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Emerging from the memories of an 87-year-old Hollywood doyenne who discovered the greatest stars of the 50’s, to the musings of a seven year old girl mystified by the small world of Mr. Rogers and the lives of prisoners in a TV series called Lockdown, Mythical Proportions combines characters across the country with Ms. Dunn’s own stories from her childhood in inner city Chicago.
Join us on an American stage that stretches from tales of narcolepsy at cocktail parties to a middle-aged bookkeeper whose trip from a dreary town in Northern England to the sunny coast of California ends in tragedy, and to Mrs. Williams, a 68-year-old African American woman who relates a family history tainted by racism but driven by love.
Originally announced through September 22, the one-woman show opened Theater Wit’s 2013–14 season and was extended through October 20, 2013.
What the critics said
★★★ Funny but strikingly poignant. Dunn is a gifted Chicago writer, landing squarely within the literary traditions of the city. Revelatory! Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
It’s a pleasure to watch anyone perform with the level of talent and composure that Dunn possesses. Recommended! New City
Recommended! Full of lovely surprises, deft characterizations, a multitude of voices and a good deal of self-revelation, the piece is more meditative than flamboyant, and as gently poignant as it is comic. Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun Times
Touching and hilarious! Huffington Post
The company
Nora Dunn
Written and performed by
Click a name to read the bio.
| Written and performed by | Nora Dunn |
| Produced by | Steven Ullman |
| Presented by | Theater Wit with Steven Ullman |
| Lighting design | Herrick Goldman |
| Wardrobe design | Peach Carr |
| Sound | Victoria Deiorio |
| Scenic charge | Eileen Rozycki |
| Music, “The Red Wheelbarrow” | Billy Childs |
| Dramaturg / creative consultant | Jesse Morgan Young |
| Stage manager | Sarah Luse |
| Production manager | Majel Cuza |
| Technical director | Andrew Glasenhardt |
Nora Dunn
Writer and performer
Nora Dunn (writer/performer) is a Saturday Night Live alum, a member of the cast that played from 1984 to 1991. Following that, she appeared for three seasons opposite Swoosie Kurtz on NBC’s Sisters. Films of note are Working Girl, Miami Blues, The Last Supper, Bulworth, Runaway Jury, Three Kings, Laws of Attraction, Zoolander, Pineapple Express, Drop Dead Gorgeous, It’s Complicated, and The Guilt Trip. She has played lawyers, doctors, a detective, Russian Circus czar, and twice played a judge, wielding a gavel in with great believability. On HBO’s Entourage she played therapist to Jeremy Piven’s Ari for four seasons, a role in which she learned to listen. Other TV appearances include starring in the short-lived ABC series. Three Moons Over Milford, and recurring characters on The Nanny, The X-Files and Shark, with James Woods. She has also appeared in Psych, Numbers, The Defenders, Boston Legal, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. She wrote and performed a one-woman show, Small Prey, in 1998, which played in Los Angeles at The Powerhouse Theater and The Coast Theater. More recently she played in Nora Ephron’s Love, Loss, and What I Wore, and The Vagina Monologues in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sante Fe, and Precious Sons at The Blank Theater in Los Angeles. This summer she played Berthe, the French Maid, in Boeing, Boeing at Drury Lane. She is author of the book, “Nobody’s Rib”, published by Harper/Collins in 1991, and currently is part of a published collection of essays on the joys and sorrows of non-motherhood, entitled “No Kidding”.
Ms. Dunn supports collective bargaining, gay marriages, baked goods made with sugar and butter, caffeinated coffee, and the drinking of hooch. Her personal appearances include the front patio at Enotecca Roma in Wicker Park, The Atlas Bakery in West Town, and Costco. Nora thanks Theater Wit, her family, and her friends for their support of this production.
Steven Ullman
Producer
Steven Ullman (Producer) has been producing theatre for more than 30 years. He recently produced the Off-Broadway World Premiere of Falling For Eve, written by Joe DiPietro. During his nine-year tenure as Producing Artistic Director of the Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities (1996-2005), Steven became the only producer in Los Angeles to have won the L.A. Stage Alliance Ovation Awards for Best Musical (Large Theatre) three times in four years: West Side Story (1999), Dreamgirls (2000), and Crazy For You (2002), besting current Broadway shows and National Tours each year. He was also nominated for best musical for Titanic (2001), Ragtime (2003), and Forever Plaid (2004).
Steven’s career as an independent producer includes many highlights. Among them are the West Coast Premiere of David Rabe’s Hurlyburly at the Westwood Playhouse in 1988-1989. The production, directed by the playwright, starred Sean Penn, Danny Aiello, Mare Winningham, Suzy Amis and Michael Lerner. In 1996-1997, Steven produced Small Prey, a one-woman show written and performed by Saturday Night Live’s Nora Dunn. That same season, he produced Loose Lips, directed by Martin Charnin starring Robert Morse, Fred Savage, Steve Landesberg, and many others. In San Francisco, he produced several shows, including the six-year run of Greater Tuna and The Foreigner starring Imogene Coca, Rene Auberjonois and Charlene Tilton. Steven produced and directed the world premiere of Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning playwright Doug Wright’s first play, The Stonewater Rapture, which won a Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland.
Herrick Goldman
Lighting Design
Herrick Goldman (Lighting Design) Since 1991 Herrick Goldman has been designing lighting for theater,dance, concerts, museums, corporate meetings, and themed attractions. His work has been seen in New York, Shanghai, Manila, Frankfurt, Brisbane, and Canada. Herrick’s Off-Broadway credits include Rooms @ New World Stages, Godspell, Latin Heat, Flamingo Court, All is Love, The Fearless, & Streakin’ thru the 70’s. Other New York productions include Crash Test Dummies at the New Victory, Serenade,The Last Starfighter, Meet John Doe, & The Antigravity Tour at the Hammerstein Ballroom and now Brazil. Ages ago, Herrick was the lighting design instructor for the MIT Theater Arts Department.
He owns HG Lighting Design inc. which is the principal design team for Antigravity, Madame Tussauds NYC, Sudden Impact Entertainment, and others. Clients include: Ebay, Xerox, UPS, Johnson Controls, & The Director’s Guild Awards, Louis Vuitton, and more. Most recently his work was seen in Australia in the Alien VS Predator Laser Tag attraction, Neil Berg’s The 12, Falling For Eve. Recent benefits: Broadway’s 15th anniversary reunion of The Who’s TOMMY, other Broadway benefits include Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, also at the August Wilson. HG Lighting Design was honored with Live design’s Excellence Award 2010 for best theatrical design, the very first Epic Productions Redden award for excellence in lighting design at the the 2009 Lighting Design International convention. Herrick is a 2009 Hewes award nominee and the recipient of the 2009 ISES Big Apple Award for best lighting design for an event. He is a member of United Scenic Artists 829 His work can be seen at www.hglightingdesign.com. Herrick is a member of USA/IATSE 829, his work may be seen at www.HGLightingDesign.com
Jesse Morgan Young
Dramaturg/Creative Consultant
Jesse Morgan Young (Dramaturg/Creative Consultant) is honored to be working on Mythical Proportions with Nora. Jesse is a performing artist, director, and curator based in Chicago. His work in traditional theatre has been seen across the US from Alaska to Virginia as actor, director, designer and producer. He is a former ensemble member of Theatre Vertigo in Portland, Oregon and the former Director of the Second Stage at Perseverance Theatre in Juneau, Alaska. His most recent solo-exhibition You Made Me premiered at Chicago’s Dfbrl8r gallery this past January. In Chicago Jesse has worked with About Face Theatre, Sideshow Theatre, American Theatre Company, Dfbrl8r, and The Museum of Contemporary Art, among others. This October Jesse will premiere Revival, a performance art party he created and conceived with Eric Hoff, at Chicago’s Pritzker Pavilion. Jesse can be seen trying out new work at Salonathon (curated by the beautiful and charming Jane Beachy) and is a member of queer-electro-f*ck bAAnd BAATHHAUS.
Sarah Luse
Stage Manager
Sarah Luse (Stage Manager) is extremely excited to be working with Nora on Mythical Proportions. It is also wonderful to be back here with Theater Wit. Some favorite Chicago credits include Thom Pain (based on nothing), and Completeness (Theater Wit), Oh, the Humanity (and other exclamations), Night and Her Stars, and W;t (The Gift), Hey! Mister Spaceman! (Strange Tree), and Coronado (Steep). She also dabbles with production management. Some PM credits include Half-Brothers Mendelssohn and Spirit Play (Strange Tree) and A Doll’s House, Fifth of July, and Grapes of Wrath (Infamous Commonwealth). Sarah is an artistic associate of Strange Tree Group.
Majel Cuza
Production Manager
Majel Cuza (Production Manager) wishes to thank Jeremy for bringing her on to this project! Majel has directed, production managed, and stage managed with many Chicago companies including Red Tape Theater, InFusion Theatre, Griffin Theatre, Soul Theater, Stage Left Theatre, Rivendell Theater Ensemble, Rubicon Theatre Project, Infamous Commonwealth Theatre and Halcyon Theatre. Majel has also worked in a handful of film projects as a producer, director, and crew. She thanks you for coming tonight and hopes you enjoy the show!
Andrew Glasenhardt
Technical Director
Andrew Glasenhardt (Technical Director) would like to thank Majel, Jeremy and David for the opportunity to work with Theater Wit again. He previously was the Master Electrician (ME) on Completeness. Other work includes being the ME on Mercury Theater’s A Grand Night for Singing, and The Christmas Schooner. He is currently building Porchlight Theater Ensemble’s Double Trouble at Stage 773. He works regularly for various theaters in the Chicagoland area in various roles including but not limited to Stage Management, Technical Director, and Master Electrician. Andrew would like to thank his lovely wife, Dana, for all her love and support.