Seeking Artists for CFANN 2011!

WHAT IS CFANN?

The Chicago Fringe Artist Networking Night (CFANN) hosted by Red Tape Theatre is a one night event that brings together artists and arts enthusiasts for an evening of performances, installations, and tasty treats from neighborhood eateries. Red Tape is known for its transformative space, and CFANN is no exception. Guests will find themselves in a cool, lounge style venue surrounded by provocative intersections of visual, interactive and performance art. Past events have featured visual artist Judith Joseph, buffoon troupe Les Enfants Terribles, and DJ Miles Polaski, with treats from Argo Tea, Zad Restaurant, and Pastoral.

CFANN 2011, on April 9, 2011, will be all this and more. This years’ performance showcase is driven by dance and movement, immersed in fun, diverse and arresting visual, video and audio art, guaranteed to create an exhilarating and inspiring experience.

Admission to the event is an all access pass and includes wine and snacks all night.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Work that push boundaries and provokes conversation will be featured at the core of the event. Artists are encouraged to dig into their wildest imaginations and submit pieces that are being shown for the first time, part of a larger project, or just need greater visibility. Artists of all genres and interdisciplinary are encouraged to apply.


DEADLINE: The deadline for submitting your work for the event is February 11, 2011. Selected participants will be notified of their participation no later than one week from the submission deadline.

Red Tape Announces 2010-2011 Season

Red Tape is proud to dedicate its seventh season to the exploration of the space between. We hope to shed light on the secrets and fears that keep people from making physical and spiritual connections. To that end, we journey to three imaginative worlds where the rules are obscured and the 'here and now' seems far away.
Get your tickets now for our upcoming productions!

Obscura: a voyeuristic love story
September 23 - October 23
World premiere
Tickets on sale now
Written by Jennifer Barclay
Directed by Julieanne Ehre

Red Tape proudly presents the world premiere of Jennifer Barclay's Obscura: a voyeuristic love story. Behind the walls of an aging apartment building, the reclusive neighbors' lives are being closely monitored. Amidst the Orwellian atmosphere, Ned invents a story to win his neighbor's heart. But the arrival of a stranger threatens to unveil their darkest secrets.

Featuring Ensemble Members Nicholas Combs, Lona Livingston, Robert L. Oakes, and Meghan Reardon



Church/Pullman, WA
January 26 - February 26
Chicago premiere
Written by Young Jean Lee
Directed by Jaclyn Biskup

One of the boldest voices in contemporary theater, playwright Young Jean Lee tackles two pivotal subjects: religion and self-esteem.

Church
This exuberant church service is a celebration designed to play with the expectations of religious and non-religious alike. It is an uplifting, joyous and inspirational event that may be Lee's most miraculous experiment to date.

Pullman, WA
Unhappy? Confused? Three ordinary, awkward characters, will make an earnest, frequently disastrous attempt show you how to live a better life.

Featuring Ensemble Members Robert L. Oakes and Meghan Reardon



Fresh Eyes Project
March 2011

Fresh Eyes Project is an incubator for new and experimental work. It focuses on the needs of playwrights, providing them with a director, actors, dramaturgical support and rehearsal space. Fresh Eyes is produced by Rebecca Stevens.



Chicago Fringe Artist Networking Night
April 2, 2011

CFANN is a one-night only celebration for artists, by artists. Artists of all disciplines and media showcase their work and network with other artists in the Chicago community. Food, drinks, friends, art - what more could you ask for?



Tragedy: A Tragedy
May 4 - June 4
Chicago Premiere

Written by Will Eno
Directed by Marti Lyons


The sun has set over streets, houses, government buildings and American backyards everywhere. The world is dark. A news team is on the scene. Nobody knows if the sun, once down, will ever rise again. But there is a witness, and the witness will speak.

Featuring Ensemble Members Vic May, Paul G. Miller, and Paige Sawin

Red Tape Theatre Company is committed to the creation of new and experimental work. Our ensemble collaborates with playwrights, musicians, dancers, and visual artists on our two mainstage productions. This work is supported by our Fresh Eyes Project playwrights workshop and the Chicago Fringe Artist Networking Night, both of which we produce annually. We are housed in St. Peter's Episcopal Church and our unique performance space allows us to continually reinevent the audience/artist relationship. Red Tape's plays invite our audiences to reimagine their world. We believe that theatre serves a vital purpose in our community: to arrest and create empathy.

Les Enfants Terribles returns!

Les Enfants Terribles

return to Red Tape

Monday May 24 at 8:00pm

An audience favorite at CFANN 2010, Les Enfants Terrible's mission is to create improvisation, song, and the constant development of new games to challenge and entertain audiences. As an ensemble of buffoons, Les Enfants Terribles draws from equal parts clown, commedia, and flash performance. Through this unique worold of play all six members cling to one another as one mind and body which forces each buffoon to juggle complicity with themselves, fellow ensemble members, and audiences.

Seats are limited and selling quickly.

Get your TICKETS now!

Red Tape Theatre Announces 2009-2010 Season!

Red Tape Theatre Company is thrilled to announce our sixth season!

October 5-31, 2009 - Mouse in a Jar

A world premiere by Chicago playwright Martyna Majok.

Directed by ensemble member Daria Davis.

Daga tries to pry Ma away from her nightmarish home in a tiny basement apartment. But Ma's past keeps her chained to this world.

Mouse is a magical play featuring Irene Kapustine, Tamara Todres, Kathleen Powers, Benjamin Gettinger and Don Markus.

With designs by Myles Polaski, William Anderson, Sarah Bendix, Kat Powers and ensemble member Kyle Land.

Stage Managed by ensemble member Cynthia Carney.

Tickets on sale now! Click here.

January 2010 - Fresh Eyes Project

Fresh Eyes Project is an incubator for new and experimental work. It focuses on the needs of playwrights, providing them with a director, actors, dramaturgical support and rehearsal space. Excerpts of the final scripts will be performed at the annual Chicago Fringe Artists Networking Night.

Fresh Eyes is produced by ensemble member Daria Davis.

February 6, 2010 - Chicago Fringe Artists Networking Night (CFANN)

This one night only event brings together Chicago artists from all forms to network and share their talents. Live performances are showcased amongst visual art and installation pieces from classic to quirky. CFANN is for artists, by artists and not to be missed.

CFANN is produced by ensemble member Myah Shein.

May 3-29, 2010 - The Love of the Nightingale

Written by Timberlake Wertenbaker

directed by Artistic Director James Palmer

This modern retelling of the Philomele myth features a large ensemble cast and employs dance, puppetry, music, multi-media and expressionistic design.

Featuring ensemble members James Palmer (Director), Myah Shein (Choreographer), Robert L. Oakes (Male Chorus), Victor May (Tereus), Rob Lynch (King Pandion), Lona Livingston (Queen / Niobe) and Errol McLendon (Theseus / Captain).

Learn more at our website!

Pics from CFANN!

On January 31, 2009 Red Tape Theatre hosted the first Chicago Fringe Artists Networking Night (CFANN). The event brought dancers, musicians, painters, sculptors, performing artists and playwrights into our home for one amazing night.

In addition the artists from the Fresh Eyes project had the opportunity to share excerpts from their new work. Thanks to all who attended and participated in this fantastic event!

February News

Hello everyone!

I took a break from blogging to workshop my play as part of Red Tape's Fresh Eyes Project. Three playwrights were teamed with three directors and a group of talented actors in an intensive workshop of their scripts. Excerpts from the works were performed on January 31, 2009 at the Chicago Fringe Artists Networking Night (a.k.a. CFANN). The Fresh Eyes lineup was:

• Mouse in a Jar by Martyna Majok. Directed by Daria J. Davis
• Demon's Crystal by Paul G. Miller. Directed by Mark Chaitin.
• Mechanical Angels by Mishelle Apalategui. Directed by Lavina Jadhwani.

The plays were just a sample of the many works presented at CFANN. The event brought over 160 guests into Red Tape's home for an evening of paintings, sculptures, photography, dance, music, improv, sketch comedy and performance art. Red Tape was honored toh ost this wonderful evening.

Next up is our original adapatation of Henrik Ibsen's An Enemy of the People by company member Robert Oakes. A doctor's ethics are called into question when pollution is discovered, and covered up, at a town's lucrative spa. I'm serving as dramaturge and will be sharing my research on this blog as I research Ibsen's life and times alongside comparable environmental scandals in our current society.

Stay tuned!

Paul G. Miller
Season Dramaturge

CFANN: Chicago Fringe Artists Networking Night

Red Tape has been given the great honor of hosting CFANN: Chicago Fringe Artists Networking Night! CFANN is a one night only event for fringe artists, working in a variety of media, to discuss and celebrate the work that we do for Chicago. On January 31, from 8pm to 12am, we will be presenting works from a variety of artists throughout Chicago with the intent of generating conversation and artistic overlap. The $20 admission includes access to all works and performances as well as drinks and snacks.

• Saturday, January 31, 8pm-12am
• Performances throughout the evening
• 621 W Belmont - St. Peters Episcopal Church
• $20 Admission Fee (includes drinks and snacks)

Purchase Tickets Online
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Artist Lineup Announced!


Visual Art:
Judith Joseph
Irena Czumaj-Szesny
Jennifer Lenihan
Jeannette Thompson
Ann Patrick O'Brian
Victoria Milewski
Ania Grzesik
Ruti Modlin

Performances By:
Leigh Ann Boatman and David Gerber
The Trenchberg Incident
Genesis Ensemble
Jamie Olah
Marcel Williams Foster
David Westling
Sarah Wattles
Red Tape Theatre: Fresh Eyes Project

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CFANN Means Networking!

Take advantage of these CFANN networking opportunities:

• Please bring postcards, business cards or any other marketing material for upcoming shows and exhibitions to add to our networking table. And pick up a few cards for other artists while you're there.
• If you're coming to CFANN, post it on our facebook page, along with info for your upcoming events.
• Do you have a show, or tickets to a show on January 31? Don't worry. CFANN is a great place to hang out post show and keep the conversation going!