When Andrew Volkoff took over as artistic director for the LGBTQ-focused About Face Theatre in 2013, one of his producing goals was to make each new show by the About Face Youth Theatre ( AFYT ) debut on an annual basis rather than unveiling a world premiere every two years.
Largely tasked with that accelerated artistic schedule has been Ali Hoefnagel, About Face's education and outreach director. Though Hoefnagel said it took some major adjustment at first, AFYT is meeting Volkoff's goal—especially with the latest show AD HOC [HOME] premiering this week in the Claudia Cassidy Theater at the Chicago Cultural Center.
"Last year we did 15 Breaths, which was an examination of intergenerational queer relationships, and I think that a large theme that emerged from that which we really didn't intend for was an idea of family and chosen families created from our queer communities," Hoefnagel said. "That was something that stuck with us and with the ensemble quite a bit."
It's a theme that resonated with AFYT ensemble member Isis Mendoza, a trans actor asking to be identified on second references with female pronouns.
"The title of the show came very much from that same theme of family and chosen family," Mendoza said. "We decided on AD HOC for the title, which means coming together to serve a specific purpose, and we added [HOME] for that imagery of intertwining leaves and branches forming a safe home."
Unlike last year's AFYT show, AD HOC [HOME] doesn't follow one specific set of characters through a dramatic journey. Instead, Hoefnagel and her co-director Kieran Kredell steered the 13-member AFYT ensemble ( who are between the ages of 14 to 23 ) to write more of a series of personal vignettes.
"We're not following one specific person," Hoefnagel said. "We do follow a progression and we do follow a narrative which happens to be of the ensemble and all of their experiences. We are going in specific chapters of our lives, so there is a through line and it does move in a linear fashion."
The general public gets a very limited chance to see AD HOC [HOME], since it only plays eight public performances. Yet the show will go on to have a future life as it is adapted into a 30-minute touring piece by About Face's Youth Task Force to travel to various schools, libraries and other community groups for the upcoming season.
"A lot of my experiences as being a trans person— like my relationship with my dad—play a big role I have for the text of the show," said Mendoza, who has been part of About Face's outreach efforts in the past. "I very much enjoy doing the outreach shows and talkbacks, it kind of gives me a glimpse of what I might like to do in the future—either being part of an ensemble or going solo in starting conversations and sharing your truths and making queer theater."
The About Face Youth Theatre Ensemble's world-premiere production of AD HOC [HOME] plays from Thursday, July 21, through Sunday, July 31, at the Chicago Cultural Center's Claudia Cassidy Theater, 78 E. Washington St. A 7:30 p.m. preview is Thursday, July 21, with an official press opening 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 22. The regular run is 7:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and 2:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are pay-what-you-can at the door. Advance reservations can be made by calling 773-784-8565 or by visiting AboutFaceTheatre.org .
From Profiles to Pride
Like many in Chicago's theater community, Pride Films and Plays executive director David Zak was unsettled by the allegations of abuse at Profiles Theatre that were reported on by the Chicago Reader earlier this year. In the wake of the controversy, Profiles Theatre soon shuttered.
But Zak and Pride Films and Plays have stepped in to take over Profiles' former theater spaces along Broadway Street with the new umbrella title of the Pride Arts Center. The 90-seat space at 4139 N. Broadway will be renamed The Broadway and will be the primary home for Pride Films and Plays productions starting in 2017. Meanwhile, the 50-seat studio at 4147 N. Broadway will be renamed The Buena and will be primarily used by visiting theater companies.
"It was a relatively quick process," said Zak, noting that Pride Films and Plays previously produced the Jeff Award-winning musical Under a Rainbow Flag in one of Profiles' spaces. "What makes it attractive to us as a space is the fact that with the two theaters, you can be performing in one and the other could be generating rental income."
Zak said most theatergoers probably won't see any irony in his LGBTQ-focused company taking over the former Profiles spaces. Back in 2009, Zak shut down Bailiwick Repertory Theatre in large part because he didn't want to carry on the real estate and upkeep responsibilities of running a theater complex at 1229 W. Belmont Ave. ( Theater Wit would later take over and renovate the space into the three-theater venue that is there today. )
"We're excited about the spaces where we can show films, have guest artists like GayCo or Hell in a Handbag or maybe gay choruses," Zak said. "Not everyone will be LGBTQ-related or all the works won't be LGBTQ-themed, but we wanted to make sure that people sharing the space with us have the same sort of energy and dedicated to work to restore those spaces."
Zak said Pride Films and Plays opted not to switch venues from Rivendell Theatre for its fall production of Resolution since so much preparatory design work had already been completed. Producing theater companies interested in renting the 90-seat Broadway and the 50-seat Buena spaces right away should call Pride Films and Plays at 800-737-0984 or send an email to prideartschicago@gmail.com . For more information, visit PrideFilmsAndPlays.com .
