Irvinville is a daring new play following a town besieged by a rampaging circus elephant, and the generational trauma resulting from its demise. Weaving the fantastic seamlessly within a collage of our nation’s greatest blunders, the line between history and legend is blurred. Using fireside storytelling traditions, Irvinville becomes a modern American myth of ridiculous proportions, daring the audience to question their complicity in their own destruction.

    Written and performed by Lucius Robinson and Kevin Duvall, and using no technical elements whatsoever, Irvinville explores how we use performance to reflect upon our shared past, and reveal how we become the stories we tell.  Irvinville will be performed at Tritriangle at 1550 Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago on November 8 and 9. Doors open at 7:30 and the show begins at 8.

    With nothing more than themselves, Robinson and Duvall share a story spanning several decades and over a dozen characters. At the center is Jaxson Sallow, a decrepit old boy, and the only person left in Irvinville, tasked with maintaining the archaic machinery which powered this once great town; and Mary, the circus elephant responsible for triggering Irvinville’s slow, hard decline. Together they make flesh the terrible tragedy of the “Evening of the Tusk Moon,” when Mary revolts at the circus, the ensuing “Terrorphant Siege,” where Irvinville faces the constant threat of the elephant in the woods, and Mary’s Trial when she is convicted before the entire town. It is her story that entangles Irvinville into the hearts of a nation, but she brings the town to ruin all the same. Through a sculpted whirlwind of characters, stories, memories, and lies, the truth of this place is gradually revealed: violence is easy; more than easy, it is natural.  

   LUDU is a two-person ensemble composed of Kevin Duvall and Lucius Robinson. We believe in weird stories, well-told. We also believe theater should be available and accessible to all persons, not just to attend, but also to create. Irvinville is our first show.

        Lucius Robinson is a Princess Grace award-winning performer, director, writer, and teacher. He received his MFA from the Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theater and his MAT from Notre Dame of Maryland University. Favorite performance credits include: The Winter’s Tale, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Venture Shakespeare); Forgive Us, Gustavito (Otherlands Ensemble); Love and Information (The Delta Boys); The Weir (Burning Coal Theater Company) and The Pillowman (Manbites Dog Theater). Originally from North Carolina, he has enjoyed being able to spend time in California, Minnesota, and Maryland. He proudly teaches for Baltimore City Schools and devises new things as often as he is able. 

       Kevin Duvall has been making work in the theatre for over 25 years as an actor, writer, director, producer, and teacher. He received his MFA from the Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theater and his BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University. Originally from Richmond, VA, Kevin has lived and worked in Chicago for over twelve years working with numerous theatre companies including The Neo-Futurists, The Raven Theatre, and The American Blues Theatre, as well as creating over a dozen original shows, and working in commercials and films.