Lysistrata 3000

A Production of The American Demigods.

The Production, Cast and Crew.

Production   Lysistrata 3000 was performed at The Athenaeum Theatre between February 19 and March 6, 2004. It was exquisite. You should have been there. To get an idea of you missed, you can read the first two scenes (see links at the bottom), and find out more about the people who brought it to life (below).

Cast   Polydorus ......... Matt Dolgin Hermocrites ......... John Luburic Harmodius ......... Rory Leahy Ajax ......... Tony Cosenza Spartan Girl ......... Noelle Hardy Philoctes ......... Michael Bonick Calonice ......... Ellie Kaufman Lysistrata ......... Rebecca David Adora ......... Anna Bonick Rhodippe ......... CarrieLee Sparks Lycon ......... Sean Sullivan Hirondelle ......... Hannah Goalstone Myrhinna ......... Molly Fitzgibbon Lampito ......... Molly Meacham Salabacca ......... Reina Hardy Myrtale ......... Noelle Hardy Menelaus ......... Michael Bonick   Production Credits   Writer, Director, Producer ......... Rory Leahy Consulting Producer, Press Agent ......... Rebecca David Assistant Director, Sound Design, Program Design ......... Tom Schorsch Technical Director, Set Design & Construction ......... Sean Sullivan Conceptual Design, Props Master, Publicity Materials ......... Jacob Kennedy Lighting Design ......... Kyle B. Anderson Sound Operation ......... Rob Ewald Costume Design ......... Erin Dunn

Biographies   Kyle B. Anderson (Lighting Designer) recently completed his Bachelors degree in Theatre Arts at Monmouth College, in Monmouth Illinois. He then made his debut as a professional set and lighting designer in Galesburg, Illinois, where he designed the Prairie Players' productions of The Laramie Project and South Pacific. Since his arrival in Chicago last August, Kyle has served as an electrician for Collaboraction's Haunting on Marcey Street. This is his first time designing lights in Chicago. Anna Bonick (Adora) has made her triumphant return to theater after a near eight-year hiatus (and boy, did she miss it!). Lots of school and baby-catching have diverted this silly one's attention. She's thoroughly enjoyed being a part of L3K and has fallen in love with her Nalgene-drinking, HLA-loving sisters and the soldier boys they "pretend" to abstain from. Anna wishes to thank her family and friends (for putting up with her), Tony (for giving the final loving shove), and most of all, her husband, Mike (for being the best friend and partner-in-crime anyone can ask for). Michael Bonick (Menelaus, Philoctes) has spent the past seven years traveling throughout the South Side with the Golden Cherries slam-theatre troupe. Respected among his peers as intense, demanding, and kinda dirty, Michael has come out of retirement tonight for one final show. (Keira Knightley--meow!--will henceforth be playing the role of Philoctes.) In his spare time Michael earns a small pittance doing doodles for a local architecture firm in order to support his wife and her mass of children. Rumor would lead us to believe that Michael's wife is also an actress in this show, but really, who puts any stock in rumors? Anna Bonick (not related) won't be arriving until after 9:00 pm. Tony Cosenza (Ajax) is reprising his role from the Penny Dreadful Players' (University of Illinois) production of Lysistrata 3000. He is currently a member of Chicago's Backrow sketch comedy group. He hates the pressure of being clever in a bio, so he'll just thank this fantastic cast and director Rory for affording him the opportunity to play this part again and Rachelle, Mom, Dad, family and friends for their priceless support. Rebecca David (Lysistrata) is excited to be making her Chicago debut with American Demigods. She just moved here recently from Portland, Oregon, where she worked with such theater companies as Miracle Theater Group, Classic Greek Theater, Tears of Joy Theatre and Integrity Productions. Favorite roles include Leann in Piece of My Heart (Integrity), Tosca (dancer) in Tosca (Portland Opera), and Rebecca/Beatrice in her one-woman show, rise, descend, rise (self-produced). She would like to dedicate this performance to her grandmother, and to other great feminists of that "loathsome ilk" everywhere! She has a BA in theater from the University of Oregon, with a minor in dance. Matt Dolgin (Polydorus) is very grateful for the opportunity to work on this show and to be around such a lively cast, where there is rarely a dull moment. He was most recently seen in November Boy and D.B.'s Here at the Side Project. Other credits include Sestina and Sexual Side Effects with Stage Two Theatre Company and Arsenic and Old Lace at North Shore Theatre. The best thing about being in a play that takes place in the year 3000 is that you have to figure the White Sox have won a World Series by this time, so life can't be bad. Matt would like to thank his parents for their constant love and support in everything and anything he does, and for joining him in that World Series dream. Go Sox. Erin Dunn (Costume Designer) grew up in Evanston, IL. Then she went to school in Nebraska. Now she lives in Champaign, IL, with her husband Henry and many, many cats. Rob Ewald (Sound Operator) wants you all to enjoy the nice music. Molly Fitzgibbon (Myrhinna) is a lucky girl with a great family. Her past Chicago credits include Concentric Circles at the Bailiwick Theatre and Charity at the Chopin Theatre. Molly has also performed at ComedySportz with the sketch group Stylus and the improv group Chesterfield at ImprovOlympic. She is honored to share this stage and this process with such an incredible group of people. Thanks to Rory and love to the Big Dogs. This bio has been brought to you by the letter "C." Hannah Goalstone (Hirondelle) is thrilled to be a part of bringing the powerful and poignant story of Lysistrata to today's audience. Hannah was last seen in Johnny Appleseed with Theatre-Hikes and Twelve Ophelias with New York Stage and Film and Powerhouse Theatre, where she also was assistant director to Liev Schreiber for Wilderness of Mirrors. Hannah is currently working on Duos and Duets with Act of Kindness Cabaret--a non-profit company devoted to raising money for charities, schools, and other educational programs by donating all proceeds from a specific performance to the interested organization. Hannah would like to thank her family for always supporting her, and the cast and directors for such a warm experience. Noelle Hardy (Myrtale, Spartan Girl) never knows how (or likes) to write bios. She likes to act. She likes people in this show. She hopes you like it. Ciao. Reina Hardy (Salabacca) is thrilled to make her Chicago debut under the shiny red sign of the Athenaeum. Her award-winning farce Erratica recently had a staged reading as part of the Side Project Theater's Harvest Festival. Hard at work on her next script, Ms. Hardy insists that she's only doing this till she can get a day job. Ellie Kaufman (Calonice) received her BA in Theatre from Brandeis University. She also studied for a year at the RADA/Marymount Drama Program. Since moving to Chicago, she has performed in Twelfth Night (Searchlight Theatre Co.), Kickin' it Old Skool (Brown Couch Theatre Co.), and The Vagina Monologues. Next, she will play Catesby in R3: A Gothic Tale, opening at the Bailiwick on March 14. She'd like to thank Rory and the cast of L3K for the opportunity to withhold sex for a good cause. And for all the HLA. Rory Leahy (Harmodius) would like to thank himself for casting him in the role of Harmodius. He's been making stuff up and acting it out since infancy. He made his major playwriting debut with Love Story, (not the thing about the people being in love) at Loyola Academy in 1995. Rory went on to write, direct or act in a number of shows with the Penny Dreadful Players at the University of Illinois. He has studied acting and playwriting at Victory Gardens and the Piven Theatre Workshop. His last role was Outlaw in Two Gentlemen of Verona (Shakespeare Inc). He will next be seen in the ImprovOlympic 5B graduation show this spring. John Luburic (Hermocrites) is thrilled to be a part of another Rory Leahy production. He was last seen with Rory leaving the scene of a brutal...oh sorry, wrong story. He was involved in The Irrelevant Adventures of Jarvis McFadden with the Penny Dreadful Players (University of Illinois). He now hopes that he is more seasoned and easily digestible for Rory's latest theatrical audience. John recently became an ensemble member of Smoke & Mirror Productions, which produces works based on poetry and symphonic theatre. John received his Masters Degree in Social Work last May from Loyola University Chicago. Molly Meacham (Lampito), since graduating from Northwestern, has been "unsexed" as Lady M with Authentic Theatre Company and haunted Marcey Street with Collaboraction. She's thrilled to now add not having sex with American Demigods to the list! Tom Schorsch (Assistant Director, Sound Designer) last assistant directed a production of American Buffalo at the Station Theatre in Urbana, Illinois. Recently, Tom appeared in Darknight Theatrical Productions's re-creation of Orson Welles' War of the Worlds radio broadcast. Tom also worked for several months as an emcee and old-time-radio actor on Swing Night at the Green Mill Lounge. Other recent credits include Antonio in Twelfth Night (Theatre-Hikes), Quince in A Midsummer Night's Dream (Will Act for Food) and Steve and Uncle Willy in The Family of Mann (BackStage). When he is not calling into the Philoctes show or making useful robot announcements, Tom can be seen as Pyrrhus and Theramene in Jean Racine's Phedre and Andromache (Keyhole Theatre Company), currently running in rolling repertory at The Josephinum in Wicker Park. He also sings in an Irish folk band. Thanks to the beautiful cast & crew. CarrieLee Sparks (Rhodippe), a native Texan, received her BFA in Theatre from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where she also studied Anthropology and graduated Magna Cum Laude. Her favorite roles include Alice in Alice in Wonderland, a kick-ass ninja in Whisper at the Kitchen Dog Theatre in Dallas, and everything from an innocent Mormon to a dominatrix cat in The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told. Upon completing a three month national tour with the Windy City Players in Aladdin, CarrieLee has relocated to Chicago and performs in a variety of mediums, including the student film Eau Contraire. Sean Sullivan (Lycon, Technical Director, Scenic Design & Construction) is a force of nature. The most unsettling possible blend of scholarly intellect and animal cunning, he stares into the dark heart of the void--and he laughs. Be grateful that he seems to be on our side, for he could wreak much misery and ruin if he ever chose to. He's also a graduate of Ohio State.

L3K Scene 1   |   L3K Scene 2