Antelope Party at Theater Wit

January 2018: Jeremy Weschler (Artistic Director) and Clare Cooney (Casting Director) at Theater Wit asked me to understudy two roles in The Antelope Party by Eric John Meyer.

I hadn't understudied before, so it was a baptism by fire as I memorized the lines and blocking for two significant roles. I had the chance to go on twice for Evan Linder while he was in New York being a famous playwright, and it was exhilarating to jump right in the deep end like that. It happened to be a weekend when a considerable cadre of friends and family were in town (see my post about Lefty and Crabbe at the Chicago Musical Theatre Festival), so the house was full of my people on the nights I went on.

The cast was incredibly talented (go stalk them online—you'll see.) They also looked great in My Little Pony costumes, as you can tell.

View fullsize

Mary Winn Heider, Annie Munch, Evan Linder, Eddie Mawere, Will Allan and Anu Bhatt (she's the one they're texting)

I learned so much just by watching more seasoned Chicago actors work through their process. Understudies attended one performance per week, and I was able to see how the performances evolved through the run.

View fullsize

Marguerite Genard, Brian Huther, Shaina Schrooten, Michael Turrentine

I now know so much more than I ever anticipated knowing about My Little Pony. The play is also about fascism and how people gradually lose their ability to tell what's ethical when the world around them spirals into groupthink and chaos, so it's not all ponies and rainbows.

The other understudies and I soon became fast friends. They were all such doggamn delightful people, and we still have our group text going months later. 

All my love to the #Underponies slash #Wonderstudies slash #TransplAntelopes.

"I'm Not Rappaport" at Kansas City Actors' Theatre

"I'm Not Rappaport" at KC Actors Theatre was a real treat. Since the beginning of my career in KC, I had KCAT on the top of my "gosh I hope I get to work there" list. So when Dennis Hennessy asked me to take this small role in his production, I jumped at the chance—even though it meant rehearsing in tandem with three fringe festival productions.

"Brian Huther as Gilley convincingly conveys menace"
—KC Active

"Brian Huther is sincerely creepy"
—The Pitch

"Brian Huther makes an sharp impression"
—KC Studio

I had the privilege of sharing the stage with some of my KC acting idols: Mark Robbins, Victor Raider-Wexler and Cheryl Weaver. The play itself is beautiful and heartbreaking, just like me.

...life, I mean. Just like life.

"Moulin Rouge" at Stuffed Buffalo Productions

September 2016. The greatest thing I ever learned was just to do this show and let this show do me in return.

This will forever be among my favorite experiences in my life ever forever like whoa.

In the role of Christian, I sang and improvised my way through the beloved Luhrmann film, employing a half-scottish-half-generic-ingenue impression of Ewan McGregor. I was given incredible leeway to improvise and interact with the audience. Nightly, as the cast amassed in the event space across the hall from the Buffalo Room—or when the event space was in use, cramming ourselves into the actual kitchen of the adjoining Westport Flea Market Bar and Grill—there was a tangible electricity in the air. The Bohemian ideals of Truth, Beauty, Freedom and Love were attendant muses, mainlining passion and energy directly to our hearts the moment we entered the building. 

I was given such an opportunity to improve my singing voice during these productions (the show was mounted for a weekend, then remounted for a week-long run by popular demand), studying with unbelievably-legit opera tenor Ben Gulley.

I couldn't possibly list everyone who won my heart during this process, but if you really stalk the photos, you'll see a few future-collaborators in the mix.