In the spirit of transparency and accountability, every year we give an update on the ways we are working to make A.B.L.E. a more equitable organization as we work towards our mission of building a more inclusive communities.
This update covers fiscal year 2025 (July 1, 2024-June 30, 2026.
This year we publicized our updated 5 year plan which is centered on 3 key goals:
1) Customizing our programs to meet the needs and wants of the people we serve
Currently, our ensemble members travel to rehearsals from 22 Chicago wards, and 10 surrounding suburbs, with virtual actors and facilitators in 7 different states.
In FY25 we worked with new venue partners Filament Theatre in Portage Park, and The Understudy in Edgewater allowing us to connect with different audiences in new neighborhoods. We also moved one of our regular weekly ensembles to Gateway to Learning in Lincoln Square, easing the commute and access for several actors and volunteers.
We have continued to focus on developing our outreach programs so we can meet participants in the places where they already gather. This year, that included an 8 session residency at Misericordia.
We are all to aware that the demand for our programs is beyond our capacity to deliver. Spaces in our core ensembles get snatched up within 20 minutes of opening registration. We offered 3 free open studios, giving 36 new people an opportunity to engage with our work.
This season we also reimagined our performance ensemble, testing out longer rehearsal formats and our first ever weekend -long run of Frankenstein to offer a chance for deeper engagement to veteran ensemble members.
2) Strengthening organizational sustainability
This season, we worked to improve our staff capacity by welcoming several new members to our team. In July 2025, we welcomed two new teaching artists – Ariya Hawkins and Edmund O’Brien – as we build towards a goal of 12 staff teaching artists. In March 2026, we welcomed Haley Schroeck as our new Company Manager. This new full-time role will help to support our busy programs and the many families and volunteers who make our work possible.
We also invested in the wellbeing of our team by offering health insurance benefits for full time staff.
2025 was due for an organization-wide diversity audit to track our progress towards our diversity goals. This year, we made participation voluntary as part of the registration process. Less than 25% of our community opted to respond.
3) Growing community connections and collaborations
We worked to uphold the disability advocacy mantra “nothing about us without us” by offering 81 hours of competitively paid work for our Creative Associates. We also welcomed 4 new Program Advisory Council members – facilitators Shannon Diegel and Kate McDuffie, and actors Erin Harvey and Eric Williams – to give an active leadership role to the people most impacted by our work. The PAC worked to organize social events for the ensembles including Craft Night and a field trip to the CSO, and represented A.B.L.E. at several community events including DisFest at Navy Pier.
To continue strengthening accessibility in the arts sector, we provided pay-what-you-can access to our public masterclass series, reaching a total of 26 arts professionals across 2 sessions. We also updated our Partner Grant Toolkit to better support organizations in securing funding for our outreach programs.
We launched a revamped ableensemble.com with a focus on accessibility features and re-mastering our archives to add captioning on all our past productions.
Curriculum Consultant Emma MacLean started a new project to organize A.B.L.E.’s program archive with a focus on packaging curricula for licensing by other organizations.
Looking ahead to FY26
This season, we will continue working towards our goals by building relationships with 3 new venue partners, continuing our Open Studio Series, and improving accessibility at our public events by adding audio description.
There is a growing need for people to have safe, accessible spaces where they can build community. While demand for our programs continue to grow, A.B.L.E. – as with organizations across the country – is in a vulnerable position as we navigate rising production costs, changing donor habits, and government funding shifts. This may mean that we are not able to add the staffing and programs we hoped in FY26. We are committed to adhering to the 10 Principles of Community Centric Fundraising as we work to stabilize our budget and build long-term financial stability.
We are also eager to fill the vacancies on our board of directors with a focus on diversifying the racial makeup of our board. If you know someone who would be a good fit, please share our Board Job Description.
At every rehearsal we recite our ensemble pact and remind each other that we are stronger when we work together. With your support, we’ll keep working to build spaces where difference is celebrated and everyone knows they belong.
