ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar
The Immortal Jellyfish Girl
Suggested for Ages 10+
The Immortal Jellyfish Girl is epic story telling for our time. This dystopian yet hopeful love story is a visual and auditory delight. We were awestruck at the world class artistry, design work, puppeteering, multimedia, and the original score. Wakka Wakka sounds the alarm on our global doomsday clock, offering a much needed eco-friendly reminder in a way that's not heavy handed.
Do note, some of the storyline and characters may be frightening and too intense for young children. This show is recommended for ages 10+ and is truly more of an adult offering. The Immortal Jellyfish Girl engaged all our senses and left us wanting more. I'll be out to review Wakka Wakka's other 2 puppet fest offerings, Dead as a Dodo on January 20th and Animal R.I.O.T. on January 22nd, so check out my further coverage at ChiILMama.com. After catching this insanely talented troupe, we'll be on the lookout for more from Wakka Wakka in the future. Highly recommended!
Bonnie is a Chicago based writer, theatre critic, photographer, artist, and Mama to 2 amazing adults. She owns two websites where she publishes frequently: ChiILLiveShows.com (adult) & ChiILMama.com (family friendly).
Wakka Wakka's Animalia Trilogy
Wakka Wakka
U.S./Norway
The Immortal Jellyfish Girl
Steppenwolf's Downstairs Mainstage Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St., Lincoln Park
January 18-21
Four shows: Thursday, January 18 at 7:30 p.m.; Friday January 19 at 1:30 p.m.; Saturday, January 20 at 7 p.m.; Sunday, January 21 at 1:30 p.m.
80 minutes
Ages: 10 and up
Tickets: $40-$45
Free events: Come make your own masks at free Wakka Wakka drop-in mask making workshops, Saturday and Sunday, January 20 and 21 at 2:45 p.m.
A gripping tale of humanity on the brink of annihilation and the unlikely hero who might just save them all. The year is 2555. Large swaths of earth’s surface are considered dead zones, and mass extinction has begun. There is a war (there is always a war). As both sides grow desperate, their thirst for destruction becomes more and more volatile. An improbable meeting between an orphan and a jellyfish girl threatens to tip the balance forever, but in whose favor, and at what cost? A mysterious man in a homemade fox costume has seen this all before, has lived this tragedy too many times, but he is determined it will end differently. Hilarious, ridiculous and virtuosic, this puppet show blends innovative projection, original music and puppetry that soars through dimensions, unconfined by time, gravity or biology.
The New York Times called it "A 26th-century love story."
The New Yorker called it "stunning."
More Fabulous Puppet Fun From Wakka Wakka:
World Premiere
Dead as a Dodo
The Biograph Theater’s Začek-McVay Mainstage, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Lincoln Park
January 19-21
Three shows: Friday, January 19 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, January 20 at 1:30 p.m.; Sunday, January 21 at 7 p.m.
75 minutes
Ages: 8 and up
Tickets: $40-$45
Deep within the underworld, a skeleton Dodo and a skeleton Neanderthal are tirelessly digging for fresh bones; their ancient skeletal forms are quickly deteriorating and they are afraid of disappearing completely. One day, a peculiar occurrence disrupts their routine...without warning, the Dodo miraculously sprouts a new bone! A maelstrom of transformation begins to unravel within the realm of bones, shattering the established order. The great reversal has begun. Infused with a blend of puppetry, projections, and humor, Dead as a Dodo offers a fantastical glimpse into a future that harkens back to the distant past.
Animal R.I.O.T.
Steppenwolf's 1700 Theater, 1650 N. Halsted St., Lincoln Park
January 19-23
Five shows: Friday, Saturday and Sunday, January 19-21 at 9:30 p.m.;
Monday and Tuesday, January 22 and 23 at 7:30 p.m.
75 minutes
Ages: 13 and up
Tickets: $30-$40
Animal R.I.O.T (Animal Resurgence In Our Time) is an anonymous anthropomorphic organization, founded by the Fantastic Mr. Fox (the non-fictional one). Can you believe it? The human species will come together and save all animals from extinction (including ourselves)! Become a real life masked avenger answering the CALL of the WILD and join the BIO-ECCENTRIC PACIFIST FIGHT CLUB! Join us or die out! animalriot.org
Wakka Wakka Productions, Inc. is a non-profit visual theater company based in New York City and Oslo. Its mission is to push the boundaries of the imagination by creating works that are bold, unique and unpredictable. The company is led by Gabrielle Brechner, Kirjan Waage and Gwendolyn Warnock and supported by company members Andrew Manjuck and Peter Russo.
Since 2001 Wakka Wakka has created and produced 11 original works which have toured extensively throughout the U.S. and abroad. All of Wakka Wakka’s productions have been highly physical, overlapping in a wide range of styles and incorporating elements such as puppetry, object manipulation, masks and original music. Wakka Wakka has been honored with a Drama Desk Award, an Obie Award and two UNIMA Citations of Excellence, and nominated for four Drama Desk Awards, a Helen Hayes Award and a Hawes Design Award. wakkawakka.org
Everything you need to know about the 6th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival January 18-28, 2024
January in Chicago isn't all dreary, cold, and grey. Puppet fest is back to put some color and joy into your January. Here at ChiIL Mama and ChiIL Live Shows, we've covered the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival every year since it's inception. We're elated that they're now an annual fest instead of every other year, and we'll be out to review as much of the fest as possible once again in 2024. Check out the schedule below to save the dates. There'll be plentiful family friendly and adult puppet fun and we'll have the scoop right here.
Check back with us at ChiILMama.com and ChiILLiveShows.com like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often. Full Puppet Fest Schedule, including video clips of the productions HERE: https://www.chiilmama.com/2023/11/save-dates-6th-chicago-international.html
Tickets are now on sale for the 6th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, the largest of its kind in North America, returning January 18-28, 2024, at venues large and small throughout the city.
The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival is the largest event dedicated to the art form in North America. In the heart of winter, the Festival spans 11 days and dozens of Chicago venues, sharing 100+ puppetry activities with 14,000+ guests. The festival includes performances, the Free Neighborhood Tour, a Puppet Hub open throughout the festival on the fourth floor of the Fine Arts Building, a symposium, the Catapult Artist Intensive, workshops, and more.
Visit chicagopuppetfest.org for tickets and information about the 6th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, and sign up for the festival’s e-news.
Follow the festival on Facebook, Instagram, Vimeo, hashtag #ChiPuppetFest.
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