The Light 2023 Summer Parks Tour, August 17-19
Part of the Chicago Park District’s 2023 Night Out in the Parks series
Supported by the Mayor’s Office and Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events
Collaboraction's The Light is glowing up Chicago this summer with four live shows featuring the company’s youth artist/activist ensemble performing original works of music, dance, poetry and spoken word, each sparked by a passion project beat.
Collaboraction’s The Light, backstage at Kidzapalooza in 2022 (bottom row, from left): Ava Lynn Trpeski, Kyra Pierce, Phallon Pierce, Nate Buescher, (back row, from left) Earl Hester, Sydney Sanaa, Marcus Jackson, Ella Rae, CJ Dahgod, and Bigg Ceno. Photo credit: Willow James.
Collaboraction’s The Light wraps its 2023 summer tour spreading their message of positive social change with three straight shows at three of Chicago’s most beautiful parks:
Thursday, August 17 at 5 p.m.
LaFollette Park, 1333 N. Laramie Ave. in Austin
Friday, August 18 at 5 p.m.
Loyola Park, 1230 W. Greenleaf Ave. in Rogers Park
Saturday, August 19 at 3 p.m.
Hamilton Park, 513 W. 72nd St. in Englewood
Collaboraction’s The Light is an ensemble of more than a dozen young Chicago change-makers - actors, singers, poets, dancers, and musicians, ages 14 to 19 - of exceptional message, skill and craft.
The Light 2023 cohort features the fresh talents of actor/singer/dancer Saniyah As-Salaam, singer/songwriter Sophia Awuzie, dancer/actor Nate Buescher, spoken word artist and singer Cortez Stewart aka Bigg Ceno, theater and music artist August Garrett, monologist Yeva Guthrie, singer/songwriter Earl Hester, poet/musician Ella Pinckney, dancer/athletes Phallon and Kyra Pierce, singer-songwriter Ella Rae, and theater and music artist Sydney Sanaa.
The Light rocking Kidzapalooza, July 28, 2022. Photo courtesy Collaboraction.
The group eagerly immerses themselves in Collaboraction’s year-long, paid mentorship program, starting in the summer with meetings and rehearsals with Collaboraction company members, staff and teaching artists. Here they learn about the intersection of live performance and social change while creating new solo and ensemble work.
Ultimately, each member is charged to devise, produce and present an original work grounded in their social justice passion project, such as racism, body positivity, mental health awareness, homelessness and more.
The Light is supported by the Marc and Jeanne Malnati Family Foundation, The Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, and O’Connor Casting Company.
To learn more, visit collaboraction.org or follow the company on Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Twitter.
Become a CollaborActivist
Becoming a CollaborActivist not only supports Collaboraction’s work, which hires hundreds of artists to create social change work, but also offers access to community and content to support your growth as an agent of social change.
CollaborActivist memberships provide exclusive access to the Co-Lab, a digital portal at collaboraction.org which allows members to create a profile, connect with other members, attend virtual workshops and meet-ups, and screen members-only video content with more than 40 videos. Sign up for as little as $1/month at collaboraction.org/memberships.
Collaboraction:
Changing the map and removing barriers in 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.
Collaboraction’s work includes the Emmy Award-winning Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till, SKETCHBOOK, PEACEBOOK, Moonset Sunrise, The Light Youth Ensemble, 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.
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Anthony Moseley and Managing Director Carla Stillwell, Collaboraction has been honored for innovation and inclusivity with the Foster Innovation Award from Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, the Multi-Racial Unity Award from the First Unitarian Church-Chicago, a Stand For the Arts Award from Comcast and OvationTV, and an Otto Award from New York’s Castillo Theatre. In 2022, Collaboraction was one of the first theaters in the U.S. to be certified by On Our Team, a national trade organization advocating for pay equity and transparency in the live theater industry.
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, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. To learn more, visit collaboraction.org
About the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks series
Collaboraction’s The Light 2023 Summer Parks Tour 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. The Night Out in the Parks program presents cultural events year-round in neighborhood parks throughout the city. The Chicago Park District in partnership with 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. For more information, please visit nightoutintheparks.com.