Criss Henderson, Chris Jones, Teatr ZAR to Participate in Chicago World Theatre Day Events

The League of Chicago Theatres announces plans for Chicago's celebration of World Theatre Day, including presentations by local and International Artists. Events will begin at 4:00pm on Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at the Chicago Cultural Center.

In 2009, Chicago was the first city in the United States to plan a World Theatre Day celebration, leading the way for US engagement in this international event. Now an annual tradition, World Theatre Day is an opportunity for Chicago theatre artists-and the city that loves them-to examine what it means to be art-makers and thought-leaders in a city ever-evolving as a global citizen.

This year, the celebration includes a lineup of panel discussions and presentations that will celebrate Chicago theatre and examine its global artistic perspective. All events take place on Tuesday, March 27, 2012 and are free and open to the public. For additional information, www.chicagoplays.com.

ARTISTIC DIALOGUE ACROSS BORDERS

Chicago Cultural Center, Claudia Cassidy Theater, 4:00pm
Distinguished theatre makers and presenters will talk about working internationally, what it means to them, why it is important for them to prioritize these dialogues and how they create and maintain connections across the borders that separate us.

The panel includes: Henry Godinez (Resident Artistic Associate, Goodman Theatre), and Criss Henderson (Executive Director, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); Peter Taub (Director of Performance Programs, Museum of Contemporary Art) moderated by Chris Jones, chief Theatre Critic for the Chicago Tribune

PNEUMATICS OF THE ACTOR: THEATRE OUT OF THE SPIRIT OF MUSIC
A lecture/demonstration with Jaroslaw Fret of Teatr ZAR
Chicago Cultural Center, Claudia Cassidy Theater, 5:30pm

As part of the only US appearance, Artistic Director Jaroslaw Fret will talk about the sources and inspirations for Teatr ZAR's acclaimed music and theatre work, and leading actors from his company will perform demonstrations. Teatr ZAR is the professional company of the Grotowski Institute, which advances a performance method using musical sources centered on the Christian traditions of the East and West hemispheres, and on how breath relates to the acting practice. Fret will also share film and sound footage of Teatr ZAR's investigative expeditions into Georgia, Greece, Corsica, and Sardinia.

SEEING THROUGH MANY EYES: WHY A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE IS VITAL TO OUR ART AND OURSELVES
Chicago Cultural Center, Claudia Cassidy Theater, 7:00pm
Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of World Theatre Day with the Chicago theatre community, its patrons, friends and special guest Kwame Kwei-Armah. Mr. Kwei-Armah is a playwright, actor, director, broadcaster, Artistic Director of Baltimore's CenterStage Theatre, and an inspiring catalyst for debate. He recently served as Artistic Director for the World Arts Festival in Senegal, a month-long world festival of Black Arts and Culture. In this talk, he will share his multi-continental experience and demonstrate the vital importance of cultivating a global perspective as we create our art and shape our lives, both in Chicago and beyond.

WORLD THEATRE DAY 2012 RECEPTION
Chicago Cultural Center, GAR Hall, 8:00pm
Following Mr. Kwei-Armah's talk, attend a reception celebrating the contributions of Chicago theatre artists, making our home a world-class city.

In addition to the World Theatre Day events, Chicago's own John Malkovich has released this year's World Theatre Day statement: reflections about the art, craft, and value of theatre. Each year, a statement is composed by someone "outstanding in theatre or outstanding in heart and spirit from another discipline." Past authors include Arthur Miller, Robert Lepage, Vaclav Havel, Dame Judi Dench, and Augusto Boal.

The celebration of World Theatre Day is presented in partnership with the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, the DCA Theatre, the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

About the Featured Participants

Henry Godinez is the resident artistic associate at Goodman Theatre and the curator of the Latino Theatre Festival. Most recently at the Goodman, he directed Karen Zacarías' The Sins of Sor Juana as part of the fifth Latino Theatre Festival in 2010. His extensive Goodman directing credits include José Rivera's Boleros for the Disenchanted, as well as its world premiere at Yale Repertory Theatre, Karen Zacarías' Mariela in the Desert, ReGina Taylor's Millennium Mambo and Luis Alfaro's Straight as a Line. Mr. Godinez's other Chicago credits include A Year with Frog and Toad and Esperanza Rising for Chicago Children's Theatre, Nilo Cruz's Two Sisters and a Piano (Apple Tree Theatre/Teatro Vista co-production) and Anna in the Tropics for Victory Gardens Theater. Mr. Godinez is the co-founder and former artistic director of Teatro Vista, where he directed Broken Eggs, El Paso Blue, Journey of the Sparrows, Santos & Santos and The Crossing. His other directing credits include work at Portland Center Stage, Signature Theatre Company in New York City, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Oak Park Festival Theatre, Colorado Shakespeare Festival and several seasons of Stories on Stage for WBEZ Chicago Public Radio. As an actor, Mr.Godinez appeared most recently in the Goodman/Teatro Vista world premiere of José Rivera's Massacre (Sing to Your Children) and on TV in The Beast, Chicago Code and in a recurring role on Boss. Mr. Godinez is the recipient of the 1999 TCG Alan Schneider Directing Award, the Distinguished Service Award from the Lawyers for the Creative Arts, and was honored as the 2008 Latino Professional of the Year by the Chicago Latino Network.

Criss Henderson has produced Chicago Shakespeare Theater's past 18 seasons as its Executive Director. Under his leadership CST has become one of the city's major cultural attractions, offering more than 600 performances each season for an audience of 250,000 annually. He has been honored at The Kennedy Center as Arts Administrator of the Year; was recognized among the top 40 business people under the age of 40 in Crain's Chicago Business; and was named, along with Artistic Director Barbara Gaines, one of the Chicagoans of the Year by Chicago Tribune arts and entertainment writers. Mr. Henderson also serves as president of the Producers' Association of Chicago area Theaters and on the Board of Directors of the Illinois Arts Alliance and the League of Chicago Theatres. Mr. Henderson is director of the MFA/Arts Leadership Program, a two year graduate-level curriculum in arts management training created through a joint partnership between Chicago Shakespeare Theater and The Theatre School at DePaul University.

Chris Jones is the chief theater critic for the Chicago Tribune. He has reviewed and commented on culture, the arts, politics and entertainment for the Tribune for 15 years. Along with being the paper's chief voice on local and national theatrical productions, he also writes a weekly column on culture and the arts. Jones also appears each week on the CBS-2 morning news in Chicago. Prior to joining the staff of the Tribune, Jones served for many years as the touring theater critic for Variety and Daily Variety, publishing several hundred theater reviews with a particular emphasis on pre-Broadway tryouts. He has covered theater in numerous cities throughout the United States, including as Variety's Broadway critic. He serves on the editorial board for the Best Plays annual and has twice served on the drama committee of the Pulitzer Prizes. His arts criticism also has appeared often in the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the Washington Post, American Theatre magazine and numerous other newspapers and magazines. For many years, he has chaired the American Theatre Critics Association committee that annually recommends a theater to receive the Tony Award for outstanding regional theater. For much of the 1980s he contributed film reviews, interviews and reports for WCBE-FM in Columbus, Ohio, and also served as the long-time film critic for Columbus Alive newspaper. He also has reviewed film and theater for WFMT radio in Chicago and has contributed chapters to several books. His numerous guest TV appearances range from "E! The True Hollywood Story" to "Nightline" with Ted Koppel. He has also been heard many times on National Public Radio and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Jones spent 10 years teaching at Northern Illinois University, where he served as both an associate professor and as assistant chair of the School of Theatre and Dance. He also served as associate dean of DePaul University's Theatre School, where he continues to be an adjunct professor. His honors include the Gold Medallion from the American College Theatre Festival, for his work with young theater critics.

Kwame Kwei-Armah is an award-winning British playwright, director, actor, and broadcaster. Kwei-Armah's plays include Seize the Day, A Bitter Herb, Blues Brother Soul Sister, Big Nose, and his triptych of plays chronicling the struggles of the British African-Caribbean community in London-Elmina's Kitchen, Fix up, and Statement of Regret-which each premiered at The National Theatre between 2003- 2007. With Elmina's Kitchen he became the first Black Briton to have a play produced in London's West End; Elmina's Kitchen and Let There be Love each had their American debuts at CENTERSTAGE. He wrote the 2010 teleplay, Walter's War, about the first Black commissioned officer to lead British troops during WW I; has made numerous contributions to The Guardian and other leading papers in London; and has served as presenter in documentaries and culture programs. As an actor, Kwei-Armah appeared in the British TV medical drama Casualty, followed by a recurring role on its sister series, Holby City, as well as appearances on numerous other hit shows in Britain. He has been named a Writer-in-Residence at the Bristol Old Vic and for BBC Radio drama, an Associate Artist and board member at The National Theatre of Great Britain and London's Tricycle Theatre, as well as being named an Associate Artist at CENTERSTAGE, where he made his directing debut with Naomi Wallace's Things of Dry Hours. Since then he has directed the Pulitzer nominated playwright Esa Davis's 10-minute play Dave Chappelle was Right for the 24 Hour Plays on Broadway, and two successful productions of his play Let There Be Love at the Tricycle Theatre London. Kwei-Armah has been named the Goodwill ambassador for Trade for Christian Aid; Chancellor of University of the Arts London; and served as Artistic Director for the World Arts Festival in Senegal, a month-long World Festival of Black Arts and Culture.

Peter Taub directs the performing arts programs at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in Chicago. He has over twenty years experience in curating, arts management, and artist-centered activities with a broad emphasis on cross-disciplinary performance, dance, and music. He has developed artists-in-residence projects, touring projects, and commissions of new works with a wide range of artists including Meg Stuart/Damaged Goods, The Builders Association, Reggie Wilson/ Fist & Heel Performance Group, Emio Greco|PC, Roger Guenveur Smith, William Kentridge/Handspring Puppet Company, and Ernest Khabeer Dawkins, among others. Prior to joining the MCA, he directed Randolph Street Gallery, an innovative artist-run forum for socially-engaged artists in all media. He has participated in policy committees and boards for a range of Chicago-based cultural organizations.

Teatr ZAR

Poland's Teatr ZAR uses song, chanting, and movement in this ritualistic work of theater and music that examines birth, death, pleasure, and pain. The performance is staged in three different installations: the first and third take place in the MCA Theater, with the audience on stage; and the second takes place in the MCA second-floor atrium.

Inspired by ancient sacred music from the Caucasus and based on texts from the little-known apocryphal gospels and a poem by Polish Romantic poet Juliusz Slowacki, Poland's Teatr ZAR uses song, chanting, and movement in this ritualistic work of theater and music.

Teatr ZAR is the resident company at the Grotowski Institute in Wroclaw, Poland, and The Gospels of Childhood Triptych is a seminal work that builds on the nearly half century of teaching and exploration conducted by Jerzy Grotowski. The work is the culmination of artistic director Jaroslaw Fret and the company's more than ten years of investigative research

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