As the days settle into more darkness, a little dark humor might be enlightening. “Rogues’ Gallery,” livestreamed beginning this weekend from the UIS Studio Theatre in the University of Illinois Springfield Performing Arts Center, sheds light on the “allure of bad behavior and the absurdity of being human” with “darkly humorous stories,” according to the show description.
Eric Thibodeaux-Thompson, the show’s director and chair of UIS’s art, music and theatre department, explained that “Rogues’ Gallery” is a lineup of 10 characters each with their own monologue.
The characters “all feel like they have been wronged in some way and/or that their lives have been recently upended and consequently they’ve lost something or someone which/who they are trying to get back into their lives,” said Thibodeaux-Thompson. “Sound familiar? This is one of the reasons why we decided to produce this show.”
Thibodeaux-Thompson found twists and turns in planning and re-planning the production to keep cast and crew safe, and he and Tiller agree that cast and crew have worked hard to put together a fascinating show. He chose to direct the show for safety, as the production is a collection of monologues so there in some built-in social distancing and safety, but he adds “It is also a show that well reflects the diversity of struggles in today’s world.”
This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on November 5, 2020.
