Nick Offerman
Nicholas David Offerman (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor, writer, comedian, producer, and carpenter. He is best known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC sitcom ''Parks and Recreation'', for which he received the Television Critics A ...
. The eclectic troupe specialized in productions that emphasized inventive
stagecraft
Stagecraft is a technical aspect of theatrical, film, and video production. It includes constructing and rigging scenery; hanging and focusing of lighting; design and procurement of costumes; make-up; stage management; audio engineering; and p ...
, perverse and controversial topics, and skillful stage combat. While the company is highly regarded for original plays such as ''Action Movie: The Play'' and ''Godbaby'', Defiant Theatre received notable attention for productions of plays by
Caryl Churchill
Caryl Lesley Churchill (born 3 September 1938) is a British playwright known for dramatising the abuses of power, for her use of non- naturalistic techniques, and for her exploration of sexual politics and feminist themes.
,
Alfred Jarry
Alfred Jarry (; 8 September 1873 – 1 November 1907) was a French symbolist writer who is best known for his play ''Ubu Roi'' (1896). He also coined the term and philosophical concept of 'pataphysics.
Jarry was born in Laval, Mayenne, France, ...
,
Sarah Kane
Sarah Kane (3 February 1971 – 20 February 1999) was an English playwright, screenwriter and theatre director. She is known for her plays that deal with themes of redemptive love, sexual desire, pain, torture—both physical and psychological ...
, and William Shakespeare. Chicago Magazine named Defiant the "Best Experimental Theatre" in their August 1999 Best of Chicago issue. The company disbanded in 2004.
Chicago Reader
The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative weekly newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. It was founded by a ...
''Landscape of the Body''
by John Guare
directed by Darren Critz
Opened Friday, February 11, 1994 at American Theater Company
"A smoother, more consistent presentation might not have been able to reach the emotional heights of Defiant Theatre's ''Landscape of the Body''." - Newcity
"Defiant Theatre has come up with some splendidly gruesome, darkly comic stage images... Defiant Theatre is clearly a company to keep an eye on." - Chicago Reader
Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career that spanne ...
''The Dumb Waiter'' directed by Joe Foust
''Victoria Station'' directed by Rob Kimmel
at Angel Island
"Kindles with riveting slowness to a small but triumphant climax." - Chicago Reader
''Women and Water''
by John Guare
directed by Darren Critz
at American Theater Company
"What is most thrilling about this production is how well it reveals the subtleties of Guare's play." - Chicago Reader
novella
A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...
by
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...
adapted and directed by Christopher Johnson
WORLD PREMIERE
Opened Thursday, May 4, 1995 at The Preston Bradley Center
"It's given me vivid nightmares for the past two nights (and counting)." - Chicago Reader
1996 Season
''The Ugly Man''
by Brad Fraser
directed by Linda Gillum & Barb Wruck Thometz
CHICAGO PREMIERE
Opened Saturday, January 13, 1996 at Strawdog Theatre Company
"The Defiant production has just the right tone." - Chicago Tribune
"It just becomes disgustingly irresistible." - Gay Chicago Magazine
''Ubu Raw''
based upon
Alfred Jarry
Alfred Jarry (; 8 September 1873 – 1 November 1907) was a French symbolist writer who is best known for his play ''Ubu Roi'' (1896). He also coined the term and philosophical concept of 'pataphysics.
Jarry was born in Laval, Mayenne, France, ...
's '' Ubu Roi''
adapted by Joe Foust & Richard Ragsdale
directed by Joe Foust
WORLD PREMIERE
Opened Saturday, June 1, 1996 at American Theater Company
"The most sensational off-Loop show to hit the stage in a very long time... The production is truly remarkable." - Chicago Tribune
"Breathtaking disregard for their own safety." - Chicago Reader
"Simultaneously assaulting and seductive, and violently metaphoric." - Newcity
novel
A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...
by Thomas Harris
adapted and directed by Christopher Johnson
WORLD PREMIERE
Opened Wednesday, October 23, 1996 at The Firehouse
"Defiant Theatre pulls no punches in this production that could have easily tumbled over into camp." - Windy City Times
Charles Ludlam
Charles Braun Ludlam (April 12, 1943 – May 28, 1987) was an American actor, director, and playwright.
Biography
Early life
Ludlam was born in Floral Park, New York, the son of Marjorie (née Braun) and Joseph William Ludlam. He was raise ...
directed by Jim Slonina
Opened Monday, May 5, 1997 at National Pastime Theater
Caligula
Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germanicu ...
''
by Albert Camus
directed by Richard Ragsdale
Opened Monday, July 21, 1997 at The Griffin Theatre
"Defiant presents plenty of philosophy with fornication." - Nightlines
by Sarah Kane
directed by Lisa Rothschiller
AMERICAN PREMIERE
Opened Wednesday, June 10, 1998 at American Theater Company
"It's punk, pulp fiction classicism, whipped into a frenzy in a tight, stylish production." - Chicago Reader
"**** We're appalled by this heinous clan — but, boy, I loved going to their party." - Gay Chicago Magazine
''Action Movie: The Play''
by Joe Foust & Richard Ragsdale
directed by Joe Foust
WORLD PREMIERE
Opened Wednesday, July 22, 1998 at American Theater Company
"Unforgettable theatrical thrills." - Chicago Tribune
"''Action Movie'' charms its audience with sly nods to its predictability." - Chicago Sun-Times
"A visceral, confrontational theatergoing experience... The company has managed to put all the blockbuster films this summer to shame." - Chicago Reader
''
Dracula
''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking ...
''
by
Mac Wellman
Mac Wellman, born John McDowell Wellman on March 7, 1945, in Cleveland, Ohio, is an American playwright, author, and poet.
shtick
A shtick ( yi, שטיק) is a comic theme or gimmick. The word entered the English language from the Yiddish ''shtik'' (שטיק), in turn derived from German ''Stück'' and Polish ''sztuka'' (both ultimately from Proto-Germanic *''stukkiją'') ...
by Charles Ludlam
directed by Jim Slonina
Opened Thursday, March 11, 1999 at Victory Gardens Theater Downstairs Studio
"Gleefully indulges Ludlam's cheese-ball side... Gloriously awful." - Chicago Reader
"A shared culture of
B-movie
A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double featur ...
proportions while being lovingly, and skillfully, over-the-top theatrical." - Newcity
"A colorful diversion. Or is that perversion?... Full of wit and energy, it's well worth checking out." - Windy City Times
''Action Movie: The Play: The Director's Cut''
by Joe Foust & Richard Ragsdale
directed by Joe Foust
Opened Wednesday, June 16, 1999 at American Theater Company
"A veritable feast of outstanding stage combat, fantastic puppets, inventive directorial ideas... It's more fun than most any summer film." - Chicago Tribune
"The play's endless stunts are just as brilliantly executed and breathtaking as they were before." - Chicago Reader
"Defiant has set themselves up for a nice franchise." - Newcity
''Burning Desires''
by Joan Schenkar
directed by Linda Gillum
MIDWEST PREMIERE
Opened Wednesday, November 3, 1999 at National Pastime Theater
"A very interesting play with serious intellectual heft... There's no doubting this troupe's stellar theatrical chops." - Chicago Tribune
"The Defiant folks prove once again why they are among the most creative companies currently working in Chicago." - Windy City Times
2000 Season
''The Love Talker''
by Deborah Pryor
directed by Richard Ragsdale
at Victory Gardens Theater Downstairs Studio
"Rich with storytelling make-believe." - Citysearch
''Godbaby''
by Christopher Johnson
directed by Jim Slonina
WORLD PREMIERE
Opened Friday, June 16, 2000 at American Theater Company
"A manic production by one local company that lives up to its name--Defiant Theatre." - Chicago Sun-Times
"''Godbabys scholarship alone would be an accomplishment worthy of commendation. That the Defiant company makes it so much fun is an additional blessing." - Windy City Times
''
Macbeth
''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...
''
by William Shakespeare
directed by Christopher Johnson
Opened Friday, October 27, 2000 at The Viaduct
"The whole production has the rough, raw air of a medieval mystery play, charged with violence and spiritualism." - Chicago Tribune
"If Shakespeare were this exciting in school, he'd be bigger than
Harry Potter
''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...
." - Chicago Free Press
"If there's one word to describe Defiant Theatre's ''Macbeth'', it's "Wow!" - Lerner Booster
2001 Season
''
Cleansed
''Cleansed'' is the third play by the English playwright Sarah Kane. It was first performed in 1998 at the Royal Court Theatre Downstairs in London. The play is set in a university which (according to the blurb of the published script) is oper ...
''
by Sarah Kane
directed by Lisa Rothschiller
AMERICAN PREMIERE
Opened Friday, March 16, 2001 at The Viaduct
"A contemporary night of the living dead." - Chicago Sun-Times
"Everyone in this production, from the light designer to each of the actors, takes big risks. But the risks pay off in poetry." - Newcity
by Lee Blessing
directed by Justin Fletcher
Opened Friday, September 14, 2001 at The Viaduct
"Defiant's well-crafted production is exceptionally well-acted." - Chicago Tribune
''Sci-fi Action Movie in Space Prison''
written and directed by Joe Foust
WORLD PREMIERE
Opened Saturday, December 8, 2001 at American Theater Company
"Its comic-strip overkill is amusing and invigorating." - Chicago Tribune
"The Defiant ones have clearly worked their asses off to produce a mind-blowing show." - Chicago Free Press
2002 Season
''Flaming Guns of the Purple Sage''
by
Jane Martin
Jane Martin is the pen name of a playwright who has been active from 1981 to the present, whose real identity remains unknown. Martin's plays include ''Anton in Show Business'', ''Back Story'', ''Beauty'', ''Coup/Clucks'', '' Cementville'', ''Cr ...
directed by Linda Gillum
CHICAGO PREMIERE
Opened Friday, March 29, 2002 at The Viaduct
"Defiant does gothic redneck pulp far better than most... It's great tacky fun." - Chicago Tribune
"**** Defiant hits the bulls-eye." - Gay Chicago Magazine
"An evening of good, clean, slam-bang messy fun." - Windy City Times
''Dope''
by Christopher Johnson
directed by Christopher Johnson & Jim Slonina
WORLD PREMIERE
Opened Friday, July 5, 2002 at American Theater Company
"A wild ride on a crazily off-kilter roller coaster." - Chicago Sun-Times
''Nicholas DeBeaubien's The Hunchback of Notre Dame''
by John Kohler, Larry Larson, Levi Lee and Rebecca Wackler
directed by Jim Slonina
MIDWEST PREMIERE
Opened Thursday, September 12, 2002 at A Red Orchid Theatre
"The well-versed actors fully commit to the material." - Gay Chicago Magazine
Bram Stoker
Abraham Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912) was an Irish author who is celebrated for his 1897 Gothic horror novel '' Dracula''. During his lifetime, he was better known as the personal assistant of actor Sir Henry Irving and busine ...
directed by Richard Ragsdale
Opened Sunday, October 12, 2003 at The Vittum Theatre
"Defiant Theatre, not a troupe to shy away from the eek, the ook or even the odd "uck," has a spirited blood-sucker now on display, just in time for Halloween." - Chicago Tribune
2004 Season
''Action Movie: The Play''
by Joe Foust & Richard Ragsdale
directed by Joe Foust
Opened Sunday, April 18, 2004 at The
Chopin Theatre
Chopin Theatre Productions is a 501(c)(3) not for profit art presenter and producer at the historic Chopin Theater building in Chicago. Built in 1918, in what is now Wicker Park, the theater is located across the Polish Triangle. Chopin Theatr ...
"Its replication of and commentary on the clichés of its testosterone-fueled genre is as timely as the product it mocks." - Windy City Times
''
The Pyrates
''The Pyrates'' is a comic novel by George MacDonald Fraser, published in 1983. Fraser called it "a burlesque fantasy on every swashbuckler I ever read or saw".
Plot
Written in arch, ironic style and containing a great deal of deliberate anachro ...
''
based on the novel by George MacDonald Fraser
adapted by Justin Fletcher & Richard Ragsdale
directed by Justin Fletcher
Opened Sunday, June 27, 2004 at The Chopin Theatre
"A textbook example of Chicago pop-fusion theater." - Chicago Sun-Times
by Anthony Burgess
adapted from his novel
directed by Christopher Johnson
Opened Thursday, September 9, 2004 at Gallery 37's Storefront Theater
"There's more than enough here to remind us of why we'll miss this historically important theater company." - Chicago Tribune
Awards
1996
''Ubu Raw''
After Dark Award
* Overall Technical Achievement
1997
''Red Dragon'' Joseph Jefferson Citations
* Original Adaptation - Christopher Johnson
* Actor in a Principal Role - Christopher Thometz
* Sound Design - Brian & Matthew Callahan
* Original Music - Sean Sinitski
1998
''The Skriker''
Joseph Jefferson Citations
* Costume Design - Carol Cox, Jennifer Keller, Sarah Laleman, Beth Nowak, Christine Pascual
*
Puppetry
Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance that involves the manipulation of puppets – inanimate objects, often resembling some type of human or animal figure, that are animated or manipulated by a human called a puppeteer. Such a perform ...
and Masks - B. Emil Boulos, Joe Foust, Andrew Leman,
Nick Offerman
Nicholas David Offerman (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor, writer, comedian, producer, and carpenter. He is best known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC sitcom ''Parks and Recreation'', for which he received the Television Critics A ...
, Sean Sinitski, Christopher Thometz
After Dark Award
* Overall Technical Achievement
''Action Movie: The Play''
After Dark Awards
* Sound Design - Gregor Mortis, Greg Nishimura, Prank, Sean Sinitski
* Direction - Joe Foust
2001
''Cleansed''
After Dark Awards
* Direction - Lisa Rothschiller
* Outstanding Ensemble
2002
''Fortinbras''
Joseph Jefferson Citation
* Actor in a Supporting Role - Jim Slonina
''Flaming Guns of the Purple Sage''
After Dark Award
* Outstanding Production
2005
''Action Movie: The Play''
Joseph Jefferson Citations
* Outstanding Ensemble
* Sound Design - Gregor Mortis
* Fight Choreography - Joe Foust & Geoff Coates