Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Another Pretty Special Video

Look out, Rick Astley! RvD's new favorite song is "Stick 'em Up (Your Love Hands Up) from Pretty Special Records. Here's the video. Greg Szydlowski wrote a song for us for our "12 Angry Sketches" revue. Now he blows our minds again.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Look - It's a New Show!

For Immediate Release

Press Contact: Nat Topping, Robot vs. Dinosaur @ 734-657-8582, nat.topping@gmail.com

Box Office Contact: Donny’s Skybox @ (312) 337-3992 or Second City Website

Robot vs. Dinosaur Presents:

Wait Wait…Don’t Kill Me!

Opening: July 27th
Closing: August 24th
Days and Times: Fridays, 9 p.m.
Location: Donny’s Skybox
4th Floor, Piper’s Alley
1616 N. Well Avenue
Chicago, IL 60614

Ticket Price: $13 general admission ($10 students)

A Comedy Revue That Kills. On Stage and Off.

Robot vs. Dinosaur’s spooky sketch show guarantees you’ll die laughing.

CHICAGO, IL – (July 2, 2012) Autumn has long been the king when it comes to spooky sketch shows, but this summer Robot vs. Dinosaur unhinges October’s monopoly with the opening of a new horror-themed show, Wait Wait…Don’t Kill Me! Directed by RvD ensemble member Susie Gutowski, the show is haunted by those things that go bump in the night: witches, ghosts, and West Coast rappers.

The show steers clear of many of the tropes of Halloween-themed sketch shows. Gutowski says, “Werewolves and vampires have been exhausted by pop culture. Our scenes take a broader look at what’s scary. A train that steals babies and turns them into adults. A first date at a couple’s cooking class for witches. A stalker who finally traps the heart of his true love.”

She concedes, “We have one zombie apocalypse scene, but even that has more to do with the rules of Southern hospitality than the un-dead.”

The 45-minute show is hosted by a Vincent Price-type character called Uncle Trevor (Nat Topping) who seems in a constant battle to one-up himself with puns and maniacal laughter. “We loved the campiness of the host in the Tales from the Crypt TV series and wanted to infuse the show with those over-the-top characters,” explains Gutowski.

Wait Wait…Don’t Kill Me! also features the spine-chilling musical composition of guest artist Mike Malarkey, whose professional credits include “Lay You Down” by Tyga featuring Lil Wayne and “This is Like” by Tyga featuring Robin Thicke. Malarkey scores the show’s opening song and a rap that details how R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books are the new aphrodisiac. The hip hop beat has an eerie organ sound overlaid with wolf howl hooks and thunderclap beats.

The show honors its pop-horror roots until the very last minute; the Scooby Doo ending will rejuvenate your love for live theater. Or should we say… DEAD theater?

More about Robot vs. Dinosaur: For 6 years, Robot vs. Dinosaur has assembled such quality shows as “Are You There God? It’s Me, Satan” (Gorilla Tango), “Mrs. Gruber’s Ding Dong School” (Gorilla Tango), and “The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent, etc.” (Neo-Futurists, Stage 773). The group has made appearances at Chicago Sketchfest the past 6 years and continues to delight audiences with creative, thematic sketch shows. Robot vs. Dinosaur consists of writers Rammel Chan, Susie Gutowski, Joe Janes, Rebecca Levine, Chris Othic, Nat Topping and Greg Wendling. Visit http://www.rvdchicago.blogspot.com/ for more information, or find them on Facebook.

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Thursday, April 12, 2012

St. Drunken's Day is Almost Here!

Robot vs. Dinosaur presents...

The 2nd Annual St. Drunken’s Day!
A Holiday for the Drunken Masses 

The 2012 celebration features: 
* St. Drunken’s Day pageant with songs and miracles 
* Drinking games such as beer pong & beer plinko 
* A silent auction with one-of-a-kind St. Drunken’s Day artwork 
* Raffle with prizes you'd actually want 
* Get your photo on St. Drunken's lap 
* Excessive amounts of beer 

The Details: 
What: St. Drunken’s Day! 
When: Saturday, April 21, 2012 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. 
Where: 3036 North Lincoln Avenue, #2 
Tickets: $20 in advance, $25 at the door (leave a comment or see any member of RvD) 

** Doors open at 7. The St. Drunken's pageant with sketches and songs starts at 8 p.m.** 

About St. Drunken: St. Drunken is the world’s mostly forgotten patron saint of drunks, inebriates, drinkers, imbibers and people who like to have fun. He is responsible for finding arbitrary reasons for people to get together, enjoy each other’s company, shake off the weight of the world, and drink alcohol (usually to excess). 

All proceeds will go to help fund future RvD shows, not to buy beer for RvD. 

Please be merry and gay with us, Robot vs. Dinosaur
(Rammel, Becca, Susie, Joe, Greg, Geoff, Nat, and Chris) 

 **(You must be 21 to attend St. Drunken’s Day.)**

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

New Show: Pretty From A Distance

RvD has a new show coming up very soon! It opens on Friday, March 21st! See below for more information!

(And mark your calendars for our annual St. Drunken's Day pageant and fundraiser on April 21, 2012. More info on that soon!)

Look, pretty picture and press release! (This post has been flagged for excessive use of exclamation points!!!)



For Immediate Release

Press Contact: Nat Topping, Robot vs. Dinosaur @ 734-657-8582, nat.topping@gmail.com
Audience Contact: Luna Central @ 773-819-5862, info@teatroluna.org

Robot vs. Dinosaur Presents:

PRETTY FROM A DISTANCE

Opening: March 23rd
Closing: April 7th
Days and Times: Fridays and Saturdays, 7:30pm
Location: Luna Central
3914 N Clark St
Chicago, IL

Ticket Price: $15

Contact the Luna Central box office at 773-819-5862 or at teatroluna.org

CHICAGO, IL – (March 5, 2012) Like the Horsehead Nebula poised over Orion’s nether-regions, Robot vs. Dinosaur’s latest sketch show, Pretty from a Distance, is a beacon to souls lost in the universe. Directed by RvD veteran Chris Othic, the show addresses big questions about our place in the universe and the rituals of life. The subject matter may be heavy, but non-stop laughs inspire guests to leave the theater chanting "Not insignificant, but insignif-I-CAN!"

Whether gazing at the stars or rooting through the garbage, Pretty from a Distance explores all the things that make us who we are: our hopes, our fears, the things that make us laugh and the things we’ve learned to love. It’s chock full of absurdity and hilarious one-liners, but it’s got more heart than your average sketch show.

Othic explains, “We’re a writer-centric sketch group, meaning unlike the Second City style, we start with a script instead of improvisation. In the end, it yields more play-like scenes. The words are more intentional, the relationships are deeper and the laughs have a bigger pay off.”

“There aren’t any Whoopie cushions or MAGNUM condoms on our prop list. The show has a lot of heart. It’s sweet and, at times, nostalgic. But mostly it’s downright absurd.” Perhaps he’s referring to a scene in which a woman attempts to be the most “green” by trading in her dust-buster for a howler monkey.

A forty-five minute “teaser” of the show premiered in front of a packed house at the 2012 Chicago Sketchfest at Stage 773. Now expanded to a full 75-minute show, Pretty from a Distance serves as a treat to viewers who love sketch and grounded scene work, a rare occurrence in Chicago’s standard sketch scene. Catch a shooting star Fridays and Saturdays, March 23 – April 7 at 7:30pm. Luna Central is located at 3914 N Clark St (just south of Irving Park). Tickets are $15.

More about Robot vs. Dinosaur: For 6 years, Robot vs Dinosaur has assembled such quality shows as “Are You There God? It’s Me, Satan” (Gorilla Tango), “Mrs. Gruber’s Ding Dong School” (Gorilla Tango), and “The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent, etc.” (Neo-Futurists, Stage 773). The group has made appearances at Chicago Sketchfest the past 6 years and continues to delight audiences with creative, thematic sketch shows. Robot vs. Dinosaur consists of writers Rammel Chan, Susie Gutowski, Joe Janes, Rebecca Levine, Chris Othic, Nat Topping and Greg Wendling. Visit www.rvdchicago.blogspot.com for more information, or find them on Facebook.

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