Free Street Theater teaches acting and writing skills to youth so they can open their potential to be creative, active participants in their own lives.

Free Street Theater Youth Alum, Christoph Horton Abiel, Accepted into Professional Acting Program at Juilliard
Only 18 students are accepted into this program each year.

"Free Street has given me a real entry into a life that is healthily defined by creative and nourishing risks. I am going to continue my creative education in the Professional Actor Training Program of the Drama Division at The Juilliard School.

I would not have gotten this far, this quickly, without the careful consideration that was offered me as a young artist at Free Street. It was impressed upon me to live meaningfully in each moment of my life and labor as an artist. There was never any easy way into or out of those walls. And we were encouraged to take responsibility for this reality. Free Street is not about being safe and simple. Free Street is not about being rebellious and isolationist. It is being real and honest and relevant. It is being urgent to make a contribution to society that will not come back null and void. It must not spoil. Sour. Or smell.

I know that life is incredibly rich and raw. Life will be unbearable at times, yet I was taught to, “still”, and want it NOW. I was taught to live on the brink. I was taught that there is a way to live on the brink and be in charge of life …and be meaningful. And I can be dangerously brilliant, because that is what a virtuoso human being is- daringly, dangerously, beautifully brilliant."    - Christoph Horton Abiel, May 2009

Free Street is a cultural arts laboratory constantly experimenting with the idea of creativity as a driving force for change in our lives and in our communities. Recognizing that our diverse teen participants can all speak the common language of creativity we work together to develop our creative skills and learn how to approach any situation with imagination, compassion, and energy—in short, we become artists.

Our professional artists work with emerging artists and youth artists to develop performances that explore the form, the language and the essential meaning of theater.

We have several opportunities for you to get involved:

Performance/Training Ensembles for Teenagers
Two-year Intensive: Student completes enough training to have strong creative foundation for future. Strong Knowledge of Emotional Release, Yoga, Voice Control, Contact Improvisation, Script Writing, Play Direction and Ensemble Theater Building.
Summer Ensembles: 50 youth- 4 days per week, 5 hours per day, 6 weeks. This intensive brings youth from all over Chicago and interns from all over the world to work in a large ensemble. All workshops taught with a pack mentality (2-4 Free Street master teachers in room at the same time).
Fall-Spring Ensembles: Continued training for summer youth and introduction for new youth. Ensembles create 2 new performances for public audiences.

In School Training Workshops
Act/Write: Free Street partners with the Fiction Writing Department at Columbia College. Free Street’s acting practice slams into Columbia’s Story writing workshop.
Arts Literacy: Free Street partners with Public Education. Physical warm-up, opening up the voice and every acting exercise leads to writing. Free Street has been actively engaged in the public school classroom since 1974.
Breaking Borders: A Free Street Partnership with Metropolis Performing Arts Center of Arlington Heights. This cooperation brings together a suburban and a city public school. Theater and writing workshops include exchanges of students to each school.

College Internships
Summer and school year internships available to motivated artists/teachers to be. Internships are non-paid. Interns will learn practical information about working with youth in a theater arts program. Free Street takes these internships seriously. If you want to learn and work with us, we will put energy into your development as an artist/educator.

Park Play at Pulaski Park
5-11 year olds discover new ways to play using theater. Workshops are set-up through the Chicago Park District for their after school programming.

UpSideDownSchool
A summer arts-first school for 5 - 10 year olds designed to promote a lifelong curiosity for learning.

If you would like more information about how to get involed in any of these workshops please contact us at 773-772-7248