Happy 2019 A.B.L.E. Fans & Followers!

We have so much to look forward to in the year ahead, but first, we need to say a big “THANK YOU” to all of the individuals and organizations that made 2018 such a spectacular year for A.B.L.E. We staged 5 live performances, several movie screenings, surpassed our records for audiences and fundraising, and worked with so many talented and generous artists from Chicago and beyond. There’s a lot to be proud of!

Scroll through to see some of our highlights, and read on to see all the many people who made it possible.

Through our summer workshops and outreach programming, we got to connect with so many talented new friends this year! We also welcomed a bunch of new members to our ensemble! Check out our Spotlight Blog Posts to learn more about some of these new actors and volunteers.

We enjoy the opportunity to connect with the professional theatre community around Chicago, and to expose our actors to different types of performances.

Our Development Committee, headed by several ensemble parents and dedicated volunteers helped A.B.L.E. raise over $12,000 this year through #giveABLE2018 and various live events including our quizABLE Trivia Night, hamBINGO at Hamburger Mary's Chicago and Cocktails for a Cause. Want to get in on the fun? Gather your team and join us on January 12th for quizABLE Trivia Night 2019!

Thanks to our Business Volunteers for the Arts - Anne, Laura, Vivian, and Suzanne - we were able to:
*Assess staff roles to refine our organizational structure and workflow
*Clarify and document procedures and policies on a range of HR topics
*Update all of our organizational materials for our volunteers, staff, program parents and the public to ensure consistent and effective communication of program mission, goals, and procedures.

Read more about our week with Frantic Assembly on the blog and click the photo to watch our full Residency Performance on YouTube

Since we met Jon Hansen this summer while promoting The Spy Who Knew Me, he has become an enthusiastic fan of our program. Click here to watch our full episode of Now.Chicago and also check out our segments with Jon from The Jam Morning Show and WGN Radio!

We’ve hosted local private screenings for Vaughn Occupational High School, Northwestern University, and Misericordia. The Spy Who Knew Me was also an official selection for the 2018 Chicago Onscreen Showcase and was screened at various parks around the city through the Chicago Park District’s Movies in the Park program. We were a semi-finalist for the Courage Film Festival in Berlin, an official selection for the Great Lakes International Film Festival, and travelled to Los Angeles in October where we won the Audience Choice Award for Best Narrative Feature at The Awareness Festival.

A.B.L.E. officially kicked off our adult program on June 12th with a 5-week workshop series. Each Tuesday we focused on a different theme – improvisation, physical theatre, puppetry, Shakespeare, and on-camera acting – to help both new and experienced performers hone their personal skills and build a community. Through the course of the program, we welcomed a mix of program alums as well as 6 brand new actors, many of whom stayed with us for our regular weekly ensemble program in the fall. The adult ensemble presented their first ever Variety Show to a sold-out crowd at the Fasseas Studio on December 11th.

This year we broadened our outreach efforts, sharing our work with other organizations around Chicago that support individuals with developmental differences. Over the summer, our ensembles performed as part of the 50th Anniversary celebrations for The Special Olympics. In the fall, our teaching artists led a 6-week residency for students in The PACE program at National Louis University. We also took steps to become a vendor for Chicago Public Schools. We’re building a more inclusive Chicago!

After the success of Twelfth Night in 2016, we were blessed to return to Chicago Shakespeare Theater not once, not twice, but THREE times this year!

On Thursday, May 17, 2018 with an original adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s classic story about love and war, courage and heartbreak - Cyrano de Bergerac. We were among the first actors in the world to perform at CST’s brand new state-of-the-art venue, The Yard, on a beautiful set designed by Dan Conway with lighting by John Kelly. Cyrano smashed records for attendance (421 audience members!) and fundraising (over $1200 in post-show donations)! It was captured in some truly gorgeous photos by Liz Lauren.

In December, our teen ensembles presented Thereby Hangs a Tale Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare. Over two different nights, our two teen ensembles presented two unique shows about change and transformation, sharing personal stories and reflections from their own lives with warm and supportive audiences.

We are so grateful for the support and friendship of the entire team at CST for elevating our work.