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Scapi DIY Theater and Performance List: June 2019

By Diti Kohli on June 1, 2019

Pictured above: Rehearsal for A Life With No Limits with The Aura CuriAtlas Physical Theatre Photo from The Physical Theater Festival

Editor’s Note: If you would like to be featured in future Scapi upcoming monthly productions lists, please email and/or add DIY Theater and Performance Editor Danielle Levsky at scapimag@gmail.com to your distribution list and send along the accessibility options that are available in your theatrical or performance art show. You must have performance ticket options available for $20 or less in order to be included in the list, for pay accessibility purposes.

Our DIY theater and performance recommendations for the month of June:

Sound Moves

  • June 1, 7:30 p.m.
  • Far From Equilibrium at Links Hall, 3111 N. Western Ave.
  • Chrissy Martin and her band of performers bring forth a body of work that melds vocal sound and physical movement. The evening-length piece bases itself in Martin’s research on the effect of movement in performance and even brings in the audience to participate in portions of the program.
  • Accessibility Options:

Helvetica

  • June 1, 7:30 p.m.
  • Death & Pretzels Theater at the Nox Arca Theatre, 4001 N. Ravenswood St.
  • Playwright William Coleman stories the life of Helvetica Burke, one of the world’s most famed children’s authors. Sadly, her life doesn’t mimic the positive nature of her books. Coleman personifies Burke as three separate women––her past, her present, and her future––for his audience.
  • Accessibility Options:

3 Sisters

  • June 1-15, 7:30 p.m.
  • The Neighborhood Theatre at Ravenswood Fellowship United Church, 4511 N. Hermitage Ave.
  • 25 storytellers guide audiences through four years of birthday parties, weddings, and funerals. In an exploration of grief, desire, and circumstance, The Neighborhood production present a new adaptation of the show on love and loss with a musical spin (and balloons).
  • Accessibility Options:

The Raveling

  • June 2-3, Times vary
  • Walkabout Theater Company and Guild of the Goat at Pro Theater, 1225 W. Belmont Ave.
  • Part of the Physical Theatre Festival (see below)
  • One family’s reality is “stretched across decades of myth and misadventures” in this Delhi-based company’s play. As a family history drama, the show’s storylines are based on the narratives of the actual performers and convalescence in the group’s coming together for dinner. The entire play weaves together song, fairy tales, and food preparation in an extravagant, avant-grande fashion.
  • Accessibility Options:

It Is Magic

  • Until June 29, Times vary
  • Theatre Oobleck at The Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St.
  • In this play, “something wicked this way comes” as hopefuls audition for two shows at the Mortier Civic Playhouse. One is an interesting adult adaptation of The Three Little Pigs, while another is a Scottish play not to be named.
  • Accessibility Options:
    • Pay Accessible– Pay what you can/No one turned away for lack of funds
    • $20 suggested donation/show
    • Event details / Ticket link

A Life With No Limits

  • June 3-4, 7:00 p.m.
  • The Aura CuriAtlas Physical Theatre at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave.
  • Part of the Physical Theatre Festival (see below)
  • As a tribute to astrophysicist Stephen Hawking and others struggling with physical diseases, this performance combines dance, theater, and acrobatics to showcase the freedom of passion and imagination. The young protagonist experiences the diagnosis and onset of his disease after a lifetime of full mobility. But despite his body’s unwillingness, he escapes into this mind to roam free.
  • Accessibility options:

columbinus

  • June 5-14, 7:30 p.m.
  • Random Acts Chicago at Unity Lutheran Church, 1212 W. Balmoral Ave.
  • The play reflects on the horrors in Littleton, Colorado during and after the famed Columbine High School shooting. Drawing from discussion excerpts with parents and survivors, the company explores the depths of teenage adolescence and the event’s history on the 20th anniversary year of the tragedy.
  • Accessibility options:

Physical Theater Festival

  • Until June 8, Times vary
  • Various companies at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave.
  • With nine days of shows featuring a throng of international companies, this Chicago festival whips up a mix of drama and comedy for every theater lover. For a complete list of shows, summaries, and time, visit the official website.
  • Accessibility Options:
    • Ticket prices vary

Pride VS Prejudice

  • June 8, 8:00 p.m.
  • The Drinking and Writing Theater at The Martin, 2515 W. Northern Ave.
  • As a part of Pride Month celebrations, this company is pitting local writers and performers against one another for six rounds of exciting theater. One side will represent pride; the other, prejudice. The audience decides which team’s presentation of song, dance, monologue, and more wowed them the most in the end.
  • Accessibility Options:

The Selfish Giant

  • June 8-30, Times vary
  • The Ghostlight Ensemble at The Otherworld Theatre, 3914 N. Clark St.
  • A “selfish” giant’s garden falls to ruin after he builds a giant wall to keep out playing children. In this physical theatre play about isolation and morality based on Oscar Wilde’s short story of the same name, human characters and mythical creators captivate both parents and children.  
  • Accessibility Options:

The Ballad of Lefty & Crabbe

  • June 8-July 14, Times vary
  • Underscore Theatre Company at The Understudy, 4609 N. Clark Ave.
  • A comedy duo navigates their way through the entertainment industry during the rise of Hollywood. After a successful stint at the 2018 Chicago Musical Theatre Festival, Lefty and Crabbe is coming to The Understudy with a cast of ten playing fifty characters.
  • Accessibility Options:

M.A.T.A Make America Teen Already

  • June 10-July 3, 7:00 p.m.
  • Free Street Theater at The Storyfront, 4346 S. Ashland Ave.
  • A group of Chicago South Side teenagers collaborated with playwrights to create M.A.T.A, a show that strives to authentically convey the experience of growing up in the Trump-era. Featuring young adults whose recent lives have been affected by “45’s administration,” the play puts the stories of these often overlooked teenagers at the front of the stage.
  • Accessibility Options:

Footholds by the Community: A Collaboraction

  • June 13-23, Times vary
  • The Impostors Theatre Collaboraction
  • Hosted at the Pentagon Theatre at Collaborcation Studios in the Flat Iron Arts Building, 1579 N. Milwaukee Ave.
  • Featuring five different shows by five different playwrights (Refraction, AGITA, Creations, The Piper’s Calling, In the Details), the Footholds collaboraction centers itself around one theme or “foothold”: a stack of red construction paper. The anthology series pushed playwrights to create with a single, common restraint in mind and see where their separate imaginations would take them.
  • Accessibility Options:

Bring the Beat Back

  • June 14-30, Times vary
  • Otherworld Theatre, 3194 Clark St.
  • In a “queer, black, sci-fi, staged concert experience,” a young male hero struggles between his sexuality and his faith as he clashes with subculture, society, and religious authority. The play draws inspiration from urban “gay ball” culture and references just the right amount of Afro-futurism to hold the audience’s attention.
  • Accessibility Options:

Human Resource(s)

  • July 14-July 6, Times vary
  • Theatre Evolve at The Edge Off Broadway Theatre, 1133 W. Catapula Ave.
  • How far would you go achieve the American Dream? Playwright Sara Means explores the United States corporate world and the ruthless climb to the top in this sharp and satirical show.
  • Accessibility Options:

Improv Incubator

  • June 16, 9:00 p.m.
  • Otherworld Theatre, 3194 Clark St.
  • Watch improv teams experiment with form within the confines of science fiction and fantasy themes! In 30 minute slots, Chicago teams will put themselves on the line for laughs. Teams can apply by emailing katie@otherworldtheatre.org to be part of the competitive, but comedic fun.
  • Accessibility Options:

The Whisper at Strawdog!

  • June 17-18, Times vary
  • The Whisper Theatre Collective at the Strawdog Theater, 1802 W. Berenice Ave.
  • “Women your mother hope you never become” trample down from the heavens for a bombastic journey of feminine storytelling in this show. In an almost offensive adventure, they embark on a quest to find out what happened to the Wild Woman. The play combines physical and classic theater with dance and partner acrobatics.  
  • Accessibility Options:

12th Night: If Circus Be the Love of Food, Play On!

  • June 20-30, Times vary
  • Theatre Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave.
  • Shakespeare’s comedic classic takes an acrobatic turn this summer with this twist on The Twelfth Night. In a play where love triangles, gender-bending, and the end of social norms reign, this show allows audiences to watch a visiting company, Yes Ma’am Circus, reshape a timeless theater classic.
  • Accessibility Options:

Grindr The Opera (An Unauthorized Parody)

  • June 23-July 28, Times vary
  • Pride Arts at The Buena Theatre, 4147 N. Broadway
  • This satirical musical explores the crazy world of GRINDR, the hookup app that changed gay dating and culture with its explosion. With four gay men and a mythical personification of the app itself, the show is finally making its way to Chicago after its UK debut.
  • Accessibility Options:

The Return of Poonie’s Cabaret

  • June 24, 7:00 p.m.
  • Links Hall, 3111 N. Western Ave.
  • Curated by the Vertical Side Show, this performance series bands together drag and performance artists in all aspects and forms of expression––think dance, theatre, voguing, puppeteering, comedy, and more! Poonie Dodson, the show’s namesake, died from AIDS in the early ‘90s, but his legacy lives on in the charades and fancies of the night’s performances.
  • Accessibility Options:

Closets Are for Clothes

  • June 28, 8:30 p.m.
  • Constellation Chicago, 3111 N. Western Ave.
  • In a concert experience, Civic Orchestra violin fellow John Heffernan and other LGBT+ musicians teamed up to put sound behind the emotionally complicated process of “coming out.” Featuring the works of prominent composers like Devin Fanslow and Kelley Sheehan, the concert aims to be a “communicative force” and encourage understanding towards the community.
  • Accessibility Options:

Open Wide

  • June 28-July 14, Times vary
  • Curious Theatre Branch at the Prop Thtr, 3502-04 N. Elston
  • With an electric music soundtrack, this play follows a patient, her dentist, and a receptionist who encounters them both. The story centers itself around questions of vulnerability, control, and consent.
  • Accessibility Options:
    • Pay Accessible– Pay what you can/No one turned away for lack of funds
    • $20 suggested donation/show
    • Event details / Ticket link

Key to our Symbols for Accessibility:

  • Wheelchair Accessibility 
  • Audio Description         
  • Closed Captioning (CC) 
  • Opened Captioning (OC) 
  • Assistive Listening Systems 
  • Sign Language Interpretation 
  • Accessible Print (18 pt. or Larger) 
  • Pay Accessible
    • Pay What You Can/No One Turned Away For Lack of Funds 
    • Free Tickets Available 
    • Discounted Pricing (Student, Industry, Senior, etc.) 
  • Trigger Warning 

Published in Theater and Underground

Diti Kohli
Diti Kohli

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