Collaboraction extends world premiere of Crime Scene: A Chicago Anthology, “a gripping tale of the Chicago condition,” through April 7
CHICAGO, IL- Collaboraction Theatre Company announced a four-week extension of their hit world premiere play, Crime Scene: A Chicago Anthology, adding 17 more performances for a new closing date of April 7.
Crime Scene: A Chicago Anthology is a timely new theatrical reaction to Chicago’s history of violent crime and a call to discover what it might take to create lasting change in our city. The show, a Collaboraction world premiere conceived and directed by Anthony Moseley, couples nonfiction source material such as interviews, articles, and online comments with three true Chicago crimes to raise critical questions surrounding segregation, poverty, the news media, popular culture, and our numbness to it all.
Since opening in mid-February, the play has been universally lauded by the local press, receiving 3 ½ stars from the Chicago Tribune, a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED rating from the Chicago Sun-Times, a video profile on WTTW-TV Chicago Tonight, and national feature coverage in the March issue of American Theatre Magazine.
Crime Scene is a live docu-drama featuring immersive staging, audience participation and stylized dramatizations of three real Chicago crimes:
- The 2000 mistaken identity killing of Orlando Patterson, a 12 year old boy playing ball in front of his house in the 6900 block of South Perry Avenue
- Joseph Coleman aka Lil Jojo’s murder at age 17 over an alleged gang beef fueled by Youtube videos and Twitter posts
- The savage beating of Stacy Jurich and Natasha McShane just blocks from Collaboraction in Wicker Park in 2010
Every performance is followed by a facilitated conversation with the audience about what we as Chicagoans can do about the prevalence of violent crime in our city. Representatives from our Community Partner organizations serve as co-facilitators, helping to guide the discussions alongside the cast and crew. To date, the vast majority of audience members have stayed for the conversations. Through meeting other concerned community members, learning about the many great nonprofits that are working to stem the violence, and openly discussing many conflicting perspectives of the epidemic, these conversations provide our audiences a bright spark of hope within this dark subject matter.
Press accolades include:
“Crime Scene: A Chicago Anthology, far and away the best Collaboraction show I’ve seen these past 14 years, is indeed a call for collaborative action…There is something particularly special about this cast. Three and a half stars.” – Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
“…There is something about the 85-minute Crime Scene that is so direct, visceral, youthful and winningly honest (meaning not at all predictably politically correct) that you might at least find yourself listening again – willing to get beyond the overload of disgust, impotence and sense of futility…Conceived and expertly directed by Anthony Moseley, Crime Scene has the feel of a streetwise Greek tragedy as it employs elements of history, testimony, song and hip-hop oration.” Â – Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times
“…a gripping tale of the Chicago condition that gets to the heart of our suffering.”– Mark Konkol, Pulitzer-Prize winning crime writer for DNAinfo.com
“The success of this work as theater indicates its potential to reach beyond its black box space and start vital conversations, and yes, even incite actions needed to staunch the flow of blood in Chicago streets…“– Erika Mikkalo, StageandCinema.com
Crime Scene: A Chicago Anthology will continue through April 7 at Collaboraction on the 3rd floor of the Flat Iron Arts Building, 1579 N. Milwaukee Ave in Wicker Park. Show times are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 pm, and Sunday at 7 pm. There is no performance on March 17. There are two added Industry Nights Monday, March 18 and Monday, April 1 at 7 pm. Tickets are $30; $15 for students, educators and industry. Purchase tickets online at www.collaboraction.org or call 312.226.9633. Crime Scene: A Chicago Anthology runs approximately 85 minutes, followed each night by a facilitated discussion. The show is recommended for ages 15 and up due to violence and mature content.
According to director, co-deviser and Collaboraction Artistic Director Anthony Moseley, “the inspiration for Crime Scene came from a need to create work connected to important issues in our community. I strive to create a visceral experience that will awaken and spur personal change. I believe theatre can serve a critical role in addressing the issue of violence by offering Chicagoans a transcendent artistic experience that forces us to confront and question the core elements of the senseless violence.”Â
Crime Scene: A Chicago Anthology is co-devised by an ensemble of community activists and Chicago theater professionals from diverse neighborhoods throughout the city. Co-devisers include Scott Baity Jr., Victoria Blade, Sara Carranza, Luis Crespo, Miranda Gonzalez, Michael Johnson, Eddie Jordan III, Laura Korn, James Lynch, Patrese McClain, Eamonn McDonagh, Niall McGinty, Medina Perine, Shavac Prakash, Adam Seidel, Lisandra Tena and Eric Walker.
Ensemble members performing in the production include Scott Baity Jr., Victoria Blade, Luis Crespo, Michael Johnson, Eddie Jordan III, Laura Korn, Patrese McClain, Eamonn McDonagh, Niall McGinty, Medina Perine, Shavac Prakash and Lisandra Tena.Â
Designers include John Wilson (set and technical direction), Jeremy Getz (lights), Livui Pasare (video), Elsa Hiltner (costumes) and Angela Campos (props). Samantha Chavis is dramaturg. Fight choreography is by David Woolley. Sara Carranza is stage manager. Crime Scene: A Chicago Anthology is produced by Sarah Moeller. Production management is bySusanne Hufnagel.
Crime Scene: A Chicago Anthology – Takin’ it to the Streets
Following its debut at Collaboraction, all partners will engage in extensive outreach to bring Crime Scene: A Chicago Anthology to diverse audiences and neighborhoods in Chicago.Week-longneighborhood residencies culminating in a live performance will be held in the spring and summer of 2013 in city parks and community centers across Chicago. Collaboraction is working with the Chicago Parks District and its many Community Partners to create a local tour in order to bring the project to a broad and diverse audience. Local residents will be interviewed before each outreach performance to incorporate and create a neighborhood-centric focus. A limited number of tickets will be reserved to each performance for youth and victims of violent crime. In addition, Collaboraction will construct an outdoor theatre at several locations – outdoor performance platforms that will remain as community assets, leaving a lasting imprint long after the show is over.
Collaboraction is a Chicago-based arts organization of collaborative theater and experience makers focused on becoming a national leader of contemporary theater. By incorporating innovative artists and interdisciplinary collaboration, Collaboraction audiences are sure to experience groundbreaking theatrical and arts-based events.
Anthony Moseley serves as the Founding Executive and Artistic Director of Collaboraction, where he has produced over 50 productions, 12 SKETCHBOOK Festivals and over 250 events since the company’s founding in 1999. In 2000 Moseley co-founded the annual SKETCHBOOK Festival, which was lauded by Kerry Reid of the Chicago Reader as “the premiere short play festival in the Midwest.” Under Moseley’s direction, SKETCHBOOK has produced 158 world premiere short plays in a mixed media environment with music and visual art and this year the 13th annual SKETCHBOOK will include 4 programs of works between 7 and 60 minutes. Moseley’s Collaboraction directing credits include the world premieres of El Grito Del Bronx (a co-production with Teatro Vista in association with the Goodman Theatre), The Pull Toy (and His Pasian), and Heroes and Villains; Chicago premieres of dark play or stories for boys by Carlos Murrillo, Be a Good Little Widow by Bekah Brunstetter, Refuge (2000 Jeff Citation nomination for Best Direction), The Cosmonaut’s Last Message to the Woman He Once Loved in the Former Soviet Union, Trueblinka and Guinea Pig Solo; as well as Mud, To Kill a Mockingbird, and numerous world premiere short plays for the SKETCHBOOK Festival.
For more information, visit www.collaboraction.org.
Photo Caption: By  Cesario Moza
