Two years ago About Face Youth Theatre Ensemble tackled the issue of sex education in its show Fast Forward. Now the ensemble is turning its attention toward the overarching issue of violence in the forthcoming show Queertopia.
"In the past two years we've been collecting true stories through interviews with members of the ensemble, through workshops and young people all around Chicago," said Queertopia director ( and 2010 Windy City Times 30 Under 30 honoree ) Sara Kerastas.
Now Kerastas was quick to point out that the show wasn't going to be a long anti-hate crime screed, lest the subject matter scare away potential audiences.
"We're trying to get away from the stereotype of queer people as victims and really try to put ourselves into the violence equation as well in how we can be perpetrators as well—violence within the LGTBQA community and outside it," Kerastas said. "What we came up with was pretty surprising."
For example, Kerastas pointed out how the ensemble found unexpected parallels between a tale of a refugee family fleeing the Balkan War of the 1990s and a typical bias discrimination case in the U.S. Kerastas was reluctant to reveal more about the content of the show lest it ruin any surprises, but was more than happy to discuss the process that went into it.
In many workshops last summer that incorporated elements of drag, voguing and dance, Kerastas said the ensemble and playwright Paula Gilovich developed what they coined a "Queer Love Army" to address the issues of violence they encountered in hearing potential stories for the show. And as for the show's title, Queertopia, Kerastas said it came about through the process where the ensemble felt that the whole artistic process became a sort of queer arts utopia.
Kerastas promises that Queertopia will be a complete immersive experience, borrowing one scenic concept from Andy Warhol's "Silver Clouds" installation piece which promises the entire theater space to be filled with silver Mylar balloons. The aural experience also is expected to be pop-heavy with what Kerastas calls "sweet mash-ups" involving artists like Lady Gaga, Shakira and the Smashing Pumpkins.
The ensemble for Queertopia numbers 12 and ranges in age from 16 to 22. Kerastas says they're all "hilarious, funny and love to dance and love to joke around as well."
Once Queertopia finishes its run in July, About Face Theatre plans on condensing the show to a 30-minute length that can tour to high schools and conferences. So Kerastas is happy that Queertopia will have a future life, though she stresses that any future presentation will not be as elaborately produced as the Center on Halsted production in the Hoover-Leppen Theatre.
"It's not a downer of a show," Kerastas said. "We're actually focusing on bigger picture stuff on how violence infiltrates all of our lives."
About Face Youth Theatre's production of Queertopia runs July 15-25 at the Center on Halsted's Hoover-Leppen Theatre, 3656 N. Halsted. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays with 3 p.m. matinees Sundays. ( Please note that the July 17 performance is at 3 p.m. only ) . Tickets are $20; $12.50 for students. Call 866-811-4111 or visit www.aboutfacetheatre.com for more information.
Naked, again
The mercury's rising again this month, which means its time again for performers to shed their clothes at the National Pastime Theater's second annual festival titled Naked July: Art Stripped Down.
"It made perfect sense in July to have it tagged as 'naked,'" said National Pastime artistic director Laurence Bryan last year. "What else is there to do in the hot summer?"
Indeed. This year's Naked July repertory features four plays in repertory and runs through Aug. 1. Burlesque is off the bill, but there appears to be plenty of other artful displays of flesh to be seen.
On Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. is Keely Haddad-Null's new futuristic take Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale The Emperor's New Clothes, which is reset in Los Angeles. ( Let's hope that the family audiences going to see the new musical with the same name at Chicago Shakespeare Theater don't get the two mixed up. )
Playing at 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays is The Living Canvas: Demons, which takes a surreal journey through the nightmares of a woman at sleep.
On Thursdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 6 p.m. is Clock Productions' Tumultous Tale of the Tragically Transparent Tunic, which is a more farcical take on The Emperor's New Clothes.
Then on Thursdays at 10 p.m. and Sundays at 8 p.m. is Shifra Werch's Eros, a multi-media performance piece that takes its name from the god of love to explore aphrodisiac elements.
Naked July shows run in repertory at the National Pastime Theater, 4139 N. Broadway. Tickets to each show are $20, although some festival passes are also available. Call 773-327-7077 or visit www.nakedjuly.com for more information.
Please send theater news and other related tidbits to scottishplayscott@yahoo.com and Andrew@windycitymediagroup.com .
