Raven Theatre will present a double header weekend of Wiggerlover [whiteboy+blackdad=greyareas] and The Game Show Show... & Stuff.
Wiggerlover [white boy+black dad=grey areas]
It's the totally too-good-to-be-true story of one boy's life in an interracial family in Chicagoland, 1979: part memoir, part editorial, all comedy. Actor/author James Anthony Zoccoli [JAZ] gives a retrospective account of his life growing up as Little Jimmy: a half-Italian, half-Polish kid who wants to be all Black when his White mother gets remarried to an African-American man. Hilarity ensues!
Then, after devoting his youth to crossing racial boundaries and trying to overcome the cultural divide in his personal life, he encounters the irony of all ironies in his adult professional life: having to play a racist character in a major motion picture. More hilarity ensues!
With the election of our first African-American president and the surprising (or revelatory) backlash, the United States has begun a whole new phase of growing pains in its relatively short history. WIGGERLOVER [white boy+black dad=grey areas] is a creative experiment aimed at proving that laughter is the best medicine...even when it comes to social ills.
The one-man show is accompanied by a live deejay and includes family pictures along with other visual aids. The result is a three-dimensional illustration of the point that investigating our identity as people and as a nation can actually be a little bit fun if you take the time to think about it from another perspective. A post-show discussion is conducted after every performance to allow the audience a chance to ask their questions and, more importantly, tell their own stories and share their perspectives too.
For more information including a video preview, visit www.jamesanthonyzoccoli.com.
The Game Show Show...& Stuff!
Original games! Fun stuff!! Fabulous prizes!!! The Game Show Show...& Stuff! was born in the attic of the Strawdog Theatre to proud parents Anderson Lawfer and James Anthony Zoccoli (Star of Wiggerlover). Since then, this live, interactive variety game show has been giving away fabulous prizes to randomly selected audience members all over the city. Named "Best Late Night" by Chicago Magazine, "Best Kept Secret" by the Chicago Reader and described as "the best (and worst) of Double Dare, The Price Is Right, Jackass and Soul Train." Sounds like fun, right?
What is The Game Show Show... & Stuff? The name says it all. A Show - With Games - & Stuff!
What kind o' games? Trivia Games. Physical Challenges. Good Old-Fashioned Guessing Games.
What kind o' stuff? You name it! Live Music. Dance Numbers. Comedy. Sketches...& MORE!
Plus: Fabulous Prizes! Participate. Spectate. Either way, the experience is great.
Friday and Saturday, August 26 and 27
Wiggerlover starts at 8:30 p.m.
The Game Show Show... & Stuff starts at 11 p.m.
All performances take place on Raven Theatre's West Stage, 6157 N. Clark
Tickets are $20 for Wiggerlover; $25 for The Game Show Show & Stuff.
Free parking is provided in a lot adjacent to the theatre; additional street parking is available
Raven Theatre is handicapped accessible
For more information including a video preview, visit andstuffproductions.com.
Tickets/information: www.raventheatre.com or 773-338-2177
Videos