h  i  s  t  o  r  y

the majority of the open cage ensemble members have all paid some form of homage to the seven-foot bronze bear that stands in the middle of southwest missouri state university’s campus.  most members dwelled in the same non-air conditioned dormitories while rehearsing and discovering friendships in craig hall’s 205 and 207.  several sat in the darkness of the theatre dedicated to a fine woman named juanita and watched their peers transform on stage.  many have fond memories of performing under the steamy orange and green striped tent- synonymous with a springfield summer. their individual college careers wove in and out of nearly a ten-year time span so that until recently some were strangers to one another, but theirsmsu experiences partnered with the commitment to create quality theatre from the ground up established a common bond between the ensemble members.

open cage made its chicago debut with US; a tragedy in three satiric acts, written by ensemble member, tim reardon.  while lake shore drive was brought to a halt as protestors marched against the united states’ involvement in iraq, the ensemble performed this original work that followed the current state of america from the differing perspectives of the family, the government and the future.  US debuted at the eclectic cornservatory, a starting place for many young theatre companies.  A simple yellow ribbon crossed the stage and under the lights of “the corn,” the cage opened at 10:00 p.m., on april 4^th, 2003.

the ensemble next took a comedic turn in howard korder’s Boys’ Life, a story of three buddies in their late twenties, fighting to stay on top of women, rock ‘n’ roll, drug habits and each other. In its relaxed byob atmosphere, many audience members joined "the boys” at the corn with a high-life as the show went on to be the bestseller in the oce’s brief history.   

oce then moved to the viaduct theatre and its first prime time slot to produce neil laBute’s bash: the latterday plays, a fierce drama that takes an unblinking gaze into the destructive nature of humanity by savagely following three events that occur among everyday innocence.  praised by critics and audiences alike, bash further strengthened open cage’s reputation as an up and coming acting ensemble.     

with a desire to further grow as individuals and as an ensemble, oce recently reconfigured their organization and submitted the magical paperwork to the IRS to acquire tax-exempt status.  Now officially a not-for-profit theatre company, the open cage ensemble is ready to present its first official full season in 2004 and 2005.

hal went to school somewhere in indiana.  so he says.