![\"ClosedCasketposter\"](\"https:\/\/www.marthabayne.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/ClosedCasketposter-273x400.jpeg\")
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UPDATE: We did it! Thanks to all who contributed. Look for the festival at Constellation in Chicago August 4-6, 2017.<\/strong><\/p>\n But before we get to the the haunted house, we — Theater Oobleck<\/a> — have another massive project\u00a0on the more immediate horizon. Closed Casket: The Complete, Final and Absolutely Last Baudelaire in a Box<\/strong> is an epic durational musico-theatrical event happening August 4\/5\/6 at Links Hall at Constellation in Chicago. It brings 50 musicians and composers together to perform all thirteen\u00a0episodes of our long-running Baudelaire in a Box<\/em> series, which translates the poems from Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du mal<\/em> to English and\/or Spanish, sets them to music and pairs them with hand-painted artwork that scrolls by to\u00a0illustrate\u00a0the poetry as a sort of lo-fi silent movie.<\/p>\n It’s hard to describe, but beautiful to witness — and I know because I’ve been in the light booth or otherwise occupied\u00a0behind the scenes for about half of them. This year, I’m even going to creep onstage and sing a song, as part of the festival’s closing night performance.<\/p>\n But before we do all of that, we need to raise some money<\/strong>: $15,000 to be exact. We have significant support for this project already, from the NEA and other funders. But we still need to bridge the budget gap in order to fly two dozen musicians to Chicago, house them, and feed them — not to mention build the set, turn on the lights, and pay everyone involved for their time and talent.<\/p>\n Crowdfunding is hard and frustrating — a uniquely 21st-century form of mutual aid perverted into a popularity contest — but it’s still better than being sponsored by Red Bull<\/a>. Theater Oobleck’s mission is to create original theater as a\u00a0value in and of itself. We don’t take money from corporations and we don’t charge exorbitant prices to come see our work. In fact, our \u00a0shows are always pay what you can; it’s part of our mission to make theater accessible to everyone, especially those who might be hard up for disposable income. So please: if you believe independent art and music have a place in our ever-scarier and branded\u00a0world,<\/strong>\u00a0kick us a few bucks? We have some stellar premiums: for $25 you get a Baudelaire in a Box<\/em> tote bag; for $100 you can take home that tote bag stuffed with a bunch of other swag — or just choose a piece of original art from the show. Hell, for $800 we will come to your house and cook you dinner<\/strong>.<\/p>\n I could go on and on but maybe you should just watch the video instead. And then, click this link to donate<\/a>. \u00a0Thank you!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n