Chicago Shakespeare Presents Funk It Up About Nothin' In NY, Australia & Chicago

?Chicago Shakespeare Theater's (CST) Funk It Up About Nothin'-an exuberant hip-hop "ad-rap-tation" of William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing-will thrill audiences in New York City, Chicago and Australia in the New Year. CST is gearing up for performances of the award-winning production at Joe's Pub at The Public Theater on January 8, 2011; Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare from January 21 through February 13, 2011; and on tour in Australia 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. The new engagements of Funk It Up About Nothin' are produced by Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Merrigong Theatre Company and Richard Jordan Productions Ltd. 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 at 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.

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, 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. Following its engagements at Joe's Pub and Chicago Shakespeare in the New Year, Funk It Up About Nothin' kicks off its 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.

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.

International productions coming to Chicago for CST's World's Stage Series:
From Ireland: Druid Theatre Company's The Cripple of Inishmaan March 15-27, 2011, in CST's Courtyard Theater
From Scotland: National Theatre of Scotland's Black Watch March 29-April 10, 2011, at Chicago's Broadway Armory

Title: Funk It Up About Nothin'
Created and Directed by: GQ and JQ

Dates: January 8, 2011 (New York City)
January 21-February 13, 2011 (Chicago)
February 23-April 2, 2011 (Australian tour)

CHICAGO PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE January 21-February 13, 2011

PREVIEWS Friday January 21 7:30 p.m.
Saturday January 22 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Sunday January 23 3:00 p.m.

PERFORMANCES Weekdays
Wednesday February 2, 9 7:30 p.m.

Thursday January 27 7:30 p.m.
February 3, 10

Weekends
Friday January 28 7:30 p.m.
February 4, 11

Saturday January 29 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
February 5, 12

Sunday January 30 3:00 p.m.
February 6, 13

TICKET PRICES Wed, Thu $25
Fri, Sat, Sun $30

Ages: Recommended for ages 14 and up.

Location: Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare
Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier
800 E. Grand Avenue

Box Office: www.chicagoshakes.com
312.595.5600

Group Sales: 312.595.5678
groups of 10 or more

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.

 

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