Ruckus Theater Presents ESCAPE FROM THE HALTSBURG BOYS CHOIR Beginning 1/6

The Ruckus Theater is making some noise by producing a world-premiere musical during its second season in Chicago: Escape from the Haltsburg Boys Choir, book by Aaron Dean, lyrics by Aaron Dean and Jason Rico, music by Jason Rico, directed by Tympanic Theatre Company Artistic Director Daniel Caffrey. Kate Black makes her Ruckus debut as the boy-hero Johanne, and leads a cast of Chicago theater favorites and Ruckus regulars. Escape from the Haltsburg Boys Choir-workshopped by The Ruckus in June 2010-is performed at The Side Project Theatre (1439 W Jarvis Ave) January 6 - 30, 2010 (opening night is January 7). Performances are Thursday - Sunday at 7:30pm. Tickets are $15 and are available at RuckusTheater.org or by phone at 773.769.RCKS (7257).

"I am thrilled to be directing such a challenging, funny and inventive coming of age story," said Director Daniel Caffrey. "Escape from the Haltsburg Boys Choir is the kind of American musical that reminds you why you fell in love with theater in the first place, and it has been a privilege to work alongside such a gifted team of actors and designers."

The Ruckus' first musical, Escape from the Haltsburg Boys Choir, sends you tumbling through the Austrian woods with four desperate boys on the cusp of adulthood (Black, Heather Moats, Liz Goodson, Alyse Kittner). Theirs is a world of witches, wolves, vindictive worms and malevolent Choirmasters (Jeffrey Fauver), but the most terrifying creatures of all may be the boy with the squeak in his voice (Megan Gotz) and the girl with the golden hair (Sarah Bockel). To get out, my friends, you'll need to use ‘em...or lose ‘em.

Aaron Dean (Book & Lyrics) is a graduate of Michigan State University, where he studied theater and dabbled in Sociology and History. He has worked as a screenwriter, actor, nanny, janitor, musician, salesman, groundskeeper, canvasser for Greenpeace, baker, dishwasher, little league concession guy, tutor, cook, playwright, has unloaded many, many semi-trucks and co-hosted shows displaying patio furniture. His work as a playwright has been produced by The Ruckus and Brain Surgeon Theater. He is proud to serve as the literary manager of The Ruckus.

Jason Rico (Music & Lyrics) is an American composer of instrumental, vocal and theater music. He has created a body of work in multiple genres including symphonic, wind ensemble, choral, art song, chamber music and opera. Rico studied composition with Michael Schelle at Butler University and with Andrey Kasparov and Adolphus Hailstork at Old Dominion University. His compositions have been praised for their complex and truly American style. His ability to pair the musical line with text was highlighted in his work "This Land of Heroes" for chorus, assorted instruments and electronics, for which he was awarded the Old Dominion University Honors Grant. He also received several other awards for his "Viola Concerto," "Three American Elegies" and the song cycle "Nature Is Never Spent." Jason is currently Music Director for "Quixotic", a sketch comedy troupe based in Chicago. Escape from the Haltsburg Boys' Choir is his first musical.

Director Daniel Caffrey is the Artistic Director of Tympanic Theatre Company, which he founded in 2006 after arriving in Chicago. He has directed for Tympanic, iO, the side project, and is thrilled to be back with The Ruckus after directing his own short play Pogo for Tell It & Speak It & Think It & Breathe It in 2009. As a playwright, his work has been produced by ARFTCO, Chicago Dramatists, Dramatis Personae, Dream Theatre, Hobo Junction, Infusion Theatre, MOB Productions, The Rough House, Tympanic and WildClaw. He occasionally acts, and is also a Staff Writer for the music publication Consequence Of Sound (consequenceofsound.net).

Performance Schedule

Week 1:

Thursday, January 6 (preview) 7:30pm 

Friday, January 7 (opening) 7:30pm

Saturday, January 8 7:30pm 

Sunday, January 9 7:30pm 

Week 2:

Thursday, January 13 7:30pm

Friday, January 14 7:30pm

Saturday, January 15 7:30pm

Sunday, January 16 7:30pm

Week 3:

Thursday, January 20 7:30pm 

Friday, January 21 7:30pm 

Saturday, January 22 7:30pm 

Sunday, January 23 7:30pm 

Week 4:

Thursday, January 27 7:30pm

Friday, January 28 7:30pm

Saturday, January 29 7:30pm

Sunday, January 30 7:30pm

Tickets to Escape from the Haltsburg Boys Choir are $15 and may be purchased online at RuckusTheater.org or by phone at 773.769.RCKS (7257).

About The Ruckus Theater
Formed by an industrious group of Michigan ex-pats, The Ruckus is composed of actors, directors, playwrights, musicians, casting directors, publicity managers, grant writers, baristas, grad students, poets, computer fixers, appointment-makers and census-takers who aim to create a new kind of company-a casteless theater that blends the lines between playwright and actor, audience and company member. The Ruckus Theater is led by Artistic Director Allison Shoemaker, Associate Artistic Director Joshua Davis and Managing Director Jeffrey Fauver.
We're here to create, to examine, to invent, to explode-to create a ruckus. Our aim is to break down the old models of new work development in order to nurture new forms, great plays and better and smarter artists. We will work together to create vibrant and unexpected new work, spin terrific yarns and build a world in which two things are sacred: the rehearsal room and the audience member. We will be messy; we will be brave; we demand that our theater become both aspect and integral to our community. We will bring the ruckus.
See how we make a ruckus all over the interwebs on our blog, iruckus.blogspot.com; fan us at facebook.com/theruckustheater; view our photostream at flickr.com/ruckustheater; follow our tweets at twitter.com/ruckustheater; and spend hours at youtube.com/theruckustheater.