Our fall semester is officially underway and we’re planning something really, really big!
It’s hard to believe, but the last time we performed live was in December 2019! Though we never stopped working, COVID forced us to imagine new ways of producing content. We will forever be proud of our catalogue of digital projects like ABLE Anthology and Romeo & Juliet Remix, but there is nothing quite like performing live onstage. So we’re very excited that, this semester, our ensembles will be working towards our first live performances in almost 3 years.
It’s time to reconnect!
So much has changed since the last time we’ve been onstage. We've lost connection with some old friends. Had to create new ways of connecting with each other. And learned a lot about ourselves in the process. Our ensembles will spend the semester exploring the theme of CONNECTION. This semester, we have 3 ensembles - two who meet in person and 1 that rehearses virtually. We will work together to devise scenes, monologues, movement, and music inspired by our own lives, and the ways we connect with ourselves, with our loved ones, and with our community. The result will be an all-day multimedia festival of workshops and performances.
Save the date for Saturday November 19, 2022 to join us in person. Can’t get to Chicago? The shows will also be available to watch On Demand via our Vimeo channel starting in 2023.
This week, all 3 of our ensembles met for their first rehearsals. This was an important time to get to know each other and bond as a group. We played some favorite games and spent a lot of time getting back in the routine of rehearsals. You can scroll through some shots of the Sunday ensemble in action below:
We also started generating material for our performances. Reconnect will use our own experiences and reflections. Each actor paired with a teaching artist or facilitator to answer a series of interview questions about Connection like:
Describe the best party you’ve ever been to…
Tell us about a time you felt lonely…
Who is someone you love that is far away? How do you stay in touch with them?
How did you meet your best friend?
What makes you feel anxious or worried? How do you calm yourself when you feel that way?
How do you know you are in love? What does love feel like? Look like? Sound like? Taste like?
Over the next several weeks, we’ll build off of our answers to these questions to create pieces for our performances. You can follow along here on our blog every week - we are excited to reconnect with you!
