Alien Queen Plays Circuit Nightclub 12/1-18

Executive producer Jonny Stax Presents, Inc., announces the premiere of The Scooty & JoJo Show's biggest show to date - Alien Queen. Creator/director Scott Bradley puts his signature comic twist on the iconic sci-fi films Alien and Aliens and turns them into a live nightclub spectacle featuring the songs of legendary rock band Queen. Performed with large-scale puppets designed by Jabberwocky Marionettes, Alien Queen stars award-winning performer Ryan Lanning as action-hero Ridley leading an ensemble of humans, aliens, and puppets, with choreography by Jyl Ferhenkamp, and a four-piece rock band led by Nicolas Davio. Scooty (aka Scott Bradley) appears as the titular villainess. Find creative team and cast bios below.

Alien Queen is a genre-blurring, gender-bending rock "parodyssey" created by Scott Bradley, co-creator of Chicago's cult hit show Carpenters Halloween, as well as The Scooty & JoJo Show's Mollywood and Tran: The Atari Musical. Arguably the best and most frightening science-fiction films of a generation are deliciously parodied and paired with the greatest, most flamboyant rock band ever. The contemporary dragons of Hollywood's Alien franchise meet the music of Queen in a ferocious synergy of suspense, satire, and soaring harmonies.

WHEN:
Preview: Wednesday, December 1, at 7:30pm
Opening/Press Night: Thursday, December 2, at 7:30pm
Shows Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights at 7:30pm through December 18.
All shows are at 7:30pm.

TICKETS:
$15-$25 per person, must be 21+; drink purchase required.
Tickets at scootyjojo.com or by calling 800-838-3006.

WHERE:
Circuit Nightclub
3641 N. Halsted Street, Chicago, IL
773.325.2233; www.circuitclub.com

WHO:
Creative Team
Created & Directed by Scott Bradley; Musical Direction by Nicolas Davio;
Choreography by Jyl Ferhenkamp; Puppet Design by Jabberwocky Marionettes
Costume Design by Anna Glowacki; Sound Design by Andrew Wheatley;
Scenic Design by Scott Bradley
Cast
Ryan Lanning, William A. Barney, Rashada Dawan, Jeff Gamlin, Kieran Kredell, Anne Litchfield, Scott Ray Merchant, Jon Pernisek, Monica Szaflik, and Scooty.
Band
Nicolas Davio - Keyboard, Guitar, Vocals; Eric Engelson - Drums; Charlie Malave - Bass; Dave Saenger - Lead Guitar

The Scooty & JoJo Show launched its first season in Chicago in the fall of 2007 with Carpenters Halloween. As the creative team of Scott Bradley and Jonny Stax, The Scooty & JoJo Show develops entertainment to explore contemporary ideas on gender, sexuality and power, which includes their genre-fused creations Carpenters Halloween, Mollywood, Tran: The Atari Musical, The Scooty & JoJo Variety Hour, and two seasons of Diva Brunch at The Spot. Jonny Stax Presents, Inc., which also produces the carnival entertainment BigTop JoJo, now produces the Scooty & JoJo Show.

Creative Team
Scott Bradley aka Scooty (Creator/Director, Alien Queen) As co-founder of The Scooty & JoJo Show, Bradley has developed (with co-creator Jonny Stax), directed, performed with, and designed Chicago's critically-acclaimed hit musical productions Carpenters Halloween, Mollywood, Tran: The Atari Musical, and The Scooty & JoJo Variety Hour. He regularly performs around the region as half of the cabaret duo Scooty & JoJo and is co-creator and frequent host of The Spot's Diva Brunch. Either as performer, director, and/or designer, he has worked with Chicago's About Face Theatre, The Hypocrites, Hell in a Handbag Productions; DC's Arena Stage, The Shakespeare Theatre, Washington Shakespeare Company; with Seattle's Open Circle Theatre, Bald Faced Lie; NY's Adobe Theatre Company, BACA Downtown.

Jyl Fehrenkamp (Choreography) Jyl's choreography has been featured in Chicago at the The Jyldo & Mattrick Swayze Variety Hour and Bathhouse, the Other Dance Festival, Around the Coyote Arts Festival, the P-Power Performance Project, The ValenSwine (a festival she co-created), the Girly-Q Variety Hour, Gurlesque Burlesque, the Mattacular, Heartless Bitch Entertainment, and most recently at the Cardio Cabaret, a variety hour that she hosts, curates and produces with the Fabulous Ladies of Fitness at the Whistler. She currently performs with Mattrick Swayze & the Power of Cheer, and has been the hostess and curator of Poonie's Cabaret since 2006, a long-running event at Links Hall dedicated to artists creating works in the realms of spiritual and sexual transformation.

Nicholas Davio (Musical Direction) has performed with Chicago-based bands Hypermodal and Ferdinand Fox, and holds a Bachelor's of Music from Millikin University. Theatre credits include BoHo Theatre Ensemble's Big River (Music Director/Multi-Instumentalist), House Theatre's Girls vs. Boys (Assistant Music Director/Guitars/Keyboards), Stage Door Fine Arts' Rent-School Edition and Aida (Music Director/Guitars/Keyboard), Chicago Children's Theatre's 100 Dresses (Guitars/Bass), Northwestern University's The Who's Tommy (Guitars), American Theatre Company's Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Guitars/Keyboards), Theo Ubique's Man of LaMancha (Guitar), Oracle Theatre's The Castle (Composition/Sound Design).

Jabberwocky Marionettes Productions (Alien Puppet Design) Master Puppeteer Lolly Extract and Artist/Designer Amber Marsh form the nucleus of JMP and designed shadow puppetry for BigTop JoJo's Phenomenal Phantasmagoria this past summer.They have done extensive work with the John G Shedd Aquarium, creating a plethora of aquatic puppets including a 30' Komodo Dragon Parade Puppet, and with The Field Museum, featuring elaborate Fossil Dinosaur Marionettes. Extract performs with internationally award-winning Puppet Theater Hystopolis Productions and puppeteers with the Lyric Opera of Chicago. She is co-author of 'Julie Taymor, Art on Stage and Screen. Marsh is co-founder of New York-based experimental puppetry collaborative ImaginationExplosion and developed the Theater Department for the Latin American Community Arts Project (LACAP), teaching three seasons of puppetry workshops in rural El Salvador.

Anna Glowacki (Costume Design) Critically acclaimed by the Chicago Reader, NPR, TmeOut Chicago, Windy City Times, and The Daily Herald, Anna G. has been designing costumes in Chicago for almost 6 years now. Her design resume includes Midnight Circus, The Actors Gymnasium, Redmoon Theater, The Plagiarists, Moraine Valley Community College, Village Players of Oak Park, and Chicago Tap Theatre.

Andrew Wheatley (Sound Design) is a composer, sound designer, and musician. His recent Chicago sound design credits include State of the Union (Strawdog), Oleanna and Speed the Plow (with Kevin O'Donnell, ATC), Lullaby (Teatro Luna), and Ruby Wilder (Not Waiting Productions).

Cast
Ryan Lanning (Ridley) This past summer, Ryan appeared as Sammy in Bailiwick Chicago's critically acclaimed production of Joe DiPietro's F**king Men. Other Chicago-area credits include: Candide (Swing) at the Goodman Theatre, Grey Gardens (Joe/Jerry replacement, Gould u/s) at Northlight Theatre in Skokie, Oklahomo for the Holidays (Curly) at About Face Theatre, The Fantasticks (Belomy) and Candide (Candide) with Porchlight Music Theatre, Kiss of the Spiderwoman (Molina, Non-Equity Jeff Award for Actor in a Principle Role - Musical), and Jerry Springer The Opera (Tremont)) at Bailiwick Repertory Theatre.

Rashada Dawan (Packer/Napalm) Credits include: Aida as Aida (Bailiwick Chicago), Big River as Alice (Boho Theatre), The Other Cinderella as Geneva (Black Ensemble Theatre), Once On This Island as Timoune (Yellow Alligator), The Wiz as Dorothy (Cornerstone Productions), The Tallest Tree in the Forest as Mrs. Truth (eta Creative Arts Foundation), and Dreamgirls as Deena (FAMU-Charles Winterwood Theatre). When off stage, Miss Dawan can be found singing with her live band or serving as the Executive Director of B.FLI Productions, Inc.

Scott Ray Merchant (Cash/Borman) is an ensemble member of the critically acclaimed Les Enfants Terribles, last seen in their production Prom Night at Red Tape Theatre. Around the city, he's been seen at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre in Taming of the Shrew, with ShawChicago as Patsy in John Bull's Other Island, and is a recent graduate of the Theatre Conservatory at Roosevelt University.

Kieran Kredell (Pane/Valdez) was most recently seen in And A Child Shall Lead at Adventure Stage Chicago. Other recent credits include: CTA: Coming to America (The Body Project), Last of My Species, Laika's Coffin, The Astronaut's Birthday (Redmoon), Oklahomo for the Holidays!, and The Flowers (About Face). As a teaching artist, he taught at the National High School Institute for Theatre Arts, Northlight Theatre Academy, and has been touring for two years with About Face Youth Theatre's Outreach program. Holding a BA in Theater and Religion, he has also trained at Second City and The American Conservatory Theatre.

Jeff Gamlin (Harry/Bithop) Credits include Riff-Raff (The Rocky Horror Show),Britney (We Will Rock You), Tom Collins (Rent), Stone (City of Angels), Nick (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, twice: Redtwist Theatre and Spotlight Theater), and the "innocent inmate" in Universal's Let's Go To Prison. Jeff performs with improv troupe Shakespeare With A Twist, and has studied at Profiles Theatre and Acting Studio. Next, he will appear in Attic Playhouse's Red Herring and direct Talk Radio for Spotlight Theater of which he is co-founder and Vice-President.

Jon Pernisek (Bambert/Burka) Chicago credits include Arlecchino's Last Prank (Appetite Theatre Company); The Cat's Meow (Prologue Theatre Company); Happy Ending (something clever productions); What of the Night? (Halcyon Theatre); Baby (Actors Theatre Company) and Scenes of a Love-Like Nature (2010 Chicago Fringe Festival). Additional credits include As You Like It, 1984, and The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Olney National Players); She Loves Me (Commonwealth Theatre) and High School Musical (Jersey Productions).

Anne Litchfield (Alien/Paxton) Annie was last seen in The Scooty & JoJo Show's Carpenters Halloween. Other recent productions include The Wedding Singer, City of Angels, RENT, Into The Woods, TMI: A Hollywood Love Story, and Song For A Future Generation. At Indiana University, Annie was in productions such as Measure for Measure, Tommy, Foosicle the Musical and Amadeus (Cardinal Stage Productions). Annie is a graduate of Indiana University with a B.A. in Theatre & Drama and Communication & Culture.

Monica Szaflik (Jonesy/Newt) Monica has worked with such companies as First Folio Theatre, Metropolis, Circle Theatre, BoHo Theatre Ensemble, Alphabet Soup and Walt Disney World. Favorite roles include Mimi in RENT, Lucy and Emma in Jekyll and Hyde, Eliza in My Fair Lady, and Wilhelmina in The Passion of Dracula. Monica is also currently in production as a puppeteer for the film Melody and the Old Sock. She holds a degree in Musical Theatre from North Central College.

William A. Barney (Phallas/Hunks) Alien Queen is William's second Chicago stage performance, previously appearing in Bailiwick Chicago's Aida. He has appeared in various television commercials locally and nationally. William recently graduated from Southern Illinois University Carbondale with a BA in music theater. He also can be seen in the Chicago Kid's Theater's production of Mrs. Claus which is currently running.

 

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