Our Fair City

Loyal Policies: as we work diligently on Season Seven of Our Fair City, we thought we’d take a moment to answer questions about our show from Policies Like You. We got way more questions than we could handle in a single podcast, so we’ll be answering your queries over the next few weeks—if you submitted a question and didn’t hear it answered here, sit tight–we will most likely answer it in the next session.

Special thanks to Smilodonmeow, Soap-lady, Jdimpson, Ashleythedragon, Belanekra, Snail_army, G2 the Irish Pianist, Krund the Barbarian, and everyone else who sent a question in!

Produced by Jeffrey Gardner. Photo by Sebastian Orr Photography. Recording Engineering by Mel Ruder, A huge thank you to our sponsor for this episode, Cards Against Humanity!

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Loyal Policies: listen and remember, as we recount the true events that nearly destroyed the sanctity and security of our Tower. Savor these words, as we bring the sixth seasonal retelling of the Historical Records of the HartLife corporation to a close.

Season Seven of Our Fair City will begin in the Spring of 2016. Stay tuned until then for blooper reels, behined the scenes recordings, and more.

Written by Mark Soloff. Directed by Jeffrey Gardner. Sound Design by Ryan Schile. Music by Stephen Poon. Episode art by Jess Cwik.  Produced by David Rheinstrom. Recording Engineering by Mel Ruder, Production Management by Betsey Palmer. Created by Clayton Faits. A huge thank you to our sponsor for this episode, Capsule Force!

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Every year, the Loyal Policies of HartLife celebrate Exclusion Day: the day the glorious founders of the Company sealed the tower away from the cold, Wolves, and dangers of the Outside, protecting their Policies from here to eternity. By Excluding the outside world, Loyal Policies would never be exposed to dangers like Free Thought, New Ideas, or Innovation.

This musical episode was recorded live at iO Chicago with Improvised Star Trek on December 18, 2015.

We'd like to make a special note here: this Holiday season, the themes of exclusion, refugees, and societal control through xenophobia are everywhere in the news. We'd like to take the opportunity to raise awareness for several great organizations that are working to provide opportunities and help for refugees in American and around the world.

Here in Chicago, we'd recommend supporting RefugeeOne, which you can learn more about at refugeeone.org--they're a great organization dedicated to creating opportunities for refugees fleeing war, terror, and persecution to build new lives of safety, dignity, and self-reliance.  Globally, Doctors without Borders is a fantastic organization, helping people worldwide where the need is greatest, delivering emergency medical aid to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from health care. You can find their organization online at doctorswithoutborders.org.  Finally, we recommend supporting the TransLatin@ Coalition, whose mission is to advocate for the specific needs of Trans Latin@ immigrants who reside in the US and plan advocacy strategies that would improve their quality of life. Support them and learn more at http://www.translatinacoalition.org.

Written by Clayton Faits, Makena Levine, and David Rheinstrom. Directed by Betsey Palmer. Episode art by Sebastian Orr Photography. Produced by Clayton Faits. Recording Engineering by Mel Ruder, and Clayton Faits. A huge thank you to our sponsor for this episode, Cards Against Humanity!

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The Waters are Coming. As the denizens of the tunnels grapple with the impending destruction of their underground home, we are left to wonder: who will survive? Who will escape? How will the glorious HartLife company continue without the support of its tunnel-dwellers?

Fear not, Loyal Policies. HartLife always survies.

Written by Clayton Faits. Directed by Jeffrey Gardner. Sound Design by Ryan Schile. Music by Stephen Poon. Episode art by Steph Charaska. Produced by David Rheinstrom and Clayton Faits. Recording Engineering by Mel Ruder, Production Management by Betsey Palmer. Created by Clayton Faits. A huge thank you to our sponsor for this episode, Field Notes!

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Charles Wynn: Project Manager, loyal policy, and hero of small children everywhere. Many stories have been told about his life, his works, his efforts on behalf of the company. Perhaps some of you rarefied listeners in the Tower may even have known him personally. For the first time ever, we are pleased to bring you an accurate recounting of his time Outside during the Ant Wars.

Loyal Policies, no matter what you hear, be it from the Hendersonian Occupiers, Outsider Invaders, or even from the mouth of Charles Wynn himself, remeber: the Outside is Cold, and full of Wolves. You cannot survive without HartLife. You can not.

Written by Clayton Faits. Directed by Jeffrey Gardner. Sound Design by Ryan Schile. Music by Stephen Poon. Episode Art by Dan Streeting. Produced by David Rheinstrom and Clayton Faits. Recording Engineering by Mel Ruder, Production Management by Betsey Palmer. Created by Clayton Faits. A huge thank you to our sponsor for this episode, Cards against Humanity!

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The Doctor Montgomery Moro Museum and Memorial House remains a hotbed of unapproved science, illegal cohabitation, and fraternization with MolePeople as the survivors of the Ant Invasion hole up and try to survive. Will noble, productive Project Manager Charles Wynn teach them the errors of their ways, or will they continue their slide into infamy? Find out, as the story of Our Fair City...continues.

Written by David Rheinstrom. Directed by Jeffrey Gardner. Sound Design by Ryan Schile. Music by Stephen Poon. Episode Art by Dann Tincher. Produced by David Rheinstrom and Jeffrey Gardner. Recording Engineering by Mel Ruder, Production Management by Betsey Palmer. Created by Clayton Faits. A huge thank you to our sponsor for this episode, Know Your Company!

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Finally: a recording of the traditional murder ballad Henry Lee, popularized by Dick Justice (and more recently) Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

Henry Lee

Traditional Murder Ballad.  Produced by Jeffrey Gardner. Recording Engineering by Mel Ruder.

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A Halloween ode to Chicago's favorite liquor, which you should absolutely try if you have never had the pleasure. 

The Spirit of Chicago

Written by Ele Matelan. Directed by Jeffrey Gardner. Sound Design by DJ Catnip. Episode Art by Dann Tincher. Produced by Jeffrey Gardner. Recording Engineering by Mel Ruder.

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This Halloween, HartLife NFP is happy to share a trio of ghoulish short audio pieces: Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Conqueror Worm,’ Ele Matelan’s “The Spirit of Chicago,’ and the murder ballad “Henry Lee.”

Part 1 of 3: The Conqueror Worm

Written by Edgar Allan Poe. Directed by Jeffrey Gardner. Produced by Jeffrey Gardner. Recording Engineering by Mel Ruder, Music recorded by Ira Ochs. A huge thank you to our sponsor for this episode, MakeSpace!

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We are excited to share a live recording of our 2015 Chicago Fringe Festival show, "Human Resources." Thanks to the Fringe Festival for being amazing hosts to our work- learn more about the festival at chicagofringe.org

Written by Kat Evans and Ele Matelan. Directed by Jennifer Olson. Live Foley Devised and Performed by Ele Matelan. Music and Electronic Environment by Mel Ruder, Music Direction by Betsey Palmer. Episode image from the 2015 Chicago Fringe Festival by Jenna Braunstein. Created by Clayton Faits. A huge thank you to our sponsor for this episode, Iron Galaxy!

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