Shattered Globe Theatre reels in a fishy tale titled Eelpout! for its 35th-season finale at Theater Wit. Playwright Paul William Kruse serves up a story about society and queer identity set in the wilderness.
Longtime friends Sven Svensen and Ole Olson are ice fishing and celebrating Ole’s upcoming wedding at Lake Mille Lacs. The duo swims into unknown territory after liquor and strong feelings become involved in a journey of self-discovery.
Audiences will be hooked thanks to an outstanding comedic cast, including trans actress Jeff Rodriguez, who plays Sven. She became a Shattered Globe ensemble member after performing in two of the company’s productions, Charly Evon Simpson’s Jump and A Tale of Two Cities. She also paid her dues to the troupe in costume designs for Ugly Lies the Bone and Morning, Noon and Night.
Other theater credits for the Illinois State University graduate include As You Like It for Writers’ Theatre, Revolutions at Goodman Theater and The Comedy of Errors at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, among others.
Rodriguez talked about her experience after the show on opening night.
Windy City Times: Where are you originally from?
Jeff Rodriguez: I am from the South Side of Chicago, right outside of Oak Lawn.
WCT: Did you grow up performing in plays?
JR: I did local community theater and high school theater.
WCT: How did you become a Shattered Globe Theatre ensemble member?
JR: I had a couple of friends who were in the ensemble. They were doing a play called Jump a few years back and a character reminded them of me. I decided to audition.
I was taking photographs for the community around that time and they had hired me as a photographer for their season. I photographed three shows and they brought me in to perform in Jump. It has been beautiful ever since and I love this group of people.
WCT: Does it feel like your destiny to be here?
JR: I feel like they picked the perfect role for me and they know me well.
WCT: How would you describe your character Sven’s situation in Eelpout!?
JR: Sven is at a big fork in the road and he is having a reckoning about who he is. His friends are moving on and growing up. He started realizing that he doesn’t want all of the same things his friends want.
He learns that the person he has been in love with for so long is not a possibility and may not be right for him, like he originally thought.
When he doesn’t want all of the traditional things, then he has to decide what he wants.
WCT: Do you look at seafood differently after starring in Eelpout!?
JR: No, I have actually eaten more sushi lately.
WCT: Did you research ice fishing for this show?
JR: We had a great dramaturg for this project, Grace Herman, who gave us a ton of information. Our director, Jeremy Ohringer, and the writer of Eelpout! Paul W. Kruse went to Minnesota to go ice fishing.
WCT: Were you familiar with the eelpout fish before this play?
JR: No, I had never heard it before. I was told it was a fish that lives in lakes, and that people from Minnesota know about it.
WCT: Is “ball-peen hammer” a descriptive term for a person, as it is used in the script?
JR: I guess so. The playwright has all kinds of cute jokes. Calling someone a ball-peen hammer is like saying they have a loose screw.
WCT: Are you a drinker? There are a lot of drinking games in this piece.
JR: Yes. We tried to make sure that we were not playing drunk because these characters were seasoned drinkers.
WCT: What’s next after the run of the show?
JR: I am working on my photography for actors’ headshots. My website is based on my original Polish name jeffkuryszphotography.com.
Eelpout! breaks the ice at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., from now until May 30. For tickets and information, visit sgtheatre.org or call 773-975-8150.