Education and Outreach Programs

The Chicago Chronicle
The Chicago Chronicle is a project that creates theater experiences that come from the lives of people living in the community. ATC selects eight Chicago playwrights to pair up with eight teen leaders to interview families about a relevant issue. Each teen leader interviews a family and then works with the playwright to use an element of the family’s story as the basis for a short play. The plays are read together by professional artists in an evening of theater on ATC’s stage to which the teens, interviewed families and other members of the community are invited.

American Mosaic
American Mosaic is a 6-week residency program that will stimulate the next generation of diverse theater artists and audiences. Each year, ATC artists/CPS teacher teams will spend 6 weeks teaching 9th graders about an American classic in ATC's season. They will examine the play from literary and performance perspectives, exploring how the play relates to the students' identities as Americans. Each class will then rehearse and produce a different scene from the play, culminating in a showcase of the whole play on the set of the ATC production. After the final performances, students will see a free matinee performance of the professional production at ATC, and their families will be given free passes to see the play at any point during its run.

Adult Community Outreach Program
ATC offers free tickets to several community organizations in Chicago for preview performances of every production. Some of our partner agencies include BEHIV, Hines Veteran’s Hospital, Apna Ghar Women’s Shelter, and Friedman Place for the Blind. The performance includes a post-show discussion with the artists, allowing the audience to engage in discussions about the issues raised in the play. Our theater is wheelchair accessible and we make space available according to the needs of each group. This program offers access to communities who would otherwise be unable to attend a live theater performance.

Please contact Rachel Reader, Audience Development Director at (773) 409.4125 or rreader@atcweb.org to arrange a group.

The Youth Interactive Education Program
ATC invites Chicago Public School students to attend matinee performance for each of our productions. Each classroom teacher receives a copy of the script and study guide materials to use as part of their school curriculum. Additionally, the Education Associate, presents these materials to the students at their school, prior to their attendance at the theater. Each performance also includes a post-show discussion among the artists and the students. Primarily, this program is offered to underserved schools that have little to no arts programming or funding for cultural trips.