Pete Guither

1011 Elder Street
Bloomington, Illinois 61701
309-287-8586 (cell)
guither@gmail.com

Education

Master of Fine Arts in Performing Arts Management
Brooklyn College, City University of New York (1985)

Bachelor of Special Studies in Theatre
Cornell College, Mt. Vernon, IA (1976)

Current

Artistic Director/Founder, The Living Canvas (2000 - present)

The Living Canvas celebrates the beauty and expressive power of the human form through performance art and photography, nurturing a sense of body acceptance for performer and audience. It is spectacle and storytelling, utilizing creative lighting, sound, and multi-media imagery that interact with the human canvas.

Reviews of [Trans]formation:

"There is strength and bravery permeating every aspect of [Trans]formation. Go see this play. See these brave people tell their stories. In times like these, shows like [Trans]formation matter, and Nothing without a Company and Living Canvas have produced a piece of theatre that is desperately and urgently needed." - Jessie Bond, Chicago Splash Magazine

"I've never seen another show in which the meaning of ensemble is better represented....The sum total of their work here is something brilliant and wonderful. It challenges the audience. It informs the audience. It changes the audience. That's what this art is supposed to do, and they do it better than I've seen in a long, long time." - Christopher Kidder-Mostrom, Theatre by Numbers

"I went to see a play but I got much more! Highly Recommended!" - Duane Barnes, Chicago Theater Beat

"The power of the show is in its fiery cast" - Patrick McDonald, Hollywood Chicago

"Quite well done avant-garde performance work!" - Jonathan Abarbanel, Windy City Times

"At its core, this piece's intimate use of light, shadow, and movement is inspired -- and inspiring!" - Marissa Oberlander, Chicago Reader

"A good story makes you think. A great story makes you feel. A powerful story transforms your perspective. Nothing Without A Company and The Living Canvas latest show stimulates all senses in the visually compelling, poetic drama, Transformation." - Maggie O'Keefe, Theater We Love

"I can safely say that not enough people saw this show. Even had they sold out every night, that statement would still be true... The characters, the tales, the vibrantly colored projections all came together to create an evening of perception-altering art that changed those who saw it. I came away enriched, informed, entertained, and fundamentally changed." - Top 5 Chicago Shows of 2016, Theatre by Numbers


Reviews of past Living Canvas shows

"a formally ingenious technique that confounds the traditional relationship between subject and backdrop" - Brian Nemtusak, Chicago Reader

"Sensual and visceral performance art piece done with craft and good taste. For the brave who dare stimulating late night entertainment, "Unsex Me Here" is a visual treat that dares you to join them." - Chicago Critic.com

"...the visual spectacle of dancers bathed in vividly-hued abstract patterns as they execute their kinetic activities unfettered by restrictive garb, the resulting effect being that of nude humans clothed in lighted pictures.... intellectual, as well as sensory stimulation... immersing themselves in an expressive freedom rarely enjoyed by responsible adults long alienated from such primitive joys." - Windy City Times

"Pete Guither's high-def projections of intricate patterns across naked actors is eye candy on the order of a laser-light show" - Time Out Chicago

"I didn't know what I attended, but it was definitely one of the most courageous, most creatively uninhibited, most theatrical boundary-pushing events that I saw this year in the city. I admired and was very, very impressed, by the risk-taking that the actors, the director, Vanessa Passini, and Artistic Director Guither took. It was a unique, breathtaking production." - From the Ledge

"Guither, joined by director/choreographer Vanessa Passini and The Living Canvas have brought to the National Pastime Theater a one-of-a-kind theatrical performance powerful enough to make even Shakespeare red in the cheeks." - Newcity Chicago

"The only Shakespeare in town where the costume budget was zilch." - UR Chicago

"The Living Canvas" Is As Powerful As It Is Beautiful. Pete Guither has once again made his mark on modern theatre, this time pushing the envelope of artistic creativity to new realms with the latest rendition of his own creation, The Living Canvas - Demons. As part of National Pastime Theatre's Naked July Festival, Guither ingeniously showcases his ability to intertwine the beauty of the naked body with flowing motion, mesmerizing projections and a riveting storyline that invokes a wide range of emotions. -- Ken Payne, Buzz Magazine

"The Living Canvas" is highly regarded not only as a visually striking performance, but as an exciting, interactive experience. -- Zach Freeman, NewCity Stage

"Meagan Piccochi's sinuous..choreography and Isaac Mandel's stellar soundscape combine with Pete Guither's stunning digital imagery-projected on the naked bodies of the 10-member cast-to create a garden of psychedelic delights." - Chicago Reader

"Stoners, Dali fans, sensualists of every stripe, this show's for you. Sober or otherwise, you'll find the visual pleasures of Guither's idiom considerable, the kinetic sculpture consistently engrossing as choreographer Mark Hackman makes the most of the cast's varying backgrounds in movement and dance." - Brian Nemtusak, Chicago Reader

"Intriguing and fanciful... feast for the eyes... RECOMMENDED" - Hedy Weiss, Sun-Times

"Intensely peculiar and mesmerizing... It's riveting." - Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune

"Breathtaking" - The Daily Vidette

Positions at Illinois State University (now retired)

Assistant Dean for Communications and Facilities, College of Fine Arts, Illinois State University (2001 to 2015)

Responsible for a wide range of management and coordination activities for the College of Fine Arts, focused on facilities and special events.

General Responsibilities

Committees

Select Accomplishments

Assistant Chair, Theatre, Illinois State University (1988 to 2001)

Also functioned as General Manager of Illinois State Theatre production program and The Illinois Shakespeare Festival

General Management Responsibilities: Directly supervised all general management areas related to production, including Marketing, Publicity, Graphic Design, Box Office, House Management, Photography, Income Financial Records, Archives, etc., for 100-150 performances a year, including:

Other areas of responsibility

Committees

Select Accomplishments

Other Work Experience

Executive Director, Gregg Smith Singers
NYC (1986-88)

Associate, Opportunity Resources for the Arts (non-profit arts head-hunting firm)
NYC (1985-86)

Associate, Katz Productions
NYC (1983-85)

General Manager, Corning Summer Theatre
Corning, New York (1984)

Area Manager, Comprehensive Training and Employment Act Area 16 Iowa
Burlington, Iowa (1980-83)

Chicago Branch Manager, Selective Distributors, Inc.
Streamwood, Illinois (1979-80)

Touring musical performer, The Roger Reitzel Show
(1975-79)

Teaching Experience

Fine Arts Classes (Illinois State University):

Computer Short Courses (Illinois State University THE/MUS/ART 301 courses):

Workshops and other teaching:

Artistic Skills/Experience

Select Musical Theatre and Theatre Production Roles:

Music Skills:

Performance Art:

Photography:

Fine Art Photography

Theatrical Photography

Dance Photography

Other Photography

Computer Skills

Projection Design

Expert in the following software:

Desktop and Web Publishing Accomplishments

Sampling of desktop publishing materials produced include:

Created, designed, and maintained the following web sites

Other Associations/Interests



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