For Youth Inquiry (FYI) Performance Company At Icah Presents World Premiere of THIS BOAT CALLED MY BODY

For Youth Inquiry (FYI), the participatory theater company of the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health (ICAH), proudly presents the World Premiere of "This Boat Called My Body", May 31 - June 17. This multidisciplinary performance explores reproductive freedom for youth in the natural amphitheater at Palmisano Park, 2700 S. Halsted.

"This Boat Called My Body" was written by Quenna Lené Barrett, Christabel Donkor, Danielle Littman, Jessamyn Fitzpatrick, Clair Fuller and Nik Zaleski. It is directed by Barrett and Zaleski and is produced by Catherine Miller.

Performances are Thursday through Saturday at 5:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. In the event of rain, performances will be rescheduled for Sundays at 5:30 p.m. The play is being performed in partnership with the Chicago Park District and is appropriate for ages 14-years-old and up. Tickets are $15 for artists, seniors and students, $25 for general admission and $50 for general admission plus donation. Youth under 22 years-old are free. Tickets are available at www.icah.org/boat

"Now more than ever, ICAH knows that cultural problems demand cultural solutions, said ICAH Executive Director Tiffany Pryor. "'This Boat Called My Body' is a direct response to the need for stories to be told and heard. It's a way of removing stigma and opening up a dialogue that is crucial in this current political climate."

Centering stories of young people in Illinois who have terminated pregnancies, "This Boat Called My Body" seats audiences in a metaphor of islands that youth must navigate to access abortion. Through spectacle, dance, opera, and interaction with water, "This Boat Called My Body" asks us to better understand what reproductive access looks like for all. The cast list includes Chinyere Achebe, Graham Carlson, Elena Victoria Feliz, Gregory Taylor Hill, Vic Wynter, and Maggie Mascal with original music by Mascal.

"This Boat Called My Body" is co-written and co-directed by Zaleski and Barrett. Zaleski was the founding artistic director of FYI and was the Education and Arts Justice Director for ICAH. Barrett is a current FYI company member where she directed "First", about societal taboos surrounding the subject of "virginity" and "Start The Convo", which tours to schools as part of ICAH's sex ed programming.

FYI designs creative experiences to support wellbeing of youth. Educational programming, which includes participatory plays, residencies and peer education offerings, reaches thousands of young people each year. FYI current artistic director is Alyssa Vera Ramos who creates artist- and youth-led experiences for the reproductive justice movement. She directed FYI's 2017 immersive play "Expectation".

The World Premiere of "This Boat Called My Body" runs May 31 - June 17 in the natural amphitheater at Palmisano Park, 2700 S. Halsted.

Performances are Thursday through Saturday at 5:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. In the event of rain, performances will be rescheduled for Sundays at 5:30 p.m. The play is being performed in partnership with the Chicago Park District and is appropriate for ages 14-years-old and up. Tickets are $15 for artists, seniors and students, $25 for general admission and $50 for general admission plus donation. Youth under 22 years-old are free. Tickets are available at www.icah.org/boat

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