Promises, Promises

Act II - A Fact Can Be A Beautiful Thing

Photography by Spencer Donovan

Promises, Promises at Blank Theater Company was a wonderful experience getting to know the world of Chicago Storefront Theater. I served as the Associate Music Director, Keys 1, and Conductor for the show and was able to work with a wonderful cast of 13. Headed under Aaron Kaplan and Danny Kapinos, Blank puts an emphasis on analyzing the text and allowing the actor to shine on the stage.

Throughout the rehearsal process, I got to work heavily with the choreographer since Bacharach’s music involves lots of odd time signatures that deviate from a normal 8 count. This experience also gave me much more to do than just playing the keys part, as we did not have a full orchestration for the pit. I designed a Keys 2 part including Hammond organ and Rhodes to play alongside the pit of 3 others, bass (Eric von Holst), drums (Craig Buckner), and sax/clarinet/guitar (Sachio Nang).

We were Jeff recommended and had a wonderful run of 22 shows, with most of them being sold out. Industry Night was the most fun with everyone’s friends being in the audience and cheering at everything.

A little backstage look during Turkey Lurkey Time

Production Staff:

Director - Danny Kapinos

Music Director - Aaron Kaplan

Stage Manager - Tricia Carver-Horner

Choreography - Lauren Schmelzer

Scenic Design - Spencer Donovan

Lighting Designer - Emma Luke

Executive Producer - Dustin Rothbart