Thursday, October 28, 2010

Only 3 more chances to catch SEVEN SNAKES


Click on the image to enlarge

Saturday Oct 30th is SOLD OUT.
The 3 other remaining performances are all half sold.

Due to scheduling, we can not extend. So, please help us fill the seats for all remaining shows!

If you've seen the show, please tell your friends how fantastic and unique Seven Snakes is!

Thank you Chicago!!!!

Here's the info!

Friday Oct 29th
Saturday Oct 30th - Standing Room Only!!!
Friday November 5th
Saturday November 6th - Almost Sold Out - Hurry!

Cast: Fernando Albiar, Ian Brown, Adam Dodds, Sean Ewert , Roy Gonzalez, Don Hall, Jim Hicks, Warwick Johnson, Matt Kahler, Vincent Lacey, Bert Matias, Shane Michael Murphy, Miguel Nunez, Erin Orr, Riso Straley

Asst Director: Juan Castaneda
Set Designer: John Ross Wilson
Costume & Make Up Design: Heidi Jade Warriner
Music: David Lykins

All performances are at 8pm – BYOB

Zoo Studio
4001 N. Ravenswood Ste B-1
Chicago, IL 60613
Suggested donation $20.00.

Reservations can be made by calling 866-593-4614

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Coming Soon - DREAM JOURNAL OF DOCTOR JEKYLL


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Coming Spring 2011 - DREAM JOURNAL OF DOCTOR JEKYLL!!!

Right Now - SEVEN SNAKES!!! only 4 shows left!

Saturday Halloween Weekend is Sold Out! We have just a few tickets left for this Friday. Call 866-593-4614 for reservations!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Getting Ready for Spring 2011 but we still have something for you in 2010!


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But before that... see Seven Snakes before we close on November 6th!

Looks like we got everyone's individual trading cards up!!!

We'll still have some new trading cards on the way, but we now have the entire cast's individual cards up! You can click on the links below to see any cards for the cast you might have missed!

Here is the cast in order of appearance!!

Roy Gonzalez as THE MAN

Jim Hicks as AGENT V
Erin Orr as THE DAUGHTER
Don Hall as MAMMA
Ian Brown as PRIVATE RADAR
Matt Kahler as THE COLONEL
Adam Dodds as SGT ROBERT RINGO
Vincent Lacey as CORPORAL CHEESE GRITS
Shane Michael Murphy as PRIVATE TOADSUCK
Sean Ewert as MR HEY
Riso Straley as SEGUNDO
Bert Matias as Chupa Fuerte
Miguel Nunez as CUCHILLO
Mojo Albiar as ANGEL
Warwick Johnson as AGENT FIDO

Closing Soon!!!!

Friday Oct 29th
Saturday Oct 30th - Standing Room Only!!!
Friday November 5th
Saturday November 6th - Almost Sold Out - Hurry!

Cast: Fernando Albiar, Ian Brown, Adam Dodds, Sean Ewert , Roy Gonzalez, Don Hall, Jim Hicks, Warwick Johnson, Matt Kahler, Vincent Lacey, Bert Matias, Shane Michael Murphy, Miguel Nunez, Erin Orr, Riso Straley

Asst Director: Juan Castaneda
Set Designer: John Ross Wilson
Costume & Make Up Design: Heidi Jade Warriner
Music: David Lykins

All performances are at 8pm – BYOB

Zoo Studio
4001 N. Ravenswood Ste B-1
Chicago, IL 60613
Suggested donation $20.00.

Reservations can be made by calling 866-593-4614

Ian Brown as Radar in SEVEN SNAKES


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We are selling out! Saturday Oct 30th is standing room only!
So call us!

Closing Soon!!!!

Friday Oct 29th
Saturday Oct 30th - Standing Room Only
Friday November 5th
Saturday November 6th

Cast: Fernando Albiar, Ian Brown, Adam Dodds, Sean Ewert , Roy Gonzalez, Don Hall, Jim Hicks, Warwick Johnson, Matt Kahler, Vincent Lacey, Bert Matias, Shane Michael Murphy, Miguel Nunez, Erin Orr, Riso Straley

Asst Director: Juan Castaneda
Set Designer: John Ross Wilson
Costume & Make Up Design: Heidi Jade Warriner
Music: David Lykins

All performances are at 8pm – BYOB

Zoo Studio
4001 N. Ravenswood Ste B-1
Chicago, IL 60613
Suggested donation $20.00.

Reservations can be made by calling 866-593-4614

Monday, October 25, 2010

Don Hall as Mamma in SEVEN SNAKES


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We are selling out! Saturday Oct 30th is standing room only!
So call us!

Closing Soon!!!!

Friday Oct 29th
Saturday Oct 30th - Standing Room Only
Friday November 5th
Saturday November 6th

Cast: Fernando Albiar, Ian Brown, Adam Dodds, Sean Ewert , Roy Gonzalez, Don Hall, Jim Hicks, Warwick Johnson, Matt Kahler, Vincent Lacey, Bert Matias, Shane Michael Murphy, Miguel Nunez, Erin Orr, Riso Straley

Asst Director: Juan Castaneda
Set Designer: John Ross Wilson
Costume & Make Up Design: Heidi Jade Warriner
Music: David Lykins

All performances are at 8pm – BYOB

Zoo Studio
4001 N. Ravenswood Ste B-1
Chicago, IL 60613
Suggested donation $20.00.

Reservations can be made by calling 866-593-4614

Friday, October 22, 2010

Adam Dodds as Robert Ringo in SEVEN SNAKES!


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We have been recommended by WGN, Chicago Magazine, Chicago Tribune, Reader, New City, Timeout, ChicagoTheaterBlog, and more...

We are selling out! So call us!

Closing Soon!!!!

Friday Oct 15th
Saturdays Oct 16th
Friday Oct 22nd
Saturday Oct 23rd
Friday Oct 29th
Saturday Oct 30th
Friday November 5th
Saturday November 6th

Cast: Fernando Albiar, Ian Brown, Adam Dodds, Sean Ewert , Roy Gonzalez, Don Hall, Jim Hicks, Warwick Johnson, Matt Kahler, Vincent Lacey, Bert Matias, Shane Michael Murphy, Miguel Nunez, Erin Orr, Riso Straley

Asst Director: Juan Castaneda
Set Designer: John Ross Wilson
Costume & Make Up Design: Heidi Jade Warriner
Music: David Lykins

All performances are at 8pm – BYOB

Zoo Studio
4001 N. Ravenswood Ste B-1
Chicago, IL 60613
Suggested donation $20.00.

Reservations can be made by calling 866-593-4614

Thursday, October 21, 2010

WGN! Chicago Magazine! Thank You from The Mammals

Thank you to WGN and Chicago Magazine for the thumbs up for SEVEN SNAKES!

Here's the link, go check it out!

P.S. Our Shows Halloween weekend are almost sold out! You got to get your tickets fast. Call 866-593-4614 for reservations!

Riso Straley as Segundo in SEVEN SNAKES




Closing Soon!!!!

Friday Oct 15th
Saturdays Oct 16th
Friday Oct 22nd
Saturday Oct 23rd
Friday Oct 29th
Saturday Oct 30th
Friday November 5th
Saturday November 6th

Cast: Fernando Albiar, Ian Brown, Adam Dodds, Sean Ewert , Roy Gonzalez, Don Hall, Jim Hicks, Warwick Johnson, Matt Kahler, Vincent Lacey, Bert Matias, Shane Michael Murphy, Miguel Nunez, Erin Orr, Riso Straley

Asst Director: Juan Castaneda
Set Designer: John Ross Wilson
Costume & Make Up Design: Heidi Jade Warriner
Music: David Lykins

All performances are at 8pm – BYOB

Zoo Studio
4001 N. Ravenswood Ste B-1
Chicago, IL 60613
Suggested donation $20.00.

Reservations can be made by calling 866-593-4614

Sean Ewert as Mr Hey in SEVEN SNAKES


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Closing Soon!!!!

Friday Oct 22nd
Saturday Oct 23rd
Friday Oct 29th
Saturday Oct 30th
Friday November 5th
Saturday November 6th

Cast: Fernando Albiar, Ian Brown, Adam Dodds, Sean Ewert , Roy Gonzalez, Don Hall, Jim Hicks, Warwick Johnson, Matt Kahler, Vincent Lacey, Bert Matias, Shane Michael Murphy, Miguel Nunez, Erin Orr, Riso Straley

Asst Director: Juan Castaneda
Set Designer: John Ross Wilson
Costume & Make Up Design: Heidi Jade Warriner
Music: David Lykins

All performances are at 8pm – BYOB

Zoo Studio
4001 N. Ravenswood Ste B-1
Chicago, IL 60613
Suggested donation $20.00.

Reservations can be made by calling 866-593-4614

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Jim Hicks as Agent V in SEVEN SNAKES


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Closing Soon!!!!

Friday Oct 15th
Saturdays Oct 16th
Friday Oct 22nd
Saturday Oct 23rd
Friday Oct 29th
Saturday Oct 30th
Friday November 5th
Saturday November 6th

Cast: Fernando Albiar, Ian Brown, Adam Dodds, Sean Ewert , Roy Gonzalez, Don Hall, Jim Hicks, Warwick Johnson, Matt Kahler, Vincent Lacey, Bert Matias, Shane Michael Murphy, Miguel Nunez, Erin Orr, Riso Straley

Asst Director: Juan Castaneda
Set Designer: John Ross Wilson
Costume & Make Up Design: Heidi Jade Warriner
Music: David Lykins

All performances are at 8pm – BYOB

Zoo Studio
4001 N. Ravenswood Ste B-1
Chicago, IL 60613
Suggested donation $20.00.

Reservations can be made by calling 866-593-4614

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

SEVEN SNAKES is Recommended Again and Again and Again

SEVEN SNAKES is recommended again and again and again. There are only a few performances left. November 6th is closing night. This show can not be held over.

What the press is saying...

TIMEOUT CHICAGO says Somewhat Recommended "this sci-fi spaghetti Western set in a postapocalyptic future is some of the finest genre theater you’ll find—funny, visually striking, unexpected. For such a small space, the Mammals’ Ravenswood loft features a deep and dynamic playing area that’s used superbly. The large cast is well suited to the style, particularly Erin Elizabeth Orr as the forlorn young lover known as the Girl and Matt Kahler as the Colonel, a sort of Donald Rumsfeld–meets–Foghorn Leghorn villain. Throw in live music, guns, gruesome facial disfigurements and just about the best-ever birds-and-bees speech, and you’ve got the fixins for fine Western freakout."

CHICAGOTHEATERBLOG.COM give 3 out of 4 Stars "The play achieves the surreal state of 60s Westerns, parodying and doing homage to them at the same time. The priceless comic timing of the Colonel, Radar (Ian Brown), Sgt. Ringo (Adam Dodds), Corporal Cheese Grits (Vincent Lacey), Private Toadsuck (Shane Michael Murphy) and Mr. Hey (Sean Ewert) make lines like, “So, what about that drifter’s penis?” and “That is the art of camouflage, girly” ring hysterically and resonantly funny."

CHICAGO TRIBUNE give 3.5 out of 4 Stars "Rip-roaring but quiet when it needs to be, this new play finds a way to repurpose all those cinematic conventions for the stage — the violence, the suspense, the unsettling eroticism and mesquite-flavored dialogue. Fisher and his company (The Mammals) have been steadily working in and around various film genres for a while, and you can't argue with the results — the company might be one of the more exciting theater companies to emerge on the fringe scene in recent years."

CHICAGO READER short listed and Highly Recommended says "full-throttle performances, live electric guitar music in the style of Ennio Morricone's Spaghetti Western soundtracks, and atmospheric visual and sound design mark this inventive, low-budget production as the work of artists with a distinctive, compelling, and decidedly freaky vision."

Closing Soon!!!!

Friday Oct 22nd
Saturday Oct 23rd
Friday Oct 29th
Saturday Oct 30th
Friday November 5th
Saturday November 6th

Cast: Fernando Albiar, Ian Brown, Adam Dodds, Sean Ewert , Roy Gonzalez, Don Hall, Jim Hicks, Warwick Johnson, Matt Kahler, Vincent Lacey, Bert Matias, Shane Michael Murphy, Miguel Nunez, Erin Orr, Riso Straley

Asst Director: Juan Castaneda
Set Designer: John Ross Wilson
Costume & Make Up Design: Heidi Jade Warriner
Music: David Lykins

All performances are at 8pm – BYOB

Zoo Studio
4001 N. Ravenswood Ste B-1
Chicago, IL 60613
Suggested donation $20.00.

Reservations can be made by calling 866-593-4614

Fernando "Mojo" Albiar as Angel in SEVEN SNAKES

Time is running out to see the highly recommended SEVEN SNAKES!!!!


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Closing Soon!!!!

Friday Oct 22nd
Saturday Oct 23rd
Friday Oct 29th
Saturday Oct 30th
Friday November 5th
Saturday November 6th

Cast: Fernando Albiar, Ian Brown, Adam Dodds, Sean Ewert , Roy Gonzalez, Don Hall, Jim Hicks, Warwick Johnson, Matt Kahler, Vincent Lacey, Bert Matias, Shane Michael Murphy, Miguel Nunez, Erin Orr, Riso Straley

Asst Director: Juan Castaneda
Set Designer: John Ross Wilson
Costume & Make Up Design: Heidi Jade Warriner
Music: David Lykins

All performances are at 8pm – BYOB

Zoo Studio
4001 N. Ravenswood Ste B-1
Chicago, IL 60613
Suggested donation $20.00.

Reservations can be made by calling 866-593-4614

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Bert Matias is Chupa Fuerte aka Dirty Ol' Snake!


click on image to enlarge

Other Digital Trading Cards! Click 'em and get 'em all!

From God's Mouth to My Ears
Cheese Grits & Falafel
Bumper Sticker Slogans
My Heart Quickens

Cold Blooded
Good Over Right
I'm Running The Show
I Don't Want To Devour You
I Ain't Easy

Closing Soon!!!!

Friday Oct 15th
Saturdays Oct 16th
Friday Oct 22nd
Saturday Oct 23rd
Friday Oct 29th
Saturday Oct 30th
Friday November 5th
Saturday November 6th

Cast: Fernando Albiar, Ian Brown, Adam Dodds, Sean Ewert , Roy Gonzalez, Don Hall, Jim Hicks, Warwick Johnson, Matt Kahler, Vincent Lacey, Bert Matias, Shane Michael Murphy, Miguel Nunez, Erin Orr, Riso Straley

Asst Director: Juan Castaneda
Set Designer: John Ross Wilson
Costume & Make Up Design: Heidi Jade Warriner
Music: David Lykins

All performances are at 8pm – BYOB

Zoo Studio
4001 N. Ravenswood Ste B-1
Chicago, IL 60613
Suggested donation $20.00.

Reservations can be made by calling 866-593-4614

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Warwick Johnson as Agent Fido


click on image to enlarge

Other Digital Trading Cards! Click 'em and get 'em all!

From God's Mouth to My Ears
Cheese Grits & Falafel
Bumper Sticker Slogans
My Heart Quickens

Cold Blooded
Good Over Right
I'm Running The Show
I Don't Want To Devour You
I Ain't Easy

Closing Soon!!!!

Friday Oct 15th
Saturdays Oct 16th
Friday Oct 22nd
Saturday Oct 23rd
Friday Oct 29th
Saturday Oct 30th
Friday November 5th
Saturday November 6th

Cast: Fernando Albiar, Ian Brown, Adam Dodds, Sean Ewert , Roy Gonzalez, Don Hall, Jim Hicks, Warwick Johnson, Matt Kahler, Vincent Lacey, Bert Matias, Shane Michael Murphy, Miguel Nunez, Erin Orr, Riso Straley

Asst Director: Juan Castaneda
Set Designer: John Ross Wilson
Costume & Make Up Design: Heidi Jade Warriner
Music: David Lykins

All performances are at 8pm – BYOB

Zoo Studio
4001 N. Ravenswood Ste B-1
Chicago, IL 60613
Suggested donation $20.00.

Reservations can be made by calling 866-593-4614

Monday, October 11, 2010

Vincent Lacey as Cheese Grits in SEVEN SNAKES!


Click on image to enlarge!

Starting this week, Seven Snakes is on Fridays and Saturdays!

Friday Oct 15th
Saturdays Oct 16th
Friday Oct 22nd
Saturday Oct 23rd
Friday Oct 29th
Saturday Oct 30th
Friday November 5th
Saturday November 6th

8pm - 20 Bucks

For reservations call 866-593-4614 or email us at themammals@gmail.com

Friday, October 08, 2010

New Seven Snakes Digital Trading Cards!

2 for 1 deal ends this weekend! Come See! Come See!


Click on image to enlarge!


Click on image to enlarge!

Want Tickets?

Remaining Shows!!!

Saturday Oct 9th
Friday Oct 15th
Saturdays Oct 16th
Friday Oct 22nd
Saturday Oct 23rd
Friday Oct 29th
Saturday Oct 30th
Friday November 5th
Saturday November 6th

Cast: Fernando Albiar, Ian Brown, Adam Dodds, Sean Ewert , Roy Gonzalez, Don Hall, Jim Hicks, Warwick Johnson, Matt Kahler, Vincent Lacey, Bert Matias, Shane Michael Murphy, Miguel Nunez, Erin Orr, Riso Straley

Asst Director: Juan Castaneda
Set Designer: John Ross Wilson
Costume & Make Up Design: Heidi Jade Warriner
Music: David Lykins

All performances are at 8pm – BYOB

Zoo Studio
4001 N. Ravenswood Ste B-1
Chicago, IL 60613
Suggested donation $20.00.

Reservations can be made by calling 866-593-4614
The Mammals explore performance works embracing themes of history, mythology, and destiny through the genres of science fiction, horror, and phantasmagoria.

(866) 593-4614 * email: themammals@gmail.com

Thursday, October 07, 2010

Colburn on Fisher... Fisher on Colburn

Yes... I know how that sounds. My theatre buddy Randall Colburn came and saw SEVEN SNAKES and I went to see his latest GHOSTBOX. We did a little write up review of each others pieces under the precondition that it could be 10 mins of stream of consciousness writing, and that I would let whatever Randall had to say go up on the blog unedited.

BTW this is Randall.

I was going to put a gun in hand with photoshop, but alas no time...

So here first are Randall's thoughts on the Mammals' show, followed up by my thoughts on his production with Infusion Theatre Company.

COLBURN on FISHER
seven snakes what the hell is wrong with you bob ps: I totes dug it and i seriously I want your mind and I want your gusto I’m too scared to do what you do what with the huge cast and gender bending and genre bending and breaking and stomping and honoring and slathering a smushed bloody heart all over the proceedings at the same time and erin orr killed it but I don’t like to see her yell and scream so much and matt kahler was my favorite that funeral march dude with the kid radio thing I don’t know what it’s called but I don’t think I've seen anything like it in chicago theater ever and isn't that what we want to do create things no one has seen or things that feel fresh and interesting and not stupid and lame and boring and derivative and i liked roy gonzales a lot in this show i liked him in meatlocker more but he had more lines then so maybe that's that but he seems to fit into your universe and don hall is awesome but i don't understand why he was playing a woman but does it matter not really i don't think and i don't think we needed him around after the first 20 minutes not that i didn't enjoy his performance but it's like how dexter's dad on the show dexter needed to leave the show after the second season because it's like what do you do with him now and i was offput at times by how nasty the va guys were and thought sean ewert was great in his death scene and i'm not just saying that because he's my facebook friend and the secret agent dudes added some texture to the play and i love the way you play with sound it sounds so cavernous and creates this really thick awesome atmosphere but i didn't get why they were there really the whole thing where they were speaking into erin's brain kinda lost me but i liked the way they looked in the universe you know a lot of people call theater experimental which is kind of a dumb word and i kind of hate talking about what is experimental and all that other bs because it's like just make good art you know make something that feels authentic and real and dangerous and daring and ballsy and it will feel different and we don't need to impose difference and what i dig about the mammals is that its less about imposing weirdness and more about fulfilling a vision and while im kind of the opposite in terms of indulgence i think its really important to have a company like the mammals doing stuff like this that can kinda blow peoples minds a bit even if they dont get it or dont like it or dont care about it its about eliciting a reaction and provoking a response and not just trying to be cute and cuddly and witty and i think theatre should be a deeply personal and intense experience where the artists are putting themselves out there putting themselves on the line and even though theres nothing really realistic which is a dumb word about your plays they feel deeply personal and i can tell you care about them and sometimes i feel like no one cares and those are the worst days and i liked the lecherous older snake but i thought it was sorta lame that all the snakes got killed by one va guy i was prepared for all of them to go off the hook and shit but maybe thats a genre thing im not as familiar with and i love the way you fuck with genre it might be my favorite thing about your work how you subvert genre and fuse them and create a little genre monster and it's like for everything i don't like there's something i like even more and they're not boring and they fuck with genre and archetypes and okay im done go see it dont be lame bye.


So... now you know... go see my show SEVEN SNAKES!


and now...

FISHER on COLBURN
So many folks seemed to have gotten past god. But here it seems that you haven't. And to me that is refreshingly naked and raw in a way that opens one up to so much condescension. That is a risk that I don't see taken enough. But it is so private. Audacity of dread plus patience without menace. What the simplicity of the world holds for those who believe in demons. The differences between demons and ghosts and simple electrical surges. But I want to say that less is more here. And I wonder, were the ambiguities exorcised? Our did I just imprint my own spirits on the aural Rorschach.

Beckettian or Beckettesque (I like the later). Spoiler Alerts. Belief in something other than the material plane seems to be such a weird taboo in certain circles (and I think this Chicago Theater Circle is one of them). When the median is so atheistic, how do they digest your vision without looking down it? I guess we will see wont we? They can connect to the pain of a lost child... yes. They can focus on what is 'really' happening? But the characters' obsessions with the ethereal... can those who don't stay up late praying or talking to people who aren't 'in the room with you'... will they be moved? Or is it just 'make believe to the extreme' for them? Ghostbox made me think. That is wonderful. How sad it is to say how rarely I am forced to think like this in theatre.

Now the filmwork was both brilliant and well...a little too 'ring' for me. I liked the biblical quotes. I liked the way the frame widened at the end and saw everything on the beach. I liked the way the images were ghosts and in that way it didn't matter if ghosts were 'real'? Those images are impermanent and yet inescapable...seems like a ghost to me.

I like the light bulb, I like the electric shock at the mention of his name. I love your actress, I saw her in Curse of the Starving Class and her face is so expressive and endearing. The hope hurt me. I started shaking my head because I thought they were hurting themselves to much with hope. The play ends in hell but there is hope?

I don't know where your writing ends and the direction begins. It makes it hard for me to feel confidence in my commentary. I'll just assume everything belongs to you till I'm told differently.

The strength of the piece is its patience, but it is also its Achilles heel too. This piece to me is sort of a rebuttal to Sartre's too famous notion. Life is isolation. Hell is isolation. Other people are needed in order to escape this kind of hell.

I'm stopping now. I hope people tune their heart to the frequency this piece insists upon. That insistence is admirable. Maybe, I was right... perhaps Krapp does get the girl in the end?


Well, that's it. Go see Ghostbox (click here for info). And then go see SEVEN SNAKES!