Today we’d like to introduce you to Jill Erickson.
Jill, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My co-producer, Michelle Power and I went to college together in Hastings, Nebraska. We both moved to Chicago to pursue performing. I do quite a bit of solo performance work and after 10 years of being in Chicago, I found it frustrating that there weren’t more venues where I felt could perform. Everything seemed so genre specific like open mic poetry or comedy. We wanted to do something different from what was happening in the arts, and so in 2007 Beast Women began. A lot has changed since then and there are many more opportunities for solo performers to display their work.
We are an all-female performance variety revue serving as a platform to showcase the best female talent in Chicago. The show features 10-12 live performance acts each night consisting of a diverse assortment of genres including music, dance, performance art, spoken word, burlesque, circus acts, etc. Each performer must first earn a spot in the lineup after passing through an audition process, which they are required to do each series. We feel having them audition every series really encourages the women to raise the bar for themselves as a performer. Performers end up competing with more and more extremely talented women who come to audition for us. We cast approximately 30-35 women per series and operate on a concept of revolving individual performances. Each night is a different show. No two shows are ever alike. Women are encouraged to display their passion, strength, freedom, and sensuality in order to help reveal the very things that make them the women they are today. The only demands placed upon them are to be original and be bold.
Summer of 2007 was our first series and this summer we are celebrating our 10-year anniversary with opening night being our 233rd show. Our only Beastie boy is our rockstar of a technical director Ed Schweitzer. In the last few years, we have added another to help keep the show looking great and sounding great, Jeremy Campbell. Being surrounded by a ton of amazing, and beautiful women, makes this a great gig for them.
Michelle and I have taken the show on the road outside of Chicago a few times, highlighting a handful of our veteran performers, as well as one or two of the local performers in each area we visit. We really strive to showcase these phenomenal women and their powerful talent in most entertaining, fun, positive supportive, unique, and professional of shows. This is incredibly important to us, so we dedicate ourselves to make sure we can give our performers and our audience the best “Beastie” experience we can. It hasn’t been easy, and it’s an incredible amount of work, but in the end, it’s totally worth it.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
No, it’s been a tough 10 years. Putting together a show like Beast Women is almost a full time job. (And we already have day jobs… So we eagerly take on a double duty.) It is a great deal of time, determination, devotion and funding that we place into our show to further our goal. It is a big responsibility, but we love this show and we are committed to continue growing and expanding. Michelle and I take on a big financial risk with each series. And working around so many ladies conflicts schedules is quite a challenge.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Beast Women Productions, Inc. – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I am the co-producer, co-director, stage manager, liaison to the performers, I write, I perform and do most of the marketing. Michelle Power is co-producer, co-director, and emcee. Ed Schweitzer is our tech director, designer and our Beastie MacGyver. Jeremy Cambell is our tech, lighting specialist and general knower-of-all-things. We have been very blessed to be able to call the Prop Thtr our home and cannot give enough praise to Stefan Brun who owns and operates the Prop. And there are many of our performers that help us with box office and the bar and promotion. They make our lives easier. And our Beast Women who are phenomenal, and come to each show and just work so hard to help us put on the best shows, we wouldn’t be anywhere without them.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We plan on doing more touring and adding a few festivals. We do special events for office parties, weddings, block parties, birthdays, etc. so if anyone out there is interested we put together an amazing showcase. Have Beasties, will travel.
Pricing:
- Tickets are $20 at the door.
- Tickets are $15 if you purchase them online.
- Parties of 5 or more people get $10 tickets. (at the door only and the whole group needs to be there)
Contact Info:
- Address: Contact person: Jill Erickson
- Website: www.beastwomen.com
- Email: jerickson@beastwomen.com
- Instagram: @beastwomen
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeastWomenProductions/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/thebeastwomen
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/beast-women-productions-chicago
- Other: http://beastwomen.com/
Image Credit:
Artistree Photography and Oomphotograpy
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