New Age Vaudeville
Encyclopedia
New Age Vaudeville was a professional theatre troupe that was part of the Chicago comedy boom of the 1980s.
, Peninsula Players
’ Tony award
-winning producer, James B. McKenzie hired actor/writer Richard O’Donnell to create, develop and act in the Comedy Cabaret
(a proposed after-show review) scheduled to premiere in the forthcoming summer’s upcoming season at Door County’s Peninsula Players
Theater in Fish Creek, Wisconsin. The Comedy Cabaret was so successful in its first season that it returned to Door County the following summer as New Age Vaudeville, in its own 100-seat theatre at the nearby Glidden Lodge in Baileys Harbor.
Following the initial season at The Peninsula Players
Richard O’Donnell and Amy McKenzie took their troupe to Chicago
for the winter, establishing themselves at CrossCurrents, in their new 100 seat Art Deco
theatre located at 3206 N. Wilson. Throughout its 4-year run, O'Donnell co-produced and wrote while McKenzie co-produced and directed numerous productions starring themselves and actors Megan Cavanagh
, Todd Erickson, Bobby McGuire, Peter Neville, Michael Dempsey, Caroline Schless, Lisa Keefe, Tom Purcell (head writer, Colbert Report), and Del Close
.
They gained a reputation for wizardry in blending 50’s sitcom norms with comic impersonations. An Evening with Elmore & Gwendolyn Putts - The Neighbors Next Door and The TV Dinner Hour (featuring Del Close
on video tape doing Late Night with God) were among their biggest cult-hits. Rick Kogan of the Chicago Tribune hailed both works as "Among the most polished and clever productions of the season, a pair of devilishly inventive shows that won over critics and audiences alike."
contract in Chicago
.
First comedy troupe in Chicago to use video monitors playing pre-taped intros and filler. Upon their inception Del Close
warned O’Donnell that their inclusion would ruin the medium. Years later, the iO
(formally the ImprovOlympic) opened the Del Close Theatre on Clark Street which included a permanent television monitor on stage.
History
In March 1983 while in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Peninsula Players
Peninsula Players
Peninsula Players is a summer theater program located in Fish Creek, Wisconsin. Founded in 1935 by Richard and Caroline Fisher, it is known as "America's Oldest Professional Resident Summer Theatre."- History :...
’ Tony award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
-winning producer, James B. McKenzie hired actor/writer Richard O’Donnell to create, develop and act in the Comedy Cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
(a proposed after-show review) scheduled to premiere in the forthcoming summer’s upcoming season at Door County’s Peninsula Players
Peninsula Players
Peninsula Players is a summer theater program located in Fish Creek, Wisconsin. Founded in 1935 by Richard and Caroline Fisher, it is known as "America's Oldest Professional Resident Summer Theatre."- History :...
Theater in Fish Creek, Wisconsin. The Comedy Cabaret was so successful in its first season that it returned to Door County the following summer as New Age Vaudeville, in its own 100-seat theatre at the nearby Glidden Lodge in Baileys Harbor.
Following the initial season at The Peninsula Players
Peninsula Players
Peninsula Players is a summer theater program located in Fish Creek, Wisconsin. Founded in 1935 by Richard and Caroline Fisher, it is known as "America's Oldest Professional Resident Summer Theatre."- History :...
Richard O’Donnell and Amy McKenzie took their troupe to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
for the winter, establishing themselves at CrossCurrents, in their new 100 seat Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
theatre located at 3206 N. Wilson. Throughout its 4-year run, O'Donnell co-produced and wrote while McKenzie co-produced and directed numerous productions starring themselves and actors Megan Cavanagh
Megan Cavanagh
Megan Cavanagh is an American actress who portrayed the roles of Marla Hooch in A League of Their Own , Broomhilde in Robin Hood: Men in Tights , Essie in Dracula: Dead and Loving It and was the voice of Judy Neutron in Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Hilary Higgenbottom in The Mighty B!...
, Todd Erickson, Bobby McGuire, Peter Neville, Michael Dempsey, Caroline Schless, Lisa Keefe, Tom Purcell (head writer, Colbert Report), and Del Close
Del Close
Del Close was an actor, improviser, writer, and teacher. Considered one of the premier influences on modern improvisational theater, Close had a prolific career, appearing in a number of films and television shows...
.
They gained a reputation for wizardry in blending 50’s sitcom norms with comic impersonations. An Evening with Elmore & Gwendolyn Putts - The Neighbors Next Door and The TV Dinner Hour (featuring Del Close
Del Close
Del Close was an actor, improviser, writer, and teacher. Considered one of the premier influences on modern improvisational theater, Close had a prolific career, appearing in a number of films and television shows...
on video tape doing Late Night with God) were among their biggest cult-hits. Rick Kogan of the Chicago Tribune hailed both works as "Among the most polished and clever productions of the season, a pair of devilishly inventive shows that won over critics and audiences alike."
Noted Accomplishments
Successfully negotiated the first Actors' Equity (AEA) cabaretCabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
contract in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
First comedy troupe in Chicago to use video monitors playing pre-taped intros and filler. Upon their inception Del Close
Del Close
Del Close was an actor, improviser, writer, and teacher. Considered one of the premier influences on modern improvisational theater, Close had a prolific career, appearing in a number of films and television shows...
warned O’Donnell that their inclusion would ruin the medium. Years later, the iO
IO
Io, IO, I/O, i/o, or i.o. may refer to:-An abbreviation:* I.O., a theater in Chicago, Illinois dedicated to improvisational comedy* i.o., "in illo ordine", Latin phrase meaning "respectively"...
(formally the ImprovOlympic) opened the Del Close Theatre on Clark Street which included a permanent television monitor on stage.