The Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department will present a day of free performances and exhibits on Friday, May 10, as part of Columbia College Chicago‘s 19th annual Manifest Urban Arts Festival. The Getz Theater Center of Columbia College Chicago, located at 72 E. 11th Street in Chicago’s South Loop, will host 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 undergraduate Theatre, Theatre Design and Technology, and Theatre Directing programs and the graduate-level MFA/MA Program in European Devised Performance Practice.

Manifest Urban Arts Festival, Columbia College Chicago’s iconic South Loop student-run arts celebration, will span the Wabash Arts Corridor from 9th to 11th Streets. This free day-long event offers an array of engaging, thought-provoking, and interactive programs including live bands and DJs, gallery exhibitions, dance and theatre performances, fashion exhibitions and more created and curated by Columbia student artists. For more information and the most up-to-date programming, visit manifest.colum.edu/schedule.

Manifest kicks off at 1 PM at the Manifest Mainstage, Wabash Avenue and 11th Street, with live music, performance art, and theatrical spectacle. Highlighted events at the Getz Theater Center that day include:

2 PM:

High Fidelity — Musical highlights from the Theatre Department’s Fall 2018 Mainstage production of the rock musical High Fidelity. — Classic Theater, till 2:45 PM.

Stage Combat — Student fighters and fight choreographers present heart-stopping theatrical battle scenes ranging from broadswords to daggers. — Courtyard Theater, till 2:45 PM.

Afrofuturist Playwriting and Speculative Drama — A showcase of student-written work including readings from the work of Afrofuturist Playwriting and Speculative Drama student playwrights. — Sheldon Patinkin Theater, till 3 PM.

Designer, Director, and Stage Manager Showcase — Display of work by advanced student designers, directors, stage managers, and technicians. — Studio 404, till 9 PM.

The Third Mask — Graduates of the MFA Program in European Devised Performance Practice showcase the research that supported their thesis projects: 10 new devised performances that explore the concepts of the poetic body, movement based theatre, the personal as performative, and ensemble creation. The research will be presented as a series of installations combining written and visual texts, panel discussions, and extracts from performances. — Room 602, till 9 PM.

3 PM:

Acting Senior Showcase — A showcase of graduating senior actors and actresses. — Courtyard Theater, till 3:45 PM.

Solo Performance — Student-written, student-performed solo performances — daring, edgy, and dangerous. — Classic Theater, till 4:15 PM.

3:15 PM:

Playwrights Aloud I — Student-written, student-performed short plays and longer works. Come see the playwrights of tomorrow! — Sheldon Patinkin Theater, till 4 PM.

4 PM:

Xanadu — Musical highlights from Columbia’s Spring mainstage production of the rock musical Xanadu. — Courtyard Theater, till 4:45 PM.

4:15 PM:

Playwrights Aloud II — More student-written, student-performed short plays and longer works. Come see the playwrights of tomorrow. — Sheldon Patinkin Theater, till 5 PM.

4:30 PM:

Greatest Theatrical Event Ever — After numerous fires and showbiz bombs, The Grand Carlyle Theatre is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Experience the historical highlights! Featuring Columbia College Chicago faculty Joe Janes, Ric Walker, and Wendi Weber. Directed by Andrea J. Dymond. — Classic Theater, till 5:15 PM.

5 PM:

Musical Theatre Senior Showcase — A showcase of graduating senior Musical Theatre powerhouses. — Courtyard Theater, till 5:45 PM.

5:15 PM:

Writing for Musical Theatre Showcase — Showcase of student-written musicals! Come see the Sondheims of tomorrow. — Sheldon Patinkin Theater, till 6:15 PM.

5:30 PM:

homan & fillmore — An Afrofuturist perspective on real events, homan & fillmore is the next in Kristiana Rae Colón’s series of plays that imagine a world without prisons and police. Join her for a reading of excerpts from the play and a developmental Q & A about the experiences that shaped it. — Classic Theater, till 6:30 PM.

6 PM:

Musical Theatre Choreography Lab— Graduating choreographers will be showcasing their work. — Courtyard Theater, till 6:45 PM.

Columbia College Chicago is a private, nonprofit college offering a distinctive curriculum that blends creative and media arts, liberal arts, and business for nearly 7,000 students in more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Dedicated to academic excellence and long-term career success, Columbia College Chicago creates a dynamic, challenging, and collaborative space for students who experience the world through a creative lens. For more information, visit www.colum.edu.