My tenure in Chicago has been nothing short of phenomenal, in so many ways. I knew that I couldn’t leave the city without documenting the milestones that defined my 20’s. So, armed with my camera and ready for a wash of memories, I began a blog project that has been my brainchild since last year. Enjoy the ride!!

Counting backwards from 10: Chicago Shakespeare Theater and Steppenwolf Theatre Company

First of all, let me say that I simply ran out of time and wasn’t able to personally snap shots of these two, so internet pics will have to do. As a student at Baylor, what I knew about Steppenwolf was that so many of the great actors that you and I know – John Malkovich, Gary Sinise, Joan Allen, Jeff Perry, William Petersen – got their start at this iconic theatre. Here’s how determined I was to join that illustrious group: my senior year I actually WROTE a letter to Mr. Sinise and SENT IN my headshot. Can you believe that? Having now auditioned there a few times and met the casting director, it is hilarious to me that my 22 year old self thought that Lieutenant Dan would personally call me, “Miss Archilla, we would love to have you join our company.” Where would we be without the naivete and sheer determination of our early 20’s?

Chicago Shakespeare was my ultimate dream. Their cattle call auditions were nerve-wracking; I think we had 90 seconds to do a monologue, and the challenge was always finding something that no one else was doing at the time. I was forever the ingenue, so Juliet, Desdemona and Cordelia were my girls.

Cordelia (from King Lear):

Had you not been their father, these white flakes
Had challenged pity of them. Was this a face
To be opposed against the warring winds?
To stand against the deep dread-bolted thunder?
In the most terrible and nimble stroke
Of quick, cross lightning? to watch–poor perdu!–
With this thin helm? Mine enemy’s dog,
Though he had bit me, should have stood that night
Against my fire; and wast thou fain, poor father,
To hovel thee with swine, and rogues forlorn,
In short and musty straw? Alack, alack!
‘Tis wonder that thy life and wits at once
Had not concluded all. He wakes; speak to him.

Just reciting that brings back a total rush of memories! That was my go-to piece – just the right length and the right amount of longing and heartache.

Through a series of events I ended up getting cast in my first equity (and only, thus far) show, “By the Bog of Cats”, an Irish play that was loosely based on the Greek tragedy “Medea”. From that one show, I met some of the greatest mentors I have ever known, and one of them was Kate Buckley, who at the time was teaching First Folio technique at Chicago Shakes. She was the resident text expert, a brilliant mind, and a very cool lady. I took class upon class with her, did monologue coaching, even performed scenes in front of the Chicago Shakes casting director. My heart literally ached to be on that beautiful stage. I must have auditioned there 15 times.

But the competition was fierce, and I never got my chance. My heart still aches, thinking about the dream I came here to conquer. It will probably always remain a beacon for me, a city on a hill that I just couldn’t quite get to. And First Folio, there’s just nothing like it. It’s like unlocking the most wonderful puzzle – clues from the text like punctuation, capitalization, breath and iambic pentameter – all the beautiful things that simply exist in Shakespeare to show us the hearts and minds of his characters.

My love for Shakespeare will never ever lessen, and I hold that dream in my heart and hope and pray I am able to see it realized again.