Patrick Whalen

May Day! May Day! Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department alumnus Pat Whalen hosts Good Evening #8, the eighth installment of  Good Evening with Pat Whalen, on Friday, May 1, at 10:45 PM. Described as “Chicago’s only late-night talk-show news-alternative; featuring live music, interviews and performances,” Good Evening with Pat Whalen is presented by Jackalope Theatre (a collective founded and led by Columbia College Theatre alumni) and takes place the first Friday of every month at The Frontier, Jackalope’s storefront space at 1106 W. Thorndale in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. This month’s Good Evening features an interview with 48th Ward Alderman Harry Osterman, whose support of the arts is helping turn Edgewater (home to Jackalope, Steep, City Lit, Redtwist, About Face, and other theatres) into a thriving cultural scene. There’ll also be performances by Ike Holter and Josh Zagoren. Doors open at 10:30 PM, and the show will be followed by a “dance party and general frivolity.”

The production staff includes Columbia Theatre alumni J. Cody Spellman, Kaiser Ahmed, and Andrew Burden Swanson, and the writing staff includes Columbia Theatre alumni Gus Menary, Danny Socorro Martinez, and Trevor D. Kravits. Alex Hand and Ben Fout, graduates of Columbia College’s film and video program, are the show’s cinematographers.

As reported previously in this blog, Jackalope ranked high in the just-announced Non-Equity Joseph Jefferson Awards nominations. Its 2014 show Exit Strategy was nominated for Production–Play, Direction (by alumnus Gus Menary), and Ensemble (the cast included alumni Whalen and Martinez).