ABOUT
Original Company 1969
MISSION
Free Street Theater teaches acting and creative writing skills to youth so they can open their potential to be creative, active participants in their own lives.
FREE STREET PROGRAMS
Free Street’s programs are designed to provide opportunities of artistic engagement to youths who are commonly excluded from mainstream programming. Free Street’s programs consist of: a two-year advanced-acting training program called Performance Ensembles; Theater Residencies offered to under-resourced youth in Chicago Public Schools and Park Districts and internships offered to college-level students who seek hands-on opportunities to work in community-based arts, youth development and/ or theater. Additionally, the young actors in the Performance Ensembles develop three original performances that are presented as Free Street’s Season Productions. An audience base of approximately 4,000 each year attends the productions. The UpsideDown School is a new summer arts camp for youth ages 5-10 that is led by master teaching-artists who combine elements of theater, music, dance and visual art to explore the sciences.
HISTORY
“Our goal is to cut through the layers of political, social and religious philosophy that have separated people from one another and to concentrate on the rhythms and energies common to all people.” – Patrick Henry, Free Street Founding Director, 1969
After two decades of working with underserved populations in areas including Cabrini Green and the Cook County Correctional facility, Free Street focused its mission towards working with low-income youth. Through ensemble-based creative processes that engage youth, professional artist collaboration and mentorship and visiting scholars, Free Street Theater has been developing performances that explore artistic form, language creation and the essential meaning of being human. Since 1995, Free Street youth have created and performed 11 productions internationally in 6 countries and performed in over 48 European Theater Festivals. In 2009, Free Street Theater celebrated its 40th year, reaching an important milestone as Chicago’s longest running theater company.
RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS
In 2010, Free Street traveled to Thailand to collaborate with Makhampom Theatre in an exchange of teaching pedagogy, performance creation and cross-cultural experience. Three Free Street staff, six Chicago youth, and the Makhampom group developed a performance together, played to audiences in Chiang Dao, villages in the Chiang Mai province, and a refugee community in Pang Daeng. They developed original performances, conducted an English language workshop with the children and helped dig a dam for clean water. In 2009, the organization was honored to be one of two recipients of The Hopie Award for innovation and creativity from the Lester and Hope Abelson Fund for the Performing Arts. In 2006, The Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York adopted Free Street’s training model for their teen outreach program. In 2004, Free Street’s youth actor training method was featured in the Theatre Communications Group (TCG) publication, American Theatre Magazine. The performance ensemble was later invited to open the 2006 TCG Conference in Atlanta.
