Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department alumni and faculty members are featured in the 23rd annual Fillet of Solo Festival, presented January 10 through 26 by Lifeline Theatre. Celebrating the breadth of Chicago’s enduring storytelling and live lit scene, Lifeline brings together a dozen storytelling collectives and numerous solo performers for a three-week, multi-venue selection of powerful personal stories. Performances take place at two venues, located a block from each other in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood: Lifeline Theatre, 6912 N. Glenwood, and the Teal Room (a new location this year), 6956 N. Glenwood. Tickets to individual shows are $10; festival passes are also available. For tickets, call 773-761-4477 or click here.

Among the performers with Columbia College connections are:

Columbia College alum Janki Mody ’03, a graduate of the Theatre Department’s BA Program in Theatre, hosts Hear Me, See Me, a program of storytelling by survivors who share their personal stories of being cared for, dismissed, or silenced by the medical community. An audience talk back and conversation will follow. Performances are at the Teal Room on Saturday, January 11 and 25, at 4 PM both days.

 

The Kates, an all-female comedy showcase, organized and hosted by Columbia College alum Kelsie Huff ’03, provides an intimate night of comedy dedicated to showcasing talented and hilarious female-identified performers by creating inclusive and positive environments. Artists are encouraged to express their comic point of view in unique and non-apologetic ways–proving that women are equal in the eyes of comedy. The Kates performs at the Teal Room on Saturday, January 11, and Friday, January 17, at 7 PM both nights.

 

With 26 years of shared history, the The Sweat Girls, an all-female ensemble that includes Columbia College Theatre teacher Clare Nolan, represent the greying edge of Chicago’s Live Lit community. Known for their “contagious gusto,” the Sweat Girls have been called “the undisputed tribal elders” of the solo performance scene. They perform at Lifeline Theatre on Saturday, January 11, at 8:30 PM, and Saturday, January 18 and 25, at 7 PM.

 

Lifeline’s artistic director is Columbia College alum Ilesa Duncan ’99. Its managing director is former Columbia College Theatre Department student Allison Cain.