Thursday, February 15, 2018

OPENING: World Premiere Journey for the Sun: A SciFi Cartoon Circus Via Actors Gymnasium Through March 25th

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:


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. 



Opening and Press Night
Saturday, February 17 at 7:30PM 
Includes delicious nibbles by SMACK DAB, 
libations by Temperance, and a stellar dance party with musical guest 
Old Timey! 


Group discounts are available!
Fridays at 7:30PM 
Saturdays at 4:30PM and 7:30PM 
Sundays at 3:00PM 


Best dates and seats: 
Friday, February 23 at 7:30PM 
Saturday, February 24 at 7:30PM
Friday, March 2 at 7:30PM 
Friday, March 9 at 7:30PM

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 BolaƱo); 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.)




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