Gather around the campfire with the A.B.L.E. ensembles for an exclusive one-night-only event as we screen our Zoom project - The Forms of Things Unknown - on the big screen for the very first time!
The Forms of Things Unknown is a collection of 8 original tales devised and performed by A.B.L.E.'s ensembles in the fall of 2021. Full of fantastical animation, original music and movement, the series features 36 actors with intellectual and developmental disabilities, supported by 26 volunteer facilitators and 8 teaching artists. We are thrilled to bring our community together yet again for this special screening event. Whether you are a long time friend of A.B.L.E., or are new to our work, you don't want to miss it!
Tickets are $25 per person in advance and $30 per person on the day of the event
Your ticket includes a catered meal and movie ticket. All proceeds will support A.B.L.E.'s performing arts programming for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities
Event Schedule
6:30 pm: Catered Reception
7:00pm: Screening of The Forms of Things Unknown
The runtime of The Forms of Things Unknown is 1 hour and 51 minutes, and will be show in two parts, with a 10 minute intermission.
TRANSPORTATION
BUS: The nearest bus routes are #22, #36, and #76
EL: Brown & Purple Lines to Wellington (0.5 miles) or Diversey (0.6 miles)
PARKING: $6 validated four-hour parking is located in the Century City Shopping Center lot. Enter on Clark Street just north of the theater.
ACCESSIBILITY
The Forms of Things Unknown is open captioned.
Landmark Century Centre Cinema offers wheelchair seating.
In solidarity with the disability community, masks are required for all attendees.
If you have additional access needs, please note these after your ticket purchase.
Click here for a Social Story with more information about what to expect at this event
Food for this event Donated By:
Vegan and gluten-free options will be available!
More about The Forms of Things Unknown
Journey with us to an enchanted forest, where campers reveal the many magical creatures who live in the dark. Among these tales, a gregarious Taniwha meets a suspicious Simurgh, a Fairy finds forbidden love with a Centaur, a competitive Phoenix goes head to head with a Minotaur, and a ravenous Wendigo forms an uneasy partnership with a bubbly Sprite. Through these mythical, magical creatures, we get to explore familiar themes like making friends, loving our differences, asking for help, and working together. And we get to know ourselves along the way.
Over a 10-week rehearsal process on Zoom, A.B.L.E.’s ensembles collaborated with a team of teaching artists and volunteer facilitators to craft these magical stories from scratch. Week by week, actors layered in new story elements, starting with characters, then settings, plot, and finally theme using a combination of interviews and theatre games like “Enter Exit”, “On the Spot”, and “Over There.” A.B.L.E.’s programming team battled Zoom fatigue, lagging internet signals, and tight living quarters to reinvent their programs for a virtual format. To make the virtual sessions more engaging, A.B.L.E. mailed each actor a kit at the start of the rehearsal process with visual aids, crafts, and activities. Between sessions, actors have been crafting their own campfires, decorating forest backdrops, and creating themed playlists to keep their imaginations active. Actors designed their own costumes, built puppets and other set pieces, and also developed original music and movement pieces to bring their stories to life. VFX Designers and Editors Brock Alter and Alex Sokol collaborated to bring these imaginative tales to life with animation and music.
A.B.L.E. Executive Director, Katie Yohe says: “At A.B.L.E., we've always seen story creation as a way for our actors to process emotions and to learn more about themselves and each other.. This has become even more vital during the past 20 months. We can’t control what is happening in the world around us, but we can control what happens in these imaginary worlds. And we’re revealing a lot about ourselves in the process!”
The Forms of Things Unknown was partially supported by grants from The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, The Illinois Arts Council, The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, The Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ and generous individual supporters like you!
