Redmoon Theater

Redmoon Theater was a Chicago based not-for-profit theatrical company under the direction of Jim Lasko and Frank Maugeri that specializes in site-specific productions, emphasizing visual spectacle, pageantry, elaborate sets, live music, puppetry, and physical theater. Productions were often out of doors, sometimes ticketed, sometimes freely viewable in public spaces. Redmoon also produced shows in traditional venues, and is involved in community projects in Chicago. It is now defunct.

Redmoon Theater was founded in 1990 by puppeteer Blair Thomas and choreographer Lauri Macklin, combining movement theater with puppetry. In 1992, Macklin left and Thomas continued on his own until Jim Lasko joined Thomas's commitment to outdoor performance. During this period the team garnered critical praise for their inventive indoor theater productions of classic stories like Moby-Dick and Frankenstein, while beginning to explore how the same theatrical skills could activate outdoor spaces. Mr.Thomas left the theater in 1998, leaving it to Mr. Lasko to continue to build an aesthetic and operation around his vision of using spectacle to bridge difference and transform the ways that people see and understand public spaces. During this period, Redmoon committed to transforming streets, stages, and architectural landmarks with a performance style equal parts pageantry, gadgetry, puppetry, robust physical performance and visual art. In 2009, Mr. Lasko accepted a one-year appointment to become the Artist in Residence for the City of Chicago, and, after 13 years of working as an artist and community leader with the organization, Frank Maugeri assumed the role of Artistic Director. A year later, the duo joined forces to co-lead Redmoon as it garnered international attention for its unique productions, site-specific performances, and participatory events—which have been seen across the US, including a 2009 appearance at the White House, and around the globe in the Netherlands, Ireland, France, Australia, and Brazil. Through its vibrant outdoor performances, high-profile collaborations, and genuine community engagement, Redmoon has reached more than 250,000 people in 110 sites throughout 30 Chicago neighborhoods.

NOTE: 12/27/2015 -- It is with great regret that the leadership of Redmoon informs you that we are closing our doors forever.

See Redmoon: Production History for further details.

For eight years (1995–2002), Redmoon produced All Hallows' Eve, a ritual performance during Halloween in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood that in its final year brought together an audience of over 10,000 in a single evening.

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