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Chicago Shakespeare Theater Remounts Acclaimed "Hip-hoptation" Funk It Up About Nothin' January 21 through February 13, 2011 Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare Followed by an Australian Tour Chicago—January 4, 2011—Chicago Shakespeare Theater's (CST) Funk It Up About Nothin'—an exuberant "hip-hoptation" of William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing—thrills audiences Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare from January 21 through February 13, 2011, before embarking on an Australian tour from February 23 through April 2, 2011. Co-creators and Directors GQ and JQ (The Q Brothers) premiered the show at Chicago Shakespeare in 2008, and return with their smash-hit rhythms and rhymes for the 2011 performances, following an engagement at Joe's Pub at The Public Theater on January 8 and 10. Funk It Up About Nothin' is produced by Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Merrigong Theatre Company and Richard Jordan Productions. Tickets for the Chicago performances of Funk It Up About Nothin' January 21 through February 13, 2011, Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare are $25-$30 with special discounts available for groups of 10 or more. All patrons receive a 40% parking discount in Navy Pier garages. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Chicago Shakespeare Theater's Box Office at 312.595.5600 or visit the Theater's website at www.chicagoshakes.com/main.taf?p=2,19,3,29,1,32. Commissioned by Chicago Shakespeare, Funk It Up About Nothin' was developed by The Q Brothers in collaboration with CST Creative Producer Rick Boynton. Receiving local and international acclaim in 2008, the show garnered the Joseph Jefferson Award for Outstanding Ensemble and took home the Dress Circle Award for Best Musical Production in its subsequent run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland. This year, following its engagements at Joe's Pub and Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Funk It Up About Nothin' launches an Australian tour at the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre in Wollongong, New South Wales, marking Chicago Shakespeare's Australian debut. Among other venues, Funk It Up About Nothin' will also appear at Carriage Works' Platform 3 Hip Hop Festival in Sydney. The production's extended life abroad is emblematic of CST's World's Stage initiative to present Chicago Shakespeare's best work to international audiences in addition to bringing the world's finest productions to CST. Funk It Up About Nothin' joins the ranks of acclaimed CST exports such as the Olivier Award-winning Pacific Overtures at London's Donmar Warehouse and Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2, Chicago Shakespeare's debut at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-Upon-Avon. Born and raised in Chicago, Funk It Up About Nothin' Co-creators and Directors The Q Brothers started their professional careers in the Off Broadway hit The Bomb-itty of Errors. G and three of his friends, who were studying at New York University's Experimental Theatre Wing, adapted Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors into modern rhyme while J made the beats. Along with other Bomb-itty collaborators, the twosome wrote and starred in MTV's hip-hop/sketch comedy TV show Scratch and Burn, now a cult classic. The Q Brothers also worked together on the film Just Another Story for Showtime: G wrote, directed and performed a starring role, and J created the score and original soundtrack. G's screen credits include the movies Drumline, Taxi, I Think I Love My Wife, What's the Worst That Could Happen, and Werner Herzog's Rescue Dawn, in addition to prominent roles in Boston Public (Fox), Numbers (CBS) and Johnny Zero (Fox). J produced the solo hip-hop album Foul Mouth Poet under his moniker J.A.Q., as well as other albums including Smashing (The Grommits); The Good Thief (Postell); Panty Tart Rodeo and 15 Fingers (Them vs. Them); and The Retar Crew's eponymous debut and sophomore follow-up Return of The Retar. Along with Funk It Up About Nothin' cast members Jackson Doran and Postell Pringle, the Q Brothers are members of the Chicago-based comedic rap group The Retar Crew. GQ and JQ last came together for The Feel Good Album of the Year—an uncategorizable hip-hop album crossing heavily into jazz, rock, R&B and electronica. The cast of Funk It Up About Nothin' features GQ as Leonato, Don John and Dingleberry, and JQ performing the roles of Benedick and Borachio. Rounding out the ensemble are Jackson Doran as Claudio/Judge, Jillian Burfete as Hero/Lil Boi, Postell Pringle as Don Pedro/Verges, Ericka Ratcliff as MC Lady B/Big Jon and Adrienne Sanchez as DJ. The design team for Funk It Up About Nothin' includes Scenic Designer Brian Sidney Bembridge, Costume Designer Debbie Baer, Lighting Designer Toby Knyvett, Sound Designer James Savage, Wig and Makeup Designer Melissa Veal and Properties Master Chelsea Meyers. For more information about the return engagements of Funk It Up About Nothin' and its Australian tour, please visit Chicago Shakespeare Theater's website at www.chicagoshakes.com/main.taf?p=2,19,3,29,1,32. International productions coming to Chicago for CST's World's Stage Series:
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About Chicago Shakespeare Theater Recipient of the 2008 Regional Theatre Tony Award, Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) offers a broad spectrum of theatrical experiences year-round, engaging and entertaining audiences from all walks of life and from around the world. CST has garnered acclaim under the leadership of Artistic Director Barbara Gaines and Executive Director Criss Henderson, including 55 Joseph Jefferson Awards and three Laurence Olivier Awards. The Theater has experienced record growth since moving to its current, state-of-the-art facility on Navy Pier in 1999, and will celebrate its 25th Anniversary next season. The 38-play canon of William Shakespeare forms the core of CST's work and Subscription Series, complemented by other dramatic works-from traditional classical theater to new classics that resonate with Shakespeare's timeless insights into the human condition. Through a 48-week season encompassing more than 600 performances, Chicago Shakespeare leads the community as the largest employer of Chicago actors. CST also contributes to an international community of creative exchange through its World's Stage Series, which affords Chicago audiences prime opportunities to experience the cultural and artistic traditions of some of the world's iconic theater troupes as well as sending some of CST's best works abroad. Chicago Shakespeare is committed to making theater an expansive, ever-changing and lifelong relationship. For family audiences, CST Family presents abridged Shakespeare productions, timeless fables and fairy tales, interactive music concerts and world-premiere musical theater created with families in mind. CST's education outreach program, Team Shakespeare, has served over 1 million students and teachers throughout the Midwest, introducing the Bard's legacy to a new generation. About the World's Stage Series Chicago Shakespeare Theater's World's Stage Series gives Chicagoans the unique opportunity to experience different cultural and artistic traditions and some of the world's finest productions without leaving home. In curating the World's Stage, CST takes its cue from Shakespeare's high mark of quality and from the eclectic diversity of Europe's touring circuit, joining an international community of creative exchange. Since the inception of the Series in 2000, CST has hosted over 20 iconic troupes such as The Abbey Theatre (Dublin), Shakespeare's Globe Theatre (London), the Chekhov International Theatre Festival (Moscow) and La Comédie-Française (Paris). The works presented by these companies range from intimate one-man works like South African Omphile Molusi's Itsoseng to grand spectacles like the French troupe Ilotopie's Water Fools (Fous de Bassin), performed entirely atop the waters of Lake Michigan. Chicago Shakespeare Theater has contributed to this exciting international exchange by sending some of its best works abroad, including the Olivier Award-winning production of Stephen Sondheim's Pacific Overtures (2003), Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2, which marked CST's debut at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-Upon-Avon (2006) and Funk It Up About Nothin', which garnered acclaim at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (2008) and embarks on a tour of Australia in 2011.
### American Airlines is the official airline of Chicago Shakespeare Theater. ComEd is the official lighting design sponsor of Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Programming in the Theater Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare is made possible through generous support from Hyatt Hotels Corporation. Land O’Frost is a proud sponsor of the 2010/11 Subscription Series at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Mainstage artistic productions in the Courtyard Theater are supported, in part, through a generous leadership grant from the McCormick Foundation. The cast of Funk It Up About Nothin' is appearing with the permission of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alida Szabo
Cathy Taylor
Chicago Shakespeare Theater |
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