Doorika was a performance arts collective based in Chicago and New York City from 1990-1999. It was a collaborative group with a mix bag of visual artists, performers, non-actors and musicians who worked on developing multi-media theater projects. It was co-founded by John Dooley and Erika Yeomans in 1990. Some of the artists that contributed and worked on the shows were: Eric Koziol, Jon Langford, The Aluminum Group, Casey Spooner, Lisa Perry, Doug Huston, Amy Galper, Ford Wright, Marianne Potje, Deborah Shirley, William F. Wright, Tamara Wasserman, Jim Skish, Celia Bucci, Mot Filipowski, Magica Bottari, Ken Weaver, Amy Kerwin, Matthew Kopp, Kelly Kuvo, LIzzy Yoder, Scott Leuthold, Scott Fulmer, Ken Kobland, Jeremiah Clancy, Peter Redgrave, Carla Bruce-Lee among others.
Doorika made a benefit CD entitled DIG THIS in 1996 by Sweet Pea Records.[1]
They performed at PS 122, Ontological-Hysteric Theater, Chopin Theater, CBGB's Gallery, Chicago Filmmakers,[2] Ohio Theater's Ice Factory Series, Vineyard Theater, Bailiwick Repertory Theatre, St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery, Downtown Theater Festival among other venues in New York and Chicago.
The last production of Doorika was in the summer of 1999 at Ohio Theater’s Ice Factory Festival, Wooster Street, NYC. Inspired loosely on Peer Gynt it was created with the last $50.00 of production funds. The performers made costumes out of what we had left - a box of masking tape. For set design, we used a roll of polka dotted wrapping paper from Material for the Arts. The Rheingold Beer Can represents a character that talks to Peer Gynt aka Casey Spooner. The Beer Can had a prerecorded voice from IMAC’s new voice readers.
Doorika split from co-founder and we were on the move 1994-1995 migrating / touring between New York and Chicago. One of the last shows we worked on in Chicago was DEAR (1995). It was conceived as a sort of loser lounge/comic strip an ode to Chicago and loosely based on the art of comic artist Chris Ware. He hated the show. We performed it at any type of venue such as Lounge Ax where I’m pretty sure Fred Armisen was working at the time. We performed at Chicago Filmmakers and Nick Offerman came out carrying a barbie doll birthday cake in faux drag to celebrate our beloved Costume Designer Heather Priest. By end of 1995 - the loose collective of performers were moving west, south and east. We performed Dear at Ohio Theater in New York City the same year. Spinning Set designed by Architect Scott Fulmer and lighting/sound design by Andrea Polli. Perfomers Casey Spooner, Marianne Potje, Amy Galper, Jim Skish, Ford Wright
Based on Gertrude Stein’s “Dr. Faustus Lights the Lights!, Bathe Me” was conceived as live feed and musical project performed in Chicago at the Chopin Theater at Chicago Filmmakers and Ontological Theater at St Marks in 1995-1996 Music by Jon Langford of the Mekons. Video Projections by Eric Koziol. Perfomers: Marianna Potje, Bobby Conn, Amy Galper, Jim Skish, Ford Wright with video cameos by Bryn Magnus and Nick Offerman
2 part performance project based on Walter Abish’s story “ In So Many Words”. 1993 Most of Save and part two Hardhead Flair 1994 performed at the Doorika Gallery space in West Side Chicago. Performers Marianne Potje, Lisa Perry, Jim Skish and Casey Spooner. Set by South African artist Wilhelm Hahn
