Backstage Chicago Itinerary

Monday, April 18

Dress Wear:  Semi-casual dress and comfortable shoes (NO jeans) and warm coat 

·      Arrive to School (8:00)

Transportation:  Walk to Brown Line

·      Week in Review: (8:00-9:45) Students will review John Belushi and Dan Aykroid’s work with Second City and watch the Blues Brothers, a movie set in Chicago.

·      Billy Goat Tavern (10:30-11:30). Famous for the Saturday Night Live Skit performed by former Second City comedians John Belushi and Dan Aykyroid, the Billy Goat Tavern is infamous for its cheezburgers and chips. 

·      Chicago Historic Theater District (12:00-1:00)) Students will visit the Chicago Historic Theater District and experience one of the country's last remaining movie palaces: Chicago Theater.

·      Chicago History Museum (1:30-2:30) Students will participate in the Go Behind the Scenes Tour of Chicago’s early film industry and movie-going culture.  The Museum’s research collection boasts a variety of photographs, prints, and architectural drawings that offers an overview of the different production studios, movie palaces, and film stars of Chicago. 

 Return to School for Pick-Up (3:15)

 

Tuesday, April 19

Dress Code:  Semi-casual dress: slacks, sweaters,  (No jeans)      

·      Arrive to School (8:00)

Transportation: Walk to Brown Line

·      Week in Review (8:00-9:00) Students will meet to prepare for the upcoming trips and develop questions for our visits.

·      DePaul Theater Tour (9:00- 10:15) Students will explore DePaul’s undergraduate program that offers a highly specialized conservatory of twelve Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) majors in all aspects of theater: acting, costume design, playwriting, dramaturgy/criticism, scenic design, stage management, theater technology, lighting designs, theater management as well as others.  Students will tour the facilities and meet with students who are currently attending the program.

·      Bourgeois Pig (11:00-12:00) Some would consider Bourgeois Pig a derogatory term, others a unique dinning experience.  Within walking distance from DePaul, the Bourgeois Pig  will be serving turkey, Italian, or veggie panini sandwiches.

·      Raven Theatre (1-2:30) Founded in 1983, Raven Theatre is a professional, regional theatre company, serving the far north communities of Chicago, including Edgewater, Rogers Park and Andersonville.

·      Return to School for pick up (3:15)

Wednesday, April 20

Dress Wear:  Semi-casual dress and comfortable shoes (NO jeans) and warm coat

·       

LATE ARRIVAL to School  (9:00)

Transportation: School Bus

·      Doughballs Pizza Palace in Aurora (11:30-12:30) We will have an opportunity to sample the Unicorn’s Revenge, the Veggie Monster, and for the more conservative among us-a traditional cheese or pepperoni pizza.  Of course, we must not forget the doughballs!

·      West Side Story at the Paramount Theater (1:30-4:00) “More than fifty years ago, a show about New York City changed musical theatre forever. That show was West Side Story, a thrilling, vibrant modern re-telling of Romeo and Juliet set amongst the rival gangs of the city's Upper West Side. From the first notes to the final breath, West Side Story is one of the most memorable musicals and greatest love stories of all time. The score by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim -a collection of standards that includes Tonight, America, Maria, I Feel Pretty and Somewhere - is widely regarded as one of the best ever written, and marked Sondheim's Broadway debut as a lyricist”.

·      Return to School for Late Pick-Up (5:30)       3911 Bell Entrance

Thursday, April 21

Dress Wear:  Semi-casual dress and comfortable shoes and warm coat

·      LATE ARRIVAL (9:00)

Transportation: Walk to Brown Line and Bus

·      Improvisation Workshop at Second City (10:00-12:00)

Students will explore the fundamentals of improvisation as taught and practiced at The Second City, covering the concepts and skills of listening, stage presence, environment, and character through interactive exercises and games.

·        Chipotle (12:30-1:30)

·      The Producers at the Mercury Theater (3:00) The Producers by Mel Brooks “received a record twelve Tony Awards and wowed crowds night after night. The plot is simple: a down-on-his-luck Broadway producer and his mild-mannered accountant come up with a scheme to produce the most notorious flop in history thereby bilking their backers (all “little old ladies”) out of millions of dollars. Only one thing goes awry: the show is a smash hit! At the core of the insanely funny adventure is a poignant emotional journey of two very different men who become friends. THE PRODUCERS skewer Broadway traditions and takes no prisoners as it proudly proclaims itself an ‘equal opportunity offender!’”

·       LATE PICK-UP (6:00)  3911 Bell Entrance.

Friday, April 22

Dress Wear:  St. Benedict Spirit wear, jeans, comfortable shoes and warm coat 

·      Arrive to School (9:00)

·      Week in Review (9:00-10:00) Students will process their reactions to West Side Story and the Producers.  They will also prepare to interview the actors Will Skrip and William Angulo who performed and worked on Broadway production of West Side Story.

·      Meet the Actors from West Side Story (10:00) Students will meet Will Skrip, who plays the lead role as Tony in West Side Story, and William Angulo who does the choreography in the show. That withstanding, both are notable and successful performers within the theatre community here

Transportation:  Bus (Irving to Clark)

·      Eat a Pita (11:30-12:30) Chicago's Eat-A-Pita restaurant offers a unique selection of American sandwiches on pita bread.

·      Blue Man’s Group at the Briar Street Theatre (1:00-2:30) Blue Man Group combines music, technology and comedy to create a form of entertainment that defies categorization and appeals to people of all ages. Critics as “innovative,” “energetic” and “wildly entertaining” have described Blue Man Group’s shows. But the only way to truly understand Blue Man Group’s global popularity is to see the show for yourself.Return to School for Pick-Up (3:30)

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