Dear Board and Friends,

The Cabinet opened this weekend to excellent performances, good houses, a great event hosted by our Board President Ralph Senst, several additional board members’ enjoyment, a number of Chicago’s artistic leaders – the President of the MCA, representatives from the CSO, friends from the Children’s Humanities Festival, several significant leaders of Columbia College, and many press.

Below is much of the anticipated press from this weekend- great reviews from Time Out Chicago, The Sun-Times, Chicago Reader, The Tribune plus the Chicago Stage Review and several other on-line critics, as well as pre-press articles that showcased our work.

If you are a friend of Redmoon on Facebook (which all of you could be) you can see close to 100 new images of the current production (which you can share with friends), and rally digitally for the show, as several board members have taken advantage of. The viral marketing tool is essential to this show’s word of mouth.

Help us get folks here – we must close after these few performances so we can throw the best birthday party ever.

Please let your friends know, use the press to generate buzz to your personal lists, use the images to entice potential audience, and use the team to meet and greet friends at the show if you so wish and request – invite them to Redmoon Central- soon, just 4 weekends, the show will be gone before we know it. A truly ephemeral hit.

Remember – Boneshaker is a great way to see the show and then dance with the Redmoon community – it should be 2 wild nights- Feb. 27th. and March 6th., 10 pm, 2010.

Chicago Sun Times – Highly Recommended
“It happens only rarely that one masterpiece can generate another of the same quality and originality. But the Redmoon theater production of “The Cabinet” — Frank Maugeri’s altogether remarkable reinvention of (and homage to) “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,” the 1919 silent film classic that remains a landmark work of German Expressionism — does precisely that … a show that should be seen not just in Chicago, but around the world. A true classic.”
http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/weiss/2035782,020810-Redmoon-Weiss.article
—Hedy Weiss

Chicago Reader – Highly Recommended
“…stunning production… builds dread with diamond-edged precision. This is one nightmare that shouldn’t be missed.”
http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/Event?oid=1364580
—Kerry Reid

TimeOut Chicago – Highly Recommended
“…The Cabinet is a dark, gorgeous inversion of Redmoon’s sprawling outdoor aesthetic, a miniaturized spectacle that still hews to the company’s bent for contraptions… Maher’s script is typically esoteric and erudite, as
intricate and mesmerizing as the choreography of Stalling’s puppeteers. Poor Cesare’s waking nightmare is the stuff of theatrical dreams.”
http://chicago.timeout.com/articles/theater/82759/the-cabinet-at-redmoon-central-theater-review
—Kris Vire

Chicago Stage Review – Highly Recommended
“…pure Redmoon enchantment. This is not a revival of a tired out play or a retelling of a familiar story; rather The Cabinet is a remarkable remount of a strange and wondrous creation. Do not miss this brief opportunity to see a rare and astonishing classic Chicago collaboration.”
http://www.chicagostagereview.com/?tag=redmoon-theater
—Venus Zarris

Chicago Tribune – Highly Recommended
“Everything takes place at a hypnotic pace … it is the nimble puppeteers in Stalling’s production who make it really live … It is frankly bizarre, and I’m betting you won’t be able to take your eyes off them.”
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-live-0209-redmoon-cabinet-review-20100208,0,7926340.story
—Nina Metz

Chicago Theater Blog
“Haunting, and beautifully done, “The Cabinet” is no lightweight puppet show… the hour-long piece seems to stretch much longer, as if the audience were caught in Cesare’s endless trance.”
http://chicagotheaterblog.com/2010/02/06/the-cabinet/
—Leah Zeldes

Steadstyle Chicago
“…every little detail is handled to perfection by this talented troupe. An amazing storytelling experience, told in a way that will make this an experience to remember. If you have never experienced the work of Redmoon, this is a great way to start and once you see one of their productions, you will go back.”
http://www.steadstylechicago.com/cabinetredmoon.htm
—Alan Bresloff

Chicago Social Magazine – “Top 10” Feb 2010 – (p. 26) #1 – Redmoon’s ‘The Cabinet’ #2 – Goodman’s ‘The Long Red Road’ #3 – Steppenwolf’s ‘ ‘August: Osage County’ …
http://media.modernluxury.com/digital.php?e=CHSO
—Marissa Conrad

Red Eye Metromix Theater’s “Five To See” 02/03/10 – (p. 28) #1 – Redmoon’s ‘The Cabinet’

And again, congratulations to Associate Artistic Director Vanessa Stalling and the ensemble of “The Cabinet” on a tremendous effort and great product.

Frank Maugeri
Artistic Director

January 2010, Chicago – Opening Redmoon’s 20th anniversary program of theater productions and events, the company is remounting the longest running production in its storied history, The Cabinet. Originally produced in 2005 for a smash hit 20-week run, The Cabinet returns to the West Loop industrial home of Redmoon Central for a 5-week engagement. The Cabinet opens February 5th.

A spectacle in miniature, The Cabinet sets the story of the murderous Dr. Caligari and his somnambulist slave Cesare in an off-kilter world of puppetry and intricate machinery. Inspired by the 1919 silent film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, The Cabinet creates a wild, abstracted “cabinet of curiosities” in which five puppeteers manipulate and maneuver the characters and objects mirroring Caligari’s control over Cesare’s plight. A haunting suspense thriller, this show is suitable for ages 13 yrs up.

“Just before our Halloween performance at the White House this past October, we had the amazing opportunity to meet with Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel in his West Wing office,” Artistic Director Frank Maugeri shared. “The first thing he asked as we sat down to chat was: ‘Are you ever going to remount that wild show in the cabinet? That’s my all-time favorite…’ Very flatteringly, we thought it might be a good time to get this Redmoon favorite back in front of Chicago audiences. This remount is a gift to Redmoon fans as the inaugural show to our 20th anniversary season.”

March 12, 2010, Redmoon will celebrate 20 years of creating art in the city of Chicago with the annual Redmoon Spectacle Lunatique Gala: “20th Anniversary Birthday Celebration”. Visit www.redmoon.org for more details.

The Cabinet’s details at-a-glance

DATES: Preview THU FEB 4th, 8pm – Opens FRI FEB 5th thru SUN MAR 7th (5 week run)

TIMES: THU at 8:00 pm, FRI at 8:00 and 10:00 pm,
SAT at 6:00 and 9:00 pm, SUN at 3:00 pm

WHERE: REDMOON CENTRAL, 1463 W. HUBBARD STREET, CHICAGO, IL 60642

TICKET PRICES: THUR: $15, FRI: $20, SAT: $25, SUN: $20

TICKET PURCHASE: 312.850.8440 × 111 OR www.redmoon.org

SHOW DURATION: 60 minutes, no intermission

SPECIAL EVENT: “BONESHAKER” SAT FEB 27th & SAT MAR 6th, 10:15pm (directly after The Cabinet performance)
Redmoon opens its doors for a night of music from DJ Red Menace, open bar and environmental performances.

Original production conceived and directed by Artistic Director Frank Maugeri and written by Mickle Maher. Remount direction by Associate Artistic Director Vanessa Stalling, co-directed by Frank Maugeri.
Production credits include, Music Composition: Mark Messing, Sound Design: Mikhail Fiksel, Lighting Design: Chase Corman, Puppet Design: Lisa Barcy and Scott Pondrum, Set Design: Maggie Goddard, Performance Ensemble: Taylor Bibat, Sam Deutsch, Matt Rudy, Dustin Valenta, Missi Davis, Sarah Ely.

Redmoon has a commitment to creating new pathways for more audiences to encounter and participate in art and culture. In 2009, Redmoon’s highly successful annual program of events included collaborations with the Chicago Park District for Spectacle 09: Last of My Species the Fearless Songs of Laarna Cortaan at Belmont Harbor; the University of Chicago for a production of Hunchback at Rockefeller Chapel and most recently with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) for a December production of Shadow Swan Lake. Once Upon A Time was invited to perform at the World Festival of Puppetry in Charleville-Mezieres, France also at Chicago’s Theatre On The Lake summer season in Lincoln Park and to close the season, returning with its 2009 installment of the much loved, annual seasonal production of Winter Pageant.

The crowning achievement for Redmoon’s team in 2009 was an invitation by the White House for a Halloween performance on the front lawn for 2,500 trick-or-treating local school children and then later in a private party throughout the East Wing residence for US combat veterans and their families.

The Cabinet is made possible through the generous support of the following contributors:
The Mullen Family Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts; the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; and by a CityArts Program 3 grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs.

Redmoon was founded in 1990 to promote a unique brand of public art committed to the highest quality artistic product and to civic well-being. Pulling with conviction from contemporary art forms and ancient theatrical approaches, Redmoon has created a performance style that is equal parts pageantry, gadgetry, acrobatics, and ephemera. Over the past decade, Redmoon has garnered international attention for its unique productions and site-specific performances, which have been seen across Chicago from the Jackson Park Lagoon, the façade of Museum of Contemporary Art to Belmont Harbor and performance venues as diverse as Steppenwolf to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Over recent years, Redmoon has developed projects in Holland, Ireland, France, and Australia. The company was recently honored with an invitation to perform at the White House for local Washington, DC school children and US combat veterans during Halloween 2009.

Redmoon creates unexpected theater events in unexpected locations.

Redmoon is a proud member of The League of Chicago Theatres and a constituent of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre.

Friends of Redmoon,

We write to you now, upon the precipice of Redmoon’s 20th anniversary year, to make a commitment to our artistic and cultural programming. In 2009 over 20,000 people celebrated Redmoon’s activation of public space for civic well-being and community engagement. ALL FOR UNDER $15 A TICKET. MANY FOR FREE.

In 2009, despite the economic turmoil, our artistic accomplishments in this year have already been monumental. Together we have accomplished:

A Home-Grown Tradition as National Opportunity: Inspired by our All Hallows celebrations in Logan Square, Redmoon was invited this year to perform at the White House Halloween Event. This is the ultimate endorsement of the value of our work and the quality of our art, presented in the national spotlight.

A Gift to the City: 8,000 people celebrated free guerilla ephemera events in public locations throughout Chicago, such as The Momentary Opera.

A Wild Artistic Assault: Spectacle 09: Last of My Species, the fearless songs of Laarna Cortaan invaded Belmont Harbor, mounted a work of aesthetic arrest over two weekends, building community throughout public celebration, and leaving the memory of its cultural and civic impact.

A Historic Chicago Location, Transformed: Hunchback rang through the University of Chicago’s Rockefeller Chapel in a phenomenal staging of classic Redmoon work in an unexpected location.

A Fairytale Presented to the World: Once Upon a Time shared a small town in France with puppet theater from around the globe, representing Chicago and the country at a prestigious international festival.

This could not have been accomplished without the generous support of our donors.

In this time when public work is so vital, we strive to present a necessary art to our community. We create unexpected theater in unexpected locations. Please consider making a donation today.

$35 provides an affordable ticket price for all
$100 brings community celebration to Chicago’s Neighborhoods
$250 pays for an artist to teach 50 children creative learning
$1,000 ensures creation of a one-of-a-kind Redmoon object for Spectacle ‘10

With your support, here is what we will do next:

An Enchanted Dream: 2009 Winter Pageant recently transformed Redmoon Central in this much loved, family-friendly holiday tradition. In 2010, The Pageant will tour to Northern, Central, and Southern locations to bring this Redmoon classic to broader audiences throughout the Chicago-land area.

Another Gift to the City: We will return to the streets in 2010 for another installment of our successful guerilla series, bringing free moments of ephemera around the city, all leading up to Spectacle ’10 ! Stay tuned!

A Children’s Spectacle: This year, Redmoon’s Neighborhood Arts Program expanded to work with over 350 students in five grade levels. These young artists created awe-inspiring work and changed the culture of their schools and communities. In 2010, we will expand to include Mentorship Programs at social service organizations and a Summer School, structured to utilize creative learning through art making for Chicago’s young people.

A Shadow Ballet: in 2009 Redmoon renewed its commitment to meaningful partnerships with the recently presented ‘Swan Lake’ in collaboration with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In 2010, we will work with new partners to exhibit to diverse audiences in surprising ways. Stay tuned for an upcoming 2010 collaboration with the Harris Theater in Millennium Park and an exciting 2011 partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.

We have laid the groundwork for a fantastic future, but we cannot accomplish our ambitious calendar of programming without your support.

Thank you for coming to see our art.

Thank you for sharing our art with your friends and family.

Thank you for supporting our art financially.

We do it for you. We cannot do it without you.

Please consider making a gift today.

JOIN US IN BEING BOMBASTIC!

Sincerely,

Frank Maugeri, Artistic Director & Rebecca Hunter, Executive Producer – Redmoon Theater

P.S. Support Redmoon’s MUSCLE AND POETRY: PROPEL us into our 20th anniversary year. PROMOTE this unique brand of performance. CELEBRATE our commitment to the highest quality artistic product. BE AN AGENT OF UNEXPECTED THEATER IN UNEXPECTED LOCATIONS. Please support us today!

This evening at the post-show discussion of Redmoon’s collaboration with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Artistic Director Frank Maugeri toasted the newly appointed Redmoon Resident Artisit Jim Lasko as the City of Chicago’s Artist-in-Residence. Below is his speech that was given at the beginning of tonight’s opening night, post-show discussion. Nicholas Winter, the CSO’s Artistic Administrator, moderated the discussion. Artists on the stage for the post show discussion in the ballroom were: Redmoon Artistic Director Frank Maugeri, Resident Artist Jim Lasko, Chicago Actor Alex Balestrieri and CSO Maestro Alexander Polianichko.

“Dear Friends, I would like to take a moment of your time, please.
I am Frank Maugeri, Redmoon’s artistic director. I am proud to stand here before you this evening as a representative of Redmoon Theater.

It is an honor to have the opportunity to collaborate with such a prestigious institution like the CSO, to be able to perform with this orchestra and this evening’s Maestro. Redmoon is very grateful to be here.

This evening I also wanted to take a moment to toast my dear friend and a core artist of Redmoon, Jim Lasko. I have been with Redmoon going on fifteen years and I have been very lucky to work in collaboration and alongside Jim’s ambitious, brave, and visionary leadership. It was not until I held this position over the course of this last year of extraordinary programming that I really understood the sacrifices he made, the difficulty in his decision-making, and the power of the artistic vision he commanded— as Redmoon’s past artistic director, he has been a great teacher to many, a remarkable artist, a powerful leader and personally to me, a good friend. Recently Jim was appointed the nation’s first Artist-in-Residence for the City of Chicago.

This appointment is the first of it’s kind in the country: showcasing the city of Chicago’s commitment to innovation, art and culture. And calls attention to Jim’s vision and craft on a national level- a well deserved recognition. Long overdue.

I personally want to honor his achievement, and congratulate him on this position. There are few artists in our country who share Jim’s vision of public engagement, the necessity of public art, and the value of art in the fabric of a city’s culture, identity and well-being. He is a man who believes art can and should be an agent for change at a local, national and global level.

Jim, we honor you and your appointment. I am also grateful that Jim continues to serve as a core artist for Redmoon- as Redmoon’s Resident Artist, he continues participating in our artistic strategies and our artistic product.

Like much of our work this year, “Swan Lake” is the product of a collaboration with Jim’s ideas, direction, and artistic engagement.

Now I ask you to raise your glasses: on behalf of Redmoon, we toast you Jim; and to the Redmoon team, and to the City of Chicago, the most important arts city in the country.

Thank you.”

For Immediate Release
December 1, 2009

Four Performances Dec. 16-19

December 2009, Chicago – On the heels of their Halloween performance at the White House October 31st, and running concurrently with their family-friendly tradition of “Winter Pageant” at Redmoon Central through December 27th, Redmoon has teamed up with the CSO for a surprise holiday treat to present a 30 minute world-premiere shadow-puppetry spectacle accompanying music from Tchaikovsky’s fairy-tale ballet “Swan Lake”.

Russian conductor Alexander Polianichko returns to the CSO podium to conduct the all-Tchaikovsky programs, which also include selections from “The Snow Maiden”.

Known for their enormous and spectacular live productions, Redmoon’s artistic team led by artistic director Frank Maugeri, have constructed a unique addition to the standard concert-hall experience, to be staged in synchronization with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s performance of music from “Swan Lake”.

Redmoon’s specially created dramatization showcases an array of handcrafted shadow puppets, meticulous live puppetry and larger-than-life video projections, bringing alive the tragic story of a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer’s curse, and the prince who falls in love with her.
The program also includes Tchaikovsky’s incidental music to “The Snow Maiden”, featuring Chicago actor Alex Balestrieri reciting a new adaptation from Aleksandr Ostrovsky’s play.
Gerard McBurney, CSO artistic programming advisor and an authority on Russian music, has retailored key scenes from Ostrovsky’s original text, telling the poetic story of an ice goddess whose heart is warmed when she falls in love with a mortal.

DATES / TIMES: Dec. 16, at 6:30pm (part of the rush-hour Afterwork Masterworks series); Thursday, Dec. 17, at 8pm; Friday, Dec. 18, at 1:30pm; and Saturday, Dec. 19, at 8pm

WHERE: Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60604

TICKETS: $22 – $199

To Purchase Tickets: call the CSO ticket hotline (312) 294-3000 or visit www.cso.org

“With the remarkable amount of holiday celebrations available to audiences in Chicago during this point in the season, our goal is to create a memorable experience that goes beyond the spectator’s palette of expectation,” noted Artistic Director Frank Maugeri. “The gift of working in collaboration with the CSO, creating the necessary magic to invent a short classical music fairy-tale that visually astounds, is every artistic team’s dream! So we can only do what Redmoon does best—turn our dream into a landscape of the imagination, full of muscle and poetry, and take over Symphony Hall as a temporary holiday playground.”

Conceived by Frank Maugeri and Jim Lasko, co-Directed by Frank Maugeri, Jim Lasko, Alex Balestrieri, in collaboration with Andrea Everman, with a team of Redmoon artists. Executive Produced by Rebecca Hunter

Production credits include: Shadow Puppet Illustration and Design – Andrea Everman, Shadow Performers – Julia Miller, Sarah Latin-Kasper, Sarah Ely, and Mike Oleon, Shadow Workshop Participants –Taylor Bibat, Shu Shubat, Sarah Fornace, Freddie Beckley, Lydia Bottom, Jake Carr, Stephanie Kalil, Cody Proctor, Elizabeth Silva, Laura Statford, Mark Umstattd, Live Film Projectionist – Liviu Pasare, Production Assistants – Taylor Bibat, Shu Shubat, Technical Direction – Mike O’Neill, Shadow Screens and Carts Design – Zach Perrault, Construction Engineer – Gabriel Richardson, Build Interns – Amalia Buisson, Sarah Covert, Dustin Brunjels, Gabriel Underwood.

Redmoon has a commitment to creating new pathways for more audiences to encounter and participate in art and culture. In 2009, Redmoon successfully collaborated with the Chicago Park District for Spectacle 09: Last of My Species, The Fearless Songs Of Laarna Cortaan at Belmont Harbor; travelled to France to present Once Upon A Time in Charleville at the Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionnettes; the University of Chicago for a production of Hunchback at Rockefeller Chapel in Hyde Park, and is delighted to collaborate with Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) on Swan Lake at Downtown’s Symphony Center.

Redmoon’s 2009 programming is made possible through the generous support of the following contributors:
The Mullen Family Foundation, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts; the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; and by a CityArts Program 3 grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs.

Redmoon was founded in 1990 to promote a unique brand of performance committed to the highest quality artistic product and to civic well-being. Pulling with conviction from contemporary art forms and ancient theatrical forms, Redmoon has created a performance style that is equal parts pageantry, gadgetry, acrobatics, and ephemera. Over the past decade Redmoon has garnered international attention for theatrical productions and site-specific performances, which have been seen across Chicago from the Jackson Park Lagoon, the façade of Museum of Contemporary Art to Belmont Harbor and theater venues such as Steppenwolf. Over recent years, Redmoon has developed expanding projects in Holland, Ireland, France, and Australia. The company was recently honored to perform for the President and First Lady at the White House for Halloween 2009. Redmoon is committed to a mission of creating unexpected theater in unexpected locations.

Redmoon is a proud member of The League of Chicago Theatres and a constituent of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre.

Contact: Sean Kaplan
312-850-8440 ×114
skaplan@redmoon.org

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