Sydney Swans Footy Team Garners
New Hip-Hop Anthem from

Cast Members of Chicago Shakespeare's
Funk It Up About Nothin'

Chicago—March 25, 2011—Cast members of Chicago Shakespeare Theater's (CST) acclaimed "hip-hoptation" Funk It Up About Nothin', now on tour Down Under in Sydney, Australia, have recorded a hip-hop anthem for the country's beloved Australian Football League (AFL) team the Sydney Swans. "Swan Song (Cheer, Cheer)" was such a hit with the AFL that creators GQ, JQ, Postell Pringle and Jackson Doran were invited to film a music video of the victory song in the Swans' locker room, decked out in footy gear like true players. Australian football is one of the most highly attended spectator sports in Australia, with a fan following similar to US football. The entire Funk It Up About Nothin' cast will be special guests at the highly anticipated Swans vs. Melbourne season opener this Sunday, capping off the show's acclaimed run in Sydney. The CST production finishes its six-week Australian tour next week before heading across the globe to make its London debut at Theatre Royal Stratford East on April 8, 2011.

"Swan Song (Cheer, Cheer)" has gone viral in Australia after acquiring instant popularity. Highlighting one of the main differences between Australian football and US football, one of the hip-hop anthem's verses proclaims:

We love the sport, but we're feelin' kind of bad.
You should get paid more to not wear pads.
You wouldn't wear 'em anyway, they're for goody-goodies.
Not for real men who play footy.

Created and directed by GQ and JQ (The Q Brothers), Funk It Up About Nothin'—an exuberant "hip-hoptation" of William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing—is thrilling audiences the world over, from its home-town audience in Chicago to Joe's Pub at The Public Theater in New York to Scotland's Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where Funk It Up About Nothin' garnered the Dress Circle Award for Best Musical Production. The show is presented in London by Theatre Royal Stratford East, CST, Merrigong Theatre Company and Richard Jordan Productions. For more information about Funk It Up About Nothin' and "Swan Song (Cheer, Cheer)," visit Chicago Shakespeare's website at www.chicagoshakes.com/funk.

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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.

International programming at Chicago Shakespeare Theater is supported, in part, by the Julius Frankel Foundation.

The cast of Funk It Up About Nothin' is appearing with the permission of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance.

Alida Szabo
Director of Audience Development
aszabo@chicagoshakes.com
Chicago Shakespeare Theater
312.595.5631

Cathy Taylor
cathy@cathytaylorpr.com
Cathy Taylor Public Relations
773.564.9564

Chicago Shakespeare Theater
on Navy Pier
800 East Grand Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611

View Funk It Up About Nothin’ "Swan Song" photos