Our ensembles stepped back into rehearsals last week and we are so excited to share what we’re working on!

We’ll save news of our adult ensemble for Friday’s blog post, and for today, we’ll focus on our teen ensembles and their plans.

As with previous semesters, we’re running two ensembles, on on Monday and one on Fridays. Through the course of ten rehearsals, ensemble members will work with a team of teaching artists and volunteer facilitators to create an original production around the theme of Change and Transformation. Along the way, as always, actors will build lifelong skills like communication, creativity, and cooperation.

Not only is change a central theme in our spring classical show, As You Like It, but change is on the brain for many of our ensembles as they grow up. Sometimes it can be really exciting and sometimes it can be scary or even sad. But everyone goes through it. To create this show, each actor answered a questionnaire sharing their own reflections on a series of questions including:

How does change make you feel?

What is something you would like transform in the world?

What is something you hope will never change?

Who has helped you to make a change?

During our rehearsals, we’ll use each other’s answers as a jumping off point to build scenes, monologues, movement pieces and more inspired by our own lives.

We have so many tales to tell that each ensemble will present their own unique evening at the Carl and Marilynn Thoma Theater Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare Theater at Navy Pier. Join us for one show or come to the double bill:

Monday December 17th at 7pm

CAST:

Colleen Altman, Christian Boyd*, Benjamin Collins, Peter Grzeslo, Anna Luzadder, Claire O’Leary, Sam Radinsky, Hannah Vilic, Lucy Walsh

FACILITATORS:

Rosie Bross*, Nate Buursma*, Shannon Diegel, Kaylie Honkala, Lawrence Kern, Emma MacLean, Alison Perrone, Michael Russell, Beth Sherwood, Katie Yohe, Polly Yukevich