Charybdis
Member
Profiles
Andrew Bedno
Mike "Four/4" Brunner
William Darkë
& The Psycho Circus
Defiant Theatre Company
John DeLeonardis
AJ Esbrook
Mark Faje
Alan Gold
Carm Grisolia
Tom Hickey
Gail Knox
Nikki Lopez
Ron Mather
Daniel Myers
David Myers
Brian Miller
Rich "Ram" Moore
Richard "Chip" Rosenthal
Brian Shaw
Cynthia Simms
Joe Swain
David Trantina
Reverend J Vela
Gregor Mortis
Gregor is the founder and visionary of Charybdis. Mission statement and bio below:
THE ART WORLD IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE,
THE FUSE HAS BEEN LIT
From the birth of artistic expression to the present, the Artist is both celebrated and despised. Either the Artist is placed high on a pedestal to be worshiped and adored, or they are spat on and looked at as lazy outcasts, troublemakers, or egomaniacs. Usually there is no middle ground. It is within this catch 22 that the Artist must navigate and either sink or swim. In capitalist America, the Artist’s value is weighed against the financial returns that he or she can obtain from the production of their particular art form.
Because of the potential for riches and fame, the art industry has created an aesthetic of competition for the coveted pedestal to be a superstar and rise above the rest of the populace. Creativity has given way to productivity and talent has given way to begging for contacts to ‘sell out’. Artists have become a commodity to be bought and sold, and art has been standardized and compromised for a buck.
For the Artist to evolve and retain his or her integrity of expression to be consumed for the masses, the focus of competition must change. Instead of competing with fellow Artists, the battle arena must be expanded into a larger scope to focus on the root of the problem: Capitalism.
Scylla runs the art industry. Her many heads are Capitalistic business people who control mass distribution of artistic products. They are not the creators. They are the profiteers. Artists must learn through each other and dive into the center of the whirlpool of their own creations and have a support network aimed at one thing: Corporate independence. It takes a large organization to take back an industry that rightfully belongs to the artists, the creators. The Artists of all mediums must rally together, under an umbrella of support and acquire financial independence. They must embrace the blueprints for their societal structure and become self-sufficient.
Not be sponsored, but instead be the sponsors themselves. Then, only then, will change become a reality. For in America, money equals power and power equals control or independence.
Let’s face it, America wasn’t founded with an ideal for freedom, America was founded to become a financial, independent money machine. The freedom comes only to those with the money and now England is far away and we serve a new colonial master - Corporate America. Our forefathers were smart businessmen who realized the biggest truism: the only way to get what you want is to do it yourself.
The Artists must do the same and secede from the industry standard. Charybdis is the ‘new world’ and all the Artists are the pioneers. The Artists need a new frontier of independence to creatively carve our place in history.
Let’s start over.
Gregor Mortis Tatro was born and raised in Chicago
and received his BFA at the University of Illinois, Urbana.
His accomplishments include:
- Founder & Visionary of the Charybdis Multi-Arts Complex, currently seeking relocation. Last located at 4423 N. Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL. 60630.
- Founding member of the Defiant Theatre Company, a non-for-profit theatre company in existence for 12 years in the city of Chicago, since 1993 (voted Best Experimental Theatre Company in Chicago Magazine’s "Best of Chicago")
- A Performer in the history making production of Achilles: A Kabuki Play, directed by Shozo Sato, which toured Japan in 1991. This was the first time in Japan history where a group of Americans performed in the Kabuki Theatres.
- Ensemble Member of the Strawdog Theatre Company, a non-for-profit theatre company in existence for 17 years in the city of Chicago, since 1988 located at 3829 N. Broadway. Gregor is also the Casting Director for this dynamic northside theatre.
- Winner of Chicago's Joseph Jefferson Citation for Outstanding Achievement in 2005 for "Sound Design" for the Defiant Theatre production of Action Movie: The Play.
- Winner of Chicago's Joseph Jefferson Citation for Outstanding Achievement in 2005 for "Best Ensemble" for the Defiant Theatre production of Action Movie: The Play.
- Winner of Chicago's After Dark Award in 1996 for "Best Overall Technical Achievement in Theatre" for the Defiant Theatre production of Ubu Raw.
- Musician & Vocalist for the musical group Prank (winner of Chicago's After Dark Award in 1998 "Best Original Music Recording" for the Defiant Theatre production of Action Movie: The Play)
- Audio Sculptor & Sound Designer for countless theatre companies & performance groups within the city of Chicago (winner of Chicago's After Dark Award in 1998 "Best Original Sound Design" for the Defiant Theatre production of Action Movie: The Play)
- Co-Creator, Director, Producer, and Performer for Wireless: Radio Theatre at Strawdog Theatre Company. An original radio show produced twice a year recorded live in front of a studio audience.
- Professional Radio & Club DJ – throughout the state of Illinois & on the radio with WPGU in Champaign, IL.
- As an actor, director, performer, designer, or technician with many theatre companies and art organizations in the city of Chicago, including: Defiant, Strawdog, Chicago Shakespeare, Steppenwolf, The Goodman, Midnight Circus, Theatre On The Lake, The Factory, New Crime Productions, Mary Arrchie, Touchstone, The Journeymen, Footsteps, Bailiwick, The Theatre Building, The Museum of Contemporary Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, Columbia College, The Chicago Cultural Center, The Mayor’s office of Special Events, etc…
- Producer and/or Director of theatre, multi-media events, film and music videos all within the state of Illinois.
