2010
365 Sketches by Joe Janes
SKALD 11
The (edward) Hopper Project
2009
SKALD 10
2008
Soireé DADA: Schmück der Hallen
Patient No. 1
Metaluna and The Amazing Science of the Mind Revue
SKALD 9
RAW
2007
Soireé DADA: Blinde Esel Hopse
Dream a Little Dream @ Rhino Fest
SKALD 8
2006
The Armageddon Radio Hour New Year’s Eve
SKALD 7
Invasion of the Minnesota Normals
2005
The Armageddon Radio Hour New Year’s Eve
Soireé DADA: Neue Weltaffen (NY Fringe)
SKALD 6
Soireé DADA: Neue Weltaffen (Chicago)
Let There Be Light…!
2004
Let There Be Light..! (NY Fringe)
Naked on the Net
SKALD 5
Bad Judgment Day
Defending Your Life
2003
Let There Be Light..!
The Vladmir Dracula Comedy Showcase and Variety Hour
Soireé DADA: Goat Pushing Clown
SKALD 4
pretty things
Angry White Guy Reads the Paper
Fairy Tales Are Not for Children
Dirty Bible Stories
The Cunin Family Chronicles
2002
The Armageddon Radio Hour New Year’s Eve
Christmas My Ass!
The Odds
Renfield
Festival of Two
Losers Bracket: Four Monkeys Hump’n a Football
Behind the Mustach!
SKALD 3
Revenge of the Space Pandas (or Binky Rudich and the Two-Speed Clock)
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick
CrossCurrents
2001
The Armageddon Radio Hour New Year’s Eve
Christmas in July in December
Leopold!
Lives of the Monster Dogs
Soireé DADA
The Emily Show
SKALD 2
Angry White Guy Reads the Paper
When We Were Superstars
Entertaining Mr. Fear
The Around Midnite Series:
The Gong Show: Freaks on Parade
The Sickest Fucking Stories I Ever Heard
Night Late with Show Live
Cinema 2.0
Tomorrowco
Statuette: A Hollywood Musical
2000
Phobia!
My Grandma’s a Fat Whore in Jersey
Limdne
Tallahassee
SKALD Storytelling Competition
Postmortem
Wiseblood
1999
…apocalypse…
Angry, Hungry, Horny and Tired
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick
My Grandma’s a Fat Whore in Jersey
1998
Grotesque Lovesongs
The Armand Hosenfloyner Hour of Serendipity and Side Show Exposition
A Hard Days Journey Into Night
Offending the Audience (and Other Short Plays)
1997
The Wicked and The Sexed
GWATstock
1996
The Lost Weekend
Monte La Grosjambe presents ‘Sex est une Femme’
The Stink of Destiny
Metaluna and The Amazing Science of the Mind Revue
1995
The Armageddon Radio Hour (Edinburgh Fringe Festival)
Assume the Green Room
1994
The Armageddon Radio Hour
Motherless Stage Whores
1993
A Mean Watusi
Silence of the Frogs
comedy improvisation. period. colon. question mark. dash. dash. dash.
__________
KEY MOMENTS IN WNEP’s HISTORY
1992 – Don Hall, Jeff Hoover and Joe Janes decide to start WNEP. Cast a ten-person ensemble; call it “LEVEL 6″ to indicate an extension of their Second City Training.
1994 – The ensemble fractures after a year and a half of doing sketch comedy & improv at Shay’s. Hall takes over WNEP with agreement from co-founders Janes and Hoover – independently produces and directs “Motherless Stage Whores”
1994 – Hall reforms the group – “The Armageddon Radio Hour” is written and performed at the Body Politic Theatre. ARH will continue to be a touchstone show for years to come.
1995 – WNEP takes “The Armageddon Radio Hour” to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The show receives huge critical praise and is broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland.
1996 – Both “Soireé DADA” and “Metaluna and the Amazing Science of the Mind Revue” are created and performed, thus sealing WNEP’s fate with a Dadaist artistic leaning.
1998 – Jen Ellison is chosen to be the Artistic Director – the company eliminates the “ensemble” model and adopts a more traditional company structure.
1999 – “My Grandma’s a Fat Whore in Jersey” featuring Jen Ellison and Matt Kaye is listed in NewCity as one of the top five shows of 1999; “The Mysteries of Harris Burdick” is originally produced at the Bailiwick Repertory
2000 – After a string of commercial and artistic successes (including the much-lauded “WiseBlood” and “Postmortem”), WNEP leases the TurnAround Theatre at 3209 N. Halsted and establishes a brief run as a resident theater.
2002 – Ellison revamps the Artistic Mission; “The Mysteries of Harris Burdick” is reprised to huge success.
2003 – WNEP completes its 10th Season in Chicago with the critically acclaimed production of “pretty things”
2003 – During the Fall of 2003, the building at 3209 N. Halsted is closed down by the City of Chicago Dept. of Revenue as a part of a licensing crackdown on small theaters; WNEP is held blameless by the City. The company elects to leave their space after 3 and a half years. The end of the “3209 Era”.
2004 – WNEP becomes the only American theater to be showcased in both the largest improv festival in the world (The Chicago Improv Festival – “Defending Your Life”) and one of the most prestigious theater festivals in the world (The New York International Fringe Festival – “Let There Be Light..!”). At fringeNYC, LTBL receives kudos from nytheatre.com and The New York Times.
2005 – After a reprise production of LTBL at the Live Bait Theatre (along with WNEP’s first Critic’s Choice from the Chicago Reader), Hall directs “Soireé DADA: Neue Weltaffen” at the Trap Door – the DADA spectacle receives rave reviews (including a the second Critic’s Choice from the Chicago Reader) and performs at fringeNYC to rave reviews and enthusiastic audiences.
2006 – After 14 years as Executive Director, Don Hall resigns to the honorary position of Founding Director. Dave Goss takes over as Managing Director
2007 – Hall directs “Soireé DADA: Blinde Esel Hopse”
2008 – Ellison remounts “Metaluna and the Amazing Science of the Mind Revue” at Red Orchid; Hall directs “Soireé DADA: Schmück der Hallen” at the Storefront Theater
2009 – Ellison steps down as Artistic Director and leaves WNEP to pursue other ventures.
2010 – Hall directs “The (edward) Hopper Project” at the Storefront Theater
