Proceeds support the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival’s Free Neighborhood Tour in January 2019
CHICAGO PUPPET FESTIVAL’S
FALL LIVING ROOM TOUR BRINGS INTIMATE LIVE PUPPET SHOWS TO UPSCALE
PRIVATE HOMES
NOVEMBER 8-11
Imagine knocking on the door of a beautiful, architecturally significant Chicago home, being shown into a living room join a small, diverse group of arts loving Chicagoans, and being treated to a delicious meal coupled with a private, intimate performance of cutting-edge contemporary puppetry. Don’t imagine it. Do it! I had the great pleasure of covering the Fall Living Room Tour the year before last. Check out my exclusive video interviews with the puppeteers here,along with live show footage, and a full photo feature. It's good food, fellowship and fun for a great cause. The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival invites Chicagoans to its Fall Living Room Tour, hosted at four beautiful private Chicago residences around the city, Thursday, November 8 through Sunday, November 11.
Production shot of Behold, Where Stands the Usurper’s Cursed Head by Chicago’s Cabinet of Curiosity
Each of these special benefit events begins with a lovely meal leading into incredibly intimate, living room performances of contemporary puppet shows including Behold, Where Stands the Usurper’s Cursed Head written by Mickle Maher, directed by Vanessa Stalling and Frank Maugeri, featuring acclaimed Chicago puppeteer Samuel Taylor, from Cabinet of Curiosity.
Tarish “Jeghetto” Pipkins performing an excerpt of Just Another Lynching at the 2018 April Living Room Tour.
Blair Thomas in an excerpt from Buried Alive with Edgar Allan Poe at the April 2018 Living Room Tour
Following are details about the three 2018 Living Room Tour evening events to be staged in private homes in Hyde Park-Kenwood, Logan Square and Evanston, followed by a Sunday brunch event in a turn of the century mansion in Humboldt Park. Tickets to each event are $125. Purchase tickets online at chicagopuppetfest.org.
*Note: Exact addresses will be emailed upon purchase but are not shared publicly otherwise. Proceeds benefit The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival and its Free Neighborhood Tour to Chicago communities. Hyde Park-Kenwood Thursday, November 8 at 7 p.m. At the home of Michelle and Chad McClennan: a Queen Anne renovation in Chicago's historic Hyde Park-Kenwood neighborhood. Co-hosted by Michelle McClennan, Kim Ohms, Rita Parida and Jane Nicholl Sahlins Logan Square Friday, November 9 at 7 p.m. At the home of Molly Morter and Jim Jacoby: a turn of the century neighborhood church turned dramatic contemporary residence. Co-hosted by Andrea Cochran, Molly Morter and Jim Jacoby, Molly and Tom Fleming, Aaron Manheimer and Kim Ohms Evanston Saturday, November 10 at 7 p.m. At the Evanston home of Monica Kass Rogers and Todd Rogers and West Evanston’s leading concert series, The Pig & Weasel. Co-hosted by Monica Kass Rogers, Todd Rogers, Kim Ohms and Rob Shatkin Humboldt Park Sunday, November 11 at 11 a.m. At the home of Erin Sarofsky and Kevin McClintock: A restored turn of the century mansion. Co-hosted by Liz Aviles, Elizabeth Black, Andrea Cochran, Kim Ohms and Angel Ysaguirre Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival - Blair Thomas Private Shows. Watch what it's like to enjoy a Chicago Puppet Festival Living Room Tour performance in a private Chicago residence:
About the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival was founded to establish Chicago as a prominent center for the art of puppetry, and to cultivate a diverse audience for internationally significant, culturally transformative works of puppetry. In January 2017, the second biennial Chicago Puppet Festival featured 109 performances, workshops, panel discussions and family puppetry activities spanning 11 days at 22 venues across the city. The festival attracted a local, national and international audience of more than 14,000, drawing from 198 Illinois zip codes, 34 U.S. states as well as Hong Kong Australia, Sweden, Poland, Mexico and Canada. Stay tuned for the official announcement about the third Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, returning January 17-27, 2019. Mark your calendar for a 11-day event bringing the highest quality local, national and international puppet shows to Chicago, showcasing an entertaining and eclectic array of puppet styles from around the globe. Marionettes, shadow puppets, Bunraku puppets, tiny toy puppets, and distinctive, innovative contemporary puppetry will all be on display at dozens of Chicago civic venues large and small. For the latest updates, visit chicagopuppetfest.org, follow the festival on Facebook at facebook.com/ChicagoInternationalPuppetTheaterFestival, on Instagram at instagram.com/chipuppetfest and on Twitter @ChiPuppetFest. The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, founded by Artistic Director Blair Thomas, is a mission-driven program of Chicago-based puppet theater company Blair Thomas & Co.
Buckle into your jetpacks, put on three pairs of sunglasses, and blast toward a galactic, uncanny and steel-meltingly sizzling world premiere!
Here at ChiIL Mama & ChiIL Live Shows, we're astronomically excited for Actors Gymnasium's latest. We love it when our friends play well together and this AG collaboration with Frank Maugeri & Lindsey Whiting is sure to be stellar. I'll be out for the press opening with my whole circus lovin' family on 2/17 so check back soon for my full review. We've been fans of Actors Gymnasium's excellent productions for years, and their winter show, featuring a cast of circus professionals and the highly talented AG Teen Ensemble, is always something to see. I've been consistently wowed over the years by the creativity, high-caliber circus skills, and extreme entertainment value of Actors Gymnasium's winter shows. My two teens are not in this production, but have immensely enjoyed being cast in AG's last 4 fall and spring youth circus shows. Advanced tickets are highly recommended, as their performance space is intimate and shows sell out fast. Special opening night tickets for Saturday 2/17/18 are available for $60 and include an after party. ChiIL Mama will be there... will YOU?! Discount tickets are available in conjunction with Chicago Theatre Week for Sunday's matinee on 2/18/18. Details below. Don't miss this!
Photo by Cole Simon
In 1964, the sun is overheating and The Owner of an Indiana drive-in movie theater is called upon to save earth with an unlikely bunch of heros. Will The Owner and their sidekicks be able to save the galaxy and avert a human-made environmental catastrophe?
The creative team brings to life an enormous intergalactic robot and Poppie, a real life talking popcorn machine in this SciFi Cartoon Circus adventure! Journey for the Sun features astonishing aerialists, insane acrobatics, sophisticated puppetry, in-depth object design, film and cartoon animation. Written by Seth Bockley and Co-directed by Frank Maugeri (from Cabinet of Curiosity Events and the late Redmoon Theater), and Lindsey Noel Whiting, Circus choreography by Sylvia Hernandez - DiStasi, original music by Kevin O'Donnell and costumes by Sully Ratke. The cast includes Kasey Foster, Jean Carlos, Yuri Lane : The Human Beatbox, and members of The Actors Gymnasium Teen Ensemble.
Co-Director Frank Maugeri says, "This is going to be good old fashioned pageant fun and serious circus madness, with a rock ship of a team."
Frank Maugeri is the founder of Cabinet of Curiosity Events. He is also the Community Programs Artistic Director at the Chicago Children's Theatre where he develops educational classes and camps for children 0 - 14, and selects and supports the CCT teaching community. Prior to joining CCT, Frank was a 22-year veteran Producing Artistic Director at Redmoon Theater. Frank is an artist, director, producer and designer of unique art, education and events. His creations are highly visual, design-driven, movement-inspired, object-centered, and range from intimate miniature-scale productions to mammoth public spectacles. Throughout his career, he has been an inventor and designer of sets, events, and objects; choreographer of people and mechanisms; and ritual and community maker. Frank's life revolves around the arts and how the arts bring people together. (For full biography, please contact James Anthony at james@actorsgymnasium.org) Seth Bockley (Author) is a playwright and director specializing in literary adaptation, physical and design-driven production, and new play development. As a writer his works include 2666 (adapted with Robert Falls from the novel by Roberto Bolaño); CRISPR Kids; Rip Van Winkle: or, Cut The Old Moon Into Stars; The Death and Life of Billy the Kid; Laika's Coffin; Wilderness; February House (with Gabriel Kahane); Ask Aunt Susan, and adaptations from stories by George Saunders: Jon and CommComm. Directing credits include the multimedia documentary works Wilderness and Basetrack Live (En Garde Arts); 2666 (with Robert Falls); Samsara by Lauren Yee; Ewald Palmetshofer's hamlet is dead. no gravity; Philip Dawkins' Failure: A Love Story; Jason Grote's Civilization (all you can eat) and 1001; and the clown play Guerra, with Mexico City-based troupe La Piara (toured Mexico, Colombia, and the U.S.)
Chicago Children's Theatre, the city's largest professional theater company devoted exclusively to children and young families, announced it has hired Frank Maugeri in the new position of Community Programs Artistic Director (CPAD).
Maugeri comes to Chicago Children's Theatre (CCT) after serving as Producing Artistic Director for Chicago's Redmoon Theater for two decades. His chief responsibility in his new role will be to guarantee that "education comes first" at CCT, particularly as it relates to the company's first-ever, permanent home, currently under construction in Chicago's West Loop.
Frank Maugeri Credit: Nguyen Tran
In his new position, Maugeri will report to Chicago Children's Theatre's Artistic Director Jacqueline Russell and Interim Managing Director Steve Abrams. He will support Russell's artistic season by designing and implementing innovative classroom activities, dynamic curriculum development and audience engagement opportunities that reflect the theater's overall programming.
With new opportunities for growth presented by CCT's new home, Maugeri will focus on the construction and implementation of CCT's expanded educational programs, create a fresh brand identity to support the education department's goals and vision, serve as the primary spokesperson for CCT's educational programming and community outreach, and broaden fundraising, partnership engagement and program support.
"We are so thrilled to officially welcome Frank into the Chicago Children's Theatre family. He is such a beloved, respected leader in Chicago's theater community because he brings so much energy, artistry and passion to everything he sets out to accomplish," said Russell. "Frank has had countless, incredible experiences working with Chicago children, creating hands-on, interactive learning experiences that not only entertain, but empower children, help them boost their creativity and confidence, and help gain a competitive edge by teaching life skills like how to think fast, solve problems, and be better team players."
"I have been offered an incredible opportunity with Chicago Children's Theatre. This new position meets many of my core values, including my interest in service, commitment to education, and devotion to my city and our youth," Maugeri responded.
"I look forward to the opportunity of helping transform a past police station into a performing arts home. I can't wait to develop curriculum, train teachers, create cutting-edge artistic projects for young people of many backgrounds and abilities, establish partnerships, develop a think tank for youth art and education, cultivate education stakeholders, and more than deploy theater instruction, develop creative education opportunities that integrate science, technology, engineering, and math into our curriculum. I hope to expand the theater's work to include teens, and perhaps even create some family events and experiences."
The new Chicago Children's Theatre is an adaptive re-use of the former, 12th District Police Station at 100 S. Racine Avenue in Chicago's West Loop, which is now being transformed into a beautiful, mixed-use performing arts and education facility designed to serve all Chicago families.
Phase one, slated to open in January, will include classrooms and support space, where CCT's educational programming will be headquartered and start up immediately. Phase one also includes a flexible, 149-seat studio theater for student performances, Red Kite interactive theater for students with autism and professional shows. Phase two will be completed in 2020, and will boast a second, state-of-the-art, 299-seat mainstage theater.
More about Frank Maugeri
Maugeri has dedicated his life to being an artist whose highly visual, interactive theatrical work ranges from the miniature to the mammoth. Additionally, throughout his career Maugeri has doubled as an expert collaborator, community builder, ritual maker, educator and inventor of innovative curriculum and artistic programming.
For two decades, Maugeri served as Producing Artistic Director of Redmoon Theater where he mentored hundreds of young designers, artists, performers, and educators from across the nation, while helping guide the institution's art, education and community engagement.
He established Redmoon's first Youth Board, a team of young committed professionals who pursued the mission of free public art for all, managed its Neighborhood Arts Program leaders for almost a decade, helped oversee the company's branding and messaging, and supervised Redmoon For Hire.
As a Redmoon artist, Maugeri served as a conceiver, director, and designer of countless spectacles and interactive events, including inventing family favorites like The Youth Spectacle, Skelebration, and serving as artistic director of several Winter Pageants. He also was the artistic leader of every Spectacle Lunatique, each of the theater's famous Halloween events, Boneshaker, and all of their New Years events, Revolution.
He additionally co-directed large-scale outdoor spectacles like Sink, Sank, Sunk... in Chinatown's Ping Tom Park, and was a core collaborator and community organizer of all of the famed All Hallow's Eve ritual celebrations in Logan Square. He created Redmoon's longest running production The Cabinet, and co-directed its final production, The Devil's Cabaret.
Collaborative credits include the direction of Once Upon a Time, which toured to The World Puppet Theatre Festival in Charleville-Mézières, two works for the Chicago Children's Humanities Festival at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Laika's Coffin and Cape and Squiggle, as well as Astronaut's Birthday, a large-scale animation, graphic novel projected on the Museum of Contemporary Art's façade, and co-direction of the critically acclaimed world premiere of The Elephant and The Whale with Chicago Children's Theatre, Shadow Swan Lake with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Salao: the worst kind of unlucky and The Feast: an intimate Tempest, both at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
Maugeri also co-directed such Chicago-centric events as the closing ceremony of the Great Chicago Fire Festival, elements of the groundbreaking ceremonies for Millennium Park and components of the grand opening of Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago. He also has been commissioned to create art and experience for The White House, The Chicago Park District, The City of Chicago, Columbia College Chicago, Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Los Angeles Music Center, Chicago Ideas Week, Lollapalooza, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, RedBull, JAM Productions, and many more.
Maugeri is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago and is trained in animation, sculpture and object design. After college he spent seven years in the mental health field working with mentally ill adults. He currently makes his teaching home at The University of Chicago. He is a native of Chicago and resides in Oak Park with his wife, Susan, and their nine-year-old twin children Samson and Frida.
About Chicago Children's Theatre
Since its launch in 2005, Chicago Children's Theatre has cemented its reputation as the city's largest professional theater company devoted exclusively to children and young families. The company believes children should be treated as the sophisticated audiences that they are with high-profile and award-winning talent, inventive production values and compelling stories that challenge, educate and entertain. Chicago Children's Theatre evolved out of Chicago's need for high-quality, professional year-round children's programming to match the quality and significance of theatrical powerhouses such as Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Goodman Theatre and Lookingglass Theatre.
Audiences have embraced Chicago Children's Theatre since its inaugural production, A Year with Frog and Toad, at the Goodman Theatre in 2006. The company also has had a strong focus on new work producing 12 world premieres including The Selfish Giant, The Hundred Dresses, Jackie and Me, Dot and Ziggy, The Houdini Box, The Elephant and The Whale (in association with Redmoon), Mr. Chickee's Funny Money, Leo Lionni's Frederick, Wonderland, Alice's Rock & Roll Adventure, A Snowy Day with Beatrix Potter and Jabari Dreams of Freedom. These enjoyed highly successful inaugural runs in Chicago, followed by new productions at family theaters across the U.S. Chicago Children's Theatre productions feature everything from black-light scenery to live music to interactive four-dimensional sets to life-size puppets, and performances showcase the heart of Motown to Vaudeville to contemporary, current and modern styles.
Chicago Children's Theatre offers a full roster of after school theater classes and summer camps. It also honors a strong commitment to low-income families and children with special needs. In partnership with Chicago Public Schools and Target, the company has offered free tickets and transportation to more than 5,000 Chicago-area low-income students each season.
Meanwhile, Chicago Children's Theatre has pioneered immersive theater designed for children on the autism spectrum via its Red Kite Project, and recently expanded programming to address the needs of children with impaired vision or hearing and Down's syndrome.
Led by Artistic Director Jacqueline Russell and Board Chair Todd Leland, the company is supported by a dynamic Board of Directors comprised of dedicated individuals from the fields of entertainment, philanthropy and business. Officers include Jeff Hughes, President; Lynn Lockwood Murphy, Vice Chair and Secretary; David Saltiel, Vice Chair; and David Chung, Treasurer. Chicago Children's Theatre is sponsored in part by ComEd, Goldman Sachs Gives and Target.
Fire-Shooting Carnival Game, UFO Ride, Mini Movie Set, Diabolic Comedy Club, Devilish Cooking Class and Haunted Attic Maze “The Nest”
among the many interactive experiences
At Redmoon’s Pilsen home, October 18-19 & 25-26
Here at ChiIL Mama/ChiIL Live Shows we've been watching Redmoon Theatre grow and evolve since their beginnings in the early 1990's. So we were super stoked to be invited down for an exclusive behind the scenes build tour with Frank Maugeri (Producing Artistic Director) for the 2nd year.
Frank is a large-scale public art spectacle maker and we were thrilled he took time out from his busy day at T-minus 2 days with "20 weird interactive oddities to finish" to personally show us the ropes. His excitement is contagious and we can't wait to see this year's Skelebration come to fruition. Wack a fly room! As much as we dig actually enjoying their spectacles, there's something magical in the process too. We love to see the process and the progress. Check out our full behind the scenes slide show right here and our favorites embedded below.
One of our favorite elements of Redmoon shows is the reappearance of past props, costumes and sets, morphed into new configurations. Frank laughed when I brought that up as a plus and confessed that it's more a matter of budget and necessity than nostalgia, and that he'd love to make every show entirely new. Yet, it's recycling at it's best, and fun for Redmoon regulars to reminisce on past productions and enjoy the creative new twists on old favs. You'll recognize some sets and costumes from last season's Bellboys, Bears and Baggage and Skelebration, but this interactive extravaganza has plenty of all new features, too, and it's different for every unique individual who comes through.
We're excited to see their second year of their family friendly Halloween/Day of the Dead/fall Skelebration growing and expanding as well. This time around they're slated for this weekend AND next. I love to geek out on the plans, the gazillion man & woman hours that go into "engineering wonder" as Redmoon's mission states. It's mind blowing what goes on under the radar and behind the curtain. So here is our take on the compelling little secret bits, to get you stoked for the real deal. **ChiIL Fact: The walls of the upstairs haunted maze were dug up from the new downtown site of the Maggie Daley Park, now under construction.**
Skelebration's fun for all ages with a little bit scary maze for ages 7+ in the upstairs for a donation and plenty of scare free zones to explore at your leisure in their gargantuan Pilsen space. QUOTE OF THE DAY:
"Are my cables on the floor there making an artistic shot for you?" Yes... yes they are. Like I said, I do dig the composition of things in progress. But it's also incredible to me that all the individual pieces are creating a whole much greater than the sum of it's parts. These cables aren't just going to end as an artsy photo. They'll go on to power the magic, run the bells and whistles, inspire creativity and joy, and blow people's minds.
When I see a line of welders' masks, they not only look cool as is, but they make me think spark, energy, pieces coming together, inspiration, and a creative collective of talented people... Get your tickets and bring the whole family out to experience the wonder that is Redmoon's Skelebration.
We're getting "Fired Up" about it!
Who wouldn't want to watch movies in a crypt all night?! (vintage cartoons along with some stunning artist made originals by one of Redmoon's first interns from waaaaaaay back in the day.
You can even get a tattoo (that won't freak your mom out or last far past Halloween)!
Check back with ChiIL Mama like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often. We'll have a full set of Skelebration show shots up after next weekend and more.
REDMOON’S FAMILY-FRIENDLY SKELEBRATION
RETURNS TO ENGINEER SEASONAL WONDER
Fire-Shooting Carnival Game, UFO Ride, Mini Movie Set, Diabolic Comedy Club, Devilish Cooking Class and Haunted Attic Maze “The Nest”
among the many interactive experiences
At Redmoon’s Pilsen home, October 18-19 & 25-26
This fall, Redmoon’s family event Skelebration, which debuted with great success last year, returns for its second annual installment of experiential exploration. Redmoon invites families into its otherworldly playground inside its Pilsen home (2120 S. Jefferson Street) for a re-invention of the seasonal rituals of Halloween. Creativity, imagination and a sense of adventure are celebrated with interactive experiences, immersive encounters, creative snacks and imaginative music, this year directed by Kasey Foster under conceptual direction by Redmoon Producing Artistic Director Frank Maugeri. Redmoon extends the event over two weekends, Saturdays and Sundays, October 18-19 and 25-26.
Redmoon’s Skelebration 2014 promises an all-new array of multisensory delights, including:
·Redmoon’s Celestial Swing, an eerie mausoleum on the outside with a peaceful, ethereal swing inside.
·TheUFO Carousel where children can climb inside one of three gigantic flying saucers and spin off into space.
·Redmoon’s Spectacle Hall features a massive series of interactive possibilities including, among many other things, a live-animation cinematic experience with a pair of 200-foot-long scrolls unfolding to tell a dynamic adventure story.
·Redmoon’s “Cartoon Adventure,” a mini movie theater where children and adults don headphones and enjoy five original short animated films by Laura Heit, Joseph Hodgson and Franck Aubrey, Hannes Vartianien and Pekka Veikkolainen, Selina Wagner and PES.
·Families can “picnic” in TheMan-Made Lagoon, an intimate space where music fills the air in designer/composer Jake Ruttenberg’s sonic adaptation of Orson Welles’ radio drama War of the Worlds.
·Redmoon premieres its newest food service device The Pastry Wheel,whichwhimsically pairs the iconic image of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair Ferris Wheel with urban pedal power, serving cupcakes, brownies and other enticing sweets.
·Performers roam the space serving delightful treats, including signature Redmoon mechanical marvels such as TheFloating Trays, TheLibation Machine, TheMonkey Butlers and The Fish Bubble Man.
Families can enter Redmoon’s haunted sideshow-like series of rooms known as “The Devil’s in the Details,” which hold experiences both eerie and humorous, including:
·“The Chocolate Bar,” a delectable room of dip-able treats.
·“Heck’s Kitchen,” a cooking class with the Devil where families participate in making Deviled Eggs.
·“The Bedroom Swat-a-Fly,” a larger-than-life human fly swatting game.
·“The Cinematic Cemetery” film studio, where families can be the star of their own scary movie.
·“Satan’s Cackle Shack,” where Matt Demon, voted “Hell’s Most Humorous Devil” 1998, entertains the audience with his killer stand-up routine.
By spinning a wheel to determine a nominal additional fee, which could range from $5 to $10 to a silly physical act, children and adults gain access to two more experiences:
·A chance to play “Fired Up,” Redmoon’s newest carnival game where children shoot a target and are rewarded with a spectacular surprise.
·Visitors brave enough to enter “The Nest” will ascend into Redmoon’s frightening attic maze. An adventure into a vampire nest inspired by Bram Stoker’s gothic tale of Dracula, “The Nest” creates an eerie, mystical and enigmatic world that’s chilling without resorting to horror or gore, instead playing on the sounds, shadows and corporeal experience of encountering the supernatural in everyday life.
Audiences can enter Skelebration at staggered entrance times as follows: Saturdays and Sundays at 1 pm & 4 pm
Adult tickets are $20 (age 18+), youth tickets are $12 (age 4-17) and children are free (age 3 and under). Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. Tickets are available in advance online at redmoon.org/box-office or by calling 312-850-8440 ext. 123. Tickets will also be available at the door, subject to availability.
Upcoming Party for the Adults: Boneshaker
Following the two weekends of family fun, mom and dad – and the rest of the 21+ party crowd – can escape into Redmoon’s fifth annual Halloween event Boneshaker, taking place at 2120 S. Jefferson St. Friday, October 31 (Halloween night) beginning at 9 pm.
Many of the creative installations from Skelebration get the grown-up treatment for Boneshaker. The UFO Carousel, Celestial Swing, “Fired Up” game, devilish cooking class, “Bedroom Swat-a-Fly” game, “Satan’s Cackle Shack,” “The Cinematic Cemetary” and attic maze “The Nest” all remain. Joining them will be an outdoor Fire Garden, Redmoon’s signature fire-spouting and music-pumping Fire Organ, a cigar-rolling room and specialty Mezcal tasting salon, in addition to multiple bars and gourmet dessert stations.
Early Bird tickets for Boneshaker are $75, available until October 24, and $100 as of October 25, which include food and open bar. Group tickets for 10 or more receive a 10% discount. Boneshaker is for patrons age 21 and up.
About Redmoon
Redmoon's mission is to transform the experience of Chicago through free large-scale theatrical events that promote community, creativity and an empowered democracy. Redmoon burst into Chicago’s cultural consciousness with its award-winning production of Moby Dick in 1995. While the indoor productions continued to receive critical acclaim and popular support, Jim Lasko chose to focus the theater’s energy outdoors, where Redmoon sought to deploy spectacle to bridge difference and transform the ways that people see and understand public spaces. Over the past 24 years, Redmoon has become a highly valued Chicago institution with its high-profile collaborations, vibrant outdoor performances and authentic community partnerships. In 2009, Lasko joined forces with long-time collaborator Frank Maugeri to co-lead Redmoon as it garnered international attention for its unique productions, site-specific performances and participatory events. Since 1991, Redmoon has performed for more than 350,000 people in 49 different neighborhoods in 186 public spaces.
Generous funding for Redmoon’s 2014-15 programming has been provided by The 1111 Foundation; Alphawood Foundation; The Amgis Foundation: The Cookie Jar Fund; The Efroymson Family Fund, a CICF Fund; The John R. Halligan Charitable Fund; The Marshall Frankel Foundation; The Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; The Irving Harris Foundation; Lagunitas Brewing Company; Mardi Gras Fund; The MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince; Sahara Enterprises, Inc. and The Thanksgiving Fund.
For more information on Redmoon and its programs, visit www.redmoon.org.
Here's our gallery of build favs:
Get creative. You're allowed to write on the walls here!
Make a vintage movie melding modern tech with a classic look... staring YOU!
