This morning, heads of Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago Public Library and Facing History and Ourselves announced Now Is The Time, a season-long initiative to inspire a citywide conversation about making positive change in our communities to stop the trend of youth violence and intolerance. The above photo is from this morning’s press conference.
CHICAGO
PUBLIC LIBRARY, FACING HISTORY AND OURSELVES,
AND
STEPPENWOLF THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCE NOW
IS THE TIME
THREE
CHICAGO INSTITUTIONS UNITE ARTISTS AND YOUTH IN A SEASON-LONG,
CITYWIDE
CALL TO ACTION AGAINST YOUTH VIOLENCE AND INTOLERANCE
Heads
of the Chicago
Public Library,
Facing
History and Ourselves
and Steppenwolf
Theatre Company
announced today a season-long initiative to inspire a citywide
conversation about making positive change in our communities to stop
the trend of youth violence and intolerance. These three Chicago
institutions have joined forces for Now
Is The Time
(NITT),
a themed initiative throughout 2012/13 linking major projects at each
institution, including the Fall 2012 One Book, One Chicago selection,
Markus Zusak’s The
Book Thief,
a staged adaptation of Zusak’s book at Steppenwolf Theatre Company,
and a major Facing History and Ourselves exhibit titled “Choosing
to Participate.”
Each
institution, through these major projects and under the Now
Is The Time
umbrella, will focus outreach and programming on questions of social
activism and civic responsibility, particularly among Chicago’s
youth. Also engaging in related programming will be DePaul University
students and more than 15 Chicago-area theater companies, along with
additional organizations to be announced later. The citywide project
was announced during a press conference this morning
at the Chicago Public Library.
“Violence
involving young people has become all too common in our society,”
said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “It’s time for all of us, in every
community, to come together to talk about ways to resolve our
differences without violence and how to treat each other with
respect. I applaud these three institutions and the funders of
this initiative for creating the space for us to do just that,
especially with our young adults.”
“In
recent years, violence towards youth has become overwhelming. As
theater artists working in schools, the teens we work closely with in
the classroom are scared to be outside in their neighborhoods or face
torment at school from bullying,” commented Hallie Gordon, Artistic
and Educational Director, Steppenwolf for Young Adults. “As
artists, we have a unique opportunity to help teens give voice to
this epidemic. We encourage our civic partners and other cultural
organizations to join us—now is the time.”
The
initial roster of Now
Is The Time
projects includes:
August
27 – November 11, 2012:
Facing History and Ourselves
brings the powerful multimedia exhibit
Choosing
to Participate
to the Chicago Public Library’s Harold Washington Library Center.
This free exhibit encourages young people to recognize the importance
of a democratic society through installations about people whose
stories illustrate courage, initiative and compassion—including a
display about local unsung heroes making a difference in Chicago.
Summer
2012 – Winter 2013:
YOUmedia,
a teen learning space housed at the Chicago Public Library, will use
the themes of NITT
for workshops on digital media creation, developing teens’ skills
in critical thinking, creativity and tangible digital media skills,
all the while engaging them in this conversation on civic
responsibility.
October
2012:
Markus
Zusak’s
The
Book Thief
is the Fall 2012 selection for One Book, One Chicago. The
award-winning 2006 novel explores young people’s choices and their
potential as civic participants. The author will visit the Chicago
Public Library and participate in events with the public, with
teachers and librarians, and with high school students.
October
16 – November 11, 2012:
In
Fall 2012, Steppenwolf Theatre Company will produce a stage
adaptation of The
Book Thief,
adapted by Heidi Stillman,
directed
by Hallie Gordon,
as
part of the theater’s Steppenwolf for Young Adults program,
combining
play production with educational components to enhance arts education
for young audiences, as well as their teachers and families.
February
– March 2013:
Oral histories about youth violence,
collected
from across the city by DePaul University students, will be used to
create a play at Steppenwolf, curated by Professor Miles Harvey.
Traveling to libraries in different communities across the city, each
reading will be followed by a teen-led workshop.
September
2012 – May 2013: More
than 15 of Chicago’s finest theater companies are also involved in
NITT
through their unique commitment to the campaign, Now
Is The Time to A.C.T: Affect Change through Theater.
Confirmed participating companies include: About Face Theatre,
American Theatre Company, Lookingglass Theatre Company, Victory
Gardens Theater, Writers’ Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater,
Congo Square Theatre, Free Street Theater, A Red Orchid Theatre,
Northlight Theatre, Adventure Stage Chicago, Chicago Children’s
Theatre, The House Theatre of Chicago, Storycatchers Theatre,
Lifeline Theatre, Raven Theatre and more. These companies have all
pledged to focus their 2012/13 programming on issues of youth
violence and will present productions, panel discussions and
teen-centered community events in conjunction with NITT.
A youth council will be drawn from teen members at each participating
theater company.
“One
Book, One Chicago has a 10 year history of bringing together
Chicagoans of diverse backgrounds to discuss issues around a specific
piece of literature. While The
Book Thief
is set 70 years ago, sadly the topics it addresses are very much
alive today: intolerance and violence. Now
Is The Time
offers all of Chicago a wonderful opportunity to create, as the Dalai
Lama recently called for, ‘a century of dialogue.’ The
Library is proud to partner with Steppenwolf Theatre Company and
Facing History and Ourselves to start that conversation,” said
Chicago Public Library Commissioner Brian Bannon.
"Facing
History and Ourselves is thrilled to bring an exhibit to Chicago that
examines the impact of racism and injustice and the consequences of
choices we make every day to help build inclusive or exclusive
communities,” said Bonnie Oberman, Chicago director of Facing
History and Ourselves. “We know that the privilege of partnering
with the Chicago Public Library and the Steppenwolf Theatre means
that thousands of Chicagoans will have access to a citywide
conversation around issues critically important to all of us."
The
goal of Now
Is The Time
is
to spur youth activism and creative self-expression around the themes
of social responsibility and civic engagement. Youth involved in
NITT
will participate in skill-building around their interests such as
design, spoken word, music, film, writing, performance and digital
media creation which they can share with fellow citizens via the Now
Is The Time
website. Participating youth will be better prepared for the demands
of citizenship by being supported to think critically, to empathize,
to recognize moral choices, and to make their voices heard.
Now
Is The Time
provides
ample opportunities for additional program partners, large and small,
from around the Chicago area. Throughout 2012/13, NITT’s
call to action will inspire themed activities from organizations
engaged in theater arts, youth work, digital media, education;
participants connect via the NITT
website, nowisthetimechicago.org.
Now Is The Time is funded by the Hive Learning Network, an initiative of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; and the Smart Chicago Collaborative fund of the Chicago Community Trust.
ABOUT THE PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS
Since first opening its doors to the public in 1873, the Chicago Public Library has maintained its status of one of the City’s most democratic of institutions — providing all Chicagoans with a free and open place to gather, learn, connect, read and be transformed. The more than 70 locations of the Chicago Public Library are at the forefront of providing innovative library services, technologies and tools Chicagoans need to achieve their personal goals and to establish the City’s role as a competitive force in the global marketplace. Through its rich and current book collections, state of the art technology and cultural and public partnerships, the Chicago Public Library is a thriving, engaged leader in Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods. Throughout its 139-year history, the Chicago Public Library has always encouraged Chicagoans of all ages to make reading a priority. Since the fall of 2001, One Book, One Chicago has encouraged Chicagoans of all backgrounds and ages to read the same book at the same time, and come together to discuss a great piece of literature. The Fall 2012 One Book, One Chicago is presented by the Chicago Public Library, the Chicago Public Library Foundation, Allstate and BMO Harris. For additional information, visit chicagopubliclibrary.org.
Facing
History and Ourselves
is a leader in history and civic education. For more than 35 years,
the international education organization has been linking the past to
the moral and ethical questions of our time through a rigorous
examination of the root causes of antisemitism, racism, and other
hatreds. The overarching goal is to help young people understand the
importance of their choices in building a just, inclusive society and
to empower them to be active, informed, compassionate citizens in
their schools and communities. Facing History's quality resources,
professional development, and public forums provide opportunities for
students and adults to explore the connections between history and
their own lives. Facing History reaches 1.9 million students each
year through a network of 50,000 educators. In 2009, the Facing
History and Ourselves website received more than 700,000 visits from
people in 215 countries, with 2.6 million page views. The Chicago
office of Facing History and Ourselves celebrated its 20th
Anniversary in 2010. More information is available at
facinghistory.org.
Steppenwolf
Theatre Company is
one of the nation’s leading ensemble theaters, producing
annually
up to 16 productions and
nearly 700 performances, readings and other events in
its three Chicago theater spaces—the
515-seat
Downstairs
Theatre, the 299-seat Upstairs Theatre and the 80-seat Garage
Theatre. Formed
in 1976 by a collective of actors, Steppenwolf has grown into an
ensemble of 43 actors, writers and directors. Artistic
programming at Steppenwolf includes a five-play Subscription Season,
a two-play Steppenwolf for Young Adults season and three repertory
series: First Look Repertory of New Work, Garage Rep and
Next
Up. While firmly grounded in the Chicago community that has been its
home for 36 years, nearly 40 original Steppenwolf
productions have enjoyed success both nationally and internationally,
including Off-Broadway,
Broadway, London, Sydney and Dublin. Steppenwolf
has the distinction of being the only theater to receive the National
Medal of Arts, in addition to numerous other prestigious honors
including a Pulitzer Prize for ensemble member Tracy Letts’ August:
Osage County,
an Illinois Arts Legend Award and nine Tony Awards. Martha Lavey is
the Artistic Director and David Hawkanson
is the Executive Director.
Nora
Daley is
Chair
of Steppenwolf’s Board of Trustees. For additional information,
visit steppenwolf.org,
facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre
and twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr.
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