By Melissa Rohman
DePaul University alumnus Patrick Radke recently wrote and directed a play that he described as, “an appreciation for the mundane and the hyper-ordinary.”
Radke and his friend Dave Satterwhite share a love for writing and theatre. Their most recent production, “My Dinner with Music”, is playing at the Gorilla Tango Theatre on 1919 N Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago.
Radke said, “My Dinner with Music is about an egomaniac tormenting his friends by making them eat horrible food and play horrible games.” The egomaniac, Robert Music, invites members of his “once almost mildly successful rock band” to dinner, pretending they need to discuss their reunion tour. What ensues is a one-hour satire of the Chicago music scene that Radke guarantees will provide four laughs per minute.
Both Radke and Satterwhite were once part of the Chicago music scene and draw inspiration from their experiences being in a band. Radke said, “We wanted to explore the relationships between the members of a band that allowed a taste of success to snowball into a full meal—a full meal no one wanted to consume.”
According to Radke, theater must fulfill two needs, “the need to tell a story and bring it to life for others to enjoy and/or suffer through and the need to make people smile…and occasionally cringe.”
“With live theater, you have the opportunity to present your story in such a way that allows or forces the audience to become part of the action.” Radke said. “We directed “My Dinner with Music” with every intention of not letting the audience remove itself from what is happening on stage.”
Radke and Satterwhite’s first play ran at the Gorilla Tango Theatre in May and June of this year. Radke has worked on and off at Dominican for seven years. While getting his BA and MA in English Lit at DePaul University, he worked at Dominican for Physical Plant and for Campus Safety and Security as the office manager and dispatcher.
According to Radke, anyone who likes music, humor and wants to have a good time should come see the production to experience “pure, unadulterated chaos.”
Tickets are $15 and the show runs every Thursday and Friday night at 7:30 p.m. until Nov. 14.
rohmmeli@my.dom.edu
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