Torch Song Trilogy

Directed by Joe Stead
Featuring:
- Madrid St. Angelo
- Andrew Kain Miller
- Remy O'Brien
- Renee Matthews

Torch Song Trilogy consists of three individual plays, all combined into one hilarious, heart-tugging and provocative evening of theatre. In the first play, The International Stud, we meet Arnold Beckoff, a flamboyant, big-hearted and fiercely independent female impersonator. Arnold begins a relationship with Ed, a bisexual school teacher who is unsure which team he's really playing for. The second play, Fugue in a Nursery, introduces us to Arnold's new boyfriend Alan and Ed's new girlfriend Laurel as the two couples spend a delightful weekend in the country ala Noel Coward. And the final play, Widows and Children First, brings Arnold face to face with his disapproving and equally strong-willed mother as he also attempts to adopt a gay teenager.

The evening celebrates the universal longing for love and respect, which resonates to audiences of all lifestyles and sexual orientations. Torch Song Trilogy premiered Off Broadway before moving to Broadway in 1982, where it won Tony Awards for Best Play and Best Actor (Harvey Fierstein). It was the first and most successful commercial work to deal with gay principal characters. The play was also made into a successful, although heavily edited film by New Line Cinema in 1988. Fierstein recreated his original role of Arnold opposite Ann Bancroft and Matthew Broderick, the latter having made his stage debut in the original Off-Broadway show. The Chicago production of Torch Song Trilogy draws on the talents of a diverse A-list cast.

About the Cast

Madrid St. Angelo (Arnold) is the Artistic Director of People's Theater of Chicago. A graduate of New York's Neighborhood Playhouse New School of Acting, St. Angelo studied under the auspices of Sandy Meisner and William Alderson. For twenty years St. Angelo has worked as an actor, director, playwright and Activist. Recently, he directed the World Premiere of Flowers Out of Season by Edward Crosby Wells and the U.S. Premiere of Judy Veramendi's Hall of Hungry Ghosts, in association with Next Theatre. In 2006 he directed two "best of" productions: Jerker by Robert Chesley for Bailiwick Repertory (Gay Chicago Magazine) and The Sun Always Shines for the Cool by Miguel Pinero for UrbanTheater Company (Performink). As an actor he recently appeared in Greasy Joan & Company's production of Jose Rivera's Sueno and Silk Road Theatre Projects' production of Merchant on Venice. He is currently acting in Vitalist Theatre Company's U.S. Premiere of A Passage to India.

Stephen Rader (Ed) has been the Executive Director of Season of Concern since 2004. Stephen is a three-time After Dark Award winner in Performance (Pegasus Players' Side by Side by Sondheim), Cabaret (Mama's Boy at Davenport's) and Direction (Corpus Christi at Bailiwick Repertory). Other directing credits include Ulysses Theatre's The Normal Heart, the 2001 production of Hans Brinker for Theatre Building Chicago and Alexandra Billings' The Story Goes On, which also features his live recording of John Bacchino's "Sweet Dreams." Acting credits include Richard in TimeLine's Lion in Winter, The Soldier in CST's Sunday in the Park with George, Henry in Vision & Voices' Arrangement for Two Violas and several roles in Philip Dawkins' play Ugly Baby. For Porchlight Music Theatre, he has played Gordo in A New Brain, Whizzer in Falsettos, Charley in Merrily We Roll Along and Michael in Elegies. He was most recently seen in Lifeline Theatre's Lyle, Lyle Crocodile and last year, he played The Cat in the Hat in Emerald City's Seussical. Stephen made his Goodman Theatre debut in Adam Guettel's The Light in the Piazza.

Renee Matthews (Mrs. Beckoff) received a Jeff Award and an After Dark Award for her role as Jeanette in The Full Monty at Drury Lane Water Tower. She has recently appeared in Bingo the Musical (Apollo Theatre), Ruthless (Noble Fool Theatricals at Pheasant Run Resort), and Fiddler on the Roof (Theatre at the Center, Drury Lane Oakbrook). Her many stage credits include Frieda in Tale of the Allergist s Wife at Apple Tree Theatre, and Aida in Over the River and Through the Woods at Theatre at the Center, which then enjoyed an extended run at the Mercury Theatre. She enjoyed 4 seasons as Mrs. Fezzywig in A Christmas Carol at The Goodman Theatre. She appeared as Abby in Arsenic and Old Lace and Miss Lynch in Grease at Drury Lane Oakbrook, as well as Queen of the Stardust Ballroom, 70 Girls 70 and the World Premiere of Grovers Corners. She has toured the country with Sarah Blacher Cohen s two-character musical, Molly Picon s Return Engagement, and has been seen in the nationally broadcast Nexium television commercial.

Remy O'Brien (Laurel) studied theatre at Maris Stellar Theatre in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Since moving to Chicago she has immersed herself in the improv genre. She has performed numerous shows in Donny Skybox. She received her BA in Broadcasting at Middle Tennessee State University. She spent two years as Channel 10 s Sports Anchor as well as a year at CBS and Fox Sports in Nashville. She has appeared in commercials, short films and has performed stand-up comedy at Zanies of Chicago. She is proud and honored to be a founder and ensemble member of People s Theater, where she recently appeared in the World Premiere of Edward Crosby Wells  Flowers Out of Season.

Andrew Kain Miller (Alan) is originally from Indiana, and has been acting in Chicago for over 12 years. AK is proud to be part of The People's Theater of Chicago, and also a member of MidTangent Productions. He is an alumni of Columbia College. Recent productions include I Am Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Short Eyes.

David Berghoef (David) is a current B.A. Theatre and Drama Candidate at Indiana University. He recently appeared in Julius Caesar at the Oak Park Festival Theatre and Mame for CenterStage in Lake Forest. Other credits include Urinetown, Macbeth, Measure for Measure, The Laramie Project and The Stonewater Rapture. He has received training at the British American Drama Academy in London and the Pre-College Musical Theatre program at Carnegie Mellon University.

Joe Stead (Director) most recently directed the critically acclaimed and Jeff Award winning 2007 production of Equus for the Actors Workshop Theatre. Following Torch Song Trilogy, he will helm the People's Theater of Chicago's Midwest Premiere of Victor Bumbalo's riveting new drama, Questa, running June 26-July 19 at the Boho Theatre. Other directing credits include The Miracle Worker, Deathtrap, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Life With Father and You're A Good Man Charlie Brown, among others. He is also the creator of the acclaimed website www.steadstylechicago.com.

The Producing Organizations

The People's Theater of Chicago is an ethnically diverse group of performers committed to making known the strength of its ensemble and to the craft of acting, by way of producing classic, contemporary and truly cutting edge works of theater and performance art. The People's Theater is committed to making a difference not only in the local performance arena, but in the lives of all Chicagoans. Through various educational and outreach programs and with a commitment to promoting community issues, concerns, and charity organizations, The People's Theater of Chicago operates under the premise that our work begins first with us, but ends with you, the audience. The People's Theater of Chicago is also the proud to serve the GLBT community of Chicago by presenting The People's Theater of Chicago/Legacy Project. This project will work to promote and preserve the legacies of GLBT playwrights and performers, with a focus on raising awareness pertaining to GLBT issues, both social and political. www.peoplestheaterchicago.org.

Season of Concern is the Chicagoland theatre community's fundraising effort, providing compassionate care to those in our community who are experiencing the effects of catastrophic illness. This effort supports the fight against HIV and AIDS by contributing to programs that provide direct care (personal financial support, housing care, meals, medications, legal assistance, and other services) to members of the Chicago and Midwestern theatre community; and by addressing emergency needs expressed by theatre community members in their struggles against other life-threatening illnesses. Season Of Concern focuses primarily on fundraising and then re-distributes donations to local care organizations. SOC also serves as an information center for those in the theater community who are seeking treatment or support through an illness or injury. www.seasonofconcern.org.

The Leather Archives and Museum are committed to the compilation, preservation and maintenance of leather lifestyle and related lifestyles (including but not limited to the Gay and Lesbian communities), history, archives and memorabilia for historical, educational and research purposes. Incorporated in August 1991, The LA&M moved into its permanent home in late 1999. The 10,000 sq. foot building provided for exhibits and the effective storage of the ever-growing collection of leather history. During 2004, the exhibit space was expanded from one 2,000 sq. foot gallery to a full building tour of eight galleries. www.leatherarchives.org.