Good Evening,

It’s that time again, Stein time. A time when we all gather round the glow of our warm lap tops to find out the adventures of a Wolf in the woods.

Hard to believe that I have been doing shows at The Annoyance Theatre for a year! In 2010 on a cold December night I auditioned for a show with a Nate Berkus and Tom Cruise impression. It won me a spot in the lovely cast of Oprah! A Comedy! Live Your Best Laugh! This led to taking improv classes at the theatre, working in the box office and even writing and directing my first short play. The people have been so kind and I want to thank Mick, Jen, Tyler, and Anne Marie Saviano, my director. It feels like a home and I hope to do more there in the future…Here is what is happening now…

Triple Features
8pm Wednesdays
http://www.annoyanceproductions.com/triplefeature/index.shtml
Happy April Fools! My favorite prank when I was a kid was when I told my mom that I lost my contacts in the sink. She told me not to run the water. Of course I did, and she screamed, curled in ball in the hall and repeatedly said “Why?” This Wednesday (4/4/12) I am in a short play written by Jeremy Dionisio and Ben Zisk called Ain’t Nothin’ Funny ‘Bout A Coma. My friend Jeremy also directs this totally original play that takes place in a hospital room after three brothers pull a prank on their dad sending him into a coma (my Mom is doing just fine).

Hunger Games is in the theaters now and nothing is hotter than a woman with a bow and arrow. Wednesday, April 11 and 18 I will be in my good friend Jack Thurston Farrell’s short play called Bottom Feeder. Jack has written a very smart play and collected a hand full of actors with lots of heart. It is about a women who robs a bank with a bow and arrow who thinks she deserves more in life.

Wednesday, April 25 and May 2 you get me in two out of the three Triple Features. One that I wrote and directed and one that I act in. The one I am directing is called Swinging With the Stars and it is sure to be a fun springtime romp with plenty of backstage drama at the 5th Annual Ernest Chalmers 2012 Swing Dance Spectacular. Six swing dancers twist and turn themselves into a knot of love and jealousy. The other show is called Don’t Bug Me (dir. Aisha Leverett) and it was created out of improv so don’t expect me to play a grounded character.

Oprah’s Last Show! A Musical! (formerly Oprah! A Comedy!)
Fridays 8pm, April 6 through June 29
This Friday I start back up with the Oprah parody with the original cast. It has been quite a run and it keeps on running. If Oprah ran this much, well…did I mention I play her trainer as well? If you haven’t had a chance to see this show, it is a lot of fun, totally Chicago and such a well crafted send up of everything Oprah. Stay after the show this week and we will have a one year anniversary party and the bar will be serving up Oprah’s favorite drink - Moscow Mules. Don’t let the new title throw you, it’s still the same show.

“Oprah!” will play Fridays, 8pm April 6 – June 29, 2012 at the Annoyance Theatre, 4830 North Broadway, Chicago, IL. All tix $20.  Ticket info at www.annoyanceproductions.com or call 773-561-4665.

Jack & The Wolf
http://jackandthewolf.com/
Jack and I bring our unique style of improv to the ComedySportz show Dual Duel on Sunday, May 13 at 7pm. Tickets are $10. Box Office: 773-549-8080.

Well, that is all for now…I will be an Uncle soon…send my brother and his wife good energy…

I wrote this in December 07. Hard to believe I’m coming up on 5 years in Chicago. What a naive little country boy I was. I literally moved from a cottage in the country. If I had no motivation or wasn’t bored out of my mind, I might still be there, a hermit living off the land, growing a beard and keeping a journal. Ok, here is this stuff from the archives…

Welcome to Chi-town
Chicago – The Beginning

June 2007 – December 2007

Apartment

To find an apartment in the city is an event. I employed the services of two agencies to assist me in finding a place. Apartment Savvy and Apartment Finders both do not charge for their services but do take the first month’s rent as payment from the landlord if you do take one of their spots. Both seem to be concerned about getting you a place that you like in the neighborhood you like in a price range that works. They are also deeply concerned about getting the rent when the deal does go down. They are less concerned about when you can move in or communicating with the landlord. As we raced from apartment to apartment by car, the outlook was bleak with most of the apartments being dark and small with windows facing a brick wall. One stood out and it sat on a quiet (See sounds) tree-lined street. Heat included, laundry included, near Red Line L, onsite Hispanic manager with a daughter that I insist on calling Lola because it sounds good when you say Hola Lola. The manager corrected me after several times to tell me her name was in fact Jazmin. The neighborhood is Buena Park, a development that started in 1887 by subdividing the old Waller lot.

Move in Day

My Dad, one of the truest, bestest people on earth helped me with this terrible process. He negotiated a parking spot at St. Mary of the Lake (site of the original Waller home) while we were waiting for my carpet to dry after a last minute scrub. When we moved the moving van to the back alley he turned into City Dad. He was yelling at cars and people to go around or stop lingering around the truck. It was great to have him there. We were both happy that my apartment was on the second floor and not the third. After several trips we would mistakenly deliver a piece of furniture to 102 instead of 202. Our legs were telling us we were on the second floor. After countless trips up and down the stairs and shedding some blood on the exposed brick wall stairwell I vowed never to move again and to burn my mattress. My Dad already had his eye on a little brown stone for me to buy.

Sounds

Bum singing classic rock in the back alley. “How ‘bout some Bob Seger?…Just got home from Illinois, Lock the front door, oh boy! Got to sit down, take a rest on the porch. Imagination sets in, pretty soon I’m singin, Doo Doo Doo lookin out my backdoor…”

The L. First few nights it sounded as if I had an apartment at Six Flags Great America. Happy not to hear screams accompanied with the rollercoaster.

Gate across the street. First few nights the sound of a gate creaking and banging made me think that someone was breaking into my car. Each time it opened it seemed to get louder and one time I even got out of bed, went to the window and looked at my car through the trees saying “This is it!”. I’m not sure what I was going to do if someone was in fact trying to steal my radio. I’d probably yell, “Hey I see you! Get away from my car!” and then proceed to make car alarm noises.

Bell from St. Mary of the Lake. The bells go off and it is such a joyous sound. In the winter they play Christmas tunes. I’m not sure if it is recorded or real, but now I think it is real because the sound carries well. Seems to bounce off every building with a true, crisp bong!

Horse dog. Each morning at 5:30 I hear the whiny call of a small dog waking each building in a rooster-like fashion in an awful half-choked high-pitch howl. I have even caught a few glances of this dog and I can’t for the life of me figure out what it is barking at. One time when I looked through my white blinds the owner of the despicable dog turned and looked up at me with an ashamed look in his eyes.

Radiators. Those old school hot water radiators facilitate the heat in my apartment. The one in the bathroom makes a knocking sound in the wall that you can hear in the kitchen. Sometimes they hiss. This place is haunted.

Street people encounters

I started to miss the friendliness of Wisconsin right away. I missed how people looked you in the eye on the street and gave you a greeting. This led to me shaking a drunkards hand. Bad move. He pulled me close and put his arm around me and wanted me to sing with him. He smelled of piss and whiskey. Without a thought I started singing with him, “Hallelujah, Thank you Jesus.” After a few verses I peeled him off and washed my hand as soon as I could.

One night after returning from the Printer’s Ball, I had to go so bad that I decided I would use the park on Buena to relieve myself. I was running with a strange high step like a marching band and I knew I would never make it to my place. I hid behind the play gym with a slide and tower and as the first drop of yellow stuff hit the bark chips a bum, living in the tower, yelled out “Hey!” I shrieked! He scared the piss back into me. I was pissing on his house! I ran on with soiled pants as my girlfriend witnessed my race from a block away.