About Us
Democracy Burlesque is a sketch comedy and variety show with top-notch original political satire, music and guest acts. Since its inception in 2006 Democracy Burlesque has raised thousands of dollars for local charities and is always looking for more causes to give away money to.
(If you know of a cause that could use our support contact us via info@democracyburlessque.com)
The Company
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.
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...
Brittny Congleton
Member Since 2010
Actor of Evil, Writer of Wrongs
Once upon a time, amid an explosion of flowers, carbohydrates, eye makeup and quite a few sparkles, Brittny Congleton was created. Shooting from the womb, with the grace of a flying squirrel, holding a picket sign in one hand and a can of hair spray in the other, she began her big haired journey into the world of theatre, activism, and improv, with a brassy song in her heart and a feather in her hair. You can find the down right crazy ginger residing in her Roger's Park flat, with fellow actor of evil Tyshaun, creating bombs of brilliance, rockets of randomness and lots and lots of pasta!!! She is thoroughly thrilled to be here in the big city, after her incredible adventures in Kentucky, and the magical land ofTransylvania University! She would like to remind you all to do your part and put something silly in the world!
Colleen Dilts
Member since 2012
Actor of Evil
After traveling to 55 countries and 48 states, Colleen has momentarily reigned in her travel lust long enough to become an actual ensemble member somewhere. She is currently making a career out of playing a cripple, after having enough knee surgery for your average football player this fall. Since moving to Chicago she was spotted in a wheelchair as Soupy Sue in Urinetown at Oakton Community College and portraying Laura in The Glass Menagerie at Steel Beam Theatre. This is a step up from her previous career path of being furniture, which is how she made her theatrical debut as a bed post in A Christmas Carol and a sundry mixture of set pieces in Uncle Vanya. She moved to Chicago after living in Washington D.C., which had the rather surprising effect of increasing her interest in politics instead of turning her into a bitter, jaded, intern goon like most of the people she knows there.
Joseph Fedorko
Founder 2006
Executive Producer & Head Writer of Wrongs- "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!
David Kravitz
Member since December 2011
Actor of Evil
David Kravitz was recently acquired by Democracy Burlesque in trade for a small eyeless stuffed monkey and a City of Chicago parking ticket reportedly signed by Timothy Leahry. On his way to appearing regularly in Mary's Attic, he firmly believes that the financial upside of his involvement with this fine company is certain to eventually pay for his dental implants. If you happen to meet David please do not burst this bubble because when disappointed he has been known to fall to his knees and cry like an Iranian secret agent whose magnetic bomb has become stuck on the metal plate in his forehead. Believe me, it’s not pretty.
Tyshaun Lang (aka Titian)
Member since 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.
Nicole Marquardt,
Member Since Summer 2010
Resident Stage Manager *to the stars*, Producer & EventsBooking Manager
She has never lived anywhere outside of the Chicagoland area, but has lived in a political black hole most of her life. After growing up in the northside ghetto of Belmont Central, Nikki moved to the suburban sprawl of Mundelein to enjoy the wonders of needing a car and the mega mall. While attending Barat College, a very small liberal arts college in Lake Forest, it was discovered that the school was bankrupt and would close before her matriculation period was up if they were not purchased by a larger school quickly. Even though the campus did eventually close due to a lacking enrollment, Nikki was able to earn her theatre studies degree in 2004 from DePaul University. After two years of the standard 9-5 worker drone living, she could stand no more and Nikki struck out to the big city to find her way in the theater business. Shortly thereafter she found Quest Theatre Ensemble and was on her way to making no money in storefront theatre, which brought her to where she is today working on the next exciting and funny DB production!
Erik Parsons
Member Since 2006
Artistic Director, Writer of Wrongs & 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 was introduced to Democracy Burlesque, where he could rant, rave and laugh rather than relying on sedatives to cope with the iniquities of American political discourse. 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 into what makes Illinois politics so ridiculous. After all, Lincoln invented the emoticon.
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."
Don Washington
Member Since 2011
Don has served as a political and
strategist,
researcher and field
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well-regarded
/ improvisational
Presently he is a speaker and instructor in the areas of
criminal
political strategy and campaign
Don was born
raised in Seoul Korea and attended
before leaving early to run
research for
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His unique ability to combine
expertise with savvy and
acumen has lead to a verifiable track record of
Don has played a critical part in the winning of a number of
Presently he is
organization that works in background for
both here and abroad.
[PLEASE REFER THIS FILE FOR FURTHER REDACTION]
Jamie Winger
Member Since 2009
Writer of Wrongs
Jamie Winger is a child of the corn. He is from Iowa and grew up in a funeral home. His first job was digging graves, and he thinks this is probably why he thinks horrible things are funny. When you're five and riding to school in a hearse with your dad, and he hands you a little box and asks you to hold "Bob" for a minute, your sense of what is appropriate gets a bit distorted. If a piece of comedy doesn't have a zombie, or an alien, or a talking bear, or an old prospector, or an evil reindeer, or Santa getting shot, Jamie doesn't really see the point. Jamie's favorite things include burritos, riding his bike, and new wave dance clubs!
