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Thursday, September 28, 2023

One Night Only: Chicago Opera Theater’s 50th Anniversary season opener Soldier Songs Thursday, October 5, 2023

 ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

David Adam Moore steps into role of The Soldier for 

Chicago Opera Theater’s 50th Anniversary season opener 

Soldier Songs


 

Chicago Opera Theater announces a casting change for its upcoming 50th Anniversary Season opening concert of David T. Little’s one-man theatrical cantata Soldier Songs. World-renowned baritone David Adam Moore joins the production one week before the performance, filling in for previously announced baritone Nathan Gunn who has withdrawn due to a family emergency. I'll be out to cover this performance for ChiIL Live Shows, so check back soon for my full review.


Moore has sung Soldier Songs with multiple companies across the country. He also sang The Soldier for the 2013 critically acclaimed commercial recording of the work, released by Innova Recordings. Currently working at the Metropolitan Opera at the house premiere production of Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking, Moore has obtained special permission from the Met to come to perform in Chicago. He will arrive on October 4, a little over 24 hours before the performance.

 

 

“I'm very sorry that Nathan Gunn will be unable to join us next week in Chicago, but grateful that the Metropolitan Opera has released David Adam Moore to step into the role,” said composer David T. Little. “David is among the leading interpreters of my music. His countless performances of Soldier Songs, beginning in 2008, show him to be a singer of remarkable depth, intelligence, and skill. He knows the role better than anyone, and I'm excited for the COT community to hear him bring it to life.

 

Edlis Neeson General Director Lawrence Edelson added, “Nathan and his family are in our thoughts at this difficult time. While it is always disappointing when a beloved artist must withdraw from a performance, we are truly fortunate that David Adam Moore is able to join us to help launch COT’s 50th Anniversary Season.”

 

GRAMMY-nominated Soldier Songs is a haunting, heavy-metal infused work about the psychological impact of war. Serving as both composer and librettist, David T. Little drew on the experiences of veterans of five different wars from his family and circle of friends to craft Soldier Songs. Little’s recorded conversations with these veterans serve not only as a basis for the work’s libretto but are also featured in the electronic components of the score. Presented in three stages of a soldier’s life- Youth, Warrior, and Elder- the result is a bold examination of the trauma of war, the exploitation of innocence, and the difficulty many veterans experience in talking about their service. COT Elizabeth Morse and Genius Music Director Lidiya Yankovskaya conducts.

 

Performance schedule and tickets

 

Chicago Opera Theater’s Soldier Songs is one night only, Thursday, October 5 at 7:00 PM at Epiphany Center for the Arts, 201 S Ashland Ave. General admission tickets are $60 and VIP tickets are $175 and are available for purchase at chciagooperatheater.org. VIP tickets include reserved cabaret style seating and exclusive access to a post-show reception with David Adam Moore and David T. Little. The proceeds from VIP ticket sales directly support COT’s mission of presenting new opera. Discounted tickets are available for season subscribers as well as active military personnel. A limited number of free tickets are available to veterans through Vet Tix

 

Soldier Songs is a 60-minute production presented without intermission. It is sung in English with English supertitles.

 

About The Artist

 

David Adam Moore performs as a leading baritone with major opera houses and orchestras worldwide, including the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Teatro alla Scala, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Salzburg Festival, Carnegie Hall, Teatro Colón Buenos Aires, Théâtre du Châtelet, Bunkamura (Tokyo), Grand Théâtre de Genève, Israeli Opera, LA Opera, New York City Opera, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, LA Philharmonic, Orchestra of St. Luke's, American Symphony Orchestra, and many others. His performances have been broadcast on BBC, Arte television, NPR, Radio France, RAI, ORF, and Radio Netherlands, and recorded by Erato, BMG, GPR, and Innova records.

 

With a repertoire of over 60 principal roles, he is best known for his portrayals of Billy Budd, Don Giovanni, Eugene Onegin, Rossini’s Barbiere, Joseph DeRocher in Dead Man Walking, Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire, Prior Walter in Angels in America, Zurga in Les pêcheurs de perles, Schubert’s Winterreise, Carmina Burana, Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro and the Soldier in David T. Little’s Soldier Songs, which Moore premiered and recorded. A celebrated interpreter of contemporary music, he has created roles and premiered works for some of today’s most important living composers, including Thomas Adès, Peter Eötvös, David T. Little, Holly Herndon, John Eaton, Ricky Ian Gordon, Conrad Cummings, Martin Hennessey, and Tom Cipullo, while simultaneously garnering critical acclaim for his interpretations of opera, art song, and concert works from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern eras. Moore’s Metropolitan Opera debut performance as Colonel Gomez in Thomas Adès’ The Exterminating Angel was broadcast in theaters worldwide and is available on DVD.


 

About Chicago Opera Theater

 

Celebrating its 50th Anniversary season in 2023/24, Chicago Opera Theater is a company laser-focused on living its values: expanding the tradition of opera as a living art form, producing high-quality works new to Chicago audiences, identifying top-tier casts and creative talent at the beginning of grand operatic careers, and following through on commitments to equity and access – behind the scenes, on the stage, and in the audience. Since its founding in 1973, COT has grown from a grassroots community-based company to a national leader in an increasingly vibrant, diverse, and forward-looking art form. COT has staged over 155 operas, including 81 Chicago premieres and 47 operas by American composers. COT is led by Yankovskaya and Edelson who began his tenure as General Director in the summer of 2023.

 

The Vanguard Initiative, founded in 2018 and celebrating its fifth anniversary this Spring, is COT's fully comprehensive program for composers ready to delve into the world of opera. This immersive two-year residency includes participation in all COT productions, sessions with top industry leaders, extensive study of repertoire and vocal writing, and direct insight into administrative and other behind-the-scenes processes, culminating with the development of a full-length opera commissioned by the company. The program is guided and overseen by Elizabeth Morse and Genius Music Director Lidiya Yankovskaya, with Composer Advisors Jake HeggieKamala Sankaram, and Gene Scheer. The program has renewed funding from the Mellon Foundation for the 2023/24 season. The 2023/24 Vanguard Composers are Gillian Rae Perry (second year) and Carlos R. Carrillo (first year).

 

Chicago Opera Theater’s season continues with the Chicago Premiere of The Nose December 8 & 10, the Midwest Premiere of Book of Mountains and Seas January 27 & 28, the Vanguard Initiative concert premiere of The Weight of Light April 27, and the World Premiere tour of Before it All Goes Dark with Music of Remembrance May 25 & 26. Ticket subscriptions are on sale now, single tickets go on sale on September 15.

 

For more information on Chicago Opera Theater productions, visit chicagooperatheater.org/

 

Wednesday, September 27, 2023

REVIEW: The Innocence of Seduction at City Lit Now Playing Through October 8, 2023


ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

THE INNOCENCE OF SEDUCTION

Written and directed by Mark Pracht

WORLD PREMIERE

August 25- October 8, 2023




Left to right: Robin Treviño, Sean Harklerode, Paul Chakrin
All Production Photos by Steve Graue


 REVIEW

By Bonnie Kenaz-Mara

Banned book week, October 1-7th, is rapidly approaching and City Lit's world premiere of The Innocence of Seduction is a great way to celebrate. As much as I adore graphic novels, comics, and pop culture, I was largely unaware of this critical slice of history in the culture wars. This play introduces audiences to the 1950s Congressional investigation into the supposed link between comic books and juvenile delinquency. Flash forward over half a century to 2023 where the religious right and the US government are still engaged in endlessly ongoing attempts to censor art and literature from the local to the federal level. Book bans and burnings are ramping up again at an alarming rate, making Prachts piece all too timely. 


John Blick

The Innocence of Seduction is both written and directed by Chicago playwright, Mark Pracht, and is part of his Four-Color Trilogy, which also include THE MARK OF KANE, which premiered at City Lit in fall 2022, and THE HOUSE OF IDEAS, about the 1960s rise of Marvel.


Left to right: Zach Kunde, Sean Harklerode, Chuck Munro, Charlie Diaz

Astonishingly enough for 1950's America, this production doesn't focus exclusively on white, cis males, but manages a bit of diversity regarding gender, race, and sexual orientation. It's fascinating to see the effect of the investigation on the careers of three persons: William Gaines, the originator of the horror genre of comic books; Matt Baker, a Black closeted gay artist of romance comics; and Janice Valleau, creator of a pioneering comics feature starring a woman detective. The cast does an excellent job bringing humor and humanity to what could be dry subject matter, in what is at once a cautionary tale and an homage to the founding of Mad Magazine. This ensemble showcases the mental and physical toll it takes to fight for a career against ridiculously restrictive regulations, petty bureaucrats, and the righteous indignation of the religious right. Sometimes it takes a creative pivot to do an end run around all that nonsense and thrive creatively and financially. Kudos to all involved for filling in education gaps and bringing this niche history to life for a new generation. Recommended.


Left to right: Andrew Bosworth, Megan Clarke 


  Brian Bradford (lying down), Andrew Bosworth (kneeling)  

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). 





Regular run Through October 8, 2023

Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm; Mondays Sept 25 and Oct 2 at 7:30 pm.

Regular run ticket prices $34.00, seniors $29.00, students and military $12 (all plus applicable fees)

Performances at City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. Chicago 60660

Info and tickets at www.citylit.org and by phone at 773-293-3682.

Left to right: Brian Bradford, LaTorious Givens.


Cast and crew for world premiere of Mark Pracht’s THE INNOCENCE OF SEDUCTION

Pracht to direct the second part of his FOUR-COLOR TRILOGY of plays 

about the comic book industry

Left to right: Sean Harklerode, Charlie Diaz

Left to right: Zach Kunde, Chuck Munro, Sean Harklerode, Charlie Diaz, Paul Chakrin

Full casting and production team have been announced for City Lit’s forty-third season opener - the world premiere of THE INNOCENCE OF SEDUCTION by Chicago playwright Mark Pracht. It is the second play in his projected “Four-Color Trilogy” of plays set during the early years of the comic book industry. The first play in the trilogy, THE MARK OF KANE, opened City Lit’s forty-second season. THE INNOCENCE OF SEDUCTION examines the 1950s Congressional investigation into the supposed link between comic books and juvenile delinquency, and the effect of the investigation on the careers of three persons:  William Gaines, the originator of the horror genre of comic books; Matt Baker, a Black closeted gay artist of romance comics; and Janice Valleau, creator of a pioneering comics feature starring a woman detective.  

Left to right: Zach Kunde, Laura Coleman, Sean Harklerode

Leading the cast will be Sean Harklerode (THE MARK OF KANE, The Artistic Home’s REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT) as William Gaines), Brian Bradford (City Lit’s FUENTE OVEJUNA and THE BLOODHOUND LAW) as Matt Baker, and Megan Clarke  as Janice Valleau. Also in the cast are Charlie Diaz (Invictus Theatre’s THE CRUCIBLE) as Al Feldstein, Frank Nall (Invictus Theatre’s THE CRUCIBLE, The Artistic Home’s MALAPERT LOVE) as Dr Frederic Wertham, Zach Kunde (Invictus Theatre’s THE CRUCIBLE) as Lyle Stuart, Artistic Home ensemble member Laura Coleman as Shirley Norris, Ron Quade (Citadel Theatre’s BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS) as Max Gaines, LaTorious Givens (Invictus Theatre’s THE CRUCIBLE) as Connie, John Blick  (Promethean Ensemble Theatre’s BLUE STOCKINGS) as Archer St John and Henry Valleau, Invictus Theatre Company member Chuck Munro as Judge Charles F Murphy and Barry Walsh, Paul Chakrin (THE SAFE HOUSE and many other roles at City Lit) as John L Goldwater and Senator Robert C Hendrickson, Robin Trevino (Invictus Theatre’s WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF) as Everett M "Busy" Arnold and Senator Estes Kefauver, Andrew Bosworth as Frank Guisto, Reed Crandall and Jack Davis, and Jessica Lauren Fisher (Black Button Eyes’ MARY ROSE) as Jessie Gaines and  Gertrude St John.

Left to right: Andrew Bosworth, Robin Treviño, Megan Clarke

The production team includes G. "Max" Maxin IV (Scenic, Lighting and Projection Design), Beth Laske-Miller (Costume Designer), Petter Wahlbäck (Composer and Sound Design), Alison Dornheggen (Violence and Intimacy Design), Jeff Brain (Props Design), and Zachary Osterman (Stage Manager).

Frank Nall

Single tickets for THE INNOCENCE OF SEDUCTION are priced at $30 for previews and $34 for regular performances and are on sale now at www.citylit.org or by phone at 773-293-3682. Senior prices are $25 for previews and $29 for regular performances. Students and military are $12.00 for all performances. City Lit Season 43 subscriptions are available at $99.00, good for all performances, or $77.00 for preview performances.

 

Left to right: Robin Treviño, Sean Harklerode, Paul Chakrin


HEALTH PRECAUTIONS AT CITY LIT

City Lit requires masks for the Sunday matinee performances. Masks are encouraged but no longer required for Friday, Saturday and our two Monday performances. City Lit staff will continue to mask for all performances. City Lit will of course comply with the full set of whatever official health guidelines are in place at any time.

ABOUT MARK PRACHT 

Mark Pracht (Playwright, Director) has worked as an actor, director and playwright in Chicago since 2001. THE INNOCENCE OF SEDUCTION is part of his Four-Color Trilogy, which also include THE MARK OF KANE, which premiered at City Lit in fall 2022, and THE HOUSE OF IDEAS, about the 1960s rise of Marvel. He has appeared on stage at City Lit in the title role of PROMETHEUS BOUND, as The Creature in FRANKENSTEIN, and as Milt Shanks in THE COPPERHEAD, among other roles. Most recently, he appeared as John Proctor in THE CRUCIBLE with Invictus Theatre Company. He was a company member of the Shelterbelt Theatre in Omaha, where he helped develop and produce seven world premiere productions, including his own full-length play, NEON.He is an ensemble member of The Artistic Home, where he won a Jeff Award for Leading Performer in a Play for REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT.

ABOUT CITY LIT THEATER COMPANY

City Lit is the seventh oldest theatre company in Chicago, behind only Goodman, Court, Northlight, Oak Park Festival, Steppenwolf, and Pegasus theatres.  It was founded in 1979 with $210 pooled by Arnold Aprill, David Dillon, and Lorell Wyatt.  For its current season, its 43rd, it operates with a budget slightly over $260,000.  It was the first theatre in the nation devoted to stage adaptations of literary material.  There were so few theatres in Chicago at the time of its founding that at City Lit’s launch event, the founders were able to read a congratulatory letter they had received from Tennessee Williams.

For four decades and counting, City Lit has explored fiction, non-fiction, poetry, memoirs, songs, essays and drama in performance.  A theatre that specializes in literary work communicates a commitment to certain civilizing influences—tradition imaginatively explored, a life of the mind, trust in an audience’s intelligence—that not every cultural outlet shares.

City Lit is located in the historic Edgewater Presbyterian Church building at 1020 West Bryn Mawr Avenue. Its work is supported in part by the MacArthur Funds for Arts and Culture at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Ivanhoe Theater Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council Agency and is sponsored in part by A.R.T. League.  An Illinois not-for-profit corporation and a 501(c)(3) federal tax-exempt organization, City Lit keeps ticket prices below the actual cost of producing plays and depends on the support of those who share its belief in the beauty and power of the spoken written word.


Celebrate City Lit's Favorite Holiday! 18th Annual Books on the Chopping Block


 
FREE readings all over Chicago and suburbs throughout

Tuesday, September 26, 2023

REDTWIST THEATRE’S 2023 - 2024 SEASON LAUNCHES WITH STEVE YOCKEY’S WOLVES, OCTOBER 1 - NOVEMBER 5th, 2023

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Redtwist Theatre's 19th Season of Pride & Renovations Launches with 

Wolves

a Gay, Gory Reimagining of the Little Red Riding Hood Tale 

The running time is 75 minutes with no intermission. 

Redtwist Theatre is currently mask optional at performances. Redtwist reserves the right to alter this policy based on any new information or an increase in COVID cases in Chicago. 

Award-winning Redtwist Theatre is proud to announce the first production in its 2023 -  2024 Season of Pride at its home in Edgewater, Redtwist Theatre, 1044 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. The 19th season begins with a gay reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood, Wolves, by Steve Yockey and directed by Artistic Director Dusty Brown, October 1 - November 5. Previews are Thursday, Sept. 28 - Saturday, Sept. 30 at 7:30 p.m. The press opening is Sunday, Oct. 1 at 3:30 p.m. The performance schedule is Thursdays - Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3:30 p.m. Single tickets are on sale now for $30 with a three-show subscription available for $100 at RedtwistTheatre.org.

This fall, Redtwist bring’s Steve Yockey’s intimate, gory, gay reimagining of “Little Red Riding Hood” to its little black box. Embrace fear and paranoia as they follow the slow unraveling of Ben (Joshua Servantes) and Jack (Gardy Gilbert), once lovers, now roommates, as they struggle with isolation in a new city. Jack promises that everything will be alright, but Ben just can’t get over the nagging voice in his head that says, “maybe everything isn’t going to work out.” When Jack brings back a new lover, Ben begins to unravel. 

The Wolves cast includes Joshua Servantes* (he/him/his, Ben); Monique Marshaun*  (she/her/hers, Narrator); Gardy Gilbert (he/him/his,Jack) and Michael Dias (he/him/his, Wolf) with understudies Seth Eggenschwiller (he/him/his, Ben U/S) and Riley Lucas (he/him/his, Wolf U/S), Cat Davis* (she/her/hers, Narrator U/S).

The Wolves production team includes Dusty Brown* (they/them/theirs, director); Kezia Waters (he/him/his/they/them/theirs,, assistant director); Raine DeDominici (she/her/her/hers/they/them/theirs, stage manager); Courtney Abbott (she/her/her/hers/they/them/theirs, intimacy & violence director); Philip C. Matthews (he/him/his, music director); Rose Johnson* ((they/them/theirs, scenic designer and artist); Evy Burch ((they/them/theirs, property designer); Madeline Felauer (she/her/hers, costume designer); Piper Kirchhofer (she/her/hers, lighting designer and master electrician) and Angela Joy Baldasare (she/her/her/hers/they/them/theirs, sound designer).

*indicates Redtwist Ensemble Member


ABOUT STEVE YOCKEY, playwright

Steve Yockey (he/him/his) is a Los Angeles based playwright and spectacle junkie. His published plays are available from Samuel French/Concord Theatricals. Yockey holds an MFA in dramatic writing from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. He served as co-executive producer on 'Supernatural’ and is the creator/showrunner of “The Flight Attendant” and “Dead Boy Detectives’ both for MAX.


ABOUT DUSTY BROWN, director

Dusty Brown (they/them/theirs) is the artistic director of Redtwist Theatre. Brown worked as a theatrical administrator and producer for many years in Atlanta, both at LORT and small professional theaters. They are a graduate of Oglethorpe University (BA) and Ohio University (MFA). Directing Credits: Macbeth (Three Crows Theatre), Uffizi, and God Created the Earth and Evan Created Himself (Bottled Lightning). Educational: Pluto, Bug, Evolution of Rattlesnakes, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Finding the Sun, The Choephorii, Bat Boy: The Musical, The Chalky White Substance. Asst. Directing: Cabaret, Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play. 


REDTWIST 2023 - 2025 SEASON

Following Wolves, Redtwist presents a heart wrenching story of advocacy and a modern classic, The Normal Heart, a new play by Jacqueline Goldfinger, Bottle Fly, exploring queer survival in the Everglades and Redtwist’s first new play festival in the summer of 2024. Dates to be announced based on the theatre renovations. 

ABOUT REDTWIST THEATRE RENOVATIONS

As Chicago rebuilds after the pandemic, Redtwist is thrilled to partner with the City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development to build back better. Redtwist has been selected as a finalist for a 3-to-1 matching grant from the City of Chicago, which will provide up to $250,000 in funding to renovate its performance space, lobby and our street frontage. 

These renovations will mean a fresh face for Redtwist’s corner of Bryn Mawr, drawing in  audiences from across the city and bringing new life to a Historic District that has been devastated by COVID-19. On the Western side of the building, the lobby will be reimagined; increasing accessibility and installing a new cafe to provide concessions for all Redtwist shows. Finally, it will mean a revived performance space with added production capabilities, which will allow the Company to continue creating intimate performances in its tiny black box space. 



ABOUT REDTWIST THEATRE

Redtwist is an award-winning theatre company that stages up close and personal contemporary dramas annually in its intimate black box theatre housed proudly within the heart of Edgewater’s Bryn Mawr Historic District. 

Intimate performances at Redtwist are designed to place the theatre patron in the midst of the stories being told, making them accessible and riveting. Redtwist strives for excellence with every project  and proactively endeavors to take risks while offering opportunities for up-and-coming actors, designers and directors to work with established talent. Redtwist provides the very best Chicago storefront theatre experience from excellence on stage, to warm hospitality in a clean, friendly environment.

Saturday, September 23, 2023

THE JEFF AWARDS TO HONOR ROBERT FALLS WITH SPECIAL EQUITY THEATER AWARD OCTOBER 2ND, 2023

Recognizing his visionary direction and impact on Chicago theater, the Joseph Jefferson Awards will honor director Robert Falls at the organization’s 55th Anniversary Equity Awards ceremony Monday, October 2nd at Drury Lane Theatre with this year’s Special Award. Falls has been a local and national emissary for Chicago theater as a director, producer and advocate.
 
His directing credits and influence extend across the Chicago performing arts community including The Goodman Theatre, The Lyric Opera of Chicago, Court Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Remains Theater, Wisdom Bridge Theatre and many others as well as to Broadway and beyond. His leadership on boards and committees for the National Endowment for the Arts, Illinois Arts Alliance and the League of Chicago Theatres among many professional entities has created an enduring legacy in the arts.

American Theatre magazine has called Falls one of the country’s “most powerful” theater artists. During a career that has spanned more than four decades he has received multiple honors including a Tony Award, Obie Award, Helen Hayes Award and 11 Jeff Awards. He is also the recipient of prestigious recognition such as the Savva Morozov Diamond Award from the Moscow Art Theater, the O’Neill Medallion presented by the Eugene O’Neill Society, and the Illinois Arts Council Governor’s Award, in addition to being inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in 2015. Under his artistic leadership at the Goodman, the organization received the 1992 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre and in 2003 was named “the number one regional theater in the U.S.” by Time magazine.  

An Illinois native, Falls launched his professional career as a director and producer within months of graduating from the University of Illinois. His first Chicago directing project, Moonchildren (Apollo Productions) earned him his first Jeff Award. With his second Jeff Award the following year for his Wisdom Bridge Theatre production of Of Mice and Men, he was named the theater’s artistic director. For a decade at Wisdom Bridge, he made a significant contribution to Off-Loop theater, building a reputation as an innovative director with a wide thematic and stylistic range and beginning a long time collaboration with actor Brian Dennehy.
 
In 1986, Falls become the artistic director for the Goodman, Chicago’s largest non-for-profit theater company. During his tenure, he directed more than 40 productions and produced/co-produced hundreds of plays including more than 150 world premieres. Additionally, he helped transfer more than two dozen shows to Broadway which earned over 20 Tony Awards. His productions of Eugene O’Neill plays, all starring Brian Dennehy, were presented on Broadway, as well as at the Stratford Festival and at Dublin’s Abbey Theatre. His Tony Award winning production of Sir Elton John and Tim Rices’ Aida continues to be produced around the world. Under Falls’ leadership, the Goodman also received more than 160 Jeff Awards. His retirement at the end of the 2022-23 season culminated with his final show as Goodman’s artistic director in a new production of Anton Chekov’s drama A Cherry Orchard, which has received five Jeff Award nominations.
 
The 55th anniversary Equity Jeff Awards will take place October 2, 2023, at Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook, IL. The ceremony will be directed by Johanna McKenzie Miller, hosted by Lorenzo Rush, Jr., along with announcer Janet Ulrich Brooks, and with musical direction by Carolyn Jean Brady.  

ABOUT THE JEFF AWARDS

The Jeff Awards is one of the most active and engaged theater awards organizations in the country evaluating hundreds of theatrical productions annually and holding two awards ceremonies highlighting work over the past Equity and Non-Equity seasons. Through our recommendations, awards, and honors we help foster the growth of companies, encourage artists, bring new appreciation for diverse storytelling, and cultivate civic pride in the achievements of the Chicago theater community. Originally chartered in 1968 to recognize Equity productions, the Jeff Awards Non-Equity Wing was established in 1973 to celebrate outstanding achievement in non-union theatre. For more information, visit www.jeffawards.org.
 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON 55th ANNIVERSARY EQUITY AWARDS NOMINATIONS AND THE PROGRAM 

The 55th Anniversary Jeff Awards ceremony recognizes theater excellence over the 2022-23 Equity season and honors the dedicated artists, behind the scenes teams and theater companies. This year’s nominees include 214 theater artists across 32 categories of excellence in theater production among shows from 35 companies.The program will be held Monday, October 2nd 7:30pm (CST) at Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace, IL. The show will be preceded by a red carpet walk featuring award nominees and theater community members beginning at 6:15pm. 

The Jeff Awards website lists all the current nominees, along with previous recipients and nominations as well as other Jeff Awards information and news. Visit www.jeffawards.org.
 
Names of award recipients will be released immediately following the program on October 2nd by email and on our website under Equity Awards at www.jeffawards.org.
 

Wednesday, September 20, 2023

MUSIC BOX OF HORRORS: SCARED STUPID Schedule for 2023

Chi, IL Live Shows On Our Radar

A Full Month of Movie Madness, Special Guests, and Other Surprises—Saturday, October 1 to Monday, October 31, 2022—opening with an overnight, five-film FINAL DESTINATION Marathon in 35mm!!!




Tickets for all MUSIC BOX OF HORRORS: SCARED STUPID events, presented by Shudder, are ON SALE NOW Here: https://musicboxtheatre.com/series-and-festivals/music-box-of-horrors-scared-stupid.

Music Box of Horrors 2022 24-Hour Movie Marathon, presented by Shudder includes screenings of BLADE, HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II, IDLE HANDS, and ERNEST SCARED STUPID. Passes and other announced titles in the marathon can be found here: https://musicboxtheatre.com/events/music-box-of-horrors-2022.

The Music Box of Horrors team has brought genre fans 143 feature films each October since 2020 (but who’s counting?). For its third supersized installment, the team is getting Scared Stupid! In honor of the bimbos, himbos, and thembos who are taking over pop culture in 2022, we’re bringing you 31 nights of horror films that range from the refined to the ridiculous. Kicking off with a FINAL DESTINATION marathon and ending with a 35mm screening of Rob Zombie’s HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES, this year’s lineup features The Ninth Circle—a sidebar of transgressive underground films guaranteed to shake the most jaded horror fan—plus vampires, a Sex Demon, Yokai Monsters, succubi, slashers, zombies, killer cars, Lindsay Lohan, and more.

With mind-melting visuals and high body counts, this year’s lineup is perfectly in line with the Music Box’s eclectic taste in horror offerings and events—a combination of audience favorites and rarely screened titles, specialized intros, and of course, some surprises.

For tickets, information, and the full schedule, please click here: https://musicboxtheatre.com/series-and-festivals/music-box-of-horrors-scared-stupid.


Full Lineup for MUSIC BOX OF HORRORS: SCARED STUPID

FINAL DESTINATION Marathon: All 5 films on 35mm! (Saturday, October 1)

FINAL DESTINATION began as an X-Files spec script, before morphing into a feature film for New Line Cinema that starred some of the biggest young actors of the time, including Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, an up-and-coming Seann William Scott, and the legendary Tony Todd. And whether or not critics of the time agreed, the premise of an unseen, unstoppable force stalking and killing teenagers (and adults) in gruesome & inventive ways took hold with audiences. What better way to escape from the real life hellscape of modern-day existence than joining your fellow death-loving maniacs for a 5-film, 35mm marathon reminding you why you’re still deeply terrified of flights to Paris, logging trucks on the highway, pool drains, roller coasters, and tanning beds?

The 35mm print of Final Destination 3 courtesy of the Sundance Collection at the UCLA Film &Television Archive.



THE NINTH CIRCLE

Where does the obsessive horror viewer turn when everything begins to feel the same? When every story feels unoriginal, every kill uninspired, every beat predictable, and every denouement lifeless and uninspiring? The only answer lies in the deepest netherworld of Hell. When the mainstream and the alternative fail you, you must turn to the underground: The outsiders. The pariahs. Those willing to die for their art. The rejects of society who birth unholy, transcendent, aberrant abominations of pure, uncut creation, uninhibited by any puritanical or societal chains designed to create braindead consumers out of the human race.


With this in mind, we invite you to join us in The Ninth Circle of Hell, a four-film exploration of stunning trash, degenerate transgression, and innovation determined to challenge everything the powers that be want you to blindly worship. From borderline-arthouse 16mm masterpieces to backyard, family-made SOV films so inept they become sublime magnum opuses, this series is for those who need to be reminded that there’s always more to discover—and always another true weirdo out there to renew your faith in existence.


964 PINOCCHIO (Monday, October 10)

Dir. Shôjin Fukui, 1991, 97 min

964 PINOCCHIO is the story of an impotent sex slave thrown away onto the streets and a memory-wiped girl on a journey to understand where and why they came from, and how they can exist in the brutal hellscape they encounter at every turn. Directed by Shôjin Fukui (RUBBER’S LOVER), 964 PINOCCHIO is a challenging experience. But those willing to take the journey will find something singular and shockingly prescient. It’s a cyberpunk body-horror aggro-tone poem of a film, relentlessly raging against a world ready to objectify and ultimately throw away anyone deemed monetarily useless. Fueled by an unstoppable industrial soundtrack, astonishing cinematography, a seemingly endless onslaught of grunts, screams, and vomit, and horrifyingly committed central performances, the film is full of surprising beauty, visceral filth, and anger that never lets up.


FUCK THE DEVIL / FUCK THE DEVIL 2: RETURN OF THE FUCKER (Tuesday, October 25)

Dir. Michael Pollklesener, 1990/1991, 60 min (combined)

Co-presented by Lunchmeat & Strange Tapes

Preceded by a custom VHS mixtape from Strange Tapes

Exploding out of the German horror underground, FUCK THE DEVIL (1990) + FUCK THE DEVIL 2: RETURN OF THE FUCKER (1991) are cinematic equivalents of DIY comic books that were made by a teenage stoner while experimenting with bootleg acid. And there's nothing else like them. The films tell the story of The Fucker—a phantasmagorical death machine who materializes from haunted VHS tapes of EVIL DEAD 2 and A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET to wreak havoc on unsuspecting parents, teens, and babies. Fueled by subversive violence, experimental techniques, and an unconditional love for the horror genre, these Casiocore-driven miracles teleport us into a dream-like panic state where Rambo posters, 8-bit sound barfs, and Nightmare Freddys rule our subconsciousness. AGFA + Bleeding Skull! are overjoyed to welcome The Fucker to US theaters & home video for the first time ever—complete with new 2022 director's cuts, the original cuts, and a fuck-ton of extras.


TALES FROM THE QUADEAD ZONE (Friday, October 28)

Dir. Chester Novell Turner, 1987, 62 min

Presented by Massacre Video

TALES FROM THE QUADEAD ZONE is Chester N. Turner’s second and final dig into self-released SOV sludge. Following up the exhausting-yet-hilarious filth of BLACK DEVIL DOLL FROM HELL (1984), Turner and friends honed the skillz, cut the sex, and unwittingly churned out the greatest SOV trash film of all time. No exceptions. Logic, be it godly or mortal, has gone missing during QUADEAD’s 62 deranged minutes. Therefore, we must be prepared for anything. Don’t knock ‘em for the plastic Casiotone; take heed of the ceramic titty-mug. In the mind of Chester Turner, these things may be the substance of life. The original intent will baffle to no end, but one thing’s for sure: This is an experience that can never be replicated, repeated, or equaled. The theme song cinches it.


CORNSHUCKER (Sunday, October 30)

Dir. Brando Snider, 1997, 63 min

WORLD THEATRICAL PREMIERE! Presented by VHSHITFEST

The Cornshukker is a mythical creature who lives simply and peacefully with nature. But now he is besieged by urban sprawl, forcing him to deal with varmints and outlandishly odd townsfolk. As his food supply diminishes, The Cornshukker is confronted by the bigoted Old Man Thomas, and, in an act of desperation, The Cornshukker is forced to do the unthinkable. His existence is in peril, and the mysterious world he inhabits could be destroyed. The Cornshukker is a home-grown, 16mm-lensed love letter to regional, low-budget, surrealist, gonzo DIY filmmaking that is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. It will sear itself into your gray matter—whether you like it or not.



MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH (Sunday, October 2)

Dir. Roger Corman, 1964, 90 min

35mm from the Academy Film Archive

Preceded by: “Bimbo’s Initiation” (Fleischer Studios, 1931) – 16mm – 7 min

Presented by Chicago Film Society

Between 1960 and 1965, Roger Corman, master of exploitation filmmaking and financing, made a string of eight films for low-budget powerhouse American International Pictures from unusual source material: the decidedly antiquarian (and public domain!) short stories of 19th-century writer Edgar Allan Poe. The seventh of these films, a comparatively more expensive production (only by Corman’s standards, mind you), is a medieval tale of a villainous prince and his castle guests attempting to outwit and outwait the mysterious “red death,” which ravages the countryside around them. They pass the time with sadomasochistic masquerade balls and satanic rituals (“let me speak to you about the anatomy of terror” is a party pick-up line for the ages), but even deals with the devil may not be enough when the plague without becomes the plague within. Vincent Price is truly at home as Prince Prospero, a genteel monster who enjoys commanding his party guests to bark like dogs and mansplaining Satanism to Francesca, a young God-fearing girl he’s kidnapped from the village, played by a wide-eyed 19-year-old Jane Asher. Restored by the Academy Film Archive and The Film Foundation, with funding provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation.


A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT (Monday, October 3)

Dir. Ana Lily Amirpuour, 2014, 101 min

Coming out of the gate with a singular sense of style and a knack for mixing and matching genres, Ana Lily Amirpour’s debut feature became an instant classic of vampire cinema when it first hit theaters in 2014. Commonly described as an “Iranian vampire Western,” this eerie, atmospheric film fights the patriarchy with a candor and a kickflip, telling the story of an unnamed avenger known only as The Girl (Sheila Vand) who skateboards through the tough streets of Bad City — an Iranian ghost town by way of inland California. In Bad City, it’s the men who are afraid to go out alone after dark, lest they are caught and drained for their sins against women by the vampiric Girl. Shot in poetic, striking anamorphic black-and-white and accompanied by an impeccably curated soundtrack with tunes from Radio Tehran, Federale, Kiosk, Farah, White Lies, and more, A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT is a movie for cinephiles, music lovers, angry women, skater bois, cat people, hopeless romantics, lonely hearts, and night owls.


DEADSTREAM (Tuesday, October 4)

Dir. Vanessa Winter, Joseph Winter, 2022, 87 min

Presented by Shudder

Much of the cast and crew of the new indie horror-comedy DEADSTREAM got their start as horror creatives working at haunted attractions. And their dedication to—not to mention talent for—creating a non-stop thrill ride designed to make audiences squeal (and giggle and jump and throw popcorn in the air) is evident in this absolute blast of a haunted-house movie. DEADSTREAM makes smart use of the found-footage format, using it to tell the story of perhaps the world’s most annoying YouTuber (a competitive prize, but he deserves it), who attempts to make up for an unnamed transgression by live-streaming his night in a haunted house. This guy likes to complain about “cancel culture,” but the thing that’s coming to get him tonight is so much worse. With impressive practical effects, a grim sense of humor, and killer timing, DEADSTREAM is best experienced with a crowd.


PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES / DRACULA: PRINCE OF DARKNESS (Wednesday, October 5)

Dir. John Gilling, 1966, 90 min; Dir. Terence Fisher, 1966, 90 min

Presented by Windy City Double Feature Picture Show podcast

The Windy City Double Feature Picture Show sets their time machine for January 14, 1966, recreating a classic Hammer double feature that opened at theaters across the Chicagoland area. Plague of the Zombies has been cited as one of the major influences on the modern zombie subgenre. Dracula: Prince Of Darkness is the third film in Hammer’s Dracula series, and features Christopher Lee returning as the titular vamp after missing out on The Brides Of Dracula in 1960. We’ll be screening this classic double feature as it played in 1966, featuring trailers for the other movies playing around town, local news clips, and offering commemorative zombie eyeballs and Dracula fangs for everyone in attendance—just like in the original ad! And don’t forget to listen to the Windy City Double Feature Picture Show podcast, in which hosts Adam Carston and Mike Vanderbilt deep dive into both films.


WNUF HALLOWEEN SPECIAL (Thursday, October 6)

Dir. Chris LaMartina, 2013, 82 min

Co-presented with Terror Vision; with special video introduction by the film's director, Chris LaMartina

Originally broadcast live on October 31, 1987, the WNUF Halloween Special is a stunning expose of terrifying supernatural activity that unfolded at the infamous Webber House, the site of ghastly murders. Local television personality Frank Stewart leads a group of paranormal investigators, including Catholic exorcist Father Joseph Matheson and the prolific husband-and-wife team Louis and Claire Berger. Together, the experts explore the darkest corners of the supposedly haunted Webber House, trying to prove the existence of the demonic entities within. Did they find the horrific truth or simply put superstitious rumors to rest?


HOUSE (Friday, October, 7)

Dir. Nobuhiko Obayashi, 1977, 88 min

House is at once the most unlikely and the most obvious of Halloween classics. On the one hand, the film was largely unknown outside of Japan until the 2010s, when the Criterion Collection launched it from a gray-market favorite to an official part of the company’s unofficial canon. On the other hand, it’s a film whose mischievous spirit is perfectly suited to the holiday—which may partially explain why it’s become so beloved so quickly. Either way, it’s a deliriously fun and delightfully surreal film with color and imagination to spare. That’s thanks to its visionary director, Nobuhiko Obayashi, who wrote the story—about a group of Japanese schoolgirls, a spinster witch, and a fluffy white cat—inspired by one of his young daughter’s nightmares. Perhaps best described by Criterion, which calls it “an episode of Scooby-Doo directed by Mario Bava,” this psychedelic freakout of a haunted house movie is unmissable, whether you’ve never seen it or you’ve seen it a hundred times.


GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH (Saturday, October 8)

Dir. Joe Dante, 1990, 106 min

Possibly the most anarchic film ever unleashed out of Hollywood, Gremlins 2: The New Batch is a chaotic, live-action Looney Tunes cartoon that could only come from the mind of auteur Joe Dante. Taking the piss out of his own original Gremlins and sequels in general, Gremlins 2’s wild tone showcases what art can happen when a studio—in this case, Warner Bros.—gives over complete control to a director with a vision. That’s not to discredit the script from Charlie Haas (Over The Edge, Matinee), which folds right into Dante’s influences of cartoons, monster movies, and an irreverent sense of humor. Chock full of easter eggs and cameos, from Christopher Lee carrying an Invasion Of The Body Snatchers pod to Leonard Maltin and the return of Dick Miller, Gremlins 2: The New Batch answers the question: What if someone made a live-action Mad Magazine parody of Gremlins?


SCREAM BLACULA SCREAM (Sunday, October 9)

Dir. Bob Kelljan, 1973, 96 min

Although not quite as sophisticated as its predecessor, Scream Blacula Scream is still one of the groovier horror movies of the blaxploitation era. William Marshall returns in the title role, once again infusing the tragic story of African prince-turned-vampire Prince Mamuwalde with what Roger Ebert called “a terrifying dignity.” It takes a powerful leading lady to go toe-to-toe with Marshall and his Shakespearean acting chops. And luckily for this movie, Pam Grier takes on the challenge with her usual confidence and grace. The story, about a voodoo priestess in Los Angeles (Grier) who stumbles into a romance with the seductive, immortal Mamuwalde, can be rather silly at times. And the film looks like the low-budget rush job that it was. But beyond the pleasure of watching Marshall and Grier interact on screen—worth the price of admission all on its own—Scream Blacula Scream is also a funky time capsule that’s full of Gothic atmosphere and good old-fashioned scenery chewing.


KILLER PARTY (Tuesday, October 11)

Dir. William Fruet, 1986, 91 min

Often unfairly lumped in with the glut of third-wave slashers that overtook multiplexes in the ‘80s, Killer Party is an overlooked supernatural possession gem—and arguably the better of the two slasher pictures set on April Fool’s Day released in 1986. Penned by Barney Cohen (Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter) and directed by Canadian cult favorite William Fruet (The House By The Lake, Funeral Home, Spasms, Blue Monkey), Killer Party features an abundance of tricks—including a memorable opening sequence that will keep audiences on their toes—and treats galore, including appearances by ‘80s character actor favorites Elaine Wilkes, Ralph Seymour, and Paul Bartel. That’s not to mention a killer costume for the villain: an old diving suit, complete with trident.


SICK (Wednesday, October 12)

Co-presented with the Chicago International Film Festival After Dark

Dir. John Hyams, 2022, 83 min

In the early days of the pandemic, college students Parker and Miri head out to quarantine in style at a remote lake house in the forest. With their masks off, the young women can finally breathe easier—until a mysterious man shows up outside their door. Co-written by Kevin Williamson (Scream) and Katelyn Crabb and directed by John Hyams (Alone), Sick is a classic bare-knuckled slasher thrill-ride with a timely sardonic edge. At a time when any stranger invading your space—let alone one wielding a knife—might shred one’s nerves, Sick feels next-level, filled to the brim with excruciating moments of suspense and horror while giving the word “asymptomatic” a whole new level of dread.


JENNIFER’S BODY (Thursday, October 13)

Dir. Karyn Kusama, 2009, 102 min

Presented by Rated Q and Ramona Slick

Now that we can all agree that the people of 2009 really fucked up by not appreciating Jennifer’s Body as the masterpiece of teen-girl horror that it is, it’s time to have some fun with bisexual succubus Jennifer (Megan Fox), her mousy BFF Needy (Amanda Seyfried), and those wallet-chain douchebags in Cold Shoulder. Rated Q and Ramona Slick return to the Music Box for a screening of Karyn Kusama’s cult-classic horror flick with a side of drag performance, for a queer, campy Halloween celebration with bite. Don’t worry—they only kill boys.


RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD PART II (Friday, October 14)

Dir. Ken Wiederhorn, 1988, 89 min

Presented by Halloweenies: A Horror Franchise Podcast

If you grew up a horror-movie kid, you know how cool it is to have a comic book-loving youngster as the lead. It’s just more relatable for those years before you’re a sex crazed teenager or a disbeliving adult. Return Of The Living Dead II sits alongside The Gate and Monster Squad as perfect “intro to horror pictures” for pre-teens with an irreverent, winking sense of humor, plenty of over the top gore, and a hard rockin’ soundtrack thanks to music supervisor David Chackler. The film also features genre favorites Dana Ashbrook, Mitch Pileggi, and The Ackermonster himself, Forrest J. Ackerman. Even Thom Matthews and James Karen from the original Return Of The LIving Dead are back for the ride, giving it their comedic all. Before the film, Chicago’s very own horror hounds, Bloody Disgusting Network's the Halloweenies, will be recording a live podcast about the movie in the Music Box Lounge.


WES CRAVEN’S NEW NIGHTMARE (Saturday, October. 15)

Dir. Wes Craven, 1994, 112 min

“Every kid knows about Freddy. He’s like Santa Claus.” With that line—delivered by Heather Langenkamp—Wes Craven put a pin in the complicated legacy of his creation, Freddy Krueger. From his beginnings as a vicious child murderer in 1984’s A Nightmare On Elm Street, Freddy evolved into a pop-culture phenomenon that saw his face emblazoned on bubble gum and talking dolls. The character would be christened the “Henny Youngman of horror” by critics and fans alike, thanks to the one-liners delivered by Robert Englund throughout the series’ run. Ten years after the release of the original horror classic, Craven returned to write and direct New Nightmare, Craven’s own attempt—to paraphrase him in the film—put the genie back in the bottle and bring Freddy back to his dark origins…by bringing him into the real world. This meta-commentary on horror pictures (and fans) would set the stage for Scream in 1996. And despite its more intellectual stretches, New Nightmare still features memorable kills, a few one-liners from Englund as Freddy, and cameos galore that will have Music Box Of Horrors audiences cheering.This is a midnight screening, so whatever you do, don’t fall asleep!


CEMETERY MAN (a.k.a. DELLAMORTE DELLAMORTE) (Sunday, October 16)

Dir. Michele Soavi, 1994, 105 min., 35mm

Underseen and fiercely loved, Cemetery Man is the definition of a cult classic. Directed by Argento protégé Michele Soavi (Stage Fright, The Church), Cemetery Man is a unique mix of styles, blending the go-for-broke surrealism of Italian horror with pitch-black comedy and a swooning (necro-)romantic streak. Star Rupert Everett bridges these disparate moods as Francisco Dellamorte, a cemetery attendant facing the ultimate Gen-X nightmare: A demanding, dead-end job. The corpses at Francisco’s work just won’t stay dead, you see, an annoyance that’s frankly beyond Francisco’s pay grade. An encounter with a beautiful widow briefly changes his attitude, until those darned zombies ruin that for him, too. Or have they?

35mm collection print courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive.


THE CAR (Monday, October 17)

Dir. Elliott Silverstein, 1977, 98 min

The success of Jaws inspired countless ripoffs featuring wild animals, ranging from rattlesnakes to alligators to grizzly bears terrorizing hapless victims. However one of the more inspired Jaws-ploitation entries doesn’t feature an animal at all, but rather a souped up 1971 Lincoln Continental Mark II. 1977’s The Car is a two-for-one Spielberg riff, taking inspiration not only from the director’s 1975 blockbuster but also his 1971 made-for-TV favorite Duel. The titular menace was designed by Hollywood car customizer George Barris, who was also responsible for both the Munster Koach and DRAG-U-LA from The Munsters. And the film got the Satanic seal of approval from Church Of Satan leader Anton La Vey, who was given a “technical advisor credit” on the picture.


I KNOW WHO KILLED ME (Tuesday, October 18)

Dir. Chris Sivertson, 2007, 106 min

I Know Who Killed Me is an overlooked American giallo that earns the title in several ways. First, this movie doesn’t make a lick of sense. Second, it’s sleazier than a truck-stop strip club. And third, if you’re a fan of Argento-style pools of bright, pure primary colors: get stoked. This campy, grimy, outrageous serial-killer thriller is mostly remembered for the tabloid drama and relentless paparazzi that surrounded star Lindsay Lohan during the movie’s filming. That lends an eerie real-life resonance to the film’s Twin Peaks-esque storyline, about an all-American high school student who, after being attacked by a serial killer, wakes up from a coma convinced that she’s actually a hard-living exotic dancer named Dakota Moss. If the parallels between that arc and Lohan’s career intrigue you, then get in, losers—we’re re-evaluating the ‘00s canon.


DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS (Wednesday, October 19)

Dir. Harry Kümel, 1971, 97 min

A dreamy hothouse of pansexual lust that’ll set your blood pumping and your head spinning, Daughters of Darkness queers the vampire paradigm with elegance and more than a little existential angst. The story takes place at an nearly abandoned Belgian seaside resort in winter, where the exquisitely languid Countess Bathóry (Delphine Seyrig) spends her days asleep and her nights lying around luxurious hotel suites in fabulous outfits alongside her doe-eyed “secretary”/lover Ilona (Andrea Rau). Then a newly married English couple arrives at the resort for their honeymoon, sending Ilona and the Countess’s quiet lives into chaos. Sexy, stylish, and sophisticated, with rich color cinematography and devastatingly fabulous costumes, Daughters of Darkness is a crown jewel of ‘70s Euro-horror—an era obsessed with films about lesbian vampires and the straight men they cuckold.


HUESERA (Thursday, October 20)

Co-presented with the Chicago International Film Festival After Dark.

Dir. Michelle Garza Cevera, 2022, 93 min

After years of trying to conceive, Valeria and her husband Raúl are overjoyed to learn that they are finally about to become parents. But Valeria's elation soon turns to dread, as terrifying visions lead her to believe she has been cursed by a sinister entity, “La Huesera.” As her picture-perfect life begins to splinter around her, her desperate search for answers takes her back to her rebellious past and her dabblings with the occult—embracing the dark magic that threatens to consume her might be the only way to rid herself of this spirit and safeguard her family's future. With her profoundly chilling yet intimate supernatural tale, director Michelle Garza Cevera provocatively deploys folklore and witchcraft to explore the anxieties of early motherhood.


ALL JACKED UP AND FULL OF WORMS (Friday, October 21)

Co-presented with the Chicago International Film Festival After Dark

Dir. Alex Phillips, 2022, 72 min

An unforgettable, highly disturbing psychedelic odyssey, All Jacked Up and Full of Worms is packed with cringe-inducing images that linger long after the credits roll. Desperate for a child, Benny, a disturbed recluse, goes to sex worker Henrietta hoping she’ll be able to help. Although she cannot give him exactly what he wants, she does offer up a small tin canister full of hallucinogenic earthworms. Good enough. Along with an adrift hotel maintenance man, Roscoe, the three soon embark on a journey down the rabbit hole of consciousness and perception. Once again training his camera on a pack of intriguing societal outcasts, director and Festival alum Alex Phillips (Who’s a Good Boy?) imbues his work with a visionary microbudget surreality. 72 min.


Music Box of Horrors 2022 (Saturday, October 22, Noon - Sunday, October 23, Noon)

Presented by Shudder

That chill creeping up your spine can only mean one thing: The return of THE MUSIC BOX OF HORRORS! Join us for 24 hours of movie madness, featuring the spookiest scares, creepiest creature features, and rare cult oddities. Plus, special guests, giveaways, vendors, and much more. Featuring such modern classics as IDLE HANDS, ERNEST SCARED STUPID, BLADE, and HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER 2. Keep your eyes peeled for more announcements on this page: https://musicboxtheatre.com/events/music-box-of-horrors-2022


YOKAI MONSTERS: SPOOK WARFARE (Sunday, October 23)

Dir. Yoshiyuki Koroda, 1968, 90 min

The Yokai Monsters series combines the stop-motion playfulness of a Sid and Marty Krofft production with the intriguing world of yokai, traditional Japanese spirits whose incarnations range from the whimsical (a one-eyed umbrella yokai that bounces around on its curved handle) to the terrifying (the gashadokuro, a gigantic skeleton 15 times the size of an average human that rips the heads off of unwary travelers and drinks their blood). In general, the Yokai Monsters movies lean towards the former, with a childlike sense of wonder and delightful stop-motion and puppetry effects. But they do have their spine-tingling moments. In Spook Warfare, all the ghosts, monsters, and yokai in Japan are called into battle when an ancient Mesopotamian vampire demon is unleashed, possessing a samurai warlord and putting all of feudal Japan—human and supernatural alike—in danger.


NOSFERATU (Monday, October 24)

Dir. F.W. Murnau, 1922, 81 min

Featuring a live score by the Invincible Czars

The vampire movie upon which all other vampire movies are built, F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu has set imaginations aflame and inspired writers, filmmakers, artists, and musicians for a century. This silent masterpiece still has the power to send a chill down viewers’ spines, and Texas sextet The Invincible Czars will bring the fright to the Music Box with a live score designed to enhance the chilling atmosphere and nightmarish power of this Halloween-season classic. The Invincible Czars make cinematic, experimental “rock” for music nerds, horror fans, film lovers, followers of science fiction and fact, comics, cartoons & humor and anyone with a complicated relationship with heavy metal and classical music.


SEX DEMON (Wednesday, October 26)

Dir. J.C. Cricket, 1975, 60 min

Preceded by a Gay XXX Trailer Reel

All hell breaks loose when John’s last-minute anniversary gift inadvertently causes his younger lover Jim to become possessed by a Sex Demon in J.C. Cricket’s all-male horror film. Openly inspired by both The Exorcist and its Blaxploitation cousin, Abby, Sex Demon is a ferocious mix of the erotic and the grotesque that’s primed and ready to shock audiences again after being lost for the past forty years. In the words of Gay Scene critic Bruce King, “the squeamish may not want to watch, but if you do, you won’t forget it!”


MALIGNANT (Thursday, October 27)

Dir. James Wan, 2021, 111 min

Upon its release in September 2021, Malignant entered into the zeitgeist quickly, mainly due to its simultaneous release to theaters and streaming. In short, everyone was watching it, and everyone had an opinion about it. Audiences and critics responded mostly positively to director James Wan’s Italian horror-tinged picture, thanks to its camp sensibility and a memorable monster, combined with the director's own slick, modern video-game-inspired aesthetic. A film that owes a great deal to midnight movie favorites Basket Case and The Manitou, Malignant has a weird and wild energy that is best enjoyed with a packed audience of psychotronic horror hounds. And if you missed that first time around, this is your chance to see it on the big screen.


AATMA (Saturday, October 29)

Dir. Deepak Ramsay, 2006, 107 min

Bollywood Night! Presented by Mondo Macabro

India-based genre specialists Deepak, Tulsi, and Gangu Ramsay (Purana Mandir) team up for this visually inventive tale of demonic possession and supernatural revenge. Neha is a young doctor preparing to celebrate his wedding anniversary when a mysterious stranger warns him that an upcoming autopsy will be the catalyst for a terrifying sequence of events. The following day, he is deeply disturbed to see the stranger’s corpse awaiting dissection in the hospital morgue. But this shocking development is only the beginning of Neha’s horror. One of the last horror films from the legendary Ramsay family (Mahakaal), Aatma scratches every itch Bollywood horror fans can imagine, from terrifying eye close-ups, never-ending screams, and dubious gender politics to stunning color gels, ridiculously catchy dance numbers, and vengeful spirits taking form in delectably practical and digital mashup makeup effects. Don’t miss the ultra-rare chance to see an unfairly overlooked late-stage Bollywood horror extravaganza from the family that put the genre on the map.


HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES (Monday, October 31)

Dir. Rob Zombie, 2003, 88 min

Love him or hate him, Rob Zombie came out of the gate with his gritty, self-consciously tasteless take on the horror genre fully formed. House of 1000 Corpses was Zombie’s first feature film as a director, and it establishes many of his pet themes: Murder clowns, true crime, homicidal backwoods families, Spirit Halloween aesthetics, and the camera ogling Zombie’s future wife Sheri Moon are all essential elements of this cult classic splatter flick. Even more mean-spirited than contemporaries like House of Wax and Platinum Dunes’ Texas Chainsaw remake, House of 1000 Corpses will take you back to the last time violent nationalism and ultra-low-rise jeans were on the rise in American culture.


SPONSOR

About SHUDDER:

AMC Networks’ Shudder is a premium streaming video service, super-serving members with the best selection in genre entertainment, covering horror, thrillers and the supernatural. Shudder’s expanding library of film, TV series, and originals is available on most streaming devices in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Germany, Australia and New Zealand. To experience Shudder commitment-free for 7 days, visit www.shudder.com.


Pricing & Scheduling:

All films except FINAL DESTINATION Marathon and 24-hour Marathon - $11 General Admission / $8 MBT Members

FINAL DESTINATION Marathon - $20 General Admission / $15 MBT Members

New 10-film pass - $66.60 General Admission / $55.50 MBT Members (redeemable for all films, except 24-hour marathon)

Advanced 24-hour Marathon (beginning October 22, Noon) - $30 General Admission / $25 MBT Members

Day Of 24-hour Marathon - $35 General Admission / $30 Music Box Members

Become a member: https://www.musicboxtheatre.com/membership/become-a-member


About The Music Box of Horrors:

Recent editions of Music Box of Horrors have included Guillermo Del Toro introducing his legendary horror/action work BLADE 2; filmmaker William Crain, with his wildly inventive DR. BLACK, MR. HYDE; POSSESSOR, with writer/director Brandon Cronenberg Q&A; director Karyn Kusama presenting her film JENNIFER’S BODY; director Jill Gevargizian, presenting her groundbreaking film THE STYLIST; director John Hancock, presenting his landmark film LET’S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH; director William Lustig, presenting MANIAC; actor Ethan Embry, presenting the Chicago premiere of THE DEVIL’S CANDY; Gary Sherman and John McNaughton, presenting DEATH LINE; director Jim Muro, presenting STREET TRASH; actor Kevin J. O’Connor with LORD OF ILLUSIONS; and writer Don Mancini for the Chicago-shot CHILD’S PLAY.


About Music Box Theatre:

Operating since 1929, the Music Box Theatre has been the premier venue in Chicago for independent and foreign films for more than three decades, playing host to over 200,000 patrons annually. It currently has the largest theater space operated full time in the city. The Music Box Theatre is independently owned and operated by the Southport Music Box Corporation. SMBC, through its Music Box Films division, also distributes foreign and independent films in the theatrical, DVD, and television markets throughout the United States; and through its Music Box Direct subsidiary, operates an online streaming service offering the best of foreign and independent films.

Regular events produced, presented and hosted at Music Box Theatre include the 70mm Film Festival; the genre film festival Cinepocalypse; the annual 24-hour horror-movie marathon Music Box of Horrors; and Noir City: Chicago, co-presented by the Film Noir Foundation.

Follow the Music Box Theatre on Facebook (www.facebook.com/musicboxchicago/), Twitter (@musicboxtheatre), and Instagram (@musicboxchicago)



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