704 N. Wells St. CHICAGO, IL 60610 USA Tel: 312.664.3406 Fax: 312.664.3388 EMAIL Located in the River North neighborhood in Chicago. Open 11:00 - 6:00 Tuesday through Saturday, and by appointment View a map to the gallery. THIRD ANNUAL CHICAGO PUPPET PERFORMANCE SHOWCASE ONE NIGHT ONLY! Thursday, July 26th. Two Shows: 7pm and 8:30 pm Six noted performers from the Chicago puppet performance scene will present their latest work. Featuring Sam Lewis, Krista Babbitt, Sarah Bendix, Cynthia Von Orthal, Dax Tran-Caffee, and Lolly Extract Admission is Free, donations encouraged. (a collection will be taken up at the end of both performances). Performing Artist Bios: SAM LEWIS and The Amazing Jus Hambone Samuel J. Lewis, a.k.a. Samiam, was born in Covington, Tennessee. At the age of 3, his family moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where he attended performing arts elementary and high schools. Later, he attended the University of Missouri-St. Louis. After living on all three coasts, Sam settled in Chicago in 1995, and attended Columbia College. Since then, he has been an active member of the Chicago Arts scene as an actor, musician, poet and most recently puppeteer. In 1998, Sam and a group of friends formed Elastic Revolution Productions, which is now known as The Elastic Arts Foundation. Sam is involved in EAF both as an artist and performance organizer in EAF's Logan Square venue "Elastic" www.elasticarts.org . Bio: The Amazing Jus Hambone: Born from a very hard…wood tree, Jus Hambone brings it! Always in the middle of the party, Jus has his little hands in all the action. This time, his 3rd at Vision Chicago, Jus is stale off his world-wind trip to the Motherland…Memphis, Tennessee, where he rocked the Johnson Family Reunion! Jus is very happy to be invited back to the Gwenda Jay/Addington Gallery, even though he had to give the back of his hand to Dan last year, after he stepped on Jus’ shoe, scuffing it badly. This year, the shoe issue resolved, Jus is in great shape to “rock da house”. Especially since he’s has caught up on his sleep after a seven day binge (sniffing wood glue), and feels that this will be his best Vision Chicago performance to date. As always: “Wood gets in ya”! CYNTHIA VON ORTHAL ABOUT VON ORTHAL PUPPETS: "Peaches & Popcorn" is a production of Von Orthal Puppets, which features the talents of Paul Von Mertens of the Brian Wilson Band and Poi Dog Pondering and award-winning puppeteer and writer/performer Cynthia Von Orthal. The company has been captivating audiences for over a decade, including the critically acclaimed puppet musicals Akuba’s Dream and Tara’s Story. Combining traditional European, Japanese and American puppetry techniques, their unique style blends imagination, music, story and expressively alive characters known for high artistic quality. Cynthia Von Orthal, Artistic Director of Von Orthal Puppets, is a writer, performer, teacher and puppet designer. She has designed and performed on television and for many theaters across the country and in Europe. Cynthia has won an International UNIMA Award for Excellence in Puppetry Arts for her co-creation of an all puppet version of "The Adding Machine", by Elmer Rice. She has also appeared on "Roseanne" and in the film, "A League of Their Own". Cynthia has studied in Prague at the Trejnar Studios and is a graduate of the Goodman School of Drama. Paul Von Mertens, Musical Director for Von Orthal Puppets, is a Chicago-based composer/arranger and performer. He is currently a member of the Brian Wilson Band and Chicago’s own Poi Dog Pondering. He has performed and recorded with a variety of artists, including Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Mavis Staples, Stereolab, Burt Bacharach, Archer Prewitt and The Sea and Cake. Writing credits include music for the Peabody Award winning documentary, "The Lost Children of Rockdale County" for Frontline, Steppenwolf Theater’s production of "Buried Child" and arrangements for Japanese pop sensation Akito. Paul also wrote the orchestral arrangements for Brian Wilson's "Pet Sounds" symphonic tour and was invited to play Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee. He is currently touring with Brian Wilson on the "SMILE" tour. DAX TRAN-CAFFEE Dax Tran-Caffee is a painter, sculptor, musician and performance artist originally from the San Francisco Bay. He has recently expanded his performances to include puppets, which integrates all the disciplines that he has, until now, been working with separately. Dax's work strives for the magical, like the kind found in an antique music box, or in a children's book illustration. He is currently working on an MFA in Performance at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In addition to his performance, the Audiance will be treated to a special demonstration of "The Portable Picture Box" a kinetic "Contraption" created by Dax. KRISTA BABBITT Krista Babbitt is a graduate of The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and currently pursuing an MFA in Interdisciplinary Art and Media from Columbia College. She has performed at the MCA in Chicago, costumed Redmoon, and sports a closet full of shadow puppets and a notebook full of stories highlighting the edges of their hilariously doomed love. Coincidentally, she is to be wed next month. Krista's Performance, "The Lost Art of Angry Letters", explores the implications of being "big and small" in heart and mind. An oversized #2 pencil scribbles the dance of anger as the complaints catch air. SARAH BENDIX "Bad Date" created by Sarah Bendix, performed by Heath Cordts, Gillian Hastings, and Michael Lebovitz. Sarah Bendix is a local designer, director and performer. She has worked with Redmoon Theater, Jabberwocky Marionettes, Trap Door Theatre, Manifest Theater, Greasy Joan, Ravenous Productions, and the Piven Theater, where she is on the faculty. Her work has also been shown at the Around the Coyote Festival and Links Hall. She will be performing in the fall show at the Piven Theater and is also co-creating an ensemble-generated piece incorporating story theater, opera, and puppetry, entitled Le Cat Show, that will be presented at the Around The Coyote Festival in October. Also Appearing: LOLLY EXTRACT Pictured above right: "Von Orthal Puppets" pictured below: Dax Tran-Caffee For more information contact Dan Addington at 312.664.3406 or EMAIL

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