UT & TAPS
Greater Chicago
Greater Chicago (Permanent Recordings)
Outside Chicago
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Community Member Spotlight
Community member spotlights are a way to feature and get to know our peers in UT. This month, we are spotlighting a couple new members of UT Committee who joined this quarter!
Gabi Garcia
 Major: Classical Studies and Computer Science
Bio: Gabi Garcia is a second-year majoring in classical studies and computer science. She is currently UT Committee Secretary, a CRASSH Research Scholar at Court Theatre, and Deputy Arts Editor at the Chicago Maroon. In her time with UT, she’s written for four Theater/Radio[24]s and one New Work Week, co-dramaturg-ed for Paper Projects, acted in Much Ado About Monologues, and assistant production managed The Old Man and the Old Moon. She also performed in CES’s Richard II as Bolingbroke and is a published playwright and member of the Dramatists Guild.
How did you get into theatre?
“I started as a dancer! I did ballet with a semi-professional company from first to fifth grade and was required to take acting classes. I realized I liked those and being on stage more than ten hours of ballet classes every week, so I quit and joined a local high school’s production of Oliver! as an orphan and never looked back.”
What is the best stage show you’ve ever seen? What made it so great?
“The Inheritance. I was lucky enough to see it in previews in November 2019 and I bawled my eyes out. It was my first six-hour show, and it was incredibly moving and beautiful. Bonus shoutout to the Boston run of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, which I caught in previews while on college tours.”
When you’re not doing theater, what can we find you doing?
“I enjoy being very busy! I am Managing Editor of Snell-Hitchcock’s (and Fama’s) annual, The Section Six, which I helped revive last year after a 104-year hiatus. Surprisingly enough, I have a pet project centered around researching campus history and bemoaning the renovations made in various historic buildings on campus (they ruined Cobb!! Ask me for my controversial take on Fulton Recital Hall! Hitchcock had an elevator!) and I tend to accidentally end up giving friends, RHs, and nearly everyone I meet impromptu lectures on this subject. To relax, I drink tea at ungodly hours of the night (with friends, in non-pandemic times) and write poetry.”
Gigi Hancock
Major: Geophysical Sciences
Bio: Gigi Hancock has been involved with theatre since before high school as a sound technician and currently works for TAPS in the scene and sound shops, in addition to working as an audio engineer and stage manager in the Performance Hall at Logan. Gigi has many credits in various departments with University Theatre at UChicago, including Machinal (Assistant Sound Designer), Fun Home (Assistant Lighting Designer), Twelfth Night (Assistant Props Designer), Company (Co-Sound Designer/Assistant Props Designer), Waiting for Godot (Sound Designer), and the art installation Telephone: A Memorial to the Present (Electronics).
How did you get into theatre?
“The first big theatre project I remember being was running the tech (lights, sound, and video projection) for my school’s Year 5 production of Antarctica: The Musical. It was the first time I had ever gotten to use a big sound board and see how technology interfaces together in a performance space. I then worked on various productions until I graduated from high school. I came to uni not intending to do more theatre, but in autumn quarter of my first year I went to an invited dress run of a show my friend was acting in and discovered I really missed doing theatre. I worked on three of the four productions the following quarter and became thoroughly immersed in UT.”
What is your favourite song from a musical?
“Ring of Keys from Fun Home is currently my favourite song from a musical. I really enjoyed working on the UT production and our rendition.”
When you're not doing theatre, what can we find you doing?
“It’s rare that I’m not working on a production but when I’m not, I can be found whipping up food in the kitchen or off exploring the world and nature. I can often be found taking a quick hike or weekend camping trip. I love exploring the various landscapes at home in Australia and am attempting to do the same in the US. If I’m not doing any of those things, my head is probably stuck in a book."
Reese Klemm
Major: Economics (Business Track) and French
Bio: Reese has seemingly dabbled in most types of theatre that UT has to offer. She participated in Theater[24] during her first weekend at UChicago. Then, during the before-'Rona times, she served as the assistant production manager of the Dean's Men production of The Winter's Tale. From there, she was able to make strides towards her goal of being a UT mainstage director by serving as assistant director of The Old Man and The Old Moon during winter 2020. Now as a newly-minted member of UT Committee, Reese is excited to share some of her passion and ideas with the group!
How did you get into theatre?
“I did a little bit of acting during elementary school, but I didn't really get into theatre until junior year of high school when I worked sound and lighting in the school's auditorium. During my senior year's production of The Addams Family, I constantly snuck backstage and tried my best to hang out with the stage manager and learn her job. That was the jumping off point to my first roles as a playwright and director.”
What is your dream role or show?
“It's no secret that I am obsessed with Starkid Productions - think A Very Potter Musical, the 'I don't really wanna do the work today' meme. My dream show (that I very much intend to propose one day) is Twisted, a Starkid musical about Jafar from Aladdin.”
If you could try a theater discipline that you haven't before (or don't do much), what would you try and why?
“I haven't acted since fifth grade, so I think it'd be really fun to return back to it. I think it'd be especially useful when giving notes to actors, but, of course, that really depends on me giving a good audition! As good as I think that I am at singing and acting, I'm not quite sure that's actually true, so I might just have to stick to working in production teams. Anyway, besides the self-deprecating jokes, I would to try acting again because I always enjoy taking over during read-throughs and getting to be loud. Plus, then I get to wear a cool costume. :)"
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General Updates
- Committee has sent out a call for Fall 2021 Proposals. The proposal form can be found here. Students are invited to propose virtual, semi-virtual, and in-person productions.
Some important changes in this proposal cycle include:
- We’re extending an offer for cross-quarter programming into Winter 2022. While this is not your only chance to propose for Winter 2022, it’s an exciting opportunity to delve deeper into a project!
- Committee is prepared to fund projects for $2000-3000. The exact amount is dependent on what you ask for, which should give teams greater flexibility in their budget process.
- Committee plans to honor this commitment by producing at least one show a quarter that is authored by and/or centers communities underrepresented in the arts.
If you have any questions about what the form or the process as a whole, please feel free to reach out to Mary Mouton (mmouton@uchicago.edu), Tiffany (ttrent@uchicago.edu), or any other member of Committee. Proposals are due Friday, April 30.
- Committee funded Uber Eats cards for those who RSVP’d for TAPS’ Project Day. Committee would also like to thank TAPS and the guest speakers – Alexis Taylor, Tyrone Phillips, and Becca McCracken – for the incredible talk!
 After Project Day, Committee hosted a virtual Company-Meets-Company Bash on our Discord where we played games, discussed theater, and chatted with our friends! Click here to join the UT Discord community for play viewing parties; UT game nights; to discuss plays, projects, and UT; to easily interface with Committee; and more!- Committee is continuing to put on viewing parties for the community. This includes our most recent showing of Court Theater’s The Iliad. Stay tuned for more information and opportunities to see free shows, and feel free to reach out to Committee with any suggestions!
Newsletter Subcommittee: The Newsletter has welcomed Mary Mouton and Allegra Hatem to the team this month as we continue to write content. Please be on the lookout for the next newsletter in May!
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- Apr 24 to Apr 27
