Exhibit Film In St. Louis Fest

The film of EXHIBIT, Joe Hanrahan's play produced by OnSite Theatre in spring,
2009, has been accepted into competition in the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase.
EXHIBIT will be screened Sunday night, July 18, 9:30 pm, at The Tivoli.
For more information about the Showcase, visit cinemastlouis.org.

Hanrahan wrote the screenplay EXHIBIT, and Mike Sneden directed.  Margeau Steinau, Andy Neiman and Sarah Cannon star in the film. They comprised the original cast of the OnSite stage production, which was directed by Anna Pileggi.

Sarah Whitney, who has directed several of Midnight’s Recent and most acclaimed productions, has been named Associate Director for the company.

The Midnight Company was associated with three different shows cited by Ladue News critic Mark Bretz in his Best of St. Louis Theater in 2009
column.

Among the notable shows he cited:

OnSite THEATRE used the Craft Alliance Gallery as the backdrop for Joe Hanrahan's clever, piece, Exhibit, with Margeau Baue Steinau, Andrew Nieman and Sarah Cannon as artists, wannabe artists and perceived artists hanging about a gallery amidst audience members.

And Joe Hanrahan channeled former president Harry S. Truman in the triumphant one-man show, Give' Em Hell Harry for THE MIDNIGHT COMPANY.

and among the Top Ten for 2009 he cited:

One Extraordinary Darkness, presented by OnSite THEATRE. This enchanting work by Elizabeth Birkenmeier received its world premiere at the Green Center, a reputedly haunted house in University City that is the location for an arts and environment organization dedicated to "helping people understand the natural world." In a sense, that's what BIrkenmeier's four characters do in her whimsical effort, which featured engaging performances by Joe Hanrahan, Margeau Baue Steinau, Robert Birkenmeier and Adina Talve Goodman under Bill Whitaker's crisp and clever direction. An excellent example of OnSite Theatre's mission to present work in offbeat locales.

For Mark's complete column, visit laduenews.com.

Joe Hanrahan appeared in Onsite Theatre's production of
ONE EXTRAORDINARY DARKNESS by Elizabeth Birkenmeier.
click on this link for reviews,
or visit onsitetheatre.org. for more info.

St. Louis magazine's July issue pick their "A LIST" in a wide variety of areas. In their Culture section, in the category Theater Experience, they cited OnSite Theatre Company:
Theater folks are perennially concerned with "getting butts in seats." But what if the butts went bowling with the actors? Or took photos of the cast with disposable cameras? OnSite's debut production, 2007's BOWLING EPIPHANY, was staged in South City's Epiphany Lanes;  its most recent show, EXHIBIT, took place inside the new Craft Alliance gallery during Jennifer Angus' "Locusts & Honey" exhibit. Nine out of 10 butts agree: In an increasingly distracting and interactive world, environmental theater is a must-try.

(Midnight's Joe Hanrahan wrote the script for OnSite's EXHIBIT, and appeared in their previous show (the one with the cameras).

For more info on OnSite, visit onsitetheatre.org.
For more from St. Louis magazine, visit stlmag.com.

OnSite Theatre Company will present Joe Hanrahan's new play, EXHIBIT, April 3-11, Fridays and Saturdays, with two shows nightly - 7 & 9 pm. at the new Craft Alliance Gallery space at 501 N. Grand, just south of the Fox. The play coincides with the Jennifer Angus exhibition, Locusts and Honey. The play will be directed by Anna Pileggi and the cast includes Sarah Cannon, Andrew Nieman and Margau Steinau.
For more information or to purchase tickets visit onsitetheatre.org.

Congratulations to Onsite Theatre, whose OVEREXPOSED production was nominated for a Kevin Kline Award for Outstanding New Production. (Midnight's Joe Hanrahan was part of the cast for that show.) For a full list of nominees, visit kevinklineawards.org.

The Riverfront Times, instead of picking their best of the year, asked Artistic Directors of St. Louis theatres to point out the notable performances in their companies in ’08. Go to the link below to read Midnight’s (and other companies’) nominations.

The Ladue News picked their notable theatre productions of ’08. Midnight’s THE GOOD THIEF was prominently mentioned (and was a contender for top ten.) Also note the mention of Sarah Whitney (GOOD THIEF and upcoming “GIVE ‘EM HELL HARRY” director) for her production of The Orange Girls’ THE ROAD TO MECCA. Hit the link below for the article.

In Judy Newmark’s Best of 08 (The coveted “Judys”), she mentioned Onsite Theatre’s “OVEREXPOSED,” (which Midnight’s Joe Hanrahan acted in) as Best Out-Of-The Box Production.

The filmed-in-St. Louis EDGAR ALLAN POE’S LIGEIA (with Joe Hanrahan in a featured role) now has a website and a trailer. To view it, visit ligeiamovie.com.

Midnight Selected for RFT “Best Of”

From the Sept 25 annual Riverfront Times “Best Of” issue

BEST ONE-PERSON SHOW

THE GOOD THIEF
The Midnight Company
It’s not that Joe Hanrahan is opposed to acting in the company of other people. But apparently he’s happiest onstage alone, getting all his dialogue out of the way in one lump sum and saying everything he has to say in an hour rather than stretching it out in short speeches over two and a half. When what Hanrahan has to say is so cunningly written by an Irishman like Conor McPherson that the pursuit of a good yarn transforms storytelling into a brash art, you end up with a wallop-packing evening that is all more effective because of its lilting simplicity. And when, even after the play is done, there’s still time for a pint or two before every other show in town is even close to being over, that’s all part of the happy experience.

THE BEST TEN MINUTE PLAYS 2007 FOR TWO ACTORS, including a play by Peter Hanrahan, son of Midnight co-founder Joe Hanrahan and actor in the Company's production of ORPHANS, has been published, and is available on Amazon and other usual places. The play, PRIZE INSIDE, was commissioned from and premiered a Mile Square Theatre (Chris O’Connor, Artistic Director) in Hoboken, N.J. in 2004 for their 2nd Annual “7th Inning Stretch: 7 10-minute plays about baseball,” and was directed by Michole Biancosino.

Peter graduated from Washington University, where he studied under Carter Lewis and was the recipient of the A.E. Hotchner Playwriting Award. He then received his MFA in playwriting from Rutgers University, studying under Lee Blessing. His work has also been seen at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., and at The Seven Devils Playwrights Conference in McCall, Idaho.

He currently works in the story department of United Talent Agency in Los Angeles. For more information, visit www.smithkraus.com.

Conor McPherson's new play, PORT AUTHORITY, will open in New York City in May at the Atlantic Theatre Company. For more information, visit atlantictheater.org and Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre has announced that Conor McPherson's THE
SEAFARER, featuring John Mahoney, will be part of their 2008-2009 season. For more information, visit steppenwolf.org

The Midnight Company (under the producing banner of afterMIDNIGHT) was nominated for two Kevin Kline Awards for their production of SOLDIER BOY and THE LITTLE FRENCHY FILES. They were nominated in the categories of Best New Play or Musical, and Best Sound Design (by Mike Radentz, staff engineer at Technisonic Studios, where the show was presented.) For a complete list of awards, visit kevinklineawards.org.

In critic Mark Bretz’ wrap-up of BEST OF THEATER IN 2007 for Ladue News, he listed afterMIDNIGHT’s CUL-DE-Sac in his list of “the superior and spectacular” for the year. He said the show…“
…featured a tour de force performance by Joe Hanrahan as several different neighbors in a cloistered suburban setting, most deliciously a precocious little girl who commented on the tawdry goings on around her…”

And in KDHX new Radio Roses salute to the theatre year, Bretz reiterated his praise: afterMIDNIGHT offered Joe Hanrahan in a tour-de-force performance portraying disparate neighbors in a CUL DE SAC.

Joe Hanrahan was one of many locals asked the question, “If you could change or improve on thing in St. Louis in 2008, what would it be and how would you accomplish it?” by the Riverfront Times, and his answer appeared in their January 3 issue. Here’s Joe’s response (but to read the entire list, which is a good thing to do since it deals with St. Louis theatre’s home, St. Louis, visit this link ).

If I could improve one thing about St. Louis, I would improve its perception of the arts of St. Louis. St. Louis generously supports (and St. Louis media over-generously covers the arts IN St. Louis – visiting actors, artists, musicians, dancers, artistic heads, companies – swinging through town, selling their wares. St. Louis should continue that. But we have to improve our awareness, appreciation and support of the arts OF St. Louis – actors, artists, etc.– living and creating here. It’s the soul of our community. How? 1) Media of all kinds have to devote much more thoughtful coverage to the arts OF St. Louis; and 2) The actors, artists, et cetera then have to deliver the goods.

For information on the 2008 Festival, visit www.cinemastlouis.org

afterMIDNIGHT’s online trailer for ThomPain (based on nothing) was awarded a Silver Telly Award for achievement as one of the best online entertainment trailers of the year. The trailer was created by Phoenix Creative Company, with post-production by New World, and original music by Matt Mauger of Phoenix Creative.
To view the trailer, go the Past Productions page and scroll down to ThomPain.