We’re so excited to tell you that we finally had the official reading of The Dreamer and the Devil this past Monday and it was quite a success!

Approximately 100 supporters and theater industry professionals joined us at Stage 773 (1225 W. Belmont Ave.) in Chicago for this amazing event. The audience response was incredibly positive and we’re very excited for what the future holds for The Dreamer and the Devil.

Thanks to the support of our Kickstarter donors, we were able to have the show professionally recorded so that we can send c.d.s. to investors/producers/artistic directors in the Chicago area who were unable to attend the reading. (Donors of $25 and above will also receive a c.d. in a month or two.)

We were also able to hire a top-notch stage manager/assistant director, Claire Shavzin, and a truly outstanding cast of both Equity and non-Equity professionals, including: Larry Adams (Daniel Burnham); Michael Mahler (H.H. Holmes); George Keating (John Root); Doug Pawlik (Sol Bloom); Kevin Gudahl (Carter Harrison); Marc Pera (Patrick Prendergast); Charissa Armon (Julia Conner); Karl Hamilton (Detective Geyer); Erin Myover-Piotrowski (Annie Howard); Andrew Roy Ritter (Ned Conner); Dave Nadolski (Ben Pietzel); Sharriese Hamilton (Miss Halifax); Mandy Modic (Myrta Holmes); Jeny Wasilewski (Minnie Williams); Chris Gorton (O'Hara); Dave Carmona (Lyman Gage); Ed Rutherford (Angry Republican).

And, of course, the Kickstarter campaign helped us pay for the all-important copies of scripts and music, programs for the event, water and coffee for the cast, and rental of Stage 773 for rehearsals and the performance.

Now that the big event is over, we are taking a much-needed “breather” for a week or two – but we look forward to reconvening to discuss audience feedback, responses from potential producers/investors, and figuring out the next steps to take in pursuit of a full production.

As a generous Kickstarter donor, we will keep you apprised of major developments with the show – future readings, productions, etc.

Thank you again for your truly generous support. We couldn’t have done it without you!

 ~ Jenny Seidelman, Jonathan Wagner and Richard Shavzin ~

P.S.: Check out these photos taken by Rich Seidelman from Act I of The Dreamer and the Devil:

Photo 1: "We're Gonna Show 'Em"; full cast; the citizens of Chicago are eager to have their city be chosen as the site of the new World's Fair

Photo 2: Architects Daniel Burnham (Larry Adams, center right) and John Root (George Keating, center left) learn from mayoral candidate Carter Harrison (Kevin Gudahl, left) and Fair President Lyman Gage (Dave Carmona, right) that they've just been selected to design and oversee the Columbian Exposition.

Photo 3: "New Doctor"; Dr. H.H. Holmes (Michael Mahler) has the local ladies (Jeny Wasilewski, Erin Myover-Piotrowsk, Charissa Armon, Sharriese Hamilton, Mandy Modic) fighting for his attention.

We just wanted to update you on our progress with The Dreamer and the Devil. As you know, the reading for the show had been scheduled for February 20th, but it was put on hold due to scheduling conflicts. The great news is that we are closing in on a new date for the reading, which will likely occur in mid-to-late May.

In the mean time, we've been hard at work revising the show. There's new dialogue and additional music. We've added a new song called Perfection on the Page, which links the two stories of architect Daniel Burnham and serial killer H.H. Holmes by examining the challenges each man has with bringing their visions, their dreams to life. 

In the coming weeks, we look forward to sharing more exciting news about casting, updates to the script and score, and of course, the details of the reading.

Thank you again for your support of this project! The Dreamer and the Devil will become a reality because of you!

~ Jenny Seidelman, Jonathan Wagner and Richard Shavzin ~

We did it! Because of our incredibly wonderful, INCREDIBLY generous donors, we just hit 100% of our goal!

Thank you so much!

 We are truly humbled and very grateful for all your support. The Dreamer and the Devil will have a full reading this spring, and will be well on its way to a production some time in the future.

We still have 1 week left to go on the Kickstarter campaign. And even though we’ve hit our $7,000 goal, we can still use additional support.

Any gift from here on out will only help us improve the entire experience of putting on this reading.

Specifically, we could pay for:

·       Better sound equipment for the cast recording

·       A photographer for the reading to take pictures for posterity

·       Additional compensation for the actors

·       A stage manager or assistant director to help coordinate rehearsals and the reading; take notes; provide support for the director

Many thanks, again, those who have already given. And thanks to those who are considering making a gift.

And now…a little treat!

You heard about our dream. And you helped us to build it. What better way to celebrate this amazing milestone than giving you another look into The Dreamer and the Devil…this time with a demo of the song The Work Begins?!

In this scene, which concludes Act I (of 3 acts), architect Daniel Burnham is overseeing thousands of workers as they build the World’s Fair. Enduring the wretched Chicago winter, these men push forth, against all odds, to make Burnham and Chicago’s dream come true. At the same time, just a mile away from the fairgrounds, Dr. H.H. Holmes is building a hotel – and a secret house of horrors – to accommodate future visitors to the Fair.

This song, which features Burnham, Holmes and a chorus of workmen, is performed by composer Jonathan Wagner. Just imagine what it will sound like when we are able to record it with a full chorus of 12 men – talk about “power ballad”!!

Listen to The Work Begins here.

~ Jenny Seidelman, Jonathan Wagner, and Richard Shavzin ~

This is absolutely amazing - it's only 1 week into our campaign for The Dreamer and the Devil and we're already at 78% of our goal.

And it's all thanks to our wonderful donors!

Because of their support, we're on track to reach $7,000 and to be able to put The Dreamer and the Devil in front of investors and producers in Chicago...and eventually see it as a fully realized production.

Thank you!

As a special added bonus for our supporters, and for those who are considering support, we wanted to share a demo of a song from The Dreamer and the Devil.

The song is called These Are Dreams/Root's Song. It takes place in the first act of the show. Architect Daniel Burnham and his business partner and best friend John Root are giving a tour of Jackson Park - future site of the 1893 Columbian Exposition. The Park is desolate, muddy, cold, wet. How could they possibly build a world's fair here? And yet, Root - who is suffering from pneumonia - must convince the country's greatest architects to take on this great challenge. Will he succeed?

Have a listen!

The demo is performed by Jonathan Wagner, who wrote the music and lyrics.

Again, thank you to everyone who has donated thus far. And if you're considering making a gift today, please do! We have just 2 weeks to go and your help will be critical to our success!

~ Jenny Seidelman, Jonathan Wagner, and Richard Shavzin ~