#bobby massaro

[pwponderings-blog]

TWF 03/25/23 Shamrock Showdown Results

Total Wrestling Federation “Shamrock Showdown” results from March 25, 2023 from Eagles Hall in Manteca, CA United States   Vinnie Massaro defeats JT Thorne   Daniel Torch vs Dave Wasted ended in a no contest for the TWF Television Championship   Mike Hayashi defeats Jiah Jewell   Bobby Callahan defeats Christian Black   Just Zack defeats Bruno Beretta   Drake Frost defeats CJ Dirt June 17 at…

[rainingmusic]

Benny Mardones - Into the Night  If i could fly, I’d pick you up♥

[waywardwrestlewritingwaif]

Ok, a few thoughts on C6 skewered:

- Yeah, the tech problems were a big problem. I knew there were going to be some because that's just what happens for new promotions. I'm willing to cut them some slack on this, especially since the worst of the problems were losing power in the venue and getting their Twitch account shut down so they had to move to Facebook. Neither of those things were their fault.

- I'm continuing to pout about almost every member of 44OH losing. Ironically, the one member who did win was apparently Bobby Beverly, which happened while the Twitch account was suspended and before the Facebook stream was up. I think there may be a purpose to this, which I'll get to later.

- The quality of the actual matches (what I saw) was very good:

RSP v Christopher Daniels: Pretty much exactly what you want from an opening match (unless you're me and wanted RSP to win...) A lot of fun.

Tyler Bateman v Otis Cogar: Really weird decision to have this go to a DQ. Maybe it was a way to emphasize that the promotion isn't just about death matches but having a clean ending would have accomplished this too. Nothing much to say beyond that because the ending was the story. I didn't think this one was very good.

44OH v The Conglomerate: Stream was down for almost the whole match. I figured this was a foregone conclusion since 44OH had won the previous two matches by cheating.

Viva Van v Juicy Final: A bit of David v Goliath fun. I hope they find more girls for the next show and I hope Viva is going to stick with them. She's a gem.

Robert Martyr v Jake Crist: Good match of a rising star with a veteran. The veteran gets the pin but if they want to do this as a series, I'm cool with that.

Biff Busick v Brody King: My MOTN. This was just great. Both men worked their asses off and Brody felt like he was on a whole other level by the end. (I actually expected Biff to take this one and was pleasantly surprised.)

Jacob Fatu v Shlak (West Coast Pro Wrestling Championship): Another one where the ending was pretty clear because there was no way Jacob was dropping the title on his first defence and definitely not to a death match guy like Shlak. It did stray more into Shlak's territory than I expected. I'm a Jacob Fatu fan and I thought he looked really good here.

Vinnie Massaro v Bobby Beverly: Fuck you, Twitch. Fuck you. I hope they're able to get this online because it started promisingly.

Masada v Atticus Cogar: It's a minor miracle they were able to get the stream up on Facebook in time for (most of) this match. I'd rate it just behind Brody v Biff, mostly because significant chunks of it were too dark to see what was going on. Also, Atticus lost, which gets it a slight demerit.

Interesting reversal of roles at the end with Atticus holding back RSP and the rest of 44OH to shake Masada's hand, as opposed to the H2O match where RSP shoved Atticus away so he could hand over the title to Matt. I feel like there is eventually going to be an RSP/ Atticus breakdown and my heart can't take that.

After the show, Atticus did a promo which took some not so subtle shots at GCW 😔 (I'm not going to get into the drama. It all just makes me sad). Despite the angry elements, it was very much a babyface speech and while I feel weird about him not being a heel, I think it's just an acknowledgement that Circle 6 fans are going to cheer him no matter what. (GCW fans were actually cheering him by the end of his run, for that matter.)

He announced that the next show is going to be in Cleveland. So, I think the decision to have 44OH lose here might be to justify having them win pretty much everything in Ohio, where they'll be hugely over no matter what.

Overall, I really liked what I saw and I believe that they'll improve the tech elements for the next one.

[xtruss]

Indian Netizens Have Sufficient Reasons To Explain Why India Doesn't Stand With West Against Russia

— Global Times | March 09, 2022

Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

When US congress policy advisor Paul Massaro asked two days ago on Twitter "Why is India not standing with the Democratic World against Putin,'' he might not have expected so many comments and responses from Indian netizens as well as users of other countries, many mocking and slamming US' fanning of flames.

Massaro has been lobbying tougher sanctions and wider participation against Russia, and most of his Twitter posts are about the topic, including the Monday post asking India's stance on the Ukraine crisis, which has more than 500 comments compared to the fewer than 100 Massaro usually gets.

Twitter user @00artgen wrote, "India is the leader of the non-alignment movement, wanting to be powerful not like the lion or tiger, but like the elephant. India has sent humanitarian aids to Ukraine.''

Another user Varun Vira also pointed out the "non-aligned" priority, adding half the Indian military is Russian hardware and Russia has a better track record historically of supporting India, especially in wartime, than the USA."

Another net user touched on a deeper reason behind the conflict — it was the US and NATO countries that manufactured the war, not India. User @smukhOfficial asked Massaro to explain why share prices of US defense companies have risen since the war started, and how the US would respond if Mexico joined an alliance with Russia tomorrow?

Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

"Why u want Ukraine to be part of NATO? After the end of the Cold War & WARSAW, why NATO still exists?" Bobby Kaul asked.

US' infamous records in foreign policy were frequently mentioned by netizens. Collin Reid stated the simple truth that "India does not mistrust Russia and a lot of citizens [are] tired of US led foreign policy."

Twitter user @mo_modhu wrote, with sarcasm, "Your democratic world already invaded Libya, Iraq, Syria. They have already saved democracy in Afghanistan.''

Janardhana said that neither India, nor China is standing with the "Democratic world" which had been the cause of almost all invasions in the past 25 years. "Do you call the imposition of rich countries' [will] on others 'Democracy?'"

Questioning the legitimacy of NATO 30 years after the Cold War, Bijay Biswal challenged the real effects of Western sanctions and asked "Who gave [you] the authority to become the savior of Democracy?"

The US is causing trouble by creating division in the world | Wang Shuo

US' credibility was also put under a big question mark, as one Twitter user said the "West is not worth 2 cents when it comes to trust. They backstabbed India throughout history."

"Open history books and look at all the chapters where western countries have intimidated and bullied India … You want everyone on earth to toe your line?" Ninjaroulette wrote.

Observers noted despite geopolitical consideration and Indian dependence on Russia in regard to arms and oil, netizens' comments well reflected how common people in this nation of long history understand Western supremacy and US hegemony under the historical shadow of colonization.

The Non-West world has seen through US hypocrisy and its ulterior intention of engineering war to rake in benefits by mobilizing others at the very front, just like US lawmakers urged Poland, Ukraine's neighbor in west side, perhaps NATO countries as well, to aid Ukraine with fighter jets.

Why the US is addicted to using economic sanctions | Ding Gang

But Poland is reluctant to get involved and proposed to transfer its jets to a US air base in Germany. Pentagon immediately declined the plan, to avoid getting into the conflict directly.

No one is a trained poodle. Colonialism is over, another Twitter user commented.

— Global Times

[fromtheringapron]

WWE Survivor Series 2006

Date: November 26, 2006.

Location: Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

Attendance: 15,400.

Commentary: Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler (Raw), Michael Cole and John Bradshaw Layfield (SmackDown!).

Results: 

1. Survivor Series Elimination Match: Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Ron Simmons, and Sgt. Slaughter (with Arn Anderson) defeated The Spirit Squad (Kenny, Johnny, Nicky, and Mikey) (with Mitch). Flair was the sole survivor. 

2. WWE United States Championship Match: Chris Benoit (champion) defeated Chavo Guerrero (with Vickie Guerrero). 

3. WWE Women’s Championship Match: Mickie James defeated Lita (champion). 

4. Survivor Series Elimination Match: Team DX (Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, and CM Punk) defeated Team RKO (Edge, Randy Orton, Gregory Helms, Johnny Nitro, and Mike Knox) (with Melina and Kelly Kelly). All of Team DX survived. 

5. First Blood Match: Mr. Kennedy defeated The Undertaker. 

6. Survivor Series Elimination Match: John Cena, Bobby Lashley, Kane, Rob Van Dam, and Sabu defeated Big Show, MVP, Test, and Finlay (with Armando Alejandro Estrada). Cena and Lashley were the survivors. 

7. World Heavyweight Championship Match: Batista defeated King Booker (champion) (with Queen Sharmell).

My Review

I remember ordering Survivor Series 2006 on pay-per-view being weirdly hyped for it. I don’t know why; I just saw a lot of potential in the card, I guess. Sure enough, the show fell well below my expectations and I quickly disavowed it and never rewatched it again until recently. So how do I feel about it in 2020, our year of the Lord? Well, it’s not horrendous or anything, but it’s still not good. Some important-ish things happen and I still think there was potential here for this show to be so much better; it just feels like not a whole lot of effort was put into it.

If the show can’t shake its staidness, it’s certainly not done any favors by its main event. The feud between Batista and King Booker was WWE’s attempt at cashing in on the real-life heat between the two, but it never caught fire in translation. By all means, it should’ve worked. Batista was in his prime and Booker was enjoying one of the best stretches of his career yet it ultimately became a case of the two guys simply not meshing. Their match here is just a whole bunch of whatever to me. What should be the satisfying culmination of Batista’s year-long road back to the World Heavyweight title is instead anticlimactic. It feels more like an epilogue tacked on to a novel than an epic final chapter.

The most enjoyable part of the show is easily Team DX vs. Team RKO, which is a squash match single-handedly elevated by the charisma of its participants. Team DX —Triple H, HBK, CM Punk, and The Hardy Boyz — is often mentioned in the discussion of greatest Survivor Series teams of all time and that’s pretty difficult to argue against. It’s such an iconic group overflowing with star power that watching them share a ring together feels truly special. The Philly crowd is well-aware of the moment too and they don’t let it go to waste. A part of me would’ve wanted to see a more competitive match, and the potential was definitely there, but the trade-off is a surge of energy that’s much needed at the midpoint of the show.

The remainder of the card mostly ranges from forgettable to downright offensive. The other elimination matches here are fun sprints, but they embrace the worst qualities of the match’s modern iterations. Granted, I’m a traditionalist who thinks the elimination matches should always be the focus of the Survivor Series, but I do think at a baseline they shouldn’t feel like everyone is trying to get it over with as fast as possible and that’s the vibe I get here. Elsewhere, Chris Benoit and Chavo Guerrero square off over Eddie Guerrero’s namesake, whose death is still being sadly exploited for storylines a full year after the fact. The lowest moment, though, is the tasteless sendoff for Lita in her retirement match. In a way, there’s something admirable about Lita wanting to go out like a complete heel, but having her slut-shamed and her items put up for grabs in a “Hoe Sale” isn’t it, and it’s ultimately flat-out disrespectful to one of the most influential women in WWE history.

Overall, Survivor Series 2006 has all the ingredients yet it can’t bring them all together to make a great show. One look at the card may have you think otherwise but in the history of WWE’s Thanksgiving tradition, this is the equivalent of a fake colorful gourd you stuff in a cornucopia⏤it looks good, but don’t be fooled; the taste is underwhelming.

My Random Notes

I’d like to reject the notion that JBL was ever funny on color commentary. Maybe I’m alone here, but I find him super obnoxious? I get that’s he’s trying to channel Jesse Ventura; it’s just that he unfortunately translates that into yelling a lot without saying any good soundbites.

It’s hard to not look at Test here and feel sad. There’s the steroid bloat, yeah, but he just seems tired, almost like he’s phoning it in at some indy show.

Vickie Guerrero is pretty early into her heel run at this point so she’s nowhere near as over-the-top as she’d later become, but I do like her cold Real Housewives energy here. There’s that one moment in the video package where she says “Hi, Chris” so frigidly that I had to check my nose for frostbite.

Speaking of Chris, it’s already tough to stomach watching Eddie Guerrero’s death exploited for storylines, but it’s especially so to watch Benoit get involved when you know how badly Eddie’s death fucked him up. And, yes, I do have that Dark Side of the Ring episode on my mind. That was some seriously haunting shit. 

Fun fact: Ric Flair is undefeated in Survivor Series elimination matches, having been the sole survivor in two of them 15 years apart. The more you know!

Dusty Rhodes pinned Dolph Ziggler on a pay-per-view in 2006. Also the more you know!

A huge yikes @ the chair shot Taker gives Mr. Kennedy. No way that would fly now. Hell, it wouldn’t even fly less than year after this.

The Mickie James face turn truly happened outta nowhere, huh? I just remember there was one episode of Raw when she lost the Women’s title to Lita and — bam! — suddenly she’s a face, as if she wasn’t threatening Trish Stratus that she’d dismember Ashley Massaro less than six months prior.

I have little recollection of an MVP/Mr. Kennedy alliance, but it does seem like the most mid ‘00s WWE thing to happen. Remember when these two guys absolutely felt like the future faces of the company? The lost generation, indeed.

Alas, here we bare witness to the final days of The Spirit Squad. A night later, they’d be squashed by DX and literally sent back to OVW in a crate. To this day, I’ve never got the hate for them, other than it’s clearly a mid ‘90s WWF gimmick stuck in a mid ‘00s WWE. I used to think was the most obnoxious person on the roster, which I guess means they did their job well.

[daleisgreat]

Then, Now, Forever: The Evolution of WWE’s Women’s Division

If you have been keeping up with WWE the past few years you would have noticed its bigger emphasis on women’s wrestling since the 2015 ‘Diva Revolution’ (which then got re-branded the ‘Women’s Evolution’ in 2016) than in any other period throughout its history. Since 2015 there have now been more active women on the roster, more active women’s rivalries, women closing out several PPVs including the biggest one of the year for the first time ever with 2019’s Wrestlemania and the first ever installments of Hell in a Cell, Royal Rumble, Iron Man, Money in the Bank match-ups and an entire PPV in 2018 featuring all-women talent. Last year WWE finally got around for the first time in many years releasing an entire home video focusing entirely on women to honor the accomplishments of its lady grapplers throughout the years with 2018’s Then, Now, Forever: The Evolution of WWE’s Women’s Division (trailer). It is a shame WWE has gone so long without an entirely devoted home video to its women wrestlers. WWE use to do a yearly swimsuit/beach retreat video in the early part of the century, but they quickly dissolved that after a few years and the only female athlete I recall to get the marquee documentary/match collection home video release was Lita only a couple years into her run which is unfathomable when you think about all the top women from WWE over the years and the countless home video releases. WWE attempts to make up for their wrongdoings with this three disc DVD featuring nine hours of mini-documentaries highlighting 22 women wrestlers throughout the decades and a match from each woman that gets the spotlight. To be fair though, the past few years WWE has been putting more of their documentary and interviews/specials on their streaming service, WWE Network, over home video exclusives the past few years and on WWE Network there has been many documentaries and specials dedicated to past and present women wrestlers.

It is a bit generous to label the two-to-three minute features as ‘mini-docs’ and are more abbreviated interviews with the ladies. With only two-to-three minutes of interview time it is understandable why some of the women interviewed do not attempt to try and go over their entire career and instead either make some quick generic statements about their legacy in women’s wrestling or instead focus on one big moment in their career. When they do the latter, it makes more of a impact like how Molly Holly talks about how big a deal it was to get shaved bald at Wrestlemania XX and Natalya reflecting on her opportunity to steal the show with Charlotte Flair at the first NXT TakeOver. Some of the more controversial women of WWE’s past are either not highlighted at all in interview form or only featured in matches against other spotlighted women. The legendary Fabulous Moolah’s controversial allegations of her past surfacing in recent years results in no archived interviews featuring her which is kind of a shocker considering the icon status her and Mae Young got whenever WWE brought them out for a legends segment from the late 90s to the late 00s. Moolah is featured in a couple matches however. Once against Wendi Richter in an unearthed MSG house show bout and in a 10-women Survivor Series rules match with a bunch of classic talent I always heard about, but rarely seen in action such as Rockin’ Robin, Velvet McIntyre, the Glamour Girls and the Jumping Bomb Angels.

A lot of the famous names from the ‘Attitude Era’ and ‘Diva-Search Era’ stars that earned a rep for WWE featuring them more as showpieces instead of being remembered for their in-ring talents do not get the mini-doc treatment such as Sunny, Chyna, Sable, Debra, Terri, Eve, Christy Hemme, Ashley Massaro and Kelly Kelly. I was also surprised that a few legit in-ring talents got snubbed from the mini-doc treatment like Asuka, Jacquelyn and Jazz for some reason. A couple of these names make cameos in the 2018 Women’s Royal Rumble match and Chyna’s total squash over Ivory at Wrestlemania X-7 is featured, but for the most part these women are absent from the interviews. Of the 22 ‘spotlights’ only four of them are from the pre-Attitude-era consisting of Mae Young, Wendi Richter, Sherri Martel and Madusa/Alundra Blayze. I was delighted to see a lot of talent from the underrated 2001-2006 women’s division era get showcased and interviewed like Trish, Lita, Molly Holly, Ivory and Victoria. The expected breakout stars from the ‘Women’s Evolution’ era are all spotlighted with all the ‘Four Horsewomen’ and their successors like Alexa Bliss and Ronda Rousey. I am kind of cringing over Carmella’s inclusion in the spotlights since her Money in the Bank assist wins and later championship reign with help from one Mr. Ellsworth was the only dark cloud over the ‘Women’s Evolution’ from the past four years. Of the 22 matches featured in the collection, all but several are worthy inclusions. A part of me would like to see another collection of standout women matches from 1985-95 because I cannot recall too many before and the four featured here are surprisingly good. Do not miss out on the aforementioned 1987 Survivor Series match and especially do not skip over the 1995 RAW match of Alundra Blayze/Bull Nakano. They pull off all kinds of insane spots that had me reeled in for the entire match while another part of me was shocked WWE put this type of match on TV in 1995.

WWE included a lot of first time ever match-ups with the women in this collection. Some of them are awesome like the first ever women’s Royal Rumble in 2018 and the first ever women’s Elimination Chamber match that same year. Others are underwhelming/disappointing considering the talent involved like the first women’s Cage Match with Lita and Victoria and the first women’s Hell in a Cell match with Sasha and Charlotte that has one of the most lackluster table spots of all time. NXT got the ball rolling with the ‘Women’s Evolution’ and I was thrilled to see a few NXT matches in here with standouts like Paige/Emma, Natalya/Charlotte and my personal all-time favorite women’s match featuring Sasha/Bayley in a Iron Man match back when we loved both of them and it seemed impossible that the two would later somehow seem capable of engaging in the worst rivalry of 2018. Luckily, better horsewomen matches are included like Lynch, Charlotte & Sasha tearing it up in their stellar triple threat at WrestleMania 32. This collection wraps up with Ronda Rousey’s debut WWE match from WrestleMania 34 in her surprise show-stealing mixed tag with Kurt Angle against Stephanie & Triple H last year. It serves as a great teaser at the year of Ronda in WWE where she put the ‘Women’s Evolution’ into overdrive with her absolutely stunning first year in the business. This is a mostly gratifying collection of matches from WWE’s history of women’s wrestling and while they could have done a better job with a little more depth in the spotlights like they did with their True Giants home video release, this is still a pretty solid overall compilation at most of the best talent and memorable matches that WWE’s women have delivered. Easy recommendation for Then, Now, Forever: The Evolution of WWE’s Women’s Division. July 25, 2019 Update: - A little over a week after posting this I noticed on Amazon out of nowhere a new DVD dropped chronicling Lita & Trish's storied rivalry. I had no idea this was coming and timed this entry nicely with Trish & Lita: Best Friends Better Enemies (trailer) releasing a week after I originally posted this entry! I ordered it right when I noticed its listing just a day or two after its releasing so make sure come back here down the line for my thoughts! Good on WWE for dedicating another home video for some of the best women to grace its ring! Past Wrestling Blogs Best of WCW Clash of Champions Best of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 2 Best of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 3 Biggest Knuckleheads Bobby The Brain Heenan Daniel Bryan: Just Say Yes Yes Yes DDP: Positively Living Dusty Rhodes WWE Network Specials ECW Unreleased: Vol 1 ECW Unreleased: Vol 2 ECW Unreleased: Vol 3 Eric Bishoff: Wrestlings Most Controversial Figure Fight Owens Fight: The Kevin Owens Story For All Mankind Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection Impact Wresting Presents: Best of Hulk Hogan Its Good to Be the King: The Jerry Lawler Story The Kliq Rules Ladies and Gentlemen My Name is Paul Heyman Legends of Mid South Wrestling Macho Man: The Randy Savage Story Memphis Heat NXT: From Secret to Sensation NXT Greatest Matches Vol 1 OMG Vol 2: Top 50 Incidents in WCW History OMG Vol 3: Top 50 Incidents in ECW History Owen: Hart of Gold RoH Supercard of Honor 2010-Present ScoobyDoo Wrestlemania Mystery Scott Hall: Living on a Razors Edge Sting: Into the Light Straight Outta Dudley-ville: Legacy of the Dudley Boyz Straight to the Top: Money in the Bank Anthology Superstar Collection: Zach Ryder TLC 2017 TNA Lockdown 2005-2016 Top 50 Superstars of All Time Tough Enough: Million Dollar Season True Giants Ultimate Fan Pack: Roman Reigns Ultimate Warrior: Always Believe War Games: WCWs Most Notorious Matches Warrior Week on WWE Network Wrestlemania 3: Championship Edition Wrestlemania 28-Present The Wrestler (2008) Wrestling Road Diaries Too Wrestling Road Diaries Three: Funny Equals Money Wrestlings Greatest Factions WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2015 WWE Network Original Specials Second Half 2015 WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2016 WWE Network Original Specials Second Half 2016 WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2017

[deskcoin64-blog]

Review: Hooded, of Being Black for Dummies (First Floor Theater)

Review: Hooded, of Being Black for Dummies (First Floor Theater)

Lauren Emily Whalen | October 28, 2018 | 0 Comments

     Hooded, or Being Black for Dummies 

Written by Tearrance Arvelle Chilsholm The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee (map) thru Nov 17  |  tix: $20-$25  |  more info         Check for half-price tickets         

        Darkly comic and socially relevant

        First Floor Theater presents      Hooded, or Being Black for Dummies

Review by Lauren Emily Whalen

Hooded, or Being Black for Dummies opens with a black police officer (Brian Nelson Jr.) informing the audience, “this story is not important.” He then gestures to two laugh lights above the stage and sternly instructs patrons to laugh when instructed, and only then. Throughout Hooded’s 90-minute run time, the cop gestures at the laugh lights with his night stick and a menacing glare. The ensuing laughter isn’t comfortable. It’s not supposed to be. First Floor Theater’s Chicago premiere of Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm’s play is many things: hilarious, sobering and mo

st of all, uncomfortable – especially for the white people (including myself) sitting in the audience. And that’s a good thing.

After the cop’s stern house speech, Hooded cuts to two young black men in a jail cell. For Tru (Jalen Gilbert), it’s just another day of, in his words, “being while black.” For Marquis (Jayson Lee), however, it’s a different story: his very first arrest for trespassing in a graveyard. The teen’s two white friends got away, leaving him trembling in his private school blazer and tie. Tru is shocked by Marquis’ naivete and privilege and subsequently writes a detailed how-to notebook on “Being Black for Dummies.” As Marquis and Tru form a tentative bond, Nietzsche meets Shakur and life is never the same.

If the raucous laughter around me was any indication, the audience members of color felt very seen by the playwright. In sharp contrast, white audience members suck in their breath as Marquis’ well-meaning adoptive mother makes gross assumptions about Tru’s mother without hearing any details first. And when Marquis’ lily-white crush Clementine (Caroline Hendricks) whines about not being able to use the N word (yes, that word). However, as a young black man brought up in a privileged white world, Marquis makes plenty of assumptions about Tru himself.

Chisholm skillfully weaves together a host of stereotypes and misunderstandings in a way that’s laugh-out-loud funny but also deeply tragic. Though a subplot about Marquis’ best friend Hunter (Casey Morris) isn’t quite as developed as it could be, the rest of Hooded’s script is a wild journey, incorporating elements of Greek mythology and The Wizard of Oz as Marquis’ story devolves, sadly, as anyone who doesn’t live in a cave imagines it would. The tragedy of Hooded lies in its predictability, and Chisholm lets the plot and characterization unfold in a manner that’s borderline genius.

Mikael Burke’s direction is flawless from beginning to end: from the close quarters of the jail cell (and live security cam footage thanks to Sid Branca’s projection design) to an explosive ending featuring a devastating mural courtesy of set designer Sotirios Livaditis. Burke’s staging accurately reflects the mundanity of Marquis’ cloistered existence and the claustrophobia of youth, especially black youth. Both lead actors are perfectly cast: Lee has the wide-eyed cluelessness of a teen who doesn’t even know he’s rejecting his true self, and Gilbert’s intense charisma is as beautiful a fit here as it was in last summer’s Mies Julie at Victory Gardens. Hooded is a must-see for everyone living in modern society, where black lives don’t matter as they should and, as Tru points out to Marquis, making plans beyond tomorrow is a fool’s errand.

   Rating: ★★★½   

Hooded, or Being Black for Dummies continues through November 17th at The Den Theatre, , 1331 N. Milwaukee (map), with performances Thursdays-Saturdays 7:30pm, Sundays 3pm.  Tickets are $25 (students w/ ID: $20), and are available online through Vendini.com (check for availability of half-price tickets). More information at FirstFloorTheater.com.  (Running time: 90 minutes without intermission)

Photos by WHO IS SHE Photography

   artists

cast

Andrew Cutler (Fielder, Dionysus), Jalen Gilbert (Tru), Caroline Hendricks (Clementine), Jayson Lee (Marquis), Casey Morris (Hunter, Headmaster Burns), Brian Nelson Jr. (Officer Borzoi, Apollo), Lauren Pizzi Montgomery (Prairie, Debra), Maggie Scrantom (Meadow), Matthew Lolar-Johnson, Jesse Massaro, Gracie Meier, James Mercers (understudies)

behind the scenes

Mikael Burke (director), Sotirios Livaditis (scenic design), Eric Watkins (lighting design), Grover Hollway (sound design), Owé Preye Engobor (costume design), Jennifer Warnau (properties design), Sid Branca (projection design), Kayla Menz (stage management), Rachel Flesher (violence and intimacy choreography), Alicia Gaines (projection typography), Cole von Glahn (production management), Bobby Huggins (technical director), Eileen Rozycki (charge artist), Shelbi Arndt (master electrician), Catherine Miller (casting director), WHO IS SHE Photography (photos)

18-1056

Tags: 18-1056, Alicia Gaines, Andrew Cutler, Bobby Huggins, Brian Nelson Jr., Caroline Hendricks, Casey Morris, Catherine Miller, Chicago Theater, Cole von Glahn, Eileen Rozycki, Eric Watkins, First Floor Theater, Gracie Meier, Grover Hollway, Jalen Gilbert, James Mercer, Jayson Lee, Jennifer Warnau, Jesse Massaro, Kayla Menz, Lauren Emily Whalen, Lauren Pizzi Montgomery, Maggie Scrantom, Matthew Lolar-Johnson, Mikael Burke, Owé Preye Engobor, post, Rachel Flesher, Shelbi Arndt, Sid Branca, Sotirios Livaditis, Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm, The Den Theatre, WHO IS SHE Photography

Category: 2018 Reviews, Den Theatre, First Floor Theater, Lauren Emily Whalen

Source: http://chicagotheaterbeat.com/2018/10/28/hooded-or-being-black-for-dummies-review-first-floor-theater/

[mvdbutler]

TOP 25 DALECLUB DRAFT BUSTS OF 2000-2012

25-BRADEN HARRISON-2007-PRESENT QUAHOG CLUB 2007-2008 TEXAS SPORTS CLUB LEAGUE 2008-PRESENTS 24-CARLOS DOMINGUEZ DRAFTED 5TH BY HOUSTON CLUB IN 2000 DALECLUB DRAFT BEFORE PATRICK LANCE 2000-2005 23-SEBASTIAN.C 2005-PRESENT BOSTON HARRIS 2005-2009 CAL HILLS 2009-2010 MOBILE LEWIS 2010-2011 MOBILE CARTER 2011-2012 SVC 2012-2013 QUAHOG YC 2013-2014 DORTMUND EAGLES 2014 BERLIN BEARS 2014 LA SEINE 2015 MONTREAL ROYALS 2015-2016 BERLIN BEARS 2016-PRESENT 22-COREY.P 2007-PRESENT QUAHOG CLUB 2007-2008 YOKOHAMA RED DIAMONDS 2008-2009 DEBRY KENNEDY 2009-2010 PORTMOUTH ROCKETS 2010-2011 WHITE STAR OF KRAKOW 2011-2016 21-BOBBY GIL AND WILLIAM JOHNSON 2007-PRESENT BUFFALO 2007-2009 B.GIL-IOWA W.JOHNSON-OVERSEAS 20-TOMMY ARTURO 2004-2015 QUAHOG CLUB 2004-2009 MOBILE CARTER 2009 ADELAIDE RED DEVILS 2009-2010 QUEENSLAND GREEN REAPERS 2010-2011 SAN MIGUEL BEERMEN 2011-2014 19-ERIC HICKEY 2006-PRESENT MOBILE LEWIS 2006-2012 MOBILE CURTIS 2012-2013 PENSACOLA SAC 2013-2014 HOUSTON CLUB 2014 QUAHOG YC 2014-15 DAVENPORT COUGARS 2015-16 SYRACUSE HARRIS 2016-PRESENT 18-ROGER BEAU.JR RICHMOND AC 2000-2009 17-KI-JANA HAKEEN 2008-2013 HOUSTON CLUB 2008-2013 16-ALVIN THOMPSON 2005-2013 CLARKSVILLE CLUB 2005-2008 NASHVILLE UNITED 2008-2013 15-FRANKIE RUSSINI 2012-PRESENT CHICAGO AC 2012-2014 AUSSIE DALECLUB 14-DOUG RICHARDSON AND DENNY RANDELL 2006-PRESENT BUFFALO 2006-2013 DES MOINES COYOTES 2013-2014 EASTERN CLUB LEAGUE 2015-PRESENT 13-KENNY PATTERSON 2006-PRESENT CODY PATTERSON 2009-PRESENT 12-MICHAEL HARRISBERG 2007-2015 RICHMOND AC 2007-2010 SPRINGFIELD FRANKLIN 2013-14 TORINO EMPIRE 2014-15 11-JONATHAN EASTWOOD 2000-PRESENT SPRINGFIELD BARTCLUB 2000-2004 SD BAY CLUB 2004-2005 RICHMOND AC 2007-2010 PHOENIX 2012-2013 DALLAS 2014-PRESENT 10-BIRMINGHAM CLUB DRAFT CLASS OF 2006 CHRISTIAN HEMME 2006-PRESENT DREW ZIDIAN 2006-PRESENT JENNY ROUCKA 2006-2010 KRIS MARSHALL 2006-2009 JOY MASSARO 2006-2011 MIKEY MCCOOL 2006-PRESENT LAYLA WEBER 2006-2008 TYLER ANDERSON 2006-2010 CARMELLA VON 2006-2012 9-ALLEN BLAIR 2007-2009 SPRINGFIELD BARTCLUB 2007-2009 8-UWE JENSON QUAHOG CLUB 2007-10 COLOGNE ROYALS 2010-16 7-TAMRA CARLTON DRAFTED 2ND BY ATLANTA RHODES IN 2010 NCCA DRAFT AFTER CARLOS HARRIS 2010-2013 6-GAVIN LOUIS 2008-2013 MOBILE BIG CLUB 2008-2010 DAVENPORT COUGARS 2010-2013 5-ASHLEY HANS LFC 2006-2009 PROVIDENCE LEEDS 2009-2010 DEAD-MURDED MOM AND DAD-SUICIDE-GUNSHOT 1993-2013 19 YEAR OLD 4-JASON HENDERSON MOBILE BIG CLUB 2011-2013 3-SCOTT HARRIS 2008-PRESENT MOBILE BIG CLUB 2008-2010 ALBNM 2011-2012 IOWA DALECLUB LEAGUE 2012-PRESENT 2-DARKO.V 2007-PRESENT RUSSIA 1-ALEXANDRE LADRE 2011-PRESENT SPRINGFIELD BARTCLUB 2011-2013 CANADIAN DALECLUB 2014-PRESENT