‘Own It!’: Columbia College Chicago Theatre Dept. Performances and Exhibit Highlight 2018 Manifest Urban Arts Festival on May 11; Alumni Party Also Set

The Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department, located at 72 E. 11th Street in Chicago’s South Loop, will host a day of free performances and exhibits on Friday, May 11, as part of Columbia College Chicago‘s 18th annual Manifest Urban Arts Festival. The Columbia College Chicago Theatre Center will showcase performances by students in the Acting, Musical Theatre, Comedy Writing & Performance, Stage Combat, and Playwriting/Writing for Performance programs. In addition, there will be an exhibition of work by students in the Theatre, Theatre Design and Technology, and Theatre Directing programs.

Manifest is Columbia College Chicago’s annual celebration at the end of the academic year. The festival is located in the heart of Chicago’s culturally rich South Loop neighborhood along the Wabash Arts Corridor, between Michigan Avenue and Clark Street and between Congress Parkway and Roosevelt Road. The event showcases the unique, vibrant diversity that is a hallmark of Chicago — and of Columbia College — featuring dozens of performances, screenings, gallery exhibitions, fashion shows, and literary readings by undergraduate and graduate students at Columbia College Chicago. All events are free and open to the public.

The theme of this year’s Manifest is: “OWN IT!” Owning it is an electric feeling, a fusion of light and energy, making the choice to flip your internal light switch on, and to stretch the boundaries of your creativity. For a complete Manifest schedule, click here.

Manifest kicks off at 1 PM with live performances and presentations on Manifest Main Street (Wabash Avenue between 9th and 11th Streets). Another highlight of Manifest is the Manifest Alumni Party from 6:30 to 9 PM at The Conaway, 1104 S. Wabash, just half a block west of the Columbia College Theatre Center.

The Columbia College Chicago Theatre Center has simultaneous events taking place in all four of its performance venues: the ground-floor Courtyard Theatre and Classic Theatre, the lower-level Sheldon Patinkin Studio Theatre (“The Sheldon”), and the fourth-floor Studio 404. Highlights of the Theatre Center’s Manifest schedule include:

Senior Showcase — Courtyard Theatre, 2-3:15 PM —  A showcase performance by graduating senior Acting and Musical Theatre powerhouses.

2 Chairs and a Lightbulb — The Sheldon Theatre, 2-2:45 PM — Student-written, student-performed new works. Come see the playwrights of tomorrow!

Highlights from The Wild Party — Classic Theatre, 2-2:30 PM — Musical highlights from the recent student-directed production of the musical The Wild Party.

Theatrical Designer, Director, Stage Manager, and Technician Gallery — Studio 404, 2-6 PM — Senior design, theatre direction, stage management, and theatre technology students display their finest work.

Highlights from Make Me Bad — Classic Theatre, 2:45-3:15 PM — Musical highlights from the recent student-directed production Make Me Bad.

Playwrights Aloud #1 — The Sheldon Theatre, 3-3:45 PM — First of two programs of student-written, student-performed short plays and longer works.

Highlights from Sweet Charity — Courtyard Theatre, 3:30-4 PM — Song and dance highlights from the recent mainstage production of the musical Sweet Charity.

Solo Performances — Classic Theatre, 3:30-4:45 PM — Solo pieces written and performed by students.

Playwrights Aloud #2 — The Sheldon Theatre, 4-4:45 PM — Second of two programs of student-written, student-performed short plays and longer works.

Musical Theatre Choreography Lab — Courtyard Theatre, 4:15-4:45 PM — Exciting new dances created by graduating choreographers.

Fights — Courtyard Theatre, 5-6 PM — Heart-stopping theatrical violence by student fighters and fight choreographers in the Theatre Department’s Stage Combat program.

 

Highlights from Caroline, or Change — Classic Theatre, 5-5:30 PM — Highlights from the Fall 2017 mainstage production of the musical Caroline, or Change.

Musical Theatre Writing Lab — The Sheldon Theatre, 5-6 PM — New musical theatre pieces by student writers and composers.