As you may have seen, we published a piece earlier on Powerless, a new play that’s running in Voice of the City. Part of the conversation with writers David Brent and Mitch Salm, as well as director Jack Tamburri, included a discussion about their struggle to find a space in Logan Square, which is not known for its happening theater scene. It was particularly interesting to me how hard they worked to keep the play in a neighborhood they lived in; Salm and Brent rejected “real” theaters in the hopes that they could keep their work local.

“Logan Square is literally my favorite neighborhood in Chicago, and the only two things it lacks are supermarkets and theater,” joked Brent. “And we weren’t about to open a supermarket.” The group, led by Marketing Director Erika Grammel, worked with local businesses as sponsers, invented some creative advertising campaigns (dressing up as superheroes and walking around), and the group held a fundraiser at a local bar. Costume designer Rebecca Loeser shopped at the Gap Outlet on the corner when it got too late to make it out to other areas of the city.

Listen below to Salm, Brent and Tamburri discuss their attempts and thoughts about finding a theater space in Logan Square.

powerless audio.mp3