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Showing posts with label Frank Maugeri. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Frank Maugeri. Show all posts

Friday, January 17, 2025

REVIEW: Cabinet of Curiosity's The Cabinet Through January 19, 2025 and Returning This Fall

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar
Chicago's Cabinet of Curiosity's
The Cabinet
7th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival


The return after 15 years of The Cabinet, a legendary Chicago puppet work, revived by Chicago’s Cabinet of Curiosity. 

Run Time: 60 minutes. Suggested for ages 14+ 


REVIEW

By Bonnie Kenaz-Mara

The Cabinet is an absolute must see! Don’t miss this somnambulist nightmare massacre. Cabinet of Curiosity’s The Cabinet is a bloody good time! We adored this visually stunning, deviant delight, with multiple puppet styles. Highly recommended.  ★★★★ Four out of four stars.

It was my great pleasure to catch opening night of Cabinet of Curiosity's short run remount of The Cabinet as part of this year's Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival. There's no Narnia at the back of this wardrobe, but an exciting tale of murder, mayhem, and psychiatric care with questionable morals, based on the 1919 German Expressionist silent film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Back and bigger than ever, The Cabinet is a gargantuan dresser containing worlds of wonder and multiple styles of puppetry, from creepy 3 dimensional paper mache creations, to shadow puppets, 2D stick puppets, scroll work, and even a giant pop-up book. 

We love that the puppeteers are a vital and visible part of this production in stark black and white. Their talent and timing was impressive, even down to the multilevel puppeteering spaces and climbing skills involved in some of the space changes. Utterly impressive!

We saw several of Redmoon Theatre's renditions of this incredible piece back in the day, and are so excited Cabinet of Curiosity is bringing this tale back to life! We've covered many of Cabinet of Curiosity's shows and spectacles over the years, and we've even shots lots of behind the scenes photos and videos of their works in progress. For years before that we extensively documented Redmoon's epic installations and community rituals, including making-of previews and documented performances. Their collaborative style and penchant for spectacle make them longtime favorites of ours. If you can't make it out for this short 3 day run, rumor has it they have a fall remount in the works and are planning on a longer October run! 

The delightfully askew set design and puppets are visually stunning and we love the victrola playing out this story in vintage record form. Kudos to the entire cast, crew, and creatives. You've done Chicago proud on an international playing field! 

Back in the day, we caught the original Redmoon Theatre production of The Cabinet in 2005 and their remount 15 years ago, and covered both in depth at ChiIL Mama & ChiIL Live Shows. You'll never look at an armoire (or the hundred year old, black and white film this show is based on) quite the same way again. Don't miss this! Highly recommended. ★★★★ Four out of four stars.

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).

It’s been 15 years since Chicago has seen The Cabinet, the story of the murderous Dr. Caligari and his somnambulist slave Cesare set in an off-kilter world of puppetry and intricate machinery. Evoking the 1919 German Expressionist silent film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, inspired by the original Redmoon Theatre production from 2005, Cabinet of Curiosity’s Frank Maugeri is creating another abstract “cabinet of curiosities” in which puppeteers manipulate the characters and objects, just as Caligari controlled Cesare’s plight.



It’s been 15 years since Chicago has seen The Cabinet, the story of the murderous Dr. Caligari and his somnambulist slave Cesare set in an off-kilter world of puppetry and intricate machinery. 
Evoking the 1919 German Expressionist silent film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, inspired by the original Redmoon Theatre production from 2010, Cabinet of Curiosity’s Frank Maugeri is creating another abstract cabinet of curiosities – a “spectacle in miniature” in which puppeteers manipulate the characters and objects, just as Caligari controlled Cesare’s plight.

“I was very eager to return to The Cabinet, Redmoon Theater's longest-running and most acclaimed indoor production, which I created over a decade ago with the brilliant Mickle Maher and Mark Messing, two of Chicago’s legendary creative stalwarts,” said Maugeri. “I am grateful to be joined by my co-director Corrie Bessie and a new collective of unparalleled artists and designers inspired by the shared belief that powerful mythical stories using images, objects, transformation, and craft can disorient and arrest an audience. This tale of Tyranny's weakness under the weight of Love has current potency that will inspire dialogue. I also believe there’s a new generation that has not seen work like this, though the original show invented a style that still permeates puppetry today.”
 
“I was excited to continue building a new collective of artists inspired by the shared belief that powerful mythical stories using images, objects, transformation, and craft could disorient and arrest an audience. I wanted to experiment again with the production's fluidity and intensely focused manipulation of materials as an exercise in virtuosity.”
 
“This tale of Tyranny's powerlessness and weakness under the weight of Love has current potency. As a believer that art is both a spiritual and political practice, this show can resonate as a work that inspires dialogue and discussion, which is my creative mission.” 
 
“I also believe there is a new generation of audience members who have likely not seen work like this in our city, though the original show invented a style that still permeates the puppetry artist community today. I wanted to return to the experiment to see how it resonates with a new, young, curious audience.”

The Cabinet features puppets by Jesse Mooney-Bullock, whose work has been seen in Chicago for the past 23 years, starting with Redmoon The Old Man and the Sea, and most recently in Paramount Theatre’s production of Disney’s Frozen. The cast features Gabrielle Frabotta, Danielle H. Gennaoui, Abby Palen, Jacinda Ratcliffe, Sion Silva, Allyce Torres and Dustin Valenta. The production team includes Frank Maugeri, creator/co-director; Corrie Bessie, co-director; Mickle Maher, writer; Mark Messing, composer; Kass Copeland, scenic painter and collage artist; Diane Fairchild, lights; Brandin Hurley; shadow animations; Liviu Pasare, projections; Janet Eckleberger,costumes; Shawn Ketchum Johnson, scenic engineer and designer; D C Krause, scenic engineer, designer and set build manager. 
 
The 2024 production of The Cabinet was inspired by a 2010 show Maugeri created and directed at the now defunct Redmoon Theater. The “Spectacle in Miniature” was Redmoon’s most acclaimed indoor show and its longest running production. It toured to Brazil as well. This recent production was made cooperatively with a largely new team of designers, builders, engineers and makers. The show was and is a meditation on tyranny’s weakness over love. It returns Frank to his immense curiosity of ritual, transforming mundane objects into mystical materials, and chasing aesthetic arrest and the power of awe.


The Cabinet Cast Bios


Gabrielle Frabotta ENSEMBLE (she/her) Gabrielle arrived in Chicago in 2021 as a portraiture painter, to attend The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. As a personal experiment she leapt into performance and puppetry under the much-appreciated guidance of Blair Thomas. She’s been committed to embracing an interdisciplinary art practice since 2022- including but not limited to- seeking publication for her working series of children’s books, welding steel and painted papier mâché installations, and inserting herself into live performance. Gabrielle intends to continue challenging herself to step into her full range of expression as her career unfolds, and guiding others to do the same. In 2023 she had the opportunity to background sing and dance for Teatro ZinZanni Circus and Cabarete Zazou’s Liv Warfield. Additionally, she served as a production assistant for Théâtre De l’Entrouvert’s ‘Anywhere’ during the 2023 Chicago International Puppet Theatre Festival. She would like to extend a special thanks to her friends and family for their unwavering faith in her creative process, as well as to Cabinet of Curiosity’s Frank Maugeri for his vision of his politically poignant remount of ‘The Cabinet’, to which she feels honored to announce will be her first official theatrical debut.

Danielle H. Gennaoui ENSEMBLE Danielle (she/her) is a Lebanese American circus and theatre artist from St. Louis, MO. Specializing in aerial arts, partner acrobatics, and physical theatre, Danielle has been coaching, performing, and choreographing professionally for over 12 years. Since she was little, Danielle loved to direct plays in her parents’ basement, climb every tree in sight, and spin around in circles until she fell over. Fortunately, not much has changed (though the falling over is fewer and further between). Danielle took her first aerial class in 2008 and immediately fell in love with circus arts while training at The Actors Gymnasium. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, focus in directing and performance, from the Jordan College of Fine Arts at Butler University and is a graduate of The Aloft Circus Arts Full-Time Training Program (Major: Lyra). Currently based in Chicago, IL, Danielle is proud to have created new work, performed, and coached with: The Actors Gymnasium, Aloft Circus Arts, Circus Harmony, Chicago Center for Dynamic Circus, MSA & Circus Arts, Gravity Aerial Arts, Thodos Dance Chicago, Apple Tree Theatre, Sussurus Performance Group, and The Alexandrinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. [daniellegennaoui.com]

Jacinda Ratcliffe ENSEMBLE Jacinda (she/her) is a Chicago-based performing artist and Jeff-nominated choreographer. She is an ensemble member with Lucky Plush Productions with which she has toured nationally and performed on various Chicago stages including the Harris Theater, Pritzker Pavilion, and Steppenwolf 1700. Recent performing credits include Actor 1 in PORTAL (Lookingglass Theatre); Tish/Kylie (u/s) in THE LOVE OBJECT (The Story Theatre); Puppeteer in DRIFT TO SLEEP (Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival) as part of Little Amal’s Walk Across America in 2023; Echo 1 in GET OUT ALIVE (California Center for the Arts, Escondido); and Grim Reaper in Happy Songs About Unhappy Things (independent film produced by Jamie Foxx & Detari Turner) which premiered at Cinequest Film Festival in 2024. Choreographic & Movement Direction credits include PRELUDE TO A KISS (Milwaukee Repertory Theatre), LAVENDER MEN (About Face Theatre), THE ISLAND (Court Theatre); GET OUT ALIVE (Haven Theatre); LADY FROM THE SEA (Court Theatre); LACED (About Face Theatre); MLIMA’S TALE (Griffin Theatre). She is on faculty at the Actor’s Gymnasium and Chicago Movement Collective, the latter of which she also serves as Collective Manager & sits on the Board of Directors. Ratcliffe graduated from Northwestern University with a B.A. in Dance and Psychology. Upon graduating, she studied on scholarship at Lou Conte Dance Studio, under Claire Bataille. She received additional dance training through intensives with The Washington School of Ballet, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, Ballet Hispánico, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. She is represented by Big Mouth Talent. More at jacindaracliffe.com

Sion Silva ENSEMBLE Sion is a non-binary Chicago based visual artist, puppet maker and performer whose personal work specializes in the philosophy of myth and the macabre. Their practice dubbed "The Graveyard of Eden" is a lifelong spiritual journey in which they manifest their own personal mythology into physical art as artifacts, manuscripts and performative renditions. Outside of their personal work they are a freelance art and puppetry fabricator, working through Chicago Puppet Studio, Manual Cinema, Rough House, Tom Lee, Mary Zimmerman, Whitesnake Productions, Drury Lane, Kehoe Designs and Pretorius Studios. Alongside all of this they are a part of Rabbitfoot Puppetry a collective focused on devising narrative driven weird and spectacular giant puppets. With Rabbitfoot, they have developed and performed shows for Electric Forest, New Orleans Giant Puppetry Festival, Southeastern Regional Puppetry Conference (Puppet Paradise), Night Out in the Parks, Nightmare on Clark Street and other small commissions. They are also an Art Institute alumnus and have been living in Chicago since 2016. To them art is a perpetual practice of purifying the soul.

Allyce Torres ENSEMBLE Allie (she/her) is an actor, powerlifter, and puppeteer originally from San Diego, CA. She has worked with companies such as Steep, [producing body], Chicago Children’s Theatre, 16th Street Theatre, Cabinet of Curiosity, Teatro Vista, The Passage, and Lookingglass. She is proudly represented by Big Mouth Talent. 

Dustin Valenta ENSEMBLE Dustin (he/him) returns to the Cabinet (from its last production at Redmoon, which also toured Brazil), and is thrilled to be reimagining it with this incredible crew. He was born in Vermont and grew up in Minnesota. As a traveling yoga teacher, Dustin spent four years living all over the world from Australia to Italy, and he is the 2019 USA Yoga National Champion. Education: MFA DePaul University, The School at Steppenwolf and the Stella Adler Physical Theatre training program. Select Theatre: Inanimate (Theater Wit), Mesmerized (Chicago Children’s Theatre), The Secret Lives of Coats (Red Eye Theatre, Minneapolis) The History of Invulnerability (Six Points Theatre, St. Paul), The Feast: An Intimate Tempest (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre). Film: Ponderosa, Beyond Belief. TV: Crisis. Dustin is represented by the great team at DDO. Thanks to Frank, Corrie, V, MR, MD, SE, and SD. Love to Marbles.

Abby Palen ENSEMBLE UNDERSTUDY- (they/them) Abby is a director, designer, and performer based in Chicago, IL. Abby's long-standing fascination with puppetry fabrication and performance has taken them across North America. For Abby, puppets express ideas and emotions that transcend the human form; a puppet can embody many anything’s and anyone’s simultaneously. Abby is a founding member and director of Rabbit Foot Puppetry and is grateful to have collaborated with The Chicago International Puppet Festival, Paperhand Puppet Intervention, Bread and Puppet Theater, In the Heart of the Beast, The Fox and Beggar Theater, and The Chicago Sculpture Institute, among many others. Recently, they have started using mechanisms and technology in their work and are excited to see where it takes them.


The Cabinet design team bios

Corrie Besse CO DIRECTOR Corrie (she/her) has collaborated with artists in a myriad of ways throughout her career. Whether as an arts administrator, educator, producer, or production stage manager her mission is to foster and support the holistic health of artists and arts organizations by empowering artists and the creative community through a dedication to curiosity, integrity, and abundance. She earned her M.F.A. in Theatre with a focus on Arts Leadership from Virginia Tech in Virginia and a B.A degree in Theatre Arts and Communication Studies from Central College in Iowa. Past professional credits include serving as the Managing Director for the Theater & Performance Studies Program at the University of Chicago, and Operations Manager for Salonathon. Additionally, she has worked in Minnesota with Springboard for the Arts, and locally with A Red Orchid Theatre, Albany Park Theater Project, Barrel of Monkeys, Cerqua Rivera Dance Theater, Chicago Dance Crash, Chicago Humanities Festival, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Famous Door, Hypocrites, Mary – Arrchie, PineBox, Redmoon, Roosevelt University, Seanachai, Shattered Globe, Teatro Vista, and the Gate Theatre in London. Currently she serves as the Business Manager at Northern Clay Center in Minneapolis, MN.

Jesse Mooney-Bullock PUPPET DESIGNER (he/him) is a freelance puppet-designer and director of Moonbull Studio. His puppets have been seen in the Chicago area for the past 23 years, beginning with Redmoon Theatre’s adaptation of the Old Man and the Sea, and most recently in Paramount Theatre’s production of Disney’s Frozen. He has also created puppets for Blair Thomas & Company, House Theater, Nashville Children’s Theatre and Marin Theatre. A Jeff Award and Bay Area Theater Critics Award recipient, Jesse lives in Cincinnati on a homestead with his family and menagerie of animals, constant inspirations for life and puppets.

Kass Copeland SCENIC PAINTER AND COLLAGE ARTIST Kass Copeland (she/her) has worked as an artist and designer in Chicago since 1995. Prior to earning her BFA in graphic design from The Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida, she studied and apprenticed with her father, a theatrical and circus prop designer and craftsman.  She participates regularly throughout the Midwest in group exhibitions and has had solo and two-person shows at The Lubeznik Center in Michigan City, IN, The Illinois State Museum in Lockport, IL, The Union League Club of Chicago, Adventureland Gallery and Gallery Oh in Chicago.

As a designer she collaborated with the former Redmoon Theater for over a decade and now enjoys working with Cabinet of Curiosities, The Chicago Children's Theater, and other theater, event, and advertising clients. 

​Diane Fairchild LIGHTING DESIGNER- Diane (she/her) is a Chicago-based freelance lighting designer. Chicago area credits include work with Lifeline (ensemble), Rivendell (ensemble), Raven, Teatro Vista, Babes with Blades, the side project, Wilmette Parks District, Grant Community High School, Momenta, Academy of Movement and Music, Theater Wit, Wheaton College, Next, Northlight, Court, Sideshow, and Victory Gardens. Regional credits include work with Michigan Shakespeare Festival, Intiman, Trinity Rep, Michigan Shakespeare Festival, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Boise Contemporary Theatre, First Stage (Tysons Corner), and City Theatre. Her excellence in design has earned her nominations for Jeff, Broadway World Chicago, Wilde, and Midwest/Chicago Emmy Awards. Ms. Fairchild earned her BFA in Design and Technology from Wright State University and her MFA in Lighting Design from New York University. Diane lives in Evanston with her husband, two children, and their very adventurous tortoise.
 
Brandin Hurley SHADOW ANIMATIONS Brandin (she/her) is an installation artist with a background in scenic design. Her work, inspired by the seemingly eternal and awe-inspiring patterns found in nature, allows her to explore the beauty, fragility, and interconnectedness of the natural world and our responsibility towards it. Her installations, sculptures, and fine art utilize clean contemporary lines to honor the beauty and diversity of our ecosystems. Recent collaborations include work with Four Seasons, Adorn Restaurant, Comcast, Hilary Matt, Tribune Tower Residences, SoHo House, Magnificent Mile Association, Clayco, Hilton, One Steakhouse, and WNDR Museum.

Shawn Ketchum Johnson SCENIC ENGINEER AND DESIGNER (he/him) Shawn Ketchum Johnson is a theater artist focused on design, devising, and site-specific performance.  Johnson's award-winning work has been seen on Chicago stages, throughout the midwest, and in west coast regional theater.  He has been collaborating with Frank Maugeri on innovative theatrical gestures for over a decade (including Redmoon's BELLBOYS, BEARS AND BAGGAGE and Cabinet of Curiosity's SEA CHANGE) and is glad to have a hand in bringing this seminal work to new audiences.  He is currently directing, designing and producing a surround-sound audio installation performance of 4.48 PSYCHOSIS, which will be hosted next month at Cornell College before moving to other venues.  Johnson is an alumnus of Northwestern University.

D C Krause SCENIC ENGINEER AND DESIGNER, SET BUILD MANAGER (He/Him) David is an Educator, Designer, and Entrepreneur, David Christopher “big” Krause has been designing and fabricating for cinema, theater, television, advertising, events and museums for over twenty years. As Associate Professor of Production Design in Cinema and Television Arts at Columbia College Chicago he developed Chicago’s first BA and BFA program in Cinema and television Production Design. Melding a science and mathematics background with study in arts and management, Krause has forged a reputation as a “make-it-happen” resource for the Chicago entertainment community with his design and fabrication boutique “Big Works Industries” creating award winning work for Ogilvy, Burnett, Sandro Miller, and many others. Inspired by the possibilities of emerging technologies, Krause has also explored the worlds of virtual production and augmented reality as storytelling media.

Mickle Maher WRITER Mickle’s plays have appeared Off-Broadway and around the world, and been supported by grants from the NEA, the Rockefeller MAP fund, and Creative Capital. They include There is a Happiness That Morning Is; Song About Himself; An Apology for the Course and Outcome of Certain Events Delivered by Doctor John Faustus on This His Final Evening; The Hunchback Variations; The Strangerer; Jim Lehrer and the Theater and Its Double and Jim Lehrer’s Double; Spirits to Enforce ; Cyrano (translator); Song About Himself; It Is Magic; and the book and lyrics for the musical Small Ball. He is a cofounder of Chicago’s Theater Oobleck and teaches playwriting and related subjects at the University of Chicago. This April, his adaptation of Jason Lutes’ celebrated graphic novel Berlin will premiere at the Court Theatre. A number of his works are available through Agate Publishing. 

Frank Maugeri CREATOR/DIRECTOR Frank (he/him) is a designer and director committed to the art of celebration, creating and studying urban rituals, developing uncanny visual theater that investigates universal human experiences like love, death, spirituality and faith. He currently runs his singular design program, "Parties with the Purpose," for The Clayco Foundation, where he creates interactive, immersive events which raise critical funds to study and cure rare medical diseases. He continues his partnership with The School of the Art Institute, where he shares his unique pedagogy, "The School of Celebration," and mentors and employs emerging artists to develop and execute rituals and interactive events in neighborhoods, parks, city streets and urban spaces across the nation. His academic writing focuses on the “Spirituality of the Mundane." He has been commissioned to make celebrations and spectacles by President Barack Obama's White House, the Museum of Contemporary Art, The Actors Gymnasium of Evanston, The Chicago Shakespeare Theater, The Chicago Children's Theater, The Chicago Humanities Festival, the Shedd Aquarium, The Lawndale Neighborhood Association, and TED X, the Loop Alliance, the Chicago Park District, The Botanic Gardens, The University of Chicago, Columbia College, the past four Mayors of Chicago; notably, directing the Millennium Park's Grand Opening, the grand opening of the North Wing of the Art Institute, and the premiere celebration of the Chase Pavilion at Navy Pier. He developed, devised, and directed the Chicago Children's Theaters S.T.E.A.M. curriculum and academic philosophies at their current hub in the West Loop before he left to create his current enterprise, Cabinet of Curiosity, which empowers an ever-evolving collective of engineers, dancers, poets, visual artists, and educators to create immersive events. He has been hired as a civic engagement consultant to several chapters of The Young Presidents Organization, The Salt Shed, and The Epiphany Center for the Arts. He attended art school to become an animator and quickly became a pariah in commercial animation after declining a position with an unknown new television show called "The Simpsons." That drove him to a life of social work and civic art. He is a past winner of the prestigious NEA/TCG Directors award, where he studied outdoor theatre across Europe and community rituals in Bali. Frank was raised by witches in an atmosphere of ghosts, seances, and the divine. He was the Producing Director of Redmoon Theatre for 2 decades. Frank wants to thank Mike Meluch, Tony Willis, Lou Silverstein, Shawn Clark, El, and Leah for their unwavering support.

Mark Messing COMPOSER Mark (he/him) was delighted to find that humans can conjure magic together when on the third day of band practice in Mr. Koenig’s sixth grade music program at Pompano Beach Florida elementary school the class got to the page in the book where the band plays in harmony. He is delighted to conjure with Cabinet of Curiosity on the long-awaited return of The Cabinet. In between The Cabinet and Mr. Koenig’s class, he’s made music and sound for Theater Oobleck, Blair Thomas Puppet Theater, The Ljubljana Puppet Theater, Bricklayers Theater/Collectif Masque, Chicago Children’s Theater, Lookingglass Theater Company, Walkabout Theater, and a few others now on the posterity circuit. Currently he is working with Court Theater to realize a stage version of Jason Lute’s graphic Novel, Berlin.

Liviu Pasare PROJECTIONIST- Liviu (he/him) is a Chicago-based video designer creating new and immersive experiences. His work encompasses video installations, interactive design and immersive experiences for public spaces and stages. With a strong art and technology background and a passion for collaboration, Liviu has partnered with a diverse range of artists and organizations to enable and manifest new visions. Recent engagements include Luftwerk, Cabinet of Curiosity, The Seldoms, Bob Faust, Nick Cave, Daniel Arsham, Federico Solmi, Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project, In the Realm of Senses. He is a company member with Collaboraction and a longtime collaborator with Teatro Vista. For more information. visit liviu.stoptime.live.
 
Janet Eckleberger  COSTUMES Janet (she/her) makes many items from fabric, found objects, and will do your taxes. She lives in a Camper in Greensboro with her man boy Eliot.

Cabinet of Curiosity (cocechicago.com) is intentionally composed of diverse project-by-project collectives who authentically collaborate on original celebrations, rituals, and productions. Cabinet uses sophisticated puppetry and handmade devices to develop unique interactive experiences, productions, and events. We focus on creating new types of gatherings, ceremonies, and rituals that promote community, dialogue, and interactivity among people who may not usually mix. We support multicultural professionals in the fields of theatre, visual arts, dance, sculpture, and music while mindfully training high school and college-age apprentices to become the future creators of new meaningful rituals. All of the objects and devices created by Cabinet are engineered to expose their mechanical operations so they are simultaneously educational, informative, and magical. We embrace commissions requiring unique ritual, ceremony, procession, and pageantry elements. These commissions create funding that establishes an innovative revenue stream, reduces the responsibility of sustainability from a board, audience, and foundations, trains apprentices through a unique scholarship apparatus, builds community, and funds our free and significantly discounted public work. We are committed to social engagement — both grand and intimate. Our purpose is to promote curiosity, community, and culture. The remount of Frank Maugeri’s spectacle in miniature, The Cabinet, follows several new works, Death is Not the End, Tabletop Tragedies, Farewell Fables, and numerous original rituals, including Panoramic Prayers, Pedal Powered Playground, Pedal Powered Poetry, Reflections on Fire, Messages of Hope, Sea Change, and Journey for the Sun. Our “season of celebration” includes free ritual workshops, a summer of unexpected parades and performances, our leadership of The Clayco Foundations Illumination, and our free year-round School of Celebration and Celebration Consultancy programs. Cabinet of Curiosity does not permit stipend wages or volunteers and only pays artists by the hour for design, rehearsal, and execution or performance. We maintain a commitment to being a right-sized, debt-free arts enterprise. 

The Cabinet

Cabinet of Curiosity

Chicago

The Biograph's Začek-McVay Mainstage, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Lincoln Park

Thursday, January 16 at 7 p.m.; Friday, January 17 at 9 p.m.; Saturday, January 18 at 9 p.m.; Sunday, January 19 at 3 p.m.

60 minutes

14 and up

Tickets: $25-$43

cocechicago.com



About the 7th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival
The Cabinet is one of  more than 100 shows and special events that are part of the 7th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, January 15-26, 2025. The 2025 Chicago Puppet Fest is the largest event of its kind in North America, spanning 12 days and dozens of Chicago venues, presenting  an international pageant of puppet artists in all-ages spectacle shows in landmark theaters, intimate works on smaller stages, and late night puppet cabarets. Last year’s festival attracted nearly 20,000 fans of puppetry, a record, from Chicago and around the world. This year, see puppet artists from Canada, Chile, China, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Norway, Puerto Rico, Poland, Scotland, South Africa, the U.S. and Chicago performing the full range of contemporary and traditional puppetry styles.



For tickets and information,visit chicagopuppetfest.org, sign up for the festival’s e-news, and follow the festival on Facebook, Instagram or Vimeo, hashtag #ChiPuppetFest. 

Friday, September 8, 2017

TOP WEEKEND PICKS: Surprise! Death Is Not The End at Links Hall

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:



Tonight my son and I will be ChiILin' at Chi, IL's Links Hall. We are thrilled to be able to catch this sold out inaugural weekend. Want tickets? Show up early for possible floor seating Saturday & Sunday. Check back soon for our original photo filled recap and review. 


Links Hall
3111 N. Western Avenue, Chicago, IL
773.281.0824
All shows sold out online


For an early heads up on future productions, join the Curious Community on Facebook
  
Featuring the world premieres of...

 

The Death and Life of Billy the Kid
written by Seth Bockley
music by Liz Chidester
directed by Frank Maugeri with Dexter Ellis

AND

Behold Where Stands the
Usurper's Cursed Head
written by Mickle Maher
directed by Vanessa Stalling
inspired by Frank Maugeri

PLUS
the triumphant return of a puppetry classic:

Laika's Coffin
written and conceived by Seth Bockley and Frank Maugeri
music by Kevin O'Donnell
directed by Kasey Foster

AND

The Deep Dark
created by Laura Heit
with original live music by Angela James and Annie Higgins


Artistic collaborators and performers include
Time Brickey, Cynthia Castiglione, Liz Chidester, Greg Hardigan, Annie Higgins, Angela James, Lynne Jordan, Nicole Laurenzi, Danielle Nicholas, Mike Oleon, Andy Sjostrom, Samuel Taylor, Lindsey Noel Whiting, and Andrew Yearick

Puppet and object design by
Evan Barr, Mike Coon, Kass Copeland, Coco Ree Lemery, Andres Lemus-Spont, Jesse Mooney-Bullock, Tom Robinson, Ellie Terrell, and Jackie Valdez

Generous Support From
The Jim Henson Foundation and Puppeteers of America


Support CoCE
Frank Maugeri, former 20 year producing artistic director of Redmoon and current Chicago Children's Theatre Community Programs Artistic Director, has created a new artistic enterprise defined by an ever evolving collective who share in common the ambition to create intimate and experimental events, design unusual and celebratory interactive equipment, and develop stunning and relevant object work. Our mission is new ritual, new celebrations and new experiences.

We need your help to realize our goals of service and beauty. If you can make a donation or cannot attend the event, and would like to support CoCE's mission nonetheless please email Frank Maugeri directly.


Tuesday, August 27, 2013

ACT OUT: Redmoon FREE Summer Finale in Humboldt Park & Original Video Interview With Frank Maugeri 9/7 #redmoon



Redmoon has been a favorite of ours for decades!   They're an integral part of the Chicago Theatre scene and never cease to amaze.   They're back at it again with a big, FREE finale to their summer series on 9/7.   Be there.   Highly recommended!



Check out our original video interview with Frank Maugeri and others who collaborated on Chicago Children's Theatre's spring production, The Elephant and The Whale right here.   We interviewed Frank as part of our ongoing series on "HOW CREATIVES PARENT AND HOW PARENTS CREATE".

We're so excited to bring you our original video interview with the Co-Directors of The Elephant and The Whale Frank Maugeri (Redmoon) & Leslie Buxbaum Danzig (500 Clown) and with actor, David Catlin (Lookingglass).   All 3 are parents and theatre professionals and they graciously took time out of their busy lives for an interview with us about the show.  They also shared their on insights on "How Creatives Parent and How Parents Create" for ChiIL Mama's long running series on the theme.  (Chicago Children's Theatre's World Premier Collaboration 5/2013)

Redmoon culminates its Summer Park Series - a Night Out in the Parks event 
in the historic Humboldt Park with a special reception open to the public to honor Allstate Insurance Company and it collaborators and supporters on September 7th, 2013. 

"Allstate is proud to be a part of these amazing Summer Park events, which showcase so many talented young Chicago performance artists who are bringing joy and fabulous entertainment to communities across the city," said Vicky Dinges, vice president of corporate social responsibility at Allstate. "Our company is strongly committed to supporting Chicago's vibrant and diverse cultural arts because they deliver positive, life enriching experiences for our youth and Chicagoans of all ages."

The Humboldt Park event begins with an hour-long free drum and poetry workshop, taught in collaboration with the Bucket Boys and poets from Young Chicago Authors (YCA).  Participants are then invited to parade through the park alongside Redmoon's newest machine - the Sonic Boom - a massive, 16 ft. tall transforming mobile boom box conceived by Redmoon's Producing Artistic Director Frank Maugeri.  The parade leads into a community celebration that is a mash up of music by DJ LMS, spoken word poetry, drumming, dancing, and a free meal of pizza and fried chicken.   

The event will also include a special performance by artists from YCA's Division St. Project, a year-long project grounded in non-fiction creative writing and verse journalism.   YCA teaching artist Malcom London and Division St. Project Storyteller Nita Tennyson will share poems inspired by the project, followed by a song by Angie Citali. 

As the conclusion of Redmoon's Summer Park Series, the event will include a special reception to honor the series' key supporters and collaborators, including Allstate Insurance Company, the Pritzker Traubert Family Foundation and the Chicago Park District.

"Mayor Rahm Emanuel's Night Out in the Parks initiative looks for ways to engage people in their communities," said Michael P. Kelly, Chicago Park District General Superintendent and CEO.  "Redmoon was a great example of this. We witnessed how participatory art transforms parks into spaces for creative and positive activities."

Over 8,500 community members participated in Redmoon's Night Out in the Park events.  Under the design and directorial leadership of Maugeri and Artistic Associate Will Bishop, Redmoon and its team of collaborators brought community celebrations to a lineup of 10 public parks on the South and West Sides of the city.  This included Sherwood Park in West Englewood, Columbus Park in Austin and Midway Plaisance Park in Hyde Park. "The Sonic Boom [and the Summer Park Series] is re-establishing the parks in Chicago as a center for culture and community," said Kevin Coval, Artistic Director for the Young Chicago Authors. 

By sharing a poem over the Sonic Boom's 10,000-watt speaker system, dancing to the music of DJ SuchNSuch - or simply joining their neighbors for a meal -community members from throughout the city joined in this spectacle celebration.   "The parade was a great idea... [the kids] who got the opportunity to perform feel like superstars," said Solomon Smith, Meyering Park Supervisor.  "They're still talking about it."

The Park Series has been a part of Redmoon's larger summer effort to create unexpected spectacular events and community celebrations throughout Chicago - all outdoors and all for free.   Since May, Redmoon has brought its contraptions and performers to 24 free outdoor events - from Evanston's Fourth of July Parade, to Pilsen's Low Rider Festival, Boystown's Market Days, and Homan Square and North Lawndale's Peace March and many more.  In total, Redmoon's summer work reached over 55,000 people.

Redmoon invites all to the culminating Humboldt Park event to celebrate this extraordinary summer of free spectacle and community building. 

EVENT DETAILS:
Date:  Saturday, September 7, 2013
Location:  Humbolt Park, 1440 N Humbolt Dr.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS: 
4:30pm - Free drumming and poetry workshops for community members
6:00pm - Free community meal and reception
7:15pm - Humboldt Park community parade begins
7:30pm - Redmoon's show begins
8:30pm - Event conclusion 

To RSVP:  
Contact rsvp@redmoon.org 

ABOUT THE SUMMER PARK SERIES
Redmoon's Summer Park Series was part of Mayor Rahm Emanuel's Night Out in the Parks initiative supported by NATO Legacy funds, and was presented thanks to the generous support and civic vision of Allstate Insurance Company, Chicago Park District, The Pritzker Traubert Family Foundation, The 1111 Foundation, The Ebert Foundation, Bacci Pizza, KFC, Dance All Night, and many others.

ABOUT DIVISION ST. PROJECT
A Year-long project grounded in non-fiction creative writing and verse journalism. 15 story finders meet weekly to engage in research and writing inspired by Studs Terkel's Division Street: America. The students are scouting the length of Division Street from the far East to the far West of the city, collecting and re-telling the stories of today's Chicago via anthology, video, recording and/or live performance. Join the movement and walk the miles traveled. 

ABOUT REDMOON
Redmoon's mission is to transform the experience of our urban landscape through spectacular events that disrupt everyday life and promote community, creativity, and democracy. Founded in 1990, Redmoon transforms streets, stages and architectural landmarks, bridging international, economic, cultural and generational boundaries with unique brand of Spectacle: public art form that is equal parts pageantry, gadgetry, puppetry, robust physical performance and visual art.

Saturday, May 11, 2013

The Elephant & The Whale Ticket Giveaway & Original Video Interview With Three of The Creative Masterminds Behind The World Premier #originalvideointerview #giveaway #review #ad





ChiIL Out with ChiIL Mama.   Pop a bowl of popcorn and get ready to see something amazing.  We're so excited to bring you our original video interview with the Co-Directors of The Elephant and The Whale, Frank Maugeri (Redmoon) & Leslie Buxbaum Danzig (500 Clown) and with actor, David Catlin (Lookingglass).   All 3 are parents and theatre professionals and they graciously took time out of their busy lives for an interview with us about the show.  They also shared their insights on "How Creatives Parent and How Parents Create" for ChiIL Mama's long running series on the theme.



We generally try to keep our original videos around 15 minutes, but these three had some seriously sweet gems of info on parenting and great stuff about The Elephant and The Whale, so we're going to go ahead and run it as a longer feature.   I'll also break the material down into shorter 15 minute individual interviews at a later date, to add to our Creative Parenting series.




Win 4 Free Tickets:

ChiIL out with free tickets to Chicago Children's Theatre & Redmoon's stellar collaboration!   Our last giveaway was so successful, we're going to do it again!  Enter now through midnight on 5/13.   This giveaway is short, sweet & hard to beat.    We highly highly recommend you catch this show before it closes May 26th.

Click The Rafflecopter Link Below For Your Chance to Win 4 Tickets To The Elephant & The Whale AND a free pizza party Thurs, 5/16, 6:30 pm.


a Rafflecopter giveaway







ChiIL Live Shows caught the opening weekend of The Elephant & The Whale at Chicago Children's Theatre and we were enormously impressed by this mammoth undertaking.   We've long been fans of Redmoon's mission statement "engineering wonder" and of the fabulous physical comedy and energy of 500 Clown.   These world collided in a BIG way for this show and adults and hard to please tweens and teens will dig this one, too!   Yes, Chicago Children's Theatre is not only for the littles, my friends.   A lot of blood, sweat & prep went into this production, but the end result is pure magic.






Credit for all Production Photos Charles Osgood


Click here for ChiIL Mama's past coverage of The Elephant and The Whale including ticket links, show times and plot points as well as more show footage & stills.

Check back with ChiIL Mama like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often for loads of original content, fabulous happenings and great giveaways.   

**Final footage footnote:  It took me longer than I'd hoped to don my editor's hat and finish the interview above.  There were so many insightful comments in the interviews that I tried to chop it to about 20 minutes for days, and finally surrendered, and decided that this needs to be published as a longer piece... at least once.
   
We also got caught up in crazy busy parenting land over here, with two kids in and out of their own performances with CircEsteem, 2 Roller Derby halftime shows, a school variety show and 2 gymnastics team showcases.   And I had a 4 day International film fest to cover, and a German filmmaker to interview.

Thanks for your patience.   It's worth the wait!   






SPECTACLE IN MINIATURE TELLS THE TALE OF A GIANT FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN THE LARGEST ANIMALS ON OUR PLANET, APR. 10-MAY 26 AT THE RUTH PAGE CENTER  


This all-new family fable features sea voyages, wild mechanical objects, circus songs, panoramic paintings, exquisite shadow puppets and an innovative sound design. Performances through May 26, 2013 at Chicago Children's Theatre's new home, the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn, Chicago.

The Elephant and The Whale is recommended for all ages.



Schedule through May 26:  Tuesday at 10 a.m.; Wednesday at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.; Thursday at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.; Friday at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.; Saturday at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.; and Sunday at 11 a.m. and 2p.m. 

Run time is approximately 60 minutes with no intermission.



FREE PIZZA PARTIES ON THURSDAYS & ART PARTIES FRIDAY

As if you need any more reasons to see this show...

Note:  Family-friendly 6:30 p.m. Thursday shows are preceded with a free pizza party starting at 5:45 pm.  Thursday evenings are $25 for dinner and show. On Friday evenings, families are encouraged to kick off their weekend at the 6:30 p.m. show, and stay after for a fun post-show craft party.  Friday evenings are $25 for show and party.

Regular single tickets are $26 for children, $36 for adults. To purchase, visit chicagochildrenstheatre.org or call (872) 222-9555. For discounted school, scout, playgroup, extended family and other group rates, visit GroupTix.net or call (773) 327-3778



Disclaimer:  Thanks to the fabulous folk at Chicago Children's Theatre for giving us family 4 packs of tickets to share with our readers.   All opinions are our own.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

ACT OUT: 2012-13 Season Begins TODAY In New Digs for Chicago Children's Theatre





ITINERANT NO MORE, CHICAGO CHILDREN’S THEATRE’S 2012-13 SEASON TO BE STAGED IN ONE CONVENIENT LOCATION: THE RUTH PAGE CENTER FOR THE ARTS


THREE
FAMILY-FRIENDLY SHOWS ON TAP FOR 2012-13:
HAROLD AND THE
PURPLE CRAYON
, BUD, NOT BUDDY AND THE
PREMIERE OF
THE ELEPHANT & THE WHALE WITH
REDMOON


Woo hoo!   Harold and the Purple Crayon opens today!!  Check it out.   This book was one of my kids' childhood favs and I remember it from my early days, too.   We can't wait to see what magic Chicago Children's Theatre and director, Sean Graney, have planned for the musical adaptation.   Get your tickets today for this Chicago premier!   Ages 3 and up...and up....and up.

ChiIL Mama was thrilled to meet with Jacqueline Russell, Frank Maugeri and other key production staff for the upcoming season at Chicago Children's Theatre.   We're beyond stoked to see our favs play so well with others.   The collaboration between Redmoon's Frank Maugeri and Chicago Children's Theatre on The Elephant & The Whale is bound to be epic!

We hope to have more original video interviews here at ChiIL Mama/ChiIL Live Shows and we'll have loads of updates as each show opens.   Right now we're so excited to see Harold and the Purple Crayon opening this weekend.   Our readers will get a sneak peek at the early production sketches for this season's sets, costumes and so much more.


Chicago Children’s Theatre (CCT) and Artistic Director Jacqueline Russell are delighted to announce the company has a new home and will be an Artist
In-Residence at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St., Chicago for the entire 2012-2013 season.



In addition to welcoming its audience to one convenient destination all
season, Chicago’s #1 presenter of top-quality professional
children’s theater is thrilled to confirm three wildly imaginative productions for 2012-2013 – the Chicago premiere of a new musical version of
Harold and the Purple Crayon, directed by Sean Graney
(Oct. 11-Nov. 4, 2012),


an adaptation of the Newberry Medal winning novel
Bud, Not Buddy,
directed by
Derrick Sanders (Jan.12-Feb. 24, 2013),

and the world premiere of The Elephant & The Whale, created by Frank Maugeri, co-directed by Maugeri and Leslie Buxbaum Danzig, with a script by Seth Bockley and music by Kevin O’Donnell, produced in association with Redmoon (Apr. 10-May 26, 2013).
After seven years of being itinerant, we are so looking forward to our new
residency at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts because it gives Chicagoland families one consistent location to experience a full season of exceptional theatrical programming,” said Chicago Children’s Theatre Artistic Director and Co-Founder Jacqueline Russell. “Ruth Page was home for our 2010 smash hit Jackie and Me so we can’t wait to bring our audience back for three consecutive productions sure to delight children of all ages.”

Also new for 2012-2013: The performance schedules for all three
productions include family-friendly 6:30 pm Thursday shows, proceeded
by pizza parties in the Ruth Page Center’s multi-purpose room
starting at 5:30 pm. On Friday evenings, families are encouraged to
kick off their weekend by wearing their PJs to the 6:30 pm show, and
stay after for a fun post-show PJ Party with members of the cast.

In addition to its three-play season at the Ruth Page Center, Chicago
Children’s Theatre will take its season-opener Harold and the Purple Crayon on a regional tour after its downtown run, with performances November 7-11 at the Beverly Arts Center, 2401 W. 111th
St. in Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood, and November 14-18 at the
North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 N. Skokie Blvd. in
Skokie.



2012-2013
Family Membership Passes on sale now


For complete season information, visit chicagochildrenstheatre.org
or call (773) 227-0180 x 11.
For group inquiries, contact GroupTix at (773)
327-3778
or visit GroupTix.net.



More about Chicago Children’s Theatre’s 2012-2013 season:



Harold and the Purple Crayon
A Chicago Children’s Theatre Chicago premiere

Based on the books
by
Crockett
Johnson



Text by Don Darryl Rivera, Lyrics by Robert Burgess, 
Music by Auston James
Directed by Sean Graney

October 11-November 4, 2012 
Recommended for ages 3 and up

Also touring to The Beverly Arts Center, 2401
W. 111
th St., Chicago, November 7-11
And the North Shore Centre for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd.,
Skokie, November 14-18


Harold and the Purple Crayon teaches young audiences that anything is possible with a crayon and a bigimagination. Meet Harold, a curious four year old boy who, armed with his trusty purple crayon, has the power to create a world of his own simply by drawing it. This imaginative musical uses breathtaking animation, inventive puppetry, and original music to bring Harold’s
purple-hued world to life; it is perfect for introducing young children to theatre while simultaneously captivating their older companions.



Harold and the Purple Crayon will be helmed by CCT Artistic Associate Sean Graney, who directed the company’s productions of The Hundred DressesHonus and Me,and Hana’s Suitcase.

**Graney, Founding Artistic Director of The Hypocrites, is the
recipient of a Career Development for Directors Program award from
the National Endowment for the Arts and Theatre Communications Group, the winner of two non-Equity Joseph Jefferson Awards, and was named Chicago’s Best Avant-Garde Director by Chicago
Magazine 
and 2004’s Chicagoan of the Year: Theater by the Chicago
Tribune.



Bud, Not Buddy
Based on the Newberry winning novel by Christopher Paul Curtis
Adapted by Reginald Andre Jackson
Directed by Derrick Sanders


January 12-February 24, 2013
Recommended
for ages 8 and up


Bud, Not Buddy
follows the journey of a young African-American orphan as he searches for his
father. Clues kept in a suitcase lead him to adventures in
Depression-era Michigan, where he finds community among a group of
jazz musicians and, ultimately, an unexpected sense of home.




Popular reading in the classroom, author Christopher Paul Curtis’ Bud, Not Buddy was the winner of the 2000 Newberry Medal and the Coretta Scott King
Award. In 2010, Jackson's stage adaptation won the Distinguished Play Award from The American Alliance for Theater and Education.


Award-winning director Derrick Sanders – Founding Artistic Director of Congo Square Theatre Company, a Chicago Tribune Chicagoan of the Year in 2005, winner of multiple Joseph Jefferson Awards and Black Theater Alliance Awards, and director of CCT’s 2010 world premiere Jackie
and Me
– has a national reputation, having directed at countless Chicago, regional and New York theaters. He is known for his many collaborations with the legendary August Wilson, including in Chicago his award-winning
productions of Joe Turner’s Come and Gone and Seven
Guitars
for Congo Square.  His Off-Broadway directorial debut, Wilson’s King
Hedley II
for Signature Theatre, received two Lucille Lortel and Audelco nominations. He was also a part of August Wilson’s World premiere productions of Radio Golf and Gem of the Ocean on Broadway and at the Huntington Theatre, Mark Taper Forum and the Goodman.


The Elephant & The Whale
A Chicago Children’s Theatre world premiere, presented in association
with Redmoon 
Created by Frank Maugeri


Co-directed by Frank Maugeri and Leslie Buxbaum Danzig
Script by Seth Bockley

Music by Kevin O’Donnell

April 10 –May 26, 2013 
Recommended for all ages

CCT’s seventh season will conclude with a world premiere collaboration with
Redmoon’s Frank Maugeri to create The Elephant & The Whale,
an all new family fable featuring sea shanties, wild mechanical
objects, theatrical clowning, hand painted imagery, exquisite shadow
puppets and an innovative sound design. This new work is conceived by
Maugeri with an original story and songs by
Seth Bockley
with composer
Kevin O’Donnell.


Co-directed by Leslie Buxbaum Danzig (of 500 Clown),
this epic tale invites audiences of all ages to discover the majesty
of the largest animals on our planet, and a story of friendship
conquering the sea itself. 

The year is 1901. On the largest steamship in the world, a captive
African Gray Elephant is bound for America. Mid-Atlantic, the boat
encounters a massive blue whale. What happens next is a love story
spanning species, time zones and many nautical miles. The performance will feature a live band and three performers who crank contraptions, pedal panoramic painting apparatuses, operate wild puppets and manipulate shadow sequences all while they sing shanty-like songs to weave this original and epic tale.  


Redmoon Co-Artistic Director Frank Maugeri
during his 15 year tenure with the company has created countless spectacle
productions and events seen around Chicago. Highlights include serving
as director, co-creator, and designer of the recent Astronaut’s Birthday,
a large-scale animated, graphic novel projected on the Museum of
Contemporary Art’s 80-foot façade; co-creation and design of the
critically acclaimed The Feast: an intimate Tempest
at Chicago Shakespeare Theater; seven of the famed All Hallow’s Eve
ritual celebrations in Logan Square; over a dozen annual family-friendly Winter
Pageant 
performances; Once Upon a Time
(Jeff Award, After Dark Award) with its subsequent tour to France;
Laika's Coffin and Cape and Squiggle for the Chicago Humanities Festival at MCA; Boneyard Prayer; and Redmoon’s longest running production The Cabinetits remount and tour of Brazil.


Seth Bockley
the critically-acclaimed writer and adapter, is a playwright in
residence at the Goodman Theater and book writer for the new musical
February House.  He is also an artist in residence at the University of Chicago, and was a recipient of Theater Communications Group's New Generations
Grant for which he spent two years with Redmoon as Directing
Apprentice.


Leslie Buxbaum Danzig (co-director)
co-created Lucky Plush Productions’ The Better Half,
which premiered at MCA Chicago and tours in 2012-2013 throughout the
US.  She was resident 
director with 500 Clown for 10 years, directed Redmoon’s Hunchback at New Victory Theater (NYC), and is Program Curator for the Gray Center for Arts and Inquiry at University of Chicago. 

Kevin O’Donnell (composer) is a Chicago-based musician; he has worked in Chicago theater for the last 10 years, during which time he has been
nominated for 19 Jeff Awards (receiving 8), and 2 consecutive After
Dark Awards (Outstanding Season).  He has worked around the
country, both in theatre and as a musician, having recorded and
toured with Andrew Bird, Kelly Hogan, Nickel Creek, and many others. 


About The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, Chicago Children’s Theatre’s
home for 2012-2013

The Ruth Page Center for Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St., is located just
steps from Michigan Avenue’s Magnificent Mile. The historic 1927
building in which The Center resides sits on a lovely tree-lined
street in the heart of Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood, near the
CTA Red Line and the Clark, Broadway and Division bus lines. Under
the aegis of The Ruth Page Foundation, the Ruth Page Center for the
Arts has for over 40 years committed its resources to supporting
dance and theater in Chicago through its initiatives and programs.
Among these is its Artist In-Residence program where emerging and
established artists and organizations can have a home, office space,
rehearsal space, collaborative programming, and performance
opportunities. Lookingglass Theater and Chicago Shakespeare Theater
have both called the Ruth Page Center home before moving on to
establish their own venues. In addition to Chicago Children’s
Theatre, the 2012-2013 Ruth Page Artist-In Residence program includes
ShawChicago Theatre Company, River North Dance Chicago, CDI/Concert
Dance Inc, DanceWorks Chicago and the Ruth Page Civic Ballet.
Chicago’s top dance companies also perform at the Ruth Page Center
as part of its Subsidized Theater Rental Program. For more
information, visit
ruthpage.org.


About
Chicago Children’s Theatre


Chicago Children’s Theatre focuses on the production of first-rate
children’s theatre in Chicago, with top writing, performing and
directorial talent and high-quality design and production expertise.
Chicago Children’s Theatre aspires to enrich our community through
diverse and significant theatrical and educational programming that
engages and inspires the child in all of us.



Launched in 2005, Chicago Children’s Theatre strives to provide affordable
and accessible theatre for families and area school children. To
enhance the impact of any given production’s themes, Chicago
Children’s Theatre offers educational materials and programs for
families and educators.

This summer, Chicago Children’s Theatre is expanding
its operations with the launch of the company’s first-ever Summer
Theater Camp, July 16-27, 2012 at
Franklin Fine Arts Center in Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood.
Guided by artists and arts educators with extensive experience in the
Chicago theater industry, CCT summer campers will learn to create
their own stories and work as a team to turn those stories into one
big theatrical adventure. For more information and to register visit
chicagochildrenstheatre.org/summercamp
or call 773.227.0180.

In addition to its mainstage programming for families, schools and
groups, Chicago Children’s Theatre will also continue
its Red Kite Project in 2012-2013, creating multi-sensory, interactive theater programming tailored specifically to the needs and interests of children on the
autism spectrum. CCT’s Red Kite Project
also includes Camp Red Kite, an annual summer arts camp tailored specifically to the unique interests and needs of children on the autism spectrum. For
the most up-to-date information on every
Red
Kite 
development, including the upcoming summer session of Camp
Red Kite
, June 25-July 13 at Chicago’s Cleveland Elementary School, call
773.227.0180 x15 or visit www.theredkiteproject.org.
Led by Artistic Director Jacqueline Russell,
and Board Chair Todd Leland, the company is supported by a committed Artistic Council of
Chicago-based actors, directors, musicians and designers, and a
dynamic Board of Directors comprised of dedicated individuals from
the fields of entertainment, philanthropy and business. Officers
include David Saltiel, President; J. Scot Pepper
and Jacqueline Tilton,Vice Chairs; Lynn Lockwood Murphy, Vice Chair and Secretary; and David Chung,Treasurer.


Chicago Children’s Theatre’s 2012-2013 season is made possible in part by
the generosity of its sponsors:  ComEd
is the Official Lighting Sponsor. Goldman
Sachs Gives is the Official Season Sponsor.
JPMorgan Chase is the Official Education Sponsor. Target
is the Official School Field Trip Sponsor. United
is the Chicago Premiere Sponsor as well as the Official and Exclusive
Airline Sponsor. 

For more information about Chicago Children’s Theatre visit
chicagochildrenstheatre.org
or call 773.227.0180.

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