FREE Chicago Puppet Fest Shows Now Through January 26th, 2025

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

 Puppets are for everyone! Even if your wallet's a bit thin and you blew your entertainment budget for the month already, you can still puppet on a budget. 

7th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival 

January 15-26th, 2025

Full Free Schedule Below

Marvel at incredible stories told through the lens of contemporary puppetry, performed by amazing puppet artists and companies from around the world!

Free Neighborhood Tours (2 different FREE shows/all ages)

January 15-26

All ages

Free

The Chicago Puppet Festival Free Neighborhood Tour is back bigger, better and twice as nice as before. This year, a festival “first”: two different family-friendly puppet shows will travel to venues around the city, offering more than a dozen free performances at venues large and small. Catch one show, or both…they’re free!

The Amazing Story Machine

Sandglass Theatre Company and Doppelskope

Vermont

45 minutes

All ages

sandglasstheater.org

Thursday, January 16 at 4:30 p.m.

Austin Town Hall Cultural Center, 5610 W. Lake St. (Austin)

Friday, January 17 at 4:30 p.m.

Marshall Field Garden Apartments/Art on Sedgwick, 1408 N. Sedgwick St. (Old Town)

Sunday, January 19 at 2 p.m.

345 Gallery, 345 N. Kedzie Ave. (Garfield Park)

Wednesday, January 22 at 6 p.m.

Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St. (Lakeview)

Thursday, January 23 at 7 p.m.

eta Creative Arts Foundation, 7558 S. South Chicago Ave. (Grand Crossing)

Friday, January 24 at 5 p.m.

Experimental Station, 6100 S. Blackstone Ave. (Hyde Park)

Saturday, January 26 at 10 am + 2 p.m.

Berger Park Cultural Center – Coach House, 6205 N. Sheridan Rd. (Edgewater)

Sunday, January 26 at 2 p.m.

South Shore Cultural Center Paul Robeson Theater, 7059 S. South Shore Dr. (South Shore)

The Grimm family is on the verge of unveiling The Amazing Story Machine, which runs on steam and dreams, and promises to revolutionize how stories are told. When the contraption malfunctions, they have to invent a way to tell stories on the spot. With help from the audience and a cast of unique puppet characters created by Vermont’s Sandglass Theatre Company, fairy tales like “The Hare and the Hedgehog,” “Hansel and Gretel,” and “The Brave Little Tailor” spring to life with a range of charming of puppetry styles and characters, and live, original music.

Hungry Garden

Poncili Creación

Puerto Rico

45 minutes

All ages

Instagram.com/poncilicreacion

Wednesday, January 22 at 6 p.m.

Theatre Y, 3611 W. Cermak Rd. (North Lawndale)

Thursday, January 23 at 10:30 a.m. + 7 p.m.

Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts , 915 E. 60th St. (Hyde Park)

Friday, January 24 at 4:30 p.m.

Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, 4046 W. Armitage Ave. (Hermosa)

Saturday, January 25 at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.

Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St., GAR Hall & Rotunda 2nd Floor/North (Loop)

Boundless energy, surrealist puppets and controlled madness unite as brothers Pablo and Efrain Del Hierro, identical twins, though differentiated by their distinctly aggressive haircuts, spontaneously infuse inanimate objects with life. Drawing on tribal symbols such as masks and totems, they evoke ancient forms of storytelling as they travel the world with their surreal, crowd-pleasing performances. Hungry Garden brings ”creation and chaotic tranquility,” living up to the idea that the brothers say spawned their name, Poncili Creación.

Free Streaming Adult Cabaret (recommended for ages 16+): 

Nasty, Brutish & Short Credit: Richard Termine

Nasty, Brutish & Short

Rough House Theatre Co. and Links Hall

Chicago/International

Links Hall, 3111 N. Western Ave., Roscoe Village/Avondale Thursday, January 16, Saturday, January 18, Thursday, January 23, and Saturday, January 25 at 10:30 p.m. *Update: Thursday nights replaced the Friday night shows originally announced in October

60 minutes

16 and up

Tickets: $15-$20/ Streaming FREE

roughhousetheater.com/nbs

Here at ChiIL Mama and ChiIL Live Shows, we've caught Rough House Theatre Co's Nasty, Brutish & Short many times over the years, both in person at Links Hall and streaming. The 4 productions that fall during puppet fest are always the most fun each year, as the talent pool is deep and the fest cabarets feature 4 unique lineups filled excellent puppeteers from around the globe. It's a great chance to see short excerpts from some of the longer fest pieces. This year we have several Chicago based friends presenting pieces we can't wait to see. These late night cabarets sell out fast. And if you stream it from home or hotel, it's FREE!

Hit the Chicago Puppet Fest fan-favorite late night shows, where raucous, raunchy, dark, sassy, sad and mostly hilarious puppet theater plays to supportive, sold out houses. The best part? Fancy international out-of-town puppet artists will join cabaret host Jameson, his somewhat furry friends, plus legendary Chicago puppeteers for a wild night of puppet revelry and fellowship followed by friendly unwinding. All four Nasty, Brutish & Short cabarets will also be streamed live. Check website for details: roughhousetheater.com/nbs  

Volkenburg Puppetry Symposium

Panels 1 – 4 FREE In Person and Streaming

About the Ellen Van Volkenburg Puppetry Symposium

The Ellen Van Volkenburg Puppetry Symposium brings together practicing Festival artists with scholars to consider the intersection of puppetry with other disciplines and ideas. Before 1912, the year the Little Theater of Chicago was founded in the historic Fine Arts Building, the term “puppeteer” did not even exist. Little Theater director Ellen Van Volkenburg needed a program credit for the actors she had trained to manipulate marionettes while speaking the text of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and she coined the word “puppeteer.” That marked the dawn of the movement that has brought us to the rich art form now practiced around the world.

This year’s theme is: Puppets Doing and Being. In her 2024 book, Reading the Puppet Stage: Reflections on the Dramaturgy of Performing Objects, Claudia Orenstein notes that puppets enact being alive by doing rather than through written dialogue. The 2025 Ellen Van Volkenburg Puppetry Symposium series explores the dramaturgical elements that distinguish puppet theater and actively engage audiences in endowing material with life.

Lessons in Puppetry by Myra Su, a free exhibit at The Puppet Hub

Puppetry Under the Sea, featuring puppets designed by the Chicago Puppet Studio for Drury Lane Theatre’s The Little Mermaid, a free exhibit at The Puppet Hub

The Puppet Hub

Fine Arts Building 410 S. Michigan Ave., 4th floor, Studio 433

FREE

All ages

Hours:

Thursday, January 16, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Friday, January 17, 9 a.m.-10 p.m.

Saturday, January 18, 9 a.m.-10 p.m.

Sunday, January 19, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Closed Monday, January 20

Tuesday, January 21, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Wednesday January 22, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

Thursday, January 23, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

Friday, January 24, 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m.

Saturday, January 25, 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m.

Sunday, January 26, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

*Drury Lane Theatre’s The Little Mermaid was one of our favorite shows in a holiday season packed with excellent offerings. It was my great pleasure to catch it on opening night. Aside from adoring Sawyer Smith's epic Ursula, we were gobsmacked by the stellar puppets designed by the Chicago Puppet Studio. My son, Dugan (who has a BA in theatre arts from Northwestern), is friends with one of the eel puppeteers. I'm excited to get a closer look at these aquatic creations at the free exhibit, Puppetry Under the Sea.

In addition to the incredible pageant of international and U.S. puppetry artists, The Puppet Hub is back and open throughout the festival on the 4th floor of the Fine Arts Building. It’s the perfect place to relax between shows, get a bite to eat, meet up with friends, make new ones, and learn more about contemporary puppetry.

Attractions include the exhibits Lessons in Puppetry by Myra Su and Puppetry Under the Sea, featuring puppets designed by the Chicago Puppet Studio for Drury Lane Theatre’s The Little Mermaid, the Pop-Up Puppet Shop, and The Spoke & Bird Pop-Up Cafe, serving coffee, tea, winter soups and baked treats.   

Potential Energy: Chicago Puppets Up Close

Exhibit presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St., Michigan Avenue Galleries

December 21, 2024 - April 6, 2025

Daily, 10 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.

All Ages

Chicago is home to a rich and growing ecology of puppet artists whose work bridges disciplines and communities of makers. This sampling of puppets by local artists challenges expectations about puppetry and inspires the public to tell their own stories. Take the rare chance to look closely at sculptural works usually only seen in motion at a distance. Celebrate material and formal invention, trace networks of collaboration, and discover some of the exciting questions and possibilities that are animating Chicago puppet artists today. Potential Energy: Chicago Puppets Up Close is curated by Grace Needlman and Will Bishop, produced by Elise Butterfield and coordinated by Ashwaty Chennat.  

It's time once again for one of our favorite annual fests -- The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival. Here at ChiILMama.com and ChiILLiveShows.com, we've been covering Puppet Fest extensively since their inaugural year back in 2015 with dozens of features and hundreds of photos and social media posts. We've done video interviews multiple times with Puppet Fest Founder and Artistic Director, Blair Thomas, and we know quite a few of the Chicago Puppeteers. We're also always jazzed to welcome new puppeteers from around the world. Chicago is truly the multicultural puppet hub of the world, and we're so lucky to host again, this January 15-26, 2025. We're in for 12 straight days of spectacular shows, intimate works, and special events at dozens of venues all over the city. 

There are edgy, adult offerings, family friendly shows, free community productions, in venues across the city. One of our favorite elements of the fest is the community. Puppet people are the best. The performers and audiences are such a unique subset of the theatre scene and we're here for it. Don't miss this! We've got highlights and favorites below, and you can follow our social media for last minute performance additions, changes, and more. Paper schedules are available at the venues and full details including video clips and ticket links are available at the official fest site at chicagopuppetfest.org. Tickets are on sale now. and we suggest you don’t wait. Despite Chicago’s cold January winters, tickets are always a hot commodity and some of the smaller venues will sell out fast!

The 2025 Chicago Puppet Fest will span 12 days and dozens of Chicago venues, presenting an international pageant of puppet artists sharing more than 120 puppetry activities!!! Get set for all-ages spectacle shows in landmark theaters, intimate works on smaller stages, and the always popular, adults-only, late night puppet cabarets.

Warm up to a wildly diverse range of classic and contemporary puppetry styles from around the world, created by puppet artists from China, India and Scotland, the first time for these countries to play a part in the Chicago Puppet Festival, along with Canada, Chile, China, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Norway, Puerto Rico, Poland, South Africa, the U.S. and Chicago.

These stories and more await fans of the 7th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, all told by puppet artists from around the world, showcasing different forms of traditional and contemporary puppet styles, from bunraku to shadow puppetry, marionettes to object-based works. 

Festival funders: 7th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival funders include Chicago Park District Night Out in the Parks Program, Ferdi Foundation, Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, Illinois Arts Council Agency, Jentes Family Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Manaaki Foundation, Marshall Frankel Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Paul Levy, Pritzker Foundation, Reva and David Logan Foundation, Royal Norwegian Consulate General, and Richard H. Driehaus Foundation. Individuals include Ginger Farley and Robert Shapiro, Justine Jentes and Dan Karuna, Cheryl Lynn Bruce and Kerry James Marshall, Julie Moller, Kristy and Brandon Moran, Nina and Steven Schroeder, John Supera, David Pritzker and Beatrice Barbareschi, Cheryl Henson, Jordan Shields and Sarah Donovan, and Deb and Andy Wolkstein. 

About the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

Originally founded in 2015 as a project of Blair Thomas & Co., the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival has highlighted artists from nations including Belgium, Chile, France, Germany, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Mexico, Norway, Puerto Rico, Poland and South Africa as well as from Chicago and across the U.S. with the goal of promoting peace, equality, and justice on a global scale.

Already, the Chicago Puppet Festival is the largest of its kind in North America. Last year’s 2024 festival attracted a record 19,868 audience members to dozens of Chicago venues large and small to enjoy an entertaining and eclectic array of puppet styles from around the world.

In 2022, the Festival moved from a biennial to an annual event, and tripled its footprint in Chicago’s historic Fine Arts Building. It opened an expanded office suite, debuted the Chicago Puppet Studio, which designs and fabricates puppets for theaters and events around the U.S., and launched the Chicago Puppet Lab, an education space and developmental residency designed to incubate more works of boundary-breaking puppetry in Chicago, expand equity in the field of puppetry, and encourage interdisciplinary experimentation in puppet theater.

It’s fitting that the Fine Arts Building is home again to one of the most influential puppetry organizations in the world. In 1912, after Ellen Van Volkenburg famously founded the Little Theater of Chicago in the Fine Arts Building, she needed a name for the actors she had trained to manipulate marionettes while performing Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. So she credited them in the show program with a new word, “puppeteer.” Many agree this marked the initial intersection of traditional puppetry with contemporary theater still practiced today, and now flourishing around the world.

Expanded operations are overseen by Artistic Director and Festival Founder Blair Thomas and Executive Director Sandy Smith Gerding, with Cameron Heinz, Business Manager; Ana Diaz Barriga, Marketing Coordinator; Taylor Bibat, Festival Coordinator; Lucy Wirtz, Events and Engagement Coordinator; Zachary Sun, Studio Coordinator; Tom Lee, Co-Director, Chicago Puppet Lab and Studio; Grace Needlman, Co-Director Chicago Puppet Lab; and Caitlin McLeod, Chicago Puppet Studio Project Manager.

Visit chicagopuppetfest.org for tickets and information about the 7th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, and sign up for the festival’s e-news. Follow the festival on Facebook, Instagram or Vimeo, hashtag #ChiPuppetFest.

Tickets range from free to $48 with most in the $15-$20 range. Discounts for students and seniors. Click here for the full Festival Schedule.

FREE Theatre in Chicago: Sones de México Ensemble's Zulema Through August 21, 2021

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar:

Exhilarating regional music and dance from the Grammy-nominated Sones de México Ensemble make a joyous event for the whole family. 

ChiIL Mama's Chi, IL Picks List

On a spectacular musical journey of many thousands of miles—from her Chiapas home in Mexico to Chicago—young Zulema zig-zags through the culturally diverse landscapes of her homeland and our fair city along the way. 

GRAMMY-NOMINATED SONES DE MÉXICO ENSEMBLE'S ZULEMA SET TO APPEAR IN 10 CHICAGO PARKS IN A THREE-WEEK ENGAGEMENT—AUGUST 5-21—WITH A FINALE PERFORMANCE ON SEPTEMBER 2

**AWARD-WINNING COMPOSER VICTOR PICHARDO MUSIC DIRECTS THE FAMILY-FRIENDLY PREMIERE, WRITTEN BY DOLORES DÍAZ AND CO-DIRECTED BY HENRY GODINEZ AND MARCELA MUÑOZ**

***A COLLABORATION OF GOODMAN THEATRE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CHICAGO PARK DISTRICT'S NIGHT OUT IN THE PARKS; CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS AND SPECIAL EVENTS (DCASE); THE CHICAGO LATINO THEATER ALLIANCE (CLATA); AND THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF MEXICAN ART***

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

August 5 at 6:30pm – Calumet Park (Calumet) 9801 S. Calumet Avenue 

August 6 at 6:30pm – Riis Park (Belmont-Cragin) 6100 W. Fullerton Avenue 

August 7 at 3pm – Portage Park (Portage Park) 4100 N. Long Avenue

August 12 at 6:30pm – Hale Park (Clearing West) 6258 W. 62nd Street

August 13 at 6:30pm – Hermosa Park (Hermosa) 2240 N. Kilbourn Avenue 

August 14 at 3pm – Dvorak Park (Pilsen) 1119 W. Cullerton Street

August 15 at 3pm – Harrison Park TBC (Pilsen) 1824 S. Wood Street) 

August 19 at 6:30pm – Davis Square Park (Back of the Yards) 4430 S. Marshfield Avenue 

August 20 at 6:30pm – La Villita Park (Little Village) 2800 S. Sacramento Boulevard

August 21 at 3pm – Marquette Park (Chicago Lawn) 6721-6757 S. Kedzie Avenue

RAIN DATES

If a performance is cancelled due to inclement weather, it will be rescheduled as follows: August 8 at 3pm (Calumet Park, Riis Park or Portage Park); August 22 at 3pm (Harrison Park, Davis Square Park, La Villita Park and Marquette Park).

Goodman Theatre returns to Chicago Parks this summer with Zulema—Sones de México Ensemble’s electrifying new work with Music Director Victor Pichardo (the Goodman’s Pedro Páramo and upcoming American Mariachi) written by Dolores Díaz and co-directed by Goodman Resident Artistic Associate Henry Godinez and Marcela Muñoz, Aguijon Theater Co-Artistic Director. Produced in partnership with Chicago Park District’s Night Out in The Parks, the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA) and the National Museum of Mexican Art, this FREE three-week engagement spans 10 park locations citywide. In addition, a special finale performance featuring a spectacular cast of 70+ artists will conclude the run. Zulema appears August 5 – 21 at various Chicago park locations (see below); admission is FREE, running time is one (1) hour, no intermission. Visit GoodmanTheatre.org/Zulema for additional information and to register for a performance. The finale performance is slated for September 2 (location and details TBA). For updates on health and safety guidelines, visit NightOutInTheParks.com. Goodman Theatre is grateful for the support of PwC, LLP, Corporate Sponsor Partner.

“Not only is it thrilling to welcome the Goodman Theatre back into Chicago’s parks this summer, but to also premiere Zulema—an exciting new concert event for the whole family which features our city’s famed Sones de México Ensemble,” said Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot. “Music has the power to build bridges between cultures and generations. As we spotlight this important artform in our Year of Chicago Music, Zulema and the other extraordinary artworks we have in store will help us build stronger relations with one another.”

“It is so exciting for us to work in partnership with these great Chicago arts institutions to bring this new musical production to the stage,” said Juan Dies, co-founder of Sones de México Ensemble. “Zulema emerged from an idea by Zacbe Pichardo, one of our musicians, on the occasion of our 25th Anniversary. A team of talented creatives helped us bring this concept to the stage. The story represents a common 21st Century human drama translated into a multi-cultural musical journey, rooted in Mexican music.”

Added playwright Dolores Díaz, “I’m honored to collaborate on a narrative that honors Sones de México Ensemble’s indigenous roots, demonstrates the variety found within and outside the Latinx community, and considers the permeability of human-made borders. Their music celebrates positive cultural exchange and invites people to come together in mutual appreciation. I’m happy to help share this story.”

Co-Director Henry Godinez, who returns to the Chicago Parks following last fall’s acclaimed production of Fannie Lou Hamer, Speak On It! by Cheryl L. West said, ”It’s always an honor to work with my old friends in Sones de México, with whom we’ve collaborated at Goodman on Pedro Páramo and will again on American Mariachi. And it’s especially meaningful to be combining forces with playwright Dolores Díaz—my former student from Northwestern’s Writing for the Stage and Screen MFA program—and the amazing Marcela Muñoz of Aguijón Theater Company, on this magical and moving story of a young girl’s courageous journey to her new home in Chicago. It’s in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Sones de México’s own journey—from their musical roots in México to our great city of Chicago.”

“Partnering in this endeavor is an honor. We are excited to be part of this musical, theatrical journey that celebrates the diversity of sound within our cultures, which transcends all borders,” said Myrna Salazar, CLATA Co-Founder and Executive Director. 

"This artistic collaboration will beautifully celebrate musical traditions of Mexico and the U.S. and allows people to celebrate together again—which is something we all so desperately need,” said Carlos Tortolero, Founder and President of the National Museum of Mexican Art.

Sones de México’s Zulema is presented as part of the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks series, supported by the Mayor’s Office and Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Now in its 9th year, the 2021 Night Out in the Parks program presents cultural events year-round in neighborhood parks throughout the city. The Chicago Park District in partnership with over 100 local artists and organizations, present engaging events and performances that enhance quality of life across Chicago and amplify the artistic and cultural vibrancy in every neighborhood. Through multiple disciplines, which include theater, music, movies, dance, site-specific work, nature programs, and community festivals, the series aims to support Chicago-based artists, facilitate community-based partnerships and programs, cultivate civic engagement, and ensure equity in access to the arts for all Chicagoans. To further extend the reach of these cultural, arts and nature experiences, the Chicago Park District has mounted a virtual platform to spotlight the diversity of Chicago’s artistic offerings and provide equitable access to some of these performances for all Chicagoans and visitors alike.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS AND PRODUCING PARTNERS

Sones de México Ensemble is Chicago’s premier folk music organization specializing in Mexican ‘son,’ a genre encompassing the roots of mariachi music and other regional styles, including huapango, gustos, chilenas, son jarocho, and more. The ensemble was formed in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood in 1994 by four talented musicians and educators including Victor Pichardo (music director) and Juan Dies (producer). They soon incorporated as a not-for-profit organization to keep the tradition of Mexican ‘son’ alive in its many regional forms. The group has performed thousands of concerts, released six CDs, concert films and multimedia presentations, and founded a Mexican Music School in Chicago in 2015. The organization is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization with a mission to promote greater appreciation of Mexican folk and traditional music and culture through innovative performance, education, and dissemination. For more information, visit sonesdemexico.com.

Music Director Victor Pichardo, Sones de México Ensemble co-founder, award-winning composer and educator, was born in Mexico City and has been a bandleader for almost 40 years. His training in Mexican folk music has spanned most of his life. He learned firsthand, orally from master artists in Mexico’s various musical regions. In 2005, he earned a degree in music composition from Columbia College Chicago, which he has used to integrate folk idioms in orchestral music. He has collaborated as music advisor and director with Goodman Theatre in the stage productions of Pedro Páramo and the upcoming American Mariachi.

Playwright Dolores Díaz is a Chicana playwright from the border city of Laredo, Texas. She is currently in residence with TimeLine Theatre, developing work with Broken Nose Theatre, and teaching Chicago Public School students via the National High School Institute at Northwestern. Most recently, she served as a guest artist with Mosaic Theater in Washington, DC and as playwright for Shattered Globe Theater’s Protégé Program. In the fall and spring she will teach at Columbia College and Texas Tech University, respectively. Díaz is a graduate of Northwestern’s MFA Program for the Screen and Stage and serves as Dramatists Guild Co-Representative for the Chicago Region.Chicago’s theater since 1925, Goodman Theatre is a not-for-profit arts and community organization in the heart of the Loop, distinguished by the excellence and scope of its artistic programming and community engagement.

Co-Director Henry Godinez is the Resident Artistic Associate at Goodman Theatre. His Goodman directing credits include Fannie Lou Hamer, Speak On It! by Cheryl L. West, Charise Castro Smith’s Feathers and Teeth, The Sins of Sor Juana and Mariela in the Desert by Karen Zacarías; José Rivera’s Boleros for the Disenchanted (and world premiere at Yale Repertory Theatre); Regina Taylor’s Millennium Mambo; Luis Alfaro’s Electricidad and Straight as a Line; The Cook by Eduardo Machado; Zoot Suit by Luis Valdez; the Goodman and Teatro Vista co-production of José Rivera’s Cloud Tectonics and the 1996–2001 productions of A Christmas Carol. He also served as director of the Goodman’s Latino Theatre Festival. As an actor, Godinez appeared most recently in Goodman’s The Winter’s Tale, 2666 and the Goodman and Teatro Buendía of Cuba world premiere of Pedro Páramo, and at Writers Theatre in the title role of Quixote: In the Conquest of Self. He has also appeared on television in Chicago PD, Above the Law, The Beast, The Chicago Code, Boss and Chicago Fire. Co-founder and former artistic director of Teatro Vista, Godinez is the recipient of the 1999 Theatre Communications Group Alan Schneider Director Award, the Distinguished Service Award from the Lawyers for the Creative Arts and was honored as the 2008 Latino Professional of the Year by the Chicago Latino Network. Born in Havana, Cuba, Godinez is a professor at Northwestern University and serves on the Board of Directors of the Illinois Arts Council.

Co-Director Marcela Muñoz is a director, actor, teaching artist, and theater translator. She is the Managing and Co-Artistic Director of Aguijón Theater, Chicago’s longest-running Latino theater company. Besides her long history with Aguijón Theater, her Chicago stage acting and directing credits include Teatro Luna, Teatro Vista, Victory Gardens Theatre, and Goodman Theatre. Other directing credits include Urban Theater Company, Chicago Dramatists, and the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has also been Assistant Director at Steppenwolf Theatre Company and Writers Theatre. As actor/director she has participated in international theater festivals in Peru, Argentina, and Colombia. Deeply committed to mentoring and creating opportunities for young artists, she developed and leads the Nuestra Cultura Theater Program at Aguijón Theater for After School Matters. She studied Communications at DePaul University, is a graduate of The School at Steppenwolf, and a 3Arts Award recipient.

The Chicago Park District has served Chicago residents for more than 85 years. It is a Gold Medal Award-winning organization, which recognizes excellence in park and recreation management across the nation. For more information about the Chicago Park District’s more than 8,800 acres of parkland, more than 600 parks, 26 miles of lakefront, 12 museums, two world-class conservatories, 16 historic lagoons, nearly 50 nature areas, thousands of special events, sports and entertainment programs, please visit ChicagoParkDistrict.com or contact the Chicago Park District at 312/742.PLAY or 312/747.2001 (TTY). Want to share your talent? Volunteer in the parks by calling, 312/742.PLAY. Follow us at Facebook/chicagoparkdistrict, on Instagram/chicagoparks and on Twitter @chicagoparks.

The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) is dedicated to enriching Chicago’s artistic vitality and cultural vibrancy. This includes fostering the development of Chicago’s non-profit arts sector, independent working artists and for-profit arts businesses; providing a framework to guide the City’s future cultural and economic growth, via the Chicago Cultural Plan; marketing the City’s cultural assets to a worldwide audience; and presenting high-quality, free and affordable cultural programs for residents and visitors. For more information, visit Chicago.gov/DCASE.

Since 2016, the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA) is committed to showcasing thought provoking works of Latino theater artists, inspiring cross-cultural exchanges, with national/international counterparts. CLATA produces the renowned Destinos: Chicago International Latino Theater Festival, Destinos al Aire, and other programs that preserve cultural heritage and solidify Latino arts and culture in Chicago for generations to come. Follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at the handle @LATINOTHEATER. More Info: Clata.org

Located in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, the National Museum of Mexican Art is one of the most prominent Latino cultural organizations in the country and the only nationally accredited museum dedicated to Mexican art and culture. In 2020, the Museum earned the honor of being named one of America’s Cultural Treasures by the Ford Foundation. The National Museum of Mexican Art strengthens artistic and cultural diversity in Chicago while illuminating the rich art and history of Mexico. Its Permanent Collection consists of more than 11,000 pieces dating from 200 BCE to the present day. The Museum has presented over 150 exhibitions, provides arts education to 52,000 students each year, and serves over 187,000 annual visitors from 60 countries. Admission is always free. Visit NationalMuseumofMexicanArt.org.

Chicago’s theater since 1925, Goodman Theatre is a not-for-profit arts and community organization in the heart of the Loop, distinguished by the excellence and scope of its artistic programming and community engagement. Led by Artistic Director Robert Falls and Executive Director Roche Schulfer, the theater’s artistic priorities include new play development (more than 150 world or American premieres), large scale musical theater works and reimagined classics. Artists and productions have earned two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards and more than 160 Jeff Awards, among other accolades. The Goodman is the first theater in the world to produce all 10 plays in August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle.” Its longtime annual holiday tradition A Christmas Carol, now in its fourth decade, has created a new generation of theatergoers in Chicago. The Goodman also frequently serves as a production and program partner with national and international companies and Chicago’s Off-Loop theaters.

As a cultural and community organization invested in quality, diversity and community, Goodman Theatre is committed to using the art of theater for a better Chicago. Using the tools of the theatrical profession, the Goodman’s Education and Engagement programs aim to develop generations of citizens who understand the cultures and stories of diverse voices. The Goodman’s Alice Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement is the home of these programs, which are offered free of charge for Chicago youth—85% of whom come from underserved communities—schools and life-long learners.

Goodman Theatre was founded by William O. Goodman and his family in honor of their son Kenneth, an important figure in Chicago’s cultural renaissance in the early 1900s. The Goodman family’s legacy lives on through the continued work and dedication of Kenneth’s family, including Albert Ivar Goodman, who with his late mother, Edith-Marie Appleton, contributed the necessary funds for the creation of the new Goodman center in 2000.

Today, Goodman Theatre leadership also includes the distinguished members of the Artistic Collective: Rebecca Gilman, Henry Godinez, Dael Orlandersmith, Steve Scott, Kimberly Senior, Chuck Smith, Regina Taylor, Henry Wishcamper and Mary Zimmerman. Jeff Hesse is Chairman of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees, Fran Del Boca is Women’s Board President and Megan McCarthy Hayes is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals.

Produced in partnership with Chicago Park District’s Night Out in The Parks, the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA) and the National Museum of Mexican Art, this FREE three-week engagement spans 10 park locations citywide. In addition, a special finale performance in Millennium Park, featuring a spectacular cast of 70+ artists will conclude the run.

FEST ALERT: Physical Theater Festival Chicago returns May 31-June 9, 2019 at Stage 773

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

PHYSICAL THEATER FESTIVAL CHICAGO GROWS TO A 10-DAY EVENT WITH NEW FORMS OF THEATER FROM AROUND THE WORLD, MAY 31-JUNE 9 AT STAGE 773 

Physical Theater Festival Chicago returns May 31-June 9, 2019 at Stage 773, opening with (from left) Next Door by Out of Balanz (Denmark), closing with Freeman by Strictly Arts (U.K.), the festival’s largest presentation ever, and with new additions announced including the family-friendly Tic Tac Tock by Mrs. Flower (Belgium/U.K.).

I'll be out for opening night, catching Next Door & Helga for ChiILMama.com (family friendly) & ChiILLiveShows.com (adult). Then we'll be back to check out every act in this year's Physical Theater Festival Chicago. Check back soon for my full reviews. 

Physical Theater Festival Chicago, back for its sixth season, will present physical theater acts and artists from Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, Puerto Rico, India, the U.K. and Chicago that promise to wow audiences for 10 consecutive days of “theater that moves you.”

Physical Theater Festival Chicago runs May 31-June 9, 2019. All events (except Eventide) take place at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. Festival passes ($50 and $65) and single tickets ($15-$20) are on sale at physicalfestival.com.

For updates, follow the festival on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

The 2019 Physical Theater Festival Chicago – the full line-up:

Following, in chronological order, is the full 2019 Physical Theater Festival Chicago schedule – launching with the opening weekend return of the Danish company Out of Balance, the smash hit success of the inaugural fest in 2014, closing with Physical Festival Chicago’s largest presentation in its history, Freeman from Strictly Arts U.K., an Edinburgh Fringe Fest sensation with incredibly powerful stories of mental illness and systemic racism.



Next Door
By Out of Balanz
From Copenhagen, Denmark
Friday, May 31 at 7 p.m., Saturday, June 1 at 9 p.m., Sunday,
June 2 at 2 p.m.
60 minutes
For ages 12 and up

*Parents: Sunday, June 2, 2 p.m. is Sitter Sunday. Come for the show, teaching staff from Willow Tree Child Care will watch your kids, ages potty trained and up! See website for more information. 

Multi-award winning Danish company Out of Balanz returns to Chicago with their critically acclaimed Next Door. The stand-out smash hit of Chicago’s first Physical Theater Festival in 2014 is back by popular demand to re-celebrate physical comedy, active imaginations and the importance of relationships.

When Ivan Hansen’s neighbor passes away suddenly, Ivan realizes he doesn’t know anything about him. In Next Door, intimate storytelling and high-octane physical theater explore what it is that really connects us.

Next Door captured First Prize and Audience Prize at the Birmingham European Theatre Festival 2013 and Best Male Performers at Kosovo’s Skena Up International Festival. The Copenhagen Post called it “imaginative and groundbreaking…an unforgettable journey into the human psyche.” The Scotsman found it “irresistible.”

Founded in 2006, Out of Balanz is an award-winning international theater ensemble based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Recognized for their highly collaborative creative process and for producing original work rich in spectacle and adventurous in form, Out of Balanz has created over a dozen original works and toured to 16 different countries in Europe, North America and Asia (including such venues as The John Houseman Theatre off-Broadway, The Barbican in London and at the first-ever Physical Theater Festival Chicago.) The company was named one of the 13 most innovative physical theater companies in the world, alongside such prestigious companies as The SITI Company and DV8, by backstage.com. For more, visit outofbalanz.org.




Helga – life of a diva extraordinaire
By Henni Kervinen, directed by Jenni Kallo
From Finland
Friday, May 31 at 9 p.m.; Saturday, June 1 at 7 p.m.; and Sunday, June 2 at 5 p.m.
60 minutes
For ages 10 and up

Henni Kervinen in Helga – the life of a diva extraordinare (Finland)

A new cabaret diva extraordinaire is here! Poignant, melancholy mime, clowning circus skills and physical comedy make up the wordless story of Helga. Tragedy and comedy meet as Helga invites us into her world, from the mundane details of her day to the fabulous memories of her life.

Helga is skillfully performed by Finnish circus artist Henni Kervinen and directed by Jenni Kallo, Artistic Director of the renowned Kallo Collective (Only Bones, Edinburgh Fringe 2016). LapinKansa.fi called Helga 'absurd comedy and sparkling wit…', with an Edinburgh Fringe Fest fan hitting the nail on the head with "only the Finns can make humor out of melancholy as fabulously as this.” For more, visit kallocollective.com.

Note: Helga is silent, no interpreter needed, making it appropriate for audiences that are deaf or hard of hearing.

The festival’s new Fresh Series featuring two mid-length works in progress, includes:

The Raveling
by Walkabout Theatre
From Chicago
Sunday, June 2 at 8:30 p.m. and Monday, June 3 at 9 p.m.
60 minutes
For ages 14 and up

As the borders of home are redefined across generations, The Raveling teases apart the threads of heritage, history and hearsay in its cast of co-creators hailing from Chicago, Toronto, and New Delhi. The Raveling is part family fever dream, part fairy tale, and part detective story as the knot of belonging is stretched and pulled across countries and decades of legends, heroes, and misadventures.

Walkabout Theater is a multidisciplinary ensemble committed to a unique practice of theater-making in Chicago. Walkabout produces three streams of programming: free outdoor phenomena focused on community engagement and unique artistic collaborations; world-premiere, touring performances created by the ensemble; and training workshops investigating techniques of co-creation. Radically process-oriented, Walkabout is distinguished by a deep investment in the creation of each ensemble project, in the personal and artistic development of each ensemble artist, and in the cultural and artistic advancement of ensemble practice. For more, visit walkabouttheater.org.




A Life with No Limits
By Aura CuriAtlas Physical Theatre
From Chicago
Monday and Tuesday, June 3 and 4 at 7 p.m.
60 minutes
For all ages

A Life With No Limits is inspired by the life and work of astrophysicist Stephen Hawking. It is created in the company’s signature blend of dance, theater, and acrobatics with original music composed by Sophia Serghi. The story is told wordlessly and reflects on the determination, passion, and sense of humor of someone who has severe physical limitations, yet has an imagination that is able to roam free. The narrative follows the protagonist from younger days with full mobility and a lust for life, through diagnosis and onset of physical disease, to moments of hopelessness when the choice must be made to succumb to the black hole that life has presented or find a way to escape its unbeatable gravitational pull. Throughout, Hawking escapes into his mind where he can move more freely and where the other bodies on stage become objects in the universe or elements in an equation that he can manipulate with ease.

Chicago’s ChiIL Mama called A Life with No Limits “a moving must see…mind-boggling…I was left in awe of the superhuman physical strength and willpower required to live with a severe disability.”

Aura CuriAtlas was founded in 2013 by Dan Plehal, a Chicago-based theater director, actor, acrobat and teacher, and Joan Gavaler, who choreographs, performs, and teaches dance and physical theater at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. The company also includes founding member Mickey Lonsdale, an actor and teacher of dance and acrobatics outside of NYC. 

Blending dance, theater, and acrobatics to tell stories, Aura CuriAtlas keeps the qualities of lightness (Aura), strength (Atlas), and play (Curiosity) at the center. The company has created three shows, Dream Logic, A Life With No Limits, and The Fool and The World and have been touring them around the country. The company’s lightheartedness, athleticism and reliance on physical storytelling make its stories accessible to audiences of many different ages and backgrounds. For more, visit acphysicaltheatre.com.

Scratch Night
Tuesday, June 4 at 9 p.m.
80 minutes
Heels Over Head (Chicago)

The wildly entertaining revue of new and more experimental short works by emerging and veteran Chicago physical theater artists, presented in association with Heels over Head, will feature (at press time) La Vuelta Ensemble led by Raquel Torre and Jean Claudio; Claire Saxe from Rough House Theater; and Brittany Price Anderson from Heels Over Head. Look for more artists TBA.


International Touring Talk
Wednesday, June 5 at 7 p.m.

Learn the ins and outs of touring Chicago-made work internationally and nationally at this free industry panel with artists from Walkabout Theater and India's Guild of the Goat and presenters from Chicago Shakespeare Theater and Chicago Park District. The hour-long panel will be followed by breakout sessions focused on how to pitch presenters, create touring budgets and develop technical riders.

Eventide
By 3AM Theatre
From New York/Puerto Rico 
Wednesday and Thursday, June 5 and 6 at 9 p.m.
60 minutes
Ages 7 and up
at Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St. in Wicker Park

Physical Festival Chicago’s first-ever off-site production is a beautiful, wordless circus theater show featuring a former Cirque du Soleil performer and a former Martha Graham company soloist. The production employs expressive movement, object manipulation, and contemporary, surreal scene-setting to expose the challenges we face in romantic relationships and relationships with ourselves.

Eventide begins in the ether and slowly narrows in on an apartment where a troubled couple lies awake despite the late hour. Soon we witness their disconnection unfold with the interplay between present interactions, interior monologues and past memories. With the future of their relationship at stake, they choose to explore a hovering, seductive void, one that’s accessible via inexplicable phenomena of the twilight hours. There in the void they move freely, without the weight of mental clutter, giving them a clarity that ultimately leads them toward redefining their individuality and partnership. Eventide is told wordlessly, making it ideal for audience members that are deaf or are hard of hearing.
​
3AM Theatre is the latest creative endeavor of two career performers, Kyle Driggs and Andrea Murillo. They bring their respective experiences at storied institutions like Martha Graham Dance Company and Cirque du Soleil to 3AM where they are developing performances that explore both the intersection and the boundaries of their art forms. 3amtheatre.com



The Gift
By Angela de Castro
From Brazil/UK
Thursday, Friday and Saturday, June 6, 7 and 8 at 7 p.m.
60 minutes
All ages

A clown waits for his new date to arrive. Smart, proud and optimistic he waits longingly, impatiently...waits...and waits. In what seems an eternity he walks a tightrope between passion and despair. Will it all end in tears or laughter? The Gift is about love and loss, giving and loneliness. A heart-warming tale in the great tradition of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin in which music and silence merge as passion and imagination take over. The Gift will touch and delight audiences of all ages. In an era of so-called sophistication and cool, we need more than ever the simple, universal message of love, hope and truth captured in The Gift.

The Gift began as a 30-minute show in 1990, subsequently receiving a special grant from the Arts Council of Great Britain to develop into a full length show and premiering at the London International Mime Festival. The Gift has been seen all over the UK and is now touring worldwide. Reworked with new material, this updated production is performed and directed by Angela de Castro, accompanied by a special guest classical musician, with choreography by clown and commedia dell'arte expert Barry Grantham.

Brazilian born Angela de Castro has been a professional clown/actor for forty years, working with some of the UK’s most innovative physical theatre companies including The Right Size and Clod Ensemble. She travels the world with her workshop masterclass ‘How To Be a Stupid’ and is perhaps best known for creating the Green Clown in Slava’s Snowshow. One of the most internationally admired women clowns, she has been awarded fellowships by NESTA Dreamtime, The Arts Foundation and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. For more, visit contemporaryclowningprojects.com.



Freeman
By Strictly Arts
From the UK
Thursday, Friday and Saturday, June 6, 7 and 8 at 9 p.m.
60 minutes
For ages 14 and up

Following its critically acclaimed sold out run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Freeman makes its Midwest debut as the largest international production ever presented by Physical Theater Festival Chicago.

Winner of a Spirit of the Fringe Award and shortlisted for Amnesty International’s Freedom of Expression Award, Freeman is inspired by the first man in America to plead insanity as his defense and sees writer Camilla Whitehill (Where Do Little Birds Go?) and Strictly Arts examine the unspoken link between mental health and systemic racism.

Throughout time and across waters, from William Freeman, to Sarah Reed, to Sandra Bland, six true stories are threaded together and told through physical theater, spoken word, gospel singing, shadow puppetry and more. History is bound to repeat itself when the thumb is permanently bearing down on the loop button, so has anything really changed?

The Guardian called Freeman “a revelation, a piece of stunning physical theatre,” Broadway Baby hailed its “outstanding artistic courage” and Edinburgh Guide raved "both exciting and devastating...everybody should see it."

Strictly Arts is a new physical theater company led by Artistic Director and founder, Corey Campbell and Executive Producer, Henry Bays. The company formed after achieving breakout success with Green Leaves Fall in 2015, instantly igniting a partnership between Strictly Arts and Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre. More recently, Strictly Arts received the Charlie Hartill Special Reserve Fund from the Pleasance Theatre enabling the company to take its first show, Freeman, to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, selling out its performances and receiving many 5 star reviews. Freeman started as a work in progress piece that quickly developed into national tours in 2017 and 2018. It sold out across all venues with standing ovations and amazing feedback, and was shortlisted for two Off West End Awards.

As a company, Strictly Arts devises work that is engaging, thought provoking and unique. It strives to make the work created accessible to audiences around the world, while telling stories that forgotten communities can connect with. For more, visit strictlyarts.co.uk.

The Nora Project Presents: Tic Tac Tock by Mrs. Flower
With and by Rachel Ponsonby, Directed by Louis Spagna
From Belgium/U.K.
Sunday, June 9 at 2 p.m.
50 minutes
All ages
Free with suggested donation to The Nora Project


Tic Tac Tock by Mrs. Flower

Experience sensory friendly, inclusive live theater for children of all abilities and their families.

Tic Tac Tock is a prize-winning story told by Mrs. Flower about when she was a little girl. She explains what a day is like "over there" in France in her unique and humorous style. Tic Tac Tock is a celebration of music, song, and language in both French and English. Mrs. Flower tells her tale while playing over 10 instruments as well as the sumptuous use of audience participation, circus, magic and clowning.

A musical clown show for all ages, Tic Tac Tock is with and by Rachel Ponsonby, and directed by Louis Spagna. zirktheatre.be

The Nora Project is a Chicago-based nonprofit with a mission is to teach empathy by sparking friendships between students and their peers with disabilities. The Nora Project is currently in more than 30 schools and 85 classrooms across Chicagoland and growing. thenoraproject.ngo


Workshops
One of the great thrills about Physical Theater Festival is the opportunity to connect with artists from around the world, and play. Learn how to have fun on stage, connect with your body, and create work with other artist at one or more workshops:

Make ‘Em Laugh- Comedy and The Human Body by Out of Balanz
Sunday, June 2, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Expressive Body: The Essence of Physical Theater by Kallo Collective
Monday, June 3, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Action, Group, Body and Song By Walkabout Theater
Tuesday, June 4, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Art of Human Playgrounds by Aura CuriAtlas 
Wednesday, June 5, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Physical Theater Foundations by Strictly Arts
Thursday, June 6, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Mindful Manipulations by 3AM Theatre
Thursday, June 6, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The Pleasure of Playing by Angela De Castro
Friday, June 7, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Outside Eyes by Angela de Castro (Individual one hour sessions for performers or theater companies) 
Saturday, June 9, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

Visit physicalfestival.com/workshops-2019 for more class descriptions, fees and information on a discounted workshop pass.


About the 2019 Physical Theater Festival Chicago

Physical Theater Festival Chicago is the city’s annual contemporary, visual and physical theater festival presenting new forms of theater from around the world. Back for its sixth year, Chicago’s Physical Theater Festival presents a diverse, international slate of radically different works of physical theater, loosely defined as storytelling through highly physical, highly visual means to create live, original and contemporary works.

Since 2014, Physical Theater Festival Chicago has presented artists and companies from Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, France, Finland, Denmark, Germany, India, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Spain and the U.K. Each year, Physical Theater Festival introduces Chicago to work that is:

Contemporary - using cutting-edge, on-the-pulse theatrical forms that are responding to the contemporary moment using contemporary notions of theater.

Visual - elevating the visual aspects of its stories, theater which is occupied with the creation of visual atmospheres and images as much as verbal text.

Physical - pursuing storytelling through primarily physical means, whose aim is to create original stories which start and end with the body as the foundational textual source.

Physical Theater Festival Chicago co-founders Alice da Cunha and Marc Frost

Chicago theater artists Alice da Cunha and Marc Frost launched Chicago’s inaugural Physical Theater Festival in 2014 through the Artistic Associate program at Links Hall. The inspiration for the Festival drew upon their combined experience as physical theater students at the London International School for the Performing Arts (LISPA). Moving from London to Chicago, they were inspired to start a new festival to promote a more progressive, fresh and physical approach to theater making in Chicago. Six years later, Physical Theater Festival Chicago is following in the tradition of such great European theater festivals as the London International Mime Festival (LIMF) and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, to name a few.

“Physical theater embraces such a wide variety of styles, approaches and aesthetics including clown, puppetry, mime, mask, dance, theater, vaudeville and circus, stop motion film and poetry to name just a few,” explains Alice da Cunha. “Chicago is fortunate to be home to one of the best, most eclectic and adventurous audiences in the world. So ‘let’s get physical,’ Chicago. The 6th Physical Theater Festival Chicago is your chance to see an eye-opening variety of contemporary physical theater styles, artists and companies from around the globe.”

Alice da Cunha was Marketing Director for CASA (London's Latin American Theatre Festival) and she produced, curated and presented SHORTCUTZ (a weekly short film festival). She was also the Production Assistant for TODOS Festival, an interdisciplinary festival in Lisbon, Portugal. In Chicago, da Cunha is an actress who has performed in many plays and films, including United Flight 232 at The House Theatre of Chicago, winner of a 2016 Jeff Award for Best Ensemble, and more recently, La Ruta at Steppenwolf Theatre. She has also worked in hospitality for the Chicago Latino Film Festival.

Co-Artistic Director Marc Frost is an actor, deviser, educator and Chicago native who has performed and produced work in Brazil, Ireland, Spain, the USA and the U.K. He created Theater Unspeakable as a platform for original works of devised, physical theater. Based in Chicago, the award-winning company has toured nationally to thousands of young audiences at venues including Lincoln Center Education (NY) and Kennedy Center (DC). He currently teaches physical theater at DePaul University. He is also a recent graduate of the Commercial Theatre Institute's 14-Week Training Program for Commercial Producers in New York City.

Physical Theater Festival Chicago is supported by The MacArthur Funds for Arts and Culture at The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation and is also supported by Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Events (DCASE), Fractured Atlas, Stage 773 and Theater Unspeakable LLC.

For more information, visit physicalfestival.com.