So there are always unforeseen complications when putting up a show (or sometimes having surgery).  Well this producer got a sweet one last week.  One of my lead Cougars! Monique Madrid and our director Corey Rittmaster were cast on a cruise ship for Second City.  I know.  I know, "But wait Gillian, isn't Chuck already on a cruise ship?"  Heck yes.  The ocean is swallowing up my creative TEAM!
Actually, it is a highly coveted position to get a on a boat for Second City and I am super excited for Corey and Mo.  They are not scheduled to leave until the beginning of May.  So Corey will be able to stay on as the director but that does certainly complicate Mo's schedule.  So I am in the process of recasting her.  It makes me super sad.  The role was initially written for her.  Mo is Hispanic and had commented on how few roles there were for a Hispanic character.  So I wrote one.  Now trying to find someone to replace her is a bit of a challenge.  The acting community in Chicago is certainly dominated by Caucasians.  So I have my feelers out.  We'll see, sea...

Well, you might be asking yourself, "Gillian how have you and Chuck written all the music for Cougars!?"  That is a great question, because it is not a simple answer.  The first time we did Cougars! as a Triple Feature at the Annoyance Theater, Chuck and I would compose together.  I would write lyrics, then we would record what I heard in my head, and then he would rough something out.  We would argue and eventually a lovely song would come out.  
This time is different.  Chuck is on "The Spirit" a Norwegian Cruise Line Vessel for Second City, which means a great majority of the time he is in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico.  It is dang hard to write together over an ocean, and you can't really sing over skype.  Although, believe me I have tried.

So first I made these ridiculous youtube videos of me singing what I heard in my head.  That is not a pretty video.  Well it turns out you can't download a youtube video very well when your in the middle of an ocean.
So I found "dirpy", www.dirpy.com.  Dirpy takes any youtube video and turns it into an MP3.  It's a pretty dang ingenious.  
So I sent those along with lyrics in an email, and Chuck would rough something out, and send it back to me.  He sings the characters name over and over in places he feels like there needs to be more lyrics, or hums along a tune.
So I listen to these snappy tunes and hammer out the changes.  We go back and forth and argue, gently :), and eventually a song comes out.
"But Gillian, how does the cast learn the music without Chuck?"  Great question.  He sends karaoke versions of each persons part and we do our best to put it together without him.  Then when he comes back in late March, we have extensive music rehearsals to fill in the gaps.  It ain't easy but pretty sure we beat the high seas.

Hey Cougar Fans!
So this is our first blog entry.  Last night the cougars had their publicity shoot with Greg Inda Photography and Scott Williams on set as the design expert.

Katherine Hart modeled for us as a cougar.  She was an absolute hoot.  Katherine has been an amazing actor in Chicago for years, and we couldn't be more happy that she was willing to offer us a taste of her "Cougar Milk" as she referred to it.

Below is a vid of Katherine at work.