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Chicago Tribune
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Scott Vehill, artistic force behind Prop Thtr, dies at 68
Scott Vehill was the co-founder and longtime artistic director of Chicago's Prop Thtr, a scrappy, experimental theater company that throughout its 44-year history has staged intense, intellectually challenging plays, often on shoestring budgets, and put an emphasis on new work. 'Scott made a lot of things happen,' said Stefan Brun, Prop's co-founder with Vehill in 1980 and the group's executive director. 'He was the vision guy, and somebody else would follow up. He had vision, he really cared about the people, and … he loved the stories.' Vehill, 68, died of complications from Parkinson's disease on June 5 at his Lincoln Park home, said his wife of 30 years, Kristen. Born in Detroit, Vehill grew up in the Southwest Side's Marquette Park neighborhood and later in north suburban Wildwood. After graduating from Warren Township High School in Gurnee, Vehill attended downstate Monmouth College before transferring to Columbia College Chicago. After producing student theater together at Columbia, Vehill and Brun founded Prop in a space that formerly housed a strip joint on an off-the-beaten-track stretch of North Lincoln Avenue. With a program of nontraditional performance, European and Beat Generation theater, Prop had to fight to survive and attract audiences, Brun said. 'We started it together, but he is the one who held it,' Brun said. 'Many other people came through, including (onetime managing director) Jonathan Lavan and (onetime artistic director) Olivia Lilley, but Scott was Prop. There was no ruling aesthetic — the show we were currently doing was who we were.' Vehill kept the theater company moving forward after Brun left Chicago in 1987 for Germany. Although his title was artistic director, he was a jack-of-all-trades, directing performances, co-authoring plays and, as Tribune theater critic Chris Jones wrote in 2000, finding ways 'to pay utility bills, keep the doors open at a variety of rented spaces and produce … forms of esoteric theater in dark garages with the minimum of financial resources.' Prop put up three to four productions a year. Some pushed the boundaries — a 1986 staging of 'Biker Macbeth,' an adaptation of the Shakespeare play, drew a stinging review from the Tribune — while others, such as the 1988 staging of Vehill's adaptation of William S. Burroughs' novel 'The Last Words of Dutch Schultz,' garnered critical praise. 'Everything about him was bigger than life,' said Charles Pike, a co-star of the Burroughs adaptation. 'Scott embraced chaos. He saw that sometimes things needed to be broken, and he did not hesitate to break them. He had a heart for the outcast, for the underdog. He was a sucker for a good Chicago story. And we both embraced Beat literature and wanted to make sure that future generations saw (Lawrence) Ferlinghetti, (Jack) Kerouac and Burroughs the way he saw them.' Vehill directed plays by Neil Gray Giuntoli, who also co-starred in Prop's staging of 'The Last Words of Dutch Schultz,' and Paul Peditto, who was part of the old Igloo theater group. Vehill collaborated often with Peditto, both at Igloo and also at Chicago's bygone Live Bait Theater, where in 1991, the duo staged 'BUK,' a drama inspired by the life and work of poet Charles Bukowski. Prop's hard-hitting, commercially successful and critically acclaimed 1994 stage adaptation of Nelson Algren's 'Never Come Morning' garnered nine awards at the annual Joseph Jefferson Citation Awards for productions operating without Actors' Equity contracts — still a record for a non-Equity production. Vehill subsequently tried, without success, to raise money to turn the novel into a film. In 1995, Vehill directed Prop's spoof of former President Ronald Reagan's life before politics, in a play titled 'Reagan: Dementia in Absentia — An Unauthorized Tribute.' Two years later, Vehill staged Peditto's '1,001 Afternoons in Chicago,' a play inspired by screenwriter Ben Hecht's daily columns from the early 1920s in the Chicago Daily News. In 2000, Vehill directed a play about countercultural writer Terry Southern. In 2004, he directed 'Struggling Truths,' a fable exploring the origins of Tibet's conflicts with China. 'It's like a Brechtian parable and the audience, who will be literally divided into two sections, must decide which is the truth about Tibet,' Vehill said of 'Struggling Truths.' 'Was it a people's revolution that got rid of a feudal regime or was it an embattled Buddhist theocracy threatened by a totalitarian state? Both sides will try to stir up an audience to back their cause.' In 2006, Vehill oversaw the staging of Prop's biggest hit ever, 'Hizzoner,' a critical and popular success featuring Giuntoli playing Mayor Richard J. Daley. In a 2006 review, Jones called it a 'thoroughly gripping … bio-drama' that was not to be missed 'for students of the old man and the city he maybe hurt and maybe saved.' The production of 'Hizzoner' was in keeping with Jones' 2002 assessment in the Tribune that Prop is a theater company that is 'proudly blue-collar' and 'cheerfully intellectual,' with 'hard-working and mature creative leaders.' In the late 1990s, Vehill helped found the National New Play Network, a consortium of theaters from around the country committed to showcasing new work. Prop became the Chicago hub of the network, whose rolling world premiere program simultaneously brings new productions to partner theaters across the U.S. More than a decade ago, illness caused Vehill to pull back from Prop, his wife said. For the past two years, about 20 or so friends gathered monthly at Vehill's home to bring the homebound Vehill art in the form of songs, readings and even visual artwork, in what were affectionately called 'Scotty Salons,' his wife said. 'Kristen told me that the therapeutic benefit lasted for several days afterward,' said Keith Fort, who chair's Prop's board and organized the salons. 'That's the healing power of art.' In addition to his wife, Vehill is survived by three sisters, Julie 'Gigi' Paddock, Trisha Peck and Jaime Freiler; and a brother, Raoul. A celebration of life will take place from 5 to 11 p.m. on Friday, July 18, at Facility Theatre, 1138 N. California Ave.
CBS News
17-03-2025
- General
- CBS News
Pittsburgh-area students participate in National History Day competition
Students from some counties across the Pittsburgh area participated in a National History Day competition on Sunday. The regional competition was held at the Heinz History Center. Three Riverview High School students got up earlier than they would for school. "It was really early today, actually I barely got out of bed," Riverview High School student Hannah Hudack said. It takes drive to do that on a Sunday. "We are very passionate about National History Day," she said. That's why they're back for more after last year. "We made it to the national competition, so we got sixth in the nation," Riverview High School student Juliette Brun said. The Riverview students participated in the performance category. There are five total, including documentary, exhibit, website, and paper. "It's really exciting to meet the students and see what kind of ideas they come up with year to year," paper competition judge Sam Bastianini said. This year's theme was rights and responsibilities. The Riverview students focused on letters written between John and Abigail Adams. "Abigail Adams was a strong advocate for women's rights," Brun said. "She asked John to include women to remember the ladies, as she famously quoted. Remembering the ladies, for her, was her responsibility to ask John and her right." One display discussed the impacts of the Berlin Wall, and another focused on Title IX. Today, all the students had judges watching them. "It's important for us to kind of be able to ask them why they're involved in this," Bastianini said. "How they started on this research, how they're even finding ways to do this." She and others are really impressed by all the work they see. "They're going to the National Archives, they're taking trips," Bastianini said. "They're exploring who they can interact with. They're talking to professors in universities and bringing that into the classroom." The students from Riverview also sought inspiration and information, even consulting someone at the National First Ladies' Museum and Library in Ohio. All this takes lots of work during already busy schedules. "Even for like, half an hour after school, just squeeze in any time we could get because we are really busy people in our school," Brun said. She's not embellishing the point about them being busy. "They have musical from 9 [a.m.] to 9 [p.m.], which is 12 hours," Hudak said. Student Ryland Ogrodowski said Brun and Hudack play soccer and cross country, while she competes in dance. They all wouldn't have it any other way right now. "We enjoy every second of it. We love history day," Ogrodowski said. The first, second, and third place winners from Sunday's senior division advance to the state competition in Scranton. The top winners from that advance to the national competition in June.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Michaël Brun Details Uniting Beenie Man & Bounty Killer on New ‘Touchdown' Single
Latin Grammy-winning DJ and producer Michaël Brun has been churning out bangers for over a decade — but his latest single shifts him into history-making territory. Out Friday (Jan. 31), 'Touchdown' — the Haitian star's new anthem – features Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper J Balvin, Jamaican dancehall legends Bounty Killer and Beenie Man, and rising Jamaican singer-songwriter Tasan, the daughter of reggae legend Papa San. Izy Beats, who helmed Koffee's 2018 crossover hit 'Toast,' helped co-produce. More from Billboard Vybz Kartel Celebrates 10 Years of 'Viking (Vybz Is King)' Album With 7 New Tracks Post Malone Reflects on Filming Bud Light Super Bowl Ad With 'Epic Dudes' Shane Gillis & Peyton Manning Frank Ocean Begins Filming Directorial Debut With 'Alien: Romulus' Star David Jonsson A celebratory anthem, tailor-made for major sports victories, 'Touchdown' beautifully marries the already closely intertwined genres of dancehall and reggaetón, using their shared DNA to combine contemporary Latin superstars with dancehall giants of eras past. J Balvin first premiered the track on ESPN as the network's Monday Night Football ambassador, marking a rare usage of Caribbean music on the iconic sports brand's broadcast. The cross-genre collaboration served as the official promotional anthem for the 2025 NFL Wild Card Weekend games. 'Touchdown' previews a busy year for Brun that includes his first-ever arena show. On June 28, Brun will mount his BAYO Festival at Brooklyn's Barclays Center. The festival's steady growth over the past half-decade is just one segment of Brun's efforts to uplift Caribbean music around the world. 'I actually was part of the [Grammy] committee for best global music performance,' he exclusively tells Billboard hours before 'Touchdown' hits DSPs. 'At Spotify, I curate the 'Haitian Heat' playlist and help them with other Caribbean stuff.' Last year, Brun prioritized collaborations, joining forces with artists spanning genres and generations, including Keyon Harrold ('Playa Noche'), Charly Black ('Jessica') and John Legend ('Safe'). With an ever-growing festival and new music on the horizon, Michaël Brun caught up with Billboard to break down the making of 'Touchdown,' his favorite Haitian artists and who he thinks will win the Grammy for best reggae album on Sunday (Feb. 2). How did 'Touchdown' come together? This process has taken a couple of years. I've known J Balvin for years, and we've worked on a lot of projects together. My first platinum records and a lot of my No. 1s were with him. [Brun co-produced and co-wrote J Balvin's Ed Sheeran-assisted 'Forever My Love,' which topped Latin Airplay in 2022]. In the process of making some new songs together a couple of years ago, we started talking about the influence of dancehall in reggaeton and how much dancehall artists have influenced and shaped the global sound. Then we had the idea to do something that honored [the songs] we used to listen to at parties. 'Touchdown' came from the idea of that link between everything that's happened in dancehall history and the way that Haiti has been influenced by the Caribbean, Latin America and our own local sounds. Once we made that initial concept, I knew I wanted to tap in with some friends and icons from Jamaica. I reached out to Tasan, who sings the hook, and Beenie Man and Bounty Killer, who are two iconic dancehall artists from Jamaica. I also reached out to Izy – who produced iconic dancehall songs like Koffee's 'Toast' — to co-produce the song with me. This is the first time in a decade that Beenie Man and Bounty Killer have been featured on a track together, which is pretty monumental given their history. What does this moment mean to you as a dancehall fan? I think that it's really representative of what I believe in: [the power of] bridging different cultures and people. I want my music to make people feel good. I want you to feel that the culture is enriching you. I think that both of their careers have been incredible and have been so influential… not just in Jamaican sounds, but global sounds too. We actually cut their verses around the time of their Verzuz battle [in 2020], it was literally that week that we started the process. It was really special. I'm grateful that we also got to link in Kingston and Miami. That's all I care about: genuine cultural unity and authentic cultural portrayal. Do you have any plans to get this performed live anytime soon? I have BAYO coming up, and that's been so much fun for me because it's rooted in Haitian culture and history. I started it in Jacmel in the South of Haiti, but the music that I play and the artists that pop up for the show are from all around the world. Haitian music is very traditional — we have our genres like konpa and rara — but we also play music from everywhere. I've already had a couple of the artists on 'Touchdown' pop up in past shows. We might get some really good surprises! Talk to me a bit more about how BAYO has grown over the past five years. It's been wild. The very first New York show we did was at Music Hall of Williamsburg, and there were about 500 people or so. BAYO was such a crazy twist for me because, up to that point, I was a DJ doing electronic music and I wanted to set up this festival concept to bring the sounds that I love from the Caribbean and all the different global diasporas to New York and different parts of the U.S. Now we're hitting Europe and Canada too. The energy at that first show was so special; it made sense to me as a concept, so to see it go from Irving Plaza to Brooklyn Steel and then to Central Park and Prospect Park has been a dream come true. And the feedback I get from everybody that comes – whether it's people flying from different cities or people in the New York community — is that it feels like a family. The show is the embodiment of my music. This is my claim, but BAYO is the best party in the world! Every festival has its own approach, but, personally, I love to be surprised. I work hard every year to surprise people with the lineup. We never announce who's performing, so when you show up you might see Maxwell or J Balvin – anybody can pop up! This festival is my pride and joy. It's interesting to have a song like 'Touchdown' arrive amid the . How do you feel the song honors and acknowledges the musical lineage of these genres? We're honoring icons for the work that they've done and creating new moments that incorporate different aspects of their lineages. We're bridging culture-holders with modern-day and up-and-coming stars. Having these songs in these global moments is important for people to see. I feel like these cultures are very separate segments for a lot of people and if they're not explicitly shown it, it's hard for them to understand what the links are. This is my way of helping to create that mutual respect across the board and have all of us in community with each other. Everybody on 'Touchdown' actually loves the other artists. What's the dream sporting event to perform 'Touchdown' at? Oh man, the Super Bowl! In terms of the song itself, it's the perfect fit, and J Balvin has also already done the Super Bowl [as a guest of Shakira and J. Lo's in 2020]. On a personal level, I really love football (soccer), so the World Cup too. Any stadium sporting event with people chanting works, that's what the energy of the song was from the beginning. It's also so cool to have Caribbean music on ESPN, I think it's the first time they've ever done that! It's pretty amazing to be part of that lineage now. Is 'Touchdown' leading to a larger project for you this year? I've been working hard on a lot of stuff. There's more music coming with some very special artists who I've been working with for the past few years, one of which everyone's gonna be surprised about because she had such an insane 2024. I won't reveal too much, but I feel like my entire bucket list has been checked off. Who are some Haitian artists we should be keeping our eyes and ears on in 2024? What Naïka is doing on a global scale with incorporating different sounds from Haiti — whether it's twoubadou or konpa – is incredible. Her song '6:45' was pretty massive last year on socials and streaming. On the rap side, Baky is about to drop his new project which I know is gonna be crazy. One other person I think is fire is Rutshelle Guillaume; we worked on a song with John Legend together last year. She's one of the big singers from Haiti. Everybody comes through to BAYO, so you should pop out this year! Who do you think will take home the Grammy for on Sunday? Oh, that's a tough one. I think Vybz [Kartel] might take it, man. His comeback is a pretty big deal. It depends on the voter base, of course. What Vybz is doing right now is really important for the culture. I think it will probably go to [the Bob Marley: One Love soundtrack] though because of the movie. If the culture voted, it would be Vybz, in my opinion. Outside of BAYO and your new music, what else can fans look forward to from you this year? I've been producing a lot of projects. I'm really close with Naïka; she's working on her debut album right now, and it's a really, really special project that incorporates so many influences from her Haitian heritage. There's a lot of really fun stuff that I've been involved with that I think will be rolling out at different points throughout the year. On a personal note, my mom passed away in December, which was a pretty crazy journey because she had cancer for three years. With this show and my music, my career is all about honoring her. She was born in Georgetown, Guyana, and she was very philanthropic. I genuinely want to ensure that I'm continuing to honor her through philanthropy and community building. We created the Sharon Andrea Lee-Brun Memorial for BAYO Fund at the end of the year as opposed to people sending flowers and stuff. We ended up donating $12,000 to different education and food sovereignty organizations in Haiti. I'm in my next life now without my mom, so I'm trying to keep her in mind always. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
