New Millennium Theatre Company of Chicago

Scooby-Doo Mystery Theatre

Adapted and Directed by Chad Wise
June 22, 2000 - August 12, 2000
Boxer Rebellion Theater

Scooby-Doo Mystery Theatre was a script and improvisation based experience taking episodes from the classic TV series and giving them a decidedly 90’s twist. The cartoon exploits of Fred , Daphne, Velma, Shaggy & Scooby came to life before the audiences' eyes only slightly different than you remember them.

CAST

Fred Jones	Bryan Dawidowicz
Daphne Blake	Jill Thiel
Velma Dinkley	Zenna Gustafson
Norville "Shaggy" Rogers	Brett A. Coy*
Scooby-Doo	Tim Alhberg*
Penrod Stillwall/ Bank Guard/Hermit/ Sheriff	A. Firestone Mulvaney*
Asa Shanks/ Mr. Carswell	Christopher Maag

*Denotes New Millennium Theatre Company Member

CREW

Director	Chad Wise*
Assistant Director Lighting Designer	Allison Schaffer*
Set Designer	James D. Smith*
Costume Designer	Martti Nelson*
Sound Designer/ Light and Sound Board Operator	Ed Gass
Video Production	I C Productions
Graphic Designer/ Running Crew	Stacie Long
Running Crew	Victor Solorzano

DIRECTOR'S NOTE

Scooby-Doo changed my life. I'm sure my story will resonate with many of you. The 1970's and early 80's. Saturday mornings. Donuts or Cap'n Crunch or Cookie Crisp. Up at the crack of dawn watching cartoons. While most of these I wouldn't remember if you reminded me, one stood apart from the pack. Scooby Doo. I'm not sure if it was the spooky elements of the macabre, Daphne's short skirts, the groovy tunes or Daphne's short skirts, but Scooby stuck with me as a true influence of my formative years. It's because of this influence that you are about to experience this production because, while I love the show dearly, There was always something about it that didn't add up. Shaggy was hungry ALL the time. Fred & Daphne went off on their own an AWFUL lot. If there's no such things as ghosts, how can there be a dog that talks? Somehow all these things were connected. Then it hit me. What if Scooby wasn't really a dog? What if he was just the fifth member of their gang, but due to some outside...influence...they saw him, interacted with him as if he were a great dane? While I consider this show a true homage, it also asks some questions that you may not be ready to answer........
-Chad Wise

REVIEW

The Chicago Reader By Kim Wilson
Bring your jammies and a bowl of cereal to this grown up but authentic reenactment of the Saturday morning classic, expertly adapted and directed by Chad Wise. Wise piles the whole gang – Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and of course Scooby – into their pink and green flowered Mystery Machine for two adventurous episodes complete with headless monster, hidden treasure, out of context celebrity guest appearances, and criminals shaking their fists at “those meddling kids!” The twist: Scooby’s not really a dog, a fact lost on his companions – he’s a potty mouthed stoner with a wicked sense of humor and deep ganja-induced insights into the others (Velma’s not getting any, and pretty boy Fred has sexual identity issues).
Given the title, I did not have high expectations. However, certified Scoobologist Wise has hit upon a hilarious combination of vintage cartoon effects, lowbrow humor, and surprise. The casting, either a stroke of genius or luck, is dead on. In fact, Zenna Gustafson (Velma) with her tight, shrieky voice and bug-eyed expressions may actually be a cartoon. Posing and mugging, the group makes it way through scene after scene of bad TV dialogue and video chase sequences through the loop, Navy Pier and other parts of town, set to the same 70s hippy music as the original. Zoinks! I think it’s groovy!