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.