FEST ALERT: 22ND ANNUAL FILLET OF SOLO FESTIVAL, JANUARY 18–FEBRUARY 2, 2019

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LIFELINE THEATRE PRESENTS THE 22ND ANNUAL 

FILLET OF SOLO FESTIVAL, 

JANUARY 18–FEBRUARY 2, 2019 

Lifeline Partners with 12 Chicago Storytelling Collectives

Free Kick-Off Event With Discounted Festival Passes on January 16 at 7 p.m.

Lifeline Theatre Artistic Director Dorothy Milne and former Live Bait Theater Artistic Director Sharon Evans are pleased to announce the 22nd Annual Fillet of Solo Festival, running January 18–February 2, 2019. Celebrating the breadth of Chicago’s enduring storytelling and live lit scene, Lifeline brings 12 storytelling collectives and seven solo performers together for a three-week, multi-venue selection of powerful personal stories.

**FREE KICK-OFF NIGHT**

   

The 22nd Annual Fillet of Solo Festival offers easy access to 12 Live Lit groups and numerous solo performers that perform regularly throughout Chicago. On Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019 at 7 p.m., at the Heartland Event Space, (formerly Red Line Tap), 7006 N. Glenwood Ave. Dorothy Milne of Lifeline Theatre will lead a conversation with numerous local storytellers and share a taste of things to come in the festival.

The 2019 Fillet of Solo festival will perform January 18-February 2, 2019, in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood at Lifeline Theatre (6912 N. Glenwood Ave.) and the Heartland Event Space (Formerly Red Line Tap, 7006 N. Glenwood Ave. – new location this year). Free parking and shuttle available. 



Performance times are Fridays at 7 and 8:30 p.m. at both venues; Saturdays at 4, 5:30, 7, and 8:30 p.m. at both venues; and Sundays at 4 p.m. at Lifeline Theatre. 

Ticket prices are $10 for regular single tickets, and $50 for a Festival Pass (allows admission to any performance). Tickets may be purchased at the Lifeline Box Office, 773.761.4477, or by visiting www.lifelinetheatre.com.

Discounted Passes: Fillet of Solo Festival Passes will be offered at a special discounted rate of $25 at the free kick- off event (regularly $50).
The Kick-Off Night is free, no reservations required. Contact the Lifeline Theatre Box Office, 773.761.4477, for more information.

Top Picks:
the kates: An all-female comedy showcase that provides an intimate night of comedy dedicated to showcasing talented and hilarious female-identified performers by creating inclusive and positive environments. Artists are encouraged to express their comic point of view in unique and non apologetic ways - proving that women are equal in the eyes of comedy. Scheduled: Friday, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. and Friday, Feb.1 at 8:30 p.m. at Lifeline Theatre

The Lifeline Storytelling Project: The Lifeline Storytelling Project produces live music & storytelling events designed to develop and showcase artists affiliated with Lifeline Theatre. Scheduled: Saturday, Jan. 19 at 4 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 26 at 8:30 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 2 at 8:30 p.m. at Lifeline Theatre

Tellin’ Tales Theatre featuring Tekki Lomnicki: Tellin' Tales Theatre shatters the barriers between the disabled and non-disabled worlds through personal story — adult solo performances as well as "Six Stories Up,” a mentoring program and show featuring kids and adults, with and without disabilities. Tekki Lomnicki is a solo performer, playwright, director and educator. Scheduled: Saturday, Jan. 19 at 5:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 26 at 5:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 2 at 5:30 p.m. at Lifeline Theatre  


Sweat Girls: With 24 years of shared history, the Sweat Girls represent the greying edge of Chicago's Live Lit community. Known for their "contagious gusto" the Sweat Girls have been called "the undisputed tribal elders" of the solo performance scene (Chicago Reader , 2014). Scheduled: Saturday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 26 at 4 p.m., and Saturday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. at Lifeline Theatre.



Now in its 36th season, Lifeline Theatre is driven by a passion for story. Our ensemble process supports writers in the development of literary adaptations and new work, and our theatrical and educational programs foster a lifelong engagement with literature and the arts. A cultural anchor of Rogers Park, we are committed to deepening our connection to an ever-growing family of artists and audiences, both near and far. Lifeline Theatre – Big Stories, Up Close.
Lifeline Theatre’s programs are partially supported by Alphawood Foundation; A.R.T. League Inc.; Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Illinois; Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation; Chicago CityArts, a grant from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events; CIG Management; CNA Foundation; Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation; FGMK LLC; FlexPrint Inc.; Lloyd A. Fry Foundation; The Michael and Mona Heath Fund at The Chicago Community Trust Foundation; Illinois Arts Council Agency; Illinois Humanities Council; MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince; The National Endowment for the Arts; The PAV Grant Fund; The Polk Bros. Foundation; Rogers Park Social; The Saints; S&C Electric Company Fund; The Shubert Foundation; The Steele Foundation; Th Manufacturing; and the annual support of businesses and individuals.

FEST ALERT: THE 30th ANNUAL RHINOCEROS THEATER FESTIVAL RUNS JANUARY 12 – FEBRUARY 24 AT PROP THTR

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CURIOUS THEATRE BRANCH AND PROP THTR PRESENT THE 30th ANNUAL RHINOCEROS THEATER FESTIVAL, 

JANUARY 12 – FEBRUARY 24, 2019 AT PROP THTR 

(L to R)  Heather Riordan, Beau O'Reilly, Jenny Magnus, T-Roy Martin and Vicki Walden of THE CROOKED MOUTH, part of the 30th ANNUAL RHINOCEROS THEATER FESTIVAL, photo by Jeffrey Bivens

Chicago’s Longest Running Fringe Festival Returns with Six Weeks of Performances and Special Events Including Full Moon Vaudeville and a Celebration of Poet and Teacher John Starrs

Curious Theatre Branch and Prop Thtr are proud to announce the 30th annual Rhinoceros Theater Festival (Rhinofest), January 12 – February 24, 2019 at Prop Thtr, 3502 N. Elston Ave. The 2019 Rhinofest includes six weeks of new plays, dance, devised works, variety shows, comedy, live podcasting, fresh takes on classic texts, and more. Tickets go on sale Friday, Dec. 21 at 12 p.m. Performances are $15 or pay-what-you-can, and run daily except Tuesdays. A complete performance schedule with performances, dates and times is available at RhinoFest.com.

Julia Williams of SKRIKER, part of the 30th ANNUAL RHINOCEROS THEATER FESTIVAL, photo by Jeffrey Bivens

(L to R) Beau O'Reilly, Patrick Ford, Bethany Arrington, Emily Rich, Barry Lohman and Julia William of SKRIKER, part of the 30th ANNUAL RHINOCEROS THEATER FESTIVAL, photo by Jeffrey Givens 

First organized in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago, Rhinofest, the longest-running multi-arts fringe festival in Chicago is unique among national fringe festivals in that artists are never charged a fee to participate, and each year programs are individually curated by a rotating selection committee composed of Curious and Prop artistic leaders, led by Beau O’Reilly, rather than selected on a lottery basis. The Rhinofest provides production and exhibition opportunities to hundreds of artists, from Chicago companies and national artists alike, drawing thousands in attendance each year.

The 30th Rhinofest begins Saturday, Jan. 12 at 8 p.m. with Full Moon Vaudeville, featuring The Crooked Mouth, piloted by Curious co-founders Beau O’Reilly and Jenny Magnus with special musical guests Matt Test, Jeff Kowalkowski, Mac Modean Greenberg, Leo Brün and more. 

Rhinofest2019-5 - Violet of BI-POLAR BITCH, part of the 30th ANNUAL RHINOCEROS THEATER FESTIVAL, photo by Larry Hart

(L to R) Diane Hamm, Robert Puig Cuevas, Violet and Kelly Anchors of BI-POLAR BITCH, part of the 30th ANNUAL RHINOCEROS THEATER FESTIVAL, photo by Larry Hart

Fiercely independent and committed to discovery, Rhinofest this year features many young performing companies including The Neighborhood Collective, El Bear, Uploose Odditorium, and others along with festival veterans including beloved Chicago playwright Barrie Cole (performing from her latest work in a two-evening engagement), animator Chris Sullivan, Susan Parenti and Mark Enslin (of the School for Designing a Society), Charles Pike (performing a new monologue by David Hauptschein), and Prop Thtr co-founder Scott Vehill. 

Littlebrain Theatre premieres a new devised adaptation of Vittoria de Sica’s Bicycle Thieves written by Zach Barr, Tara Branham directs Tanuja Jagernauth’s new interactive work Lockpickers, and Rob Onorato performs Night of a Million Barbras, a drag monologue and political paean to the enduring star. Curious Theatre Branch premieres Matt Rieger’s new razor-sharp comedy My Dinner with... Joe and a staging of Caryl Churchill’s dark fairytale The Skriker, while Prop Thtr produces a weekly live taping of Ben Moroney and Rahim Salaam’s arts and culture podcast “What About Chicago?!” And on Tuesday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m., during the final week of Rhinofest, a special event celebrates John Starrs, the Chicago poet and teacher who has appeared in every Rhinofest since 1988.

Diane Hamm of CABARET PROP'D, part of the 30th ANNUAL RHINOCEROS THEATER FESTIVAL, part of the 30th ANNUAL RHINOCEROS THEATER FESTIVAL, photo by Beast Women

About Prop Thtr
The Prop Thtr is a DIY incubator for new performance work in all disciplines, and is a charter member of both The League of Chicago Theaters and the National New Play Network. Prop Thtr produces new plays, special events, rolling world premieres with their NNPN members; they also helped launch The New Play Exchange and co-produce the annual Rhinoceros Theater Festival. Prop Thtr is a renter of performance and rehearsal space and camp/class space and collaborates with productions on location and around the city. Prop Thtr is an Illinois Not-For-Profit 501c3 Organization that benefits from support by the MacArthur Fund of the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation and The Illinois Arts Council, in addition to being supported by artists and audiences of Illinois.

About Curious Theatre Branch
Founded in 1988 by Jenny Magnus and Beau O'Reilly-as the Curious Theatre "Branch" of the alt-rock cabaret act Maestro Subgum and the Whole-Curious has consistently worked with an ensemble of artists in a non-hierarchical decision-making process, through which the philosophy of collaboration as a social force is explored on every level.

Curious Theatre Branch has produced more than 100 full productions of world-premiere shows in 30 years. Curious has developed its own recognizable style, using an economy of means and production to make deeper and deeper, rather than larger and larger, work. 

Curious Theatre Branch and Prop Thtr are proud to announce the 30th annual Rhinoceros Theater Festival (Rhinofest), January 12 – February 24, 2019 at Prop Thtr, 3502 N. Elston Ave. The 2019 Rhinofest includes six weeks of new plays, dance, devised works, variety shows, comedy, live podcasting, fresh takes on classic texts, and more. Tickets go on sale Friday, Dec. 21 at 12 p.m. Performances are $15 or pay-what-you-can, and run daily except Tuesdays. A complete performance schedule with performances, dates and times is available at RhinoFest.com.

FEST ALERT: 2nd ANNUAL DESTINOS, THE CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL LATINO THEATER FESTIVAL SEPTEMBER 20-NOVEMBER 4, 2018

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DESTINOS, 

THE CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL LATINO 

THEATER FESTIVAL, 

RETURNS FOR ITS SECOND YEAR, 

SEPTEMBER 20-NOVEMBER 4, 2018

Travel the diaspora of new Latino theater via world-class, cutting-edge

artists and companies from Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Argentina,

Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico and Puerto Rico

Participating theaters and companies include Chicago Shakespeare,

Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf and Victory Gardens, with Aguijón Theater,

National Museum of Mexican Art, The Miracle Center, Teatro Vista, UrbanTheater and Water People

What is the current state of contemporary Latino theater, in a time when cross-cultural understanding has never been more important?

Find out when the Chicago International Latino Theater Festival, known as Destinos, returns for its second annual outing, September 20-November 4, 2018.

Produced by the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA), Destinos will bring together top Latino theater artists and companies from Chicago, the U.S. and around Latin America for seven weeks of shows, panels and student performances held throughout the city.

The second annual Destinos will celebrate homegrown Latino theater artists and companies, both emerging and established, from the host city, Chicago. Destinos will also showcase artists from Dallas and Los Angeles. Theater artists and companies from Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico and Puerto Rico round out the festival’s deep roster of international participants, helping underscore the growing reputation for Destinos as one of the country’s leading international Latino theater festivals.

Destinos presents in a range of marquee theaters like Chicago Shakespeare, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf, and Victory Gardens, to theaters and cultural institutions in predominantly Latino neighborhoods like Aguijón Theater in Belmont Cragin, National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen, The Miracle Center in Logan Square/Hermosa, and UrbanTheater Company in Humboldt Park. Other participating Chicago companies include Teatro Vista and Water People Theater.

“I'm honored and excited to have been given the opportunity to lead CLATA,” said Myrna Salazar, executive director, Chicago Latino Theater Alliance. “Through Destinos, the second Chicago International Latino Theater Festival, we continue to fuel the vital connection of Chicago's enriching and exciting Latino theater community to their international counterparts, whose lives and stories mirror each other, and are very much embedded in today’s American kaleidoscope of cultures."

Likewise, Martin R. Castro, founding board chair of CLATA, states “I’m so proud of the great line up we have for our second year of Destinos! There is literally something for every interest! Now more than ever, we must stand and celebrate our rich artistic and cultural heritage as Latinos and support Latinx theatre in Chicago, in the United States and in the hemisphere.” 

The second annual Destinos festival launches with a kick-off reception on Monday, September 17 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St. in downtown Chicago, in the GAR Hall & Rotunda. Leaders from the local Latino community will join the festival’s civic and philanthropic supporters, Chicago media, the city’s arts and theater community, and CLATA board, staff and volunteers to welcome and toast participating Latino theater artists from Chicago and around the world.

Stay tuned to the Destinos website, clata.org, in the coming weeks for the launch of online ticket sales, and news of other festival events including free roundtable discussions that will address political and identity issues within the Latino community.

To avoid hearing the words “sold out,” Chicago Latinos, Latinophiles and the city’s most avid cultural consumers are strongly encouraged to sign up for the Destinos weekly eblast at clata.org. Or, follow Destinos on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to receive first notice of all festival events.



Following is an advance sampler of the shows, artists, companies and venues confirmed to participate (at press time) in Destinos, September 20-November 4, 2018:


Chicago
American Jornalero / American Day Laborer (Midwest Premiere) by Ed Cardona Jr., a drama about a collision between immigrant day laborers and white power vigilantes, is a Teatro Vista presentation in the Richard Christiansen Theater at Victory Gardens,
2433 N. Lincoln Ave., October 18-21.

Casa Propia / A House of Her Own (Midwest Premiere) by Dolores Prida, a lighthearted yet poignant comedy about a woman’s tireless quest for her American Dream, will run October 18-November 25 at Aguijón Theater, 2707 N. Laramie Ave. in Belmont Cragin.

Musas / Muses (Midwest Premiere) by Néstor Caballero (Chicago Premiere), presented by Water People Theater in a co-presentation with American Writers Museum and The Poetry Foundation, imagines an extraordinary encounter between two icons of contemporary art, Mexican painter Frida Kahlo and American poet Sylvia Plath. Performances are September 20-23 in Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre as part of the LookOut Series, 1700 N. Halsted St.

Not For Sale (World Premiere) by Guadalís Del Carmen tackling issues of gentrification and displacement in Humboldt Park. With new neighbors looking to make changes west of Western Avenue in a community rich with decades of culture, the question persists who gets to lay claim to the neighborhood? Performances are September 20-October 21 at UrbanTheater Company, 2620 W. Division St. in Humboldt Park.

The Real Life Adventures of Jimmy de la Rosas (World Premiere) by Chicago playwright Ricardo Gamboa. Jimmy’s just your average boy on the block — except he can move things with his mind. When his mother goes missing, joining the numbers of other people disappearing from the hood, Jimmy will have to turn up the heat on his mutant abilities to rescue her and find out who is behind the kidnappings. Performances are October 11-21 at Pulaski Park, 1419 W. Blackhawk St. in Noble Square.

There’s a Coqui in My Shoe! (World Premiere) by The Miracle Center’s Playwright, Roberto J. Negron, an adaptation of Marissa de Jesus Paolicelli’s children’s book about Puerto Rico’s national mascot, the Coquí (little tree frog). Performances are September 21-October 13 at The Miracle Center, 2311 N. Pulaski Rd. in Logan Square/Hermosa.


National 



An American Odyssey (Midwest Premiere), via Culture Clash from Los Angeles, the award-winning Chicano kings of comedy with a character study of real people and true stories from the shadows, borders and badlands of America. This is a timely co-presentation with Victory Gardens Theater, October 4-7 in the Richard Christiansen Theater.

WET: A DACAmented Journey (Midwest premiere) by Alex Alpharaoh via Cara Mía Theatre and Ignite/Arts Dallas chronicles the desperation and limitations DREAMers feel navigating a broken U.S. immigration system. This co-presentation with the Latino Policy Forum runs October 11-14 in the Richard Christiansen Theater at Victory Gardens.


International






Luna de Cristal / Crystal Moon (U.S. Premiere) from Puerto Rico’s Cuarto Blanco tells the story of a family of three confronting the realities of their lives and the unexpected event that unites them, October 11-14 at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre, presented as part of the LookOut Series.


 


Mendoza (U.S. Premiere), an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s MacBeth reimagined against the 1910 backdrop of the Mexican Revolution, comes courtesy of Mexico’s Los Colochos Teatro in a co-presentation with the Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., October 2-7. Mendoza is adapted by Antonio Zuniga and Juan Carrillo, directed by Carrillo.





El Patio / The Patio (North American Premiere), by Oscar Gonzàlez, David Korish and Janko Navarro via Costa Rica’s Teatro Abya Yala, offers glimpses of masculinity in different situations, exploring the impossibility of fulfilling the societal idea of what it means to be a man today. It runs September 27-29 at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre, presented as part of the LookOut Series.

La Prietty Guoman / Pretty Woman (U.S. Premiere) from Teatro de la Ciudad Cabaret in Mexico City is a cabaret style narration of the life of an exuberant, brown and transgender girl who is a fan of the film Pretty Woman. It runs October 5-6 at the National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th St. in Pilsen.

Quiero Decir Te Amo / I Want to Say I Love You (North American premiere) is a drama by Humo Negro from Argentina about a car accident and a chance encounter that leads to a series of love letters and an unexpected romance. Performances are October 4-7 at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre, presented as part of the LookOut Series.




About Destinos, the Chicago International Latino Theater Festival

Now entering its second year, the Destinos festival is the signature program of the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA), a transformative cultural engine helping drive the city’s local Latino theater community to a more prominent level.

“In Spanish, the word Destinos has multiple meanings: destinies, destinations or fate,” explains Myrna Salazar, executive director, CLATA. “Destinos, the Chicago International Latino Theater Festival, shares the power of live theater to amplify ‘first-voice’ Latino artists and to create a cross-cultural experience.”

CLATA’s goal is to create the country’s leading international Latino theater festival with an emphasis on showcasing Chicago Latino theater artists and companies. Additionally CLATA provides local groups ongoing organizational support, is working diligently to create a permanent home for Chicago’s Latino theater artists, and ultimately works to underscore Chicago’s reputation as one of the most exciting and culturally diverse theater cities in the world.

CLATA was founded in 2016 as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization by Myrna Salazar and the three most prominent Chicago Latino arts organizations: National Museum of Mexican Art (NNMA), International Latino Cultural Center (ILCC), and Puerto Rican Arts Alliance (PRAA), with the generous support of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. 

The first annual Destinos festival in the fall of 2017 ran for five weeks, and presented 61 performances by 10 companies from Chicago, the U.S. and Latin America. In sum, last year’s inaugural festival engaged approximately 8,000 people, including more than 850 students who attended matinee performances and participated in post-show discussions with artists, directors and playwrights.

The second annual Destinos 2018 festival is supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Field Foundation of Illinois, The Joyce Foundation, the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, The Chicago Community Trust, Choose Chicago, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Illinois Humanities, Southwest Airlines, Allstate, ComEd and Corona Extra.

For more information, visit clata.org or call (312) 631-3112.

SIXTH NATIONAL ASIAN AMERICAN THEATER CONFERENCE & FESTIVAL TO BE HELD IN CHICAGO AUGUST 13 – 18, 2018

Theater Fest Alert

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The 2018 Theme, Revolutionary Acts, will engage Chicago Community in Critical Theater and Dialogue

The Consortium of Asian American Theaters & Artists (CAATA), dedicated to advancing the field of Asian American theater, announces Chicago as the host city for the Sixth National Asian American Theater Conference and Festival (ConFest), to be held August 13 – 18. Single tickets for festival shows and new play readings will be available for $25 and $10 respectively, with a student price of $20 for festival shows.

Over the course of six days, ConFest 2018: Chicago will explore the theme Revolutionary Acts, engaging attendees and the Chicago community in critical theater and dialogue regarding the intersection of art, leadership and organizational practice in the face of social injustice, inequity and active resistance in American culture. This theme will be realized through theater productions, plenary speakers, panel discussions, new play readings, workshops and special events. Most importantly, ConFest 2018: Chicago provides a space for Asian American theater practitioners and their allies from across the country to connect and build the relationships that help keep the community vibrant and alive. ConFest 2018: Chicago will be hosted in Chicago by Victory Gardens Theater, Silk Road Rising and The Theatre School at DePaul University.

"The peoples and cultures that connect Japan with Syria and Polynesia with Kazakhstan, can trace settlement in the Americas well before any present day borders. Yet in the crafting of national narratives, our stories were largely erased by those with more power than us,” said Jamil Khoury, founding artistic director of Silk Road Rising and CAATA board member. “This year's ConFest in Chicago is itself a ‘revolutionary act’, an intentional reversal of a deliberate erasure.  It represents yet another milestone in raising our voices and asserting our power. For if culture is defined by the artist, then the artist is unmistakably an activist. Or as I like to say, 'Don't Ask, Create!'"

Victory Garden Theater Artistic Director and CAATA Board Member Chay Yew said, “Victory Gardens is passionately committed to inclusion, diversity and equity on every level of our institution, from artists to audiences, from board to staff. We believe in bringing our world onto our stages and creating civic dialogue towards a more equitable nation. We are thrilled to open our home to the 2018 CAATA ConFest so that our Chicago theatre community can also learn and benefit from the best artistic and institutional practices in Asian American theatre.”

ConFest 2018: Chicago will include several notable plenary speakers and breakout sessions addressing topics including casting and union representation of Asian American performers. Speakers and sessions will be announced at a later date.

The Festival features six CAATA-presented fully-staged productions from some of the nation’s leading Asian American theater practitioners and playwrights, one opening night showcase of CAATA member-company five new play readings and additional community and partner programs.



The six Festival productions included in ConFest 2018: Chicago are:

Hot Asian Everything: Revolt
Presented by CAATA
Directed by Victor Malana Moag

Monday, Aug. 13 at  8 p.m.
Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave.
Included in ConFest pass. Single tickets on sale June 20.

An evening of revolutionary proportions featuring a powerhouse mix of Chicago and national talent -- all hosted by the illustrious Emi Macadangdang and Jasmine! Kick off ConFest 2018 in style with a collection of sketch comedy, musical performances and celebrity sightings by some of Asian American theater’s most noted artists. Spend the evening with some of our closest CAATA friends, both old and new. Full lineup TBA.

Acquittal
By Shahid Nadeem
Translated by Tahira Naqvi
Directed by Noelle Ghoussaini
Presented by Pan Asian Repertory Theatre

Tuesday, Aug. 14 at 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug.15 at  6 p.m.
Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave.
Included in ConFest pass. Single tickets on sale June 20.

Acquittal weaves together the story of four women unjustly imprisoned in Pakistan during General Zia-ul-Haq’s discriminatory Hudood Ordinances: Zahida, an activist jailed for her 
political activity; Marium, a pregnant rape victim in prison because she refused an abortion; Jamila, a woman denied divorce by Islamic law, who murdered her abusive husband and Jannat Bibi, incarcerated in place of her son for theft. In this bleak 1980s prison, the women forge a bond that transcends their differences in class, ideology, and religious practice. 

Acquittal’s production staff includes: You-Shin Chen, set design; Hyun Sook Kim, costume design; Leslie Smith, lighting design and Sinan Refik Zafar, sound design.

About Pan Asian Repertory Theatre
Now in its 41st milestone season, Pan Asian is the pioneer Asian American theater in New York City, the second most veteran in the nation, and is at the forefront of promoting pan-Asian cultural stories previously unseen on the American stage. It was founded in 1977 by Tisa Chang with the vision that Asian American artists can equally follow their artistic aspirations to reach the zenith in American theater. Its mission is to provide professional theatre opportunities for diverse Asian American artists to work under the highest standards of excellence and create new works that dignify and dispel stereotypes, focusing on stories of probing social justice issues. Pan Asian’s artistic distinction is seen in Off-Broadway productions, tours, educational outreach, and community service. The company has nurtured thousands of artists, with notable alumni including Lucy Liu, Daniel Dae Kim, and Wai Ching Ho from Marvel’s Defenders series.

#////#
Written and directed by Pratik Motwani

Tuesday, Aug. 14 at  8 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 15 at 3:30 p.m.
Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave.
Included in ConFest pass. Single tickets on sale June 20.

A multimedia experience combining film, Prezi presentation, and physical theatre, EMBEDDED is a revolt against all identities that trap us. EMBEDDED follows the journey of a YouTube cyber celebrity – a virtual identity trapped in the algorithms of a social media platform, a world from which it is impossible to disconnect and all communication happens via a “wall.” Questioning notions of identity and image, reality and perception, this devised theatre piece explores our need for real connection and inclusion coupled with our inability to disconnect from our imposed virtual identities. 

About Pratik Motwani
Originally from Mumbai, India, Pratik Motwani is a resident actor, teaching artist and company member with Dell’Arte International in California. Motwani creates, produces and tours original works of devised physical theater. Motwani tours internationally as lead performer with IMAGO Theatre (Portland, OR) in their world-renowned physical comedy and mask performance shows FROGZ and Zoo Zoo. He has served as a guest teacher for mask performance technique/devised physical theater at Pennsylvania State University, the University of California Berkeley, and the Michael Chekhov School in New York. Recent works include: #////# (2018 FURY Factory festival, San Francisco; 2018 CoHo Summer Fest, Portland, OR); The Long Way (2017 United Solo Festival, NYC); The Mysterious Magical Brandishers of Magic (2018 New York Clown Festival, The BRICK, NYC; 2017 Play the Fool Festival, Edmonton, Canada); and IN'Tents (OSF 2014 Green Show, Ashland, OR and AFCA's 5th annual Hakawy International Arts Festival, Cairo and Alexandria).

Pōhaku
Written, directed and performed by Christopher K. Morgan

Wednesday, Aug. 15 at 8 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 16 at 3:30 p.m.
Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave.
Included in ConFest pass. Single tickets on sale June 20.

Pōhaku incorporates traditional Hawaiian chant, hula, contemporary dance, theater and 
storytelling to explore compelling universal themes in the story of Hawaii’s native people, 
including land loss and fractured identity. In this solo dance theater piece, Christopher K. Morgan connects his personal family story of outward migration away from Hawai'i to the illegal overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai'i, the islands' colonial history and its present day status. 

About Christopher K. Morgan
Christopher K. Morgan is the executive artistic director of Dance Place in Washington, DC, where he oversees performances and a school for youth and adults. He is the artistic and executive director of dance company Christopher K. Morgan & Artists (CKM&A) and the director of dance Omi, an annual collaborative residency for international choreographers. Born in Orange County, California, Morgan’s native Hawaiian ancestry and a broad, international dance career influence his work as an administrator, choreographer, educator, facilitator, curator and performer. Morgan’s choreography has been presented in 18 countries on five continents and was profiled as one of six breakout choreographers in the United States in Dance Magazine 2011.

893 / Ya-Ku-Za
By Daria Miyeko Marinelli
Directed by kt shorb 
Presented by Generic Ensemble Company (GenEnCo)

Thursday, Aug. 16 at 8 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 17 at 3:30 p.m.
Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave.
Included in ConFest pass. Single tickets on sale June 20.

Set over the course of a business lunch in an unknown Japanese restaurant somewhere in the United States, 893 | Ya-ku-za follows an ambitious young assassin’s bid to become the first female member of the infamous Japanese crime syndicate. Over a meal of sushi, witty banter and quiet threats, 893 | Ya-ku-za explores the cost of ambition and change – questioning what it means to be first and what we’re willing to do to get there.

About GenEnCo
Founded in 2009, the Generic Ensemble Company is a fixture in Austin theater. Centering devised work by queer people of color, GenEnCo uses the Suzuki Method and Anne Bogart’s Viewpoints as principle training practices. Citations include: Open Meadows Foundation (2011, The Experiment), Q Rental Subsidy Grant (2012, The Experiment), B. Iden Payne Award for Best Original Script (2016, The Mikado: Reclaimed), and a two-year performance residency at the Dougherty Arts Center (2017-2019). GenEnCo has been featured on the cover of Austin’s free weekly newspaper, The Austin Chronicle, for its devised Asian American reclamation of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, The Mikado. Their recent production of Scheherazade, a devised work centering Middle Eastern narratives in the context of the “Muslim Ban,” was named one of the 10 most memorable theater productions of 2017 by the Austin-American Statesman, and an honorable mention for the Austin Chronicle’s top 10 “Theatre Riches” of 2017.

Pillowtalk
Written and directed by Kyoung H. Park 
Presented by Kyoung’s Pacific Beat

Friday, Aug. 17 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 18 at 8 p.m.
Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave.
Included in ConFest pass. Single tickets on sale June 20.

Set in Brooklyn 2017, Pillowtalk brings to life one night in the lives of Sam and Buck, a recently married interracial couple. Through a formal exploration of theatrical naturalism and the codified gender norms of ballet’s pas de deux, Pillowtalk queers the intersections of race, gender and class to illuminate how liberation and oppression co-exist in our most intimate spaces.

Pillowtalk is performed by two queer men of color, JP Moraga and Basit Shittu, and features live music by Helen Yee, choreography by Katy Pyle, set and lighting design by Marie Yokoyama, sound design by Lawrence Schober and costume design by Andrew Jordan.

About Kyoung’s Pacific Beat
Kyoung’s Pacific Beat (KPB) is a peacemaking theater company based in Brooklyn, New York, which promotes a culture of peace through the production of new works of theater written and directed by Kyoung H. Park. The company develops its work over the course of multiple years, in collaboration with artists from different cultures and disciplines. Through research and engagement with local communities, KPB explores experiences of oppression and transforms the collected stories through radical experimentations with form. Its goal is to give voice to marginalized perspectives in society and bring together like-minded individuals that believe peace matters. KPB's work includes disOriented, Tala, and Pillowtalk. KPB is led by Kyoung H. Park, the first Korean playwright from Latin America to be produced and published in the U.S. and a 2010 UNESCO Aschberg-Laureate.

History of National Asian American Theater Conference & Festival
In September 2003, six Asian American theater companies attended a convening sponsored by Theater Communications Group. The companies— Pan Asian Repertory Theatre, East 
West Players, Ma-Yi Theater, the National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO), 

Second Generation and Mu Performing Arts— began discussions to hold the first National Asian American Theater Conference. Spearheaded by Tim Dang of East West Players, “Next Big Bang: The First Asian American Theater Conference” took place in Los Angeles in June 2006.

The first National Asian American Theater Festival took place June 2007 in New York City, featuring over 25 performing artists and companies. Conferences and festivals have since been hosted in Minneapolis, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Ashland, Oregon. 

About the Consortium of Asian American Theaters & Artists (CAATA)
The Consortium of Asian American Theaters & Artists (CAATA) envisions a strong and sustainable Asian American theater community that is an integral presence in national culture—evocative of its past, declarative of the present and innovative towards the future. CAATA’s mission is to advance the field of Asian American theater through a national network of organizations and artists. They collaborate to inspire learning and sharing of knowledge, and resources to promote a healthy, sustainable artistic ecology.

As a collective of Asian American theater leaders and artists, CAATA brings together local and regional leaders to work nationally toward the shared values of social justice, artistic diversity, cultural equity and inclusion. National conferences and festivals are held biennially in different parts of the country, reaching as wide a range of Asian American populations and communities as possible. Asian American theater artists and organizations are surveyed to find out their foremost concerns. CAATA then forms alliances with other theater groups of different affinities to advance mutual goals cooperatively and to exchange ideas and strategies.

What: 2018 National Asian American Theater Conference and Festival (2018 ConFest)

2018 Theme: Revolutionary Acts

When: August 13 - 18, 2018 

Where: Hosted by Victory Gardens Theater, Silk Road Rising and DePaul University School of Theater

Tickets: Early Bird passes start at  $350 and are available at caata.net beginning Wednesday, May 16 at 10 a.m. Beginning Wednesday, June 20 at 10 a.m., single tickets for festival performances and new play readings will be available for $25 and $10 respectively, with a student price of $20 for shows.

 

For additional information about the 2018 ConFest, including artist and speaker bios, ConFest passes, and single tickets visit CAATA.net.

The National Endowment for the Arts, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and donors to CAATA’s 2018 Indiegogo campaign are generous supporters of this year’s ConFest in Chicago.

Physical Festival Returns To Chicago For 5th Year June 1st-9th, 2018

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

THEATRE THAT MOVES YOU: 

PHYSICAL FESTIVAL CHICAGO WARMING UP FOR BIG FIFTH ANNIVERSARY, JUNE 1-9, 2018 AT STAGE 773

Physical Festival Chicago, founded in 2014 and curated by Alice da Cunha and Marc Frost, is the city’s annual contemporary, visual and physical theater festival presenting new forms of theater from around the world. 

Hold tight for nine whirlwind days of physical theater programming including four incredible, award-winning shows from around the world, hometown master Michael Montenegro, a Scratch Night featuring cutting edge 
new works by Chicago performers, and master classes taught by top international physical theater artists. 

Marvel at physical theater artists from Brazil, France, New York, 

Spain, the U.K. and Chicago sure to shock, entertain and amaze

Scratch Night Chicago artists and six workshops announced, including 

How to Audition for Cirque du Soleil with a leading Cirque talent scout

Top, from left: The 2018 Physical Festival Chicago, June 1-9 at Stage 773, will feature Nobody’s Home by UK-based Theatre Témoin and Grafted Cede, Red Bastard: Lie with me from New York City, (bottom) The Other by Gaël Le Cornec from Brazil/France, and The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote de la Mancha by Little Soldier Productions from Spain/UK. Michael Montenegro, acclaimed artistic director of Evanston’s Theatre Zarko, is the 2018 festival’s featured Chicago artist.

Physical Festival Chicago - the city’s annual contemporary, visual and physical theater festival presenting new forms of theater from around the world - is returning June 1-9, 2018 for its fifth anniversary outing. 

Hold tight for nine whirlwind days of physical theater programming including four incredible, award-winning shows from around the world, hometown master Michael Montenegro, a Scratch Night featuring new works by Chicago performers, and master classes taught by top international physical theater artists. 

All performances are presented at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. Single tickets ($12-$18) and festival passes ($45 and $60) are on sale now at physicalfestival.com. 

Two incredible out-of-town acts kick off the 2018 Physical Festival opening weekend, June 1-3. 



First, UK-based Theatre Témoin and Grafted Cede will present Nobody’s Home, a unique and striking exploration of PTSD in a modern retelling of Homer’s Odyssey. Performances are Friday and Saturday, June 1 and 2 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, June 3 at 5 p.m. (Note: Nobody’s Home replaces the previously announced La Causeuse by Montreal collective Equivoc’, which had to drop out of the festival due to scheduling conflicts.)



Sure to shock and seduce is the opening weekend “late night” act, New York’s 
Red Bastard with a new work, Red Bastard: Lie with me, a wild one man show about lies lovers tell. Performances are Friday and Saturday, June 1 and 2 at 9 p.m. and Sunday, June 3 at 7 p.m.
                                                                              
The spotlight shifts to Chicago’s physical theater scene after opening weekend with Scratch Night, Monday, June 4 at 7 p.m. This evening features a curated collection of new and experimental works by emerging Chicago artists including Centology by Nelia Miller, The Dolphin Show by David Gordezky, Keep Your Guard Up, Smitty Harbinger by Tim Campos, It Takes Two by Chesa Greene, MEMORABILIA by Jean Carlos Claudio, Love Hurts by C:DC Comedy Dance Collective, Bluets by Ellenor Riley-Condit and a new Portmanteau work in progress by Jessica Mondres and Stephanie Diaz with music by Barry Bennett.

The Chicago focus continues Tuesday and Wednesday, June 5 and 6 at 7 p.m. with two evenings showcasing the festival’s featured local artist, Michael Montenegro, the acclaimed artistic director of Evanston’s Theatre Zarko. On stage both nights is Theatre Zarko’s Drunken Half Angel, a unique selection of short solo puppet and mask theater performances created by Montenegro and accompanied by Jude Matthews and fellow musicians.

Two international acts close the festival, starting with Franco-Brazilian Gaël Le Cornec presenting The Other, a disturbing coming-of-age, dark adventure-thriller about a girl refugee overflowing with poetry, strange creatures and stunning imagery. Performances are Thursday through Saturday, June 7-9 at 7 p.m. 

Rotating with The Other at Stage 773 closing weekend is Spain/U.K.-based Little Soldier Productions, aka Patricia Rodriguez and Mercè Ribot, presenting The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote de la Mancha, a bold, physical attempt to re-enact Cervantes’ sweeping, timeless novel, in its entirety. Performances are Thursday through Saturday, June 7-9 at 
9 p.m.

What is Physical Festival Chicago?

Physical theater pursues storytelling through primarily physical and visual means to create original and contemporary work. It embraces a wide variety of styles, approaches and aesthetics including clown, puppetry, mime, mask, dance, theater, vaudeville and circus, stop motion film and poetry, among others.

Physical Festival Chicago, founded in 2014 and curated by Alice da Cunha and Marc Frost, is the city’s annual contemporary, visual and physical theater festival presenting new forms of theater from around the world. 

Following is the full, fifth anniversary line-up for Physical Festival Chicago, in chronological order, June 1-9:


Nobody’s Home Theatre Témoin and Grafted Cede Theatre
From UK via USA
Friday and Saturday, June 1 and 2 at 7 p.m.
Sunday, June 3 at 5 p.m.
60 minutes
For ages 14+ 

Odysseus has come home from the war. His bath is broken, and he can’t fix it. As he stares at his reflection, he begins to find that his journey back to the people he loves might not be as easy at it seems.

Set in a bathroom, Nobody’s Home follows a soldier’s journey through his own mind, as he struggles with the monsters of his past to finally come home. In their signature physical style, Theatre Témoin and Grafted Cede present a unique and striking exploration of PTSD in this gripping, modern retelling of Homer’s Odyssey. “Ingenious and grotesque…an astounding and moving play” wrote Three Weeks Edinburgh. Broadway Baby called Nobody’s Home “a masterpiece…the audience spontaneously laughed, gasped and burst into tears.”

Nobody’s Home was developed in California through a series of collaborative workshops with combat veterans. In addition to public performances, Theatre Témoin tours Nobody’s Home to army barracks, veterans’ organizations and military academies. The company was founded in Toulouse in 2007 by graduates of the London International School of Performing Arts (LISPA) as a forum for creating new works of theatre that are both socially engaged and fun. In 2010 the company moved its base back to London and has since produced projects in the UK, USA, Mexico, Rwanda, India, Israel, and Lebanon. Nobody Home is directed by Theatre Temoin Artistic Director Allison Conant. Learn more at theatretemoin.com. 

Nobody’s Home features UK-based Grafted Cede Theatre’s Co-Artistic Directors, Will Pinchin as Grant, and Dorrie Kinear as Penny. Both are graduates of the London International School of Performing Arts. Visit graftedcede.com to learn more.



Red Bastard: Lie with me
From New York, USA
Friday and Saturday, June 1 and 2 at 9 p.m.
Sunday, June 3 at 7 p.m.
70 minutes
For ages 18+ 

How free is your love? You’re about to find out. Every. Single. One of you. 

Red Bastard is coming to Chicago to expose the lies we tell our lovers and those bastards who made us lie in the first place! A complete Edinburgh Fringe sell-out in 2013, 2014 and 2017, New York’s Red Bastard is ready to charm, disarm, shock and seduce in this brilliant new show. The List named Red Bastard one of the “Top 5 shows in the UK. 5 stars.” The Edinburgh Evening News exclaimed “Not a show. This is an experience.” 

Red Bastard, aka Eric Davis, is an award winning, New York-based performer, writer, director and teacher, and a former performer with Cirque du Soleil. The red beast within, acclaimed by critics and sold-out audiences across the globe, is an infamous buffoon who fuses theater, stand-up, clown and social psychology to create powerful, life-changing comedy. Learn more at redbastard.com.



Scratch Night
Chicago, USA
Monday, June 4 at 7 p.m.
70 minutes

Scratch Night is the festival’s annual, one-night-only showcase of what is brewing in Chicago’s physical theater scene. The evening features a curated collection of new and experimental short works by emerging Chicago artists including Centology by Nelia Miller, The Dolphin Show by David Gordezky, Keep Your Guard Up, Smitty Harbinger by Tim Campos, It Takes Two by Chesa Greene, MEMORABILIA by Jean Carlos Claudio, Love Hurts by C:DC Comedy Dance Collective, Bluets by Ellenor Riley-Condit and a new Portmanteau work in progress by Jessica Mondres and Stephanie Diaz with music by Barry Bennett.



Drunken Half Angel, a selection of short solo pieces attempting, with one wing, to escape gravity 
Chicago, USA
By Theater Zarko, created by Michael Montenegro and accompanied by Jude Matthews and fellow musicians 
Tuesday and Wednesday, June 5 at 6 at 7 p.m.
60 minutes
For ages 11+

Over the past 20 years, Chicago’s Michael Montenegro, this year’s local featured artist, has developed a signature style of puppet and mask theater as both a solo artist and collaborator. 

His work Drunken Half Angel is a unique selection of short solo puppet and mask theater performances ranging from the grotesque, to the comical, and then poignant. Inventive, innovative, unusual, and occasionally profound, Montenegro will be accompanied by the magical and sublime original music of Jude Mathews, Musical Director of Theatre Zarko. 

Montenegro is artistic director of Theatre Zarko which has presented numerous original puppet theater plays such as He Who, Haff (The Man), Sublime Beauty of Hands, Klown Kantos and Iktu Blas. His collaborations include commissions by the Lookingglass Theatre for Mary Zimmerman’s Argonautica, by Next Theatre for The War With the Newts and The Long Christmas Ride Home, and by Writers Theatre for The Puppetmaster of Lodz, which earned a Jeff Award for puppet design. In 2016 he collaborated with Blair Thomas, Greg Allen, Michael Zerang, and Michael Smith on Blair Thomas & Co.’s production of Moby Dick at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, which was restaged at the 2017 International Puppet Festival in Charleville-Mezieres, France in 2017. Montenegro also presented Kick The Klown in the 2017 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival in collaboration with director Greg Allen. 

Jude Mathews has been Music Director and Composer for Theatre Zarko since 2000, working in collaboration with Michael Montenegro to develop the sound elements of the theatre’s work. She is trained as a classical pianist, playing in chamber music ensembles and Klezmer, Balkan, and barn dance bands. More recently, she studied interdisciplinary arts, songwriting, and composition at Columbia College and Northeastern University. She has composed and performed for Perceptual Motion Dance Company, Access Contemporary Music, and at various interdisciplinary events around the Midwest. 



The Other by Gaël Le Cornec 
From Brazil/France
Thursday, Friday and Saturday, June 7-9 at 7 p.m.
60 minutes
For ages 14+


The Other - Trailer from Gaël Le Cornec on Vimeo.

Unicef estimates 30 million children are fleeing brutal violence, extreme poverty or both today. Gaël Le Cornec’s The Other is a kickass one girl show about surviving war and refuge.

Embark in this disturbing coming-of-age, twisted fairy tale, darkly comic adventure-thriller overflowing with poetry, strange creatures and stunning imagery. Like many others, one night, young Mana from the Red-yellow planet, is forced to catch a shooting star to seek refuge elsewhere. During her journey across the universe, imagination is her best defense. Will she win her struggle for survival? Will Mana ever arrive to her dreamland, the beautiful blue planet? 

Don’t miss this 2016 Edinburgh Fringe Three Weeks Editors Choice Award winner, Edinburgh Fringe Top Show about Refugees and 2017 runner-up for Amnesty International’s Freedom of Expression. Le Cornec is a French/Brazilian actress, director and playwright. Acting credits include 23 stage productions around the world, from one-woman shows about Camille Claudel and Frida Kahlo, to recent productions at London’s Young Vic Theatre and Shakespeare’s Globe. 



The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote de la Mancha by Little Soldier Productions
From Spain/UK
Thursday, Friday and Saturday, June 7-9 at 9 p.m.
80 minutes
For ages 16+ 



Little Soldier Productions boldly re-enacts one of the most accomplished works of fiction ever written with this award winning, critically acclaimed take on Cervantes’ timeless novel.

Two feisty senoritas and a downtrodden Englishman embark on a journey through Spain, accompanied only by a guitarist whose presence makes no sense whatsoever. This is a wildly imaginative and provocative adventure of epic proportions, traversing joy, pain and ultimately, wisdom. Taken with a pinch of salt and a handlebar moustache, Physical Festival fans can look forward to 80 madcap minutes which conclude with the common sentiment, “These guys did not read the book.” 

The Guardian hailed The Ingenious Gentleman…“Cunningly constructed and wonderfully inventive. A show that embodies not just Cervantes’ novel but the spirit of the fringe itself.” Time Out called it a “hilariously dirty adaptation” while Broadwaybaby pegged it “An absolutely riveting and hilarious physical theatre show. A must see.” 

London-based Little Soldier Productions was founded by award-winning performers Patricia Rodriguez and Mercè Ribot, both from Spain. They are clowning, devising and physical theater specialists who have toured extensively in the UK and abroad in the U.S., Mexico, Spain and Poland. Little Soldier is joined on stage by Told By an Idiot associate artist Stephen Harper, with help from their mentor, Spymonkey’s Aitor Basauri. Learn more at littlesoldierproductions.co.uk.



Physical Festival Chicago Workshops: Learn from the world’s leading physical theater artists

In addition to public performances, Physical Festival Chicago will offer five workshops with visiting and local artists during the festival. Chicago artists looking to hone their skills, add to their artistic toolbox and meet fellow physical theater artists in an engaging setting are encouraged to register for: 

Bouffon Workshop with Eric Davis (aka Red Bastard), Sunday, June 3, 10 a.m.- 1 p.m.

Sculpting Space with Dorie Kinnear and Will Pinchin (UK/USA), Monday, June 4, 10 a.m.- 1 p.m.

Dreams, Wishes, Lies with Michael Montenegro, Wednesday, June 6, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Create Your Own Solo with Gaël Le Cornec and Ben Samuels, Thursday, June 7, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Comedy & Clowning with Little Solder Productions, Saturday, June 9 at 10 a.m.-1 p.m. 

Space is limited. Visit physicalfestival.com/workshops for full workshop descriptions and to register. Workshops are $50 each, or look for information on a discounted workshop pass. 


Behind the scenes: Physical Fest Chicago

In 2014, Alice da Cunha and Marc Frost launched the inaugural Physical Festival through the Artistic Associate program at Links Hall. The inspiration for the Festival drew upon their combined experience in London as physical theater students at the London International School for the Performing Arts (LISPA). Moving from London to Chicago, they were inspired to start a new festival to promote a more progressive, fresh and physical approach to theater-making in Chicago.

Five years later, Physical Festival Chicago is following in the tradition of such great European theater festivals as the London International Mime Festival (LIMF) and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, to name a few. Each year, the Festival seeks to program work that is: 

Contemporary - using cutting-edge, on-the-pulse theatrical forms that are responding to the contemporary moment using contemporary notions of theater.

Visual - elevating the visual aspects of its stories, theater which is occupied with the creation of visual atmospheres and images as much as verbal text.

Physical - pursuing storytelling through primarily physical means, whose aim is to create original stories which start and end with the body as the foundational textual source.

Since 2014, Physical Fest Chicago has presented artists and companies from (alpha list of all countries you’ve ever presented here.)

Co-Artistic Director Alice da Cunha has worked for various festivals. While in London, she was the Marketing Director for CASA (London's Latin American Theatre Festival) and she produced, curated and presented SHORTCUTZ (a weekly short film festival). She was also the Production Assistant for TODOS Festival, an interdisciplinary festival in Lisbon, Portugal. In Chicago she has worked in Hospitality for the Chicago Latino Film Festival for the last two years. da Cunha is also an actress and has performed in many plays and films.

Co-Artistic Director Marc Frost has started two theater companies and one theater festival. At Tufts University, he co-founded Bare Bodkin Theater Company to give student playwrights a platform for their work. In London, he co-created and curated Physical, a scratch night for new pieces of physical theater. Back in Chicago, he founded Theater Unspeakable to create devised, physical theater. 

Physical Festival Chicago is supported by The MacArthur Funds for Arts and Culture at The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation and is also supported by Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Events (DCASE), Fractured Atlas, Stage 773 and Theater Unspeakable LLC.

For more information, visit physicalfestival.com.