The Whale, Victory Gardens Theatre
Regional Premier, Playwright Samuel D. Hunter, Director Joanie Schultz, Scenic Design Chelsea M. Warren, Costume Design Janice Pytel, Lighting Design Heather Gilbert, Sound Design Thomas Dixon
CRITICAL RESPONSE BELOW
Chicago Tribune, April 16, 2013, Chris Jones: “Better yet, Schultz and her set designer, Chelsea Warren, have nixed any and all pretentious theatrical clutter in favor of high-stakes, fast-paced truthtelling without unnecessary preamble.”
Chicago Theatre Review, Ben Kemper: Set Designer Chelsea Warren's tiny, crowded apartment, filled with essays, bags of chips and other detritus is set adrift on a black stage, creating a feeling of isolation, as though the apartment is adrift on a vast sea. And it is a voyage, one long, uninterrupted chase after truth and forgiveness, as impossible to achieve as Ahab spearing Moby Dick Hunter's script unfolds like a treasure hunt, each scene offers some gem of knowledge to the world of the play, a puzzle piece towards the greater mysteries of Charlie's past and future."
Around the Town Chicago, Alan Bresloff: “The technical parts of the play add to the realistic feeling that Schultz and her cast have created from Hunter’s play- Chelsea Warren’s set is one that would be just what a hermit might live in, Heather Gilbert’s lighting sets the mood for each of the scenes and Sarah Burnham has managed to find many outstanding props, including a wheelchair for “fat people”.”