CHICAGO SLAM WORKS Opens Raven Theatre's 2012 Evermore Series, 10/10

Raven Theatre's Evermore Series has announced its fall line-up to include the best in Chicago slam poetry, music and holiday fare.

The fall schedule includes: Chicago Slam Works (tonight, October 10 and the 17th and 24th), Irish music by Switchback featuring Alyth McCormack and Triona Marshall of The Chieftains (October 16), jazz musical performances by George Goetschel & Friends (October 21), the second annual family fall festival Boo Ha Ha! (October 27), the World Premier of Tales of the Twinkling Twilight (October 31-November 25), and the holiday mystery Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Goose (December 14-30).

Chicago Slam Works
October 10, 17, 24, 7:30 p.m.
Raven Theatre's East Stage, 6157 N. Clark
Tickets are $14 ($10 for students/seniors)
Tickets and more information: 847-556-8679 or www.chicagoslamworks.com

Kicking off their full season of performances at Raven Theatre, Chicago Slam Works presents "Two Sides", pairing Chicago's best storytellers with its finest poets to tell their true stories. Unpredictable, unforgettable, hilarious, heartbreaking. Is it prose? Is it poetry? Is it something altogether new? Let's find out together!

Chicago Slam Works (CSW) is rooted in the Poetry Slam movement, which began in Chicago as a highly entertaining, interactive, innovative poetic experience and spread around the world to become a major force in stirring the minds of students, scholars, and everyday people.

The founding members of CSW are pillars of the international movement – including Marc Smith, creator/founder of the international Poetry Slam movement - and the organizational force behind dozens of major poetic events in and around Chicago - as well as the world including three National Poetry Slam Championships.

Switchback featuring Alyth McCormack and Triona Marshall of The Chieftains
October 16 at 7:30 p.m.
Raven Theatre's East Stage, 6157 N. Clark
Tickets are $15 ($10 for students/seniors) available at www.waygoodmusic.com or by calling 773-679-0728. Tickets will also be available at the door.

In association with WayGood Presents, Raven Theatre welcomes Irish Music Award Winners Switchback, followed by vocalist Alyth McCormack and harpist Triona Marshall of The Chieftains. This amazing evening of renowned duos concludes with both groups performing renditions of original and traditional Celtic selections together.

Brian FitzGerald and Martin McCormack, known together as Switchback, have been playing their distinctive “American Roots, Celtic Soul” music together for over twenty years. Switchback thrills audiences with their “breathtaking scenery for your ears”. They have a way of connecting with audiences on each and every song through colorful stories, audience participation, and a dose of comedy thrown in just for the fun of it! To those familiar with their work, it is no surprise that they were chosen as The Irish Music Association’s Duo of the Year! McCormack’s classically trained tenor, together with FitzGerald’s lightning fast guitar and soulful mandolin are a joy and a wonder to behold.

Alyth McCormack and Triona Marshall together perform a timeless program of traditional and contemporary Irish and Scottish music and song. This unique pairing developed during their years spent touring worldwide with The Chieftains and performing at Festivals throughout Europe. Alyth is known for having a voice of ‘great purity and beauty’ is ‘artfully’ complimented by Triona’s ‘sweet’ yet ‘stunning’ harp playing. This blend is guaranteed to move any listener. Their first gig took place at the Gooikoorts Festival in Belgium – a Concert Mass. The Festival incorporates a gig into its Sunday Mass each year and the girls were asked to perform their own songs after each section of the mass. This was not really a concept that either of them were used to playing, but it suited them well – it was a beautiful church and the best turn out the Priest had all year! A duo was born!

George Goetschel & Friends
October 21, 7:30 p.m.
Raven Theatre's East Stage, 6157 N. Clark
Tickets are $10 ($8 for Subscribers, students and seniors) Information/tickets: www.raventheatre.com or 773-338-2177

Back by overwhelming demand, Raven Theatre presents an evening of music featuring an array of Chicago's top musicians curated by Chicago jazz musician, George Goetschel. Among his friends are: Robert Baglione, a jazz, funk, fusion, rock, pop, neo soul and ethnic guitarist; James Sanders, a founding member of The Third Coast String Quartet and jazz violinist who has performed with The Chicago Sinfonietta, Symphony II, The Ravinia Festival Orchestra, The Manhattan Transfer, Smokey Robinson, Roberta Flack, Orbert David, Filter and Smashing Pumpkins; Barbara Pool, a improviser, actress and blues/jazz singer who performs with the band "All Chocolate" and has released two CD’s of original songs titled Four by the Pool and The Pool Holidaaaze Sampler.

George Goetschel is a Tony, Grammy, Emmy, & Jeff recognized artist who has played in various countries around the world, including a performance for England’s Royal Family, and was invited to participate in the Uruguayan Jazz festival. His other many credits include performances at the Jazz Showcase, the Brazilian Jazz Festival, and a tour with Marcus Belgrave, to name just a few. He has played with such top names as Larry Coryell, Shunzo Ono, Nestor Torres and Clark Terry. George’s classical credits include appearances with members of the Chicago Symphony, Chicago Sinfonietta, Chicago Lyric Opera, American Chamber Opera Company, the Bel Canto Opera Company and the Apollo Chorus. He holds additional credits as an actor, conductor, composer and arranger and published poet. His most recent projects include the score for the film “The Return of Paul Revere” and the documentary "The Importance of Dialogue From the Perspective of Youth."

Boo Ha Ha!, Raven Theatre's annual Fall Festival
October 27, 2:00 - 5:00 p.m.
FREE ADMISSION
Raven Theatre parking lot and lobby, 6157 N. Clark
Information: www.raventheatre.com or 773-338-2177

Featuring bounce houses, games, trick or treating, face painting and prizes, Boo Ha Ha! is sure to turn your Halloween weekend into a festive neighborhood extravaganza! (Kids must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.) Leona's pizza, snacks and drinks available for purchase.

Tales of the Twinkling Twilight - 10 Short Plays and Playlettes – World Premier
Previews October 31 - November 1
Regular run November 2 - 25
Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., Sundays at 3:30 p.m.
Raven Theatre's West Stage, 6157 N. Clark
Tickets are $20 ($15 for students/seniors/Raven Subscribers)
Information/tickets: www.raventheatre.com or 773-338-2177

Written by John Weagly and directed by Breahan Eve Pautsch, Tales of the Twinkling Twilight features Spacemen, werewolves, outlaws and angels inhabit a world that dances in the absurd, the surreal and the just plain silly.

The cast includes: Travis Barnhart, Patrick Brennan, Kirstin Franklin, Cyra K. Polizzi, Kory Pullam, and Shawna Tucker.

John Weagly, whose work has been described as “appealingly quirky” by Hedy Weiss, has toured the US as a writer/performer with “Authorized Personnel: A Comedy and Improv Team” and has had over 50 plays produced by theaters around the world As a fiction writer, he’s been nominated for a Derringer Award four times, winning one in 2008, and been nominated for a Spinetingler Award. His latest short story collection, A BUCKET OF BOOBS, is available on Kindle. His website is www.johnweagly.com.

Breahan Eve Pautsch earned her BA in Theatre and English at UW-Madison. She has been working in Chicago as an actor and director since 2003. As an actor, she has worked with various theatre companies including Akvavit, Hobo Junction Productions, Halcyon Theatre Company, Chicago ScriptWorks and The Side Project. On film, Breahan has worked with Mudgeonsoul Cinema, Full Voice Productions and Butcher's Son Films. As a director, she has worked with Stockyards Theatre Project, Full Voice Productions and Hobo Junction Productions. Her first full-length play, In Pursuit, was produced last year.

Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Goose
December 14-30
Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 3:00 p.m.
Raven Theatre's East Stage, 6157 N. Clark
Tickets are $20 ($15 for students/seniors/Raven Subscribers)
Information/tickets: www.raventheatre.com or 773-338-2177

Raven Theater presents a live, radio-style presentation of Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Goose by Michael Menendian and John Weagly, adapted from one of the most popular of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle". This delightful holiday mystery features Ian Novak and Frederick Harris in definitive performances as the famous detective and his ally Dr. Watson. The story concerns the disappearance of a gem called the Blue Carbuncle, which has been hidden inside a Christmas goose. Stolen from the Countess of Morcar, the jewel's trail leads Holmes and Watson all over wintry London and to a surprising conclusion. This holiday treat comes complete with live musical accompaniment, humorous commercials, and a closing sing-a-long.

The cast of Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Goose includes Larry Carani, Stacie Doublin, Frederick Harris, Sophia Menendian, JoAnn Montemurro, Ian Novak, and Anthony Tournis.

Michael Menendian (Co-Playwright, Director), is a co-founding member and Producing Artistic Director of Raven Theatre, where he has directed and produced scores of productions since 1983. He has also written many of Raven’s Children’s Theatre productions, including Aesop’s Fables, The Duck, The Bird and The Pea! and Patchwork USA!

Launched in December of 2011, Raven's Evermore Series presents the brightest artists in theatre, music and dance for a diverse spectrum of performances and discussions throughout the year. Through this program, Raven serves as a cultural anchor for their community by offering performing arts programming from various disciplines in addition to their regular season of theatrical productions. For more information, visit http://www.raventheatre.com/?q=special-events.

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