David Kodeski Brings Niagara Falls to Chicago in 'TRUE LIFE TALES' Tonight

The world premiere of TRUE LIFE TALES FROM THE HONEYMOON CAPITAL OF THE WORLD (SOME OF WHICH ARE TRUE) comes to Stage 773 this fall. TRUE LIFE TALES is a "blue collar gothic spoken word folk opera" featuring autobiographical stories by writer/performer David Kodeski and original music by singer/songwriter Naomi Ashley. The show opens tonight, October 16 at 7:30 p.m. at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont.

True tales and tall tales flow together in this "blue collar gothic spoken word folk opera". David Kodeski's childhood memories and Naomi Ashley's heart-felt music mix to create a charming, sometimes sentimental and often embellished retrospective of life in idyllic Niagara Falls. What could be described as a barely noticeable town in the shadow of one of the world's most recognized natural wonders is painted in vivid color by Kodeski's tales of wild girls and boogeymen. Featuring a band comprised of Heather Riordan (accordion), Cathie Van Wert (violin), Michael Krayniak (bass) and Paul Bivans (drums), TRUE LIFE TALES revels in their 80+ years of collective music experience.

David Kodeski states, "When people hear that I'm from Niagara Falls, New York, they usually express surprise that people actually live there and can be from there. They seem to think it's just a big touristy waterfall - in Canada no less - where people go to get married. I enjoy sharing these stories because they show what I think is a surprising, weird, and often surreal side to what it was like to have grown up in this rust-belt tourist town - stories very specific to my life - but, also filled with experiences common to all of us."

David Kodeski is the creator of TRUE LIFE TALES, an ongoing series of award-winning solo performances. His Niagara! (you should have been Yosemite) inspired a Niagara-based episode of National Public Radio's This American Life and a radio version of Another Lousy Day was produced by Long Haul Productions and heard on All Things Considered. David has performed two of his shows in Australia: Another Lousy Day as part of the 2003 Western Australia Fringe Festival (for which he won Best of the Fringe) and I Can't Explain the Beauty for the 2004 UWA Perth International Arts Festival. David is the author of the libretto for The Suitcase Opera Project (with music by Eric Reda) which was workshopped in Chicago and Belfast; and is a founding member of the solo performance ensemble, BoyGirlBoyGirl (BGBG). He has performed with Lucky Pierre, Theater Oobleck, The Encyclopedia Show, The Pansy Kings, and was an ensemble member of The Neo-Futurists. Most recently, David has been performing with the Naomi Ashley Band and fellow BGBG ensemble members as Happy to See Me in a series of one-night-only shows. He is a recipient of a 1999 After Dark Award, the 2007 James Grigsby Award (with fellow BGBG member Edward Thomas-Herrera), and is an Illinois Arts Council grantee.

Naomi Ashley has been a part of the Chicago music scene for over 17 years. As a singer-songwriter, she draws from American folk, roots, and country traditions to create a body of work ranging from witty and satirical to poetic and heartfelt. Her 2007 album Another Year Or So was funded by a grant from the Chicago Artist Assistance Program. Her most recent album Trying to Fly was partially funded by the Illinois Arts Council. In 2010, Naomi conceived and produced OUTBURSTS, a show that brought songwriters, composers, playwrights, poets, and monologuists together to write and perform works inspired by the paintings of Hungarian-born, Chicago-based artist Zsofia Otvos. Most recently, she's collaborated with BoyGirlBoyGirl as Happy to See Me, featuring stories, songs, stories set to song and story songs performed live at Chicago area music clubs.

Edward Thomas-Herrera (Director) was a long-time artistic associate of Live Bait Theater and is the author of three plays: Of Diamonds and Diplomats, Mondo Edwardo, and Death on a Pink Carpet. He was also a staple of Live Bait's annual Fillet of Solo Festival where he debuted his one-man show, Fun while it lasted: a farewell tour. His directing credits include Stephanie Shaw's Materia Prima, David Kodeski's And Some Can Remember Something of Some Such Thing, and Mary Scruggs's Missing Man. Other directing credits include four installments of the Neo-Futurists' It Came from the Neo-Futurarium! annual festival of staged readings of bad movie scripts.

Edward is one of the founding writer/performer members of BoyGirlBoyGirl and has appeared in every BGBG production since 2004 - most recently, The Bible in September of 2014.

The musicians of TRUE LIFE TALES, Heather Riordan (accordion), Cathie Van Wert (violin), Michael Krayniak (bass) and Paul Bivans (drums), are some of Chicago's most seasoned roots musicians. Collectively, they have over 80 years of experience playing for a variety of bands (Trigger Gospel, Heartsfield, Bunkertown, Cannonball, The Zimmerman, and Fallen Angels - just to name a few).

The TRUE LIFE TALES staff includes: Melinda Evans (Co-Producer), Lisa Barcy (original collages) and Ben Dawson (Technical Director).

Watch an excerpt from TRUE LIFE TALES below!