Orange Julius
by Basil Kreimendahl
November 2019
Mirrorbox Theatre
Cedar Rapids, IA
Iowa Premiere
Nut grew up the youngest child of Julius, a Vietnam vet, in 1980s and ’90s working-class America. As Julius suffers the toxic effects of Agent Orange, Nut worries their time together may run out before they can embrace something essential about their relationship.
Paging through forgotten photo albums and acting out old war movies about brothers-in-arms, Nut leaps through time and memory, fantasy and reality, tracing the complex intimacy between a father and child.
Sender
by Ike Holter
August 2019
Mirrorbox Theatre
Cedar Rapids, IA
Iowa Premiere
Lynx returns to Chicago one year after he mysteriously disappeared, having been presumed dead by his friends and lovers. A presence that haunted everyone in his orbit, this enigmatic figure is suddenly resurrected like a Millennial Messiah. But Lynx and his friends are about to learn that not all mystical things are miraculous.
The Full Monty
Book by Terrence McNally
Music & Lyrics by David Yazbek
January – February 2019
Theatre Cedar Rapids
Cedar Rapids, IA
With families to feed and bills to pay, a group of laid-off steelworkers decide to make some quick cash..by taking it all off! This story’s heart, razor-sharp humor, and toe-tapping pizzazz culminate in a famously anticipated big finish.
There Is A Happiness That Morning Is
by Mickle Maher
November 2018
Mirrorbox Theatre
Cedar Rapids, IA
Iowa Premiere
Bernard and Ellen are both English professors at a small liberal arts college. Bernard and Ellen are both lecturing on the romantic poetry of William Blake. Bernard and Ellen were both caught making love last night on the campus green. Written entirely in rhyming verse, Happiness… is a poetic meditation on poetry itself, along with the absurdities of life, love, and higher education. Will the two professors apologize for their love in order to save their careers? They might not even make it through their lectures, a last chance to justify their existence to the student body and a perverse college President.
“Directed by Cavan Hallman of Mirrorbox Theater, the three-actor ensemble masterfully presents a story of love, moments of desperation and questions about reality.” – Laura Johnson, Little Village Magazine
Luna Gale
by Rebecca Gilman
August 2018
Mirrorbox Theatre
Cedar Rapids, IA
Iowa Premiere
Caroline, is a social worker in Cedar Rapids, and she is beyond burnt-out. But she’s determined to save Luna Gale, a newborn child caught in a custody battle between a young meth-addicted couple and a fervently religious grandmother. When Caroline passes judgment on the troubled characters in her orbit, she is also forced to reckon with her own problematic past. She puts her career in jeopardy, not to mention the future of Luna Gale. This gripping social drama peels back the many layers of personal motivation that hide beneath seemingly selfless acts.
Red Speedo
by Lucas Hnath
May 2018
Mirrorbox Theatre
Cedar Rapids, IA
Iowa Premiere
On the cusp of the Olympic trials and a life-changing endorsement deal, an elite swimmer’s future is threatened by a doping scandal. The crisis reveals the true motives of his entourage: his brother-manager will cover it up as long as he can cover his own tracks; his coach wants to maintain moral superiority; and his ex-lover wants revenge. A deep-end exploration of seemingly shallow people, this 2016 Obie award winner for playwriting comes alive with vivid language that has been compared to the work of David Mamet. Red Speedo slowly reveals the toxic nature of an American culture built on winning at all costs.
Exit Strategy
by Ike Holter
March 2018
Mirrorbox Theatre
Cedar Rapids, IA
Iowa Premiere
When a Chicago public school’s closure becomes imminent, gasoline gets thrown on the fiery conflicts held within the institution’s crumbling walls. An activist student’s decision to protest the closure forces the school’s administration and teachers to reevaluate their priorities. Will they decide to take a stand on principle? Even if they fight the authorities who show them little regard, can that resistance effect real change? Generational, racial, sexual and philosophical differences serve as the fulcrums of this alternatively funny and poignant drama.
The Girl Wonder
by Taylor James Foster
January – February 2018
Underground Play Festival
Theatre Cedar Rapids
Cedar Rapids, IA
World Premiere
A teenage introvert has just discovered that she has the ability to teleport. But she can only go to one spot, and she can’t control it.
Jaina is the super-powered spice to a hyper-verbal high school love triangle that explores the depths of what it means to want to disappear.
Pictures of Marilyn
by Cavan Hallman
October – November 2016
National WWII Museum
New Orleans, LA
World Premiere
In 1954 Marilyn Monroe was one of the biggest stars in the world, but she still struggled to take complete control of her life and career. This musical tracks Hollywood’s most iconic beauty from her days as a WWII factory worker up to the triumphant establishment of Marilyn Monroe Productions. She overcomes the influences of lovers Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller, the controlling grip of the studios, and her own anxieties to achieve her dream of true independence.
“Pictures of Marilyn will forever stay etched into the memories of local theater lovers.” – Crescent City Jewish News
110th St. Hullabaloo
by Alicia Hendrix
June 2017
Playtime Poppy Children’s Theatre
Cedar Rapids, IA
World Premiere
The story of the Harlem Renaissance is told in rhyming poetry, featuring a big showdown between bands led by Chick Webb and Count Basie.
(The Positively True and Factual Events of the Real Live Girl Who Would Come to Be Known as) Sleeping Beauty
by Cavan Hallman
September – November 2016
Windy City Players
National Touring Company
World Premiere
This irreverent and interactive take on the classic “Sleeping Beauty” tale emphasizes the Princess’ agency — as much agency as a person can have while asleep for one hundred years. For the Windy City Players, multiple companies present a total of 1,000 performances each fall, for an estimated audience of over 200, 000 students.
The Typists
by Murray Schisgal
May 2016
University of New Orleans
New Orleans, LA
Two office drones experience a lifetime of ambition, heartbreak, attraction, repulsion, and friendship during a single day in a New York City office. Presented as part of the UNO MFA Theatre’s program’s directing showcase.
The Emperor’s New Clothes
by Cavan Hallman
September – November 2015
Windy City Players
National Touring Company
September – November 2009
Windy City Players
National Touring Company
World Premiere
An update on the classic story by Hans Christian Andersen, this highly interactive production focuses on the dangers of vanity, and the power of telling the truth. For the Windy City Players, multiple companies present a total of 1,000 performances each fall, for an estimated audience of over 200, 000 students.
On Cupid
by Cavan Hallman
December 2014
The Naughty List
The Elm Theatre
New Orleans, LA
His fiancee has the hots for Santa, and he’s prepared to take extreme measures in order to talk it out with St. Nick.
Aladdin
by Cavan Hallman
September – November 2014
Windy City Players
National Touring Company
September – November 2008
Windy City Players
National Touring Company
September – November 2002
Windy City Players
National Touring Company
World Premiere
Aladdin goes on a wild journey to try and secure the love of a princess, only to find out that what he needed all along was the friend right beside him. For the Windy City Players, multiple companies present a total of 1,000 performances each fall, for an estimated audience of over 200, 000 students.
Cinderella
by Cavan Hallman
September – November 2013
Windy City Players
National Touring Company
September – November 2007
Windy City Players
National Touring Company
September – November 2001
Windy City Players
National Touring Company
World Premiere
This highly interactive update of the classic “Cinderella” tale teaches empathy and perseverance. For the Windy City Players, multiple companies present a total of 1,000 performances each fall, for an estimated audience of over 200, 000 students.
Voices of Freedom
by Cavan Hallman and Mark West
February 2013
Windy City Players
National Touring Company
World Premiere
The story of the fight to end slavery, told through the songs and speeches of famous abolitionists, such as Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth. This play, written especially for Black History Month, toured the American South in February of 2013.
Beauty and the Beast
by Cavan Hallman
September – November 2012
Windy City Players
National Touring Company
September – November 2006
Windy City Players
National Touring Company
September – November 2000
Windy City Players
National Touring Company
World Premiere
Students and teachers become part of the story in this highly interactive version of a classic tale that teaches lessons about pride, compassion, and inner beauty. For the Windy City Players, multiple companies present a total of 1,000 performances each fall, for an estimated audience of over 200, 000 students.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
by Cavan Hallman
September – November 2011
Windy City Players
National Touring Company
September – November 2005
Windy City Players
National Touring Company
World Premiere
Students get to be part of the story in this interactive version of Mark Twain’s classic juvenile novel. For the Windy City Players, multiple companies present a total of 1,000 performances each fall, for an estimated audience of over 200, 000 students.
Robin Hood
by Cavan Hallman
September – November 2017
Windy City Players
National Touring Company
September – November 2010
Windy City Players
National Touring Company
September – November 2004
Windy City Players
National Touring Company
World Premiere
Is it just to steal from the rich and give to the poor? Students get swept up in the interactive fun while exploring lessons of generosity and honesty alongside Robin and his band of Merry Men. For the Windy City Players, multiple companies present a total of 1,000 performances each fall, for an estimated audience of over 200, 000 students.
Science Now!
by Cavan Hallman
October – November 2004
KAPOOT Clown Theater
National Touring Company
World Premiere
Two clowns, a professor and assistant, lead schools in a comic exploration of classic science experiments.
Aesop’s Fables
by Cavan Hallman
September – November 2003
Windy City Players
National Touring Company
World Premiere
A collection of Aesop’s most famous tales are combined in a newscast format in this highly interactive play for young audiences. For the Windy City Players, multiple companies present a total of 1,000 performances each fall, for an estimated audience of over 200, 000 students.