We're at it again! You are most welcome to come join us at Dog Story Theater for our latest show SUBVERT! May 5, 6 & 7 (thur. fri. and sat.) As we're always evolving there are new Cangue Leaguers joining us and we bid a fond farewell to some veterans.

Still doing great work in the Cangue League Orchestra is Mickey Makenzie, Rebecca Rodriguez, Don Mangione and Gary Perrine. New to the pit is Shirley Overton with her electric violin.

There's new talent on the boards as well. Nick Reynolds, Gretchen Schwarz and straying from the Orchestra is the talented Rebecca Rodriguez will join old-timers Bobbie Gilbert, Don Mangione and Gary Perrine.

New to us is Root Boy doing two performance pieces; one oral and one aural! He promises us that he'll show you how to eat a beet and then fill the stage with audio equipment for some fine noises.

Long time stage managers Amanda Mitchell and Suzanne Bladey, no longer comfortable watching from the wings, have concocted a short piece that revolves around a flood. That's all I can reveal about that one.

Cangue League is proud to have been a small part of Wil Lucy's life and we dearly miss him. We will show a video of his first performance with Cangue League in Love: Filters.

Back, also, is one of the pillars of Cangue League, with us from the start and without whom we couldn't have done one show, percussionist extrordinaire, Josh Dunigan as our light and sound boards operator with assistance from Morgan Sterling. Morgan's mom, Abbie Sterling will help back stage and has created a conceptual piece for SUBVERT!

Thanks for supporting avand-garde theater in good ol' GR and watch for updates!

They Said It wouldn't Last

Almost six years ago in the Fall of 2009 Cangue League spread its wings and paddled up the creek of alternative theater.  Artists of every stripe came together for no other reason than to perform with the hopes that we'd find a niche in the heart of conservative Michigan.

We always include the audience as participators. In our first show, Flowers, as the audience entered the theater they were encouraged to color a length of clear 16mm film that was later projected then cut into pieces for the audience to take home.

Also from Flowers, three audience members were recruited to "fill in" for some "missing" actors.

In Revolutions, they spun a marble in a large tin can around a lit candle to accompany the Cangue League Orchestra as the lights were dimmed.

In our latest piece, The Death of Schopenhauer, Gary Perrine read a piece on art vs. the artist written by Arthur Schopenhauer while audience members echoed the word that was written on a piece of paper for them before the show.

With various artists from the community Cangue League is persevering on with a planned show this fall and a film in the works!  These are exciting times.  Enjoy a sampling from our second show Revolutions.

Victim/Criminal

We Did It

20 Poems of Love and One AK-47

Cangue League Orchestra

Profiles in Schopenhauer: Molly Zigler and Joshua Burge

This is part of the ongoing series that profiles a couple cast members in Cangue League's upcoming production of "The Death of Schopenhauer."

First on the docket is one of our newer members, Molly Zigler! Ms. Zigler has been with us since "Technicolor Yawn" where she played Richard Feynman's wife opposite Gary Perrine who played the unconventional theoretical physicist in Hugo Claudin's "Atomic Bongos."  Here she is coloring some clear 16mm film in Dog Story's lobby for an audience [and cast] participation piece.

 

Molly returned for "Want Want Lovely Play," Cangue League's entry into the Lake Effect Fringe Festival.  Among other things, she was an unfortunate passenger in a car with O. J. Simpson and Richard Nixon in "We Did It."  Here she is in that piece as O. J. operates the vehicle in an inappropriate manner.

 

 In "Schopenhauer" Ms. Zigler plays Andrew Dice Clay, a sock and... well, that's a surprise.

Next up is Joshua Burge, a multi-talented force in GR. He's a singer-songwriter for his alter ego's band, Chance Jones.  Mr. Burge spent a lot of the last year promoting Joel Potroykus' first feature film, APE, a film that follows the hapless exploits of a not-so-funny stand-up comedian with Faustian tendencies. Josh first joined us for our second show, "Revolutions." Here he is playing Thelonious Monk aping Satchmo in the original "We Did It".

In "Regime Change" with Mary Brandt their worlds flip into fantasy and culminates with him giviing birth to bananas and money. In "Skwert of Blud" he played Young Man in Antonin Artaud's absurd play written 100 years ago that started the avant-garde theater movement.  On the right Young Man is being strangled by the Priest played by Hugo Claudin.

Even though "The Death of Schopenhauer" is an ensemble piece, Joshua Burge shoulders the burden of Arthur, the main character that is given a lesson in compromise good and hard!

Join us Nov. 14th, 15th or 16th at Dog Story Theater for "The Death of Schopenhauer", Cangue League's first avant-garde opera!

Profiles in Schopenhauer: Rebecca Rodriguez and Kyle Colter

Sketches of the cast and crew of Cangue League's upcoming avant-garde opera, "The Death of Schopenhauer"

Most of Cangue League is made up of musicians of one sort or another and today's two featured artists are no exception.

Rebecca Rodriguez has played with some very popular local bands such as Corcavado, The Tiger Passion and The Icicles whose music was featured on a couple national tv spots.  Currently this active mother of two is working with a new band called Telemission. Her husband, James created with his brother the indie avant-garde music label, Elsie and Jack.  James created the very first sounds that a Cangue League audience had heard for our first show, "Flowers" with a layered/sound audio piece using a line read by Alida Perrine.  Rebecca was one of the first members of the "orchestra". Here she is playing in "Skwert of Blud".

For "The Death of Schopenhauer" Ms. Rodriguez created the various musical mood pieces.  The show's director (Gary Perrine) insisted on the guitar being the only traditional instrument. As our dear friend Herr Bach is accused of saying, "The guitar is a miniature orchestra in itself." Augmenting her classical guitar will be a selection of acoustic noise devices such as a cannon ball on a car wheel and a bucket of gravel and a shovel to name a few. Here she is performing "Ball and Chain" with Gary Perrine where the seed-filled ball was used to reverberate the strings.

Next up is another guitarist, Kyle Colter. Of course, those familiar with Kyle's work know that he also plays, the trombone, thermin and didgeridoo. When Kyle isn't slinging booze at The Meanwhile you can catch him having fun with the Pistolbrides, the psych-surf-experimental rockers. Kyle joined Cangue League for the "Revolutions" show. Here he is as a dead box person from "LTD".

 Kyle is also an original member of Sean Kenny's brain child, "Parade Parade!" where the weirdos in the city have a parade for no goddam reason whatsoever. Watch for a line of locals marching to their own beat and feel free to join in. Looks like fun, doesn't it?

For "Schopenhauer" Mr. Colter will play multiple roles including, Sound, Stage Hand and Cedric The Entertainer! The resemblance is uncanny!

"The Death of Schopenhauer" will be performed Nov. 14th, 15th &16th at Dog Story Theater. Doors open at 7:30  Show starts at 8:00

Profiles in Schopenhauer: Mike Saunders and Mary Brandt

First in our series about Cangue Leaguers involved in our newest project, "The Death of Schopenhauer" is starting, appropriately enough, with Mike Saunders.

Mike Saunders was the first person that Cangue League founder, Gary Perrine approached in 2010 about doing some avant-garde theater for a show that turned out to be "Flowers." Here he is playing the outer bowl.

Mr. Saunders, while a bartender at The Meawhile has accrued a long list of Producer credits in local films including the big splash indie flick, APE.  Local cineastes can thank him for putting together iii Film Series at the Wealthy Street Theater "that not only investigates and examines the world around us but shows us a new and fresh approach towards film making."

Mike has played synth/keyboard for Cangue League's "Orchestra", Chance Jones and Moss Folk.  In our follow-up show, "Revolutions" Mr. Saunders penned, "Fiefdom," a skit that lampooned a particular art contest here in GR. Below are Don Mangione, Kyle Colter and Bobbie Gilbert creating a sculpture on stage before the audiences very eyes! "It's good for business."

In "The Death of Schopenhauer" Mike will play the part of megalomaniac producer which we assure you is a far cry from his real personality. Below, Mike helps out in LTD with Bobbie Gilbert and Ben Brandt.

Next up is Mary Brandt whom the theater gods sent us via a series of scheduling problems. Through a friend of a friend Mary contacted us and the rest is Cangue League history.  Our show "Skwert of Blud" had Mary all over it. Here she is playing Rita in one of Chris Eddy's "Mr. Spookity" pieces.

She handled an assault rifle in Hugo Claudin's, "20 Poems of Love and One AK-47" and Strangled Micheal J. Fox as Richard Nixon while being chauffeured by O. J. Simpson in "We Did It". Here she is marrying Josh Burge on the left and employing new birthing techniques after he becomes pregnant in the piece, "Regime Change"

In "Death of Schopenhauer" Mary will play a variety of roles from a sock puppet to Sisyphus to a producer in the shows pivotal scene. Mary has been a great asset to Cangue League.

Come and check out these talented people and others November 14th, 15th & 16th at Dog Story Theater [7 Jefferson se] for a unique theater experience. The Death of Schopenhauer an avant-garde opera!

The Death of Schopenhauer

We're producing our first avant-garde opera!

November 14, 15 & 16 at Dog Story Theater Cangue League will present "The Death of Schopenhauer" by Gary Perrine

Departing from our usual segmented, thematically diverse style Cangue League presents a full opera for its Grand Rapids audience.

Poster Art by Nate Neal

The story takes odd leaps from one theatrical style to the next while telling the tragic tale of a writer that has his soul trampled upon by other powers in the universe. Mr. Perrine has asked Cangue League to use entirely recycled, reused, re-purposed materials for the props, set and even the large white back curtain required for this piece.

Cangue League's past five shows have been multi-media events and The Death of Schopenhauer is no exception. Bobbie Gilbert, Sean Kenny, Don Mangione and Gary Perrine will provide videos.  Mr. Kenny, CL's projectionist, is always looking for a unique material to use for a screen, Mr. Mangione will provide one of his wonderful abstract deconstructions of found footage, Ms. Gilbert is presenting a special unconventional animation using found and donated toys and Mr. Perrine will illustrate the entire de-evolution of writing and the evolution of music in a few minutes.

Rebecca Rodriguez

The phenomenal guitarist, Rebecca Rodriguez will be the center of sounds provided for The Death of Schopenhauer.  Ms. Rodriguez, known for her conventional work with The Icicles and as a soloist, will be surrounded by experimental acoustic objects such as old car parts and bark from sycamore trees and various reused matter to evoke the many emotions that an opera requires.

Nate Neal, author of the graphic novel, The Sanctuary and the intriguing  The Big Trip, returns to create another amazing poster. Click on the poster for a better look!

Click on one of the images below to check out some videos from our past shows:  

Victim/Criminal

           

Whispered Consuela

We Did it

The Answer

                            

                                                                            

Monday & Tuesday!

Want Want Lovely Play

Dog Story Theater

Lake Effect Fringe Festival

Tickets at www.dogstorytheater.com

Cangue League will be kicking up winter with their usual spices of unusual pieces.  CLO (Cangue League Orchestra) will do a set smack dab in the middle of the show. Watch for Rebecca Rodriguez and Gary Perrine to take the stage for their world famous "Ball and Chain" act!

Mexican soap operas, wild rides in the dessert with celebrities, people that aren't flowers, musicians that are and an old fashion film made by You!

It's all part of the odd fun from your friends at Cangue League on Monday February 11th and Tuesday February 12th at Dog Story Theater at 8:00pm!

Want Want Lovely Play is Cangue League's entry in the first annual Lake Effect Fringe Festival.