Set in an Afro-futuristic post-apocalyptic realm, The Hip Hopera of SP1N0K10 (pronounced “Spin-o-kio”) is a science fiction tale about an android who wants to be a real B-Boy. It’s co-written by Pierce Freelon and Tarish “Jeghetto” Pipkins, and performed with Tarish’s two sons, Divine and Tarin. Featuring an original score by hip-hop producer Hir-O, video, and emceeing, Jeghetto’s magical plywood marionettes share his “artivism” as the title character encounters racism, oppression and police brutality on their path toward a better future.
Dates/Times:
Friday, January 19 at 7 pm
Saturday, January 20 at 1 pm and 7 pm
Sunday, January 21 at 1 pm
Location: eta Creative Arts Foundation, 7558 S. South Chicago Ave.
Cost: $30/$20 students & seniors
Ages: 10 and up
Running Time: 45 mins
ADA Accessible? Yes
Tarish “Jeghetto” Pipkins was born in a small steel mill town called Clairton, PA. He is a self taught artist and has been creating art from a very young age. As a teenager, he moved to the East Side of Pittsburgh and graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School. In the late 90’s, Pipkins joined the BridgeSpotters Collective and became known for his live paintings and poetry. He was also a barber for over 20 years. He moved to North Carolina in 2005 where he launched his career in puppetry doing street performances with his puppets. In 2008 he started working with Paperhand Puppet Intervention, building puppets and performing in Paperhand productions. Jeghetto had the pleasure to work with Missy Elliott on her music video, “WTF (Where They From),” controlling the Pharell puppet and doing some puppet building. He also worked on the Amazon Echo commercial featuring Missy Elliott and Alec Baldwin as puppets. Pipkins is a former teacher at Just Right Academy, a private alternative school for children with special needs. He is married and a proud father of five children. jeghetto.com
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The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival advances the art of puppetry by presenting sophisticated programs vital to the cultural life of Chicago. Engaging and inspiring the largest and most diverse audiences for puppetry possible, the Festival is the biggest event dedicated to puppetry in North America and traditionally offers more than 100 activities annually including performances, workshops, artist instensives, free neighborhood events and symposia to audiences up to 14,000 over 11 days each January. The organization is also home to other key initiatives, including the Chicago Puppet Studio and Chicago Puppet Lab, that nurture the development of puppeteers and deepen the field locally, nationally and internationally with the ultimate goal of promoting peace, equality, mutual understanding, and justice locally and globally.
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