Tiffany Keane Schaefer
Columbia College Chicago Theatre alum Tiffany Keane Schaefer ’12, a graduate of the Theatre Program’s Theatre Directing program, is featured in an article on the website of American Theatre, the nation’s only general-circulation magazine devoted to nonprofit theatre. Headlined “For the Fans: Building Otherworld’s Twihard!,” the article features an interview with Schaefer, founder and artistic director of Chicago’s Otherworld Theatre Company. As the American Theatre article reports: “Schaefer originally founded Otherworld in 2012 with aspirations of combining her two passions—theatre and sci-fi—into theatrical experiences that explore the genre in front of live audiences. Schaefer, who graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a major in directing and a minor in science fiction and fantasy, said it took a year of fundraising to launch her company. ‘Those first days were cringe-worthy,’ Schaefer recalled. ‘We had a kegger, and we were like, “We’re raising money for the theatre, $5 jungle juice for everyone.” ‘ ” Today Otherworld is a successful enterprise that develops and produces original stage and digital entertainment in the sci-fi/fantasy genre, ranging from full-fledged plays and musicals to improv and drag shows, live-action role-playing events, and even an annual film festival, Juggernaut. “Schaefer now describes Otherworld as a ‘science fiction and fantasy community center’ [where] fans often attend shows in costume and hang out in the lobby and bar chatting long after performances,” the American Theatre article explains. To read the full article, click here.
As previously reported in this blog, Schaefer is the coauthor and director of Twihard! A Twilight Musical Parody, which premiered in February 2024 at Otherworld to rave reviews and a loyal audience following. The show – an unauthorized musical parody of the Twilight fantasy film series – has a book and lyrics by Schaefer, who also designed the production’s set, costume, and props.
“Schaefer originally stumbled into the idea of a musical parody of Twilight back in 2008, after the first film was released,” reports the American Theatre article. “A fan of the film, she happened also to be learning about melodrama in school, and thought the story in the movie could be staged as a musical. ‘I almost thought that it would be better as a musical,’ she said, ‘because the relationships are so heightened. You have your ingénue, you have your morally gray [character]. So I thought it could be a parody and we can acknowledge some of these more cringe elements.’ ” But not until 2023 did Schaefer team up with composer Brian Rasmussen, who plays piano for improv comedy shows at Otherworld, to turn her idea into a full-fledged stage musical.
As previously reported in this blog, Otherworld showcased Twihard for New York audiences – and potential producers – in a special performance on October 22 at the celebrated New York City nightclub 54 Below in midtown Manhattan’s theatre district. Now Twihard! is playing an encore engagement at Otherworld, located at 3914 N. Clark in Chicago, through December 8. “Pay-What-You-Can” tickets are available. For tickets, click here.
