Redmoon Hosts the 5th Annual BONESHAKER Party Tonight

This Halloween, Redmoon's wildly popular costume party Boneshaker returns for its fifth annual spectacular installment. For one night only, Redmoon transforms its massive Pilsen headquarters (2120 S. Jefferson Street) into an otherworldly playground for 1,000 revelers with interactive experiences, inventive machines, creative food and cocktails, and dancing to beats from DJs on three different dance floors. Boneshaker takes place tonight, October 31 (Halloween night) beginning at 9 pm.

Boneshaker is coordinated and produced by the 18-member Young Engineers of Spectacle (Y.E.S.) Committee, Redmoon's young professionals' board. This year, the event is directed by Kasey Foster, with Will Bishop and Alex Balestrieri under the conceptual direction of Redmoon Producing Artistic Director Frank Maugeri.

Redmoon's Boneshaker 2014 promises an all-new array of multisensory delights, including:

· An outdoor Fire Garden featuring Fire Buoys, a sculptural arrangement of flaming devices that debut in theGreat Chicago Fire Festival (October 4) on the Chicago River; The Fire Candelabras, two massive, 18-foot-tall candelabras with 10 wood-burning fire pots; and, The Sonic Boom DJ device with skyward-shooting flames.

· Redmoon's Celestial Swing, an eerie mausoleum on the outside with a peaceful, ethereal swing inside.

· The UFO Carousel where guests climb inside one of three gigantic flying saucers and spin off into space alongside a DJ and snacks provided by Spin Spun.

· A team of three wild DJs alongside Redmoon's Signature DJ Devices keep the event moving all night long.

· Two specially featured, interactive experiences include "The Devil's Confessional," an intimate, surreal writing room where guests can pour out their deepest secrets to a fiendish confessor, who then gives them a diabolic penance task to perform with the room at large, and Redmoon's "Cartoon Adventure," a mini movie theater where guests don headphones and enjoy five original short animated films by Laura Heit, Joseph Hodgson and Franck Aubrey, Hannes Vartianien and Pekka Veikkolainen, Selina Wagner and PES.

· Graceful acrobats of Aerial Dance Chicago perform overhead and descend on silks to deliver sweet treats to the earth-bound revelers.

· Redmoon premieres its newest food service device The Pastry Wheel, which whimsically pairs the iconic image of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair Ferris Wheel with urban pedal power, serving cupcakes, brownies and other enticing sweets.

· Performers roam the space serving delightful treats and beverafes, including signature Redmoon mechanical marvels such as The Floating Trays, The Libation Machine, The Monkey Butlers and The Fish Bubble Man.

Guests can enter Redmoon's haunted sideshow-like series of rooms known as "The Devil's in the Details," which hold eerie, humorous and sensual experiences including:

· "The Chocolate Bar," a delectable room of dip-able treats.

· "The Bedroom Swat-a-Fly," a larger-than-life human fly swatting game.

· "The Cinematic Cemetery" film studio, where guests can be the star of their own scary movie.

· "Satan's Cackle Shack," where Matt Demon, voted "Hell's Most Humorous Devil" 1998, entertains the audience with his killer stand-up routine.

By spinning a wheel to determine a nominal additional fee, which could range from $5 to $10 to a silly physical act, guests gain access to four other experiences:

· A chance to play "Fired Up," Redmoon's newest carnival game where guests shoot a target and are rewarded with a spectacular surprise.

· "Heck's Kitchen," a cooking class with the Devil where guests participate in making Deviled Eggs.

· A specialty Cigar and Mezcal-Tasting Salon, where an expert cigar-roller creates unique take-aways to sample along with Métl Reserva Especial Mezcal in the outdoor Fire Garden.

· Visitors brave enough to enter "The Nest" will ascend into a frightening attic maze. An adventure into a vampire nest inspired by Bram Stoker's gothic tale of Dracula, "The Nest" creates an eerie, mystical and enigmatic world that's chilling without resorting to horror or gore, instead playing on the sounds, shadows and corporeal experience of encountering the supernatural in everyday life.

Additional food and beverages throughout the evening provided by Lagunitas Brewing Company, Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer,Spin-Spun All Natural Cotton Candy, Home Run Inn Pizza, Skinny Pop and Eli's Cheesecake.

Multiple full bars serve an array of cocktails, craft beer and wine all night long.

Free shuttle service during Boneshaker is provided by Chicago Classic Coach. For pick-up location and schedule visitwww.redmoon.org.

Tickets

Early Bird tickets for Boneshaker are $75 and are available until October 24, which include snacks, desserts and open bar (excluding spin-the-wheel add-on experiences). Tickets purchased October 25 or later are $100, including snacks, desserts and open bar (excluding spin-the-wheel add-on experiences). Group tickets for 10 or more are available at a 10% discount.

Tickets are available in advance online at redmoon.org/box-office or by calling 312-850-8440 ext. 123. Tickets will also be available at the door, subject to availability. Boneshaker is for patrons age 21 and up.

One of three annual fundraisers in Redmoon's "Indoors" season, Boneshaker is a key component to Redmoon's core mission of bringing unique experiences to public spaces across the city. The money raised at Boneshaker directly funds Redmoon's free outdoor performances that engage neighborhoods throughout Chicago.

For the whole family: Skelebration

The two weekends leading up to Boneshaker, many of the same components will be available in a family-friendly format at Redmoon's second annual Skelebration at 2120 S. Jefferson Street, Saturdays and Sundays, October 18-19 and 25-26. The UFO Carousel, Celestial Swing, "Fired Up" game, devilish cooking class, "Bedroom Swat-a-Fly" game, demonic "Comedy Club," interactive movie set and "The Nest" attic maze all remain.

Audiences can enter Skelebration at staggered entrance times as follows: Saturdays at 1 pm, 4 pm and 7 pm, Sundays at 1 pm and 4 pm. Adult tickets are $20 (age 18+), youth tickets are $12 (age 4-17) and children are free (age 3 and under). Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. Tickets are available in advance online at redmoon.org/box-office or by calling 312-850-8440 ext. 123. Tickets will also be available at the door, subject to availability.

About Redmoon

Redmoon's mission is to transform the experience of Chicago through free large-scale theatrical events that promote community, creativity and an empowered democracy. Redmoon burst into Chicago's cultural consciousness with its award-winning production of Moby Dick in 1995. While the indoor productions continued to receive critical acclaim and popular support, Jim Lasko chose to focus the theater's energy outdoors, where Redmoon sought to deploy spectacle to bridge difference and transform the ways that people see and understand public spaces. Over the past 24 years, Redmoon has become a highly valued Chicago institution with its high-profile collaborations, vibrant outdoor performances and authentic community partnerships. In 2009, Lasko joined forces with long-time collaborator Frank Maugeri to co-lead Redmoon as it garnered international attention for its unique productions, site-specific performances and participatory events. Since 1991, Redmoon has performed for more than 250,000 people in 30 different neighborhoods in 116 public spaces.

Redmoon partners with the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) and theChicago Park District (CPD) to present the inaugural Great Chicago Fire Festival. A new and totally free urban ritual celebrating Chicago's grit, greatness and renewal following the devastating Great Chicago Fire of 1871, as well as showcasing the rich diversity of neighborhoods that have arisen since, the Great Chicago Fire Festival culminates in a unique public River Bazaar and pyrotechnic Grand Spectacle on the main branch of the Chicago River, Saturday, October 4.

Generous funding for Redmoon's 2014-15 programming has been provided by The 1111 Foundation; Alphawood Foundation; The Amgis Foundation: The Cookie Jar Fund; The Efroymson Family Fund, a CICF Fund; The John R. Halligan Charitable Fund; The Marshall Frankel Foundation; The Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; The Irving Harris Foundation; Lagunitas Brewing Company; Mardi Gras Fund; The MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince; Sahara Enterprises, Inc. and The Thanksgiving Fund.

For more information on Redmoon and its programs, visit www.redmoon.org.

To post a comment, you must register and login.