Andrew Biliter's Revenge Of The Space Pandas

601 Words2 Pages

The chance for a grown man to act alongside a cohort of children as the aging, homeless matinee idol in David Mamet’s “Revenge of the Space Pandas” does not come along very often. So when that opportunity presented itself to Andrew Biliter, he leaped at the chance.

Biliter’s willingness to act in the unorthodox role may not have catapulted him into the limelight as an actor, but it did solidify the trust between him and the founder of Mudlark Theater. Since his onstage debut, Biliter now finds himself working behind the scenes. Now, he is Mudlark’s artistic director, and provides an outlet for Evanston’s young thespians to explore their craft while being respected as genuine artists.

Evanston’s Mudlark Theater does not pander to its young …show more content…

Christina Lepri, Mudlark’s managing director, said his work was great overall, not just great for kids.

“I look at other plays and I think: “This could use some reading,’” Lepri said. “‘This could use some care. This could use Andrew reading it.’”

One Saturday morning, Biliter’s actors gather to rehearse “Ratcatcher,” Mudlark’s adaptation of “The Pied Piper.” A remix of a familiar tale, the play parallels corruption in Chicago and alludes to the Seven Deadly Sins. Despite their age, Biliter does not doubt the children’s ability to tackle this subject matter.

Although he directs children’s theater today, a decade ago, Biliter studied Russian at Carleton College. He dabbled in theater during his time at Evanston Township High School, but in college, the slavic language piqued his interest more than acting. Despite having ADHD, which made him disinterested in some classes, he fell in love with the language so much that he could truly focus on his studies, he said.

His major led him to study in Russia, where he was a reporter and editor for “Russia!” a now-defunct magazine. He spent three years abroad, and eventually, his love of Russian brought him back to the

More about Andrew Biliter's Revenge Of The Space Pandas

Open Document