In 2006, a TimeOut Chicago article posed the question, “Why is Chicago Theatre so White, and how can we fix it?” In response, four theatre companies designed a season of plays that reflected the diversity of our city. The initiative, aptly named Looks Like Chicago, offered audiences a season-long subscription series featuring plays at Silk Road, Congo Square, Remy Bumppo, and Teatro Vista—each company with its own unique commitment to cultural representation. At season’s end, subscribers gathered at the Chicago Cultural Center for a town hall meeting, which included a candid conversation on the state of diversity in Chicago theatre.
Looks Like Chicago 2008 Season
Congo Square Theatre Company
Congo Square Theatre Company is an ensemble dedicated to artistic excellence and to producing definitive and transformative theatre spawned from the African Diaspora, as well as other world cultures.
The Talented Tenth
By Richard Wesley
Directed by Aaron Todd Douglas
March 16 – April 20, 2008
A contemporary comedy-drama about Howard University Alumni dedicated to their own self-interest.
Sanctified
By Javon Johnson
Directed by Derrick Sanders
Sanctified will be performed in the Fall of 2008.
A joyous, warm, hymn-shouting show that bears witness to the world of African-American gospel music!
The Talented Tenth and Sanctified was performed at
Chicago Center for the Performing Arts
777 N Green Street (at Chicago Avenue)
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Remy Bumppo Theatre Company
Remy Bumppo Theatre Company delights and engages audiences with the emotional and ethical complexities of society through the provocative power of great theatrical language.
Brontë
By Polly Teale
Directed by James Bohnen
March 20 – May 4, 2008
This inventive drama examines the lives of the Brontë sisters, and explores the question of how a trio of Victorian spinsters could have produced some of the most passionate literature ever written. An American premiere.
Brontë was performed at
Victory Gardens Greenhouse
2257 N Lincoln Ave.
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Silk Road Theatre Project
Silk Road Theatre Project showcases playwrights of Asian, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean backgrounds, and aims to promote discourse and dialogue among multi-cultural audiences in Chicago.
Our Enemies: Lively Scenes Of Love And Combat
By Yussef El Guindi
Directed by Patrizia Acerra
February 21 – March 30, 2008
A darkly humorous look at identity, media-representation, love and lust in the Arab-American community. Fueled by frustration over the limited Arab voices in the US media, a struggling writer engages in a prank to shake up the system. But those in power have a way of turning the tables, and the results are staggering.
Durango
By Julia Cho
Directed by Carlos Murillo
May 1 – June 15, 2008
To the outside world, the Lee boys look like the perfect Korean-American sons. But when their father takes them on a road trip to Durango, Colorado, the difference between who they are and who they’ve pretended to be threatens to tear the family apart.
Our Enemies: Lively Scenes of Love and Combat and Durango will be performed at
Silk Road Theatre Project
at the Historic Chicago Temple Building
77 W Washington St.
Pierce Hall
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Teatro Vista “Theatre with a View”
Teatro Vista is committed to sharing the riches of Latino culture in order to bridge the gap between Latino and non-Latino audiences in Chicago.
Dreamlandia
By Octavio Solis
Directed by Cecilie Keenan
Opening late March, 2008
Crisp and comic, Dreamlandia is where dreams and reality collide for a family living on the US/Mexico border as they deal with NAFTA, narcotics and illegal immigration. Epic, inventive and full of "street-cred" this vibrant play is witness to a clear and potent political voice.
Dreamlandia will be performed at
Victory Gardens Greenhouse
2257 N Lincoln Avenue