past theatrical productions
Neverland (2018)
by Olivia Lilley
Devised by the Ensemble
NEVERLAND chronicles the final days of Peter Pan’s reign in Neverland as seen from three wildly different perspectives: Peter’s, Wendy’s, and Hook’s. A Peter Pan for the era of the collapse of America.
Photo by Beth Rooney
In Sarah's Shadow: The Eleanora Duse Story (2017)
by Olivia Lilley
Devised by the Ensemble
George Bernard Shaw called Eleanora Duse 'the greatest actor who ever lived.' History, however, made her a footnote in the legend of the more glamorous gossip column magnet, Sarah Bernhardt. In this biographical dance/pop/drama, Writer/Director Olivia Lilley and choreographer Kelly Anderson unearth the dramatic life of a relentless individual who refused to be a model for Victorian women.
Photo by Beth Rooney
Photo by Nico Fernandez
The Portrait of Dorian Gray (2017)
by Olivia Lilley
Devised by the Ensemble
When Dorian discovers not everything is as it seems, she learns that wearing a mask can be a powerful tool for manipulating others. As her personal philosophy turns magical and the sketch takes on a life of its own, THE PORTRAIT OF DORIAN GRAY brings you on a wild ride through violence, empathy, and the lack thereof.
Photo by Nico Fernandez
Hatchet Lady (2017)
by Savannah Reich
HATCHET LADY is an original riot grrl rock musical with a cast of five women and a live band. An altar to the powers of destruction, complete with dancing horses, angels, NPR journalists and a tornado. A Saints Play for a martyr that no one ever wanted. A celebration of women with hatchets.
The Party House (2015)
by Olivia Lilley
Choreographed by Cheryl Nowlin
Chronicling the "glorious" adventures of 211 S. Neville, the house on the hill behind the Catholic boys' school, "The Party House" is a re-enactment / re-imagining of a year, recorded by hand painstakingly by one house scribe. In our story, we call her Odette. Shirtless O'Clock, Beer Showers, and waking up in the morning feelin like P. Diddy are resurrected through the collaborative efforts of 14 actors, the ghost of 17 notebooks, and the scattered memories of 1 director.
Photo by Beth Rooney
Faust [Save me or I'll Die] (2015)
By Goethe & the Ensemble
FAUST (SAVE ME OR I'LL DIE) was presented in 19 different secret locations across the City of Chicago, from Beverly to Roger's Park. The show was never performed twice in the same space.
FAUST is a cautionary tale of a world renowned scholar, approaching death, certain he's done everything wrong in life, so he makes a pact with the Devil, trading his soul for youth, beauty, and everything he wants on earth.
Photo by Beth Rooney
Photo by Beth Rooney
Red Death (2014)
by Mireille Ribiere
Concept by Olivia Lilley
Gaston LeRoux's novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra was an early pioneer of the noir and suspense genre. RED DEATH examines this classic text from the perspective of an obsessed inspector who reopens the case of the disappearance of Christine Daae, the descent into madness of the new managers Moncharmin & Richard, and the mysterious opera ghost.
I Saw The Best Minds Of My Generation (2014)
Devised by the Ensemble
Outline by Olivia Lilley
Choreography by Jordan Reinwald
BEST MINDS is a “Beat” play in a “Beat” universe, an action driven spectacle “narrated” in various ways by poetry, read in spoken-word format. BEST MINDS blows up and dissects what it is to witness the birth of fame and the death of obscurity. And to be a woman on the fringes of it all.
Photo by Audrey Simper
Photo by Beth Rooney
Friedrich Schiller Writes The Robbers (2013)
by Friedrich Schiller, the Ensemble, and Olivia Lilley
In our production, the story of "The Robbers" comes to life in the infirmary where it was written in secret. In the coughing, the stillness, and the candlelight, Schiller's imagination takes over and his characters possess himself, his fellow cadets, and their beautiful dictator, "The Nurse". Through the act of creation, Schiller finds solace, clarity, and the courage to rebel, in the face of poverty, banishment, and certain defeat.
Photo by Beth Rooney
@doriantightredpantsXX (2013)
by Olivia Lilley & the Ensemble
For us, “Dorian Gray” is all about the relationship between the private and the public and what happens when the line between them blurs. Michael Jackson had first-hand experience with this. Justin Bieber is experiencing this right now. When your image, the legend others have created for you starts to become the only side of you, it’s easy to think you’re immortal, you’re invincible. So how do we keep all of our identities separate and distinct?
Photo by Olivia Lilley
That's What Makes Her An Icon (2013)
by Olivia Lilley
An actress too scared to move to New York or LA meets a punk band determined to live fast and die young. Will she ever believe in herself or will she spend the rest of her life taking the night by storm ‘til she can’t feel anything anymore?
A singer/songwriter, who grew up in the Mountains of Virginia without a computer or a TV, tells her family she wants to play for the world. So a distant relative gets her an audition for “American Icon”. Once she learns the price of becoming a product, will she let the business mind set determine who she was ‘born to be’?
After uninheriting his fortune, the grandson of a late Hip Hop Mogul comes face to face with the world his granddaddy and crew made a name for themselves exploiting. Will he confront his own internalized racism?
A humble computer programmer becomes a millionaire over night. But as a young and firey immigrant teaches him: if you’re an American and you spend all your free time huffing nitros on a Tennis Court or throwing bills up in the air for Spanish supermodels to catch, you’re useless. Will he ever make something of himself?
Photo by Jacob Michael Hanania
Those Whom The Gods Love (2012)
By Olivia Lilley
"Billed as a coming of age story, Those Whom The Gods Love is a tawdry tale of Sonia (Elise Cantu) a sheltered astrophysics major who secures, via the internet, Darren (Tyler Ham Pong), an aging trust fund baby (at all of the age of 30), who flies her out for the weekend from Chicago to lose her virginity and Lulu (Christina Myers), Darren’s neighbor and earlier fling, a former Harvard dropout turned undercover paparazza, who will stop at nothing to win back the love of a Lindsay Lohanesque superstar." - Tracey Paleo, Gia On the Move
https://giaonthemove.com/2012/10/29/gia-on-the-move-reviews-those-whom-the-gods-love/