Reflections on Summer Chills – Q&A with Alley Theatre’s Resident Acting Company
To celebrate 30 years of Summer Chills, we chatted with the Resident Acting Company performing in And Then There Were None about what this Houston and Alley staple means to them. Here’s what they had to say!
Elizabeth Bunch
The original purpose of Summer Chills being part of our season means so much to me. Before my time as an actor in the Resident Company, there were no shows in the summer. The theater added these mysteries because of the actor driven nature of the storytelling. They created opportunities for the actors to keep working and growing. It turns out the audiences loved them too. So, they have become one of the most exciting offerings in our season!
Dylan Godwin
I love being a part of Summer Chills for so many reasons! “Chills” started as an effort to keep the Acting Company employed during the summer, when many theatres are dark, because of this it feels like an event that is special and specific to the history of our group! Chills also brings in audiences that may only see our summer programming, so it feels like a wonderful opportunity to shepherd new faces into our seats!
Chris Hutchison
Our audience and their deep and joyful engagement are what I love most about summer chills. I have been here a long time. Chills always reminds me of the great actors, directors, designers, and friends that had a hand in making Summer Chills what it has become.
Melissa Molano
I love Summer Chills because it’s an exciting way to beat the Texas heat. I grew up here in Houston and personally love a whodunit and Agatha Christie. So, for me, it’s a fun outing to solve the mystery with friends, family, and fellow audience members. Being a part of my first Summer Chills was a dream, and now to be a suspicious Agatha gal for a third time is not only a thrill, but an honor. The Alley has always excelled in bringing mysteries to life, and I’m so excited for audiences to experience And Then There Were None – a mystery that beautifully features the actors in this company, but also leaves the audience to play detective. It’s every person for themselves on this island.
David Rainey
Summer Chills means summer fun – of the suspenseful variety. It’s a time to get out of the summer heat and cool off to a chilling tale of mystery and murder. Summer Chills is highly anticipated for Alley audiences and an intriguing invitation for newcomers. I love the challenge of trying to genuinely excite and thrill audiences; there is no better way to engage a crowd than with an Agatha Christie murder mystery.
Christopher Salazar
It’s great fun to be a part of Summer Chills and to, every year, give Houstonians something they’ve never experienced before: whether they are a new Alley Audience member, being “chilled” for the first time, or others who’ve been coming since the start of this special tradition.
Todd Waite
“Go big or go home” some long-timers (I’ve done over 20 Summer Chills) proclaim this as the ideology for the most fun, generous, playful, acting slot of the year. Somebody makes a bold choice and someone shouts, “I smell what you’re cooking!” It’s Summer Chills where we can let our hair down and truly “play.” The audience picks up on that energy and offers us one of the greatest joys of the season!
