Congratulations to Idle Muse Theatre Company on the opening of their production of The Three Musketeers, by Robert Kauzlaric, directed by Evan Jackson. Distant Era photographed The Three Musketeers on March 25. The Three Musketeers opens March 28 and runs through April 25, 2026 at the Edge Off-Broadway Theater in Chicago.
Idle Muse’s synopsis of the play goes as follows:
…And One For All
Idle Muse celebrates 20 years of productions with The Three Musketeers. Based on Alexander Dumas’ celebrated 1844 novel, the Jeff Award-winning Robert Kauzlaric adapts the French tale of swashbuckling intrigue, adventure and fellowship as newly-minted musketeer D’Artagnan and the famous “three inseparables,” Athos, Porthos and Aramis take on the machinations of a scheming cardinal and his minions.
Summary of The Three Musketeers from the Idle Muse Theatre Company website.
Memories
I first saw Robert Kazlauric’s adaptation of The Three Musketeers thirteen years ago at Lifeline Theatre Company in Rogers Park, the second time the play was produced. The playwright has made some changes for Idle Muse’s production, but with the distance of thirteen years, an entirely different cast, production team, and theatre, I’m unlikely to remember the details. Several friends starred in the Lifeline production. Several different friends star in the Idle Muse production. In both productions, the role of Milady has been played by one of my regular gaming buddies.
Photography
Press/production photography for The Three Musketeers went smoothly, with stage manager Lindsey Chidester creating a list of important shots and a smaller list of nice-to-have shots, if time allows. As scheduling complications for the shots came, Lindsey expertly moved shots around so that all the desired shots were completed on schedule, as well as the additional nice-to-have ones. Years of working together has made this process straightforward, familiar, and adaptable. Innovations in technology make photos easier to capture in various lighting situations. Above all, the collective and evolving experience of everyone involved makes for easy communication and a more or less relaxed, yet focused, environment where everyone understands the mission and the time we have allotted to complete it.
Afterward, I grimace at the excess of new pictures on my memory card and return to my editing station to sift through all those shots in search of the images that will best attract attention to the production. After years of practice—and from a few years laying out publications, posters, and brochures—I have a sense for what those are. Conversations with James Juliano of Shout Chicago have helped me learn how to shoot and format for press.
Cast and Creative Teams
Thanks as always to the stellar talent within Idle Muse Theatre Company. We wish you a wonderful opening and a happy two decades creating amazing storefront theatre in Chicago. Tickets and showtimes for The Three Musketeers are available here.
Here is the full list of cast and creative team for The Three Musketeers as it appears on Idle Muse Theatre Company’s website as of this writing.
CAST: Troy Schaeflein (D’Artagnan), Jack Sharkey (Athos) Boomer Lusink (Porthos), Xavier Lagunas (Aramis), Jennifer Mohr (Milady), Joel Thompson (Rochefort), Eric Duhon (Richelieu), Benjamin Jouras (Louis XIII/Buckingham), Erik Schnitger (Treville), Vanessa Copeland (Jane Felton/Bonacieux), Brendan Hutt (Laporte), Sam Neel (Combat Ensemble), Jamie Redwood (Constance), Caty Gordon (Queen Anne), Ian Saderholm (u/s D’Artagnan) Elise Soeder (u/s Milady), Emily Pfriem (u/s Constance, u/s Jane Felton), Emely Cuestas (u/s Queen Anne); Alex George (u/s Porthos), Malachi Marrero (u/s Rochefort), Rick Adams (u/s Combat Ensemble), Derek Preston Ray (u/s Louis XIII/Buckingham), and Alex Hultman (u/s Laporte, u/s Aramis)
CREATIVE: Robert Kauzlaric (playwright), Evan Jackson (director), Kati Lechner (production manager, health and safety officer), Lindsey Chidester (stage manager), Libby Beyreis (assistant director, violence director), Brendan Hutt (violence director), Erin Alys (intimacy director), Jeremiah Barr (technical director, master carpenter), Tristan Brandon (health and safety officer, props designer), Becky Warner (props designer), Beth Bruins (assistant stage manager); Emma Rund (dramaturg), Laura J. Wiley (lighting designer), L.J. Luthringer (sound designer and composer), Vicki Jablonski (costume designer), Breezy Snyder (scenic painter), Mara Kovacevic (house manager), Mario Mazzetti (dialect and voice direction), Elizabeth Macdougald (rehearsal fight coach), Caty Gordon (marketing & social media), and Michael Dalberg (literary director)
