Three Cat Productions | Theatre, Cabaret, and Theatre Education Company based in Chicago, Illinois

Bab Fab: 5th Annual Barbra Streisand Birthday Event

admin — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:05:33 +0000

Three Cat Productions celebrates Barbra Streisand’s 70th birthday with their fifth annual “Bab Fab” at the Wilmette Theatre on Tuesday, April 24 at 7:30pm. “Bab Fab” will cover Barbra Streisand’s sensational career from her early days in Greenwich Village to her incredible rise to super stardom. A selection of Streisand songs will be presented, including musical theater and pop standards such as “Don’t Rain on My Parade”, “She Touched Me”, “A Piece of Sky”, and “People.”

Frog Princess at Menomonee Club

admin — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:02:31 +0000

Join Three Cat Education in this modern retelling of a traditional story: “The Frog Princess”. Join Sally, her animal friends, and the school of Olympus Academy as they navigate the ups and downs of fitting in.

Three Cat Education at The Menomonee Club!

admin — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:54:58 +0000

Hello and Happy New Year! With the start of 2012 we find ourselves growing and exploring new opportunities – one of which is our new Chicago Partnership with The Menomonee Club!

This past fall we presented 3 different versions of our original production “Cinderella” to packed houses and over the Winter Break held a Winter Camp full of theatre games, music and a New Year’s craft that helped our campers ring in the New Year. This week and next we invite you to join us for auditions of our next Menomonee Club production…“The Frog Princess”!

For more information on how you can become a part of our Menomonee Club family; check out The Menomonee Club website, email me directly (jlueken@threecatproductions.com) or register now by calling Lauren at The Menomonee Club (312-664-4631 x105).

Thanks so much for your continued support – we look forward to seeing you at the theatre!

~jacque

Jacque Lueken
Executive Director
Three Cat Education

Opening Weekend – What a Thrill!

jlueken — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 05:14:20 +0000

When I direct a show, one of my favorite moments is when the lights fade out on the audience and up on stage for the first scene to begin. This is when the show is officially out of my hands and into those of the actors, crew and audience!

But what about those behind the scenes moments that only the actors know about? Or those brilliant dance moves that are finally nailed? How about the laughs had by an audience on a joke the actor did not realize was funny?

Well, here’s your chance to share those would be forgotten memories – how did you feel when you got through the scene you were most excited to show your audience? How about when the school bell didn’t ring? Or for an audience member who got to see both shows – what did you notice from one to the next?

Leave your stories here in this nifty comment box below for all to read and enjoy!

~jacque

Director – “Frog Princess”

Class Elections – Update

ajohnson — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 03:34:54 +0000

Hello and welcome, we are updating you live on the scene after this afternoon’s duo performances of The Frog Princess!

The opening weekend was FANTASTIC! Congratulations to the Cast and Production Team on a delightful production!

Now down to business. As you likely know, these performances are really just a clever ruse to get votes in for the class elections. I am pleased to be able to give you some running percentages of the votes tallied thus far. With another weekend of shows coming up, it’s still ANYONE’S GAME!

Homecoming Queen:

27.8% – Sally
11.4% – Addy
11.4% – Princess
9.8% – Julia
9.8% – Maddy
8.3% – Holly
8.3% – Summer
5% – Ashleigh
3.3% – Katherine
3,3% – Lindsay
1.6% – Angie

Homecoming King

60% – Connor
28.9% – Luke
11.1% – George

Class President

26.5% – Connor
24.5% – Sally
11.4% – Angie
11.4% – Julia
7.5% – Anne
7.5% – Maddy
5.6% – Katherine
5.6% – Summer

Vice President

37.9% – Luke
31.1% – Summer
17.2% – Holly
13.8% – Nicky

Secretary

50% – Lindsay
50% – George

Treasurer

55.2% – Addy
44.8% – Cassidy

Cheer Captain

43.5% – Ashleigh
43.5% – Summer
13% – Lindsay

As you can see, these are some very close races. Make sure to come out and see the show next Saturday (the 19th) to swing the vote to your favor!

Meet Lindsay!

ajohnson — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 07:21:08 +0000

Continuing with introductions, let’s all get to know one of our cheerleaders, Lindsay – as played by Katie.

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What’s your name?

My name’s Lindsay!

And what grade are you in, Lindsay?

I’m 13 and I’m in the 8th grade!

Wonderful! Do you belong to any particular groups at school?

Oh yes! I’m a Cheerleader! I love it, because I always have a HUGE smile and I get to “cheer” people up! Making the squad is definitely my favorite school memory. Oh, and my favorite color is sunset orange, and I love Pizza!

That sounds like you really love school. Is there anything you don’t like?

Well, I’m not a big fan of biology. And this one time I got pushed to the ground and broke my arm. That wasn’t very fun.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Can you keep a secret?

I think I can do that, yes.

I used to be a huge nerd, but I was made fun of so much I was allowed to dye my hair and get a whole new look. Now, no one remembers who I was.

Well, thank you for you time, Lindsay!

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Meet Katherine!

ajohnson — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 00:49:37 +0000

Goodness gracious! The show is opening TOMORROW! To help get everyone a little more pumped, we will be posting as many character profiles as we can in the next 12 hours! Keep your eyes out!

We’ll kick it off with one of our Drama Club, Katherine – played by Amara.

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What’s your name?

My name is Katherine.

And how old are you, Katherine?

I’m 13 and I’m in the 7th grade.

That’s fantastic! And what are you favorite and least favorite parts of school?

Well, my favorite class would have to be English. And I’d have to say Biology is definitely my least favorite. Oh! And I love when we get to have Nachos at lunch!

And do you belong to any particular group or groups in school?

I’m part of the Drama Club. We are all unbelievably talented and… Dramatic. Especially when it comes to acting and showing off! Of course, I was in the Broadway production of “A Nightmare Before Christmas” with my Aunt, so I have a little bit of an upper hand.

So you’re close to the others in your group?

Oh yes, Cassidy and Julia are my BFFs. They’re funny and super dramatic!

And, finally, are there any memories of school you’d like to share?

Well, this one time, I slipped on my dress before I got onstage! Don’t worry, it was funny!

Well thank you for your time, Katherine!

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Meet Addy!

ajohnson — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 20:05:39 +0000

Hello again everyone! Today marks the beginning of our character introductions! Our first character comes from the Gamer clique and is played by Maya.

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What is your name?

My name is Addy.

And how old are you, Addy?

I’m 9 years-old and I’m in the 4th grade.

What’s your favorite color?

My favorite color is purple.

What are you favorite and least favorite subjects in school?

My favorite is Music and my least favorite is Math.

Do you belong to any particular group at your school?

I hang out with the Gamers.

Why do you like to hang out with them?

I am very good at games. What they don’t know is that I have secret games that I am even better at!

Thank you for you time, Addy!

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Check back as we continue to introduce more of the dynamic characters from The Frog Princess!

From the Three Cat Education Desk (Meet the Staff)

ajohnson — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 02:55:37 +0000

So I was going through my things this week – found some interesting photos – and I realized, we have not yet introduced ourselves to the Internet World!

Things are pretty crazy around here with Frog Princess in rehearsal, but a moment can always be spared to get to know one another!

Let’s start with our intrepid Three Cat Education, Executive Director – and current Director of Frog Princess – Ms. Jacque Lueken.

I attended my first audition for a summer camp production at age 5. Our director explained to us that our show was a fairytale and that the girls would audition for the princess and the boys would audition for the dragon. I thought a dragon would be way cooler. I mean, dragons had spikes and breathed fire and flew around castles; while princesses were…well, princesses.

The girls were the first to audition. Our director lined us up at the edge of the stage and one by one each girl said the princess line. When it was my turn, I took a breath, gave a roar and used my best dragon voice to deliver the dragon line loud enough for the whole audience to hear! My director insisted that I audition for the princess like all of the other girls. I did so and when all of the girls had auditioned, we sat down. Then it was the boys turn to audition for the dragon. They lined up to go on stage…and I joined them. When my director said it was not my turn, my reply was simply that I had to because I was going to be the dragon. She allowed me to audition with the boys, and when parts were announced the next day…I GOT THE DRAGON!!!

Also, being a dragon was totally as cool as I imagined. I mean, my dragon didn’t fly, but he did have a paper bag dragon head with construction paper spikes and confetti fire that he breathed when he saved the princess from the evil wizard. That’s right – I didn’t play the princess, I saved the princess!

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Then there is myself – Annalee Johnson! The current author of this blog post,

as well as Scenic Designer/Stage Manager for “The Frog Princess” and Production Associate with Three Cat Productions.

Once upon a time there was a young girl who got bored at lunch time. Her friend suggested they see if the Art Teacher needed any help during their downtime. Shortly thereafter, the two girls would quickly eat their food and then take charge of whatever extra projects their Art Teacher might need them for. Often they would find themselves rolling out LARGE sheets of paper and painting forests and buildings and dozens of other things. Little did they know they were creating the backdrops for other students’ plays! It didn’t matter the reason, though, they were given free reign to be creative and help out a favorite teacher. Was there anything that could compare?

A few years later, this same young girl found herself involved in the Acting Class. While she very much enjoyed performing in front of people and being the center of attention, she LOVED when her director put her on the headset backstage. Once she had the headset, she was allowed to tell people what to do AND be in charge of opening and closing the curtain. One should be careful how much power you give a 10 year-old… They might like it.

Such was how I found myself thoroughly engrossed in Theatre Arts and Management – because though the stage was fun, the backstage was THRILLING.

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And last, but certainly not least – the man who started it all – Mr. Jason Paul Smith, Artistic Director – Three Cat Productions, and presently the Costume Designer/Lyricist for “The Frog Princess”.

Jason Paul Smith started his career as actor, director, producer in 1980 having created the stage version of The Muppet Movie. Running 37 performances, it was witness by 39 stuffed animals, two adults, and one angry pre-teen.

This memorable performance spawned an early career in the theater that included performances in every local theater, that means one, in Valley City, North Dakota. This eventually led him to earn a degree in Theater from the University of Minnesota.

His theater career has included a wide array of opportunities including, Barnaby Tucker in The Matchmaker, Frank ‘n Furter in The Rocky Horror Show, and Flan Kitridge in Six Degrees of Separation. He also wrote, directed and starred in Consulting Mavis or How I Got My Ass Out of North Dakota and Remained Sane. Directing credits include Hello Dolly for the Lakeshore Players and Sunday in the Park with George for Crisis Point Theater.

Trivial facts:

Jason played Abe Lincoln in the third grade play.
He starred in his first film at the age ten, playing Captain Jason in Bill Hunt’s infamous production of the Attack of the Zevons.
He was discovered by KOVC Radio – the same station that discovered Shadow Stevens and Peggy Lee.
His brother is the editor of The Digital Bits.
His favorite food is peanut butter.

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So there you have it! The ever wonderful faces of Three Cat Education, keep checkin’ in with us to see what we’re up to – who knows what we’ll think of next!

-Annalee

Lions and Tigers and Mascots.. Oh My!

ajohnson — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 04:16:49 +0000

That’s right! It’s time we take the vote for the School Mascot!

Last week we ran the votes and our school is officially titled Olympus Academy, and to show some school spirit make sure everything is decked out in Blue and Purple.

After voting, make sure to check back here later as we may or may not have gotten some secret intel on our cast of characters…

Pick your top two choices below. And don’t forget to get your friends and family to vote as well!

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world’s leading questionnaire tool.

Our Facebook and Twitter will provide you with extra voting power later in the week, so keep an eye out to swing things in your favor!