September 26-27, 2014
In conjunction with the exhibition David Bowie Is, MCA Stage presents an eclectic combination of Chicago performers, dancers, and musicians uniting in celebration of the pioneering rock icon. Culture curator Jyldo hosts the evening, with Nick Davio’s house band anchoring the performances. The line-up of performers includes queer art band BAATHHAUS, BOOM CRACK! Dance Company, Chicago Tap Theatre, burlesque dancers the Fly Honeys, tribute queen Kasey Foster, “dancejokers” LADY/WATCH, and Meredith Miller’s cabaret band Lovers’ Quarrel. David Bowie Variety Hour celebrates Bowie’s legacy as one of the most revolutionary artists of our time with a lasting influence on the provocative and daring work produced by contemporary performers in Chicago. Visitors are invited to dress up in Bowie-inspired attire for these performances.

THE ARTISTS
BAATHHAUS is a Chicago-based performance group and band comprised of multidisciplinary artists Patrick Andrews, Dan Foley, Jesse Young, and Jesse Hozeny. Through a unique combination of popular music and culture with choreography and costuming, BAATHHAUS explores themes of “otherness,” the avant-garde, and political and social issues. Inspired by
David Bowie’s reinventions of his own identity, BAATHHAUS performs songs from his album Scary Monsters on MCA Stage.

BOOM CRACK! Dance Company is a professional hip-hop group of more than twenty dancers from diverse dance backgrounds. The company presents unique, concept-based sets in the style of high energy street jazz and grounded in the work of founder and artistic director Trae Turner. As part of David Bowie Variety Hour, they perform a new medley set to a selection of classic Bowie songs.
Chicago Tap Theatre is a vibrant dance company with a mission to preserve and promote the dance form of tap through its innovative presentation of story-based shows. On MCA Stage, Chicago Tap Theatre performs artistic director Mark Yonally’s choreography to Bowie’s Under Pressure from their extended work Changes: A Science-Fiction Tap Opera.
The Fly Honeys present a high-energy, vaudevillian cabaret of dance, music, drag, comedy, and performance art. Founded by dancer Erin Kilmurray, The Fly Honeys are comprised of professional performers from a variety of disciplines who bring feminism to the foreground of socially conscious burlesque.
Jyldo is dancer and choreographer Jyl Fehrenkamp, whose work fuses dance with burlesque-inspired performance. In addition to hosting David Bowie Variety Hour, she co-curates the full program with MCA Performance Director Peter Taub, bringing her extensive experience in Chicago’s performance scene to MCA Stage.
Kasey Foster is an actor, director, singer, producer, choreographer, and dancer. She is known for her biannual Dance Tribute series, in which she pays tribute to a single musician or band through a collection of songs, dance, and performance. She closes David Bowie Variety Hour with versions of Bowie’s songs Seven Years in Tibet and Golden Years.

LADY/WATCH features Tien Tran and Kieran Kredell, a self-proclaimed “dancejoker” duo known throughout Chicago for their queer performance art.
Meredith Miller is an artist who performs with her cabaret band Lovers’ Quarrel, featuring compositions by Tom Musick. In David Bowie Variety Hour, Lovers’ Quarrel performs songs from Bowie’s mid-1970s soul style, embodied in his album Young Americans.
Nick Davio is a singer, music director, and multi-instrumentalist who works across disciplines and throughout Chicago’s theater scene. As the musical director for David Bowie Variety Hour, he leads guests vocalists in a series of Bowie hits, including a group of youth and adult singers performing an a cappella version of Starman.

TICKET INFORMATION
David Bowie Variety Hour is 90 minutes and takes place September 26 and September 27 at 7:30 pm in the Edlis Neeson Theater, 220 East Chicago Avenue. Tickets are $20 and a limited quantity of $10 student tickets is available. The MCA Box Office is at 312.397.4010 or www.mcachicago.org. One free museum admission is granted with an MCA Stage ticket stub, valid up to seven days after the performance. Tickets to David Bowie Is are not included with program admission. Exhibition tickets for David Bowie Is are $25 for visitors ages 13 and up, $10 for children ages 7-12, and free for children 6 and under.
 
Lead support for the 2014–15 season of MCA Stage is provided by Elizabeth A. Liebman. Additional generous support is provided by David Herro and Jay Franke, Caryn and King Harris, and Lois and Steve Eisen and The Eisen Family Foundation. The MCA Stage foundation season sponsor is Alphawood Foundation Chicago, and its preferred hotel partner is Residence Inn. MCA Stage is a proud partner of the National Performance Network. MCA Chicago is a proud member of Museums in the Park and receives major support from the

Chicago Park District.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. MCA Chicago is generously supported by its Board of Trustees; individual and corporate members; private and corporate foundations; and government agencies including the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, and the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Museum capital improvements are supported by a Public Museum Capital Grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The MCA is a proud member of Museums in the Park and receives major support from the Chicago Park District. Air transportation is provided by American Airlines, the Official Airline of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

The MCA is located at 220 E. Chicago Avenue, one block east of Michigan Avenue. The museum and sculpture garden are open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm and Tuesday from 10 am to 8 pm. The museum is closed on Monday. Tuesdays are Community Free Days with free admission for Illinois residents. Suggested general admission is $12 for adults and $7 for students and seniors. Children 12 years of age and under, MCA members, and members of the military are admitted free. 

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MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART CHICAGO
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