WildClaw Howling At Four Moon

I hope you were there at WildClaw Theatre's first benefit bash, which took place at The Four Moon Tavern on October 29. Much fun and great prizes greeted the folks who joined the WildClaw crew on Monday night. If you missed it, I insist you join us at our Masked Ball Benefit on Monday, December 10th. Really, I insist.




The Great God Pan director, Charley and casting director, Anne




Aaron and Catie gleefully giving away MAR-velous prizes


Paul took this one guy for everything he had


Intently taking the Horror Quiz


Anne and Charlie attempt to give away MAR-velous prizes


Brian is a shy, shy man


Thank you to everyone who contributed to the benefit and the fun

Das ist zehr gut, Ray Frenden!

Hop on over to A Better World and pick up on Ray Frenden's latest t-shirt design.

The Great God Pan WIP 10: I'm Happy

Thank goodness the director, Charley Sherman, speaks his mind. We got to a good place in this poster for the play. Up until now we had several posters, but none of them were quite right for this upcoming production nor the style of the theater company. A change in background, fonts, text placement and we were able to fit everything in and capture the mood of the play.


Here's a much bigger version.

The Great God Pan WIP 9: Director Is Happy

Okay, we are closing in on an image that is close to the intent of the play. I like the feel of it now in relation to the play, because it is more like a dark, Italian, Dario Argento poster at this point and I like that.


See a really big version.

The Great God Pan Poster WIP 9: Another Tack

Well, the director wanted something different than the direction this piece was going, so after some delay at working on the poster (a new company to plan, out of town guests, etc.) I have returned to work it some more.

WildClaw Theater Benefit - Part One

WildClaw Theater Benefit
October 29th - 7PM to 10PM
Four Moon Tavern
1847 W Roscoe Street
Chicago, Illinois

If you're in Chicago, come to the WildClaw Benefit at the Four Moon Tavern on October 29th. Help us raise money to benefit WildClaw Theater. We are dedicated to putting the scare back into live entertainment. And I'm on the board of directors. So go.

A portion of all profits from food and drink sold during this event will be donated to WildClaw Theatre's inaugural production, a world premiere adaptation of one of the most influential horror stories ever written,

Arthur Machen's "The Great God Pan",
opening at the Athenaeum Theatre, on February 24th, 2008.

WildClaw Theatre is devoted to bringing stories of horror, fantasy and science fiction to the stage. By concentrating on the world of the fantastique, we will reach out to an audience underserved by the current theatrical landscape, an audience that craves strange journeys of dread, suspense, imagination and terror.

Mark the date on your calendar and come on by. Have some grub, lift a pint and toast the rebirth of terror in the theatre. In the words of The Claw himself, it will be "Marvelous!"

WildClaw is:
Charley Sherman, Charlie Athanas, Anne Adams, Catie Foster, Aaron Christensen, Allison Greaves, Paul Foster, and Brian Amidei.

The Great God Pan WIP 8: Cleanup Stage

Okay, time to cleanup the image some more. I'm happy with the overall piece, although it will help to get away from it for a bit to see if my eyes have just fogged over. After taking out the rough spots, I will incorporate the logo with some hand drawn lettering. Hope it turns out.


You can see it larger.

The Great God Pan WIP 7: Darker Gods

While still not polished, here are versions of the poster taking darker, more iconic tones. They actually look much richer and full of detail . They were made at 300DPI at 12"x17" and have been reduced to 72DPI and 400 pixels wide.

These first two images will seem identical, but there are subtle differences in color, contrast, and detail.




See this one larger.

This one is nice, but I'm not sure about the lack of green in the bottom half of the figure right now. The last two shots are detail from this version.




See this one larger.

The Great God Pan WIP 6

Okay, finally have the tentacles untangled in their prospective places. Had an interesting talk with the director, Charley Sherman, just now. As you can see from the sketch, it was initially designed to be set in the great outdoors, but we have realized that that is not being very fair to the play nor the play attendees. This production won't be about peacock displays of the fantastique in the wild, but rather about the fear of being locked in a dark room with a writhing horror unfolding before you. And that is my task to convey. Tally ho.

The Great God Pan WIP 5

Okay, we've got all the major monster tentacles.

The Great God Pan WIP 4

While great progress is being made, it sure looks like it is turning into a mess. Don't worry, there will be order in this chaos as soon as I can get some sleep. More tomorrow.

The Great God Pan WIP 3

Monster tentacles can be tedious, but oh so much fun!

Great God Pan WIP and a Benefit

I'm making slow, but sure progess on the Great God Pan poster. I need it done quickly though for several reasons, not the least being the WildClaw Benefit at the Four Moon Tavern on October 29th. Help us raise money to benefit WildClaw Theater. They are dedicated to putting the scare back into live entertainment. And I'm on the board of directors. So go.

WildClaw Theater Benefit
October 29th
Four Moon Tavern
1847 W Roscoe Street

Happy Birthday, Sputnik I!

Sputnik I

Fifty years ago today, Sputnik I launched into orbit and changed mankind's relationship with Earth forever. Happy Birthday, little Sputnik.

"beep. beep. beep."