Welcome to Your Actor Packet!

Hello! We are the Amazing Dramaturgy Team for this production of Ride the Cyclone. This is not a boast but rather what it will say on our degrees and in the program. 

We are here to help you through this crazy coaster ride with supplemental materials that dive deeper into the world of Ride the Cyclone. This is our blog, where you’ll find everything ordered and organized by section on our Table of Contents page. We will use this blog to supplement our table work sessions and help with our dramaturgy activities in rehearsal! 

Our blog is complete with an "Updates" section and a "Meet the Dramaturgs" section! In the "Updates" section, you can find daily information and supplemental materials based on what we discuss in rehearsals! This will be updated like your typical blog!

In our "Meet the Dramaturgs" section, you'll get to know more about us, but also have access to our contact information! This is so you can reach out with any questions, no matter your role in the production. If you're unsure if something is a dramaturgical question or issue, we can help you figure it out! We are here for you guys, and here to collaborate with the rest of the team to create a beautiful end product. 

This season at TTS is entitled ‘Where we were, where we are, and where we’re going.

 Ride the Cyclone fits into the slot of Where We Are–a modern musical that captures the hearts of teens across the world through social media. We are telling a story about exploring life’s uncertainties, embracing your identity, and examining the difference between what someone achieves in their time on earth, and the goals and ambitions they had that we never get to see. 

This story is important not only to us as young theater students, but to the entire Chicago community as well. Watching a musical a lot of us discovered on the internet has become a physical manifestation in front of our eyes. The last production of Ride the Cyclone in Chicago (excluding suburbs) was the national tour at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre in 2015. This is the second premiere of Ride the Cyclone in Chicago, nearly a decade after the first! 

So why do this show now? To show what the next generation of theater is made of, and to remind young people that their true identity should never have to be hidden and suppressed. Ride the Cyclone encourages audiences to be the truest, most authentic versions of ourselves in our limited time on earth. 

We hope to be helpful guides as you enter the fantastical world of Ride the Cyclone. If you have any dramaturgical questions, feel free to chat with any of us in rehearsal, through the contact form, or over text and social media. Strap in, and get ready to ride!