BENEFIT: CHICAGO PUPPET FESTIVAL’S FALL LIVING ROOM TOUR RETURNS TO UPSCALE PRIVATE HOMES NOVEMBER 8th -11th

Help Out:

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:


Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival - Blair Thomas Private Shows from The Doc Unit on Vimeo.




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.

ON SALE: Circuscope Is Coming To Actors Gymnasium February 14th-March 22

Circuscope

February 14 - March 22, 2015 

Here at ChiIL Live Shows and ChiIL Mama, we've been captivated by the stellar circus arts at Actors Gym for years. They're a ground breakingly creative collective featuring some of the top physical actors in the city. We'll be there to review opening night. In the meantime, get your tickets early for the best seats, and range of dates. Their seating area is small and fills fast! 

Enthralled by the extraordinary shapes and sizes of life, the creators of the Actors Gymnasium Winter Circus will explore a fascinating world on the other side of the microscopic lens. Directed by spectacle-theatre veteran Vanessa Stalling and featuring acclaimed Chicago clown Dean Evans, Circuscope will transport audiences through surprising acrobatics, mime, live music and other-worldly design. Circuscope also features Meredith "Tommy" Tomlins, Molly Plunk, and Leah Leor. 

Circuscope is written by Deans Evans and Vanessa Stalling with percussion choreography by Rick Kubes, musical composition by Ronnie Kuller, choral direction by Alex Balestrieri, lighting design by Nick Carroll, sound design by Connor Murray, video design by Asher White, costume design by Delia Ribenour, performance object design by Elizabeth Brietand circus choreography by Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi. 

Beat the rush - Get your tickets today at www.actorsgymnasium.org/shows 

February 14 - March 22, 2015 

Fridays at 7:30pm 

Saturdays 4:30 pm and 7:30 pm 

Sundays at 3:00 pm 

$20 for adult tickets! 

$15 for children, students and seniors! 

The Actors Gymnasium is dedicated to bringing a new physicality to the American Theatre. Encouraging ground-breaking theatrical exploration, The Actors Gymnasium teaches circus arts, physical theatre and multi-disciplinary performance to children and adults; produces original, daring works of circus-theatre; and serves as a talent resource, providing performance opportunities to our students and innovative professional event entertainment for a wider audience.  At The Actors Gymnasium, people Learn To Fly - physically, emotionally, and creatively.