Rock 'n' Roll Carnival EVO returns to Shadowbox Live 9/26

Come one! Come all! Experience the bizarre and the strange! Marvel at the oddities of the human condition and see yourself reflected in the freakish mirror of Shadowbox Live's Evo, opening Sunday, September 26th!

It's instinct versus society in this revival of Shadowbox Live's company created Evo, a rock 'n' roll carnival that compresses millions of years of evolution into a no-holds-barred exploration of our primitive urges in a world where they are no longer required.

"Evo is all about our most base impulses," says Stev Guyer, Shadowbox Live Executive Producer and CEO. "All of those motivations that once kept us alive when we were living in caves and running from predators are becoming obsolete. Yet we still feel them! And most of us don't even understand what they are."

An eccentric Ringleader and her band of traveling carnies perform for the audience a show that moves in and out of time and space, examining our very nature as humans, from our fight or flight instinct to our proclivity for mob mentality, from basic bloodlust to the driving desire to procreate.

Evo premiered in Cleveland in 1995 under the original title Evolution. In 1996, Guyer and a fairly inexperienced Shadowbox troupe took Evolutionto New York for a short 4 week Off-Broadway run.

"When we got to New York our production manager informed us that she was $30,000 short of the money that needed raised for the run," says Guyer. "So we knew from the beginning that we would have to leave New York before we intended to. Regardless we had a great success for the show and a wonderful experience that taught us that we needed to be self-reliant."

That self-reliance has served Shadowbox Live well for 25 years, and as part of the company's 25th Anniversary yearlong celebration, the creative forces of Shadowbox Live decided to revive Evo and immediately set to using those years of experience to update and improve the music, script, and choreography.

"We've learned so much since those early days," says Head Choreographer Katy Psenicka, "and have grown in our ability to make this show everything it can be, with more sophisticated choreography, a much more comprehensible script, and very grand set and costume design."

To that end, Shadowbox Live has launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the ambitious plans for the lighting, sets, and costumes. The goal is to raise $17,100 by September 22nd.

"We believe whole heartedly that funding for artistic endeavors should come from art patrons, not from grants," says Guyer. "This way we re held accountable to our audience to produce something they will love and be proud to be a part of."

Shadowbox Live had great success with their first Kickstarter campaign in 2013 for the original musical Underland.

"Being able to crowd source funding for specific projects proves to us how much faith our audience has in our abilities," says Psenicka. "And with that support, we will always deliver a product greater than we would be able to without them."

To pledge support for Shadowbox Live's Evo, visit Kickstarter at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1384591332/evo-an-original-rock-opera

Shadowbox Live presents the original rock opera Evo, opening Sunday, September 28 at 7:00 PM, and running Sundays at 2:00 & 7:00 PMthrough November 2, 2014. Tickets are $25 / $20 students, seniors, military. For more information and reservations, call the Shadowbox Live Box Office at 614-416-7625 or go online at www.shadowboxlive.org.

Shadowbox Live is the largest resident theater company in America, producing over 550 shows per year.

A non-profit 501c3 performance troupe, Shadowbox Live employs 45+ full time ensemble members immersed in the Shadowbox Livephilosophy of "everyone does everything," including arts administration.

These Shadowbox Live metaperformers self-produce a wide range of shows, as well as run the company on a day-to-day basis.

For over 20 years this creative team has produced world-class performances, spanning the artistic spectrum with sketch comedy, rock 'n 'roll, original rock operas, traditional musicals, drama, dance theater and new media; always putting emphasis on the unparalleled liveexperience.

Shadowbox Live is a healthy, vibrant, self-sustaining arts organization that generates the majority of its funding from its patron base, and leads the way as an artistic tour de force in Midwest.

Photo Credit: Stacie Boord as the Ringleader in Shadowbox Live's Evo. Credit: Will Shively

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