Collaboraction's innovative Chicago youth artist-activist program, The Light, will cast a bright light this summer with a string of high-profile onstage performances in July and August at Kidzapalooza at Lollapalooza, Fresh Fest at Navy Pier, The Silver Room Block Party, culminating with a Chicago parks tour with Night Out in the Parks.
These live performances will feature Collaboraction’s first The Light cohort, six amazing Chicago youths who have grown their skills as performers and activists the past year through Collaboraction’s youth artivist mentorship and performance intensive:
Collaboraction’s first The Light ensemble of artist-activists, class of 2021-22 (from left): Ella Rae, Ava Lynn Trpeski, Kyra Pierce, Phallon Pierce, Marcus Jackson and Nate Buescher. Collaboraction is now accepting submissions for year two of The Light youth training program. Credit: Joel Maisonet
Nate Buescher, 14, a talented young dancer, singer, TV and stage actor, and a member of the Chicago Bulls, Bulls’ Kidz, from Lincoln Park High School. Nate's social justice focus is celebrating our differences.
Marcus Jackson, 18, a spoken word artist and southside student from Lindblom focusing on community apathy.
Phallon and Kyra Pierce, 15, identical twins and amazing dancers from Bolingbrook, who have a bill on the Illinois House Floor, called The Pierce Twins Law, that would ensure K-12 curriculums throughout Illinois will include books written by diverse authors.
Ella Rae, 19, a singer/storyteller from Wicker Park named a Rising Star of Chicago by the City of Chicago in 2019. Ella Rae is focused on mental health awareness.
Ava Lynn Trpeski, 16, from Crown Point, Indiana, whose focus is body positivity and confronting the stigma of what a dancer should look like.
Watch this short documentary about The Light to learn more about this exceptional group of Chicago youth performers, and how they integrate their performance art with their personal social justice focus.
Then come see the group performing under their new name, Unicorn, as they enter their second year in The Light, at:
Fresh Fest at Navy Pier
- Friday, July 15, 1-1:40 p.m.
- At the Wave Wall Performance Platform
- Free
- Festival Information here
Silver Room Block Party
- Saturday, July 16, 1-1:30 p.m.
- Oakwood Beach, 4100 South DuSable Lake Shore Drive
- Tickets and information: silverroomblockparty.com
Kidzapalooza at Lollapalooza
- Thursday, July 28, 3 p.m.
- Grant Park, Chicago
- Tickets and information: lollapalooza.com
Night Out in the Parks Tour
August 18-20
Thursday, August 18, 5-7 p.m.
- Douglass Park, 1301 S. Sacramento Ave. in North Lawndale
Friday, August 19, 5-7 p.m.
- LaFollette Park, 1333 N. Laramie Ave. in Austin
Saturday, August 20, 5-7 p.m.
- Hamilton Park, 513 W. 72nd St. in Englewood
Meanwhile, Collaboraction is in the final selection stage for year two of The Light. Once the switch is flipped, the year two ensemble will work to develop their art and activism over the next year with Collaboraction Company Member Carolyn Hoerdemann, who continues as lead mentor for The Light, and rapper and community activist FURY, aka Samantha Jordan, who joins The Light as a teaching artist this year.
The Light class of 2022-23 will be announced in July and will make their Light debut during the Night Out in the Parks Tour in August.
The Light is partially supported by the Marc and Jeanne Malnati Family Foundation, The Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, O'Connor Casting Company, Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks and sponsored by Toyota, USA.
Meet The Light - Chicago Youth Artist-Activists Lighting Up Change
Want to spark social change in Chicago and beyond? Become a CollaborActivist!
Want to spark social change in Chicago and beyond? Become a CollaborActivist!
Join Collaboraction’s new member program that supports live programs and digital workshops, helps pay artists equitably, and provides a brave space for diverse voices who create transformative performances on critical social issues. CollaborActivists receive exclusive invitations to social events (virtual and in-person), free or discounted tickets, special swag, and updates on Collaboraction’s community impact. Become a CollaborActivist for as little as $1 a month at collaboraction.org/memberships.
About Collaboraction: Changing the map and removing barriers within the theater industry
Collaboraction is a 25-year-old, ethno-diverse company that uses theater and performance to incite social change on Chicago’s most critical issues. Collaboraction produces live and digital performances, anti-racism workshops, and youth programs that incite change and grow equity in Chicago.
Since its founding in 1996, Collaboraction has pushed artistic boundaries working with more than 4,000 artists to bring over 100 productions and events to more than 150,000 unique audience members, and has inspired measurable positive change on social justice in Chicago and beyond. Collaboraction’s work includes Sketchbook, Peacebook, Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till, Moonset Sunrise, Crime Scene, Forgotten Future and Gender Breakdown.
In addition to live performances, community building and video production, the company centers and presents its work in Chicago neighborhoods historically overlooked like Englewood, Austin and Lawndale.
Collaboraction, under the leadership of Executive Artistic Director Anthony Moseley, has been acknowledged for innovation and inclusivity by using theater as a tool for social change with numerous awards including, most recently, a 2020 Foster Innovation Award from Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, the 2020 Multi-Racial Unity Award from the First Unitarian Church-Chicago, a 2018 Stand For the Arts Award from Comcast and OvationTV, and an Otto Award from New York’s Castillo Theatre.
Collaboraction is supported by The Chicago Community Trust, the National Endowment for the Arts, Illinois Humanities, Paul M. Angell Foundation, Marc and Jeanne Malnati Family Foundation, Joseph and Bessie Feinberg Foundation, the Bayless Family Foundation, Spreading Hearts, AV Chicago, and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Collaboraction is supported by a grant of U.S. Department of Treasury funds through the City of Chicago.
For more information, visit collaboraction.org, or follow the company on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or YouTube.