lena di photography
"Bryan Renaud is a singing, dancing, ecstatic force of nature!"
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"Under the direction of Bryan Renaud,
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ongoing projects
now on over 1 million screens in over 100 countries!
an audio horror anthology
enjoy world premieres, throwback tales, urban legends and more. stream on youtube or your favorite podcast app. |
a comedy webseries
unearthed tapes from a forgotten public access channel feature various long-lost programs and commercials. stream on youtube. |
VIRAL film screenings across Chicagoland | October 2022
Vanilla Box Productions presents Other Letters | February 19-27, 2021
The Massachusetts theatre company will stream my most romantic play to coincide with Valentine's Day.
Vanilla Box Productions presents Other Letters | February 19-27, 2021
The Massachusetts theatre company will stream my most romantic play to coincide with Valentine's Day.
2 PILOTS, 2 PLAYS Reading Series | February 5 - 26, 2021
Random Acts is proudly presenting four works by Ben F. Locke, every Friday in February! More info: RandomActsChicago.com
Random Acts is proudly presenting four works by Ben F. Locke, every Friday in February! More info: RandomActsChicago.com
The Diplomats
by Nelson Diaz-Marcano / directed by Salvio Gado feat. Brandon Rodriguez, Courtney Feiler & Chase Wheaton-Werle Nov 26 - Dec 12, 2020 |
Thank you for 100,000 views!
Scary Stories: Dark Web created & directed by Bryan Renaud written by Bryan Renaud & Savanna Rae w/ Crystal Skillman w/ shorts by Exal Iraheta, Dana Macel, & Deadfi Productions Oct 16 - Nov 15, 2020 |
Theatre Rhinoceros (Los Angeles) presents Other Letters | September 2020 - Digital
RATFest Digital Fringe Festival Films, Comedy, Drag, Music & More | April 2020
Made with Love Arts Fair | March 6, 2020
SCARY STORIES
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COLUMBINUS
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Barney the Elf returns to Chicago for the FOURTH YEAR featuring the return of Roy Samra as Barney, Dixie Lynn Cartwright as Zooey, Maggie Cain as Mrs. Claus and Jaron Bellar as Junior! Click here for more.
The Laramie Project: 20th Anniversary Reading
Produced in conjunction with the Matthew Shepard Foundation and About Face Youth Theatre. Jason Gerace directs, featuring Kelli Simpkins (Tectonic Theatre Project), James Vincent Meredith, and more. Tickets.
Produced in conjunction with the Matthew Shepard Foundation and About Face Youth Theatre. Jason Gerace directs, featuring Kelli Simpkins (Tectonic Theatre Project), James Vincent Meredith, and more. Tickets.
Six Degrees of Separation | sept 5 - oct 21 2018
I am returning to Redtwist Theatre to play Trent in Steve Scott's production of Six Degrees of Separation. More info.
I am returning to Redtwist Theatre to play Trent in Steve Scott's production of Six Degrees of Separation. More info.
#SAFESPACEa monthly event series
#SafeSpace launched in March 2018 and has since featured 49 diverse artists while raising funds for Planned Parenthood, Trans Lifeline, Project Fierce Chicago & The Night Ministry. Hosts include Amazon's Patriot's Sadieh Rifai, Chicago Fire's Robyn Coffin, OUT CHICAGO's Scott Duff and more. Info here! |
FROST/NIXONapril 18 - june 3, 2018
I am so excited to reteam with the first director I ever worked with in Chicago, Scott Weinstein, for Frost/Nixon at Redtwist Theater. This team is stellar. Update: We've extended through June 3! More info. |
news
Strangest Things! The Musical has been nominated for 3 BroadwayWorld Chicago Awards!
Best New Work // Best Director // Best Choreography
Barney the Elf (2016) has been nominated for 3 BroadwayWorld Chicago Awards!
Best Actress in a Musical or Revue // Best Sound Design // Best Scenic Design
Best New Work // Best Director // Best Choreography
Barney the Elf (2016) has been nominated for 3 BroadwayWorld Chicago Awards!
Best Actress in a Musical or Revue // Best Sound Design // Best Scenic Design
STRANGEST THINGS!
april 12 - 20, 2018
Pipe Dreams Studio Theatre at Millikin University will present the collegiate premiere of Strangest Things! The Musical this April. More info soon! |
ASTONREP'S 9TH
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ALTAR BOYZdec 1, 2017 - jan 14, 2018
I'm understudying the role of Mark in Theo Ubique's production of ALTAR BOYZ at the No Exit Cafe. The production is directed by Courtney Crouse, with music direction by Jeremy Ramey and choreography by Sawyer Smith! More info here. |
BARNEY THE ELFnov 17 - dec 30, 2017
The Holiday Hit Returns! "HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!" - Chicago Reader "Sensational!" - AroundTheTownChicago "truly enjoyable..." - Chicago On Stage "BARNEY goes above and beyond..." - ChiILL Live Shows "Theatrical comfort food...BARNEY is worthwile and effervescent." - New Edge Media Network |
BOB:
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THE BONE HOUSE nov 1 - 11, 2017
Sam Hess and I co-direct the US Premiere featuring Erik Burke, Savanna Rae and DQ King in their Random Acts debuts. Tickets & more: www.RandomActsChicago.com. |
LION (workshop) sept. 12 - 25, 2017
Tommy Rivera-Vega will direct a workshop of my brand new play LION, which is inspired by real-life events in the Chicago theatre community. The cast features Sean Gallagher, Carin Silkaitis, Nikkia Tyler and Megan Gill.
SLACKaug 21, 2017
Random Acts presents a one-night-only reading of Slack by Caitlin Turnage, featuring associates Tommy Rivera-Vega, Ben F. Locke and Shannon Webber. It's totally free (with a $5 suggested donation) - join us at Galway Arms with a drink and see a brand new work! More info here. |
OTHER LETTERSaug 2017
Town and Country Players in Buckingham, Pennsylvania present Other Letters by Carin Silkaitis and myself. It has been so wonderful to revisit the characters of Tom and Charlie with Carin as we prepped the script for the new production. More information here! |
march 3 - july 8, 2017
STRANGEST THINGS! THE MUSICAL
EXTENDED AGAIN - NOW THROUGH 7.8!
Lovingly ripped off from the hit Netflix series, Strangest Things! The Musical takes us back to a time when the hair was huge, the music was loud, and parents were nowhere to be found. Co-written with Emily Schmidt and directed by Tommy Rivera-Vega, the Chicago Now recommended production has extended to July 8th, 2017 from the original closing date of April 1st. The production, which stars Molly LeCaptain and Kevin O'Connell, began performances on March 3rd.
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"Highly Recommended"
- The Chicago Reader "truly one of the strangest things you will see." - Broadway World Chicago |
"so many 80's hits are sung fantastically by this talented cast."
- PlaylistHQ "one of the best shows in Chicago" - Chicago-Theater.com |
CHICAGO SKETCHFESTjanuary 12, 2017
Random Acts' hit sketch revue will return for ONE NIGHT ONLY at Chicago Sketchfest! We perform Thursday, Jan. 12th at 8pm. Featuring writing by Emily Schmidt and the cast, including Bryan Renaud, Ben F. Locke, Lucy Chmielewski, Garrett Lutz, Colleen O'Connor and Colleen DeRosa. More info. |
BARNEY THE ELFnov 30, 2016 - jan 1, 2017
RECOMMENDED Chicago Reader, Chicago Tribune, Crain's Chicago Business, The Fourth Walsh, The Hawk Chicago, Stage and Cinema, Around the Town Chicago, Chicago Theatre Beat, Metromix Chicago, Theatre by the Numbers "Barney is back...and hopefully here to stay." -The Hawk Chicago "Recommended! A fun-filled, humorous spoof." -Around the Town Chicago |
AWKWARD FAMILY GATHERINGSdecember 2016
This brand new revue features the talents of Colleen DeRosa, Ben F. Locke, Garrett Lutz, Colleen O'Connor, and Random Acts company members Ayssette Muñoz, Bryan Renaud, Tommy Rivera-Vega, and Becca Russo. Written by Emily Schmidt and the cast! |
TWELFTH NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEADoctober 17, 2016
Random Acts presents a staged reading of my first play, directed by Carin SIlkaitis & featuring Robyn Coffin, Ayssette Muñoz, Darren Patin, Tommy Rivera-Vega, Julane Sullivan, Jake Szczepaniak, Shannon Webber, and Philip Winston. Tickets & more: www.RandomActsChicago.com |
june - july 2016
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april - may 2016
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april 2016
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february 2016
OTHER LETTERS
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"sparks flew...highly recommended"
-The Fourth Walsh "a wonderful modern-day riff on Love Letters" -Windy City Times |
"touching and tender"
-The Chicago Reader "powerfully true and capable of effecting change" -The Hawk Chicago |
Two plays are performed in rep - featuring one gay and one lesbian couple - with a new cast every night in this Valentine's Day production from The Other Theatre Co. Some names involved? Madrid St. Angelo, Mark David Kaplan, Alex Weisman, Janet Ulrich Brooks, Sarah Charipar and more...I'll be performing with Jake Szczpeniak on 2/22. More information here.
2015 in review
This year was awesome, and one of my busiest ever! Thank you for everyone who worked on or supported any one of my projects. Here's a somewhat succinct list of what I was up to, in case you don't feel like scrolling through a bunch of stuff below:
1. I played the role of Hansel in the workshop production of Down the Moonlit Path with Nothing Without a Company.
2. I founded Random Acts, and our inaugural production of All Our Twilight ran through March at Gorilla Tango.
3. I returned for a second tour of The Giver with Greatworks Theatre Company, playing the (dream) role of Jonas.
4. I took my shirt off in Bent with The Other Theatre Company, and only one person left the theatre.
5. I participated in my first ever workshop production as a playwright - The Hole with The Other Theatre Co.
6. I swore a lot in Monkeys, a Chicago premiere from Random Acts - performed inside a real coffee shop.
7. I wrote and directed Ladies Night of the Living Dead which became one of the top-sellers of the Chicago Fringe Festival and transferred to the Pendulum Space, extending for four extra weeks.
8. I collaborated with Emily Schmidt on Barney the Elf, which almost sold out its entire run and will return for Christmas 2016 from TOTC.
9. I joined a touring forum theatre group of young artists presenting depictions of bullying, marginalization & being a bystander and presented an acting workshop to the students at Wheaton North High School.
10. I oversaw the publication of thirty new titles and the licensing of six productions across the country for Chicago Dramaworks.
Thank you for a wonderful 2015. Here's to an equally great 2016!
1. I played the role of Hansel in the workshop production of Down the Moonlit Path with Nothing Without a Company.
2. I founded Random Acts, and our inaugural production of All Our Twilight ran through March at Gorilla Tango.
3. I returned for a second tour of The Giver with Greatworks Theatre Company, playing the (dream) role of Jonas.
4. I took my shirt off in Bent with The Other Theatre Company, and only one person left the theatre.
5. I participated in my first ever workshop production as a playwright - The Hole with The Other Theatre Co.
6. I swore a lot in Monkeys, a Chicago premiere from Random Acts - performed inside a real coffee shop.
7. I wrote and directed Ladies Night of the Living Dead which became one of the top-sellers of the Chicago Fringe Festival and transferred to the Pendulum Space, extending for four extra weeks.
8. I collaborated with Emily Schmidt on Barney the Elf, which almost sold out its entire run and will return for Christmas 2016 from TOTC.
9. I joined a touring forum theatre group of young artists presenting depictions of bullying, marginalization & being a bystander and presented an acting workshop to the students at Wheaton North High School.
10. I oversaw the publication of thirty new titles and the licensing of six productions across the country for Chicago Dramaworks.
Thank you for a wonderful 2015. Here's to an equally great 2016!
DECEMBER 2015
BARNEY THE ELF
The Other Theatre Company is presenting the world premiere of my new musical, Barney the Elf! The play, a parody of the film Elf with a queer twist and a bunch of repurposed pop songs, has been an incredible amount of fun to put together. I was thrilled to collaborate once again with Emily Schmidt (All Our Twilight) who provided almost all of the good lyrics. Yando Lopez and Chicago drag queen sensation Dixie Lynn Cartwright lead the cast. Directed by Carin Silkaitis, with choreography by the incomparable Tommy Rivera- Vega. More information here.
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"Rather endearing [with] surprising emotional payoffs...Renaud and his collaborators may well have a fringe holiday repeat hit to call home for the holidays."
- The Chicago Tribune |
"Ridiculous, open-hearted, trashy and touching."
- The Chicago Reader "With the Holidays upon us, this show is the magic we crave: unrestrained, funny, and very, very gay. " - The Hawk Chicago |
OCTOBER 2015
LADIES NIGHT RETURNS!
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After an enormously successful run at the Chicago Fringe Festival, Ladies Night of the Living Dead will return this October at The Pendulum Space!
FEATURING: Lindsay Stock, Megan Gill, Shannon Webber, Lucy Chmielewski, Chelsea Milligan and Roy Samra We are also welcoming new stage manager Sara Sopko, and production stage manager/sound designer Ashley Pettit. SEATING IS LIMITED - so grab your tickets now! |
SEPTEMBER 2015
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JULY - AUGUST 2015
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JULY 2015
the hole - workshop
Over ten days in July, The Other Theatre Co. will workshop my new play, The Hole, which was commissioned by the company in January of 2014. Since then, several (wildly different) drafts of the play have been read aloud. This is going to be fairly close to the finished product, coming from TOTC sometime in 2016. To say that I'm excited is an understatement. The workshop is directed by TOTC's Resident Dramaturg and Feminist Bad Ass Kelly Howe, and will star Carin Silkaitis who will also play the role in next year's main stage production. More information about the company: www.theothertheatrecompany.com
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JULY 2015
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APRIL - JUNE 2015
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MARCH 2015
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JANUARY 2015
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NOVEMBER 2014
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OCTOBER 2014
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SEPTEMBER 2014
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SEPTEMBER 2014
PROLOGUE THEATRE'S LANDMARK FESTIVAL
I am performing in The Door Game by Raphael Schwartzman, directed by Sonita Surrat! It's an exciting piece and I am sure the other plays in the festival are just as excellent. From what I've heard, we'll be performing during the second week of the festival, September 8-10. Check out Prologue Theatre's website for the most up-to-date info!
AUGUST 2014
CHICAGO STYLE PLAY FEST
The first event from Chicago Dramaworks is sure to quickly become a new tradition. The inaugural Chicago Style Play Festival will feature three plays in various stages of development! All Good Children Go to Heaven, written by M.E.H. Lewis & Barbara Lhota, and co-presented with The Other Theatre Co., Back Home by Nic Wehwrein and co-presented with Coffee & Whiskey, and Daughters of Ire, written and performed by Savanna Rae. All performances are at the gorgeous Vagabond School of the Arts. More info here: www.chicagodramaworks.com
July 2014
Memorial Park Reading
I have joined the cast of Nic Wehrwein's brand new play! We will be presenting a staged reading at the Cornservatory Theater on July 28th, 2014. It's being presented by a brand new theatre company called Coffee & Whiskey...which, coincidentally, are two of my favorite things. More information coming soon!
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March - May 2014
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January - February 2014
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November - December 2013
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November 2013
The Way We Are
This November, my good friend Tina Naponelli will be directing the world premiere of my new one act play, The Way We Are. It will be presented during an evening of One Acts at North Central College. More information coming soon!
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October 2013
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September 2013
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august 2013
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august 2013
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may - june 2013
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may - june 2013
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feb - april 2013
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February-March 2013
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January 2013
Float
This winter, I will be directing the incredible play Float by Chicago playwright Patricia Kane. I had the incredible experience of seeing the world-premiere of the play back in 2010 and the way it made me feel has never left me. I am unbelievably overjoyed to share the play with more people this winter.
Update: I have just found out that I will be working with playwright Patricia Kane to present a revised version of the script. Someone pinch me?
Update #2: Playwright Patricia Kane and original actors Rengin Altay and Adrienne Cury will be attending the closing performance of our production and participating in a talk back with the audience, the new cast of Float and myself! Buy your tickets now while you still can!
Update #3: The show enjoyed a sold-out run! For my directing debut, I am pretty proud.
Update: I have just found out that I will be working with playwright Patricia Kane to present a revised version of the script. Someone pinch me?
Update #2: Playwright Patricia Kane and original actors Rengin Altay and Adrienne Cury will be attending the closing performance of our production and participating in a talk back with the audience, the new cast of Float and myself! Buy your tickets now while you still can!
Update #3: The show enjoyed a sold-out run! For my directing debut, I am pretty proud.
