Chicago Act 1

This place is a mind warp! And Chicago is not small... The large taxi man drove us in from the airport for what seemed like hours, talking non-stop as he warned us not to eat certain American foods. He said don't touch corn and seeds of any kind, cause they kill! Well, it certainly didn't look like the corn or seeds that were killing him, only the big macs and coke he daily ingests.

The theatre scene here seems quite vibrant. Of interest is the Red Moon Theatre, a local visual theatre company. Currently in production with an ensemble of women performers, The Princess Club, it is a wildly physical and thought-provoking romp through classic fairy tales including Cinderella and Snow White, which opens in September. Also of interest is the Puppetmaster of Lodz, which I wrote about recently, see here! The Looking Glass Theatre is another Chicago based theatre worth mentioning. Their production of Alice, adapted from Lewis Carroll, is opening this week. It combines physical theatre, circus and puppetry. You can see a sample of it here!
Another interesting company worth checking out is Blair Thomas and Company Chamber Puppet Theatre.

The Puppetmaster of Lodz

Another piece of theatre reflecting similar themes to our current 'Looking for a Monster' production is The Puppetmaster of Lodz. After escaping from Auschwitz, Finkelbaum, a once-revered puppetmaster, has barricaded himself in an attic. Now 1950, he is not convinced that the war is over and sees any attempt to lure him out as merely a ruse to recapture him. In an attempt to bring his lost family back to life, he prepares for his greatest puppet show ever – the story of his life. Ultimately hopeful, moving and eminently theatrical, this beautifully articulated story will enjoy heightened poignancy upon our stage. This work is performing until 8 July at the Writer's Theatre in Chicago. We need to check this out when we get to Chicago! Click here to view video clips! (Thanks to Maya Nadison in Chicago for the info!)