Idle Muse Theatre: Twenty years of transporting, timely and true theatre in Edgewater

CHICAGO, ILL. - By Michael Oboza, Special to GoPride.com

A local independent live theatre company is celebrating 20 years of storytelling following a well-attended anniversary celebration in Chicago.

Idle Muse Theatre Company, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating out of The Edge Off-Broadway at The Edge Theater in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood, was established in 2006. The company celebrated its two-decade milestone by honoring its legacy of producing live theatre that explores its core values, known as the "Three T's": transporting, timely and true.

The company's first literary director was Tristan Brandon. He later passed the literary director role to Michael Dalberg, who currently serves in the position. Also involved at the beginning were Mara Kovacevic and artistic director Evan Jackson.

According to Jackson, "transporting" is about taking the audience to another world.

"So work we produce is usually a classical piece or involves a historical or fantastical setting," Jackson said. "We are sort of known for producing 'graphic novels on stage.'"

Jackson explained that "timely" connects the story onstage to being alive right now, while "true" represents authenticity and honesty in the acting and production.

To better support its creators, the company began a box office share model with artists for each production in 2022, which is paid in addition to any stipend.

The anniversary event featured food, drinks, a silent auction and entertainment.

Joel Thompson, a company ensemble member who calls Idle Muse his "theatre home," shared what originally inspired him to step onto the stage.

"I was in my speech team class in high school and found joy I never had," Thompson said. "From speech team, I found the stage and never stopped."

During the event speeches, Anne Phillips, the owner of the woman-owned and operated Edge Off-Broadway at The Edge Theater, expressed her appreciation for the partnership.

"We are able to support storefront theatre and are honored to have Idle Muse perform in our space," Phillips said.

Playwright Paula Kamen also reflected on her experience with the company during its production of "Jane: Abortion and the Underground," which earned a Non-Equity Jeff Award nomination for Ensemble (Play). Kamen had spent 30 years rewriting the piece.

"So for a characteristically lone-wolf playwright, one who, by definition, works alone in isolation doing my 30-year rewrites, the experience went beyond transporting," Kamen said. "It was transcendent."

Queering the stage with Black Cat Theatre

Black Cat Theatre cofounders Cee Scallen and Jared Sheldon collaborated with projects at Idle Muse and founded Black Cat as a standalone independent theatre company.

According to the Black Cat Theatre website, queering theatre means using the medium to invent, create and find a place for queer people to speak, thrive and live. The group achieves this by producing works that center queer stories and queer playwrights, centering queerness in casting and relational dynamics on stage, and queering the form of theatre itself by gravitating toward works that engage with language via heightened expression, poetics and unique adaptations.

At the close of the celebration, Jackson shared a director's blessing he wrote years ago, which remains just as relevant two decades later: "Fine words, a true company, and a full house."