Catching up...

I found an old theatre buddy on facebook the other day. He is the brother of the guy who, along with his wife at the time, created igLoo, the theatrical group in Chicago. That was a few years ago now...

I had moved to Chicago with my best friend, Scott. Both of us just newly graduated from Parkside and eager to test our wings. We got jobs easily and I set about auditioning for shows. I was keen to act. We had been in our little Wrigleyville apartment about a year when my friend from high school, Maria Tirabassi, showed up at our door with her (then) new husband, Christopher Peditto. Chicago, you see, at that time, was a hotbed of store front theatres. People were rushing there on the heels of the success of places like Steppenwolf and St. Nicholas. Playwrights like David Mamet were locals and actors like Gary Sinise and John Malkovich were just catching on. Maria and Chris had a dream, if not a plan.

I clearly recall driving around Chi looking at various neighborhoods just to see which one we might grace with our talented presence. We stuck close to Wrigley in the end.

igLoo (and that is not a typo) was a quirky, eclectic group of too young but talented actors, writers and directors that came together in a burned out paint factory and made great theatre. We took literature that was in the public domain (no money for royalties) and adapted it for the stage. We did the sets, the costumes, the music, the programs, the intermission refreshments...you name it. We made only enough money to pay the rent. And, what do you know? We caught on. Chicago Reader called us the "avant of the garde" and often raved about our shows. It was funny that what they press took for creative "genius" was sometimes just necessity. I can remember using Blue Kool Aid for tea in one show because we had no tea. The review raved about the "significance" of the blue tea when, in fact, it had no significance at all. It was just there when we needed it.

igLoo didn't last. Like all good things it came apart eventually. The more press we would get the bigger egos would become and, finally, what once held us together was eating us alive. We all went our separate ways. But, having found some of my old buds now, I know that it was a special time for all of us. It was probably one of our most creative times but also a time when we all did a lot of growing up.

I'm looking forward to catching up with more of my igLoo friends and, since some of them are still in Chi, maybe even going to see them too.