Columbia College Chicago and the League of Chicago Theatres are partnering with the Network of Ensemble Theatres to present NET’s 2016 national symposium, “Intersection: Ensembles + Universities,” taking place in Chicago May 20-22. “Intersection,” a national symposium on ensemble creation and collaborative practice, is part of a series of NET events that explore and develop connections between professional ensembles and colleges, universities, and training programs.
Peter Carpenter
“Intersection: Ensembles + Universities” will bring together presenters and participating artists from around the U.S. Columbia College teachers who are making presentations at the symposium include Peter Carpenter, acting chair of the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago.
Trip the Light Fantastic: The Making of SuperStrip
The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago will host the symposium’s opening-night performance of Trip the Light Fantastic: The Making of SuperStrip, by the Chicago dance company Lucky Plush Productions. The performance takes place Friday, May 20, at 7:30 PM at the Columbia College Chicago Dance Center, 1306 S. Michigan. The work follows a group of washed-up superheroes reinventing themselves in a nonprofit think tank for do-gooders. Challenged by the circularity of meeting culture, the unlikely heroes discover that real-world problems are far more complex than singular forces of evil, and that having power is part of the problem. SuperStrip draws from classic pulp novels and comic books in a blend of dance, theatre, and visual design that moves between live performance and projected video in unexpected ways.
The symposium will offer a diverse array of events at various venues, including Columbia College Chicago’s Film Row Center, 1104 S. Wabash; the Columbia College Chicago Theatre Center, 72 E. 11th; the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, 220 E. Chicago; and the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington. Participatory workshops, roundtables, collaborative skill-shares, interactive lectures/demos, curated panels, media screenings, and performances will focus investigation and discussion on the following themes:
- Art + University + Community
- Movement + Physical Theater Approaches
- Navigating the Academy/Industry Relationship
- Place
- Cultural Pluralism, Equity, Access + Inclusion
- Technology + Innovation
For a full schedule of symposium programs, click here.
For information on registering for the symposium — including special student rates — click here.
