Beau is a founding member and co-Artistic Director of the Curious Theatre Branch and the bands Maestro Subgum and the Whole and The Crooked Mouth, as well as a curator of the Rhinoceros Theater Festival for thirty years. His work has appeared at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Poetry Foundation, and on This American Life. The author of more than eighty original plays, O’Reilly is also a working actor who teaches playwriting at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His latest solo album, Thrifty was released on Uvulittle Records in 2021.
Some things of Beau:
Photo by Jeffrey Bivens
-Generous book passings from one to another, and the keeping of track of who likes which mystery, and who reads fast and slow, and who will enjoy which one.-Car conversations, both deep and silly, shouted over open windows, or into malfunctioning cells, while riding between things or to things far away. Also music being listened to. -Ability to groove-the one where the two hands are moving like paws and the feets are shuffling-Nostrils flare-watch out!-The big C (ommittment)-“its ok, the selfishness, but what else? I mean its ok but its not enough.” -(those two upward pointing braids!)-“I was already doing that, but thank-you, I'll try it.”-“I'm coming. To see the work.” -“If you see me backstage, don't talk to me.”-(those eyes, how they narrow or grow large, and when)-the impromptu between-songs storytelling, his expert weaving, especially when you think "where is THIS going" and then he brings it round and ties it all up in a perfect and satisfying way. -beau the master mentor mensch - always ready to offer advice and support and create opportunities for other artists -no one plays a cane like this guy-the many faces of lefty fizzle, the memories of which delight me to this day-Luxurious Gibson-girl locks, brushed outside of a friend's car (and not inside) upon request, stray hairs gathered up and dropped into the wind for birds to make their nests… That magical chia pet hair that would be shaved off repeatedly for Merton and miraculously be down Past his ears in 2 months.-Absolute refusal to stop making weirdo jokes and jive-talk when a friend is in a serious grumpy mood; true reminder that things are not so bad-Knowledge of recording history and biographical details of any banjo, harmonica, blues guitar player who happens by on the radio-the car rides, the quizzical dialogues about favorite books and authors, always surprising me with the depth of Beau's reading-the crumbs and coffee spills in the car seat after said car rides-that time, long ago, when Beau in the middle of rehearsing a Merton scene (at his house of course) took a paperback he had borrowed (DeLillo's Americana) down from the shelf and gave it to me: "this is yours, Jeff"-the big-heartedness, Beau has a lot of friends and he makes room in his heart for all of them-the enthusiasm for ductball, no matter how few or many are present-"too much mustard" and "defer to the congressman": phrases I will remember and repeat-Never being too tired to give good phone call-The special relationship with transit drivers leading to many good stories over dinners and in rehearsals-Listener par extraordinaire- to students, colleagues, sufferers, friends alike-always finding or creating a new project when he sees my art practice floundering. -Giving us the phrase 'Disturbance with a Clown'.-being willing to tell the hard truth and then staying to help pick up the pieces. -staying up half the night at the theatre to run lines for Godot. And then standing on the corner of Addison and Elston past 3am, determined to wait for a cab to pass, enjoying the conversation. -his propensity for wandering off and disappearing in the hour before going onstage. Doing that while touring Merton, so we would all get lost trying to find him on an unknown college campus. -his ability to keep a joke going for decades.-sitting in his office at saic, listening to the Bulls game on the radio. (Having him teach me how to follow the basketball game on the radio)-The stories. All the stories. -watching him eat that carrot in the corner in Godot. -arguing over the duct ball count. -talking about books. We have all said this. He is the best person to talk about books with. -his fantastic cane solos -onions in the potatoes-fake smile secret understandings of hate from across the room-stoical to physical pain in ways that astound-twisty word play fantasias offered up to vastly different music makers still end up all sounding like a Beau song-style evolution from jelly sandals to tasseled loafers-best under the basket D of all time-2 finger typist gets more done than anybody else-visible surrender of will to explode while suffering fools not gladly-the handwriting….the handwriting-2nd sense assurance that all is ok when the freakout is at its peak-preternatural sweetness deliveries just at the right moment-The gleam in his eyes when you're singing harmony with him.-His instigating with the childrens.-Growing any amount of hair from anywhere on his head at will.-When he violently eschews the microphone for the last chorus of Venice.-The deep laugh when shit gets real.-A++ audience member.-He goes to plays he is not socially obligated to attend.-That point in Rhino when he looks like he might collapse from exhaustion and then does too many more things.-That time you saw someone on the street way down and thinking, there’s Beau, but actually it was an old lady.-Eating breakfast out somewhere and someone inevitably comes up and says hello. To Beau, not you. --- -Most excellent Dune rendition of “Do you wish to join them?”-“Good morning good morning bup bup bub up bup boo…”-The hands covered in lines…The walls of the apt covered in lines.-Can we just run it?-We open Friday!