created the eye-catching sculpture shown above that is displayed in the front window of the National Pastime Theater as well as a ceramic piece that hangs in the theater lobby. Patty is a resident artist at the Batavia Artists Association at Water Street Studios and a part-time instructor at the Moraine Valley Community College. Patty has also been an inspiration for other artists by working as a figure model for the past several years.

Gary Schirmer returns to NPT this summer, this time as the curator of the fine arts gallery for Naked July 2011. Gary has also helped to advance the understanding of the artistic process by facilitating figure drawing sessions at National Pastime Theater during the summer festival. In addition to his work as curator of the exhibit, Gary also has pieces of his own on display in the theater lobby again this summer. Be sure to visit his web site to learn more about his work or to contact him about purchasing one of his drawings.

Lauren Smith is a Chicago-based artist and writer whose portfolio includes drawings, sculptures, paintings, and children’s books. Lauren is a graduate of The School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a BFA in illustration and material studies. Her illustrations have been published and sold in several venues including Lulu.com publishing and Amazon.com. You can read more about this talented artist or commission her for a project by visiting her web site.


Louis Mustari is a retired art professor at the School of Art at Northern Illinois University who now works in drawing and woodcarving. He was the focus of a one man exhibition titled Drawing the Human Figure, of which he wrote “My work is the direct outcome of some of my most basic ideas. I believe visual art to be an aesthetic expression, in any given medium, that communicates something of the human condition and experience. The most direct, if not the best, way of communicating is by that which we hold in common: our human body.”


If you plan to attend any of the Naked July performances this month, be sure to come to the theater early so that you have time to look at the outstanding artwork on display in the lobby.

The Epitome of Teamwork and Collaboration

Anyone who has attended a Living Canvas performance is familiar with the creative choreography and disciplined dance movements that define each show. What audience members do not see, however, is an equally precise and choreographed sequence of tasks that the cast members complete behind the scenes before and after each performance as they set up and later dismantle all of the stage elements. With the addition of the water feature in this years show called Rain, the list of tasks is longer than ever as cast members set up two scaffold units, readjust stage lights, install a frame and pool liner on the stage floor, and hook up an overhead water delivery system—all in less than 30 minutes after the audience from the Salome performance exits the theater. The cast of 14 performers completes these tasks quickly and efficiently and their cooperative efforts provide additional evidence of the cohesiveness of this cast.

This cohesive and collaborative spirit has been a core quality of each Living Canvas ensemble over the years, and it is a testament to the skill and sensitivities that Pete Guither and his artistic team bring to each new show. Directors always hope that they can develop a productive sense of camaraderie when they assemble and work with a cast of performers, but when those performers work nude for the entire length of a show in a small space illuminated only by projected images, it is essential that every individual enjoys the trust and respect of every other dancer on stage. This year, Guither and director Gaby Labotka accomplished this goal in remarkable fashion, even in the face of the additional set-up and performance challenges that come with adding an overhead rain curtain and collecting pool to the mix.


As noted on the Living Canvas web site, “each show has had a different theme and structure, but all celebrate the power of the human body to be an expressive canvas, with an underlying theme of body acceptance. In fact, each show not only has a Q and A session following, but also an opportunity for adventurous audience members to see what it's like to be a Living Canvas”. When the 14 cast members came out after the performance of Rain this past Saturday for the traditional discussion segment, they were all very eloquent as they responded to questions from the audience. They addressed issues of body acceptance, the process by which the bonds of trust and respect were nurtured among cast members, and their thoughts about performing nude, a new experience for several of the performers.

The candid and spirited comments by these intrepid performers serve to reaffirm the core values of the Living Canvas concept and remind us once again of the importance of a theatrical festival in which the artistic directors and performers have the vision and the courage to take on such challenging issues in an enlightened and creative manner. If you have not had the opportunity to witness this dazzling display of music, dance, and projected images, be sure to see Rain this summer and immerse yourself in the Living Canvas experience.

Veiled Messages in Salome

The dance of the seven veils that comes near the end of the story of Salome is a familiar scene to all who have seen Oscar Wilde's play or the opera by Richard Strauss, but this tale is about so much more than the seductive dance itself. When Salome opens this Friday as part of the Naked July Festival at National Pastime Theater, audience members will be treated to a powerful interpretation of the Oscar Wilde play that will challenge them to consider the nature and the motives of the title character in many new ways.

This new production directed by Laurence Bryan and produced by Keely Haddad-Null is staged on a simple and functional set and provides an intensely honest and straightforward interpretation of Wilde’s famous story. One interesting and effective element in Bryan’s staging is the introduction of three chorus characters who help to reveal some of the thoughts and motivations of the three main characters—Herod, Herodias, and Salome. NPT ensemble members Arch Harmon and Don Claudin perform the chorus roles for Herodias and Herod respectively, and they are joined by a new face at NPT this summer—Kaitlen Osburn who serves as the Salome chorus character.


Becca Wolfe turns in a powerful and courageous performance as Salome, and as she agrees to assuage Herod’s lust by dancing for his entertainment, we are challenged to decide for ourselves whether she is a naïve young woman who is a helpless victim powerless to disobey Herod’s command or instead a calculating and cold-hearted woman whose bold actions are motivated by her own ambitions. Wolfe moves gracefully around the stage stripping away the colorful veils during her iconic dance near the end of the performance, and finally stands nude and defiant before Herod as she demonstrates that she is the one in charge, ready to claim her shocking reward.

Salome opens at 8:00 pm on Friday, July 1, and the performance will be followed by the opening of the amazing new show by Pete Guither and his creative team titled Living Canvas: Rain. These two shows will be staged on Friday and Saturday nights all through July, and the rousing performers known collectively as the Beast Women will grace the NPT stage on Thursdays and Sundays. Individual tickets and full festival passes can be purchased online at the secure NPT ticket site. Don’t miss the fun this summer—be sure to see all of these great shows.

The Beast Women are Coming!

In addition to Oscar Wilde’s Salome and The Living Canvas: Rain, there is a fresh and exciting new addition to the Naked July lineup this summer—a talented and multi-dimensional performance group called the Beast Women that will light up the stage at the National Pastime Theater on Thursdays and Sundays. The Beast Women ensemble includes beautiful burlesque dancers with tantalizing names like Red Hot Annie (shown here in a photo by Hunter Mathews), Abigail Ala Mode, Anita Lilmore, and Booty Garland, but the list of other performance genres includes poets, performance artists, musicians, monologists, and comedians.

The co-producers and co-directors of the Beast Women are Jillian Erickson and Michelle Power, and they see their shows at the Naked July Festival this summer as an exciting extension of the performances that have staged over the past few years. In their words, “Beast Women celebrates womens' strength through performance via different genres including, singing, burlesque, comedy, poetry, and belly dancing, just to name a few. The purity of strength is highlighted as virtuous through their expressions of freedom, sexuality, and life oddities. Beast Women celebrates all women and will feature 30 femme fatales in a rotating lineup for this one of a kind showcase, offering a new and stimulating experience each night.”

Photo by Hunter Mathews

To get a sense of the range and diversity of the performers and their performing styles, here is the line-up for just the first three shows:

Thursday, June 3: 8:00pm


Abigail Ala Mode - Burlesque Performer

Sandra La Pixie - Performance Poet

Sarah Heston - Dance Artist

JoBeth Harrison- Songstress

Virginia Marie- Performance Artist

Robin Fine- Poetess



Sunday, July 3: 6:00pm


Anita Lilmore - Burlesque Performer

Jessica Bonomo- Hoop Artist

Jen St. Stjarna - Piano Songstress

Gillian Holoroyd- Erotic Poetess

Brittny Congleton -Comedic Songstress

Kamani Raqs- Belly Dancer

Jillian Erickson- Performance Artist



Thursday, July 7: 8:00pm


Mia D. Vine - Burlesque Performer

Sarah Lowry - Performance Artist

Sonia - Drum/Dance Songstress

Arin Mulvaney- Comedic Monologist

Sarra Jahedi - Stand-up Comedian

Annah London- Folk Songstress

To view a complete listing of the Beast Women performances that are scheduled for the Naked July Festival this summer, click here to go to the event page on their web site. As you will see, it is a different lineup each night, so you will want to come back several times during the summer to see what new and provocative performance pieces they have devised for this special event. The producers have promised some bold new acts to embrace the “nakedness” of Naked July—they are shows you will not want to miss.

The Healing Powers of Water

Picture a world where only the oldest citizens have any memories of lakes or rivers or even rain. A land so hot and desolate that desperate people filled with despair writhe in suffering under an unrelenting scorching sun. This is the opening scene of the new Living Canvas show titled Rain that opens on July 1 at National Pastime Theater, a multimedia performance piece that explores the fundamental qualities of water as an essential element of life itself.

In one of the first scenes, an elderly shaman looks over the writhing sea of desperate souls and recalls a time when water was plentiful before greed and waste caused the waters to recede and the rains to stop. As the story unfolds, we are introduced to a variety of characters such as Hard Pan, Tin Mug, the Boatwright, and Cracked Pot, and through their narratives we learn about the plight of these people and their prayers for rain to refresh their bodies and restore their spirits. The journey is filled with a menagerie of new and exotic creatures that evolve and take shape before our eyes as we travel to a magical world beneath the seas. Eventually we hear rumbles of thunder in the distance and at long last the inhabitants of this desolate land experience the restorative qualities of water as rain begins to fall from the skies.


The final scenes of Rain are filled with joyous celebration as the characters laugh and play like children as rain pours from the heavens and forms luxurious puddles where previously there had only been parched earth. And by the way, the rain is real in this performance as a curtain of water cascades down on the nude performers as they cavort on stage bathed only in the glow of colorful projections. It is a primal exploration of the interrelationship between flesh and water and the experiences of the characters remind us of the things that are the very essence of life.

The Living Canvas: Rain is perhaps the most ambitious show this talented and creative group has done to date, and you will not want to miss this amazing combination of dance, music, projected images, and water. And remember that all Living Canvas performances include an audience participation segment, so if you remember carefree childhood days of playing naked in the rain or perhaps just want to experience the refreshing sensation of water on your naked skin while moving through a kaleidoscope of colorful images, be sure to see the show and join the cast for this simple yet liberating celebration of the human experience.

Tickets Are On Sale for Naked July 2011

Even though the 2011 Naked July Festival at National Pastime Theater does not officially begin for nearly a month, the festival organizers have announced that tickets are already on sale for the performances that run from June 24^th through August 6^th. As in previous years, you can purchase tickets for individual performances, but if you plan to see all of the shows, you may prefer to purchase a festival pass. Click here to go directly to the secure online ticket page.

If you have not experienced the Naked July experience in past years, be sure to make your way to the historic National Pastime Theater on North Broadway this summer to be a part of this unique and artistic celebration of the beauty of the human body. Unlike many other theater ensembles that purport to stage daring and edgy performance pieces, the intrepid artistic directors and performers at NPT have the courage to explore themes of sexuality, nudity, and body acceptance in a frank and uncensored manner. It is an experience for theatergoers who want to be stimulated and enlightened.

In addition to this year’s version of The Living Canvas titled Rain that was discussed in the previous post, Naked July 2011 will also feature Oscar Wilde’s Salome with some new and provocative takes on the classic tale of sexual desire and the hypnotic beauty of the naked human form. Salome’s iconic “dance of the seven veils” ushers in an unforgettable and riveting climax to the tale, but the entire performance will draw the audience into a world of lust, desire, and seduction. You may think that you know the classic tale of the young woman who dances to please King Herod, but be prepared for a bold new take on this familiar story.

Adding a new and entertaining twist to this year’s Naked July Festival is a cabaret variety show known as the Beast Women, a cavalcade of music, poetry, dance, and burlesque. The cast is diverse and talented, and because of this, you can expect that the performances will change during the festival with new and different acts. A post in the Chicago Theater Blog sums up the tantalizing experience of the Beast Women: “Expect the laughs to be full figured, the songs to dip into deep seriousness, and the belly dancing to round out the evening with more sensual joie de vivre than the usual bump and grind.”

Like last year, the lobby of the National Pastime Theater will be transformed into an art gallery, and special events like figure painting and weekly auctions of the art pieces will take place at this historic venue. New this year is a film festival to complement the live performances in the “old speakeasy”.

In the weeks ahead, we will provide some behind-the-scenes coverage of the shows, post some production photos to help you to learn more about the performers, and provide updates of special events. Be sure to get your tickets and become a part of Naked July 2011.

Get Ready for Naked July 2011!

Plans for the Naked July 2011 festival are already underway, and details for one of the shows in this year’s program have recently been released. Performances by The Living Canvas cast members have been integral components of the Naked July festival for the past several years, and Pete Guither has announced that he will be bringing his unique artistic concept back to the National Pastime Theater again this summer. The title for this summer’s show is The Living Canvas: Rain, and as you might guess by the title, the element of water will be introduced on stage for the first time.

Auditions for this year’s show were held at the National Pastime Theater in Chicago on May 2-3, and similar auditions were held on the campus of Illinois State University on May 4. The audition process for The Living Canvas productions varies somewhat from more traditional theatrical auditions since the artistic leaders place a high value on assembling a cast of performers who are able to work in a collaborative and creative way with all of the other performers. Instead of scheduling solo auditions for each individual, the artistic team organizes prospective cast members into groups of three or four people who are then asked to audition as a team. Each performer is first asked to do a cold reading, and then they participate in a series of group activities that allow the artistic director, choreographer-director, and writer to assess the movement skills of each performer as well as the innovative ways in which he or she works with other performers.

Most important, however, is the ability of each cast member to collaborate in all phases of the final writing and choreography of the show. Since the artistic concept that defines The Living Canvas requires all of the performers to be completely nude during the entire show as they move through the colorful projected images, it is essential that all of the cast members are able to form a cohesive and supportive team. The notions of body acceptance and positive self-image are cornerstones of the Living Canvas artistic concept, and all performances are designed and staged to emphasize the beauty of the human form.

When the rehearsal process begins next weekend, the performers will start with an outline of the story that they will eventually convey to the audience, and they will be encouraged to add their own ideas and insights as the final story evolves. Gaby Labotka is the director and choreographer for this summer’s show, and she will encourage the cast members to work together to create the dance movements that will work most effectively with the music and the many visual images that will be used in the show. Likewise, writer Bill Daniel will continue to finalize the script as he works with the cast and listens to the suggestions that the cast members provide as they work to develop their own characters in the weeks ahead.

Watch for more details about The Living Canvas: Rain here and also on the National Pastime Theater web site. Tickets will go on sale soon, so be sure to mark your calendars and join us for Naked July 2011.

Naked July Extended Two More Weeks

The National Pastime Theater recently announced that they have extended two of the shows that are a part of the Naked July Festival in 2010. Because interest has been high, The Emperor’s New Clothes and Living Canvas – Demons have both been extended until Saturday, August 14. This extension means that four additional performances of each show have been added to the schedule. The curtain for The Emperor’s New Clothes goes up at 8:00 pm on August 6 and 7 this weekend and then for the final time the following weekend on August 13 and 14. Living Canvas – Demons starts at 10:00 pm on those same dates.

Writing in the Windy City Times, critic Mary Shen Barnidge recently added her praise for Keely Haddad-Null's new adaptation of the classic tale by Hans Christian Andersen. Barnidge observes, “Most retellings of this popular parable soften the satire, but director Carolyne Anderson rejects easy escape routes, instructing her actors to play their roles with never a wink or snicker. The dialogue, forged from contemporary buzz-vocabulary, is delivered with deadpan solemnity, right down to the inspirational oratory—"We are living the American Dream!"—spewed forth with evangelical fervor by the city's chief official, clad in nothing but tan lines. Meg Elliot projects mischievous charm as the trickster tailor (who keeps her clothes on—specifically, Emily Beaudin's enchanting gown-of-many-colors), Don Claudin and Miona Harris are a delightfully clueless First Couple, while Mary Roberts, David Bettino and Taylor Entwistle comprise the deliciously amoral trio of civil servants.”



Pete Guither’s extremely popular “living canvas” performance concept has become a Chicago tradition over the past several years, and this year’s installment titled Living Canvas – Demons has been drawing praise from critics. Paige Listerud from the Chicago Theater Blog recently echoed the praise of other Chicago critics cited here in previous posts. Of Guither’s show, she writes, “The community formed by the performers and audience around each new story or theme evokes a “happening” in the style of the 60s. At the end of the show, performers talk about their personal evolution in body consciousness after performing under Guither’s projections in the nude and then audience members are invited onstage to partake of the experience. It’s nice to see so many in the audience take up the invitation and allow their human bodies to have a greater range of expression than most art usually permits.”



These shows seem to be a perfect fit for the performance space at the National Pastime Theater. Elayne LeTraunik, NPT publicist, sums up the experience: “Enter through the historic storefront, past the years of smoky haze into the authentic speakeasy turned theater where the debaucherous scandals of the past give life to the art of today. Excitement is palpable, temptation extreme. No other theater in Chicago can offer such libidinous exploitation of your senses. Where else but The National Pastime Theater lives the promise of the impossible?”

More information about the Naked July Festival and links to the online ticket system are available on the festival web site. Start your evening with the witty and entertaining Emperor’s New Clothes and then stay for Living Canvas – Demons and immerse yourself in an amazing and unforgettable multimedia experience. If the spirit moves you at the end of the evening, you are invited to strip away your inhibitions, join the cast onstage, and become a “living canvas” yourself. Be sure to catch these great shows before they close in two weeks.

Accolades for Naked July Festival

The Naked July Festival at National Pastime Theater has been open for over two weeks now, and accolades for the Festival concept and the individual shows have been appearing in print and on several Chicago theater web sites. Here is a small sampling of what area theater critics are saying about the month-long event at NPT.

In a recent review that was posted on the Buzz Magazine web site, Kimberly Katz makes a very apt but thought-provoking observation when she writes, “When is the last time you saw full frontal nudity in the theater? Was it “HAiR”, “Oh! Calcutta!” or maybe “The Blue Room”? Maybe you have never seen a play with nudity in it; well, here is your chance to experience the liberating effect of live theater specifically designed to give you the feeling that your body - despite its quirks or flaws - is OK just the way it is.” This reviewer has very succinctly captured the essence of the Naked July Festival—live shows on a small stage featuring actors with the courage and skill to perform without clothes, even when they are in close proximity to the audience. It works well here because the intent is not to shock the audience with a cheap or gratuitous nude scene as other playwrights or producers have tried; rather, nudity plays a fundamental role in all of these shows just as it does in our own lives and in our intimate relationships with other people.

In her review of Living Canvas –Demons, Katz writes “The performance of the lead dancer Emily Mark, who portrays Lily the autistic, was worth noting as she was not only an accomplished dancer but also an accomplished actor in expressing without words a very precise and deeply moving sense of what it must be like to be trapped in a body and mind afflicted with Autism. Also, I think it is a tremendously courageous task to undertake a role like this involving nudity from beginning to end. The neat thing about “Living Canvas” shows is that at the end they allow the audience to strip down and join them onstage under the lights and a lot of people actually went for it and joined in. That in itself was a beautiful, free love kind of thing to see happen in a theater setting in the year 2010, not 1968!” You can read the full review by clicking this link to go to the Buzz Magazine web site.

Katie Rauser, in another review on the Buzz Magazine site, wrote about the sensual qualities of Eros and the strong performances turned in by all of the actors. “Curator Shifra Werch, based on her research in which she asked several people what turned them on, chose each piece used in Eros. Werch not only did a fantastic job in choosing the material, but she also did well in assembling a shining cast that includes Reggie Robinson Jr., who hits a homerun with his performance of “Song of Solomon”, along with Taylor H. Entwistle and Nicolas Gamboa who successfully merge hot and funny in “Yum”. Gina Marie Koontz and Jason Gorczyca round out the outstanding cast that works so well together and continuously displays a strong comfort despite the changing of sexual partners from scene to scene. In line with the Naked July Festival, “Eros” contains plenty of nudity to further convey its message and it is done with great direction - beautifully and tastefully.” Rauser’s complete review can be found on the Buzz Magazine web site.



Tom Williams had similar praise for Living Canvas – Demons in his review posted on the Chicago Critic site. Of the popular late show he wrote, “This show is a expression of storytelling told with whimsical movement and dance devoid of dialogue. The choreography by Megan Piccochi is stylish and brave. Emily Mark and Miona Harris anchor the work. The actors are at ease as the celebrate their bodies in a stylish and creative work.”

In the final paragraph of his review, Williams provides us with a fitting summary of the Naked July experience – “One of the missions of the Living Canvas is to celebrate the human body in their work–therefore–they invite audience members to join them on stage nude to dance their inhibitions away. Three men and a woman did just that. A good time was had by all. If you ever want to experience nudity as art and personally-get to the Naked July Festival and strip away your inhibitions.” Click here to read the full review.

For ticket information for the remaining shows and more details about the Festival, be sure to visit the Naked July website.