Otherworld Theatre Company , an ensemble founded and led by Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department alumni, is presenting Paragon, a festival of short sci-fi and fantasy plays, on August 22-23 — Saturday, 11 AM to 7 PM, and Sunday, 1 to 10 PM.

Paragon will perform at the Public House Theatre, 3914 N. Clark, Chicago. Connecting with local Chicago artists, Paragon aims to become a recurring festival that can become a part of Chicago’s cultural heritage, furthering Otherworld’s mission of growing the genre of science fiction and fantasy theatre through the discovery and promotion of new artists and works. The two-day festival features 40 short plays.

Among the Columbia College Chicago Theatre alumni and students participating in the festival are Otherworld’s artistic director and founder, Tiffany Keane (a graduate of the Columbia Theatre Department’s Directing Program), Dylan Schaefer, Kai Young, Grace Gimpel, Christian Isely, Bennett Bottero, and Julie Brecher.

For tickets, click here. For a complete festival schedule and more information, click here.