The Festival of Dionysus 2012
TICKETS HERE
The International Bedlam Society returns with its smashed-hit revival of the ancient theater festival and the secret rites of Dionysus. This year features live music, six plays and heavy drinking. Witness the stories of Zeus, Paris, Orpheus, Icarus, Oedipus, and Pentheus retold for the modern, ADD and television-soaked audience. These plays are bawdy, dark, and sharp. There will be sex, violence, world conquest, incest, castration and death, and that’s just in the first 10 minutes.
Mingle with the Gods at this ecstatic evening hosted by the Son of Zeus himself. Play games with Heroes and join the spectacle of the night! A little sparagmos never did anybody harm…All held in a lush, verdant indoor atmosphere where wine and honey flow literally from the walls! Each show has a live band beforehand and a DJ afterwards.
Where: Transamoeba Studios (the exact location of which is a mystery)
RSVP here
When: March 9&10, 16&17, 23&24
7pm Live music
8pm Festival
10pm Secret rites
$10 admission ($8 in costume / $2 costume rental available)
booze by The Whiskey Alliance, food by Edible Alchemy
FESTIVAL OF DIONYSUS 2010
See photos of the festival
Watch Oedipus (NSFW!):
Here was our original announcement for the shows:
The International Bedlam Society and Chicago Art Department come together to bring you three nights of bacchanalia to finish off your winter blues once and for all. This Spring Equinox festival will be held for three Saturdays in March to celebrate the coming season and the god of revelry with theatre, games, food, and drink!
Gods and Mortals mix at this immersive evening hosted by the Son of Zeus himself. Become witness to the Secret Rites in this lush, verdant indoor atmosphere where wine, milk, and honey flow literally from the walls! Explore the darker side of your psyche and participate in the spectacle of the night! A little sparagmos never did anybody harm…
Each evening will feature different musical guests and an ensemble performance of eight Greek theatre favorites. Written and assembled by the International Bedlam Society, these scripts are pulled from the Ancient Festival of Dionysus and the Greek Masters–Aeschylus, Euripides, Sophocles, and more. See your favorite stories; Zeus, Prometheus, Oedipus, Theseus, Hippolytus, Achilles, Orestes and Pentheus. Retold for the modern, ADD and television-soaked audience, these plays are bawdy, dark, and sharp.
RSVP here