Jane Addams Hull-House Museum will host the first in a series of devised theatre masterclasses for theatre creatives, performers and artists of all backgrounds, teachers, students, and those curious to learn collaborative performance making. This masterclass will feature The Neo-Futurists and The Young Fugitives, both theater groups are featured in Ensemble-Made Chicago: A Guide to Devised Theater by co-authors Chloe Johnston (Neo-Futurists) and Coya Paz Brownrigg (Free Street Theater) who will close the day-long workshop. This series is presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE). There are no prerequisites to apply , but workshop space is limited. Apply at the link below before March 20, 5:00 PM (CST).
Ensemble-Made Chicago: A Guide to Devised Theater authors Chloe Johnston and Coya Paz Brownrigg
Chicago has long been home to one of the most exciting and democratic forms of theater: devised and ensemble-made performance. It’s a way of working that invites everyone in the room to be a part of creating something new and uniquely theirs.
DCASE announces a new devised theater masterclass series for theatre creatives, performers and artists of all backgrounds, teachers, students, and those curious to learn collaborative performance making. This program is free and open to anyone interested in devised performance. Each 1-day program includes master classes with artists from the book Ensemble-Made Chicago: A Guide to Devised Theater. The day’s structure will include two master classes followed by a final workshop with authors Chloe Johnston (Neo-Futurists) and Coya Paz Brownrigg (Free Street Theater) that will make connections between the lessons and explore ways to continue building.
Participants at any 1-day workshop can also elect to participate in an optional second workshop and public presentation on Saturday, May 16, at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E Washington St., Chicago IL 60602. There are no prerequisites to apply, though space is limited. (Please note: Ensembles teaching the masterclasses are subject to change.)
The Influence of Hull-House Theater and Jane Addams Hull-House Museum
Social reformers at Hull-House Settlement were innovators of theater and improvisation. The founder of the Hull-House Players, Laura Dainty Pelham, popularized modernist and social realist plays that dramatized the social justice and class issues present in the Hull-House neighborhood and democratized access to theater for diverse audiences and amateur actors. Originator of theater games and mother of the modern improvisational theater movement, Viola Spolin’s legacy began at Hull-House. Born in Chicago, Spolin studied to be a social worker at Neva Boyd's Recreational Training School, and later created innovative theater games to teach drama to immigrants and children. Boyd’s theory of play and Progressive-era philosophies greatly influenced Spolin's work, which inspired her son Paul Sills, who was the founding director of the first improvisational theater companies in the United States, including Compass and The Second City. Chicago’s long tradition of ensemble work and community-centered theater can be traced directly back to Viola Spolin and the legacy of the Hull-House Settlement. Jane Addams Hull-House Museum continues to collaborate with local theater groups in Chicago, including Albany Park Theater Project, Free Street Theater and The Red Light District, at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Recent theater exhibitions and programs are listed below.
