Cabinet of Curiosity, the Chicago-based theater and events company, is proud to announce their first annual pageant The Icicle Picnic. This year’s inaugural family-friendly production, Journey for the Sun, features live music, beat boxing, giant puppets, ridiculous devices, and transforming sets to tell the story of two brothers who embark on a mythological journey to save the earth from an exploding sun. Celebrating unlikely heroes and the strength in unity across differences, The Icicle Picnic: Journey for the Sun is presented from January 11 to 15, 2023, in nine performances only, at Chopin Theater, 1543 W Division Street. For the full schedule and more information, visit cocechicago.com.
Showcasing the delightful craft of pageantry, live cartoon, and intimate spectacle, Journey for the Sun is an imaginative devised theater work that follows two brothers, Clem and Buster (Michelle Billingsley and Sadie Roz Glaspey), who run a declining drive-in movie theatre in small town Indiana. Along with their new employee the Cow (Alexandra Plattos Sulack) and the drive-in’s Popcorn machine (Yuri Lane), the brothers receive a strange transmission from outer space that sets off a whirlwind mission to save the planet. Inspired by the absurd low budget science-fiction films from the 1950s and cartoons of the 60s, Journey for the Sun protagonists must prevent the earth’s overheating and destruction, encountering Little Green Men, asteroid showers, space monkeys, giant robots, and more along the way.
In The Icicle Picnic: Journey for the Sun, Cabinet of Curiosity’s Artistic Director Frank Maugeri returns to a theatrical form he crafted during his 25-year tenure at Redmoon Theater, the “Pageant.” Journey for the Sun was originally created and presented in association with Sylvia Hernandez Distasi, Lindsey Noel Whiting, and Kasey Foster at the Actors Gymnasium. For this new edition, Maugeri brings together new artists, designers, engineers, and social innovators to revise the timely story about hope, fearlessness, and the power of community.
The production kicks off an innovative model for Cabinet of Curiosity where professional actors and artists will provide mentorship to emerging artists. Journey for the Sun is written by veteran Chicago playwright and adapter Seth Bockley and collaboratively directed by Frank Maugeri, Sadie Rose Glaspey, Michelle Billingsley, Alexandra Plattos Sulack, and Yuri Lane. Seasoned actor and tap dancer Time Brickey leads the first-time Pageant ensemble of youth performers, including Avie June Schubert, Selah Herrera Helphand, Delilah Lane, and Theo Maciukenas.
Designed as a relief from Chicago’s dark winter weather, the immersive production features sets and props by Caitlin McCloud, video projections and shadow performance by Liviu Pesare, and sound effects by Yuri Lane. Cabinet of Curiosity invites families for interactive post-show opportunities to learn how prop devices and contraptions were developed by the creative team.
TICKET INFORMATION
Cabinet of Curiosity performs Journey for the Sun Wednesday, January 11 through Sunday, January 15, 2023. The full schedule is as follows: Wednesday, January 11 at 7:30pm; Thursday, January 12 at 7:30pm; Friday, January 13 at 7:30pm; Saturday, January 14 at 1:30pm, 3:00pm, and 7:30pm; and Sunday, January 15 at 12:00pm, 3:00pm, and 7:30pm.
Tickets are $25 adult / $15 youth (18 and under) / $0 (5 and under) and are available for purchase online at cocechicago.com.
ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM
Alexandra Plattos Sulack is an award-winning performer, singer, teacher, and coach based in Chicago. She is an Artist-in-Residence at the historic Cliff Dwellers Club, and she makes a habit of collaborating across genres and disciplines to create new works. Having cut her teeth in sketch comedy and improv with the ladies of Forte Chicago, she has been known to bring an additional layer of fun & excitement to each performance. In addition to performing, Alexandra is the co-founder and principal instructor at The Voice Lab, Inc, whose mission is to cultivate transformative relationships through music and music education.
Originally from Milwaukee, WI, Sadie Rose Glaspey moved to Chicago in 2008 to attend Chicago College of the Performing Arts for Musical Theatre (BFA, 2012) and never left. Sadie Rose is a singer, violinist, and actress. She has a lot of fun working in both the theatre world and the music world and love when the two collide like they do so much when she works with Cabinet of Curiosity on projects like Sea Change and Icicle Picnic. She has also worked on shows with Emerald City Children's Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Hell in a Handbag Productions, and Big Noise Theatre Company. Her biggest focus currently is building GingerSnap Performing Arts, her children's theatre company. This past summer was the first time the company created a big musical since before the pandemic and she can't wait to announce the next big show! Sadie Rose would like to thank her husband Patrick for always supporting her ever changing endeavors. She would also like to thank Frank Maugeri, creator of Cabinet of Curiosity, for his ever-determined efforts to create hope and joy through ritual and performance.
Seth Bockley is a writer of stories, plays, and screenplays, and a theater artist specializing in literary adaptation, including two stories by George Saunders and the novel ”2666” by Roberto Bolaño. His stage works have been seen in Mexico City, Singapore, rural Ireland, Canada, and all over the USA. An inaugural member of Chicago’s Goodman Theater Playwrights' Unit, for three years he served as Writer in Residence at Goodman Theater. He is Director of Creative Engagement at the Amsterdam-based environmental nonprofit Sovereign Nature Initiative, and his first film, “The Cartographer,” premiered in 2022 at the Berlin Short Film Festival. His story “Repertorio" in Boulevard magazine was recently nominated for a Pushcart Prize. He teaches performance and literary adaptation for the stage at the University of Chicago.
Michelle Billingsley is a local Country & Western songwriter and performer who sings about a whole lot of subjects considered taboo for polite women. She wraps her charmingly cutting lyrics in boisterous acoustic strumming, her dryly dark sense of humor and a (whip)smart-assed vocal delivery. It all sounds a bit like Emmylou Harris went through the looking glass. She studied theatre at University of Michigan and improv at Second City Detroit.
Yuri Basho Lane is a Chicago-based actor, beatboxer, harmonica player, teaching artist and vegan chef. Yuri has toured the U.S., Europe and Middle East with his internationally acclaimed solo shows including ‘’From Tel Aviv to Ramallah: A Beatbox Journey” and “Soundtrack City.” As a performer and a teacher, Lane looks to open performance to students of all ages. He believes that sound and music open the door to deep forms of communication and expression. Lane released his third album ‘’YURI BASHO LANE,” available on Spotify, Apple music and other digital platforms, and is working on a new album and live musical stage show called "Planet BTBX " in 2023. Lane’s theatrical work can be seen at www.yurilane.com, with his new videos and vegan culinary creations on Instagram as @beatboxharmonicaman.
Frank Maugeri is an artist, director, producer and designer of unique art, education, ceremony, and event, ranging from intimate miniature-scale to mammoth public spectacle. Throughout his career, he has been an inventor and designer of worlds, events, and objects; choreographer of people and mechanisms; and ritual and ceremony maker. He founded Cabinet of Curiosity Events in 2018 as an enterprise of celebration, intimate spectacle, and training in ritual. Maugeri grew The Chicago's Children Theatres (CCT) community outreach educational programming by 75% as the Community Programs Artistic Director. Maugeri developed STEAM-inspired educational classes and camps for children 0 – 14, and selected, trained, and supported the CCT teaching community for three years. Prior, Maugeri was Producing Artistic Director at Redmoon Theater, where he mentored hundreds of young artists, sculptors, puppet-makers, set designers, performers, and educators from across the US while overseeing the institution's art, education, and community engagement. With Redmoon, Maugeri created art and experiences for The White House, developed original works for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Museum of Contemporary Art, The Los Angeles Music Center, and the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. He proudly co-directed public spectacles for the City of Chicago and other Chicago-centered civic events, including the Art Institute’s groundbreaking of the North Wing and Millennium Park’s opening evening, Looptopia. His productions have toured to Amsterdam, France, Brazil, and Japan. In his time at Redmoon Theater, Maugeri authored, designed, and created the company’s longest running and most acclaimed production, The Cabinet, and created and led Redmoon’s celebrated annual Boneshaker and New Year’s Revolution events, including some of Redmoon’s most remarkable inventions: The Momentary Opera, The Monkey Butlers, The Libation Machine and most famously, The Bubble Man. He currently makes his teaching home at the University of Chicago.
ABOUT CABINET OF CURIOSITY
Cabinet of Curiosity is composed of diverse project-by-project collectives who authentically collaborate on original celebrations and productions. Cabinet uses sophisticated puppetry and handmade devices to develop unique interactive experiences, productions, and events. They focus on creating new types of gatherings, ceremonies, and rituals which promote community and interaction between people who may not normally mix. Cabinet’s intention is to support multicultural professionals in the field of theatre, visual arts, dance, sculpture and music, while mindfully training high school and college age apprentices to become the future creators of new meaningful rituals. All of the objects and devices created by Cabinet are engineered to expose their mechanical operations, so they are simultaneously educational, informative, and magical. Cabinet is committed to social engagement--both grand and intimate—to promote curiosity, community, and culture. Visit cocechicago.com for more information.