About Us

Democracy Burlesque has been performing political theatre for the politically active since 2006. We exist to be a gathering place for those trying to change the world a little bit at a time while raising awareness, supplies and money for worthy nonprofit grassroots organizations.  We produce a quarterly variety show featuring top-notch original political satire from our Actors of Evil and playing host to some of the best performing artists and musical acts in Chicago.

Democracy Burlesque: Where Only the Politics are Naked

 

The Company

Aaron Benham
Member since Spring 2009
Music Director, Actor of Evil & "Resident Liberace"

Aaron got involved with DB the second he moved to Chicago.  He is originally from Des Moines via Kansas City and Boston and New York City and Charlotte.  He plays the cabaret scene around Chicago and works as an actor and music director.  During the day he teaches music and theatre at a preschool.  Oh yeah, and he sings with the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus too.  Coming soon: Aaron will music direct The Fantasticks with the Promethean Theatre Ensemble.

 

Greg Brew
Gregori XII, Duke of Muscovy
Member Since Spring 2009
Actor of Evil & Prop and Puppet Wrangler

After being left on the doorstep of a Franciscan friary by his negligent circus-performer parents, Greg was trained from childhood in the ancient art of cauldron dipping, but the loss of the feeling in the tips of his fingers meant that he was forced to turn to his only other available profession: student theater. Since then, Greg has moved from shanty town to shanty town, performing in a number of pitifully under-appreciated Shakespearean knock-off productions, while also working as a traveling spoon salesmen. He supposedly has four siblings, lives in Minnesota and attends the University of Chicago, but no body has ever seen any evidence of it, and it remains primarily a disputed urban myth.

 

Regina Buccola
Founding Member 2006
Poet/Actor of Evil/Writer/Vampire Assassin

Born in Kentucky, Buccola's first word as a child was "schadenfreude," which is weird, because her family is Italian.  She was raised Catholic, which she thinks explains her affinity for dressing up in costumes, memorizing long texts, and getting up in front of people to repeat them back -- with emphasis!  Her first pet was a parakeet named Tweety, and the first place that she lived was on Lansing.  You figure it out.  When she is not performing on a stage, she is performing at the front of a classroom at Roosevelt University.

 

Jason Burkett
Member Since 2008
Writer

Jason got started writing sketches for DB due to the relentless recruiting efforts of Erik Parsons. Since then, he has contributed over ten sketches, including "The Amish Knew When to Stop" and "Magic of the Season" which was performed in the "Best of DB" show, as well as on the radio. Jason prides himself on being the "Republican" voice of DB determined to "help Chicago's liberals be a little less closed minded."

 

Sandra Bykowski
Founding Member 2006
Actor Of Evil, Producer, Director

Sandra Bykowski is a founding member of Democracy Burlesque, having worked with Joe Fedorko since they were young, idealist college pups. Now that they are cynical, wizened and middle aged, they still have yet to give up their youthful idealistic dreams of saving the world through comedy (she still votes for the Green Party)! As a comedy performer, Sandy feels grateful to have moved to Illinois, where the fodder for political comedy is always in season. Sandy personally implores each and every one of you to attend DB shows, laugh and learn and muckrake with us and make this a success, so that she won't be forced to sell her 2 children to medical experiments. Please help us. The American Lung Association is already making an attractive offer...

 

Cameron Comstock
Member since Fall 2009
Actor of Evil 

Cameron Comstock is in his first season with Democracy Burlesque and Chicago. He hails from Louisville, KY and has never been to the Derby. Don’t knock him for it though, he’s not alone. Cameron has a liberal arts degree and thus is pretty good at a lot of things. Cameron loves cars, especially cars that crash. That’s not ill-wishing it’s just an awkward way of saying that he loves demolition derbies. This is starting to feel like an “I Saw You” post isn’t it? Cameron thinks those are hilarious and is about to fire his bio writer.

Joseph Fedorko
Founder 2006
Executive Producer & Head Writer - "This is all HIS idea, officer!"

The initial idea for DB hatched in Joe's fevered brain after first co-producing a multi-artistic benefit for Howard Dean in 2003. When that made Dean scream he moved on to a MoveOn meeting and, with other conspiratorial artists, hatched Chicago Artists for Democracy - a tiny PAC that produced five events and raised $3,000 - which they donated to, among others, an up-and-comer named Obama. After that came the idea that, in 2006, became DEMOCRACY BURLESQUE!  When not producing, writing, running lights, or cooking for this brood, Joe can be found at Chicago Dramatists (Resident Playwright), Columbia College and Roosevelt University (paying the mortgage), with the Roosevelt Adjunct Faculty Organization (unionizing like a mofo), and keeping his activist chops up via Amnesty International, Northside Democracy for America, and anything else that briefly catches his obviously overindulged ADD. Thanks for coming!

 

Greta M. Frank
Member since 2008 
Choreographer/Actor of Evil

Greta joined DB on a whim and never looked back. She currently is a Supervisor at Whole Foods Market in Lincoln Park to pay those bills. Besides Democracy Burlesque, she choreographs for the Celebration Singers at Lincoln Middle School in Mount Prospect, IL. She also is a Free Lance Choreographer/Teacher around the Chicagoland area. "They may not know what I'm doing, but they know I'm doing something!" - Bob Fosse

 

Tyshaun Lang (aka Titian)
Member since Fall 2009
Actor of Evil

Tyshaun is a native of Versailles, Kentucky (pronounced Ver-Sales..the French are quite disgusted by this).  His Alma Mater is Centre College where he received a B.S. in Mathematics.  He is also a proud member of Phi Kappa
Tau. You may have seen Tyshaun frolicking across the Bluegrass state with his beloved pet snail, Meredith Bell.  He holds this snail quite dear to him, since Meredith often likes to massage his funny bone.  Tyshaun hates the word chunk, so please do not say it around him.  Lastly, if Tyshaun could transform into anything, he'd choose to be the taste bud umami. Enough said.

 

Dani Loumena
Member Since 2007
Actor of Evil

Dani has been in theatre since she was three and has been involved with as much theatre as she possibly could ever since then. She feels that her passion lies in comedy, but has found her niche in drama, as well. She is currently a student at Columbia College and hopes to follow her childhood dream of being in film. Dani got involved with Democracy Burlesque in 2007 and has enjoyed the opportunities she has been given to perform at the many different shows they have put on since then. She hopes to continue to work with DB as much as possible, and is very proud to be a part of such a troupe of outspoken, intelligent and talented people.

 

Aileen May
Member Since Spring 2009
Actor of Evil

Aileen May just joined Democracy Burlesque. She initially was drawn to the group because Democracy and Burlesque are two of her favorite words. That, and synchronicity. And epithet. And scintillating. And Horse Shit. Horse shit is the best swear word, in Aileen’s opinion. Aileen’s favorite color is green, her favorite food is sushi, and her favorite animal is a kitten. (Not necessarily a full-grown cat.) Aileen does not like babies, but she does not mind children once they can talk and reason like rational persons. Aileen thinks Cubs fans blow, but she still likes Springtime better than any other time. Long live Obama. Cheers.

 

Erik "With-a-K" Parsons
Member Since 2006
Artistic Director, Writer & Actor of Evil

A nomad since birth, Erik has lived in 15 cities and 10 states. Having lived in so many places, Erik has been privy to just about every level of political craziness to be found in this country and in turn developed what he calls an equal-opportunity sense of Snark. Hoping to end his nomadic existence among good people and cold weather, Erik moved to Chicago in 2006. Shortly thereafter, he met Joe Fedorko and introduced to Democracy Burlesque, where he could rant, rave and laugh rather than relying on sedatives to cope with living under the Bush regime. After directing a couple sketches for the Holiday show, Erik was promptly named Time magazine's 'Person of The Year.'   He has continued his work with Democracy Burlesque hoping to receive an Ig Nobel prize  for research on what makes Illinois politics so ridiculous. After all, Lincoln invented the emoticon .

Kayla Pulley
Member Since Fall 2009
Actor of Evil

Kayla Pulley was born in a pineapple under the sea. Albus Dumbledore found her one day while scuba diving. Once he realized she possessed no magical talent he sent her to a school called Columbia College to study theatre. She is new to the group and very excited, and looks forward to working with Democracy Burlesque in the future. 

 

Schlocko Putzberger (born Paul Moulton)
Member Since 2006 (A.D.)
Writer of Wrongs

After graduating from Northwestern, Paul turned down offers to write for "Saturday Night Live" and "Seinfeld" so he could pursue his first love, medical billing.  During a chance encounter with a tarot-card reader in a Y2K bomb shelter, Paul learned that he is actually the reincarnation of Schlocko Putzberger, a failed vaudevillian who died of a cream-pie overdose on October 24, 1929.  Since realizing that show business is his destiny, Schlocko/Paul has written for "Democracy Burlesque," appeared on the little-seen public access cable show "We're Geniuses in France," and portrayed one of the "Three Little Maids from School" in a Japanese production of "The Mikado."