Favorite community voices from the Opinion column of The Onion, America's Finest News Source, come to life when 16 Philadelphia actors take the L'Etage Cabaret stage in a benefit performance for The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium's 2009 season on Sunday, February 15, 2009 at 6 and 9 pm.

The 70-minute show will feature a gathering of Philadelphia's liveliest actors portraying our favorite characters from The Onion, the weekly satirical newspaper known for its outrageous and ruthless humor. Performers/columnists scheduled to perform in RAW ONION include: Jane Moore as the guilt-ridden Eugenia Korner in "I'm Sorry, Jesus," Chris Fluck as enthusiastic garage-band rocker Brad Gordimer in "Are You Coming to My Show Tonight?"; Sonja Robson as Trudy Schiff, lunatic homemaker, in "I've Got A New Soup That Will Knock Campbell's On Its Ass," and Liam Castellan as over-intellectualizing sports fan Bill Brodhagen in "You Will Suffer Humiliation When the Sports Team From My Area Defeats the Sports Team From Your Area." Also scheduled to perform are Bill Rayhill, R.J. White, Bob Schmidt and more.

RAW ONION is a fundraiser for The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium's 2009 season, which is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Eugene Ionesco's birth by staging productions of his classic absurdist works The Lesson (opens Sunday February 22, 2009 at L'Etage Cabaret) and The Chairs (Philadelphia Fringe Festival, September 2009). IRC Artistic Director Tina Brock will direct The Lesson. Both works, beyond ridiculing the most banal situations, depict in a tangible way the solitude and insignificance of human existence. Author Rosette Lamont coined the phrase "Metaphysical Farce" to define Much of Ionesco's work -- a dramatic genre in which philosophical thought and political criticism were hidden under the wit and laughter of comedy. Ionesco is considered by many to be the "father of absurdism," an author whose works express the impossibility and futility of communication with a surreal comic force. The Lesson features local actors Tom Byrn as The Professor, Jane Moore as The Maid, and Kate Regan-Black as The Pupil. The Chairs (1952) is the second work in the year-long celebration, which will be presented as part of the 2009 Philadelphia Fringe Festival.

The IRC's critically-acclaimed Fringe 2008 production, A Streetcar Named Durang: Two Burlesques and a Nightmare, enjoyed a sold-out run and was described by The Philadelphia Inquirer as "hilarious" and "eye-moppingly funny" and the Philadelphia City Paper as "magic." The company has been gaining critical attention and building audience since its formation in 2006, tackling difficult and rarely-produced works by Samuel Beckett, Harold Pinter and Edward Albee.

IRC's RAW ONION: Laugh 'till You Cry!
L'Étage Cabaret, the intimate 50-seat theater above Beau Monde Creperie at 6th and Bainbridge Streets in Philadelphia, which has served as the IRC's home since their formation in 2006, will host RAW ONION: Laugh 'till You Cry!

RAW ONION: Laugh 'till You Cry!! will have two performances only at L'Étage Cabaret on Sunday, February 15 at 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm. Doors open 30 minutes before curtain. Tickets are $20.00. Seating is very limited; reservations are recommended: 215.285.0472 or on the website at www.idiopathicridiculopathyconsortium.com.

More for more information and photos on RAW ONION: Laugh 'till You Cry! contact Tina Brock at 215.285.0472. The IRC is a 501C3 non-profit organization, and a member of the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, and is a proud participant in the Barrymore Awards, recognizing excellence in local theater; and The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance.