THE PIECE
On July 12, 1979, Chicago erupted in what some call “the day disco died”. At Comiskey Park, the “Disco Sucks” movement’s record torching publicity stunt turned into a riot, destroying thousands of disco records. Just a few blocks away, in a fictional South Side discotheque, a group of regulars dance, celebrate, and fight to survive as the city’s cultural fabric is torn open. Disco Demo is an interview-based musical that shifts the spotlight from the spectacle to the people who lived it. Drawn directly from the voices of patrons, DJs, and club owners, it’s part oral history and part found-text theatre, sharing a portrait of the Black, Brown, and queer Chicagoans who found solace in a genre that championed joy and liberation.
THE ARTISTS
Adam J. Rineer (they/xe/he) is a composer, writer, and music director focused on interdisciplinary performance. Adam's musicals include THIRD SEX: 1930S TRANSVESTITE LIEDER (Ars Nova, HERE Arts Center, Musical Theatre Factory, The Makers’ Ensemble) and A TRIP TO THE MOON (HERE Arts Center, PRISM Festival at Judson Memorial Church, The Parkside Lounge, The Maas Building, Temple University, CAP21). They’ve music directed for institutions like Goodspeed Musicals, MCC Theatre, NAMT, and TheatreWorks Hartford. Adam is a co-founder of the UNTITLED Musical Project, holds an M.F.A. from Temple University, and is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Pace University. https://www.adamjrineer.com/ @adamjrineer
Jason Aguirre (he/him/el) is a queer, Mexican-American director, book writer, and choreographer. He has developed and presented work at Ars Nova, HERE Arts, Vineyard Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Roundabout Theatre Company, EST, and Musical Theatre Factory. He is a Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF) Fellow, mentored by Susan Stroman, an alumnus of the Directors Group at Roundabout Theatre Company, a graduate of the George and Joy Abbott MFA in Musical Theatre Collaboration at Temple University, a member of the BMI Workshop, and the recipient of the Boris Sagal Fellowship at Williamstown Theatre Festival. Jason is the Co-Artistic Director of UNTITLED Musical Project and the Associate Artistic Director of Vineyard Theatre. j-aguirre.com @jasona57