"DarQness" descends Saturday, Oct. 13, at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, in a "macab-erotic" variety show and haunted walkthrough, the proceeds of which will benefit Chicago's only food pantry for the AIDS community.
The producers of this "sinfully sexy evening of diabolical debauchery," as the press release proclaims, are no strangers to sophisticated productions or charitable events. Keith Elliott created and produced both "Dance for Life" and "Chicago Takes Off," the burlesque variety show which benefits TPAN. Dan Paterno has chaired that same event, as well as having chaired and co-chaired the annual "Who's That Girl?" fundraiser. Brandon Vejseli also participated in "Chicago Takes Off" and is a longtime member of the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus, where he has been producing events such as "Lipstick & Lyrics."
The trio is confident their take on the horror theme will be a more compelling experience than any other haunted house-type event out there. Elliott told Windy City Times, "The DarQness Haunted Tour is being designed to create a visceral reaction as opposed to simply making you scream your head off." According to Vejseli, the goal of the tour "is to make the hair on the back of your neck stand up and to make your skin crawl. It's a very different mindset."
The mythology of DarQness centers around J. George Haigh, a character first introduced via "found footage" on the event's website, www.darqness.org . Though Haigh is fictional, his creators said they "decided to connect him with an actual killer who lived years ago." That eeriness will give the audience, as Vejseli said, "a chance to delve deep into the mind of someone who has spent their life hiding their dastardly deeds from the public."
Elliott added, "The Haunted Tour portion of the event is a very tangible experience. We also designed the performance portion of the evening to incorporate audience participation building on the experiential nature of the event."
Only 200 tickets are available for DarQness. For guests with a $50 ticket, the tour starts at 8 p.m., and will include a wine reception featuring entertainment from costumed performance artists and, says the press release, "other-worldly spectacles," followed by the Sinister Variety Show at 10 p.m.
Guests who purchase a $25 ticket will be admitted to the Sinister Variety Show, showcasing performance artists that will be able to evoke the naughty, fetish, macabre burlesque the creators are envisioning the experience to be.
The evening will conclude with more surprises and the "world's largest group séance."
The organizers are hoping DarQness will raise upwards of $3,000 for the Heartland Health Outreach Food Pantry at the Vital Bridges Center on Chronic Care.
Vital Bridges (formerly Open Hand) began on Christmas Eve, 1988, and merged with Heartland in July of last year. Lori Cannon, a co-founder and the current Food Program Coordinator, said, "We have remained the only nutritional, and meals, and grocery program for the AIDS community, and we take our responsibilities very seriously."
Cannon told WCT food pantries everywhere are struggling because they are not always blessed with "good friends having events like DarQness for them." She added, "I am thankful that the DarQness benefit will certainly help us get through a demanding holiday season. We all are committed to making it memorable and special for people. They deserve it. They're entitled to it, and for us, it's a pleasure to offer it."
That attitude of giving back resonated with the producers. Paterno said, "We all three thrive on the "Karma" concept: You do something fun you love, involve and connect creative people, all in the right spirit of giving, and things just start to happen." He then paraphrased John F. Kennedy, "Where much is given, much is expected!"
Cannon expressed her "gratitude, thankfulness and appreciation" for the DarQness creators. "They deserve the support of the community for all their efforts. There's nothing missing in the production values and in the intent. I'm excited!"
She went on to state that such partnerships, as well as "the kindness, the goodness of members of the community that are eager to do right, they made the difference between sometimes keeping our doors open and not.
"It means more than they'll ever know. And then, of course, [Elliott, Paterno and Vejseli] brought such a panache and flair and merriment to the whole thing... they have such a history in theater and production, all the talents came together, and aren't our clients fortunate to be the recipients of this kind gesture? I can't wait! Trick or treat!"
"DarQness" falls Saturday, Oct. 13, at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St. For tickets and more information, visit www.darqness.org .
