Commedia Beauregard Presents BARD FICTION July 10 – August 2nd at City Lit Theater

Following their hit holiday show A Klingon Christmas Carol, Commedia Beauregard is pleased to present the return of its wildly popular dark comedy BARD FICTION, a Shakespearean retelling of Quentin Tarantino’s cult film classic Pulp Fiction, written by Ben Tallen, Aaron Greer, Brian Watson-Jones and the collaborative efforts of the Pulp Bard Wiki and directed and choreographed by Artistic Director Christopher Kidder-Mostrom. BARD FICTION will play July 10 – August 2, 2015 at City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at www.cbtheatre.org or by calling the box office at(312) 487-1893. 

BARD FICTION will feature Josh Zagoren and Steven Stinson in the roles created by John Travolta and Samuel L Jackson – though, this time, in Shakespearean verse. Other returning cast members include Clark Bender, Jackie Davies, Zach Livingston and Reggie Vaughn with newcomers Greg Callozzo, Alex Glossman, Nicole Jordan, Brenda E. Kelly, Ali Kidder-Mostrom, Vivian Knouse, Kristin Larsen, Chris Lysy, Joshua Simpson, Abby Stark and Max Tomaszewsk.

BARD FICTION takes the characters and story from Tarantino’s classic film and makes them a part of the London underworld in Elizabethan England. It’s pop-culture meets high-culture and the result is exciting for fans of Shakespeare and Pulp Fiction alike. Commedia Beauregard regularly performs plays translated from one language to another (A Klingon Christmas Carol, Machiavelli’s The Mandrake), however this time they will be bring to the stage a play translating between art forms and eras.

BARD FICTION was an Internet sensation from the moment the idea surfaced from writers Ben Tallen, Aaron Greer and Brian Watson-Jones. The project attracted contributions via the Pulp Bard Wiki from as far away as New Zealand.  A one-hour version was presented by Tedious Brief Productions at the Minnesota Fringe Festival in 2009.  Three years later, Commedia Beauregard commissioned BARD FICTION as an expanded, full-length play.

“We originally produced Bard Fiction in 2012 at the Greenhouse Theater and it was a huge hit for us,” comments Commedia Beauregard Artistic Director Christopher Kidder-Mostrom. “We’ve been talking about a remount ever since the first run closed – now the stars have finally aligned and we’re excited to be back.  We’re also thrilled to have many of the original cast members back, especially Josh Zagoren who puts his own unique and creative spin on the iconic role originated by John Travolta” adds Kidder-Mostrom.

The production team for BARD FICTION includes: Devon Mackay (scenic design), kClare Kemock and Jackie Daniels (costume design), Liz Cooper (lighting design), Joe Griffin (sound design and score) Vivian Knouse (props), Marc Malnekoff and Brenda E. Kelly (weapons), Zach Livingston (fight choreography) and Hazel Flowers-McCabe (stage manager).

PRODUCTION DETAILS:

Title: BARD FICTION

Written by: Ben Tallen, Aaron Greer, Brian Watson-Jones and the collaborative efforts of the Pulp Bard Wiki

Directed and choreographed by: Artistic Director Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

Cast: Clark Bender (Scottish Dave, Ghost), Greg Callozzo, (Baron DeWulf), Jackie Davies (Lady Mia Wallace), Alex Glossman (Brittanus, Jacob), Nicole Jordan (Sprint, Esmeralda), Brenda E. Kelly (Maynard), Ali Kidder-Mostrom (Wench), Vivian Knouse (Bess, Fabiana), Kristin Larsen (Meadsweet Coney), Zach Livingston (Butch), Chris Lysy (Marvin, Norman, The Gimp), Joshua Simpson (Pumpkin Pie, Zed), Abby Stark (Claudio), Steven Stinson (Julius Win-Field), Max Tomaszewsk (Roger, Lancelot), Reggie Vaughn (Lord Marsellus Wallace) and Josh Zagoren (Vincenzio de la Vega).

Location: City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago

Dates: Press performance: Friday, July 10 at 8 pm

Regular run: Saturday, July 11 – Sunday, August 2, 2015

Curtain Times: Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm; Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will be an added performance on Monday, July 13 (see details below).

Tickets: Regular Run: $30. Tickets are currently available at www.cbtheatre.org or by calling the box office at (312) 487-1893.

Benefit Performance: Monday, July 13 at 8 pm. “Pay-what-you-can” night benefiting Edgewater’s Care For Real food shelf. 50% of proceeds will go to help feed the hungry.

About the Director

Christopher Kidder-Mostrom directed his first full-length play, Life of the Party in 1990.  Since then he has directed over 45 plays, many of which were produced by Commedia Beauregard, for whom he has been the company’s Artistic Director since 1999. A graduate of Morningside College (BA – Theatre Arts) and the University of New Orleans (MFA – Playwriting), Chris is a theatrical jack of all trades.  His most recent work has seen him on the City Lit stage in The Bloodhound Law as an actor, and his plays have been staged in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Ohio, Iowa and Minnesota.  Kidder-Mostrom’s directorial methods were developed through time spent at Theatre de la Jeune Lune under director Dominique Serrand and the History Theatre under Ron Peluso.  As the creator of A Klingon Christmas Carol, Chris has received national and international attention for his work. He also takes pride in his efforts as a theatre educator and as a father to his teenage daughter.

About Commedia Beauregard

Commedia Beauregard’s mission is to translate the universal human experience to the stage: to expand our horizons and share knowledge of all cultures, translating between languages and between arts to create theater that is beautiful in expression. The mission of Commedia Beauregard involves producing works in translation. Recent productions include A Klingon Christmas Carol – the only full length play performed in tlhIngan Hol (the alien language created for Star Trek) – and Master Works: The Intuit Plays – translating from paintings to short plays.  For additional information, visit www.cbtheatre.org.