Blog

“No one is alone”

By Ryan Schultz I had a great opportunity this week. What a good opening, right?  While preparing Sweeney for this summer, I was able to take the week and play in an orchestra for a production of Sondheim’s Into the Woods. I love that show, it may be my favorite by Sondheim, and I was…
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Sick for Sweeney

By Terrance Hooper – Owner of Grapes & Hops This is the time of year where we all begin to catch a little fever, Spring Fever.  The past few years, I have caught another kind of fever though.  Similar to spring fever, it has you daydreaming of being in another place and another time.  And…
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“God That’s Good”

By Debbie Oberlander My relationship with “Sweeney” started years ago watching a movie called Jersey Girl. In the movie the kids in Girdie’s class had to perform a song from a Broadway musical and she chose Sweeney Todd! After hearing only one song…”God That’s Good”, I was HOOKED! My husband got his hands on every…
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Tragedies Abound

By Cody Marcukaitis As Oscar Wilde once said “There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, the other is getting it.” It is no mistake that playing the role of Sweeney Todd is something that I have yearned for ever since I first heard the score and watched the characters…
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All Good Things Come To Those Who Can Wait

By Deena Cassady THE PRODUCTION TEAM- Producing a show is a labor of love; equal parts stress and exhilaration.  A production staff will identify their next big project well over a year before it will come to fruition and then, in what seems like a blink of an eye, it is time for auditions. The…
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“Sweeney heard music that nobody heard”

By Jerry Cohagan In just a few short months Sweeney Todd will be arriving in downtown Kankakee!  And over 4 months of hard work will come to fruition for one weekend in July.  A lot of work, here briefly, and then gone.  That is one of the gifts and curses of theatre, its ephemeral nature. …
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Helping “Frame” the Arts & Entertainment District in Kankakee

By Bill Yohnka I have explained to people, “It isn’t as if they just show up and do a show.” The experience that Acting Out Theatre Company brings to a community is much bigger than the nights of the production. I have seen and experienced the way Acting Out makes themselves part of the community…
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“But there’s no place like London”…or Kankakee

By Sharon Richardson The last few weeks have been very full and busy in regard to our upcoming summer production Sweeney Todd – The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. On leap day – February 29th – we had our kick off staff meeting. We posed – as always – in front of our future stage…
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“Pie, Pie, Me Oh My…..”

By Julie Gindy Today, 3-14, is the unofficial pie day..π day if you will. .                     I do love pie! I particularly enjoy  the Applescotch pie recipe from my classic 1950’s Betty Crocker cookbook and one of my fave savory pies is The Pioneer Woman’s Chicken Pot Pie. “Pie,…
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“Attend the Tale of Sweeney Todd”

“Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd He served a dark and a vengeful god What happened then, well, that’s the play And he wouldn’t want us to give it away Not Sweeney Not Sweeney Todd The demon barber of Fleet Street”   After a full weekend of auditions we have a cast!! We were very fortunate to have…
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