Rogue Artists Ensemble's FUNLAND FOOL FEST Set for 7/19 at El Cid Restaurant

Late-night carnality gets a Rogue makeover with the Funland Fool Fest, a theatrical party set in the warped world of Pinocchio's Funland. Following the second annual Rogue Gala, a high-end fundraiser event for Rogue Artists Ensemble's 2015 season, the Funland Fool Fest starts at 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 19 at the historic El Cid Restaurant in Silver Lake.

The Funland Fool Fest is a venerable feast of warped characters and twisted carnival games. Party-goers will meet the MC of Funland, take their photo with the Dogfish, play pin-the-tail-on-the-living-donkey, and indulge in Pinocchio-themed cocktails while dancing the night away. Funland follows in the tradition of Rogue Artists' past Fool Fests, highlighting the Rogues' imaginative hyper-theater designs and innovative spirit. All proceeds go to support the ensemble's 2015 season, including the premiere of their Pinocchio project in November 2015.

Tickets start at $25, which includes one drink ticket redeemable for beer or wine and one ticket to play a carnival game or activity. The $50 ticket includes two drinks tickets, three tickets for carnival games, and an exclusive photo opportunity to commemorate your experience. Extra carnival and drink tickets are available both for pre-purchase and at the event.

The Funland Fool Fest follows Rogue Artists Ensemble's Annual Gala, which takes place at El Cid from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. All attendees at the Gala will receive free admission to the Funland Fool Fest. The Rogue Gala includes a multi-course meal, dinner entertainment, and a silent auction. Tickets start at $125 for the Gala.

Rogue Artists Ensemble differs from other theater companies in that it's run by a collective of multi-disciplinary artists and designers rather than by actors, writers or directors. By combining ancient storytelling techniques (music, dance, masks, puppetry) with modern technology (digital media, special effects and theatrical illusions), the Rogues cultivate a unique style of live performance unlike any other. They define the combined use of these and other underrepresented art forms as Hyper-theater. Since 2002, the Rogues have created over a dozen original new works and collaborated with hundreds of artists and community members.

Past Rogue Artists Ensemble Hyper-theatrical productions include Zen Shorts, adapted from the book by Jon J. Muth, last seen in Tears of Joy Theater's 2015 season in Portland OR; Songs of Bilitis, commissioned by and workshopped at the Getty Villa and later produced at the Bootleg Theater; D is for Dog, designated one of the to-rated productions of 2011 by Bitter Lemons, a website that aggregates Los Angeles theater reviews; Gogol Project, adapted by Kitty Felde from three Gogol short stories (Los Angeles Times "Critic's Choice"; Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards for adaptation and design; LA Weekly Award for design); The Tragical Comedy of Mr. Punch, adapted from the graphic novel by Neil Gaiman (recipient of 3 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards and an entire chapter in the book "Prince of Stories: The Many Worlds of Neil Gaiman");The Victorian Hotel by Angus Oblong; and The Story of Frog Belly Rat Bone, adapted from the book by Timothy Basil.

Currently, their show Shakespeare(ish), a Rogue-remix of the Bard, is running in the Hollywood Fringe Festival, and will perform throughout Los Angeles this summer.

For more information about the Funland Fool Fest or the Rogue Gala, call 213-596-9468 ex. 14 or visit rogueartists.org/roguegala.

Rogue Artists Ensemble is an award winning collective of multi-disciplinary artists and designers. By combining ancient storytelling techniques (music, dance, masks, puppetry) with modern technology (digital media, special effects and theatrical illusions), the Rogues cultivate a unique style of live performance they call Hyper-theater.

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