Adventure Stage Chicago's Trailblazers to Present Youth-Led TURN THE PAGE

Adventure Stage Chicago (ASC), the participatory arts program of Northwestern Settlement (the Settlement), announces the premiere of Turn the Page, an original piece devised by the ASC Trailblazers, a free mentoring program placing young people (ages 9-16) with mentors who are professional theatre artists.

Student participants guide the program's content with assistance from their mentors, creating an artistic ensemble and developing leadership and artistic skills. Performances take place May 5th at 7pm, and May 6th at 4pm, at the Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble St. Tickets are free and can be reserved at adventurestage.org or by calling 773-342-4141.

How do we know when we are truly healed? A magical book transports our young artists and their mentors on a journey through time-to World War II and the Civil Rights movement-exploring grief and our struggles to communicate and ask for help.

With Christian Helem (ASC Community Engagement Coordinator and Production Manager), Andrew Marikis (Lead Teaching Artist and Director), Amelia Hefferon (Assistant Director), Stephanie Niro (Sound Design), Sindy Castro and Ivery Marquez (Costume Design), Joel Collins (Lighting Design), Sara Ann Dickey (Stage Manager and Props Master), Michael Joseph (Props Lighting), and Alexandra Shields and Emileigh Pullman (Assistant Stage Managers and Props Design).

Since 2011, ASC's Trailblazers mentorship program has inspired young people to lead the creative process, devising work inspired by pressing issues in their everyday lives. Previous productions have touched upon bullying, technology, terminal illness, and gun violence. With funding from Chicago's Department of Family and Support Services, 25-30 Chicago youth are able to participate in Trailblazers Summer Camp yearly since 2015. In 2016, ASC received a grant from Allstate Insurance Company, expanding Trailblazers to Rowe Elementary School's After-School Program. Also in 2016, ASC established Senior Trailblazers, a group of original and long-tenured mentees participating in master classes and taking on additional production responsibilities based on their interests within theatre arts.

Northwestern Settlement nurtures, educates and inspires children and families across Chicago. The Settlement's success results from a commitment to treating every person who enters its doors with dignity and respect, while supporting them with transformational programming designed to disrupt generational poverty. The Settlement has led the way in innovative programming by offering residential science and environmental education for inner-city youth, launching successful charter schools, and adding a theater so children and teens have a forum for expressing their life experiences. www.northwesternsettlement.org

The Settlement's Adventure Stage Chicago (ASC) is one of the only theaters in Chicago to develop and present works specifically for the pre-teen and teenage audience. ASC also offers: Neighborhood Bridges, the in-classroom arts residency program; Trailblazers, a youth mentoring arts program; summer drama camps; and drama instruction in the Settlement's Rowe Elementary School.

Adventure Stage Chicago is a member of IPAY (International Performing Arts for Youth), League of Chicago Theatres, Theatre Communications Group (TCG), and TYA/USA.

Visit www.adventurestage.org for more.

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