Friday, March 28, 2008

Episode #002 Clive Barker Interview & Watch or Die: The Fly!


Click to listen!








Here's another brief but exciting episode of Wildclaw's Blood Radio Podcast!
In this episode:
An interview with Clive Barker (transcript can be found here)
Watch or Die: The Fly 1958 with Doctor AC

To purchase Cronenberg's The Fly (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

And be sure to check out Doctor AC's book Horror 101: The A-List of Horror Films and Monster Movies!

In the next episode: Interview with LA Banks, award winning author of the Vampire Huntress Series!

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Four Pan Performances Left

Four. Count 'em. Four.

See The Great God Pan this week before you become one of those folks who asks us if we videotaped it for everyone who missed it.

We didn't.

The WildClaw L.A. Banks Interview



We have a lively conversation with L.A. Banks, the author of St. Martin's Press Vampire Huntress series. Leslie discusses her work methods, inspirations and influences. Plus, she talks about her upcoming books. One word, people - werewolves.


The 1st Vampire Huntress novel, Minion.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Contemporary Horror Cinema Conference

They are holding a Contemporary Horror Cinema Conference, in Manchester, England on April 3rd-4th 2008.

The MMU website explains the purpose of the conference: "Horror has been an area that has been at the forefront of a number of shifts within film studies, in particular the study of consumption, audiences and the industrial production of cinema.

"In light of this, this international conference, jointly organised by Manchester Metropolitan University and The University of Salford will promote dialogue and discussion around two areas: contemporary issues relating to the study of horror cinema and developments in the genre over the last 10 years."


Scene from the movie, The Descent

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Mythic Creatures

Chicago's Field Museum has a new temporary exhibit, Mythic Creatures, that examines man's fascination with mythic creatures and looks at where these myths may have originated.

March 19 to September 1, 2008

From the Field Museum website:

"Since the dawn of time, creatures of the unknown have fascinated cultures the world over. From medieval fire-breathing dragons to the magical powers of the unicorn, mythic creatures have captured the imagination. Now, examine the legend and the science behind some of the most fascinating creatures ever invented. Enter the fabled world of dragons, journey to the depths of the ocean and soar above the clouds to uncover the origins of the powerful, dangerous and magical beings that have been a part of the human experience for thousands of years. Preserved specimens, cultural artifacts and works of art highlight the surprising similarities and differences in the way people around the world have envisioned these myths. Today, mythic creatures continue to live on in the everyday lives of many cultures—and now they live at The Field Museum."


© AMNH / Denis Finnin

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Eight Chances Left

There are eight performances left of the critically acclaimed production, The Great God Pan! Get your tickets!! Say the word "BLOOD" at the Athenaeum Theater box office and get a fabulous discount on your ticket.



"If this is the WildClaw standard for horror, we'll gladly be horrified again."
- TimeOut Chicago

"fantastically executed"
- Killer_works.com

"spooky fun in the vein of the classic Hammer Films thrillers of the 1950s and '60s"
- Chicago Reader

"It delivers the guts and gore you crave and you may actually get blood spattered on you."
- The Chicagoist

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Slice of SciFi Podcast #152

Over at Slice of SciFi their latest podcast (#152) features a piece on WildClaw Theatre and The Great God Pan.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Episode 001 Wildclaw Theatre Origin Story

This is temporarily unavailable...coming back soon!

Our very first podcast! Listen to company members Brian, Charlie, and Charley (and the occasional peep from Aly) chat about the history of Horror Theatre, why they love horror, and Wildclaw's first production of Arthur Machen's The Great God Pan!

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Happy Birthday Frankenstein!

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was published on March 11, 1818...

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

The WildClaw Clive Barker Interview



Our exclusive interview with Clive Barker where we talk to him about working with Charley Sherman (adaptor/director of The Great God Pan) on the stage adaptation of Barker's In The Flesh, the influence and importance of Arthur Machen, and what Clive's currently working on.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Windy City Times Review of The Great God Pan

Mary Shen Barnidge reviews The Great God Pan for the Windy City Times. Here's an excerpt:

"Playwright Charley Sherman is still remembered in Chicago for his award-winning page-to-stage adaptations of contemporary creep-lit authors, and his rendition of this period thriller is laudable for its roster of elements associated with the genre: esoteric cult-worship, gloomy abandoned houses, gruesome unnatural deaths, masquerade balls attended by licentious guests, strolls through the fleshpots of fin-de-siècle London, innocent virgins strapped to surgical tables, callow youths driven to ruin by femmes extremely-fatales ( reflecting the gilded age's fear and fascination with the notion of uninhibited sexuality—especially in women ) and, of course, gallons of lovingly-replicated gore.

Assisted by Elise Kauzlaric's superlative dialect instruction, Tom Hickey makes a suitably buttoned-up skeptic to Lily Mojekwu's sensual mystic. Steve Herson projects conviction in the role of the technologist unable to cope with moral ambiguity, as does J. David Moeller's elderly witness whose testimony frames our story, along with an ensemble of actors and designers—in particular, Adam Kozlowski's sound, Allison Greaves' costumes and Ryan Oliver's “biological effects.” Together, they transform what could have been merely a quaint study of prudish Victorian intolerance into a timely lesson for audiences today."

Here's the full review.

Coming Soon - The WildClaw Clive Barker Interview

Clive Barker was gracious enough today to talk to WildClaw about working with Charley Sherman on his stage adaptation of Barker's In The Flesh, the influence and importance of Arthur Machen, and what new projects he is working on.

We will have both a text transcription and a podcast version of this interview up on BLOOD RADIO and the WildClaw Theatre website soon. Stay tuned!

Monday, March 3, 2008

"Fantastically Executed"

Killer-works.com is the latest to review The Great God Pan. We love it when the horror fans like the show!

"Fantastically executed... It would be impossible to tell the story literally from Machen's text, but Charley Sherman (adaptor/director) does an excellent job of creating a narrative flow that makes sense. Lighting and sound skillfully move you around the stage, help set the tone and punctuate the moments of tension. The acting is also of high caliber and the female leads Lily Mojekwu (as the many faces of evil) and Michaela Petro (as Mary) are particularly captivating."
-Jude Mire, Killer-works.com (for the full review go to the March 3 page of Killer-works)

Carter's Way

After you see The Great God Pan, check WildClaw company member, Anne Adams' new show at Steppenwolf Theatre, Carter's Way.


Anne Adams and James Vincent Meredith

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Happy Birthday, Arthur Machen

March 3, 1863. On this day, Arthur Machen was born. It is Machen who gave us the original story, The Great God Pan. A massive influence on writers of horror and fantasy today and an oft-cited touchstone for some of the best in the business, like Clive Barker, Peter Straub, and Stephen King, to name a few.


Arthur Machen

Check out the Friends of Arthur Machen for all the scoop. And for those of you who come to see our show, say the word "Blood" when you buy your tickets at the Athenaeum box office and get a discount.