WHISPERING IN VAN GOGH'S EAR
Riverfront Playhouse July 26, 27 1992

ACT ONE
Great Aurora Comedy Wand Part 1
Sketches That Didn't Make The Show
The Mole/ Art Talk
News
Pace Picante Sauce Cereal
Face In The Fridge
Common Sense 101
Sledgehammer
Misbehaving Seminar
Roger Rabbit On A Hot Tin Roof
Children Of A Lesser Dog
Chicken Cordon Blues
Nuttin' Bitch
Toilet Paper
Post Nuclear Entertainment
(Pie Eating Contest - 27th)

ACT TWO

Great Aurora Comedy Wand Part 2
An Easy Piece
Nan'r Mash
$25,000 Pyramid
Naptime
Jenny Craig
Take A Rib
Bank Robbery
Star Wars Guys
First Day At McDonald's
Swear Words
Invisible Hairs
Big Dumb Ass
Blow Ham
(Pie Eating Contest - 26th)
Appendix
Great Aurora Comedy Wand Part 3

CAST
Josh Gilbert
Dan Neid
Greg Twait
Eric Schwartz
Michelle Peart
Ken Ruffalo
Laurie Michniewicz
Dale Roe

NOTES:

To this point, this show was my greatest achievement ever. I had
been building sketch comedy groups for 7 years to no avail. We
never performed (with the exception of some improv workshops
at Waubonsee Community College). I had never had anything
I had helped build (comedy wise) go the distance and perform. 
I remember sitting downstairs in the dressing room after the
show, stunned that it had happened. Michniewicz (who had been
in countless other "comedy groups" with me) put her hand on
my shoulder and said "well, you did it." I almost burst into
tears. I was a big pussy then.

Strange's had started actually years before.  Since 1988 I had 
been writing this 3 act play that followed a couple through
4 years of their relationship. All the acts took place at a
college town restauraunt called Strange's (originally Dr. 
Strange's). The place didn't exist. It was simply made up. Anyway,
it wasn't very good and I only ever got a third of the way into
act one. I don't know what made me think, at 16, I could write a
play about college and love. Oh that's right! I was pretentious.

Anyway, to make a long story longer… I got laid off in 1992. I 
got laid off from my job, lost my girlfriend and all on the 
same weekend. To make myself feel better, I went and saw 
the Riverfront Playhouse's production of FAT BILL'S ROADSIDE
café. (Regardless of later squabbles, I still think it was 
a good show.) That night I bumped into Greg Twait. He and I
had written a couple of things and done some recording over
the years and we decided to get together the next day. 

The next day I took what I done for STRANGE'S. I thought 
that maybe he could help me punch it up or finish it. In
the mean time we went and saw Wayne's World. (In a 
destiny note...As we waited in the lobby to see the movie,
Dale came out of the previous showing and chatted with
us.) Something happened during that movie and Twait and I
walked out of it charged and wanting to perform together.

(more to follow)