THE FILM BROUGHT TOGETHER A FANTASTIC TEAM OF ARTISTS who FOUND a kindred spirit in SUB-Q THEATRE FOUNDER PETER FLEMING: RADICAL VISIONARY, TORTURED SOUL, UNDERDOG.
Brendan Dowling (Peter Fleming)
All-round great guy (and good sport who was willing to endure the application of Kabuki makeup over and over during the shoot), Brendan is a member of comedy supergroup Improvised Shakespeare Co., performing regularly in L.A., New York, and at music and arts festivals like Bonaroo.
Christopher Woolsey (Mark Pruitt)
Chris was born and raised in Portland, which might account for his obsession with bike riding all winter long. When he's not floating on a Second City cruise ship, he performs sketch comedy around Chicago and has had his work premiered at the New York International Fringe Festival.
Gar Hoover (Director, Writer, Editor)
An award-winning writer and director, Gar has taken top honors at film festivals and, with writing partner Beth, won more than a half dozen feature and short screenplay competitions. He’s taught Story for Film & TV and Screenwriting as a team with Beth at both Loyola University and Second City.
Beth Hoover (Producer, Writer)
Beth, Gar will tell you, is the much better half of "Team Hoover." She has written and/or produced scores of narrative and commissioned films and has served on the board of Women in Film. She was born in Monterey, spent her formative years in Cuba and is a University of Virginia alum.
Madelyn Murphy (Troupe Member)
Maddie's gotta have clones 'cause she's currently performing all over Chicago in Hitch*Cocktails (Annoyance), Clued-in (Second City), Shania (iO) and Happy Hour (various basements, vans, holes). She was recently accepted into the prestigious NYC Stella Adler Studio acting conservatory.
Lara Carling (Troupe Member)
Trained in classical theatre at Drama Centre London, Lara has performed on such vaunted stages as Shakespeare's Globe and the Vakhtangov Theatre in Russia. Her work in Chicago has focused on devised theatre, including a much-loved puppet musical of Beatrix Potter stories.
Scott Piebenga (Troupe Member)
Scott is originally from Michigan, where he was a charter member of the improv and sketch comedy group Crawlspace Eviction. He performed on the U.S. comedy tour We Can Make You Laugh, playing more than 30 improv fests. He performs with lots of ensembles at iO and Playground Theater.
Megan Pirtle (Hair & Makeup)
Megan is a crazy gifted young artist who was tasked with the job of getting Brendan into Kabuki makeup between takes -- and given just 30 minutes to do it. A recent costume design grad of DePaul University, Megan is the wig and makeup apprentice at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre.
Wolfgang Stein (Troupe Member)
Wolf is an actor, writer and director whose work can be seen at his monthly Bucket Show or with his two-man group, Jack & The Wolf. He's starred in comedy shorts and performed at iO, The Annoyance, Second City Training Center and virtually every other smart comedy theatre in town.
Kevin Viol (Audience Member)
Kevin's been a member of the Chicago film, music and theatre community for 15 years, starring in plays from Beauty Queen of Leenane to True West. He's a Jeff Award nominee, an After Dark Award winner, and earned festival honors for At Last, Okemah, a film he produced and starred in.
Costa Lapaseotes (Troupe Member)
Equal parts emcee, writer and performer, Costa is a veteran of Chicago's standup, improv and sketch comedy scene, both live and in film. He literally knows everyone and can find or make props like a mofo. He hosts the CostaCoast Cabaret variety show, hellbent on bringing vaudeville back.
Remington Pettygrove (Original Music)
Remy is an amazingly talented songwriter who, let's face it, has one of the coolest names in the history of indie rock. He wrote and recorded Peter's theme song, "The Juice," and has played venues and festivals across the country, including SXSW. He's currently recording a new EP.
Max Lollar (2nd Unit Cinematographer)
Max is an LA-based filmmaker and writer originally from Washington, D.C. Coincidentally, his comedy films, including "Sex Ghost" and "Corn Cob Hands," have ruined any political aspirations of the actors involved. See some of his work on Funny or Die.
Cooper Wise (Troupe Member)
Hailing from a small town in California, Cooper has lived all over the West Coast but has always found a home in theatre. He recently co-wrote, directed and starred in an award-winning 48-Hour Film project called Funny Money in which he redefines the sad clown and rides a mean unicycle.
Megan Caton (Troupe Member)
Since relocating to Chicago from Burbank, this woman has been on fire, appearing in Chicago Dramatists' Festival of New Plays, acting in two indie features and landing a principal role in a current national TV spot. She studied dramatic arts, acting and literature at University of California, Davis.
And these guys! What can you say? The two best PAs who ever caught some ZZZs between takes! On the left, native Coloradan, Connor Lane — and no, we're not saying that availability of recreational weed out there has anything whatsoever to do with his chill 'tude. It's who he is. The tall guy in back is Jack Curtin. And trust us, we didn't bring Jack on because his name works so well with the project. Jack's deep, soulful, sensitive. But man, he can hump gear like Superman. (And he makes a cameo in the film.) Also, both of these guys can write and make movies. The latest in their oeuvre is the surreal dark comedy, "200,000 Birthdays." It's indescribable (so we're not even gonna try).
The guys behind the original music in CURTAINS: Rob André (drums), Remington Pettygrove (vocals) and Joe Shadid (guitar and bass). Read about them, hear “The Juice” and see more behind-the-scenes pics of the Audiotree recording session at curtainsmovie.com/music.