Jonathan Gleason-Teske is a recent addition to the Unrehearsed crowd, having performed his first roles in 2013.
Q: When did you first get involved with Unrehearsed?
JOHN: ‘d heard of the technique years ago in college (we did a Macbeth in 24 hours as a fundraiser using a lot of the same preparation methods…though not one of us knew what we were doing, really). I first got involved in Unrehearsed Chicago during Much Ado About Nothing this past year. I knew almost no one, and had never seen an Unrehearsed show before; I had no idea what an amazing thing I was jumping into.
Q: Being relatively new to Unrehearsed, how would you compare it to more conventional shows?
JOHN: Unrehearsed is really freeing in a lot of ways. From the inside, it gives you an opportunity to just say ‘yes’. You might fail, you might mess up, you might not know who you’re speaking to, but everyone around you is in the same boat and helping each other out. And watching an Unrehearsed show is not just getting a classic story, it’s also sort of like a sporting event. There’s something about everyone in the room sincerely not knowing what’s going to happen next that makes the good moments really, really great.
Q: How long have you been in Chicago? How are you liking Chicago theater?
JOHN: I’ve been in the city for about three years now, and it’s great. It’s filled with people and companies that care more about the art than the business, and more about the people than profits. There are a lot of groups (like Unrehearsed) that are willing to bring Theater outside of traditional theater spaces, and it’s really great to see how welcoming these bars and restaurants and things are to performances.
Q: Why do you do Unrehearsed? Do you just like Shakespeare, or do you enjoy the freedom that comes from no rehearsal? Or some other, equally cool reason?
JOHN: I I’ve always believed that theater, more than most art forms, can really thrive on it’s constraints. With Unrehearsed you have pretty defined rules that remove a lot of what are traditionally the actors’ or director’s choices: where to move, who you are speaking to, what you are doing at any given time, when to pause (never), even sometimes what it is your lines mean. but within those restraints you have so much freedom to tell the story as big and loud and honest as you possibly can. As long as you have the technique down you don’t have to worry about the ‘right’ choice, just the most awesome.
Q: What does 2014 hold for John Gleason Teske?
JOHN: 2014 holds a myriad of possibilities for me. As of right now, I’m acting in a staged version of one of my favorite movies and books, assistant directing Sondheim, developing a staged verse Star Wars, possibly producing the plays that make me the happiest and most angry respectively, and maybe, just maybe, fighting with Light sabers at comic cons. And the year hasn’t even started yet.
Come watch John make the most awesome choices. See Twelfth Night on Twelfth Night Tonight!
January 5th and 7th
JUSTIN’S, 3358 N Southport Ave, second floor
Doors open at 7:00, show starts at 7:30
$5 Suggested Donation
PLUS: After the show, we’ll be announcing our Season lineup for 2014.
