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2120 S Jefferson St
‘Fire Festival’ troupe disbands, blames funding
(Above) A Redmoon spectacle, Last of My Species, performed near Belmont Harbor in 2010. (Click on image to view larger version.) 22-Dec-15 – Long on artistic vision but short on money, the theater company that brought the Great Chicago Fire Festival to the Chicago River last year, then moved it to Northerly Island this year, is closing. In a letter released Monday afternoon, Redmoon Theater thanked supporters and promised that Redmoon “is a spirit that survives us.” Since 1990, the theater company, based in the Pilsen neighborhood southwest of the Loop, has brought large-scale theatrical events, free to the public, to 49 Chicago neighborhoods. It is arguably best known for the 2014 Fire Festival at which an electrical issue kept three structures floating on platforms on the Chicago River from fully igniting. “There is no funding model for this civic and social artistic vision,” reads the letter. “We have tried to create new models…but, quite simply and quite sadly – our innovations haven’t been able to keep up with our civic goals.” In addition to public spectacles, Redmoon has performed for private parties and events. Silk aerialists could be rented, along with “cake hats,” pastry drones, and servers on stilts. Its Spectacle Hall on South Jefferson Street could hold an audience of more than 1,000 people.
Full text of Redmoon letter
Dear Friend, It is with great regret that the leadership of Redmoon informs you that we are closing our doors. It has been an honor to serve the City of Chicago for the past 25 years. We have been blessed to work in and with over 40 of Chicago’s 77 official neighborhoods and to bring our unique brand of spectacle to some of our finest institutions; to many of the city’s most revered public sites; and most importantly to some of its most overlooked neighborhoods. Redmoon has collaborated with some of the best our city has to offer and been a part of the development of the best the city has yet to see. We’ve had the honor to work with upwards of 10,000 artists of varying disciplines and backgrounds, many of whom were emerging artists who trained at Redmoon and went on to fulfill and sustain practices outside our walls. We are proud of our effort and grateful for the opportunities. Our core mission was to bring massive, unexpected free art to public spaces – to bring people together across difference in acts of momentary and meaningful celebration. From the Fire Festival in recent years to some of our earliest outdoor work, our dream was to create a new kind of urban ritual. There is no funding model for this civic and social artistic vision. We have tried to create new models. From our indoor parties and events, to our Redmoon For Hire rental business, to our new building’s event venue business, we’ve innovated new models to support our unique artistic vision. But, quite simply and quite sadly – our innovations haven’t been able to keep up with our civic goals. We apologize to anyone this unexpected closure has inconvenienced. Please know that we do not take this decision lightly or without ardent effort to conclude differently. To those who supported us, we are endlessly grateful. To those who enjoyed us, we are pleased to have added to your lives. To those we served, to those who were touched or moved or perhaps even inspired, it is to you we have the greatest debt. You provided meaning to our mission and purpose to our work. Our consolation at this sad moment is that Redmoon is bigger than this non-profit institution. It is a spirit that survives us. It lives in you, our patrons and partners. It is a memory sown into each of the sites that have hosted us. Most of all, we are consoled that Redmoon’s mission to celebrate and uplift community is a shared concern powering amazing, if under-recognized, activity all over this great city. With gratitude, Redmoon |
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