Red Tape Rockstar: Amanda Reader

August’s Red Tape Rockstar is ensemble member Amanda Reader!!!

Amanda recently joined the ensemble after her performance in the critically acclaimed Love of the Nightingale. This month Amanda has been working Box Office for Les Enfants Terrible, striking the Enfants’ set, spending day after day building the set for Obscura, and on top of that, she has taken the lead on a number of fundraising projects.

Amanda approaches her work with much thought and a positive attitude. That’s what makes her a Red Tape Rockstar!

Red Tape Announces 2010-2011 Season

Red Tape is proud to dedicate its seventh season to the exploration of the space between. We hope to shed light on the secrets and fears that keep people from making physical and spiritual connections. To that end, we journey to three imaginative worlds where the rules are obscured and the 'here and now' seems far away.
Get your tickets now for our upcoming productions!

Obscura: a voyeuristic love story
September 23 - October 23
World premiere
Tickets on sale now
Written by Jennifer Barclay
Directed by Julieanne Ehre

Red Tape proudly presents the world premiere of Jennifer Barclay's Obscura: a voyeuristic love story. Behind the walls of an aging apartment building, the reclusive neighbors' lives are being closely monitored. Amidst the Orwellian atmosphere, Ned invents a story to win his neighbor's heart. But the arrival of a stranger threatens to unveil their darkest secrets.

Featuring Ensemble Members Nicholas Combs, Lona Livingston, Robert L. Oakes, and Meghan Reardon



Church/Pullman, WA
January 26 - February 26
Chicago premiere
Written by Young Jean Lee
Directed by Jaclyn Biskup

One of the boldest voices in contemporary theater, playwright Young Jean Lee tackles two pivotal subjects: religion and self-esteem.

Church
This exuberant church service is a celebration designed to play with the expectations of religious and non-religious alike. It is an uplifting, joyous and inspirational event that may be Lee's most miraculous experiment to date.

Pullman, WA
Unhappy? Confused? Three ordinary, awkward characters, will make an earnest, frequently disastrous attempt show you how to live a better life.

Featuring Ensemble Members Robert L. Oakes and Meghan Reardon



Fresh Eyes Project
March 2011

Fresh Eyes Project is an incubator for new and experimental work. It focuses on the needs of playwrights, providing them with a director, actors, dramaturgical support and rehearsal space. Fresh Eyes is produced by Rebecca Stevens.



Chicago Fringe Artist Networking Night
April 2, 2011

CFANN is a one-night only celebration for artists, by artists. Artists of all disciplines and media showcase their work and network with other artists in the Chicago community. Food, drinks, friends, art - what more could you ask for?



Tragedy: A Tragedy
May 4 - June 4
Chicago Premiere

Written by Will Eno
Directed by Marti Lyons


The sun has set over streets, houses, government buildings and American backyards everywhere. The world is dark. A news team is on the scene. Nobody knows if the sun, once down, will ever rise again. But there is a witness, and the witness will speak.

Featuring Ensemble Members Vic May, Paul G. Miller, and Paige Sawin

Red Tape Theatre Company is committed to the creation of new and experimental work. Our ensemble collaborates with playwrights, musicians, dancers, and visual artists on our two mainstage productions. This work is supported by our Fresh Eyes Project playwrights workshop and the Chicago Fringe Artist Networking Night, both of which we produce annually. We are housed in St. Peter's Episcopal Church and our unique performance space allows us to continually reinevent the audience/artist relationship. Red Tape's plays invite our audiences to reimagine their world. We believe that theatre serves a vital purpose in our community: to arrest and create empathy.

Stub Hub

Throughout the years while performing for Les Enfants Terribles, many things have changed. People have left, changed sexes, lost and gained lumps, and even grew back a pair of legs. But for me, the one thing that has never and will never change is my physical position in the group. I am the one always looming in the background, my head popping up over this potatoey mass of lumps and beige. Upon creating my buffoon, we drifted towards things that we were uncomfortable with. Naturally, as being actors, we all like to be the center of attention, and I was no exception. So to counter that, I moved towards the back of the group, and anchored myself there, to stay. I have been called “the anchor” of group, and I definitely see why. My character, called “The Father”, treats these other buffoons as if they were his children. When the group is stuck and doesn’t know what to do, everyone looks at me just like if I WAS their dad, and they my kids.

The other noticeable thing about my buffoon is the stub arm. Losing an arm stemmed out of my lack of coordination and self-awareness of being so uncoordinated. It turned into a sort of therapy for me, because after being in this body and not being able to use of one of your arms, even for a short amount of time, has made me appreciate my body so much more. The stub is also a vessel of sorts, used to communicate with higher powers. I receive messages from “God”, and speak those messages to the group. It’s interesting that this channeling brings a second meaning to my character name. Want to see Les Enfants Terribles in all it’s potatoey, beige glory? Put on your tux, grab your sweetie, and come see Prom Night! to find out!

Christopher Paul Mueller
Les Enfants Terribles
Believe in Nothing, Mock Everything
July 16-August 14 at Red Tape Theatre