Hell in a Handbag Productions World Premiere of SCREAM, QUEEN, SCREAM! Runs Sept 24 – Oct 31st at Mary’s Attic
Hell in a Handbag Productions is pleased to continue its 2015-16 season with the world premiere of SCREAM, QUEEN, SCREAM!, a horror trilogy by David Cerda inspired by classics like Creepshow, Night Gallery and Tales From the Crypt, directed by Wm. Bullion. SCREAM, QUEEN, SCREAM! will play September 24 – October 31, 2015 at Mary’s Attic, 5400 N. Clark St. in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood. Tickets are currently on sale at www.handbagproductions.org.
Join the twisted ensemble at Hell in a Handbag Productions in a twisted trio of tales featuring possessed office temps, ravenous monsters and deadly identical twins. The horrors of office work are explored in the chillingly accurate TACO TUESDAY. A seemingly pleasant office temp (Rachel Hadlock) is not what she appears to be but nobody will believe Candy (Kristopher Bottrall), the office queen bee. Can Candy save her co-workers from the horrible fate that awaits them or will they suffer the wrath of the Office Master 2000?
Next up, Handbag Artistic Director David Cerda is featured in THE BOX – an even campier tribute to the already campy The Crate from the classic ‘80s film Creepshow. Cerda plays Betty Carr, a horrible shrew of a woman who pushes her long-suffering college professor husband (Chad Ingold) to the edge. When a box is found on campus grounds, the deadly contents give Professor Carr an even deadlier idea.
How do you top a monster in a box? How about Ed Jones as identical twin sisters?! SHUT UP AND DIE, MAGGIE! is a deliciously gothic tribute to the hag horror films of the ‘60s – a mash-up of the Bette Davis classics Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte and Dead Ringer, with a dash of Joan Crawford’s Strait Jacket (in the interest of equal time). It’s the story of identical twin sisters Maggie and Aggie Honeycutt – Maggie is the beautiful, carefree belle of the ball and Aggie is much maligned studious and level headed sister. When Maggie’s suitor, Beauregard Bullhorn (Chazie Bly), is viciously murdered, all fingers point to Maggie, who’s convicted and committed to the insane asylum. Twenty years later, Maggie returns home in search of peace and quiet, but certain forces have other plans for her. Can Maggie escape the demons of her past – or is she doomed to relive the horror of that tragic night?
The cast also includes Jamie Smith, Shiv Mann, Laura Coleman, Joshua Peterson, Caitlin Coleman, Christea Parent, Terry McCarthy and John Cardone as Count Dragula, the cross-fearing cross-dressing hostess!
The production team for SCREAM, QUEEN, SCREAM! includes: Lolly Extract (puppet design), Kate Setzer Kampausen (costume design), Mikey Moran (sound design), Mitchell Anthony (set design and technical director) Mealah Heidenreich (props design), Cat Wilson (lighting design), Christopher Carpenter (fight choreography) and Jamie Crothers (stage manager).
PRODUCTION DETAILS:
Title: SCREAM, QUEEN, SCREAM!
Written by: David Cerda
Directed by: Wm. Bullion
Creative Consultant: Shade Murray
Cast: Chazie Bly, Kristopher Bottrall, John Cardone, David Cerda, Caitlin Coleman, Laura Coleman, Rachel Hadlock, Chad Ingold, Ed Jones, Shiv Mann, Terry McCarthy, Christea Parent and Jamie Smith.
Location: Mary’s Attic, 5400 N. Clark St., Chicago
Dates: Previews: Thursday, September 24 at 7:30 pm, Friday, September 25 at 7:30 pm and Saturday, September 26 at 7:30 pm
Press performance: Sunday, Sept. 27 at 7 pm
Regular run: Thursday, October 1 – Saturday, October 31, 2015
Curtain Times: Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 6:30 pm. Please note: there will be an added performance on Wednesday, Oct. 14 at 7 pm and Saturday, Oct. 31 at 3:30 pm; there will not be a performance on Sunday, October 4 or Sunday, October 18.
Tickets: Previews: $16. Regular run: $22 in advance (Wednesday and Thursdays); $27 in advance (Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays); $30 at the door. Limited VIP reserved seating with drink $40. Tickets are currently on sale at www.handbagproductions.org.
CREATIVE BIOGRAPHIES
David Cerda (Playwright) is a co-founder and Artistic Director of Hell in a Handbag Productions and has written POSEIDON! An Upside Down Musical, Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer, Caged Dames, Lady X, SCARRIE The Musical, Christmas Dearest, The Birds, Lady X, and a few others. As an actor or he has worked with A Red Orchid Theatre, The New Colony, Corn Productions and Sweetback Productions. Cerda was also was a lyricist for an untitled animated feature film for Amazon Studios.
Wm. Bullion (Director) most recently directed the U.S. premiere of Blue Planet for Akvavit Theatre (of which he is currently a company member). Before that it was L’Imbécile for Babes With Blades Theatre Co., among others. Other Akvavit directing credits include Jon Fosse’s A Summer’s Day and an all-original burlesque satire Pippi’s Lost Stockings: A Skirt Raiser. As an actor, Mr. Bullion was most recently seen in old-lady drag (though he prefers “gran-vestite”) as Cecily in Factory Theater’s Hotel Aphrodite. Look for Billy’s work to appear again in Spring 2016 with Strange Bedfellows’ production of Viking-American.
Shade Murray (Creative Consultant) is an ensemble member at A Red Orchid Theater, where his directing credits include the upcoming world premieres of Brett Neveu’s Pilgrim’s Progress and Ike Holter’s Sender. Also at A Red Orchid: Accidentally Like a Martyr (with David Cerda), Mud Blue Sky, Trevor, The Aliens, The Butcher of Baraboo, Abigail’s Party and Kimberly Akimbo. Other Chicago directing credits include projects at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Writers’ Theatre, Victory Gardens, Second City, Steep Theater, Next Theater, Wildclaw Theater, Strawdog Theatre, Cole Theater, Roadworks Productions, and others. Shade teaches acting and directing at the University of Chicago and DePaul University.
Hell in a Handbag is dedicated to the preservation, exploration, and celebration of works ingrained in the realm of popular culture via theatrical productions through parody, music and homage. Handbag is a 501(c)(3) Not for Profit Corporation.