John Mossman named to WBEZ "2011 Best Directors" list
"In September, Seanachai Theatre tackled the great Sean O’Casey’s first important play, The Shadow of a Gunman. It’s a play of character and “crack” (Irish slang for talk and banter) rather than plot—which O’Casey telegraphs miles away—and Seanachai was fortunate to have John Mossman as director. Himself an actor and teacher (he and his wife run The Artistic Home), Mossman took the often-purple and poetic prose of O’Casey and turned it into intimate speech deeply rooted in the personality of each character, without ever losing the Irish charm or O’Casey’s passion." - Jonathan Abarbanal, WBEZ
And from WBEZ critic Kelly Kleinman - "Top shows of 2011: Best play with an Irish Lilt (always a crowded category in Chicago) - A tie between Shadow of a Gunman at Seanachai, and A Touch of the Poet, at Artistic Home (directed by Mossman's wife Kathy Scambiatterra). Whether it's O'Neill or O'Casey, you can always get a true feel of the Ould Sod from these two."
And from WBEZ critic Kelly Kleinman - "Top shows of 2011: Best play with an Irish Lilt (always a crowded category in Chicago) - A tie between Shadow of a Gunman at Seanachai, and A Touch of the Poet, at Artistic Home (directed by Mossman's wife Kathy Scambiatterra). Whether it's O'Neill or O'Casey, you can always get a true feel of the Ould Sod from these two."
"Into the Wake" wrapping up post production.
Diesel Brothers Into The Wake, (formerly Arms of an Orphan), a psychological action feature directed by John Mossman, has wrapped production and getting color correction from the talented crew at NOLO Digital, and is also getting its sound design on courtesy of Columbia College alum Petter Wahlback and the Columbia College Audio department. It recently received a private work-in-progress screening at the University of Wisconsin-Baraboo. Read the article here. Stayed tuned for more news...
Shadow of a Gunman opens at Seanachai Theater
"Seanachai’s production of this Sean O’Casey play speeds along through a hilarious first act and a more serious, manic second act. The play’s politics are anything but subtle, and indeed the harrowing scenes of violence and oppression resonate powerfully some ninety years later. Director John Mossman manages both the tonal shifts and the pace of the play with ease, and elicits strong performances from the large cast led by a terrific Shane Kenyon as Donal." Highly Recommended - New City
"Mossman and a strong cast vividly evoke the queasy terror of life on the receiving end of counter-insurgency---while skillfully navigating act two's hairpin turns." Highly Recommended-- Chicago Reader
"...Director John Mossman's first act is replete with the slamming doors and offstage uproar associated with broadly drawn personalities, but each actor in this Seanachaí production has scrutinized O'Casey's text in surgical detail to convey the often-unpleasant complexities behind the initial jollity. Nor do they gloss over the injustice of foreign troops bullying innocents forced to become martyrs. The results leave us shaken and outraged, contemplating the contradictions of civil disorder in a fickle universe." Highly Recommended -- Windy City Times
"Sean O’Casey is in good hands under the spirited direction of John Mossman and the terrific ensemble acting (each in rich authentic Irish brogues) from the dedicated cast. The quirkiness and the submerged fear storms to the surface in this often-times funny – yet sad tale of life and oppression in Dublin during ‘The Troubles” of 1920-23... This is a terrific production." Highly Recommended -- Chicago Critic
"John Mossman's directorial choices make Sean O'Casey's 1923 Irish play feel like a genuine reenactment of a moment in history". -- Highly Recommended, Chicago Theater Blog
"Period perfect... this is a lovely production by director John Mossman and a wonderful cast of 11 actors. The culturally specific Seanachaí Theatre Company lends believability to this show in a way other companies are not able to do." Dueling critics, WBEZ (listen to their rave review here.)
JEFF RECOMMENDED! Read full reviews HERE
The Artistic Home moves to a new space!
The Artistic Home moves in September to a new space at 4437 N. Ravenswood, continuing their outstanding Actor Training program, and will become a resident company of Theater 773, where they will produce their 2011-12 season of O'Neill's "A Touch Of The Poet" directed by Kathy Scambiatterra, "Tea And Sympathy" directed by John Mossman, and Richard Greenberg's "The American Plan", directed by Robin Witt. For more information visit www.theartistichome.org
Read more about it here:
http://timeoutchicago.com/arts-culture/theater/14911793/artistic-home-leaves-clark-street-home-for-stage-773
http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/stage/7278582-421/new-home-for-the-artistic-home.html
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/theaterloop/chi-artistic-home-theatre-wit-20110825,0,3803076.column
Read more about it here:
http://timeoutchicago.com/arts-culture/theater/14911793/artistic-home-leaves-clark-street-home-for-stage-773
http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/stage/7278582-421/new-home-for-the-artistic-home.html
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/theaterloop/chi-artistic-home-theatre-wit-20110825,0,3803076.column
Marisol at The Artistic Home
Jose Rivera’s dark comedy Marisol follows the apocalyptic, surreal journey of one young woman through a moonless world where angels are on the attack, coffee is extinct and apples have turned to salt. Surrounded by the insane and ridiculous, Marisol must learn to endure after the loss of her guardian angel and navigate her way through the urban wasteland, searching for hope in the nightmarish war zone that was once her home. Directed by John Mossman.
Chicago Reader, Tony Adler
RECOMMENDED "As roughly, beautifully realized in John Mossman's production for the Artistic Home, Marisol offers a vision of the apocalypse as an absurd, poignant, funny, oddly hopeful event."
Stage Style Chicago, Lawrence Bommer
RECOMMENDED "Rivera's gallows humor and phantasmagoric imagery find fertile ground in John Mossman's nightmarishly driven staging,"
The Fourth Walsh, Katy Walsh
"Marisol is apocalyptic with a sense of humor. Director John Mossman creates a weird
tension that adds to the comedy and the drama. "
Visit www.theartistichome.org for tickets.
Chicago Reader, Tony Adler
RECOMMENDED "As roughly, beautifully realized in John Mossman's production for the Artistic Home, Marisol offers a vision of the apocalypse as an absurd, poignant, funny, oddly hopeful event."
Stage Style Chicago, Lawrence Bommer
RECOMMENDED "Rivera's gallows humor and phantasmagoric imagery find fertile ground in John Mossman's nightmarishly driven staging,"
The Fourth Walsh, Katy Walsh
"Marisol is apocalyptic with a sense of humor. Director John Mossman creates a weird
tension that adds to the comedy and the drama. "
Visit www.theartistichome.org for tickets.
Rarely produced Trouble In Mind at The Artistic Home closes to full houses and stellar reviews
Chicago Tribune, Nina Metz -- 3 Stars! [Childress] had a heck of a sense of humor, which is on full display in her 1955 backstage drama "Trouble in Mind," about racial tensions in a Broadway theater rehearsal room, in a sharp production at The Artistic Home... More than 50 years after the play was first produced, it is a metaphor that still cuts deep.
Centerstage -- A Must See show...Mossman provides riveting antagonism as the play's domineering 'liberal' director...an amazing character in writing and performance....a nuanced, even sympathetic villain...there are seven other characters, each brilliantly realized.
Time Out Chicago, Suzanne Scanlon -- 4 Stars! Velma Austin is excellent...John Mossman is especially good...each character has depth, and the fun of the script buffers the incredibly painful and somehow surprising climax.
Chicago Reader, Kerry Reid -- Recommended! Vaun Monroe's ensemble nails a tricky blend of show-biz posturing and personal revelation...the final confrontation between Velma Austin and John Mossman's pseudo-liberal director is a corker.
Chicago Stage Style, Larry Bommer -- 3 1/2 Stars! Kinetic staging...Velma Austin's stalwart and wickedly subversive Wiletta is a triumph of passive-aggressive manipulation-until she finally exploded in a welcome showdown. As her unintended opponent, John Mossman plays an imperious 1957 liberal, finally shaken to the core when his dark side goes public.
Chicago Theater Blog -- Mossman is repulsive, yet sympathetic and even likable as the blindly driven director.
Centerstage -- A Must See show...Mossman provides riveting antagonism as the play's domineering 'liberal' director...an amazing character in writing and performance....a nuanced, even sympathetic villain...there are seven other characters, each brilliantly realized.
Time Out Chicago, Suzanne Scanlon -- 4 Stars! Velma Austin is excellent...John Mossman is especially good...each character has depth, and the fun of the script buffers the incredibly painful and somehow surprising climax.
Chicago Reader, Kerry Reid -- Recommended! Vaun Monroe's ensemble nails a tricky blend of show-biz posturing and personal revelation...the final confrontation between Velma Austin and John Mossman's pseudo-liberal director is a corker.
Chicago Stage Style, Larry Bommer -- 3 1/2 Stars! Kinetic staging...Velma Austin's stalwart and wickedly subversive Wiletta is a triumph of passive-aggressive manipulation-until she finally exploded in a welcome showdown. As her unintended opponent, John Mossman plays an imperious 1957 liberal, finally shaken to the core when his dark side goes public.
Chicago Theater Blog -- Mossman is repulsive, yet sympathetic and even likable as the blindly driven director.
Check out "Cashed Out", the recent IFP-Chicago Mentorship collaboration with kids from Hyde Park Academy
Money talks, friendship walks. The discovery of a mint 1929 baseball card creates chaos in this dark comedy, the first film from our new partnership with Hyde Park Academy.
The Tallest Man closes to sold out houses
After an extended sold out run, The Tallest Man closed Sunday August 22 - "The Tallest Man is a rowdy good time... blood, sweat, spit, and lust in every scene both implied or seen. John Mossman directs this production seamlessly."
-Chicago Theater Blog Jeff Recommended
Next up, Tennessee Williams' Sweet Bird of Youth, opening Oct. 17
-Chicago Theater Blog Jeff Recommended
Next up, Tennessee Williams' Sweet Bird of Youth, opening Oct. 17
Meisner for Film Class returns from Ireland, starting up again this fall at Artistic Home.
John's new Meisner for Film class recently returned from Dublin where he and The Artistic Home's Kathy Scambiatterra co-taught an intensive 3 day workshop at Screen Training Ireland, one of the country's top film centers. To learn more about this class and others, visit The Artistic Home at www.theartistichome.org.
Scenes from the class can be found on Vimeo, by clicking here.
Scenes from the class can be found on Vimeo, by clicking here.
Swayze, you'll be missed.
Click to see it all come down
With Lennell and Terrell Davis at the IFP Gala
What's new...
Last year's IFP-Chicago Gala was a big success, wih Effie Brown hosting and lots of money raised to help keep the Mentorship Program running. This year's gala is September 24th. Mark your calendars, it will be worth attending, and you'll be supporting indie filmmaking at every level. In the past 5years, the IFP summer mentorship program has won 2 National Emmy Awards and four regional Emmys, as well as a slew of Best of Fest Awards. Last year's film - "Carjacked". A girl, a boy, his incredibly crappy car and two carjacking nerds come together on the south side. Hijinks ensue. Coming soon: Cash Out, from the kids at Hyde Park Academy. Check out the IFP link above to see all the films.
John teaches a new Meisner for Film class at The Artistic Home. The last session filled up quickly. Visit www.theartistichome.org to learn more.
John teaches a new Meisner for Film class at The Artistic Home. The last session filled up quickly. Visit www.theartistichome.org to learn more.
