bobrauschenbergamerica previewed on September 5, 2008 at 8:00 p.m.at Gorilla Tango Theatre, 1919 N. Milwaukee Ave in Bucktown. The show ran through September 28, 2008.
“I work in the gap between life and art.” (Robert Rauschenberg)
About the Play
Chicago Fusion Theatre’s second production was a fitting tribute to the profoundly influential visual artist Robert "Bob" Rauschenberg, who passed away in May 2008. Written by Charles Mee (Big Love), the production is presented as a wild collage of characters and stories: where a life-size martini meets chicken jokes; a tongue-in-cheek performance art piece mixes opera and underwear; and the action could be interrupted at any time by either an assassination or a line dance. As Rauschenberg once famously quipped, "If it wasn't a surprise at first, by the time I got through with it, it was.”
Directed by Court Theatre Artistic Associate Jack Tamburri, Chicago Fusion Theatre's production is inspired by Rauschenberg's vibrant aesthetic and boundless generosity. Much like Rauschenberg's famous "combines", which incorporated everything from paint and photographs to busted tires and taxidermied animals, this play mixes the mundane and the sublime in a daring exploration of the American experience. It is a love letter to audiences, artists, and America.
Reviews
…"bobrauschenbergamerica" leaves one feeling confused...in a good way. Like life itself, the play comes across as funny and thought-provoking, if not always conveniently plotted.
--Centerstage
…the play, like the artist, coaxes movement out of still life. It quickly becomes apparent when viewing this short, well-staged and candid tribute to the life of recently deceased artist Robert Rauschenberg, that celebrating death in an "out there" sort of way is not something reserved only for the National Museum of Mexican Art on El Dia de los Muertos.
--EDGE Chicago
And for this no-frills Fusion Theatre show, director Tamburri applies a firm hand; though he puts his agile, outstanding cast members through some crazy paces, they make it look far easier than it is.
--Time Out Chicago
This is a ninety-minute whirlwind of love, loss, sex and art—brief vignettes that interrupt one another, screeching to a halt almost before you can wrap your head around what’s happening. And this is a good thing, a VERY good thing—IF you’re looking to escape the standard theater fare and branch into more precarious waters….“bobrauschenbergamerica” is a satisfyingly bizarre and frenetically entertaining alternative to the kitchen sink.
--NewCity
The cast on the other hand, is more than eager to please and they frequently go all out for the script, be it stripping down to their skivvies or flailing about like a fish out of water.
--Windy City TImes
About the Artistic Team of bobrauschenbergamerica
Charles L. Mee (Playwright) Chuck Mee has written bobrauschenbergamerica, Wintertime, Belle Epoque, Vienna: Lusthaus, Snow in June, A Perfect Wedding, Limonade tous les Jours, and a number of other plays in addition to his work inspired by Greek plays: Big Love, True Love, Orestes 2.0, Trojan Women A Love Story and others. His plays have been performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, American Repertory Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop, the Public Theatre, Lincoln Center, the Humana Festival, Steppenwolf, and other places in the United States as well as in Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Vienna, Istanbul and elsewhere. His complete works are available on the internet at www.charlesmee.org. His work is made possible by the support of Jeanne Donovan Fisher and Richard B. Fisher.
Jack Tamburri (Director) is an Artistic Associate with Court Theatre, having assisted Artistic Director Charles Newell in directing and dramaturgy on such productions as Travesties, The Glass Menagerie, Arcadia, and Carousel, as well as What the Butler Saw with Sean Graney. Jack has also assisted on productions for the Around the Coyote Arts Festival, the Neo-Futurists, and the Hypocrites. He has directed for Mary Arrchie Theater (7 Blowjobs) and the University of Chicago, where he is an alumnus. As a musician, Jack has performed with the House Theatre of Chicago, the Building Stage, the Hypocrites, and the avant garde rock ensemble the Dead Superheroes Orchestra.
Tim Borntrager (Technical Director) has worked extensively in the art department for commercials and theater, creating and handling props. He's also served as Technical Director for Collaboraction, Teatro Luna and Chicago Fusion Theatre's inaugural production of Hugging the Shoulder. He's an accomplished metal worker and furniture re-builder — skills he honed after years of freelance construction and carpentry work. He's an avid creative recycler, and recently got to put his creative talents to work on the set of the DIY Network show, "From Junky to Funky". He played the "on camera" roll of carpenter for the show, and was also behind many of the furniture designs built and showcased on the show. He recently rescued a Baby Grand piano from the trash that he plans to transform into a bar. His love for repairing vintage objects extends to cars and motorcycles. He has a degree in Fine Art from Indiana University.
Christopher Kriz (Sound Design) has worked in Chicago for nearly two decades as a composer, sound designer and audio engineer. Chris is especially pleased to be working with Chicago Fusion Theatre again, having designed sound for Hugging the Shoulder last season. Other recent theatre credits include A Taste of Honey at Shattered Globe Theatre, Golda's Balcony at Pegasus Players, Glengarry Glen Ross at Redtwist Theatre, Perfect at Side Project Theatre and Jitney at Pegasus Players. Other past credits include Two Trains Running, Pantomime and Still Life at Pegasus Players. To hear more of his work, please visit www.christopherkriz.com
Ellyzabeth Adler (Movement Director) is the Artistic Director for Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble, a physical theatre company dedicated to creating performances with a purpose. She attended Roosevelt University where she earned a BFA in Performing Arts, and then continued her education at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she graduated with a Masters of Arts in Directing and Movement. She ran the Children's Performing Arts Camp for the Lawrence Family JCC in La Jolla, California, choreographing and directing Winnie the Pooh and Alice In Wonderland. Adler has worked with Eclipse Theatre creating movement for Woman and Water, Rhymers of Eldridge and Woman without a Name. She founded the Project Danztheatre Company, whose Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble (formally Adler Danztheatre Project) creates socio-political theatre, as well as Kids Project, an arts-based outreach program. In addition to teaching, Adler has worked with The Chicago International Children's Film Festival for two years as Film Registrar and currently as a Media Educator.
Nilsa Reyna (Artistic Director, Producer) recently directed CFT's inaugural production of Hugging the Shoulder. Additional directing credits include staged readings of A Basket of Fruit, The Tortilla Trilogy and Our Family Moment, all at Teatro Luna. As an actress, select credits include: The Mark of Zorro (Lifeline Theatre), The Massacre (Halcyon Theatre), A Humechanical Nightmare (Lucid Street Theatre), Interpreting a Dream (Bailiwick Directors Festival), The Seagull (GroundUp Theatre), Operation Infiltration (Factory Theater), Escanaba in da Moonlight (Circle Theatre), And This Was Free, (Maxwell Street Foundation), Big Love (The Mill), The Maria Chronicles (Goodman Theatre Latino Festival), Anna in the Tropics (Victory Gardens Theater), Generic Latina (Teatro Luna) and The Wedding Album of Sandy Benito's Wedding (Collaboraction Sketchbook).
Natalie DiCristofano (Associate Artistic Director, Producer) recently moved to Chicago from the St. Louis area where she attended Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville and received a Bachelor of Science in Theatre Performance. SIUE Theatre credits include: La Ronde, Flaming Guns of the Purple Sage, Poona the F*ck Dog, The Shape of Things, Blur, Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, Twelfth Night, and The Altruists. St. Louis credits include: A Clockwork Orange (HotCity Theatre) and Blackbird White/A Clash of Two Swords (The Tin Ceiling). Upon moving to Chicago she performed in CFT's inaugural production Hugging the Shoulder and with Actor's Revolution Theatre in The Drowned World. She will be portraying the role of Phil's girl in CFT's upcoming production of bobrauschenbergamerica.
