Parody politics

After Gore lost to Bush in 2000, and Kerry lost to Bush in 2004, Joseph Fedorko did what any red-blooded, news-addicted, left-leaning playwright would do--he started a comedy troupe. 

"Sometimes you've got to laugh to keep from crying...or to keep from throwing bricks through windows," says Fedorko, the founder of Democracy Burlesque, which will perform for the Democratic Party of Evanston fundraiser on Nov. 13.

Although Democracy Burlesque began performing in 2006, Fedorko started marshaling singers, dancers, actors and musicians for a good cause back in 2003, with a benefit performance for Howard Dean. Next came a small Political Action Committee called Chicago Artists for Democracy, which donated money to several candidates, including then-Senator Obama. 

Fedorko's poitical leanings are no secret--he is active in Amnesty International, and he has just been voted onto the steering committee for the northside Democracy for America group, but Democracy Burlesque is an "equal opportunity offender," skewering hypocrisy, opportunism and windbags wherever they are found. The latest show, premiering at their regular Andersonville venue, Mary's Attic, is called "Hypocrisy Now" and finds fodder in hypocritical hipsters, ESPN sports coverage, and Illinois' tendency to favor politicians who just happen to be the sons or daughters of politicians. 

The troupe includes professors, seasoned performers and young people who support their artistic ambitions with jobs at Whole Foods, but as a New City feature story about the Democracy Burlesque pointed out, "everyone onstage and off is an obvious political pundit, with a knack for spinning contemporary politics into a mélange of relatable vignettes unified by a central theme."

For several years, Fedorko was a playwright in residence for Chicago Dramatists, but he is also an adjunct professor at Columbia College and Roosevelt University, and he brings a bit of the educator to all his dealings with Democracy Burlesque. As the group worked on script called "Ayn Rand, he found that some of the younger members of the troupe really needed to get up to speed on the mid-century "Objectivist" philosopher Ayn Rant. Likewise, the writing for the show "See Jane Run: Sketch Comedy about Sexual Positions in Politics" turned into a learning experience for everyone, says Fedorko.

"We happened to have three generations of women at the table and the question came up of why the young women were so reluctant to use the word 'feminism.' From there we got into a pretty good, heady discussion and that eventually was reflected in the work."

For the Nov. 13 benefit performance, Fedorko and artistic director Erik Parsons are putting together a "greatest hits" show that will feature sketches from several past shows. They promise song, dance, laughs, live music and just enough "equal opportunity" satire to make you think. 

The Nov. 13 fundraiser at Tommy Nevins in Evanston will include appetizers, a cash bar and a membership for non-members. It  begins with drinks and mingling at 6 p.m., followed by an approximately hourlong performance at 7 p.m. Cabaret-style seating is limited, so click HERE to get your tickets!