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 on Sunday, May 25, 2008 at 6 and 9 pm.

The 70-minute show will feature some of Philadelphia’s funniest actors portraying our favorite characters from the Opinion column of The Onion, the weekly satirical newspaper known for its outrageous and ruthless humor. Performers/columnists scheduled to perform in RAW ONION include: Tony Lawton as master thespian John Kluivert extolling his lady’s virtues in “My Lady Has Beautiful Anus” , Gerre Garrett as happy homemaker Patricia Halsworthy in “I Refuse to Let Some Beached Whale Ruin Our Family Outing”; Kurt Runco as entrepreneur Donnie Hume on “I Can Beat the Price You’re Paying for Sperm”; Michele Guidry as Karen Lotse selling her wares in “Act Now to Take Advantage of My Lowered Standards”; Tina Brock as a disgruntled movie renter in “Why Do All These Porn Stars Have to Use Such Foul Language”, Joanne Cunningham as the eternally single Julie Jacobs in “I’m Sorry, But I Only Date Men My Friend Are Afraid Might Kill Me”; Jane Moore as a repentant consumer in “I’m Sorry, Jesus”; Sonja Robson as a lunatic Swedish homemaker in “I’ve Got A New Soup That Will Knock Campbell’s On Its Ass”; and Liam Castellan as an enthusiastic artistic director in “Hey Kids, Let’s Put On An Avant Garde Theater Show.” Also scheduled to perform are Peter Patrikios, R.J. White, Chris McGovern, Jim Boyle, Lee Pucklis and Bob Schmidt.

RAW ONION is a fundraiser for The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium, the Philadelphia-based theater company formed in 2006 whose mission is to present classic absurdist theater to audiences in the Philadelphia region. Proceeds will help fund the IRC’s Fringe 2008 show in September, A Streetcar Named Durang, three parodies of works by Tennessee Williams and Sam Shepard. The IRC’s last production “Oh, for the Love of Love!” in February 2008 sold out more than half of its performances, and was well-received by local critics. The Philadelphia City Paper called Oh! : “…a delightfully clever production.”

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: America Speaks Out!

RAW ONION: America Speaks Out! is the IRC’s seventh production since the company’s formation. In addition to Fringe productions in 2006 and 2007 featuring the works of Beckett, Ionesco, Durang and Edward Albee, the company presented Ionesco’s rarely seen full-length gem Victims of Duty in March 2007. The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote of Victims: “This new company’s name says it all: Ionesco’s absurdist drama isn’t for everybody, but if you like this kind of theater, you’ll like this solid production of a bizarre play about a man sent by a detective on a search for himself.”

RAW ONION: America Speaks Out! will have two performances only at L'Étage Cabaret on Sunday, May 25 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. RAW ONION is made possible by the generous support of The Onion: America’s Finest News Source, who granted us the rights to their copyrighted material for this benefit performance.

More for more information and photos on RAW ONION: America Speaks Out!, 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 The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance.