In partnership with former Technical Director Glenn B. Rust’s Graduate Thesis Project, Keep it Going presents an afternoon of new works that you can watch in the theatre or from the comfort of your own home!
Beginning the afternoon we will have Interrobang by Resident Playwright Arlene Malinowski followed by the final performance of Access Fellow Deb Stein’s HAND, Foot, HAND. Following the performances there will be a thirty-minute talkback and an afterparty!
Keep it Going is designed to highlight technologies and practices that allow for more accessible theatre.
-You can join us at the Russ Tutterow Theatre to see the performances in person or virtually at https://www.youtube.com/@chicagodramatists6747
-Live captions will be provided for both in-person and virtual audiences.
-Additional seating will be available both in the house and on the stage including wheelchair accessible seating.
-The event will be a relaxed performance. House lights will remain at half. Audience members are welcome to exit and reenter the space at any point for any reason. We will asked phones be silenced, but texting is allowed. Audience reaction is also encouraged. If something stirs a response out of you, or if you need to ask a question of the folks you’ve come with, feel free!
-Scent & Allergen Free Space
-Masking Recommended
The in-person performance is Pay What You Will with all payments made going to support the Access Fellowship. The Chicago Dramatists Access Fellowship for Deaf & Disabled Artists is in honor of Charles and Dorothy Malinowski, who were revered storytellers in the Deaf Community. Fellows receive two free classes, one free Script Lab, and more!
The virtual performance is completely free!
Whether you’ll be joining us at the Russ Tutterow Theatre or logging in on our YouTube channel to join the talkback in the chat, we cannot wait to see you there!
Accessibility: All-Gender Restrooms, Captioning, Sensory Friendly, and Wheelchair Accessible.
https://chicagodramatists.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/chicagodramatists/event.jsp?event=2064&
Join House of DOV in the Dance Studio for an intimate view of the rehearsal process and participate in the creation of a new work by Drew Lewis with live music by Family Junket.
Drew Lewis (he/him) is a performer, choreographer, composer and educator originally from Oak Park, IL. He graduated magna cum laude from Cornish College of the Arts in 2016. Drew has performed extensively with Sidra Bell Dance New York, C-LS, Project 44, Attack Theatre, The Joel Hall Dancers, The Lyric Opera of Chicago and in projects by Lucy Riner and Erin Kilmurray. In 2020, Drew formed his own small ensemble, House of DOV, whose debut performance was selected as a finalist for the Chicago Reader’s Best of 2021. House of DOV has since performed throughout Chicago, including the full-length Heavy Objects, commissioned and presented by Steppenwolf Theatre, and Drew has created works for many other venues and projects.
https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/dance_residency.html
Sensory-Friendly Morning is a free program for all people who benefit from visiting the MCA without large crowds and other sensitive environmental elements. This includes visitors with sensory sensitivities, disabilities, autism, PTSD, dementia, and more. On these mornings, lighting at the museum is dimmed, sounds from artworks and environmental noise is kept at a minimum, a quiet space is available to visitors for breaks, and a Chicago-based artist facilitates a sensory-friendly art-making experience.
Sensory-Friendly Morning aims to be a welcoming space to experience contemporary art in a judgment-free environment.
Sensory-Friendly Morning is a free program for all people who benefit from visiting the MCA without large crowds and other sensitive environmental elements. This includes visitors with sensory sensitivities, disabilities, autism, PTSD, dementia, and more. On these mornings, lighting at the museum is dimmed, sounds from artworks and environmental noise is kept at a minimum, a quiet space is available to visitors for breaks, and a Chicago-based artist facilitates a sensory-friendly art-making experience.
Sensory-Friendly Morning aims to be a welcoming space to experience contemporary art in a judgment-free environment.
Accessibility: sensory-friendly
https://visit.mcachicago.org/events/sensory-friendly-morning-8/
Dancing with Parkinson’s is a partnership program between The Joffrey Ballet and Northwestern Medicine built for people with Parkinson’s and their caregivers, friends, and family members.
This class offers a supportive space to explore the artistry of dance, ranging across the styles of ballet, jazz, modern, tap, and improvisation. In this class, we connect the mind to movement, inviting expression and exploration in where it may not have been before: moving the body in conjunction with others and with music, evoking creativity and connection. This program was built so everyone can experience the joy and freedom of dance, no matter age, status, or ability.
Accessibility: low lighting, quiet spaces, wheelchair accessible
https://joffrey.org/education/community-engagement/dancing-with-parkinson-s/
Sensory-Friendly Morning is a free program for all people who benefit from visiting the MCA without large crowds and other sensitive environmental elements. This includes visitors with sensory sensitivities, disabilities, autism, PTSD, dementia, and more. On these mornings, lighting at the museum is dimmed, sounds from artworks and environmental noise is kept at a minimum, and a quiet space is available to visitors for breaks. During Sensory-Friendly Mornings, preregistered individuals and their families can visit the museum to explore exhibitions at their own pace, and join a Chicago-based artist for a sensory-friendly art-making experience. The museum is closed to the general public until 11:30 am; at that time, the lights and artworks return to usual operations.
Sensory-Friendly Morning aims to be a welcoming space to experience contemporary art in a judgment-free environment.
Accessibility: sensory-friendly, ASL interpreted, captioning, low lighting, quiet room, Spanish captioning, wheelchair accessible
https://visit.mcachicago.org/events/sensory-friendly-morning-6/
Please join us for a communal dialog with award-winning artist Barak adé Soleil and members of the local Black and Brown neurodiverse and disabled community who are part of adé Soleil’s newly commissioned work SHIFT.
SHIFT, a multidisciplinary project for the MCA’s Frictions series, has two components:
An installation located on the first floor of the MCA during the performance’s run, intentionally next to a spiraling staircase that goes up to the museum’s fourth floor. Barak is creating a film that will be installed and projected onto a diamond-like platform. In this dreamlike video installation, bodies both at rest and as they shift are visible onscreen at life-size and larger-than-life scale. The presence of Black neurodiverse and disabled bodies is amplified from many angles, infiltrating the architecture of the museum’s iconic public stairwell. Whereas these bodies might otherwise be violently misinterpreted as either lazy or near death, adé Soleil offers rest—and the intimacy of everyday gestures—as forms of political resistance for Black people.
A gathering on Saturday, May 6, where members of the Disability community will join adé Soleil in a “promenade” throughout the museum’s public areas; at times they will ascend the staircases and take up space to make visible and apparent the power of community presence. The use of the word promenade is intentional, drawing from its definition: “to take a leisurely public walk, ride, [wheel] or drive so as to meet or be seen by others.”
SHIFT is curated by Tara Aisha Willis, Curator of Performance & Public Practice at the MCA.
Access Information
ASL interpretation, CART captioning, and live audio description are provided. AD devices are available at the museum, and audience members may also use their personal devices to access the audio description through a URL provided on-site.
This event has relaxed viewing protocols and sensory-friendly lighting.
ASL provided.Audio description available.Haptic elements used.
https://visit.mcachicago.org/events/talk-barak-ade-soleil-with-shift-performers/
Sensory-Friendly Morning is a free program for all people who benefit from visiting the MCA without large crowds and other sensitive environmental elements. This includes visitors with sensory sensitivities, disabilities, autism, PTSD, dementia, and more. On these mornings, lighting at the museum is dimmed, sounds from artworks and environmental noise is kept at a minimum, and a quiet space is available to visitors for breaks. During Sensory-Friendly Mornings, preregistered individuals and their families can visit the museum to explore exhibitions at their own pace, and join a Chicago-based artist for a sensory-friendly art-making experience. The museum is closed to the general public until 11:30 am; at that time, the lights and artworks return to usual operations.
Sensory-Friendly Morning aims to be a welcoming space to experience contemporary art in a judgment-free environment.
Accessibility: Sensory-Friendly. ASL Interpretation
https://visit.mcachicago.org/events/sensory-friendly-morning-5/
LabE is a series of monthly cohort meetings addressing particular needs of disabled dance artists.
The LabE gathering on April 2nd is designed to be a safe, disability-centric space where artists can come together to share a work-in-progress, try out new ideas, workshop concepts, and experiment with new scores. Hosted by Maggie Bridger, this inclusive event is open to all artists who seek a supportive community where they can connect with peers who share similar experiences and offer and receive support, encouragement, and constructive feedback.
This gathering aims to foster community connections among Deaf, disabled, sick, neurodivergent, and Mad artists while providing a platform for artists to explore their creativity and showcase their unique perspectives.
In-progress projects will be presented by Sydney Erlikh & Deb Goodman.
If you are an artist who is interested in showcasing your art or working through new ideas, please reach out to Maggie at mbridg8@uic.edu to participate in this event.
LabE is open to all Chicago-area dance artists who self-identify as Deaf/deaf/hard of hearing, sick, mad, neurodivergent, disabled or living with a disability, and/or who have lived experience with disability or impairment. This space is particularly meant for those interested in exploring disability and impairment-informed modes of practicing dance.
Additional Access Information is available at https://highconceptlabs.org/news-2/labe-launches-at-experimental-station. For any other questions or requests regarding accessibility accommodations, please contact HCL’s Accessibility Coordinator, Yolanda Cesta Cursach Montilla (yolanda@highconceptlabs.org).
Accessibility: captioning, sensory-friendly, quiet spaces, wheelchair accessible
Sensory-Friendly Morning at the MCA is a free, sensory-friendly program for neurodiverse visitors of all ages. Preregistered individuals and their families can visit the museum before it opens to the public and explore exhibitions at their own pace. Lobby lights are less intense and a quiet space is available for breaks.
Sensory-Friendly Morning aims to be a welcoming space to experience contemporary art in a judgment-free environment.
https://mcachicago.org/Calendar/2021/01/Sensory-Friendly-Morning#about-this-event
Disney Theatrical Productions and Broadway in Chicago are proud to offer a sensory-friendly performance of Disney’s THE LION KING. With the partnership of Aspire, local nonprofit experts in disability inclusion, the show will be performed in a supportive and judgment-free environment.
This event is open to the public, but customary theater rules will be relaxed. Audience members can stand, move, talk and make noise as needed.
Accommodations include:
-House lights left on at a low level
-Trained volunteers and professionals on hand
-Sensory support encouraged and available
-Designated quiet spaces
-Lower sound levels, especially startling or loud sounds
-Open Captions available
Ticket prices start at $33 and can be purchased online at: https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/07005CA3F57D44F8
Patrons may also call (312) 977-1700 (press 5)
OR
TTY: (800) 359-2525
OR
Email accessbility@broadwayinchicago.com
For groups of 10+, call Broadway in Chicago Group Sales (312) 977-1710
On September 16, 2022, Snow City Arts will host hundreds of guests from Chicago’s philanthropic, medical, corporate, and artistic communities. A ‘reception’ for all ages! Guests will enjoy a sit-down dinner with a unique art experience, where the work of hundreds of our young, aspiring artists, will be professionally exhibited. Snow City Arts will be honoring the Child Life Staff at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital, Rush University Children’s Hospital & Children’s Hospital University of Illinois with the 2022 Neisser Award. This celebration will include performances, auction and special guests appearances! We hope we can count on you to make this year a truly memorable Gallery Night.
https://snowcityarts.org/gallerynight2022/
On September 16, 2022, Snow City Arts will host hundreds of guests from Chicago’s philanthropic, medical, corporate, and artistic communities. A ‘reception’ for all ages! Guests will enjoy a sit-down dinner with a unique art experience, where the work of hundreds of our young, aspiring artists, will be professionally exhibited. Snow City Arts will be honoring the Child Life Staff at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital, Rush University Children’s Hospital & Children’s Hospital University of Illinois with the 2022 Neisser Award. This celebration will include performances, auction and special guests appearances! We hope we can count on you to make this year a truly memorable Gallery Night.
Wired is an immense and intimate experience that traces the fine line between “us” and “them” through aerial and contemporary dance and the metaphoric use of barbed wire. The dancers of Wired spin and soar together in this meditation in sound, light, and movement on the gendered, racial, and disability stories of barbed wire in the United States, showing how this material shapes common understandings of who belongs. Barbed wire is designed as a material for containment. It is used, time and again, to limit individual and community movements and delineate boundaries as large as a nation state and as small as a personal fence. In Wired, this fraught material comes to highlight not only danger and contradiction, but also beauty and interconnection.
To create Wired, the artists of Kinetic Light—Alice Sheppard, Laurel Lawson, Jerron Herman, and Michael Maag—and their collaborators—composers Ailís Ní Ríain and LeahAnn Mitchell and scenic designer Josephine Shokrian—defy both gravity and assumptions about what dance can be. The artists of Kinetic Light see interdependence as a political position as well as an approach to making dance from a disability aesthetic: in which disability is a powerful creative and cultural force, and the many ways of accessing the performance are the art itself.
ASL interpretation and AD are available for all shows. There is no spoken dialogue in Wired. Audio description is available through Kinetic Light’s app, Audimance. More information will be provided to ticketholders by email in advance. Orientation to and demonstration of the app will be available in the lobby prior to all shows, along with a tactile exhibit that serves as an introduction to the Wired set, props, costumes, and theatrical elements.
Wired content and artistry will remain the same for all performances. The show shares many aspects of MCA’s Relaxed Performances. Audience members are welcome to exit and reenter.
Light haze is present in certain sections. There are no strobe lighting effects. Quiet spaces and stimulation kits are available for all performances.
The show will be livestreamed on Saturday, including ASL, with one channel being audio described. Friday and Sunday’s performances will offer an alternative lighting design.