It was an interesting evening on January 28th at The Dinner Party when words of wisdom were shared by actress, playwright and Executive Director of the Black Ensemble Theater, Jackie Taylor, art collector and entrepreneur, Howard Tullman, and indie rocker, Kelly Hogan over food by chefs Mike and Pat Sheerin of The Trenchermen.
In talking about the creative process and overcoming your fears, Taylor said, "You may fail 99 percent of the time, but it is that 1 percent that makes you get up in the morning." You can see why the sold out crowd thought it was inspirational. Members from the cast of the Black Ensemble also performed a brief excerpt from the new play, From Doo Whop to Hip Hop, running now at the theater.
Howard Tullman, who shared a video of his art collection of naked ladies (and a few dogs), also shared snippets of truths learned over his many years of being a creative entrepreneur. "You don't get what you wish for, you get what your work for." And Kelly Hogan, who performed "Haunted" with Chicago favorite Jon Langford, won the audience with her sweet, but no-holes-barred charm. "The reward is in the doing. The rest is just gravy." This 90-minute conversation, in front of a packed crowd of 150, happend over Pickled Tots and Braised Pork Sholder from the Trenchermen, wine by Domane Wachau and chocolate by Vosges. What a night!
The next Fear No ART presents The Dinner Party is February 25th with featured chef, Homaro Cantu of Moto who will be making Chocolate Bombs, Carbonated Oranges, and Cigar Sandwiches. Seeing and tasting is believing, so you will want to experience his gastronomic ingenuity and hear from the man himself. Plus, he will be bringing the Miracle Berry for all to try. Guests at the table also include Artistic Director of Chicago Opera Theater, Andreas Mitisek, Artistic Director of The Seldoms, Carrie Hanson, and actor from ABC's Private Practice and Artistic Director of The Gift Theatre, Michael Patrick Thornton. A soprano from Chicago Opera Theatre will perform, as will dancers from The Seldoms. The opening act is Steve Dawson and Diane Christiansen of Dolly Varden. Appetizer and entrée tastings from Moto are paired with Domane Wachau wine and chocolate by Vosges. Yum!
To catch a glimps of Cantu in action, see the video below where he makes his famed Cigar Sandwiches.