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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.

LOOKINGGLASS THEATRE EXTENDS THE CRITICALLY-ACCLAIMED, HIT PRODUCTION METAMORPHOSES #review



all photos by Liz Lauren


LOOKINGGLASS THEATRE EXTENDS
THE CRITICALLY-ACCLAIMED, HIT PRODUCTION
METAMORPHOSES
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY ENSEMBLE MEMBER MARY ZIMMERMAN


**FOUR WEEKS ADDED**
Tickets available through December 16, 2012


Act fast!  These tickets won't last.  We saw Metamorphoses opening night and this production is beyond beautiful.  This is THE must see show of the season.   A decade after Lookingglass first brought Metamorphoses to life, the theatre world was still reeling.   I missed the original run but spoke to a hand full of people right before I saw the show who said the production literally changed their lives.   "You would remember if you'd seen it."    "After seeing Metamorphoses the first time, I've made it a point to see everything Mary Zimmerman has had a hand in."   There's a reason this show went on to Broadway and garnered Mary Zimmerman a 2002 Tony Award for Best Director.

This is definitely a show for mature audiences.   Be aware there is male frontal nudity, an incest scene and every vice known to Ovid.  That said, everything is done in an artistic, amazing way and teens and even mature tweens would be able to handle this show with parental guidance and discussion.   If in doubt, check it out.   As always, you know your own children best and your comfort level and theirs.   Particularly for older children who are familiar with an enjoy and understand Ovid's stories, Midas, Narcissus and the others will forever vividly spring to life after seeing Metamorphoses live.   


Transformative is the word that comes to mind.   From a watery world reminiscent of something primordial, baptismal and subconscious, Metamorphoses emerges with the all the passions, foibles, and human nature of the Greek myths.   I want to come back again and bring everyone I know.  Highly recommended!




Lookingglass Theatre Company announces a four week extension of Metamorphoses, based on the myths of Ovid from a translation by David Slavitt, written and directed by Ensemble Member Mary Zimmerman. The revival production, coinciding with the 10th Anniversary of the Broadway production, is now playing through December 16, 2012at Lookingglass Theatre Company, located inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson. 


Tickets, $36-$70, are available online, www.lookingglasstheatre.org; by phone, (312) 337-0665; or at the Lookingglass Theatre box office, located inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson.  For more information and box office hours, visit www.lookingglasstheatre.org.

In 1998, Lookingglass debuted Metamorphoses, a play of such grace and power that the memory of it still lingers in the minds of audiences today.  The critically-acclaimed, record-breaking Chicago engagement led to a Broadway production that garnered Mary Zimmerman the 2002 Tony Award for Best Director and catapulted Lookingglass onto the national stage. 


From a simple, rippling pool of water, Ensemble Member Mary Zimmerman conjured the force of Ovid’s ancient myths into gorgeous imagery and breathtaking storytelling.  Metamorphoses’ highly-acclaimed Chicago revival features a number of Lookingglass Ensemble Members and original cast members.


In February 2013, Lookingglass Theatre’s production of Metamorphoses, will transfer to The Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.  Last season, The Arena Stage brought Lookingglass’ hit production of The Arabian Nights to its stage.

 

Metamorphoses features members of the original Lookingglass Chicago cast, Anjali Bhimani (Myrrha and Others), Lawrence E. DiStasi (Hermes and Others),Marilyn Dodds Frank (Therapist and Others), Raymond Fox (Midas and Others), Douglas Hara (Phaeton and Others), Chris Kipiniak (Erysichthon and Others),Louise Lamson (Alcyone and Others).  The cast also includes returning cast member Anne Fogarty (Aphrodite and Others) and new cast members Usman Ally(Orpheus and Others) and Lauren Orkus (Eurydice and Others).  On November 20, Patrick Andrews will join the cast, replacing Doug Hara as Phaeton and Others; and Metamorphoses original cast member Erik Lochtefeld will return to Lookingglass to play Ceyx and Others, replacing Usman Ally.  On December 4, Ashleigh Lathrop will join the cast as Myrrha and Others, replacing Anjali Bhimani; and Tempe Thomas will play Aphrodite and Others, replacing Anne Fogarty, who moves to playing Therapist and Others in the place of Marrilyn Dodds Frank.
Mary Zimmerman has worked with Lookingglass Theatre Company for more than twenty years. She adapted and directed The OdysseyThe Secret in the Wings, Arabian Nights, S/M, Metamorphoses, the Lookingglass/About Face collaboration of Eleven Rooms of Proust and Argonautika. Zimmerman is also part of the Goodman Theatre artistic team where she adapted and directed The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci (with several members of the Lookingglass ensemble), Silk, Journey to the West, Mirror of the Invisible World and a re-creation of The Odyssey. She has twice directed for the New York Shakespeare Festival in the Park. Her work has won awards in Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, Berkeley and New York including the 2002 Tony Award for her direction of Metamorphoses on Broadway. In the world of opera, she directed and wrote the libretto Galileo Galilei (Philip Glass, composer) which was produced at the Goodman Theatre and the Barbican Theatre in London. Additionally, she has directed three operas at The Metropolitan Opera in New York City: Lucia Di Lammermoor, La Sonnambula, and Rossini’s Armida.  In 1998, she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship. She lives in Evanston and is a professor of Performance Studies at Northwestern University.

 

Tickets and information—Metamorphoses
Tickets, $36-$70, are available online, www.lookingglasstheatre.org; by phone, (312) 337-0665; or at the Lookingglass Theatre box office, located inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson.  For more information and box office hours, visit www.lookingglasstheatre.org.

Target Saturday Matinees offer a limited number of buy one, get one free tickets which are available to all 3:00 p.m. Saturday matinees. This program is made possible with the generous support of Target, working with Lookingglass to make the arts accessible to all.

A limited number of student tickets are available the day of the show for $20 with valid student ID.

Groups of 10 or more people save up to 20% on tickets.  Special student group tickets are also available.


Lookingglass Theatre is located in the heart of the Magnificent Mile shopping district inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson.  Discounted parking is available for Lookingglass patrons at both the nearby John Hancock Center and Olympia Centre Self Park (161 E. Chicago Ave.).To purchase tickets, call the Lookingglass Theatre box office at (312) 337-0665 or visit lookingglasstheatre.org.

Production Sponsors for Metamorphoses include United Airlines, the official and exclusive airline of Lookingglass Theatre Company, and The Pauls Foundation.


About Lookingglass Theatre Company
Inventive.  Collaborative.  Transformative.  Lookingglass Theatre Company, recipient of the 2011 Regional Theatre Tony Award, was founded in 1988 by eight Northwestern University students.  2012-2013 marks the company’s 25th anniversary season. Lookingglass is home to a multi-disciplined ensemble of artists who create story-centered theatrical work that is physical, aurally rich and visually metaphoric. Lookingglass has staged 58 world premieres at 23 venues across Chicago, and garnered 52 Joseph Jefferson Awards and Citations.

Work premiered at Lookingglass has been produced in New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, Berkeley, Philadelphia, Princeton, Hartford, Kansas City, Washington D.C., and St. Louis.  Lookingglass original scripts have been produced across the United States.

The Lookingglass Theatre in Chicago's landmark Water Tower Water Works opened in June 2003.  In addition to developing and presenting ensemble work, Lookingglass Education and Community programs encourage creativity, teamwork and confidence with thousands of community members each year.

Lookingglass Theatre Company continues to expand its artistic, financial and institutional boundaries under the guidance of Artistic Director Andrew White, Executive Director Rachel Kraft, Producing Artistic Director Philip R. Smith, Artistic Director of New Work Heidi Stillman, a 22-member artistic ensemble, 15 artistic associates, 11 production affiliates, an administrative staff and a dedicated board of directors led by Chairman Richard Ditton of Incredible Technologies and President Joe Brady of Jones Lang LaSalle. For more information, visit lookingglasstheatre.org.

 
FACTS/Metamorphoses



Title:                Metamorphoses
Based on the Myths of Ovid
Written &
directed by:      Ensemble Member Mary Zimmerman
Translation by: David Slavitt

Dates:               Regular run:                 September 19 - November 18, 2012
                        Extension                     through December 16, 2012
Times:              Tuesdays:                    7:30 p.m. (10/23, 11/06, 11/20 and12/4 only)
                         Wednesdays:               7:30 p.m.
                         Thursdays:                  3:00 p.m. (10/18, 11/01, 11/15, 11/29 and 12/13 only);
7:30 p.m.
No performances on Thanksgiving
                         Fridays:                       3:00 p.m. (11/23 only); 7:30 p.m.
                                      Saturdays:                  3:00 p.m.; 7:30 p.m.
      Sundays:                      3:00 p.m.; 7:30 p.m. (no 7:30pm show on 11/25)            

Location:          Lookingglass Theatre Company, located inside Chicago's historic
Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson.  
Prices:             $36 - $70

                                    
Target Saturday Matinees offer a limited number of buy one, get one free tickets which are available to all 3:00 p.m. Saturday matinees. This program is made possible with the generous support of Target, working with Lookingglass to make the arts accessible to all.

A limited number of student tickets are available the day of the show for $20 with valid student ID.
Groups of 10 or more patrons save up to 20%. Call the box office for details.

Box Office:       Buy online at www.lookingglasstheatre.org
or by phone at (312) 337-0665
The Lookingglass box office is located at Water Tower Water Works,
821 N. Michigan Ave.


Wednesday, October 10, 2012

ACT OUT: Arthur Miller's Broken Glass Opens at Red Twist





Broken Glass
By Arthur Miller 
Directed by Michael Colucci & Jan Ellen Graves
Opens at Redtwist Theatre Sunday, Oct 14, at 3pm

Company member and Jeff Award-winner, Jacqueline Grandt, plays a woman with a mysterious illness in Miller's 1995 award-winning period drama about the demons of your past that become your present nightmare. 

Redtwist Production History of the Play
Redtwist (then called Actors Workshop Theatre) produced the play in 2001 at the then-Victory Gardens studio as an itinerant company, opening just days before 9/11. During that production, Michael Colucci directed and played the role of Harry Hyman. He cast Jan Ellen Graves as his wife Margaret, who later became his actual wife and producing partner. They moved into the Bryn Mawr location in 2002, and producedBroken Glass as the opening show in their first full season in 2004-05. Jan again played Margaret Hyman, and Michael directed. It was Redtwist's first show for Jacqueline Grandt and Neal Grofman (as Sylvia and Phillip Gellburg), who are reprising their roles for this production. Michael is revisiting the role of Harry Hyman, and co-directing with Jan Ellen Graves. "I'm thrilled to have Jacqueline Grandt recreating a role that very few people saw in 2004 when Redtwist was a new company," says Artistic Director, Michael Colucci. "Broken Glass will be a reunion of sorts as we are celebrating our 10th year in Edgewater." Steve Scott was originally scheduled to direct but needed to tend to health matters. Jan Ellen Graves comments, "We'd like to thank Steve Scott for laying the foundation for this production."

CAST
Featuring company members, Jacqueline Grandt (Sylvia Gellburg) and Michael Colucci (Harry Hyman), with guest artists, Neal Grofman (Phillip Gellburg), Susan Fay (Margaret Hyman), Mike Nowak (Stanton Case), Robyn Okrant (Harriet).

STAFF
Michael Colucci & Jan Ellen Graves (Directors), Willie Landon (Assistant Director), Shelby Glasgow (Stage Manager), Olivia Leah Baker (Assistant Stage Manager), Justin Castellano (Production Manager), Amanda Lautermilch (Production Assistant), Frank Sjodin (Tech Director), Joe Schermoly (Set Designer), Christopher Burpee (Lighting Designer), Christopher Kriz (Sound Designer), kClare Kemock (Costume Designer), Rachel S. Parent (Costume Assistant), Jeff Shields (Prop Designer), Eva Breneman (Dialect Coach), Cassandra Rose (Dramaturg), Mary Reynard Liss (Vocal Coach), Chris Rickett (Fight Director); Garvin Jellison (Master Electrician); Jan Ellen Graves (Graphic Designer); Charles Bonilla (Box Office Manager); Malcolm Martinez (Box Office Associate); Johnny Garcia (Associate Producer); Michael Colucci & Jan Ellen Graves (Producers)

SCHEDULE
Opens: Sun, Oct 14, 3pm
Runs: Thu, Fri, Sat, 7:30pm; Sun, 3pm
Closes: Sun, Nov 18
Running Time: Approximately 2:15, which includes one intermission
Previews: $15; Wed, Thu, Fri, Oct 10, 11, 12, at 7:30pm (no show on Oct 13)
Tickets: Thursdays, $25; Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, $30 (seniors & students $5 off)
Group Rates: Special discounts for groups of 10 or more, and groups of 25 or more
 
DETAILS
Call: 773-728-7529
Website/Tickets: www.redtwist.org

Redtwist is located at 1044 W Bryn Mawr, 2 blks W of LSD, 2 blks E of the Red Line El station. Street parking (paybox/meters until 9pm) is available on Bryn Mawr, side streets, and Broadway. Please reserve 48 hours in advance. Credit cards accepted by phone and via Paypal to guarantee seating.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

ACT OUT: Gravity Defying LEO Two Days Only




THE GRAVITY DEFYING ONE-MAN SHOW "LEO" MAKES ITS CHICAGO AREA PREMIERE AT THE ECC ARTS CENTER OCT. 26-27

Tickets for This Internationally Acclaimed, Best of the Edinburgh Festival Winner Are Now On Sale to the General Public

Elgin Community College (ECC) Arts Center, 1700 Spartan Dr, Elgin, Ill. presents the Chicago area premiere of the internationally renowned Circle of Eleven's critically-acclaimed one-man gravity defying show "LEO," Friday, Oct. 26 and Saturday, Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m.

"LEO," starring the multi-talented performer Tobias Wegner is a surprising, hilarious, and moving show sure to be a hit with audiences age 8 to 80. Based on an original idea by and performed by Wegner and directed by Daniel Brière, "LEO" uses an ingenious combination of stage design and video projections to create an unexpected environment for extraordinary feats of acrobatic theater in which "our hero" literally loses his sense of gravity and departs on a logic-defying adventure. .

"LEO" is the newest creation of the Berlin-based production company Circle of Eleven. Directed by the Montréal-based actor and director Daniel Brière, it won several major awards at the 2011 Edinburgh Fringe festival including the Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh Award, the Three Weeks Editors Award and The Scotsman Fringe First Award. When "LEO" made its U.S. debut in New York City this past January Time Out New York called it “an eye-teasing, grin-inducing, deeply impressive work of sustained absurdist magic”
and The New York Post raved, "Alternately funny and poetic... 'LEO' soars."


The ECC Arts Center engagement is the only Chicago area site currently scheduled for the "LEO" fall 2012 North American Tour.



Tobias Wegner (performer/creator) completed his acrobatic training at the Belgium University of Contemporary Circus Arts (E.S.A.C.) in Brussels. His professional career has taken him to, among other places, Brazil, Spain, and India. He has also performed at the Southbank Centre (London), the Théâtre de la Cité Internationale (Paris), the Schauspiel Frankfurt, and the Staatsoper unter den Linden (Berlin). In 2008, Tobias won the European competition "Jeunes Talents Cirque Europe" with the project AIUAIO and his own company of the same name.

Daniel Brière (director) is co-artistic director of the Nouveau Théâtre Expérimental in Montreal, where he has created new work since 2003. He has directed more than 20 theater productions, including "LÉO," which was created in Berlin, won three awards at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and has since toured to New York, New Zealand, Singapore, Brazil, and elsewhere. As an actor, Brière has appeared in film and played a variety of roles in Quebec and overseas. His television include the popular TV comedy "The Parent Family," for which he was awarded the 2011 Artis Prize for a male lead.
The design team includes Flavia Hevia (set and lighting design), Heiko Kalmbach (video design); Ingo Panke (animation); and Heather McCrimmon (costume design). Creative Producer is Gregg Parks.

Tickets may be purchased online by clicking here or at the ECC box office located in the arts center. Box office hours are noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon to 5 p.m. Friday and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday. To purchase tickets by phone, call 847-622-0300. All major credit cards are accepted.

For more information about the ECC Arts Center, visit elgin.edu/arts. Video clips of upcoming artists and events can be found at youtube.com/ECCArtsCenter. Connect and talk to the arts center on Standing Room Only, a blog at eccartscenter.com. The arts center also can be followed on Twitter at twitter.com/ECCArtsCenter. Become a fan of the arts center on Facebook at facebook.com/ECCArtsCenter.


"LEO" makes its Chicago area premiere at the ECC Arts Center 
1700 Spartan Dr,
Elgin, Ill. 
Friday, Oct. 26 and Saturday, Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m. 

"LEO" is appropriate for theatre goers of all ages and recommended for those 8 and up. 

Tickets are $33 for adults / $20 for children 12 and under and on sale now to the general public.


NY SHOWS ON OUR RADAR: Bristol Meets Brooklyn #roadtrip


Bristol Street Artists and DJs Meet Brooklyn DJs & Bands For CMJ

Tuesday October 16th, Knitting Factory, Brooklyn



Hey NY peeps...want some house guests?  It might be time for a road trip.  NY sure is closer to Chicago than England.  This collaboration looks like too much fun.


On 16th October 2012BEAM// (Bristol Exchange of Arts & Music) are bringing a slice of Bristol’s burgeoning street level art, music and film to Brooklyn. BEAM// will be running a day and night event at the Knitting Factory in Williamsburg, featuring world renowned street artists Inkieand Nick Walker, music from Scott Hendy (Malachai/Boca 45), plus the legendary Bristol DJ and long time NY resident DJ Milo. There will also be representation from Brooklyn in the form of DJ Ursula 1000 and live acts The Good People and Archie Pelago.

The event will include film screenings, visuals and art to give a flavour of the creative output from Bristol, UK featuring work from award winning music documentary filmmaker Mark Kidel and a selection of music promos and visuals from John Minton.

Much like Brooklyn itself, the city of Bristol has long been regarded as a place of innovation, radical creativity, and independence. From the street art of Banksy, Nick Walker, Will Barras, Inkie to the groundbreaking, distinctive and original music of  Massive Attack andPortishead,  and the de-facto ‘home’ of movements such as dubstep and drum & bass, this is all drawn from a multi cultural and fiercely independent city. Bristol is recognised the world over as a leader, not a follower, in original and underground culture. Full program and profiles below :


2pm - 7pm - FREE ADMISSION
Street painting by Inkie and Nick Walker, Film Screenings + Q & A with the artists at 5pm.  
7pm - late - $10
7:00pm - Scott Hendy / Malachai (DJ Set)
7:30pm - Ursula 1000 (DJ Set)
8:30pm - The Good People (Live Band Set)
9:30pm - Inkie Vs Malachai (Live Visual Art Performance + DJ)
10:00pm - DJ Milo (DJ Set)
11:00pm - Archie Pelago (Live Band Set) 






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