A Life in the Theater – Rick Boynton, Creative Producer at Chicago Shakespeare – Episode 26

Gary and Roscoe welcome Chicago Shakepeare Theatre’s Creative Producer Rick Boynton to the show! First a recap of those Republican candidates who have dropped from the race in the wake of the Iowa caucuses – Huckabee, Santorum and Paul. Gary’s “girlfriend” Carly Fiorina has nary a pulse and the smart money is on her taking a dive after New Hampshire. We’ll know by the time this episode airs. Rick Boynton read full bio is currently Creative Producer at the world-famous Chicago Shakespeare Theatre on Navy Pier in Chicago Learn More. Which means he oversees all the amazing art that appears on stage there. Rick began his career as a performer after graduating from Northwestern University. He has also worked as an agent, a casting director (at Jane Alderman  & Chicago Shakes) and as the Artistic Director at Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre. Rick talks about his years as an actor in such shows as 1776 and Shear Madness. And about his time at Marriott Lincolnshire and the incredible creative minds and spirits he encountered during those years, including a vivid and thrilling description of their production of Miss Saigon on a budget. As well as their staging of new musicals, including Honk! We discuss at length the original musical Sense and Sensibility by Paul Gordon read about the show, which CST mounted on their main stage, and how that project first got started and then came to fruition in a gorgeously produced production. It’s a unique inside look at how a theatrical idea is born, nurtured and finally blossoms into a full blown work of art. Ride the Cyclone Another CST project is the recently lauded production of Ride the Cyclone read more, an off-beat, quirky and altogether insightful musical about a group of young choir singers who meet an untimely demise when a roller coaster jumps the track. The kids are left in a kind of purgatory, where a mysterious mechanical wizard promises one of them the opportunity to return to life by telling their story – but they all get to vote. This musical should see plenty of afterlife in New York and regionally. Rick gives us a glimpse into what’s in store in terms of new works at CST for the coming season.  Gravedigger’s Hamlet read about the show by Michael Mahler, Alan Schmuckler and Laura Schellhardt is scheduled for the fall of 2016 in conjunction with the Shakespeare 400 Chicago Festival about the festival. Shakespeare 400 Chicago is a yearlong international arts festival in 2016 celebrating the vibrancy, relevance and reach of Shakespeare. It involves theatres, museums, music, dance, opera, exhibits, lectures,