Okay, so where were we?

Well, never mind that. Over the last eighteen months since I last blogged, obviously a horrible global pandemic occurred that emotionally devastated the theatre community. The Joliet Drama Guild, of which I am still the Artistic Director, continued to produce shows as safely as possible, including our first film, I WAS A TEENAGE ALLOTMENT ANNIE, based on my 2013 play and co-directed by myself and Adam Rociles. Originally slated to be a stage production, once COVID-19 bled into April and May of 2020 we decided to take a bold approach and roll the cameras, first hurriedly searching for WWII uniforms, 1940s costumes, and period props, filming over the course of nine jam-packed days in June in Naperville and Joliet, editing for a month and then holding a red carpet formal dress drive-in movie premiere outside Joliet Town & Country Lanes bowling alley in September. That successfully completed, I wanted to jump right back into the movie business, writing a screenplay about my new historical obsession, the 1918 global influenza pandemic that almost destroyed the country that war-torn autumn, that film being TERRIFYING TALES OF THE SPANISH LADY. With the aid of fellow JDG board member Jordan M. Willner (who helped with the story) taking the directorial reins and Adam Rociles of Top Hat Productions (who also starred) handling the cinematography, we started filming in November 2020 and only stopped when Jordan yelled "cut" on the final take of the final scene at the end of March 2021. The part of the sinister and titular personification of the dread disease was played by incredible teenage actor/singer Leah Meeder, choreography was supplied by young area dance legend Claire Roling, and an original musical score was composed by musician/playwright Alex Kulak.  This upcoming Saturday, we will premiere the film in a private but sold-out event at Hollywood Blvd Cinema in Woodridge, Illinois, and I am so proud of the cast of amazing young actors and filmmakers who helped make this happen. We hope this story of a global tragedy of over a century ago helps give some understanding of what we all have gone through over the last eighteen months and can't wait to be making art with you and for you again. 

THE JOLIET DRAMA GUILD presents A CHRISTMAS CAROL ‘69, 12/20-12/22

It's December 1969 and the members of the Joliet Drama Guild are preparing for their grand
premiere of their painstaking production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, none more so than Everett
“Evvy” Schupolsky, the austere actor playing Scrooge, who wants this to be a CAROL for the
ages. But panic sets in as spaced-out stage manager Tinkerbell Pavasovic stumbles in saying
that a terrible accident occurred with the Guild Magic Bus the troupe's more political members
borrowed for an anti-war protest at the Ammunition Plant...seems there was a little problem with
their fireworks that blew up not only the bus but the costumes for the show. Everett is devastated,
saying that the freaks and weirdos have ruined his Christmas and the show should be cancelled,
but the hippies, Vietnam vets, Black Panthers, elderly beatniks and tap-dancing activists
assembled at the theater have another idea. With these fabulous flower children bringing the tale
of Scrooge, Bob Crachit, Fezziwig and Tiny Tim (not THAT Tiny Tim) up to the minute, spinning
psychedelic platters and preaching peace on earth, anything can happen...will Everett
Schupolsky and the Joliet Drama Guild learn the real meaning of Christmas and feel good
vibrations before the Swingin’ Sixties come to an end? Sock it to me, baby! A CHRISTMAS
CAROL ‘69 is both a new adaptation of the Dickens classic and a celebration commemorating the
fiftieth anniversary of the most tumultuous and remarkable holiday season in American history.
With spirited renditions of some of the best songs of the 1960s by the area’s finest young singers
and musicians and magnificent choreography by a spectacular team of dance artists, this play is
one the whole family can enjoy together: make a date with the Joliet Drama Guild for a merry
(and most decidedly groovy) CHRISTMAS this year!

A CHRISTMAS CAROL ‘69--Written & Directed by Mark Mason (Artistic Director, Joliet Drama Guild)--Based on the novella by Charles Dickens

Cast: DeOnte Bolden (Neil Robbins) Matthew Dodge (First Sergeant Floyd/Jacob Marley)
Kaitlin Facchina (Christina “Tinkerbell” Pavasovic/Ghost of Christmas Present) Billy Glynn
(Young Ebeneezer Scrooge) Jason Hilton (Chuck Deacon/Charles Dickens) Ted Holste (Everett
“Evvy” Schupolski/Ebeneezer Scrooge) Elyse Lorenz (Caroline Beltz) Charles Lovett (Silent
Stuart Coleman/Ghost of Christmas Future) Beth Mead (Tuesday Archambeau) Liam McGuire
(Freddy Schupolski/Fred/Young Adult Ebeneezer Scrooge) Leana Melville (Faye/Elizabeth
Crachit) Tasha Melville (Tiny Tim Crachit) Jan Novotny (Mama Bebop/Mrs. Fezziwig) Piper
Novotny (Judy Kowalczyk/Christmas Caroler) Tom Novotny (Papa Bebop/Old Fezziwig) Jillian
Queeney (Agatha O’Shea/Fred’s Wife) Claire Roling (Connie Cammerata/Ghost of Christmas
Past) Kalista Roling (Jan Novotny/Belle) Lemonie Stewart (Panther Paul Patterson) Kiera
Sullivan (Belinda Crachit) Jordan Willner (Tom Novotny/Bob Crachit)

Crew/Staff: Matthew Dodge (Technical Director) Michelle Heermann (Producer) Elyse Lorenz
(Music Director) Kalista Roling (Choregrapher)

Schedule: Friday December 20th 7:30pm, Saturday December 21st 7:30pm, and Sunday
December 22nd 2:00pm, all performances at Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park & Theatre,
201 W. Jefferson St., Joliet IL 60432. Reserve tickets by calling (779)227-5172 or purchase at the
door. Adults- $15; Seniors/Students- $13; Children Under 10- $10
Buy tickets here:
tickets.vendini.com/ticket-software.html?e=ef43058c4755fe3b79a6e99206ee01ae&t=tix&vqitq=07188a47-1c0b-4632-908e-826ed0017e7d&vqitp=0169dbd9-9d93-4eb2-8920-df9317939f05&vqitts=1575582772&vqitc=vendini&vqite=itl&vqitrt=Safetynet&vqith=926b03355e14712fd46b12e4cadfb4a4

Coming this Friday and Saturday is a limited-run Chicago premiere of a play dear to my heart, REST FOR THE WEARY SPIRIT.  REST is a one-woman drama about a mysterious young woman named Melanie (played by Amy Berkovec) who checks into a seedy Illinois motel on June 25th, 2009 carrying a suitcase and a camcorder and proceeds to weave a story of haunting secrets and nightmarish confessions, an epic tale of love, lies and the decay of the American dream writ large in a place called the Hideaway. 

Directed by Julia Rufo and featuring dramaturgy by Kendall Alaine Reasons, REST FOR THE WEARY SPIRIT is an ode to the vanishing Midwestern small town and to the indomitable spirit of a quiet woman determined to prove that she is braver, smarter and stronger than anyone would dream. Make your reservations at the link below and remember to use the code rest2017 to get $5 each ticket! 

https://www.gorillatango.com/cgi-bin/public/gttv2.cgi?location_number=2&show_id=1418

My creative collaborators and I would love to share this story with you, at a time in history when stories of America in all its history, hope, pain, suffering and dreams need telling more than ever. We hope to see you there. 

Always,
​Mark Mason

In the immortal words of Hilary Duff's character in the film THE PERFECT MAN, "dear fellow bloggers..." It has been some time since I updated, hasn't it?

Things are more or less the new normal for me right now, and that's okay...me and Jack are enjoying life and getting out of it what we can, and I've slowly gravitated back into being a more active member of the theatre community. Back in late February,  I had a play in this year's edition of the Chicago One-Minute Play Festival, a piece called PROFILES IN...? directed by Anna Trachtman, who I've realized is probably the most dedicated, talented and sympatico director I've had for my work: despite only being sixty seconds, it was a proud moment because this particular drama was a blunt, unsubtle attack on the loathsome Darryl W. Cox and the evil, hopefully vanquished Profiles Theatre and the cowardice displayed by The Joseph Jefferson Committee. As for right now, I wanted to let you all know about The Empathy Festival. The Empathy Festival is a beautiful event from the brilliant minds of Tanise Robnett & Alif Muhammed and their company Talif Productions, it features nine plays exploring writers’ abilities to empathize with characters elsewhere on the gender spectrum than themselves. I was fortunate enough to be asked to direct Jordy Williams' fine play PERSONAL HEROES, a deeply emotional drama about a frustrated young businesswoman (Carissa Meyer) and her relationship with her troubled, comic book-obsessed sister (Larissa Strong.) Having run every Tuesday this month, the fest has its final performance at 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 30th, at The Public House Theater, 3914 N. Clark Street in Chicago, and there's something for everyone: laughter, horror, shock, sadness, mystery, mischief, and above all, of course, empathy for our fellow human beings and for their and our plight on this planet. 

I wouldn't miss it for the world. Good to see you again. 

Always,
​Mark

​(September 11, 2016)

This is going to be a long-winded September 11th Fifteenth Anniversary essay, edited from Twitter posts, which I'll try and punctuate with appropriate music, but it's very personal and stream-of-consciousness so adjust expectations accordingly.

This afternoon I was listening to Alison Kraus' "Daylight" as my own personal September 11th remembrance ceremony- what with Trump, Islamophobia, gun massacres and ever increasing racial tension, it seems like this year is most depressing yet.
​
So many people, the very young to the elderly, most in the late thirties or early forties, were snatched so cruelly and suddenly from life and all that came from it was torture and tragedy...it's easy to despair. Has this country accomplished anything in any of the anti-terror actions since 9/11 besides increase the misery and suffering of others? Does justice really require such catastrophically high levels of dead collateral damage? Will anything ease the sorrow of those who lost loved ones, dying in such pain and agony?

Cruelty/murder only begets more of same, pain cannot be erased by inflicting it on others. Death is so resolutely final, the fear of which seems to be the animating force behind religion itself, which in turn prompted the 9/11 hijackers themselves...death is a horrifying cycle, and perhaps the enduring legacy of what happened on September 11th, 2001 is that it reminds us how close it can be and to live what life we have accordingly.

​Fifteen years ago today I was a horny teenage virgin, still smarting over being shot down by a girl I was in love with in Salzburg, on a rainy day right in front of a statue of Mozart. In retrospect it was pretty funny. As a teenager, you (or at least I) cling obsessively to your emotional/romantic wounds, and that summer after the Epic Austrian Shoot-Down both the father of one of my best friends and my grandmother died. My friend's dad died while we were camping in Canada, they sent a pontoon plane to our camp to tell him. I was sleeping in a tent and only woke up when the plane flew away with my friend, headed back to Atikokan. The rest of us paddled back over a day and a half, going back to Joliet for the funeral. I waited in my folks' car for some reason before the funeral started, Elton John singing "Levon" on the radio, "Levon" of all things, God.

​Every time I hear that song I think back to that summer and try to remember what life was like before September 11, what it must've been...for those who died. My grandmother had a stroke on the 4th of July and died about two weeks later. We took a family vacation and came back in early August, 2001. I saw a newspaper at Midway (or was it O'Hare?) with a headline about Bush and thinking "Ha, I totally forgot that guy is President, Jesus."

​I was actually excited about junior year starting, because I was desperate to have a girlfriend, I was really raring to go, dating-scene wise, I don't even know who I had the biggest crush on, though in retrospect it was probably Amber Sylvester, for which no one who attended Minooka Community High School could blame me. I spent the remainder of summer hanging out with Ben & Matt at a Ranch Pharmacy in Channahon (which for some reason always had The Platters singing "Red Sails in the Sunset" on the P.A.) sneaking into JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK by buying tickets for PEARL HARBOR, harassing the junior high kids in Ben's neighborhood and in general driving around aimlessly looking for God knows what.

​It was backstage at fall play rehearsals, late August, maybe early September, that I first laid eyes on this cute tall, long haired shy girl: I found out her name and struck up a conversation- married her 7 years later, divorced 3.5 years after that, having spent a decade together. To this day one of my most traumatic memories outside of September 11th is the day I had to move all my stuff out of what had been our house before she'd be served with the divorce papers...my nightmares still go back to that moment.

​The point of this is that everyone murdered that day, I imagine, was having similar banal, everyday experiences and that death ripped these people, sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, siblings, friends, lovers away like THAT. The gift of living a normal boring life of routine has to be recognized as just that, a gift I've served up far too much self-pity and self-deprecation for me to be taken seriously sometimes. So perhaps remembering days of horror, carnage and death is a form of needed perspective.

The voice of September 11th is deep and quiet, but it echoes forever for those who remember, and it says a few sentences that will reverberate through our lifetime. "You don't really know suffering. You don't know despair you don't know true death, the true end. You feel pity for yourself without reason. All is trivia without suffering. All is empty charity without love. All is hate without humility."

Memories of lost loved ones are haunting, hurtful, unbearable, but we must hang on to them, they can make us better people Those memories can bring out light, compassion and love...maybe that's the big takeaway from today, 15 years later. Act with empathy always Otherwise, we are all lost. Every goddamn one of us.

My film about love, loss, sisterhood and sex in Chicago, starring Cristiana Barbatelli as our troubled protagonist, is complete. it runs a little over half an hour and we're very proud to present it to you. Thanks for watching! 

The most recent development in this play's journey is that Chicago's esteemed American Blues Theater has named ANGEL DOWN AT LOVE a semi-finalist for their 2016 Blue Ink Playwriting Award. It's a great honor and hopefully will help bring this epic, heartfelt tragedy to a full production, and I offer my most sincere thanks to the literally dozens of actors, artists, directors and teachers who have helped me throughout this process. It reaffirms my belief that while playwriting is often a solitary pursuit, a playwright is truly never alone when he or she has talented friends and collaborators who can help lift the burden until it's a joy. As President Kennedy once said "a rising tide lifts all boats" and I hope that this play in whatever form it takes or direction it travels can honor both JFK's legacy and make my gifted associates proud. Check out some pictures below from the staged reading done last summer at Black Rock Bar & Kitchen and keep your eyes open, you haven't seen the last of us yet! 

Enjoy a trailer for my latest film, now in post-production: ANGIE'S PRAYER TO SAINT VALENTINE, a romantic comedy about a tough young Chicago woman facing the biggest challenges and changes of her life. Executive produced by Rebecca Flores, written and directed by Mark Mason and starring Cristiana Barbatelli, Rob Bersano, Brynne Frauenhoffer, Cassandra Grindel, Luke Daigle, Zach Kenney, C.J. Langdon and Gina Sabatini