The 4th Graders Present an Unnamed Love-Suicide Digital Program
Showtimes:
November 6th, 7th, 8th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 24th & 29th at 7:30pm
November 9th, 23rd, & 30th at 3:00pm
Where:
Facility Theatre
1138 N California Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
CAST
(In alphabetical order)
Charlee Amacher - Rachel
Antonio Cruz - Johnny
Al Duffy - (us/ Singer, Mike Rice, Johnny, Rachel)
Ella Gatlin - Singer (u/s Brenda. Sally, Lucy Law)
Maura Fawley - Brenda
Quinn Leary - Mike Rice
Macee Maddox - Lucy Law
Francesca Zaccor - Sally
CREATIVE
Director - Hannah Ottenfeld
Playwright - Sean Graney
Stage Manager - Garrett Michael McCann
Violence and Intimacy Director - Erin Sheets
Scenic Designer - Garrett Michael McCann
Costume Designer - Dita Frank
Sound Designer - Garrett Michael McCann
Props Master - Al Joritz
Co-Lighting Designers - Garrett Michael McCann & Chelsea Strebe
Original Songs by Taylor Cook
Dramaturg - Maddie Curtin
Fight Captain - Quinn Leary
Artistic Director: Garrett Michael McCann
Artistic Advisory Board: Amy Carter, Taylor Cook, Dita Frank, Daniel King, Morris McLennan, Hannah Ottenfeld,
Nathan Shelton, & Chelsea Strebe
Special Thanks Alexis Confer & The Mechanicals NYC, Prairie Scholl, Brandii Champagne, Erin Sheets & Theatre L’acadie, Kirk Anderson & Facility Theatre, Al Joritz & Zap Props, & our Boneshaker Sponsors!
(In alphabetical order)
Charlee Amacher - Rachel
Antonio Cruz - Johnny
Al Duffy - (us/ Singer, Mike Rice, Johnny, Rachel)
Ella Gatlin - Singer (u/s Brenda. Sally, Lucy Law)
Maura Fawley - Brenda
Quinn Leary - Mike Rice
Macee Maddox - Lucy Law
Francesca Zaccor - Sally
CREATIVE
Director - Hannah Ottenfeld
Playwright - Sean Graney
Stage Manager - Garrett Michael McCann
Violence and Intimacy Director - Erin Sheets
Scenic Designer - Garrett Michael McCann
Costume Designer - Dita Frank
Sound Designer - Garrett Michael McCann
Props Master - Al Joritz
Co-Lighting Designers - Garrett Michael McCann & Chelsea Strebe
Original Songs by Taylor Cook
Dramaturg - Maddie Curtin
Fight Captain - Quinn Leary
Artistic Director: Garrett Michael McCann
Artistic Advisory Board: Amy Carter, Taylor Cook, Dita Frank, Daniel King, Morris McLennan, Hannah Ottenfeld,
Nathan Shelton, & Chelsea Strebe
Special Thanks Alexis Confer & The Mechanicals NYC, Prairie Scholl, Brandii Champagne, Erin Sheets & Theatre L’acadie, Kirk Anderson & Facility Theatre, Al Joritz & Zap Props, & our Boneshaker Sponsors!
CAST
Charlee Amacher (she/her) is excited to step into her debut at Bump in the Night! Charlee graduated with degrees in Acting and Environmental Sustainability, and has lived in Chicago ever since. In addition to pursuing her career, she also started a theatre company with groovy friends and talented artists called New Wave Theatre Company (@newwave_theatreco on Insta and @newwavetheatrecompany on TikTok). You may have seen her in New Wave’s productions of: Bad Draft Reading Series (2nd production) live reading Children of Gaia, and THIS IS ART. In line with the spooky spirit, you may have seen her as Mary Sanderson in Pocus Hocus: a Virgin’s Revenge, and Georgia in the horror film Final Summer (now streaming on Amazon Prime).
In her free time she loves to water her plants, hang out with friends and family, and loves to cook new recipes (if you have any crock pot recipes please let her know after the show hehe).
A message from Charlee to you, the audience member: Diva, fasten your seatbelt and enjoy the show. Thank you for being here!
In her free time she loves to water her plants, hang out with friends and family, and loves to cook new recipes (if you have any crock pot recipes please let her know after the show hehe).
A message from Charlee to you, the audience member: Diva, fasten your seatbelt and enjoy the show. Thank you for being here!
Antonio Cruz (they/he/she) is so overjoyed to play Johnny in Bump in the Night's 4th Graders Present an Unnamed Love Suicide. Antonio graduated from Millikin University with degrees in Theater and Human Services somehow, despite daydreaming 70% of the time. Recent credits include Lucious in Scandalous Boy (Open Space Arts), the Fey in Beyond the Garden Gate (Impostors Theatre), Hanschen in Spring Awakening (Steel Beam), Kevin US in The Swan (Theatre L'Acadie), Gaston in Beauty and the Beast (TOTH), Don Alfonso in Cosi Fan Tutte (Millikin Uni.) and the swing for Chicago Lore(s) (Urban Theatre), and Muffed (Factory Theatre). Antonio spends his spare time writing plays that delve into magical realism, most recently penning Sunkissed and the musical The Path. When not creating, Antonio works as a self directed assistant for families with special needs and adores spending time adventuring with/annoying his friends.
He thanks the endless list of people that have supported him up until now and the new members of his theater family he added here!
He thanks the endless list of people that have supported him up until now and the new members of his theater family he added here!
Al Duffy (they/them) is a Detroit transplant with a deep love for this equally terrifying and terrific show. Pulling their weight with a whopping four out of six understudy assignments: Duffy is your sad boy, your girl next door, your bully with great hair, and your ethereal singer all wrapped into one. And yeah, that 4th grade pic is from their first communion 🙏. Duffy received their BFA from Wayne State University and have also been seen in Chicago shows with Hell in a Handbag Productions and Gender Fucked Productions. Duffy also regularly can be found making shit up at The Annoyance Theatre. Free Palestine! Fuck ICE!
Ella Gatlin (she/her) is so excited to be making her Bump in the Night debut! This year, Ella graduated from Northwestern University with a double major in Theatre and Psychology. Past roles include Carrie Pipperidge in Carousel (Music Theatre Works), Mistress/Clara u/s in Passion (Blank Theatre Company), and several beloved productions during her time at Northwestern including Sunday in The Park With George (Old Lady), Fun Home (Alison), A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (Phoebe D’Ysquith), and The Comedy of Errors (Emilia). Ella is represented by Lily's Talent. Thank you to this amazing team!
Maura Fawley She/Her (Brenda) Maura is thrilled to be making her Bump in the Night debut! Recent credits include Sally Bowles in Cabaret (SoL Theatre), Cinderella, 9 to 5, A Christmas Carol (Metropolis), This One Will Grow, When All Of This Is Over (Glass Apple Theatre), The Polar Express, Peppa Pig Live! (Nat. Tour), Chicago, and Sound of Music. Maura is represented by Big Mouth Talent. Congratulations to the amazing team of 4th Graders!”
Quinn Leary (He/Him) is a multidisciplinary, Chicago-based theatre maker and artist with experience in clowning, devising, and immersive theatre forms. Most recently he could be seen in Theatre L’Acadie’s “Big Time Toppers.” He has worked with Birch House Immersive (“Lonely Hearts,” “The Last Days of Eden Creek”), Redtwist Theatre (“Titus Andronicus”), Meat Machine (Ensemble Member), and Paralysis Immersive (Founder). Seeing Sean Graney’s “All Our Tragic” was hugely influential to Quinn, so he is honored to bring another of Sean’s works to life with Bump in the Night and this incredible ensemble.
Macee Maddox is pumped to be making her Bump in the Night debut with this amazing 4th grade cast. Macee graduated in 2023 with her bachelors in Musical Theatre and is currently a proud ensemble member of Do Process Theatre. She absolutely loves her classmates and is honored to share the stage with them!
Francesca Zaccor (she/her) is ecstatic to be making her Chicago debut as Sally! She just graduated from Millikin University in May with her BFA in Acting and minor in dance and made the big move to the Windy City in September. When she isn't playing a 4th grader, you can catch her teaching dance and making content on Tiktok (@grannyfranny13)! She couldn't have asked for a better cast & crew to help her adjust to the world of Chicago theatre. She hopes you enjoy the show!
A Message From The Director, Hannah Ottenfeld
“All I want is boundless love, all I know is violence.” - Lingua Ignota
This play has been a favorite of mine since I saw it in January of 2016. Nearly ten years later, it has continued to haunt me much like Johnny’s memory haunts his classmates. Johnny pens us a pacifist parable, a warning to us all to condemn the horrors of violence. We observe Johnny as a witness, a victim, and a perpetrator of grotesque violence and the grave consequences that come with each of these roles. Staging this play in our shared hometown of Chicago nearly 20 years after its origin has been a remarkable privilege as well as a disturbing reminder of the horrors that we are facing when we open our phones and our front doors. We’ve found ourselves in a country run by overgrown mean girls and bullies, it is my hope that you can mourn Johnny with us and through grief find hope, healing, and unending sweetness. We all deserve the sweetness of the yellow cake. Thank you for joining us, it is a pleasure to have you in class.
-Hannah
Garrett Michael McCann Garrett is so extremely proud and excited for you to see tonight's show. This process has been one of the most cathartic, artful projects I've had the pleasure of working on. A HUGE thank you to the amazing cast and crew of this show. I've learned so much from each of you and am so excited to be your collaborator. Garrett serves as the Artistic Director of Bump in the Night Theatre. He recently directed our productions of Squeamish by Aaron Mark and Euripides' Medea. His work as also been seen around town at PrideArts, CityLit, Three Brothers Theatre, Playhouse 38 & more. www.garrettmichelmccann.com
Erin Sheets is a Director, Producer, Movement/Violence/Intimacy Director, and Puppetry Fangirl from New Orleans who has called Chicago home since 2018. Erin is co-Artistic Director of Theatre L'Acadie and an ensemble member at Facility Theatre. She is a lead producer of new play development series Inc. - A New Play Incubator, and the In Bloom New Works Series. As a director, recent projects have included Deserted (Artemisia), Grey Gardens (Big Noise), and The Swan (Theatre L’Acadie). Other projects of hers you may have seen (if you're into that sort of thing): Endgame (Facility, Asst. Director), Motherhouse (Rivendell, Asst. Director), Big Time Toppers (L' Acadie, Movement Director), Right Now (Facility, Intimacy Director), The Delivery (Trap Door, Intimacy Director), Today Tonight Soon (L’Acadie, Director), Helena & Hermia in the Enamored Odyssey (Imposters, Intimacy Director), A Monster Tragedy (Meat Machine, Movement Director), Titus Andronicus (Redtwist, Intimacy Director), among others. Catch the Midwest Premiere of Rising Water, directed by Erin, this January. Learn more about what's up next at erinesheets.com
Dita Frank is a costume designer and member of BITN's Artistic Advisory Board. An artist wth a speciality in fiber and textiles, Dita has previously costumed Medea. Dita creates hand-sewn costumes for local historical costuming events, and is currently exploring adaptable-clothing patterns.
Al Joritz is a props master and creative artist based in Chicago. Al received his BA in theatre and psychology from Millikin University in 2020. He is thrilled to be creating with Bump in the Night. Recent work includes Grey Gardens and Freaky Friday with Big Noise Theatre. Al is a company member of Theatre L'Acadie, having previously worked on Big Time Toppers and The Swan with them and will be working on their upcoming show Rising Water. By day he works as the rentals manager at Zap Props-- the largest prop house in the Midwest. Thanks to his parents for everything. Check out his most recent vintage finds at grandpasjunkdrawer on eBay. He hopes you enjoy the show!
Taylor Cook has written and performed music for Snake Season (indie pop), Matianak (black metal), and Goblin Mage (dungeon synth), plus the occasional video game soundtrack. He also made the crudely-animated Phoeba’s Opera on YouTube. At Garrett’s suggestion, he recently recorded his own versions of Taylor Swift songs (Taylor’s versions).
This production contains graphic depictions of violence/abuse, bullying, body-shaming, blood, imagery of suicide and gun violence. The performance also uses brief fog and strobe effects.
