ACT OUT CLOSING: Victory Gardens Death and the Maiden Through July 20th

LAST CALL. If you haven't seen Victory Gardens Theater's acclaimed production of Death and the Maiden by Ariel Dorfman, directed by Artistic Director Chay Yew, don't delay. Death and the Maiden must end July 20th. Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue. Tickets are available at victorygardens.org or by calling 773-871-3000.

Regular performances run through July 20, 2014: Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30 pm; Saturday at 4 pm; Sunday at 3 pm. Tickets begin at $20.

Performances are at the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue, in the heart of Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.  For tickets and information, call the Victory Gardens Box Office, 773.871.3000, email tickets@victorygardens.org, or visit www.victorygardens.org.  Ask the Box Office about student tickets, senior, Access, $20 under 30, and rush discounts.  For group discounts, call 773.328.2136.

A full and updated schedule of special events, post show discussions and presentations centered around performances of Death and the Maiden is available at www.victorygardens.org.  All events are free unless otherwise noted, and a reservation is required. To RSVP, call (773)871-3000 or visit the Victory Gardens website. 

AFTERWORDS

After every performance of DEATH AND THE MAIDEN (unless otherwise noted)

Join us for one of our intimate post show conversations. Led by members from the Victory Gardens community—subscribers, Artistic staff, Teen Arts Council members, and community partners— reflect on what you’ve seen and share your response.

Regular run:    $40 and up

Extension:       $42 and up

Rush discounts are available an hour before curtain.

Box Office:                  The Box Office is located at 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago.

773.871.3000; victorygardens.org

The cast of Death and the Maiden includes Raúl Castillo, John Judd and Sandra Oh.

“I’m thrilled to join the theater scene again under the direction of my long-time friend Chay Yew,” says Sandra Oh.  “Victory Gardens Theater is doing some amazing work and it’s very exciting to be a part of it. I have always been an advocate for local theaters and it’s wonderful to be able to support one with such an important mission of new work.”

Ariel Dorfman’s explosively provocative, award-winning political thriller is set in a rocky new democracy. Gerardo has just been chosen to head the commission that will investigate the crimes of the old regime when his car breaks down and he is picked up by a kind doctor. Gerardo’s wife, Paulina, thinks she recognizes the doctor as the man who tormented her as she lay blindfolded in a military detention center years before. Death and the Maiden is a riveting play about revenge, trauma and forgiveness.

Raúl Castillo most recently garnered accolades for his turn as Richie in the HBO series Looking. Raúl is a member of LAByrinth Theater Company in NYC and author of the play Knives and Other Sharp Objects. Acting credits include: Jose Rivera’s Adoration of the Old Woman (Intar), Fish Men (Goodman Theater), Smoke (Signature Theater), A Lifetime Burning (Primary Stages), School of the Americas (LAByrinth/Public Theater), and Flowers (Ensemble Studio Theater). Film credits include: Amexicano, Cold Weather, Don’t Let Me Drown, My Best Day, The Girl and the screen adaptation of Rudolfo Anaya’s seminal novel Bless Me, Ultima. Raúl studied theater at Boston University's School for the Arts before making a name for himself on both stage and screen as actor and writer

John Judd makes his Victory Gardens debut with Death and the Maiden. He has appeared at the Goodman in Measure for Measure, Sweet Bird of Youth, The Iceman Cometh, A Christmas Carol, Magnolia, and Shining City. Other Chicago credits include: Three Sisters, Clybourne Park, Last of the Boys, The Dresser, Orson’s Shadow and The Butcher of Baraboo at Steppenwolf Theatre Company; Romeo and Juliet and The Feast: an intimate Tempest at Chicago Shakespeare Theater; The Price, Crime and Punishment and Othello at Writers Theatre; The Cripple of Inishmaan and The Lieutenant of Inishmore at Northlight Theatre; Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde and Lettice and Lovage at Court Theatre; Gagarin Way at A Red Orchid Theatre; Execution of Justice at About Face Theatre; Come Back, Little Sheba at Shattered Globe Theatre and Great Men of Science Nos. 21 and 22 at Lookingglass Theatre Company. Mr. Judd’s New York credits include Orson’s Shadow and An Oak Tree at Barrow Street Theatre and Crime and Punishment at 59E59 Theaters. His regional and international appearances include American Buffalo at McCarter Theatre; Orson’s Shadow at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Westport Country Playhouse and the Beaver Creek Theatre Festival; Shining City at the Huntington Theatre Company and Long Day’s Journey into Night at Town Hall Theatre in Galway, Ireland.

Sandra Oh began her career as the title role in the CBC television film The Diary of Evelyn Lau for which she received a Gemini nomination and a 1994 Cannes FIPA d’O, both for Best Actress. She won her first Genie for her leading role in Double Happiness and won a Cable Ace award for Best Actress in a Comedy for her work on Arli$. She has recently appeared on film in Rabbit Hole, Under the Tuscan Sun, and Sideways, which was nominated for 5 Academy Awards and won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. Currently, Sandra is continuing her work with “Grey’s Anatomy” as Dr. Cristina Yang for which she’s been nominated for five Primetime Emmy’s and won a Golden Globe. Her previous theater experience includes the world premieres of Jessica Hagedorn’s Dogeaters at La Jolla Playhouse, the New York ensemble of The Vagina Monologues, and Diana Son’s Stop Kiss at Joseph Papp’s Public Theater in New York where she received a Theatre World award.

Chay Yew joined Victory Gardens in July 2011. For Victory Gardens, he directed The Gospel of Lovingkindness, Mojada, Oedipus el Rey, and Universes’ Ameriville at Victory Gardens. His other Chicago credits include Dartmoor Prison and Black N Blue Boys/Broken Men at the Goodman, and Po Boy Tango at Northlight Theatre. In New York he directed at The Public Theater, Playwrights Horizons, New York Theatre Workshop, National Asian American Theatre Company, and Ma-Yi Theatre Company. Regionally, he has directed at the Humana Festival of New American Plays at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, The Kennedy Center; Mark Taper Forum, American Conservatory Theater, Huntington Theatre Company, Long Wharf Theatre, Denver Center Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Empty Space Theatre, Portland Center Stage, Cornerstone Theatre Company, Singapore Repertory Theatre, Boston Court, East West Players amongst others. His opera credits include world premieres of Osvaldo Golijov’s and David Henry Hwang’s Ainadamar (co-production with the Tanglewood Music Center, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic); and Rob Zuidam’s Rage d’Amours (Tanglewood Music Center.) Chay is a recipient of the Obie Award and DramaLogue Award for Direction. As a playwright, his plays include Porcelain, A Language of Their Own, Red, A Beautiful Country, Wonderland, Question 27, Question 28, A Distant Shore, 17, and Visible Cities. His other work includes adaptations, A Winter People (based on Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard) and Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba, and a musical Long Season. His performance works include Vivien and Her Shadows and Home: Places between Asia and America. His plays have been produced at the Public Theater, Mark Taper Forum, Manhattan Theatre Club, Long Wharf Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Intiman Theatre, Wilma Theatre, Dallas Theatre Center, Portland Center Stage, amongst many others. Overseas, his plays have been produced by Royal Court Theatre (London), Fattore K and Napoli Teatro Festival (Naples, Italy), La Mama (Melbourne, Australia), Four Arts (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), Singapore Repertory Theatre, Toy Factory, Checkpoint Theatre, and TheatreWorks (Singapore). He is also the recipient of the London Fringe Award for Best Playwright and Best Play, George and Elisabeth Marton Playwriting Award, GLAAD Media Award, Made in America Award, AEA/SAG/AFTRA Diversity Honor, and Robert Chesley Award. His plays Porcelain and A Language of Their Own and The Hyphenated American Plays are published by Grove Press. He recently edited Version 3.0: An Anthology of Contemporary Asian American Plays for TCG Publications. He was the founding director of the Taper’s Asian Theatre Workshop and producer of Taper, Too. Chay is also an alumnus of New Dramatists and serves on the Executive Board of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.

The William and Orli Staley Foundation is the Lead Production Sponsor of Death and the Maiden.  Additional production sponsors include Abbot Downing, the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, Al and Pamella Capitanini Family & the Italian Village Restaurants, and Charles E. Harris II and Mayer Brown LLP.

About Victory Gardens Theater

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Chay Yew and Managing Director Chris Mannelli, Victory Gardens is dedicated to artistic excellence while creating a vital, contemporary American Theater that is accessible and relevant to all people through productions of challenging new plays and musicals.  With Victory Gardens’ first new Artistic Director in 34 years, the company remains committed to the development, production and support of new plays that has been the mission of the theater since its founding, continuing the vision set forth by Dennis Zacek, Marcelle McVay, and the original founders of Victory Gardens Theater.

Victory Gardens Theater is a leader in developing and producing new theatre work and cultivating an inclusive Chicago theater community. Victory Gardens’ core strengths are nurturing and producing dynamic and inspiring new plays, reflecting the diversity of our city’s and nation’s culture through engaging diverse communities, and in partnership with Chicago Public Schools, bringing art and culture to our city’s active student population.  

Since its founding in 1974, the company has produced more world premieres than any other Chicago theater, a commitment recognized nationally when Victory Gardens received the 2001 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. Located in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, Victory Gardens Biograph Theater includes the Zacek-McVay Theater, a state-of-the-art 299-seat mainstage and the 109-seat studio theater on the second floor, named the Richard Christiansen Theater.

In 2012, Victory Gardens Victory Gardens appointed new Ensemble Playwrights Philip Dawkins, Marcus Gardley, Samuel D. Hunter and Tanya Saracho, for seven-year residencies. The Playwrights Ensemble Alumni includes Claudia Allen, Lonnie Carter, Steve Carter, Gloria Bond Clunie, Dean Corrin, Nilo Cruz, Joel Drake Johnson, John Logan, Nicholas Patricca, Douglas Post, James Sherman, Charles Smith, Jeffrey Sweet and Kristine Thatcher.

  

Victory Gardens Theater receives major funding from Alphawood Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, The Joyce Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Allstate Insurance, Polk Bros. Foundation, Crown Family Philanthropies, Leo S. Guthman Fund, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, William and Orli Staley Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts and REAM Foundation. Additional funding is provided by: Illinois Arts Council (a state agency), The Edgerton Foundation, Charles & M.R. Shapiro Foundation, Venturous Theater Fund of the Tides Foundation, McVay Foundation, The Seabury Foundation, Wrightwood Neighbors Conservation Association, The Charles H. and Bertha L. Boothroyd Foundation, John R. Halligan Charitable Fund, Illinois Tool Works, Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust,  Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg, LLP, Abbot Downing, James S. Kemper Foundation, The Prince Charitable Trusts, Southwest Airlines, a City Arts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, The Irving Harris Foundation and The Saints.

For more information about Victory Gardens, www.victorygardens.org.  Follow up on Facebook at Facebook.com/victorygardens and Twitter @VictoryGardens.

NEW RELEASE: DEVO The Men Who Make The Music / Butch Devo & The Sundance Gig available on DVD and Digital Formats on August 12

What We're Watching:

Classic DEVO live in 1978-79  philosophy and more! Click here to see Rolling Stone premieres "Too Much Paranoia" clip Here at ChiIL Live Shows we dig DEVO. We grew up with their music and they were still fanstastic when we saw them tour with Blondie on the Whip It To Shreds Tour.  This new DVD/digital release is a must have for any serious music collector. Why? It's in demand: The original VHS it's based on goes for hundreds of dollars!  It's subversive:  Originally shelved by Time Life due to concerns about its anti-music industry content. It's a slice of music history:  Some of the earliest professionally shot footage of DEVO And Bonus film: 1996 Sundance Film Festival live show featuring early DEVO songs The Men Who Make the Music combines concert footage from DEVO's 1978 tour with music videos and interstitials featuring a vague story about DEVO's rocky relationship with "Big Entertainment."  As for the bonus program, Butch Devo and the Sundance Gig, Jerry Casale says, "In January of '96, we closed Sundance Film Festival. We wore 20s style prison suits and dished out classic DEVO songs to an unsuspecting audience of Hollywood elite." Click here to Pre-order Track Listing Jocko Homo (Music video, taken from "The Truth About De-evolution") General Boy 1 Wiggly World (Live) General Boy 2 The Day My Baby Gave Me A Surprise (Music video) Roll Out The Barrel (AKA "Rod Rooter's Big Reamer") Praying Hands (live) General Boy 3 Uncontrollable Urge (Live) (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (Music video) General Boy 4 Jocko Homo (Live, partial performance) Secret Agent Man (Music video, take from "The Truth About De-evolution") Smart Patrol / Mr. DNA (Live) Come Back Jonee (Music Video) General Boy 5 Red Eye (Live) Devo Corporate Anthem Product Details Format: DVD SKU: MVD6055D UPC: 760137605591 Street Date: 08/12/14 PreBook Date: 07/08/14 Label: MVD VISUAL » Genre: Alternative/Punk Run Time: 144 mins Number of Discs: 1 Audio: 5.1 SURROUND Year of Production: 1981 Box Lot: 30 Territory: WORLD Language: English

HELP OUT: Inaugural Family Gala on July 12 Seussapalooza at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre

Chicago Shakespeare Theater Producers’ Guild hosts

Inaugural Family Gala on July 12

Seussapalooza

Benefitting Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks

Chicago—June 26, 2014—Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s (CST) 

Come ChiIL out with Chicago Shakespeare Theatre and ChiIL Mama. We can't wait to experience both Seussical AND Seussapalooza this Saturday! And all this fun will funD another true treasure, Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks. Break out your funkiest Dr. Seuss attire and help out. You can say you were there at the FIRST CST Family Gala EVER. Tickets start at a reasonable $45 and the event is family friendly, with stage combat demos, crafts, hands on activities, and more!

CST’s inaugural Family Gala, Seussapalooza on July 12, 2014, 11:00 a.m. at the Theater’s home on Navy Pier. This family-friendly event invites guests to enjoy the summer musical production of Seussical in CST’s Courtyard Theater, followed by a lively reception with hands-on activities and crafts for all ages. In keeping with the Producers’ Guild’s mission to support access to Shakespeare for all, funds raised will benefit the celebrated Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks program, which brings a free Shakespearean production to neighborhood parks across Chicago in the summer. 

Click here for Shakespeare in the Parks 2014 dates/locations and ChiIL Mama's photo filled review of the show.

Seussapalooza guests will first be treated to a performance of Seussical in CST’s magnificent Courtyard Theater. This 75-minute Broadway musical comedy brings the humor and magic of Dr. Seuss to life onstage. Playful, energetic and full of whimsy, Seussical engages the imagination with clever lyrics and melodies, unforgettable characters and the vibrant rainbow of Dr. Seuss’s colorful world.

The Cat in the Hat (Alex Goodrich) shows JoJo (Emily Chang) that, through the power of her imagination, anything can happen in the song “It’s Possible” in Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Seussical, directed by Scott Weinstein, in CST’s Courtyard Theater now through August 17, 2014. Photo by Michael Brosilow. Following the performance, attendees will proceed to a whimsical reception taking place throughout the Theater’s 6th floor lobbies and performance spaces, featuring a delicious luncheon, vivid décor and soaring views of the city’s skyline. Hands-on activities for children of all ages will include stage combat demonstrations by professional fight choreographers, a photo booth with theatrical props and artful face painting, as well as crafts and other games. A silent auction with exclusive family fun packages will further support Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks.

Proceeds from Seussapalooza will fully fund a designated park on this summer’s Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks tour of the wildly popular A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which will travel to 18 neighborhood parks across the city, July 18–August 17, 2014. Since its inception in July 2012, this annual summer tradition has touched over 27,000 audience members on the north, south and west sides of the city. At each stop on the citywide tour, families and neighbors come together to share in the delight of a professional Shakespearean production.









CST’s Producers’ Guild, led by Rachel Bronson and Justine Jentes, is a dynamic auxiliary board for emerging leadership in Chicago’s cultural community that advocates and supports CST’s work on the Theater’s stages, in the community and abroad. The Family Gala is co-chaired by Karen and Tuey Connell and Robin and Timothy Sheehan.

Seussapalooza Lead Sponsors include Beecken Petty O’Keefe & Company, Biagio Events, the Butler Family Foundation and Make It Better Magazine.


Tickets for the Seussapalooza event begin at $45. To join Chicago Shakespeare Theater in celebration of Seussapalooza, please contact Margaret Reeder at 312.667.4951 or mreeder@chicagoshakes.com.

A musical adventure through the world of Dr. Seuss Seussical Directed by Scott Weinstein Chicago Shakespeare Theater brings the humor and magic of Dr. Seuss to life onstage this summer for young audiences and their families in the Broadway musical comedy Seussical. Playful, energetic and full of whimsy, this 75-minute musical adventure engages the imagination with clever lyrics and melodies, unforgettable characters and the colorful world of Dr. Seuss. Every performance features special opportunities for audiences to interact with the actors for one-on-one conversations and photos. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, CST partners with the Chicago Children’s Museum (CCM) to offer hands-on craft activities in CST’s Lobby. Seussical is being presented in CST’s Courtyard Theater now through August 17, 2014.

ACT OUT: OPENING A Horse of A Different Color Presents the World Premiere of Fairytales: Not Suitable for Children August 2014

Fairytales: 

Not Suitable for Children 

Directed by Morgan Ashley Madison 

Musical direction and composition by Anthony Sanders

Hysterical and heartwarming, this immersive and irreverent musical experience turns the myths of yesteryear completely on their heads.

Three Week Run ONLY

A Horse of A Different Color is proud to present the world premiere of Fairytales: Not Suitable for Children, created by Morgan Ashley Madison, at Emerald City Theatre Company’s The Little Theatre, 2933 N. Southport Ave. in Chicago. The opening is Saturday, August 9 at 8pm, and the show will run Fridays at 10:30PM and Saturdays at 8PM with a special discounted Restaurant and Artist Industry night on Monday, August 18 at 10:30pm. The show runs from August 9-23.

“With this production I harken back to what folks must have felt like when they saw Steppenwolf or Lookingglass for the first time,” Ernie Nolan, Emerald City’s Artistic Director, says, “Something that is so unique and so intrinsically Chicago. Fairytales has all the things I love when I go to the theater: laughs, entertainment value, but I also think of an amazing amount of heart and that’s what Fairytales really leaves you with at the end.”

*Due to some adult content and humor, Fairytales: Not Suitable for Children is, in fact, not recommended for children.*

The cast features Isabella Karina Coelho, Casey Morris, Alex Seeley, and Erik Strebig.

The design and production team of Fairytales: Not Suitable for Children includes Katrina Dion (Assistant Director), M.E. Barker (Choreographer), Daniel Friedman (Lighting Designer), Jacob C. Shuler (Dramaturg), Mina Slater (Stage Manager), Morgan Greene (Assistant Stage Manager), and Dean Corrin (Artistic Consultant).

About the Play

This immersive musical spectacle propels audiences back into the joyful and carefree days of childhood. While audiences watch their most beloved tales go to new extremes they can leave “happily ever after” at the door and say hello to uproarious musical numbers, confetti canons, fairies in drag, magic, out of this world circus tricks, often inappropriate humor, and some good old fashioned catharsis.

Tickets:

$10 general admission

$8 students and seniors

$6 Industry night and preview

Available at:

fairytales2014.wix.com/theexperience

Photos by Morgan Madison. Erik Strebig, Isabella Karina Coelho, Casey Morris, Alex Seeley

WHAT: A Horse of A Different Color presents the World premiere of Fairytales: Not Suitable For Children created and directed by Morgan Ashley Madison

WHERE: Emerald City Theatre Company’s The Little Theatre, 2933 N. Southport Ave. in Chicago. A short walk from the Wellington Brown Line Stop and Ashland Bus (#9).

WHEN: THREE WEEKS ONLY: August 9-23

Fridays at 10:30PM, Saturdays at 8:00PM, and a discounted Industry Night performance on Monday, August 18 at 10:30 PM

TICKETS:

$10 general admission

$8 students and seniors

$6 Industry night

Available @ fairytales2014.wix.com/theexperience

Cast:

Isabella Karina Coelho, Casey Morris, Anthony Sanders, Alex Seeley, Erik Strebig

Production Team:

Composer/Music Director: Anthony Sanders

Choreographer: M.E. Barker

Assistant Director: Katrina Dion

Stage Manager: Mina Slater

Lighting Designer: Daniel Friedman

Assistant Stage Manager: Morgan Greene

Artistic Consultant: Dean Corrin

 

Photos by Morgan Madison. Isabella Karina Coelho, Casey Morris, Erik Strebig, Alex Seeley

FLASH GIVEAWAY: 25% Discount To Brain Arts Theatre Camp & Final Production Video #Chicago #TheatreArts #ChiILPicksList #sponsored

"Please sign me up for Brain Arts Camp again, Mom! It's THE best camp I've ever been to." effused my oldest son. Those words were music to my ears. Of course he's going back for two weeks this summer. We were thrilled with the quality and creativity of this camp and highly recommend it.







Disclosure:  ChiIL Mama is elated to partner up with Brain Arts Camp and thank them for providing a discount for our giveaway. We have been compensated to share their camp info with our readers.  As always, all opinions are our own.

The first four of our readers to enroll kids ages 6-14 will get 25% off on a two week camp session for ANY session Brain Surgery Theatre is offering this summer, pending availability. (4 discounted spots per session available with the code ChiIL Mama so don't delay).

My son as a juggling "were-icorn" 

We've been raving about Brain Arts Camp for a couple years now. Click HERE to check out some of our past coverage. This is our last call for the 2014 season, and may be your lucky day.

There's a final production for each camp session. Here's the one from Sail Away Buttercup, the production my 12 year old son loved so much last summer. Check out their full show here:

"I've been through so many camps, I can't even pick a favorite show!" Evan Patrick, Brain Arts Camper

Rock Musical Camps

For Young Artists Ages 6 through 14 

Rock Musical of Epic Proportions (2 Week Session)
Monday 7/21/14 through Friday 8/1/14 from 9 am to 3 pm
Performance Friday 8/1/14 at 4 pm
Brain Surgeon Theater at Gorilla Tango Bucktown
1919 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago IL 60647

It's yet to be titled because YOU could title it! Come create original characters, rock and roll song and dance numbers, and, if history is any guide, a surprise ending. Mornings will be structured around character development, playwriting, and scenework; afternoons focus on skill-building workshops including voice, movement, stage combat, and set and costume design. It's a wild ride that guarantees a summer to remember!

$650 for 2 week session
$1200 for sibling or friend pairs
Register Now

 

Acting and Improv Intensives
For Young Artists Entering 3rd through 9th Grade 

Acting and Improv - Beyond the Basics (2 Week Session)

Monday 8/4/14 through Friday 8/15/14 from 9 am to 3 pm
Showcase Friday 8/15/14 at 4 pm
Brain Surgeon Theater at Gorilla Tango Bucktown
1919 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago IL 60647

Delve deep into both your scripted onstage work and Improvisation guided by some of Chicago's most experienced artist-educators. Final showcases will feature every young artist in challenging, fun scripted roles and Improvisational scenes inspired by audience suggestions.

$650 for 2 week session
$1200 for sibling or friend pairs
Register Now

Movie-Making Camps

For Young Artists Ages 6 through 14

Mini-Movie Making Intensive (5 Days)Monday 8/18/14 through Friday 8/22/14 9 am to 3 pm
Final showcase Friday 8/22/14 at 4 pm
Brain Surgeon Theater at Gorilla Tango Bucktown
1919 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago IL 60647

Dive in and create digital shorts, music videos, and a mini-feature film in this 5 day movie-making intensive. Every camper will get behind the camera, onscreen, and in the editing room. A hands-on, completely original experience for burgeoning filmmakers ages 6 through 14.

$325 for 1 week session
$600 for sibling or friend pairs
Register Now

Brain Arts camps cost less than most other Chicago Theatre Camps for kids and they're crazy creative. Best of all, they let the kids step up and have input in the writing, character development, props, costumes, staging and more. Enroll your budding Thespians and future Filmmakers today!

Click here for complete camp info.

Look for expanded Brain Arts after school programming, new special needs programming, and more, coming THIS fall!

Disclosure: Once again, ChiIL Mama is elated to partner up with Brain Arts Camp and thank them for providing a discount for our giveaway. We have been compensated to share their camp info with our readers.  As always, all opinions are our own.

FREE TICKETS RELEASE THIS WEEK, JULY 8 & 9 Chicago Dancing Festival: August 20-23, 2014

ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING ANNOUNCED FOR 

CHICAGO DANCING FESTIVAL

Chicago Dancing Festival founders Lar Lubovitch and Jay Franke are pleased to announce today additional works being added to the 2014 Festival lineup, including two more World Premieres, plus plans for a pre- and post-performance sponsors party around the “Celebration of Dance” Grand Finale performance, Saturday, August 23. Free tickets for the Festival’s indoor performances become available to the public this week, July 8 and 9.  The 2014 Chicago Dancing Festival, featuring top ballet, modern and hip-hop companies from Chicago and across the country, is set to take place August 20 – 23.

The Joffrey Ballet 

in 'Bells' by Yuri Possokhov

Dancers: Temur Suluashvili and Victoria Jaiani

Photo by Cheryl Mann

Additional Programming

Chicago-based choreographer Ron De Jesus, a former dancer with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and now Artistic Director of Ron De Jesus Dance, has been commissioned by the Dancing Festival to create a new duet for the dancing male pair of Ben Wardell (Nexus Project, Lucky Plush Productions, formerly Hubbard Street Dance Chicago) and Michel Rodriguez (Nexus Project, formerly Hedwig Dances). Transition Zone will premiere as part of the Festival’s “Dances for 2” at the Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave., in two performances, Friday, August 22.

New York-based choreographer Darrell Grand Moultrie, who has set work on and collaborated with pop stars like Beyoncé as well as highly regarded institutions like The Juilliard School, the Alvin Ailey B.F.A. Program and tap legend Savion Glover, has been commissioned by the Festival to create a new work for the student dancers of After School Matters, to premiere on the Pritzker “Celebration of Dance” program, August 23.

These new commissioned works are in addition to the previously announced World Premiere the Festival has commissioned from New York mixed-genre choreographer Kyle Abraham for the dancers of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, entitled Counterpoint. This work, to be performed at the Harris Theater as part of the “Classics and Creations” program August 20, is set to Tu Non Mi Perderai Mai by Peter Gregson and Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor: Third Movement, performed by Arthur Rubinstein.   The full schedule of performances follows below.

“Last Dance” Sponsors Party

This year, the Chicago Dancing Festival hosts “Last Dance,” a party to acknowledge the sponsors whose support is crucial to keeping the Festival’s performances free for the public.  “Last Dance” takes place Saturday, August 23, on the Terrace at the Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph Street.  The evening includes pre-show cocktails beginning at 6 pm followed by reserved seating for the performance at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, then a post-show picnic with cocktails and a chance to mingle with the artists.  Those interested in donating or learning more about sponsorship opportunities can visit www.chicagodancingfestival.com or, for questions, call 773-609-2335.

Ticket Release This Week

Tickets for the indoor performances at Harris Theater and Museum of Contemporary become available this week.  All tickets are free but tickets for indoor events must be reserved in advance through each venue’s box office. 

Tickets for the August 20 program at the Harris Theater will be released Tuesday, July 8 at noon, available in person at the Harris Theater Box Office, 205 E. Randolph Drive, or by calling (312) 334-7777.  Limit two (2) tickets per order; tickets ordered by phone will be held at Will-Call.

Tickets for the August 22 programs at the Museum of Contemporary Art will be release Wednesday, July 9 at noon, available in person at the MCA Stage Box Office, 220 E. Chicago Avenue, or by calling (312) 397-4010.  Limit two (2) tickets per order; tickets ordered by phone will be held at Will-Call.

No tickets are needed for the outdoor Pritzker Pavilion events, including the Opening Night Simulcast presented by the Harris Theater on August 20 and the Grand Finale performance on August 23. 

Any empty seats or tickets unclaimed at 15 minutes prior to curtain time will be released to those in a Stand-by line.  Stand-by lines begin one hour before each performance, in person only. All seating is general admission. 

Chicago Dancing Festival 2014 Schedule

Wednesday, August 20 – 7:30 pm

Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph Street

“Classics and Creations”

The Chicago Dancing Festival opening night program will be simulcast on the outdoor screen of the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, thanks to Presenting Sponsor, the Harris Theater. 

• Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Counterpoint, CDF original commission by Kyle Abraham          
• The Juilliard School, The Jig Is Up by Eliot Feld
• Martha Graham Dance Company, Errand into the Maze by Martha Graham
• Stars of American Ballet*, Fancy Free by Jerome Robbins
• The Joffrey Ballet, Bells (excerpt) by Yuri Possokhov

Chelsea Bonosky 

in 'Belladonna' by Adam Barruch

Photo by Nel Shelby

Friday, August 22 – 6 pm and 8 pm

Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Avenue

“Dances for 2”

• Adam Barruch, Belladonna by Adam Barruch
• The Joffrey Ballet, Bells (excerpt) by Yuri Possokhov
• Martha Graham Dance Company, Errand into the Maze by Martha Graham
• Ron De Jesus Dance*, Transition Zone, CDF original commission by Ron De Jesus
• Pam Tanowitz Dance*, Passagen by Pam Tanowitz (live music)

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Spring Series

"Falling Angels" Dress Rehearsal by Jiri­ Kylian 

Photo by Todd Rosenberg Photography

Saturday, August 23 – 7:30 pm

Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph Street

“Celebration of Dance” Grand Finale

• After School Matters, CDF original commission by Darrell Grand Moultrie
• The Joffrey Ballet, Nine Sinatra Songs by Twyla Tharp
• The Juilliard School, The Jig Is Up by Eliot Feld
• Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Falling Angels by Jiří Kylián
• Rennie Harris Puremovement*, Students of the Asphalt Jungle by Dr. Rennie Harris
• Stars of Washington Ballet Brooklyn Mack and Maki Onuki, pas de deux from Le Corsaire by Marius Petipa

All programs are subject to change.

*CDF Debut

About the Chicago Dancing Festival

Established in 2007, the Chicago Dancing Festival was founded to elevate awareness of dance in Chicago, to increase accessibility to the art form and to provide inspiration for local artists.  Its mission is to present a wide variety of excellent dance, enrich the lives of the people of Chicago and provide increased accessibility to the art form, thereby helping create a new audience.  Its vision is to raise the national and international profile of dance in the city, furthering Chicago as the “dance capital of the world” (as Mayor Rahm Emanuel put it at the 2012 Chicago Dancing Festival). 

Lar Lubovitch (Founder, Artistic Director) is one of America's most versatile and highly acclaimed choreographers and founded the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company 45 years ago.  In the years since, he has choreographed more than 100 dances for his New York-based company, which has performed in nearly all 50 American states as well as in more than 30 foreign countries.  Born in Chicago, Mr. Lubovitch was educated at the University of Iowa and the Juilliard School in New York.

Jay Franke (Founder, Artistic Director) began his formal training at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, Texas.  In 1993, he was selected as a Finalist for the Presidential Scholar in the Arts and accepted into the Juilliard School.  Upon receiving his BFA in Dance from the Juilliard School, Mr. Franke went to work with the Twyla Tharp Dance Company, “THARP!”  Mr. Franke has since danced with The 58 Group, Lyric Opera Ballet Chicago, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and was a leading dancer in the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company from 2005 to 2010.

The Chicago Dancing Festival is grateful for its 2014 supporters including: InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile, Official Hotel Partner; Museum of Contemporary Art; Harris Theater for Music and Dance; City of Chicago, Millennium Park; The Robert and Jamie Taylor Foundation; David Herro and Jay Franke; Illinois Arts Council; National Endowment for the Arts, Art Works; The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation; The Chicago Community Trust; Arts Work Fund for Organizational Development; The MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince; The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust; and the Irving Harris Foundation. The Harris Theater is proud to have the support of The Northern Trust Company as its 2014-2015 season sponsor.

For more information on the Chicago Dancing Festival, its history and programs, visit www.chicagodancingfestival.com.

OPENING TOMORROW: ChiIL Mama's Video Interview With The Flying Steps From Red Bull's Flying Bach #VideoInterview

ChiIL Mama's ChiIL Picks List:


It sounds like a wacky mash up straight out of a sitcom or children's book. 3 B-Boys (hip-hop break dancers from Germany) hook up with a Swedish ballerina and hit the road, on tour with modern street dance to a score by Bach! Believe it or else... it's true. This show is opening right HERE in Chicago THIS Friday, and they've been playing all over the world to rave reviews. 

Check out their insights on how this show is uniting old and young audiences and fans of quite divergent genres, and bringing packed houses back in cities where theatre and dance had been dying off. We also asked them "What's in your ipod?" and more. Catch our interview and clips from a hip-hop class they taught below:

ChiIL Mama was invited to Joffrey Tower earlier this spring, to do a video interview with 4 of the dancers. 

WHO:  Four dancers from the Berlin-based dance crew The Flying Steps, four-time break dance world champions, including Swedish contemporary dancer Anna Holmström and break dancers Mikel, KC-1 and Lil’ Ceng…





These fierce 4 were a treat to meet. They were personable and incredibly talented. 







We chatted off camera a bit,too, after the formal interview, and asked the B-boys if they lived for touring and if it kind of sucked to have to teach classes or vice versa, since teaching and taking the stage sometimes require different talents and personalities. Of course, the guys admitted they dig performing and touring the world, but they also said one of their favorite things to do is teach hip-hop to KIDS in Berlin! Love it. They've even run their own school since 2007! I bet they're fantastic at it, too.

WHAT:  Talk to press and host break dance workshops with local troupes and students at downtown Chicago dance studios including beginner and advanced sessions with high school and college students. 

We can NOT wait to see their show opening THIS Friday 6/20, and we'll be there to review opening night. Check out our exclusive video interview and photos from their workshop right here. Then get your tickets to see them LIVE. They're here for SIX performances ONLY. We've been promoting this show since way back in March, but if you're still hesitating, don't. This is one multicultural, genre defying mash up you must see to believe. 





Here's the Scoop:

DISCOVER THE HIGH ART OF GETTING DOWN.

High culture meets urban art: In the clash of cultures Red Bull Flying Bach turns a international classical world upside down. Their creative performance visualizes and revives Johann Sebastian Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier crossing the borders of serious music and youth culture. Note by note. Step by step. With piano, harpsichord and electronic beats.

• When: June 21-22 & June 27-29 (Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30pm, Sunday afternoons at 2pm)
• Where: Civic Opera House
• Cost: $24 to $88 via Ticketmaster or at the Civic Opera House box office

This June, Chicago scores a major coup in the arts & performance sphere: The Flying Steps, four-time break dance world champions, perform Red Bull Flying Bach, a show making its exclusive U.S. stop in Chicago only for six performances at the prestigious Civic Opera House, June 20-29.  This follows a sweeping tour with sold-out shows in over 24 European cities plus Japan, Australia, Canada and Chile.

Red Bull Flying Bach blends eye-popping urban dance – power moves, head spins, flairs, freezes, popping & locking – with live classical music performed by Christoph Hagel, opera director and pianist extraordinaire.  Swedish ballerina Anna Holmström joins the seven international members of The Flying Steps.  German-Lebanese b’boy Vartan Bassil is the show’s lead choreographer.  The music?  J. S. Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier, of course, plus electronic beats.  Two disparate genres like classical music and break dance come together in amazing and surprising ways.

EXCLUSIVE U.S. ENGAGEMENT

of Red Bull Flying Bach Brings World-Renowned Dance Crew The Flying Steps

to Chicago for six performances only, June 20-29

For the first time in the United States after three seasons of sold out performances around the world, the celebrated and distinguished dance crew The Flying Steps will bring Red Bull Flying Bach to Chicago, making its debut in an exclusive U.S. engagement for six performances only downtown at the historic Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, June 20 – 29, 2014.

Bach and breakdance don’t go well together? The four-time breakdance world champions The Flying Steps and opera director Christoph Hagel prove the contrary with their breathtaking performance, Red Bull Flying Bach. With their interpretation of Johann Sebastian Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier, they shift and overcome the borders between classical and urban culture. By combining Bach’s classical masterpiece with modern electronic beats and clever choreography, the audience of each performance truly experiences a powerhouse production invoking visual amusement with delightful sound.

Red Bull Flying Bach has sold out theaters around the world, such as Sweden, Australia, Germany, Iceland, Chile, Russia, Japan and Austria. The show itself is a beautiful blend of the minds of Artistic Directors Vartan Bassil (choreography) and Christoph Hagel (piano, musical director). The Civic Opera house, playing host to this one-of-a-kind performance, is eager to have the show debut on its famed stage later this year.

“We're really excited to host Flying Bach for their U.S. premiere this June,” said Rich Regan, Director of Facilities at the Civic Opera House.  “It's a groundbreaking blend of traditional and contemporary entertainment that will be completely new to Chicago audiences.”

Swedish ballerina Anna Holmström joins the seven male break-dancers of The Flying Steps, fusing key elements of urban dance culture with precision ballet.

Tickets, ranging from $24 – $88, are now on sale by visiting at: http://www.ticketmaster.com/Red-Bull-Flying-Bach-tickets/artist/1595623 or by visiting the Civic Opera House box office. Red Bull Flying Bach will be performed over two weekends only:  Friday and Saturday evenings, June 20, 21, 27 & 28, at 7:30pm, and Sunday afternoons, June 22 & 29, at 2pm.

ChiIL Mama's Photo Favs:

ABOUT RED BULL FLYING BACH

High culture meets urban art: In this clash of cultures, Red Bull Flying Bach turns the international classical world upside down. The creative performance visualizes and revives Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier crossing the borders of serious music and youth culture. Note by note. Step by step. With piano, harpsichord and electronic beats. With head spins, power moves and freezes. With visuals and a storyline, 70 minutes long.

ABOUT THE FLYING STEPS

The Flying Steps are consecutively one of the most successful urban dance crews worldwide with breathtaking shows and one-of-a-kind choreographies, appealing to a diverse audience. The group was founded by Vartan Bassil and Kadir “Amigo” Memis in 1993 in Berlin. The Flying Steps specialize in urban dance styles like b-boying and popping-and-locking, and have won several world championships, like the Battle of the Year and Red Bull Beat Battle.

In 2007, they opened their own dance school in Berlin – The Flying Steps Academy. With a mission to guide the next generation of urban dance and offer young prospects an opportunity with social projects, the Academy is how the Flying Steps set the stage for the next generation of dance.