As an itinerant theatre company, A.B.L.E. doesn’t have our own home. We rely on partnerships with venues and organizations across Chicago to make our work possible. Over the years, we’ve worked with a number of partners, but one of our most steadfast collaborators has been Chicago Shakespeare Theater at Navy Pier.
Fun fact: we hold the distinction of being the only guest company to have performed on all 3 of the venue’s stages. We were planning our 5th collaboration in May of 2020…but obviously that didn’t work out. We’re thrilled that we can finally return to the stage with our longtime friends when we present RECONNECT on Saturday November 19th. We’re planning a full day of workshops and performances to celebrate the magic of live theatre!
We often say you can’t really “get” what we do at A.B.L.E. until you see a show. A video can’t quite capture the feeling of being live, but today, we’re sharing some videos of our past co-productions with CST to give you a feeling of what’s in store. You’ll also recognize several ensemble members growing up onstage through these productions - many of them are still with us! We can’t wait to reconnect with you on Saturday November 19th!
Twelfth Night (2016)
Our very first production as an independent nonprofit, and our very first collaboration with Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Twelfth Night holds a special place in our hearts! In this 2016 production, 20 young actors with Down syndrome took to the stage at Chicago Shakespeare Theater at Navy Pier for a one-night-only performance of the Bard's tale about identity, ambition, and love. Twelfth Night was produced as part of Shakespeare 400 - an international festival celebrating the vibrancy, relevance, and reach of Shakespeare. You can watch the trailer, or rent the full production below:
Cyrano de Bergerac (2018)
Twenty-one actors took the stage at The Yard with an original adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s classic story about love and war, courage and heartbreak - Cyrano de Bergerac. Cyrano explores deeper themes such as inner and outer beauty, "otherness", unrequited love, loyalty, and friendship, all of which hit home for any teenager, but especially those with developmental disabilities. Infused with humor, music, and swordfights, Cyrano offers many opportunities for the cast to showcase their diverse talents. This production also holds the record for the largest in-person event in A.B.L.E. history - 421 people joined us for this special evening. Were you there? You can relive it OnDemand on our Vimeo channel
Thereby Hangs a Tale (2018)
Whether good or bad, scary or exciting, change touches all of us. Over a 10-week rehearsal process, actors collaborated with a team of teaching artists and volunteer facilitators to reflect on change and transformation. By answering questions such as “what is something you wish you could change?”, “what has changed that you liked?”, and “who has helped you to make a change?” the group developed scenes, monologues and movement pieces inspired by their own lives. At times humorous, thought-provoking, and touching, these tales celebrate the moments that make us who we are. Our actors had so many tales to tell, that we spread the performances out over two separate evenings staged in the Upstairs Theater. Check out both shows here:
As You Like It (2019)
A.B.L.E. brought Shakespeare’s “wonderful, wonderful, and most wonderful” comedy As You Like It to CST’s Courtyard Theater with a cast of 20 actors with disabilities. Adapted and directed by Teaching Artist Emma MacLean, the script was tailored to the individual strengths of the cast. The forest of Arden came to life through scenes, monologues, and, for the first time, puppetry! Here’s a view from the booth of our opening tableaux.
Keep an eye on our social media channels over the coming weeks. We’ll be sharing clips from onstage and backstage at some of these performance as we look forward to reconnecting
Don’t miss our big return to the stage on Saturday November 19th
Reconnect will feature the work of 58 members of the A.B.L.E. community - 33 actors and Creative Associates with disabilities, 17 volunteer facilitators, 8 Teaching Artists. We're producing a full day of events in partnership with Chicago Shakespeare Theater at Navy Pier which will include two original performances devised by our ensembles, as well as public workshops co-led by our Creative Associates - performers with Down syndrome. Learn more about the creative process on our blog.
