For a decade, Silent Theatre Company produced an open-run variety show called The Wild Party Variety Hour. It was born out of necessity - in 2009 we had rented The Prop Thtr (a space nestled in the Avondale neighborhood in Chicago that welcomed us with open arms), where we ran a double feature of two choreopoems written by Joseph Moncure March: The Set Up and The Wild Party. Scrappy artists that we are, we decided also to add a third production, a late-night fare, that would feature variety talent, to help boost revenue. We called it The Wild Party Variety Hour because it came right after our main stage show on Saturdays and at first, featured a large portion of the actors from The Wild Party.
Now, this wasn’t the most sound business decision. Running that many productions at once not only exhausts performers, but it really doesn’t do much for your bottom line either - audiences aren’t going to magically triple if you’re running thrice the shows. It might have been dumb for business, but it was a blast for our young and insatiable artistic souls, so we kept doing it. Even if the only audience in the beginning was, well, us. Performers performing for performers.
The magic sauce of organic growth is in the joy of those doing it. It’s infectious to see a group of people having this much fun. And so it was with the Wild Party Variety Hour. Word got around. It was akin to watching the carnies holding a party for themselves and being invited to peep. The audience grew; it turned into a small following. The production found its footing once it moved from a weekly schedule to a monthly one, allowing us to promote to other networks, choose a diverse variety of talent, and eventually, create larger and larger scale storylines.
At first, the two hosts, Marvin Quijada and Nathan Paul, would meet up a week before the show and work in a little dance, some rules-of-the-night type gags, and maybe a short transition scene here and there. Then, they would create a whole variety number featured in one of the six slots given to finely curated acts. Eventually, and especially after Brendan Balfe took over the writing, every Variety Hour was an enigma that would begin its concept the day after the last one ended, and by the time of its performance, it would be a full-scale production with lights, costumes, props, through line, theme, the works.
One day, a funding granter came to watch one of these 10:30p go times and she couldn’t believe how much work and effort went into it. “You really do all this for one night only?”, she asked. Yes, a lightning captured in a bottle. You were either there and took part in it, or you had major FOMO for months.
One of the biggest appeals was the after-party. Hence our tagline: “Come for the show, stay for the party.” The post-shenanigans would sometimes include live music, and sometimes dancing, sometimes an opportunity to make short silent films, and sometimes, it featured a themed photo booth. It always had the bar running. As one of the reviewers wrote: “[It was] the dirtiest fun to be had on a Chicago stage.” If you want to peek at any of those photo booth photos, you can always visit the STC webpage where you might even catch yourself if you’ve ever participated.
Because we relied on some top-notch entertainment, there was a short roster of performers, usually making up five of the six variety spots. These partners in crime consisted of Brad French, Marz Timms, Brett Schneider, Oona Tramps, Harmonious Hunks, Alex Knapp, Dean Evans, and the headliner, Lady Jack. Lindsey Marks, AKA Lady Jack, was also the star of the main stage production of The Wild Party that we were producing at The Prop Thtr, and we were lucky that she continued performing with the variety show long after the main stage closed.
We usually reserved one of the six slots for someone(s) who had never been on the Wild Party stage before. The show had such a following that even though each production stood on its own, the shows had returning themes and characters, including Silent Marvin’s empathic secretary played by Liz Krane, and Silent Marvin’s arch nemesis, Tabernacle Abernathy, played by Marcus Fittanto. Sooner or later, every Silent Theatre ensemble member found themselves in a Wild Party Variety Show. Even those that didn’t normally act. There were also other returning performers, too many to list here, but you can see a glimpse of them as we sprinkle Wild Party Variety Hour clips on social media as we celebrate our 20th anniversary. Also, true to form, and to celebrate our anniversary, we will release one full Wild Party Variety Show here, on Substack.
Thank you for being a part of those magic dust Saturday nights, friends. Nothing can turn back time, but we can all walk around with that little knowing nod that we were there.
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