¡Ole!

Greetings Fans!

Spring has come and gone and come again; and with Spring have come several TV shows filming in Chicago. Our favorite actress has been booked to work an upscale party scene for the ABC pilot of Matadors, which is a Romeo and Juliet-style legal drama, starring Michelle Borth and Zach Gilford. No word yet on when Matadors is scheduled to air, but of course you will find out right here when we know!

Atmosphere Casting is handling the extras casting for Matadors. Follow the link if you would like to submit your information for consideration for this, or future projects.

Carol Immortalized as Sissie Brockman

Greetings Fans!

Back in March 2009, Carol appeared in Tales of Darkest Suburbia, at Riverfront Playhouse in Aurora. Carol played Sissie Brockman in the tale in Act 1 called The Rubbing.

As this was the premier stage performance of this play, the original cast and crew have been immortalized in the printed script.

You can check out the whole script on the site here.

Chicago Overcoat

It's a coffin... look it up. Chicago Overcoat screened in Chicago last week, and Carol and I were on hand for the gala event. Carol worked as an extra in the film, although unfortunately, we were unable to spot her on screen.

At the screening of Chicago Overcoat

Despite Carol's tragic absence from the screen, we both thought it was very well done. It has a well-written compelling plot with a great cast, including Chicago local Danny Goldring as the acerbic chain-smoking veteran cop.

Official Trailer

We would give it two thumbs-up, if that phrase was not a registered trademark of Roger Ebert.

I Am Unanimous In This!

Greetings fans!

Are You Being Served? is in its second week of performances, and you have only four more opportunities to experience it. George Rawlinson, formerly of the Elgin Courier News writes:

"... On a recent Saturday evening, local audience members rooted for almost all of the breezy characters, including Miss Brahams and Mrs. Slocombe, vibrantly played by Kimberly Downing and Carol Townsend, who offers a beguiling blend of deadpan dynamism and somewhat smart-alecky sexual innuendo."

That's my girl!

If you are free this Friday (January 15), a large party of Carol's friends and family will be descending on Elgin to see the show. Mrs. Slocombe would love to see you there!

The show is at 8:00pm, January 15, 16, 22 and 23, at the Kimball Street Theater in the Rider Center of Elgin Academy. Tickets are $15 for adults or $12 for children and seniors. You can purchase at the door, or online here.

Are You Free...?

I'm free! The snow has stopped falling and the roads should be clear, so if you are free tonight, why not head on out to Elgin to see Carol as Mrs. Slocombe in Are You Being Served?

Are You Being Served? opens tonight at the Kimball Street Theater in the Rider Center of Elgin Academy, in Elgin. I will be there tonight, but if you can't make it tonight, you have five more opportunities: January 9, 15, 16, 22 and 23; Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm.

Tickets are $15 for adults or $12 for children and seniors. You can purchase tickets at the door, or online here.

Christmas Carol and a Call From Santa

Merry Christmas Fans!

Having just played Meredith, the Christmas Cougar in Seven Plays in Seven (Holi)Days, Christmas Carol continues her journalistic theme in the following interview with M.C. Antil from Santa 1-on-1.

With Santa 1-on-1, Santa will call your child on your schedule for a personal conversation. Save $5 on a Christmas Eve call from Santa when you become a fan on Facebook.

Seven Plays in Seven (Holi)days

Happy Holidays!

As we approach the Christmas season, Carol just can't find enough things to keep her busy. Not only is she in rehearsal for Are You Being Served? which opens next month, and handing out Hershey's Bliss during the holiday shopping rush... she has been cast in the n.u.f.a.n. ensemble's production, Seven Plays in Seven Holi-Days. Carol will be playing Meredith in a play entitled, Christmas With The Cougars.

The performance includes seven short plays, which the actors have seven days to learn and perform. The show is Monday, 12/14/09 at 8:00pm at the City Lit Theatre, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., in Chicago. Tickets are only $7.77... that's only $1.11 per play! Where else can you enjoy an evening of live entertainment for such a low-low price?!

The show is one night only and tickets do sell out, so buy yours online today! You can reserve them from the n.u.f.a.n. ensemble web site here. See you there!

Black Friday Bliss

Greetings Fans!

If you're planning to brave the crowds this coming Friday and hit the shopping malls for that perfect gift, why not take a break from the madness to enjoy some holiday Bliss? Carol will be at the Gurnee Mills shopping mall on Black Friday, acting as a Hershey’s Bliss® Ambassador. She will be handing out samples of "the uniquely irresistible, smooth, creamy, perfectly portioned, Hershey’s Bliss® chocolate."

In the meanwhile, Carol and I wish everyone a very blessed Thanksgiving!

Are You Being Served?

Greetings Fans!

As we head into the holiday season, Carol is starting rehearsal for a new show. Carol has been cast as Mrs. Slocombe in Are You Being Served? with the Elgin Theatre Company. You may recognize the title as a British sitcom from the 1970s. The play is a British farce, and takes place in the fictional Grace Brothers Department Store, and Mrs. Slocombe is the head of the Ladies Separates & Underwear department.

It will be worth the price of admission just to see Carol with purple hair! The show will be at the Kimball Street Theater in the Rider Center of Elgin Academy, in Elgin. Show dates are January 8, 9, 15, 16, 22 and 23; Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm.

Tickets are $15 for adults or $12 for children and seniors. You can purchase tickets online here.

Table and Chairs 2009

Greetings Fans!

After a six month absence from the stage, Carol has been cast in the upcoming third annual Table and Chairs Festival, hosted by n.u.f.a.n. ensemble.

Table and Chairs consists of ten one-act plays which use a table and chairs as the only set pieces. Carol will appear in one of the ten plays entitled Roles for Breakfast. The show is for two nights only: Tuesday, October 20th and Wednesday, October 21st, 8:00pm. at the City Lit Theatre, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr in Chicago.

Tickets are only $10-- that's only $1 per play!! Where else can you receive so much entertainment for so little? Tickets can be reserved here. See you there!

Crossing The Lake

Carol adds another film to her dramatic oeuvre with an appearance in Crossing the Lake, an independent film by the Caledonia Night Sky Co. Carol plays Debbie, the sickly over-protective mother of the main character, Patrick. Carol's scenes were filmed in Rockford this past weekend.

Here are some production photos from the initial read through and Carol's bedroom scene (get your mind out of the gutter).

Crossing the Lake is scheduled to premiere in Spring 2010. You can follow them on Facebook here.

Tales Tombstones Tell

Greetings Dear Fans,

Have you ever had the urge to just take a stroll through a local graveyard? Have you ever wordlessly wandered through a cemetery and winsomely wondered who might be buried there? Have you ever wished there might be an experienced costumed interpreter at your local cemetery, ready to regale you with tales of the entombed?

Wish and wonder no more, gentle reader... your wish has been granted!

This Friday evening, you can experience all of the above at the 20th annual Tales Tombstones Tell, at the Oakwood Cemetery in West Chicago. Our own Carol Townsend will be among the costumed interpreters ready to educate and entertain you to death!

The cemetery is located at the Northeast corner of Oakwood and York Avenues in West Chicago:


View Larger Map

As described in the West Chicago Community Newsletter (PDF link):

Mark your calendars for the 20th annual Tales Tombstones Tell program presented by the West Chicago City Museum on Friday, October 2, 2009 at Oakwood Cemetery. Enjoy an evening stroll, with lanterns and luminaria lighting the paths through West Chicago’s oldest cemetery. Costumed interpreters will reveal the life stories of selected former residents buried in Oakwood. Tours begin at 6:30 p.m. and start off thereafter every 10 minutes, with the last tour starting at 7:45 p.m. Tours last about 45 minutes, and no reservations are necessary. The program is appropriate for families, is based on historical fact and does not contain ghost stories. Although the program is free, donations are encouraged. In case of inclement weather, the program will be cancelled. The Museum is looking for folks who have attended all previous 19 years of Tales Tombstones Tell programs. Please contact the Museum at (630) 231-3376 or email museum@westchicago.org.

Story Time

Gather 'round boys and girls... it's time for a story!

Are your kids tired of the pre-packaged and saccharin entertainment of Spongebob and Blues Clues? Wouldn't you love to have a live group of professional actors come and entertain them for hours? Carol entralls children of all ages (or at least grades 3-6) with exciting and educational stories from The Mystery Shop. You can view more photos of the children's show here.

If you're in need of some high-energy children's entertainment, why not give the Mystery Shop a call? Be sure to ask for Carol by name, and you can get $20 off by clicking here.

You can contact the Mystery Shop at (630) 690-1105 or e-mail them at tms@TheMysteryShop.com.

I've Got a Fever

Carol shifts her focus from economic stimulus to healthcare as she dons her lab coat to appear as a model pharmacist in some internal corporate brochures for Walgreens. Now that's health care reform I can get behind! Keep watching the blog for samples of the photos once we get them.

Providing Economic Stimulus

Welcome Fans!

We all know that businesses have been hurting due to the ongoing economic downturn. Amidst bankruptcies, buyouts and bailouts, one bank in particular may be buoyed by that special something that Carol brings to the table. This past week, Carol returned to her acting roots and worked as an extra in a commercial for Harris Bank, which filmed at the United Center. While not the focus of attention, look for Carol's subtle, yet palpable presence in the skybox while Benny the Bull does his thing. No word yet on when or where the commercial may be aired, but you can be sure we will mention when it does.

In other news, Carol has been cast in an upcoming independent film titled Crossing the Lake, by The Caledonia Night Sky Co. Stay tuned for more details as they develop.

Hot For Teacher

Greetings Fans!

I hope your summer is passing slower than it seems to be for me!

Carol has been taking some time off from theater and film in favor of honing her craft (taking some classes) and "playing doctor" (or more accurately, playing patient), working at Kaplan Medical as a standardized patient. But, that doesn't mean we have nothing to mention here!

Several months ago, Carol worked on a Northwestern University student film called Andante. We had the pleasure of seeing the movie screened a few weeks ago, and really enjoyed it. The film was written and directed by Thor Rudebeck, and stars Joe Sinopoli, Drigan Lee, Nick Gertonson, Hannah Greene, Tracey Cook and of course, Carol. You can view the film trailer here.

You can view Carol's performance as the school teacher, Mrs. Zillmer, right here:

Miss Ohio Wins Big in Hollywood!

Greetings Fans!
As blogged last month, Miss Ohio was screened at the Dances With Films festival in Hollywood earlier this month. I am pleased to report that Miss Ohio was awarded top honors in the Features category, the Grand Jury Award!! You can read about it on their web site here.

Samantha Simon and Gregory Fitzsimmons accept the Grand Jury Award

at Dances With Films 2009. Photo courtesy of Samantha Simon.

Miss Ohio was written and directed by Gregory Fitzsimmons, and produced by Gregory Fitzsimmons and James Francis Flynn. Accepting the award at the Dances With Films festival were Gregory Fitzsimmons, and lead actress Samantha Simon (Carol Townsend was regrettably unavailable).

Congratulations to all who were involved in Miss Ohio!!

Miss Ohio Goes to LA

Hello Fans!

I know, it has been weeks since we had any news. After doing two plays back-to-back, Carol has been taking it easy and relaxing, and news has been slow. Aside from working for Kaplan Medical as a standardized patient, and the occasional Olay promotion, Carol has been living the life of leisure!

Carol Townsend (left) and Samantha Simon, in Miss Ohio

That said, here is some news about one of Carol's past works. The independent film, Miss Ohio, is being screened in LA at the Dances With Films Festival. The screening is at the Sunset 5 Theatre in West Hollywood on June 8th, at 7:15pm. Get your tickets now!

Who's the hot blonde?

Marla Gusler (as Minnie Swisher) and Carol (as Sissy Brockman)

Tales From Darkest Suburbia at Riverfront Playhouse is half-way through its run. If you have not seen the show yet, you only have until April 25th (but don't forget-- Carol will not be appearing on Aopril 17/18). The show was mentioned in the online Beacon News. Carol appears above (fans will recognize the "Babs" wig, from Prison Break as shown here) as Sissy Brockman, in a tale entitled: "The Rubbing".

I will be at the show on April 24. If you would like to join, just let me know! You can reserve tickets by calling the theater at (630) 897-9496.

Tales From Darkest Suburbia

Greetings Fans!
Having just finished Key For Two at the Riverfront Playhouse, Carol is once again back in Aurora, appearing in their next production, Tales From Darkest Suburbia, by Edward Crosby Wells.

This show is... "a black comedy constructed in seven interconnected tales that explore the typical quirks associated with American Suburbia—murder, adultery, blackmail, kidnapping, cutthroat art critics, dismemberment, devious financial advisers, cannibalism, back-stabbing divas, flesh eating perfume, Tallulah Bankhead and the nature of reality." (excerpted from the playwright's Myspace page)

Carol appears in the opening tale and plays Sissie Brockman, whom Carol describes as "a little bit Clairee, a little bit Blanche Devereaux, and a whole lot Theodore Bagwell." I will leave it to you, gentle reader, to determine what that means.


Beware, the understudy! For the weekend of April 17-18, Carol and I will be out of town (heading down south for our annual Thunder Over Louisville trip), so Carol will not be on stage for those performances. While I am certain her understudy will do a fabulous job, if your intent is to see Carol, you will want to avoid the April 17 and 18 shows.

Tales From Darkest Suburbia opens at the Riverfront Playhouse in Aurora this Friday, March 20 and runs through Saturday April 25. Shows are Friday and Saturday nights at 8:00pm. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors/students. You can reserve tickets by calling the box office at (630) 897-9496. See you at the show!