PEACEBOOK To Premiere 8 More Short Works Envisioning A More Peaceful Chicago

A Logan Square teen's harrowing story about being an undocumented resident detained by ICE now awaiting a decision on her immigration status.

A riveting, personal drama by Chicago's "Hope Dealer" Amy Williams, a certified Gang Intervention Specialist and expert on juvenile detention and .

Those are just two of the eight world premiere, short works of peace-themed theater, dance, music and spoken word debuting this weekend at PEACEBOOK Hermosa, Friday and Saturday, September 14 and 15 at Kelvyn Park, 4438 W. Wrightwood Ave., Chicago.

Presented by Collaboraction, Chicago's social issue-driven contemporary theater, PEACEBOOK is a free, city-wide festival of theater, dance, music, visual art and spoken word that travels to three Chicago Parks over three consecutive weekends in September, all focused on cultivating peace in Chicago.

Friday's performance starts at 6 p.m. with a surprise opening act. Saturday events start at 11:30 a.m. with a Free Community Meal donated by Ponce and Goddess and Grocer, which leads into a pre-show Peace Panel with neighborhood leaders The PEACEBOOK shorts start at 1 p.m.

Both Friday and Saturday performances conclude with a "third act," a Community Dialogue Session led by Dr. Marcus Robinson, Managing Director of Collaboraction.

PEACEBOOK is free but reservations are recommended. Book online at collaboraction.org/peacebook2018, email boxoffice@collaboraction.org or call Collaboraction, (312) 226-9633, for more information.

For PEACEBOOK updates, follow the company on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or Tumblr.

Following are the eight works debuting at PEACEBOOK Hermosa, each envisioning a more peaceful Chicago:

Loretta Firekeeper Hawkins
Five Families By Loretta Firekeeper Hawkins Hawkins's spoken word piece, a tribute to black men shot by police, promotes peace and understanding among different groups and concludes that humans are more alike than they are different.

Collaboraction Peacemakers
Erased By the Collaboraction Peacemakers, directed by Luis Crespo Race and equality in Chicago are explored in this short piece written, developed and performed by the Collaboraction Teen Ensemble.

Nancy García Loza
Oak & Pallets By Nancy García Loza, directed by Ana Velazquez García Loza often draws from personal experiences that fluctuate between lived trauma and comedic coping. Her newest theatrical story depicts the citizenship process for her Mexican immigrant family, recalling a key moment of connection between a daughter and her father.
Reflections, Thoughts and Reminders Written and co-devised by Avi Roque and Mia Vivens In this visceral devised piece, Roque contemplates the idea of peace and how to achieve it while examining identity, gender and race in a very binary Chicago.
Heal CTA By Sophia Pietrkowski and Elenna Sindler An ethnographic exploration of how public space is navigated by survivors of sexual trauma. Through the depiction of one woman's commute on the CTA, this piece aims to show how communal respect and understanding are essential to healing.

Hope is My Homie By Amy L. Williams, directed by Juan Castaneda A theater piece about the realities of incarceration that highlights what people don't know about "the visits" - the first hug, the depression, haircuts and fresh uniforms - and the challenges of returning back to society.

Sandusky By Dani Mauleon, directed by Esteban Arévalo Bare and straightforward, this devised theater piece about an undocumented student's journey home is a call to come together in love and rally against hate.

Working By Chicago Worker Collaborative's Workers Theatre, directed by Jasmin Cardenas Dividing black and brown workers strategically allows sky rocketing profits for corporations and temp agencies. Chicago Worker Collaborative's Workers' Theatre Collective fights for workers' rights by revealing the real struggles - exploitation, racial discrimination, poverty, gender violence and more - facing temporary workers in the U.S.

The following weekend, PEACEBOOK travels to Englewood to debut eight more peace-focused works at Hamilton Park, 513 W. 72nd St., Friday and Saturday, September 21 and 22.

Other Chicago artists and activists who created works of seven minutes or less for this year's PEACEBOOK include Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre, Bril Barrett of M.A.D.D. Rhythm, and Sir Taylor of Example Setters Youth Poetry. Collaborators also include Wu Tang Clan and Chicago artist Amanda Williams, who gave Collaboraction permission to showcase her recent Color(ed) Theory project as part of this year's set design and marketing graphics.

"The 24 'chapters' in this year's PEACEBOOK, chosen from more than 200 submissions, unite over 200 artists, from household names to neighborhood peace activists, all intent on creating real connections with Chicagoans in communities around the city," said Anthony Moseley, PEACEBOOK Festival Director and Artistic Director of Collaboraction.

"We encourage Chicagoans to be active, come to PEACEBOOK, experience new neighborhoods and hear new stories. In doing so, we will see our similarities and connections to one another. Only then we can start working together to dismantle oppression and cultivate peace and equity."

Collaboraction's third annual PEACEBOOK Festival kicked off last weekend, September 7 and 8, at La Follette Park in Chicago's Austin community. Kelvyn Park is the second stop on the PEACEBOOK tour. All three PEACEBOOK host sites - La Follette Park, Kelvyn Park and Hamilton Park - are familiar terrain for Collaboraction after more than five years of embedding its artists in each community to create and present devised, hyperlocal works about peace via the Chicago Park District's Night Out in the Parks event series.

Collaboraction (collaboraction.org), Chicago's social contemporary theater, collaborates with a diverse community of Chicagoans, artists and community activists to create original theatrical experiences that push artistic boundaries and explore critical social issues. Since the company's founding in 1996, Collaboraction has worked with more than 3,000 artists to bring more than 60 productions and events to more than 150,000 audience members.

Collaboraction is led by Artistic Director Anthony Moseley, Managing Director Dr. Marcus Robinson, a company of 20 talented Chicago theater artists, and a dedicated staff and board of directors. The company's vision is to utilize theater to cultivate dialogue and action around our most critical social issues throughout Chicago.

For the past five years, Collaboraction has partnered with the Chicago Park District through their Night Out in the Parks program, returning each year to cultivate relationships and theater in Englewood, Austin and Hermosa through the Crime Scene, PEACEBOOK and Encounter tours. Production highlights also include its series of Crime Scene productions responding to Chicago's crime epidemic; Sarah Moeller's Forgotten Future: The Education Project; 15 years of the SKETCHBOOK Festival; the Chicago premiere of 1001 by Jason Grote; the world premiere of Jon by George Saunders and directed by Seth Bockley; and The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow: an instant message with excitable music by Rolin Jones.

Collaboraction also maintains an active Collaboraction For-Hire division, which creates custom special event design for private, corporate and civic clients, including the Art Institute, the City of Chicago and many more.

Collaboraction is supported by The Chicago Community Trust, The Joyce Foundation, The Field Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, DCASE and the Wicker Park & Bucktown SSA #33 Chamber of Commerce. This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

For more, visit collaboraction.org, follow the company on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or Tumblr, or call the Collaboraction box office, (312) 226-9633.

Collaboraction's PEACEBOOK Festival is presented as part of the Chicago Park District's Night Out in the Parks series, supported by Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Arts programming in neighborhoods across the city advances the goals of the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Cultural Plan. Now in its sixth year, the 2018 Night Out in the Parks series will host over 1,000 cultural events and programs at more than 250 neighborhood parks throughout the city, making community parks a safe haven and hubs of activity. Projects will vary from traditional performances and concerts, to movies, peace rallies, community workshops, nature based programs, dance pieces, festivals and more. The Chicago Park District has partnered with more than 100 arts and community organizations to expand and produce this successful initiative.

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