The 5th Annual PIVOT ARTS FESTIVAL to Run 6/1-11
By: A.A. Cristi May. 01, 2017
The ten-day Festival showcasing some of Chicago's top artistic innovators features theater, dance, puppetry, hybrid/multidisciplinary works, spoken word/hip hop, children's performances, workshops, discussions, wine tastings, an interactive performance/dinner party and more. The Festival also includes the third annual "Celebrate Community!" Parade on Saturday, June 3 at 2 pm, culminating in an afternoon full of free family-friendly performances.
Artists/events featured in the 2017 PIVOT ARTS FESTIVAL include: Aloft Circus Arts*, Axis Lab, Ayako Kato/Art Union Humanscape, Barrel of Monkeys*, Tiff Beatty, Lizi Breit and Dan Kerr-Hobert, Rachel Claff and Chloe Johnston, CircEsteem*, Dream Big Performing Arts Workshop*, Everybody Dance Now*, Funnybones*, The Neo-Futurists, Pedalheads*, Dewayne Perkins, Rough House Theater, Same Planet Performance Project, Storytown Improv* and Walkabout Theater Company*. *Denotes family-friendly artists/participants.
This year's Festival venues and locations include: Creative Coworking, FLATSstudio, The Growling Rabbit, Income Tax Bar, Independent Spirits, Lickity Split Custard & Sweet Shop, Ras Dashen, Swift Elementary School, Uncommon Ground Devon and Uptown Underground.
Festival Kick-Off Party
Join Pivot Arts for a sneak peek of this year's Festival at the Festival Kick-Off Party on Wednesday, May 10, 2017 at 6 pm at Francesca's Bryn Mawr, 1039 W. Bryn Mawr in Chicago. Tickets are $45 in advance and $50 at the door and include appetizers, drinks, entertainment, plus a silent auction. Tickets are available at www.pivotarts.org/events.
The full 2017 PIVOT ARTS FESTIVAL line-up includes:
THURSDAY, JUNE 1
FESTIVAL LAUNCH: DRINKS-DINNER-THEATER
6 pm Wine tasting at Independent Spirits, 5947 N. Broadway St.
6:30 pm Appetizers and drinks at Income Tax Bar, 5959 N. Broadway St.
7:30 pm Buffet-style Dinner at Ras Dashen Ethiopian Restaurant with a performance of Table Life, 5846 N. Broadway St.
Price: $35 (includes wine tasting, apps, dinner and performance)
Enjoy dinner, drinks and a show along Edgewater's Broadway Strip. Start with a complimentary wine tasting at Independent Spirits, then move to Income Tax for apps and a cash bar. The night closes with dinner at Ras Dashen, where Rachel Claff and Chloe Johnston invite you to Table Life, an immersive performance inspired by the work of novelist and food writer Laurie Colwin.
FRIDAY, JUNE 2
TOAST THE FEST!
6 pm The Growling Rabbit, 5938 N. Broadway St.
Price: $20/$15 with June 2 performance of Rough House Theater's Ubu The King
Enjoy live music, appetizers by The Growling Rabbit and champagne in celebration of the opening weekend of the Pivot Arts Festival. Mingle with artists in a casual, upbeat atmosphere that's sure to get everyone excited for the many festival events to come.
ROUGH HOUSE THEATER PRESENTS UBU THE KING
8 pm FLATSstudio, 1136 W. Wilson Ave.
Price: $20/$10 with student ID
Rough House Theater's Ubu the King brings Jarry's seminal satire Ubu Roi to life in all its absurd, grotesque glory. In the hands of five power hungry puppeteer-performers, loveable dirtbag Pa Ubu murders, lies and farts his way up to the Polish throne - and back down again. Beautifully designed and meticulously realized, Ubu is ridiculous and spectacular.
SATURDAY, JUNE 3
3rd ANNUAL "CELEBRATE COMMUNITY!" PARADE
1:30 pm Meet at Swift School Playground, 5900 N. Winthrop Ave.
2 pm Parade from Swift School to Creative Co-Working, 5940 N. Sheridan Rd.
Price: FREE
Pivot Arts presents the 3rd annual Celebrate Community! Parade. Arts groups, schools, social service organizations, and individuals march in support of our diverse community. The event includes free puppet-making, theater, dance and music workshops for all ages. Participants include Aloft Circus Arts, Barrel of Monkeys, CircEsteem, Dream Big Performing Arts Workshop, Everybody Dance Now, Funny Bones, Green Scene, Northside Catholic Academy, Pedalheads, Rogers Park Montessori School, Storytown Improv, Swift School and Walkabout Theater Company.
ROUGH HOUSE THEATER PRESENTS UBU THE KING
6 pm & 9 pm FLATSstudio, 1136 W. Wilson Ave.
Price: $20/$10 with student ID
Rough House Theater's Ubu the King brings Jarry's seminal satire Ubu Roi to life in all its absurd, grotesque glory. In the hands of five power hungry puppeteer-performers, loveable dirtbag Pa Ubu murders, lies and farts his way up to the Polish throne - and back down again. Beautifully designed and meticulously realized, Ubu is ridiculous and spectacular.
SUNDAY, JUNE 4
SITE-SPECIFIC DANCE WITH AYAKO KATO/ART UNION HUMANSCAPE & SYNAPSE ARTS
3 pm & 7 pm FLATSstudio, 1136 W. Wilson Ave.
Price: $20/$10 with student ID
Two site-specific dance pieces combine for an innovative performance experience. Ayako Kato/Art Union Humanscape presents What Is Movement?, a dance-based inquiry into movement and stillness. Through What is Movement?, viewers rediscover the beauty and dignity of life in motion. Ayako Kato is a 3Arts Grant Award recipient and last presented in the 2014 Pivot Arts Festival, when her work received "Ten Best Dance performances of the Year" by the Chicago Tribune.
Synapse Arts presents soften every edge, which weaves together textiles, dance, and handheld lighting in kinetic harmony. Six women knit with their arms, creating satin walls that swallow the space in a site-specific performance.
MONDAY, JUNE 5
NEO-FUTURISTS PRESENT THE ARROW
7:30 pm Uptown Underground, 4707 N. Broadway St.
Price: $15/$10 with student ID
The popular performance group The Neo-Futurists present The Arrow: a show of live-readings that subjects written essays to spontaneous interruptions, complications, absurdity and horseplay. Created by Neo-Futurists Kurt Chiang and Lily Mooney, The Arrow is different for every performance, speaking toward the current world and injecting the playing space with unexpected, honest interactions and happenings.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7
LIVE TALK: BEST OF... HOSTED BY DEWAYNE PERKINS
7:30 pm Uncommon Ground, 1401 W. Devon Ave.
Price: $12
Pivot Arts presents its monthly show, LIVE TALK, a mix of performances, panel discussion and food and drink for purchase at Uncommon Ground. Hosted by actor and comedian Dewayne Perkins, the festival Live Talk show includes past guests and hosts for a raucous night of celebration and community gathering.
THURSDAY, JUNE 8
THE PEOPLE'S REVOLUTION OF 2017, CURATED BY TIFF BEATTY
7:30 pm Uptown Underground, 4707 N. Broadway St.
Price: $10
The People's Champion Tiff Beatty, joined by artists DXTR Spits, Plus Sign and Po'Chop, curates the revolution with a Chicago-based interactive performance and conversation series. In addition to her dynamic spoken word performance, Tiff curates, hosts and facilitates a space for performers and their creative audiences to co-create freedom and equality for all.
FRIDAY, JUNE 9
BARREL OF MONKEYS PRESENTS MONKEYS UNPLUGGED
7:30 pm Uptown Underground, 4707 N. Broadway St.
Price: $15/$5 for children ages 6-12*
*Must be accompanied by a legal guardian over 21. Children under 6 will not be admitted.
Barrel of Monkeys teaches creative writing in Chicago public elementary schools, and adapts stories written by their students into fully produced songs and sketches. Enjoy a special cabaret-style performance of some of their favorite musical adaptations - complete with wigs, props and hilarity straight from the minds of children. Unlike their more family-friendly shows, this one's for the grownups - and adult beverages will be available for purchase!
SATURDAY, JUNE 10
SAME PLANET PERFORMANCE PROJECT PRESENTS HONEY
Door open 6 pm, Performance at 6:30 pm FLATSstudio, 1136 W. Wilson Ave.
Price: $10
Using 1970s disco as a source of inspiration, Honey plays within a queer space open to excess, risk, freedom and fantasy. Honey pours slowly taking audiences from casual intimacy into the allure of narcissistic pleasure.
AXIS LAB PRESENTS BASELINE: ARGYLE IS ALIVE
8 pm Baseline, 1118 W. Argyle St.
Price: $10 suggested donation
Axis Lab's Baseline: Argyle is Alive transforms an empty storefront on Argyle into a performance space with DJs, spoken word artists and community voices. Taste the culture of Argyle with food available for purchase. The Baseline series presents socially conscious events and pop-ups to promote sustainable and locally based economic and social development.
UPTOWN ARTS CRAWL
Purchase the "Uptown Arts Crawl Pass" and see both Same Planet Performance Project and Axis Lab's Baseline: Argyle is Alive for $15.
BARREL OF MONKEYS PRESENTS MONKEYS UNPLUGGED
7:30 pm Uptown Underground, 4707 N. Broadway St.
$15/$5 for children ages 6-12*
*Must be accompanied by a legal guardian over 21. Children under 6 will not be admitted.
Barrel of Monkeys teaches creative writing in Chicago public elementary schools, and adapts stories written by their students into fully produced songs and sketches. Enjoy a special cabaret-style performance of some of their favorite musical adaptations - complete with wigs, props and hilarity straight from the minds of children. Unlike their more family-friendly shows, this one's for the grownups - and adult beverages will be available for purchase!
SUNDAY, JUNE 11
ICE CREAM AND IMPROV WITH STORYTOWN IMPROV
11 am Lickity Split Custard & Sweets, 6056 N. Broadway St.
Price: $10
The 5th annual tradition of ice cream (well, custard...) and improv! Join Storytown Improv for an all ages show that includes live music, improv and sweets for purchase.
The Pivot Arts Festival is made possible in part by our Premiere Sponsors: The Alphawood Foundation, City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Illinois Arts Council, SSA26, FLATSstudio, Francesca's Bryn Mawr, The MacArthur Funds for Arts and Culture at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation and Uptown United.
About Pivot Arts
Pivot Arts is a home for innovative music, theater and dance on Chicago's far north side. They develop new work and present performances throughout the year culminating in a multi-arts festival. Their vision is that of a vibrant community where unique collaborations between artists, businesses and organizations lead to the support and creation of innovative performance events.
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