News
April 2016
Hedda performances are growing by leaps and bounds! An extremely successful show in March in Milwaukee. And April is our busiest month yet: luncheon shows in Green Bay, WI on April 13th; in Arlington Heights on April 26th; and our show FREE to the public on April 5th at the Eisenhower Library in Harwood Heights.
On May 6th we have a show at Friendship Village in Schaumburg and a luncheon show at Grand Rapids Michigan on May 26th.
For more details on any of our shows please go to the Active Performance Dates page on this site or email us from this site.
November 2015
Paradise Playhouse is very pleased with the very successful first year of performances of Hedda! A Musical Conversation across Northern Illinois and Northwest Indiana.
In 2016 we are continuing to offer performances in Northern Illinois and across Wisconsin in: Milwaukee, Madison, and Green Bay.
We will continue to expand the scope of performances across the Midwest…and eventually into legitimate theaters in Chicagoland and across the Midwest.
December 2014
Paradise Playhouse is proud to announce that Hedda! A Musical Conversation will be available for lunch/shows on selected Wednesdays (especially for senior groups) starting in March of 2015 at the Camelot Banquet Hall in Hickory Hills.
February 2014
Scintillating Productions is happy to announce that “Hedda! Queen of Hollywood” is now available for purchase at libraries, cultural centers, senior groups, and theaters. Fran Myles at Sparkles Entertainment is currently representing “Hedda!” in this endeavor. If you are interested in booking Jillann Gabrielle as Hedda Hopper in “Hedda! Queen of Hollywood” please contact Fran at: 708-301-7991 and sparklesentertainment@comcast.net. Jill has decided to “take Hedda! on the road” to ready her for the avid interest on both coasts in the project.
There are no current auditions for any Scintillating Productions productions.
There will be auditions for a table reading of “Stringendo” the screenplay about Frederick the Great and Johann Sebastian Bach a few months in the future. They will be announced about a month or so in advance on the Chicago Audition websites…or you can sign up to be on our email list and you will be notified. It is a largely male cast…so males of all ages and types will be needed. There will be more specifics on this website and in the notices as we get closer to the reading. There will be no pay…but there will be very experienced actors already cast and will be a good place to connect with other experienced actors. We look forward to hearing from you.
September 2013
On Sunday, September 15th, 2013, a highly successful second workshop performance of “Hedda! Queen of Hollywood” was given at the Oak Park Public Library. Jillann Gabrielle portrayed Hedda, Howard Pfeifer music directed from the piano, and Nils Higdon played the drums. Many set pieces were used and filled the stage area of the Veteran’s Room. There was standing room only (over 100 patrons)…due mostly to the fabulous article in the Oak Park Wednesday Journal by the theatrical critic and Golden Age of Hollywood expert, Doug Deuchler. It was two pages with four photos, one in color of Jill as Hedda.
Jill had prepared fiercely for this performance and it paid off. She was very comfortable on the stage and her charisma, acting, and singing voice carried the piece right along. Her long time theatrical collaborator, Frank Roberts, choreographed the songs. Frank will eventually take over the role as director, formerly performed by Elizabeth Moisant, Jill’s muse.
A number of the songs were shortened and the script altered for this performance. The audience was very warm and were very helpful with their comment sheets. They seemed to really enjoy the performance. Many great reactions to what transpired on the stage are being logged and will be taken into consideration for the next workshop…projected for the far South Suburbs of Chicago. The first workshop performance was on the north side in Northbrook, the second in the central location of Oak Park.
There were two videographers in attendance and in the near future there will be video bites available of the performance. New photos of this performance are available on the “Photo Gallery” of this website.
An old fashioned phrase Hedda herself might have used applies: A good time was had by all!
August 2013
Jillann’s long time theatre company partner, Frank Roberts, is officially the choreographer for “Hedda! Queen of Hollywood.” He is working with Jill on the project for the September 15th Workshop Presentation at the Oak Park Public Library.
July 2013
During Jill’s NYC trip in mid-July she performed a song from “Hedda! Queen of Hollywood” at the Jim Caruso’s Cast Party Monday Night open mic at Birdland in Mid Town. Robin Lane from The National Arts Club (similar to The Player’s Club) in Manhattan approached her about their producing a staged reading of “Hedda!” They exchanged emails and Ms. Lane reviewed the materials from the “Hedda!” website which she LOVED…and she asked for the script so she could review that as well. There is a good possibility that there will be a staged reading of “Hedda!” at The National Arts Club in Manhattan in 2014!
April/May 2013 update
Our next workshop performance for “Hedda! Queen of Hollywood” is scheduled for Sunday afternoon, September 15th, time T.B.A. (2 or 3 p.m.). It will be in the Veteran’s room at the Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake St., Oak Park, IL 60301. Please get on our mailing list to receive email notification of the event and all future events for “Hedda! Queen of Hollywood.”
It will be fully staged, with a set, piano and drum set accompaniment, and with the author/composer, Jillann Gabrielle, in the role of Hedda. Jill’s musical collaborator, Howard Pfeifer, will be at the piano, and her muse, Elizabeth Moisant, will direct.
Please join us and be part of our audience who will become part of our editing process. We will ask them for written feedback…mostly on the content of the piece. Jill and her collaborators will also be available to be spoken to directly after the performance.
Hedda’s flame continues to burn! We hope you can be part of our editing process as “Hedda!” steamrolls ahead. It promises to be lots of fun!
April/May 2013
Jillann Gabrielle’s “Hedda! Queen of Hollywood” had a very successful workshop presentation at the Northbrook Public Library on March 1st as part of the Salon Concert Series produced by Jane and Didier LePauw. It was well received by around 100 patrons who gave us their feedback from a form distributed in a color program. We are currently in the midst of making adjustments to the script and the songs based on the reactions of these wonderful patrons and our own observations.
Immediately following the March 1st workshop performance, Jillann made a trip to Los Angeles to meet with the #1 intellectual property lawyer in California, Larry Iser (who handles the Michael Jackson estate). Larry is an avid musical theatre fan who serves as the President of the Board of the “Reprise” Musical Theatre Series in Los Angeles (whose Artistic Director is Jason Alexander from “Seinfeld”). Mr. Iser asked Jillann’s permission to submit “Hedda! Queen of Hollywood” to Mr. Alexander for future presentation consideration in the new home of the “Reprise” Series. Of course, Jillann consented! A major validation of this kind is very important to the future of “Hedda! Queen of Hollywood” and all of Jillann’s creations! She is also currently refining a screenplay on Frederick the Great and Johann Sebastian and Bach entitled “Stringendo” with her muse, Elizabeth Moisant, in Chicago.
Jillann is currently in negotiations for a venue for the next workshop presentation of “Hedda! Queen of Hollywood.” Jill’s hottest prospect is the Oak Park Public Library where she is heading for a possible workshop presentation in May of 2013. If you are on our mailing list (which you can subscribe to from this website) you will receive an email regarding the next workshop presentation. You won’t want to miss it. “Hedda!” is on fire! See you there!
February/March 2013
August/September 2012
“Hedda! Queen of Hollywood” is currently being written, designed, recorded%