Fun House Theatre and Film to Bring RUSH LIMBAUGH IN NIGHT SCHOOL to Festival of Independent Theatres

By: Jun. 23, 2016
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Fun House Theatre and Film makes their first appearance at the Festival of Independent Theatres with a production of Charlie Varon'sRush Limbaugh in Night School directed by Jeff Swearingen and featuring Alex Duva, age 12, as Limbaugh along with 3 other young actors tackling over a dozen characters in a comedy as rotund as its namesake. These bad boys of the FIT will take audiences on a 45 minute adventure of irreverent and mischevious satire in a free for all of shenanigans only Swearingen could stage and the crazy kids of Fun House could pull off.

The Story: Long before politicians could incite and instigate the masses with their own Tweets, humanity had to depend on the pundits to do so and no mouthpiece was more popular than Rush Limbaugh. In the mid 1990's, this savior of conservative Republicans reached millions over the airwaves daily and took on the mission of policing the Democrats in power like a super hero standing for truth, justice and the American way (or at least the Reagan-esque version of these concepts). Few however know the story of Rush's fateful brush with liberalism and all things to the left. Charlie Varon's fictional account of the demise of this one time giant of broadcasting is part political satire, part situational comedy and part pure insanity, presented as a mockumentary and capturing the climate of 90's, a time when conservative dissent became a pop culture phenomenon and alarmist opinion had folks by the millions rallying behind one man. It may seem commonplace in today's world of Fox News, bloggers, websites and publications to the right, but it all began with Rush Limbaugh and has yet to hit the heights it did when he first hit the airwaves. Varon's story focusses on Limbaugh's last ditch effort to maintain popularity and a decesion that ends up ultimately shaking his very belief system and causing the beginning of his end. No opinion is safe, no side of the spectrum untouched and through a bevy of unlikely circumstances ( including Limbaugh going back to school to learn Spanish, Limbaugh appearing as Othello in a Spalding Gray directed Shakespearean production in Central Park, Limbaugh falling in love with a fugitive left wing activist ) this most unreal tale unfolds as a factual account of a man taKen Down by his own hubris.

From Fun House and The FIT:

"Since beginning his storied FIT career in 2007's The Boxer, Jeff Swearingen has greatly enhanced our reputation for outrageous humor and subversive wit. It is a tremendous honor to welcome him back, this time with

the FIT debut of the highly acclaimed Fun House Theatre and Film. Rush Limbaugh in Night School is the perfect example of how Fun House's adult approach to children's theatre forces us to reconsider our notions of both. "- David Meglino, Managing Director, Festival of Independent Theatres

"Rush Limbaugh in Night School is part of Fun House Theatre and Film's year long look at political theatre, just in time for Election 2016. In this case, the actors in this production are flexing some satirical muscle, satire by dictionary definition being: the use of humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics. Why political satire and kids? Why not. In the five years Fun House has been producing shows, we have found that when we do brush on contemporary issues, be it via comedy or drama, when it is kids holding the mirror up to society the picture becomes a bit sharper, more universal and at times even more disturbing but the key is the picture becomes "more" something and that just might be the method to our madness." - Jeff Swearingen, Creative Director, Fun House Theatre and Film

Production Information: Rush Limbaugh in Night School

Written by Charlie Varon

Produced by Bren Rapp

Directed by Jeff Swearingen

Featuring:

Alex Duva (12) as Rush Limbaugh

Doak Campbell Rapp (17) as Rogers Johnson/Ensemble

Christos Kaiafas (13) as Barry Granatour/Ensemble

Joseph Nativi (13) as Nina Egly/Ensemble

Show Times and Dates:

8:00pm Friday, July 8

5:00pm Saturday, July 9
5:00pm Sunday, July 10
2:00pm Saturday, July 16
5:00pm Saturday, July 23
8:00pm Friday, July 29

*Note: this 45 minute production appears in a block with a production from another theatre group each performance, sometimes as the first show in the block, sometimes as the second. Detailed information about all groups and shows, as well as exact pairings available at www.festivalofindependenttheatres.com

Advanced Ticket purchase recommended. Tickets and festival passes available at www.festivalofindependenttheatres.com, ranging in price from $18 to $70

All shows perform at The Bath House Cultural Center, 521 E. Lawther Drive, Dallas, TX 75218

 

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