General Admission Podcast

What’s up, nerds? This time we’ve got Jill Thompson, one of the top female comic book artists in the industry. It’s a dazzling and hilarious interview- Jill outlines how she fell in love with the medium, and how she came to work with Marvel, DC, Neil Gaiman, Mick Foley, and more. With that plus the guys talking talkbacks and sharing listener opinions, there’s a little something for everyone.

This week we interview transgender performance artist Rebecca Kling on her art, her identity, and how the two come together. Tyler and Don discuss performance art, pushing the envelope, and some dutch performance art with a certain troubled celebrity. Finally, we cap things off with some listener opinions from folks like you.

Don & Tyler go see The Hypocrites' "All Our Tragic", an epic 12-hour greek tragedy billed as a modern festival of Dionysus. Afterward, they discuss artistic limits and our fans react on social media.

On this week’s episode, Don and Tyler spar on the new film STARRED UP, which Don saw at Facets Multimedia while Tyler was at home being sick. Then, the guys sit down with doc filmmaker Ky Dickens (FISH OUT OF WATER, SOLE SURVIVOR) to talk about the documentary form, her films and what’s on the horizon. Finally, General Admission’s very own composer Andrew Edwards stops by the tell us about his early career, working in a basement now and his latest project, ALEX & ALI.

Can art start a riot? Our guest Dean Evans attempts to do just that, and tells us how and why. Recently named one of the top 50 players in Chicago by Newcity Stage, Dean shares his experience playing his character Honeybuns and so much more. Date Night takes place at Tron: End of Line, from the brilliant minds of Chicago Dance Crash. On Beyond the Mic, we discuss audience participation and get some great responses from social media.

This week the guys discuss the future of technology at live events and remember Robin Williams. We also have an amazing interview with the beautiful AND talented Raul Castillo on everything from his start in theatre to his current role on "Looking". Then, the guys go to Oracle Productions' version of "The Jungle" and opinions abound when we ask whether or not art should be free.

We dig into the archives for our interview with Kendra Miller, Artistic Director of Walkabout Theater Company and one of the hardest working people we know. We talked to Kendra about the “multi-hyphenate” freelance hustle facing so many artists today, and how artistic collaboration in this city is not dissimilar from dating, which Don says makes Steppenwolf and Second City the OK Cupid and Match.com of the theatre world. Kendra also gives an answer to Don’s “What the f*** IS an artistic director?” question that is so damn good he blushes.

We delve into the archives for a stellar interview with Stuart Hall, street artist and anti-war activist. The trio discuss civil disobedience, street cred, anonymity, and the impermanence of street art. Bonus: Wanna stick it to the man? We have some quick tips on the best glue for making your street art last. Finally, we wrap it up with listener opinions from our social media pages.

This week we zero in on a Chicago mainstay: storefront theatre. We dig deep with storefront veteran Caroline Neff about her experience with Steep Theatre Company and beyond. On Date Night, Tyler and Don head to the Griffin Theatre to see ”Men Should Weep” with special guests Bea Bosco and Dana Jerman, and our listeners chime in on Beyond the Mic.

Controversial as always, Don and Tyler butt heads over the shutdown of a production of

In the wake of the Tony Awards, Don and Tyler hash out the Sound Design category debacle and the controversy around YouTube’s new subscription. They interview Chicago musical theater royalty Doug Peck and Robert Lindley on political activism, marriage equality, how to survive in the world of musical theatre, and how Joni Mitchell first brought the pair together. Then, Don and Tyler go on very scary journey to see Carrie: The Musical and share the best listener-provided theater horror stories. Finally, The Moth contributor and Neo-Futurist Malic White drops in with a truly terrifying story and recommends that everyone to see the latest “Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind.”

In HEADLINES, Don and Tyler bring in special guest Tricia Bobeda of Nerdette to talk Orange is the New Black, LaVerne Cox, the “gay mafia”, and Louis CK. Then, they interview improv legend Susan Messing on Chicago’s improv scene, including her experiences with Second City, The Annoyance, and iO. DATE NIGHT takes place at Second City’s American Mixtape with special guest Xavier Jordan. On BEYOND THE MIC we feature Amy Dickinson, a panelist on Wait Wait... Don’t Tell Me! and author of the Ask Amy advice column. She talks about the Art Institute of Chicago, particularly Gustave Caillebotte’s Paris Street; Rainy Day and a current exhibition on Josef Koudelka titled “Nationally Doubtful”. "

Don and Tyler return to the fold with HEADLINES, where they discuss CNN’s docu-series Chicagoland and Disney’s Frozen. Then, they talk with Holly Hughes, a performance artist and teacher. She talks about her decade long fight with the government over her performance art. She also talks about what makes something performance art and the difficulty of moving from the Midwest to New York. Then, it’s time for another DATE NIGHT! Don and Tyler check out That’s All She Wrote, a night of live lit. Finally, we wrap up with BEYOND THE MIC, featuring Kristen Kaza, a local events producer. She shares two of her favorite movies representing same-sex couples: Blue is the Warmest Color and Pariah. Have suggestions for Headlines? Email us at generaladmissionchicago@gmail.com. Or maybe you have an idea for Don and Tyler’s next Date Night? Leave us a message at 708-949-6574. And don’t forget to check us out on Facebook!

New to General Admission? Need something to get you hyped up for Season 3? Never fear – we’re revisiting some of the best of General Admission with the ARCHIVES. In the last mini-episode before our WBEZ launch extravaganza, Don and Tyler look back at their chat with JC Brooks, the frontman of JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound. (You might have already heard their soul-infused cover of Wilco's I Am Trying To Break Your Heart.) Discussion subjects include what it's like to be on the edge of professional success for years, the line between JC Brooks the performer and JC Brooks the person, and why the band's songwriting has grown less political and more personal. You can check out more of JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound on their website. They'll also be performing on Friday, May 30 at the Do Division Street Fest.

New to General Admission? Need something to get you hyped up for Season 3? Never fear – we’re revisiting some of the best of General Admission with the ARCHIVES. Today's episode features a conversation with Kelley Ristow and Samuel Taylor of The Backroom Shakespeare Project, an adventurous production of Shakespeare with no director, no auditions, and only one rehearsal. Confused on how that works? Kelley and Samuel can help you out there.

New to General Admission? Need something to get you hyped up for Season 3? Never fear – we’re revisiting some of the best of General Admission with the ARCHIVES. This mini-episode gives you a taste of Date Night, a segment in which Don and Tyler go see a show and discuss it over dinner. But this one – in which the two go see Madame Butterfly at the Lyric Opera – shakes up the usual Date Night routine. For one thing, Don dumps Tyler for dinner to go to an arm-wrestling competition. Then there’s Tyler’s check-in about past experiences with opera…from his bathtub. And last but not least, Don opens up and reveals the part of Madame Butterfly that made him cry.

New to General Admission? Need something to get you hyped up for Season 3? Never fear – we’re revisiting some of the best of General Admission with the ARCHIVES. In this peek into the archives, Tyler looks back on one of his all-time favorite interviews. It’s with Psalm One, a Chicago rap artist, educator, and poet. She talks with Tyler about how her background in chemistry influences her writing process, the line between rap and poetry, and how she believes words really can change a life. If you want more info about Psalm One, you can find her on Facebook and Twitter.

Tyler and Don have a special announcement for you. You may have also noticed that the episodes from Season 1 and Season 2 are missing from iTunes, SoundCloud and our website. The boys explain why.

New to General Admission? Need something to get you hyped up for Season 3? Never fear – we’re revisiting some of the best of General Admission with the ARCHIVES. This mini-episode revisits Don’s conversation with poet, performer and teacher J.W. Basilo. Along with Marc Smith, he’s also one of the hosts of the Uptown Poetry Slam at the Green Mill. The two hash out what slam poetry actually is, why there’s such a huge cultural divide in Chicago slams, and why political material finds its way into the art form.