Where the hell did you go, Strange Tree?

Hey!! Where did those Strange Trees go?

This is the time of year when tradition dictates that we here at the Strange Tree Group begin bombarding you loyal Tree-ers with blogs, emails, posters, midnight telephone calls, artful lawn-burnings, and all the other tools we use to promote our fabulous Halloween Show. You know the one: collaborating with the amazing ladies from Aloft Aerial Dance, we put together a musical, death-defying wow-ganza of gasp-eliciting stunts, songs, soliloquies and silliness. This year is no exception, except for one tiny exception:

We're not doing it.

Tradition is weakness: it shows undue reverence for the bourgeois superstitions of the past, and the Strange Tree Group will not be party to it. So, in the spirit of glorious revolution, we cast off the shackles of expectation and zig where our enemies (and fans too, maybe) expect us to zag! ha-HAH! Didn't see that coming, did you?! Neither did we. That's how fast decisions are made around here.

Come now, hush your crying! It's not the end of the world! It's not like we've canceled Christmas! We don't have the authority to do that! Not for you, anyway! (Note to Strange Tree Group Company Members: Christmas is canceled.)

If you're like me, and you're tempted to turn to the bottle for solace, let me just warn you: Lee's Discount Liquor actually charges MORE for malt beverages than most places do. Try Rainbow Beer & Wine on Montrose. I'll meet you there at 11 o'clock in the morning, every day.

HOWEVER: Whispers, Rumors, Mysteries...

I never thought that I would know so many novelty-cake bakers by their first names. Or know how to lease a stuffed lion. Or know where to find a stilt-walking juggler/acrobat on short notice. But then, I never knew that I'd one day be entrusted with planning a party for the infamous Strange Tree Group. But here I am.

For those of you who have never BEEN to a Strange Tree Party, all you need to know is: assume nothing. You may see things that will change your life. You may PARTAKE of things that you've never partaken of. At the very least, you will be entertained. And you'll get a chance to see ORIGINAL SCENES by that master of all things original, The Chicago Reader's own Playwright of the Year: Emily Schwartz! These are scenes that have never seen the light of day, and that may never see the light of day again... so catch them while you can!

I also have heard rumors that the amazing creatures from Aloft Aerial Dance may be making an appearance... OOOOOOooooooooo!!!

Details are still sketchy as of this writing, but the crystal should begin to clear over the next few days... in the meantime: wait. With bated breath. Strange Tree is Coming.

Compliments of The Narrator, Weston Davis.