The Seven Secret Plays of Madam Caprice
The Silent Theatre Company, an ensemble founded in 2005 by Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department students and alumni, is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a new original production, The Seven Secret Plays of Madam Caprice: a live music meta-theatrical adventure. The show opens Monday, May 11, at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood, and runs through June 21.
“The Seven Secret Plays of Madame Caprice willed itself into existence through patience and chance mostly, and perhaps a dash of audacity. Inspired by a dreamt adventure, this blend of music and theatrical storytelling, this bubbling cauldron of creativity, has a metamorphic nature. Performers, musicians and even context change as the show grows more aware of itself, transcending its origins as it evolves,” according to a publicity release. The show concerns a woman, Esteliana Caprice, who invites five outcasts to her abode to help them find the tools necessary to navigate through life effortlessly. In this endeavor, they create seven plays varying in genre and aesthetic, underscored with live music and whimsy.
Tonika Todorova
The Seven Secret Plays of Madam Caprice is conceived, written, and directed by Columbia College Theatre alumna Tonika Todorova.Todorova is also collaborating with Columbia College on the “Great Convergence” kick-off for this year’s semester-end arts festival, Manifest, on Friday, May 15. (Expect nothing less than flying puppets, moving vehicles, a rambunctious crowd and a convolution of Columbia pride.)
Kyla Louise Webb
Lauren Fisher
Evan Sierminski
Chloe Honeyman-Bloede
The Seven Secret Plays of Madam Caprice features Columbia College Theatre alumni Nicholas DuFloth, Lauren Fisher, Marcus Fittanto, Gillian Hastings (who is also providing original music), Phillip Max Lewis, Evan Sierminski, and Kyla Louise Webb. Alumna Chloe Honeyman-Bloede provides production management and lighting design. Live music is performed by a band consisting of Columbia College Chicago Music Department alumni Davor Palos, Nikola Dokic, and Robert Palos.
The Silent Theatre Company made its debut in November 2005 with Lulu, an acclaimed production of Frank Wedekind’s classic play done in an expressionistic silent-film style. The company’s board of directors includes Columbia Theatre Department faculty member Jeff Ginsberg and Columbia Theatre alumnus Frank Pullen.
For ticket information, click here.
